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Chapter 60: Yunshan Passes the Ninth Rank Examination and Becomes a Pharmacist in the Pharmacy
Just after the beginning of winter, the coldness in Kyoto has become more intense, and the streets and alleys are filled with a chilly atmosphere.

However, outside the Pharmacy, there was a bustling atmosphere as a highly anticipated selection of female officials kicked off here.

The Pharmacy was in charge of the medical affairs within the palace. Being able to become a female official with a rank and salary not only meant having an honorable job, but also the opportunity to access precious medical knowledge and resources.

Because the Pharmacy is located inside the palace gate, the examination of candidates is very strict and the selection rules are extremely strict.

Candidates must hold a letter of recommendation from the empress, imperial consort, or a court official or wife of a high rank in order to be eligible to take the exam.

For this day, Yunshan spent many nights studying by lamplight.

Before dawn, Yunshan got up and prepared carefully. She dressed herself neatly, tied her hair up, and did not wear any fancy accessories, showing her simplicity and capability.

Filled with nervousness and anticipation, she walked out of the palace first, and solemnly handed over the letter of recommendation personally given by the Queen and a copy of her own good name at the corner gate. After some inspection, she entered the examination room with other candidates.

The first exam is a written test, which mainly tests the knowledge of medicinal properties.

After Yunshan sat down, she took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.

Question: Both Coptis chinensis and Phellodendron amurense are bitter and cold medicines, but what are the similarities and differences in their effects?

Yunshan thought for a moment, then picked up her pen and wrote:

"Both Coptis chinensis and Phellodendron amurense have the functions of clearing heat and dampness, purging fire and detoxifying. However, Coptis chinensis is more effective at clearing the fire in the heart and stomach, and is good at treating heart heat, irritability, and stomach heat, vomiting; while Phellodendron amurense is better at clearing damp heat in the lower burner, and is more effective for symptoms such as leucorrhea and stranguria caused by damp heat."

Question: If I encounter a condition of blood deficiency and blood stasis, what combination of herbs should be used to treat it? Yunshan, with her solid knowledge, detailed the principles of combining herbs such as angelica sinensis, forsythia suspensa, and rehmannia glutinosa.

In this round, many people withdrew regretfully, but Yunshan successfully entered the second test - medicinal material identification.

The drying area of ​​the pharmacy was filled with a variety of similar-looking Chinese medicinal herbs. In this round, candidates were required to accurately identify and label the herbs by looking, smelling, touching, and tasting them.

Yunshan walked over to the herbal medicine table and examined it carefully. Two of the herbs were similar in shape and color, making them easy to confuse.

One is Baiqian and the other is Baiwei.

Yunshan first observed their shapes. Baiqian had a short, blocky rhizome with slender fibrous roots, while Baiwei had a thicker, shorter rhizome with numerous, slender roots. Then, she sniffed them gently. Baiqian had a faint scent, while Baiwei had a light fragrance. Finally, she carefully took a small amount and tasted it. Baiqian tasted slightly sweet, while Baiwei was slightly bitter.

With her meticulous identification, Yunshan easily identified the names of the herbs. After this round of screening, only six candidates advanced to the third round of the exam.

This round was incredibly challenging. Six candidates had to draw a prescription from a hidden box and then find a matching bowl of 60 bowls of Chinese medicine with different ingredients.

These Chinese medicine formulas are extremely similar, some only have one or two more herbs, while others have one or two less, making it like finding a needle in a haystack to distinguish them.

The prescription Yunshan found read:

"Three grams of Chinese jujube kernel, three grams of Poria cocos, two grams of Anemarrhena asphodeloides, one gram of Forsythia suspensa, and one gram of Licorice root."

This is an excellent prescription for treating insomnia, palpitations and night sweats. She had seen it in the book of folk medicine given to her by Lin Xiao. The medicinal materials in that book were cheap and affordable for ordinary people.

She took the prescription and carefully observed and sniffed the sixty bowls of Chinese medicine. She closed her eyes and concentrated, relying on her keen sense of smell to carefully distinguish every difference.

Finally, she caught a familiar scent amidst the rows of medicinal soups: the faint aroma of jujube seeds, blended with the refreshing fragrance of Poria cocos, the slightly bitter aroma of Anemarrhena asphodeloides, the pungent fragrance of Forsythia suspensa, and the sweet aroma of licorice. It was exactly what she was looking for. The intense exams were over, and only two people had made it through the rigorous selection process. Yunshan was one of them. She and another woman were summoned by the Chief Pharmacist.

"Li Meng." The chief medicine officer called out.

"Yes." The woman answered crisply.

"Li Meng?" Yunshan was shocked and thought to herself: Could it be Li Meng, the third daughter of the Zhongshu Ling family?

She couldn't help but glance at the woman beside her. She was so elegant and graceful, and she behaved so gracefully. It was indeed her! Back in the Li family's private school, Yunshan had been Yan Yu's study partner for several years. But in the past few years, she hadn't seen her, and she had grown into a very charming young woman.

Yunshan was full of doubts. Why would such a noble lady from a prominent family come to take the examination for the position of female pharmacist?

Li Meng seemed to notice Yunshan's gaze, turned around and smiled at her, her eyes full of friendliness and gentleness.

Siyao Fengyu looked at the two outstanding women in front of him and nodded with satisfaction.

Yunshan's hands trembled slightly as she took the warrant issued by the Pharmacy. One side of the warrant was engraved with her name "Song Yunshan" and the other side was engraved with "Ninth-Rank Medicine Attendant".

A few days later, a set of exquisite ninth-rank female official uniform was finally completed and sent to Liuhua Palace.

The colors of official uniforms are elegant yet solemn.

The top is a light blue narrow-sleeved shirt with delicate white flowers embroidered on the cuffs. The stitching is fine and lifelike, as if the flowers will sway gently in the breeze.

The neckline was round, simple and elegant, revealing a fair neck. The skirt, a matching waist-length skirt, was wide and flowing gracefully as she walked. Silver thread embroidered the skirt with cloud patterns, which shimmered softly in the sunlight, like stars in the night sky. A thin black belt, inlaid with several round jade stones, cinched her waist.

Yun Jin couldn't help but admire, "Yun Shan, you look so radiant in this official uniform. You will definitely have a bright future!"

Yunshan playfully gave Yunjin an official salute, then straightened her sleeves and walked towards the main hall with light steps.

Lin Yu put down the scroll in his hand when he saw her come in. Yun Shan slowly knelt down and performed a solemn kneeling ceremony, tears welling up in her eyes.

Lin Yu smiled, his eyes filled with satisfaction, and jokingly said, "Master Medicine Servant, please get up quickly."

Yunshan looked respectful, with a hint of unconcealable joy in her eyes, and said softly:
"Your Majesty, with the gracious permission of the Imperial Pharmacy, I may continue to reside in the Liuhua Palace. For every four days of duty, I will have two days off. If Your Majesty requires anything, simply give the order, and I will arrive immediately without delay."

Yun Jin had a playful smile on her lips and said lightly:

"Just focus on your job. Although I'm not smart, I have served Her Majesty for many years and I can take care of everything. What else do you have to worry about?" Yun Jin joked and pushed her.

Lin Yu nodded slightly, his eyes gentle, and motioned Yun Jin to take out an exquisite box that had been prepared long ago.

"Yunshan, take the contents of this box and present them to the Empress. We at Liuhua Palace are offering this as a small token of our gratitude for the Empress's kindness."

Yunshan took the box with both hands, held it carefully in her arms, bowed respectfully, and then turned and walked away. The midday sun hit her shoulders, dispelling all the winter chill.

(End of this chapter)