Jinyi Spring

Chapter 60 Passing the Exam
In Beianfang, more families seek out Aunt Wang for childbirth services than in the countryside; most are from the city, with a smaller number from the suburbs.

Because of the dense residential areas in Beijing and the short distances between houses, Aunt Wang's life is a bit easier than when she lived in the countryside.

She dared not bring Shaoyao to deliver babies anymore. Several women who had given birth complained that Shaoyao was too rough, pinching them until they were covered in bruises.

This made Peony very depressed, and she had to give up her wish to earn more money as a midwife.

She made another grand ambition: to be an even better maid than Banxia, ​​to serve the young lady and young master well, and to manage the household well.

She made another discovery: the girl loved flowers, so she had to take the best care of them. While her medical skills couldn't compare to Banxia's, she had to excel in at least one area…

Feng Chuchen was also busy; she would take Banxia with her when she went on house calls. Apart from the Shangyin Shen acupuncture, she taught Banxia all other medical techniques step by step.

Since the implementation of the Feng-style choke law, three children have been saved in Beijing alone, and this method has been widely accepted.

Dr. Feng, a descendant of the legendary Physician Feng, has gained fame in Beijing.

Between March and April, twelve wealthy families in Beijing invited Feng Chuchen to their clinics. One family had a difficult childbirth and confirmed that their infant was in danger, so they asked her to wait outside the delivery room to administer Yin Shen acupuncture.

Feng Chuchen wasn't a licensed doctor; she didn't have a fixed price list, nor was she obligated to treat patients. Fearing she wouldn't come, people offered exorbitant consultation fees, ranging from one to five taels of silver, unintentionally driving up Feng Chuchen's prices.

Poor families almost never sought out Feng Chuchen, unsure whether their infants needed the acupuncture treatment, and finding it unwise to pay a high price for someone who might not even need it. In some people's eyes, five taels of silver wouldn't even cover the consultation fee, let alone the acupuncture itself.

Feng Chuchen actually used the Yin Shen Needle to save an infant and the Hemostatic Needle to save two women in labor.

The twelve families earned a total of 112 taels of silver from consultation fees, acupuncture fees, treatment fees, and rewards, along with two catties of tea and several pieces of silk.

Through learning and practice, combined with her past life experience, Feng Chuchen has solved several difficult points in Feng Yipo's Notebook, and her medical skills in gynecology and pediatrics have improved by leaps and bounds compared to her previous life.

There are still some challenges that we will continue to explore, including refining the Shangyin Shenzhen technique...

If the family of a deceased child whom Aunt Wang took in, or a deceased child whom Feng Chuchen saw, was willing to bury in the reed marshes, Feng Chuchen and Aunt Wang would take Da Tou and bury the deceased child there. Afterwards, the two would stay at the old house for a day and pick some fresh vegetables to take back to the city.

Feng Chuchen has fully adapted to life here, and her days are happy and fulfilling. Apart from going to the doctor, seizing the time to study, and thinking about the clinic's plans, her only two pleasures are playing with the little boy and tending to the flowers and plants.

The courtyard was adorned with flowers by her and the peony, resembling a beautiful little garden. It seemed that there were more butterflies and dragonflies visiting her home than at other homes.

The apricots, which are turning yellowish-green, are almost ripe.

Feng Buji's life was also very fulfilling. In addition to studying academic subjects and simple medical books, he would also take time to take Datou for a walk and jog behind the house, and he also played very well with the neighborhood children.

The little guy has the intelligence, resilience, and kindness of Doctor Feng, but also the sophistication and worldliness that Doctor Feng lacks.

Feng Chuchen is pleased to see his growth and intends to guide him in this direction.

It would be even better if they were happier and more open-minded.

Aside from a few neighbors who liked to gossip about Feng Chuchen's "scandalous affairs" in private, and a family in the first two alleys who always wanted to marry Feng Chuchen off to their widower son who owned a candied fruit shop, causing them some trouble, the family lived a relatively peaceful and happy life.

On the morning of April 28th, the sun rose in the east, the weather was fine and sunny, and the early summer weather was already quite hot.

The Imperial Medical Academy began its examinations that day.

Feng Buji insisted on taking leave to escort his sister to the examination hall.

His excuse was, "I am the only man in the family, and I am my sister's pillar of support. If I don't go, my sister will panic."

Feng Chuchen couldn't refuse this reason, so he asked Banxia to accompany him.

The little guy was dressed very formally, in a brand-new brown robe, with a wide blue ribbon tied to his little bun. He's currently in mourning; otherwise, he would definitely be wearing bright red.

Feng Chuchen dressed very casually in a slightly worn green dress.

Feng Buji refused, saying, "Dress nicely, so we can have a successful start."

Feng Chuchen explained, "Those rumors haven't dissipated yet, and being too high-profile would easily attract attention."

The candidates for medical exams in this era consist of four groups.

One group consists of interns who have studied at the Imperial Medical Academy for three to five years. These individuals, mostly from the medical profession, constitute the majority of the candidates.

The two were palace maids who had studied medicine in the palace for more than three years; those who passed the exam became female doctors.

Three were apprentices at medical clinics, who would be recommended by the clinics after five to seven years of study. This group mostly came from families of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners.

The fourth group consisted of individuals like Feng Chuchen, who were self-taught, possessed exceptional skills, and were recommended by renowned doctors or medical clinics. If there were women in this group, they mostly hoped to pass the exams and enter the palace as female physicians.

Although female doctors had to marry after the age of twenty-five, they could get engaged in advance and had days off. They were easier to marry into than palace maids, and many sons of doctors, merchants, and members of aristocratic families preferred to marry such women.

Not only are they capable and well-acquainted with influential people, but they also know a great deal about things in the palace or mansion.

Outside of the capital, the examinations were organized by the Imperial Medical Academy's dispatched agencies stationed in the provinces, and the examiners were the latter two groups mentioned above.

The medical exams are held every two years and are divided into two departments: Pulse Medicine and Ulcer Medicine, which correspond to the major internal medicine and major surgery departments in the previous life. There is also a Department of Acupuncture, which all candidates must take.

The examination content for the Department of Pulse Medicine is based on the major classics "Suwen" and "Nannan", and minor classics such as "Zhubing Yuanhou Lun" and "Yanke Longshu Lun". The Department of Acupuncture and Ulcer Medicine are based on the major classics "Maijing" and "Zhenjiu Sanjing".

The exams all lasted one day, and lunch was eaten in the cells.

Today's exam is on pulse diagnosis, the day after tomorrow on ulcers, and the day after that on acupuncture.

Some candidates registered for two subjects, while others registered for all three.

Feng Chuchen applied to the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Department of Acupuncture, and then applied to the Department of Ulcer Treatment two years later.

The exam results were divided into four grades: A, B, C, and D.

The top-ranked student in the first class was awarded a medical doctorate and could serve as a royal physician or in management at the Imperial Medical Academy.

Those ranked second to tenth in Class B could either enter the Imperial Medical Academy or become doctors in private clinics.

Those ranked eleventh and above in Category C have no limit on the number of positions available and can work as doctors in traditional folk medicine clinics.

Grade D is considered a failing grade and requires relearning and retaking the test.

Women who achieved a grade of C or higher could become female doctors or physicians. To date, the best results achieved by women in this examination were those of female doctors Cai and Zhou over thirty years ago, who ranked sixth in grade B and twelfth in grade C.

A total of 120 candidates took the exam from the twelve counties under the jurisdiction of Jingzhao Prefecture. Among them were eight women, including Feng Chuchen, five palace maids, and two self-taught women like Feng Chuchen.

Eight bailiffs and two female guards stood at the entrance; the bailiffs were responsible for searching men, and the female guards were responsible for searching women.

They were all from the Ministry of Justice.

When the forbidden woman searched Feng Chuchen, her eyes were unusually different; there was not only curiosity but also disdain, and she was more forceful in her search.

Is this the girl who invented the Feng-style choking method and used it to save Young Master Shangguan?

In their eyes, a girl who uses this method to save a man, regardless of whether she has any ulterior motives, is despicable.

Feng Chuchen really disliked that look, but could only pretend not to notice. If it weren't for the fact that they had to go in for an exam, she would have shot them down with pebbles.

Doing good deeds doesn't necessarily bring good rewards; this is true in any era.

Upon entering the examination room, each person was assigned a small cubicle.

Feng Chuchen glanced at the exam paper; she knew all the answers. She didn't want to attract too much attention and couldn't perform to her full potential; otherwise, she could have become the first female medical doctor of this era.

She had inquired beforehand that a perfect score on an exam was considered excellent, one mistake out of ten was average, two mistakes out of ten was poor, and less than seven was considered failing.

If there are several scores of 10, the one with the best overall ability will be selected as A.

There was also an unwritten rule that the academic requirements could be relaxed for women. This was because most women entered the palace as female doctors, serving as assistants to the imperial physicians, and if their skills were lacking, the imperial physicians would cover for them. Those who didn't enter the palace worked in obstetrics and gynecology or delivered babies, so the requirements weren't as strict.

The exam was very easy. Feng Chuchen answered the questions with a score of nine, hoping to achieve a grade that was either low in the second tier or high in the third tier, like Dr. Cai and Dr. Zhou. As she left the exam room, several candidates pointed at Feng Chuchen and whispered among themselves.

"She's pretty."

"She's just a bit too aloof; she's a cold beauty."

"Pity."

"What's a pity? Do you mean you want to marry her?"

"Haha, I don't have that kind of luck..."

Before the exam, I had no interest in anything else; it was only after the exam that I began to take a closer look at this famous Miss Feng.

Feng Chuchen ignored them and walked towards the gate with her head held high and her chest out.

It was already late afternoon when they left the examination hall, and Feng Buji rushed over excitedly.

"Sister, how did the exam go?"

"Who is my sister? Of course, no problem."

Feng Buji also saw people pointing and whispering about his sister, so he pouted and pulled his sister away.

They originally planned to have a nice meal at the Lion Restaurant not far away, but after seeing that many test takers had gone there, they decided not to go anymore.

The group hired a donkey cart to go home, and bought some sesame cakes along the way to fill their stomachs.

The Imperial Hospital was located in the southeast of the inner city. By the time we returned to Beianfang in the northwest, it was already completely dark.

Aunt Wang and Banxia were anxiously waiting for them. Seeing their smiling faces, they were relieved.

On the first day of May, Feng Chuchen took the acupuncture exam, but he still didn't show his full potential.

On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the list of successful candidates was released. Feng Chuchen and Banxia took a donkey cart to the gate of the Imperial Hospital to see the list of successful candidates.

They squeezed through the crowd to look at the list; only forty-nine people had passed, less than half.

First, let's look at Fangmaike. Feng Chuchen's name appears prominently in the first row of the second-tier list, ranking second.

Feng Chuchen's goal was to rank fifth to tenth, and he exceeded his target.

Banxia jumped high, "Girl, you're in second place!"

The sound was incredibly loud.

Feng Chuchen's name is well-known, attracting a lot of attention.

His gaze held not only admiration, envy, and jealousy, but also other emotions.

On the acupuncture rankings, Feng Chuchen remains in second place.

Feng Chuchen was delighted and pulled Banxia out of the crowd.

Those who made the list had to go to the Imperial Medical Academy to obtain a "medical household registration," which was equivalent to a "medical practice qualification certificate" in the previous life. Some of them would directly enter the Imperial Medical Academy or the Imperial Household Department.

Those who passed the exam went excitedly to the gate of the Imperial Medical Academy next door.

Banxia and some of her entourage went to a teahouse or tea shop at the street corner to wait.

Inside a large hall of the Imperial Medical Academy, Chief Physician Li, Deputy Chief Physician Fan, and Chief Physician Fang were waiting.

Just now, Dean Li and Judge Fang discussed Feng Chuchen's whereabouts and even argued a few words.

Fang Yuanpan wanted to persuade Li Yuanshi to make an exception and allow Feng Chuchen to enter the palace as a female doctor.

“Miss Feng possesses the virtues of Doctor Feng and has inherited her skills, making her exceptionally skilled in medicine. Although she has been imprisoned, it was to deter those clansmen for her brother's sake. The law should not be divorced from human sentiment, and I believe we should make an exception and allow her to become a female doctor.”

Dr. Li shook his head and said, "I trust the character and medical skills of the Feng family for generations, but we cannot violate the rules. Moreover, judging from the things Miss Feng has done before, she is not composed enough and is easily impulsive, which is a major taboo for a female doctor."

Vice Envoy Fan previously disliked Doctor Feng, finding her, a commoner midwife, to be far too arrogant. Now, he dislikes Feng Chuchen, finding her impulsive, brainless, and incredibly audacious.

He said righteously, "We must not overstep the bounds. Feng Chuchen has been to prison, so she cannot be a female doctor. If she harms someone important, can you and I bear the responsibility?"

Judge Fang said with great regret, "It's such a pity that such a good doctor can only be found among ordinary people."

Dr. Li said, "It's not a pity, we've already seen her skills. If there's anything, we can ask her to treat your illness."

If the court's judgment is unclear, then so be it. He thought to himself, "Could I invite her to work as a resident doctor at Dechun Medical Hall, specializing in pediatrics and gynecology?"

After everyone had arrived, Dean Li delivered a passionate speech, and the candidates stepped forward one by one to receive their "medical care certificates".

Feng Chuchen has two medical households: one for pulse diagnosis and the other for acupuncture.

She officially became the Grand Physician Feng of the Great Yan Dynasty.

The top-ranked medical doctor received three medical certificates.

Now we should call him Imperial Physician Qin.

Physician Qin was nearly thirty years old, short and slightly plump, with a kind and easygoing appearance, and spoke in a gentle tone. He gave a very good impression and seemed like a reliable and trustworthy doctor.

He is a polymath, specializing in ulcers. He studied at the Imperial Medical Academy for ten years, but missed the exams several times due to various reasons. This time, he soared to the top.

After receiving the marriage certificate, we had a banquet.

There are four tables for male doctors and one table for female doctors.

Four female doctors passed the exam: Feng Chuchen, two female physicians, and Miss Cai. Miss Cai passed the exam and went directly into the Imperial Household Department as a female physician; she will now be called Physician Cai.

In other words, apart from Feng Chuchen, the other three are all government employees.

Dr. Cai was eighteen or nineteen years old and came from the Cai family, one of the four great medical families in the capital.

Female doctors Fan and Chen were particularly arrogant and didn't like to talk to Feng Chuchen. This was not only because she was a folk doctor, but also because she had saved Shangguan Gongzi using the dysphagia method.

They had seen Young Master Shangguan from afar several times; he was truly a god-like figure, and only the Empress Dowager, Princess Yanghe, and the Imperial Concubine could hold his hand.

This commoner girl actually used that method to save Young Master Shangguan; what else could it be but taking advantage of him?

Feng Chuchen was naturally aloof, so she kept quiet.

Dr. Cai was extremely warm towards Feng Chuchen, to the point that Feng Chuchen felt somewhat uncomfortable.

"Dr. Feng, it's amazing that you can use Yin Shen acupuncture at such a young age."

"Dr. Cai, you flatter me."

"I heard your oxytocin injections are very effective."

"so so."

"How about we go shopping? I have to go to the palace on May 16th, then I won't have much time to play. How about tomorrow? Oh, no, I'm busy these next few days. How about October 1st?"

Feng Chuchen wasn't used to unfamiliar people being overly enthusiastic for no reason, but considering that Dr. Cai was a female doctor and came from a family of doctors, she agreed.

"Okay."

The two agreed to meet in front of the Yixiangju Restaurant at around noon on the 11th of this month.

Thank you all for your generous donations, monthly tickets, and encouragement. I'm so happy to have so many readers waiting for Qingquan. Thank you for your blessings! Qingquan's health hasn't been very good in recent years, mainly due to emotional issues. Thinking too much or having worries causes anxiety and insomnia, which over time has led to some physical ailments, such as dizziness. At its worst, I'm even afraid to leave the house... After resting for a while, Qingquan feels better and wants to write again because this book contains many plot points that Qingquan also loves and wants to share with readers. I hope to continue writing...