Chapter 346: It

According to the rules, everyone's prescriptions will be posted for public viewing.

This is to prove that the competition is open and transparent.

Two thousand prescriptions, grouped by team, are posted on fifty large boards, standing in a circle around the high platform.

Those that passed are marked with a red check, those eliminated with a black cross; it is clear at a glance.

Du Ruo's "dog-scratch" handwriting stands out like a chicken in a flock of cranes, extremely eye-catching.

Whether it is the contestants under the stage or the audience, many people point at the characters, mocking and jeering.

"Who is this person surnamed Du? Her writing is so ugly, how did she even pass?"

"Shh, keep it down... look, look, look, it's that woman. I noticed her yesterday and even specifically asked for her name."

"So it's her. She looks quite pretty, why is her handwriting so ugly?"

"Isn't it obvious? Have you ever heard of a 'female divine doctor'? How many women actually understand medicine? She's just relying on her face and her body..."

As the man spoke, he winked at the few people beside him, wearing a lewd expression that said, "You know what I mean."

The few looked at each other and burst into loud laughter.

These words happened to reach the ears of the Xiushan Academy students not far away.

Jiang Zhan clenched his fists in anger, wishing he could rush up and beat them. To slander his sister-in-law like this was truly hateful!

Xiao Liangchen glared at that group of low-class men with an unkind look, his lips pressed into a straight line.

The other students were also filled with righteous indignation.

Bian Dou Dou was the first to jump up, pointing at the group of men and cursing: "Bah! You bunch of dog-things, did you eat dung this morning and forget to rinse your mouths? If you dare to spout nonsense again, believe it or not, this young master will beat you all!"

The few men looked at each other in dismay.

The lewd man looked Bian Dou Dou up and down. Seeing he was well-fed and dressed in finery, he guessed he was a young master from a wealthy family.

So, he immediately ran through all the prominent families in Fengyang Prefecture in his mind, finally determining...

This guy is not a local.

Since he isn't a local, that makes things easy. Even a strong dragon doesn't suppress a local snake.

Having mingled with all sorts of people for so many years, would he be afraid of a mere outsider brat?

"I said it, what can you do about it?" The lewd man also stood up, crossing his arms and laughing contemptuously. "What, are you also a paramour of that woman surnamed Du? Coming out to stand up for her?"

Once these words were out, it immediately provoked public anger.

How important is a woman's reputation; how could others be allowed to slander it at will?

Furthermore, if it weren't for Du Ruo and her servants fighting off the water bandits, these people would likely have lost their lives long ago. To say Du Ruo was their savior was no exaggeration.

The students stood up one after another, launching a verbal attack on the lewd man.

"Ivory cannot come out of a dog's mouth!"

"Do you understand what propriety, justice, integrity, and shame are? If you don't, go home and ask your father. If your father is busy, this young master doesn't mind being your father for once."

"Was your ancestral grave buried in a cesspit? That's the only way you could have been born such a shameless thing..."

The lewd man's side was not to be outdone, jumping up to curse back.

For a time, both sides' eighteen generations of ancestors and personal organs were flying in the spit, arguing incessantly.

Curses, insults, calls for a fight.

A war was on the verge of breaking out.

The audience sitting between them, fearing they would be caught in the crossfire, had long since slipped away to watch the fun.

And this commotion finally attracted official attention.

"What's going on!"

The lewd man rolled his eyes and pointed at Bian Dou Dou and the others, shouting: "Officer, this bunch of outsiders looks down on our Fengyang Prefecture, saying the people of Fengyang are ugly and the land stinks, and that there's nothing fun or good to eat here; they even said the Medical Conference is run like dog shit, and that you officers are useless, just standing there like wooden stakes."

"We were unhappy hearing this, which is why we started arguing with them!"

He spoke as if it were true, even putting on an indignant look.

The other men understood and immediately followed suit.

The officers glared at the students. "Did you really say that?"

"Officer, don't listen to their nonsense, they are the villains filing the complaint first!" Bian Dou Dou was not the type to suffer in silence and immediately retorted, "They were the ones who started the trouble, making things up and slandering others. We couldn't stand it, which is why we clashed with them."

The students voiced their support one after another. "Yes, that's exactly it!"

The lewd man sneered. "Then tell me, who did I slander?"

The students suddenly fell silent.

It wasn't that they didn't dare to say it, but that they couldn't bring themselves to; those words were too ugly. Once spread, outsiders who didn't know the truth would easily misunderstand.

That would damage Du Ruo's reputation.

Seeing the students all become mutes, the lewd man became even more smug. "Officer, look, they have a guilty conscience."

The leading officer frowned.

Internally, he actually believed Bian Dou Dou more. Judging by their attire, speech, and temperament, it was clear that this side consisted of scholars. A scholar might lie, but a group of scholars lying in unison...

That possibility was small.

However, everything requires evidence.

The officer looked at the bystanders and asked, "Do you know what happened?"

Everyone shook their heads.

When it doesn't concern oneself, one stays out of it. Who knew who these people were? They didn't want to bring trouble upon themselves.

The situation reached a stalemate.

The officers didn't have the patience to keep wasting time. The competition on the stage hadn't ended yet, and they couldn't have any chaos. "Since that's the case, we can only kick you all out of the venue!"

The lewd man didn't care; he had seen enough for today anyway, he could just come back tomorrow.

Bian Dou Dou and the others, however, couldn't take this insult.

They had done nothing wrong, so why should they be driven away like stray dogs? It was not only frustrating but also humiliating.

But at this point, there was nothing they could do...

Just as everyone was dejectedly preparing to leave, Master Jiang stood up and smiled slightly at the leading officer. "Officer, with so many people here, if you investigate, you will definitely find witnesses. Who is right and who is wrong will be determined then. However, I have a quick method we can try first."

He patted the shoulder of the young man beside him. "This is my nephew, the Prefectural Top Scholar of this imperial examination, and the newly accepted student of the Prefect—Jiang Zhan."

Jiang Zhan?

The officer's expression turned serious, his gaze shifting to Jiang Zhan.

Although he hadn't met Jiang Zhan, the gambling matter was the talk of all Fengyang Prefecture, so he naturally knew about it.

He had also heard that the Top Scholar Jiang was not only exceptionally talented but also very handsome, even better-looking than a young lady.

The youth before him was indeed extraordinary in appearance.

He believed him a little.

"Top Scholar Jiang." The officer bowed to Jiang Zhan very politely.

Jiang Zhan returned the salute and smiled. "Regarding the matter just now, my fellow students did not lie. The other party slandered first, and we clarified afterward. I ask the officer to investigate clearly."

As he spoke, he held up two fingers. "I, Jiang Zhan, am willing to swear on my official career and fate that every word I said is true. If there is any falsehood, I shall never enter officialdom in this life!"

The weight of this oath was not light.

You must know that for a scholar, the fate of one's official career is a matter far more critical than life itself.

Especially since Jiang Zhan was the Prefectural Top Scholar with a bright future ahead.

It was clear he had no guilty conscience at all.

The officer's internal scales had already tipped to this side, and now he believed them completely. "Since that is the case, I have an idea. Everyone, please return to your seats."

The implication was that they didn't have to leave and could continue watching the competition.

Jiang Zhan nodded. "Thank you."

Master Jiang turned to the lewd man and smiled. "It's your turn."

"Wh-what?" The lewd man's eyes were panicked.

"Swear." Master Jiang had an expression of looking at an idiot. "We have already proven our innocence with the most poisonous oath; shouldn't you also prove your innocence?"

"Just say... say that every word you just said is true. If there is half a lie, you will be trampled to death by a horse the moment you step out, be reincarnated as a beast in your next life, and never be able to turn your fate around."

"Alright, swear."

The lewd man: "..."

Everyone stared at him, waiting for him to swear, including the officers.

The leading officer narrowed his eyes and urged, "Swear, why aren't you swearing yet?"

The lewd man swallowed his saliva.

Who would dare swear such a poisonous oath? What if it actually came true?

"Pfft, how boring, I can't be bothered to swear..." He muttered, turning to run.

The leading officer waved his hand. "Catch him!"

Bang, bang.

Two officers each kicked the lewd man to the ground. The lewd man wailed incessantly and was soon gagged.

Then, like a little chick, he was dragged out of the venue.

The other men, seeing this, trembled and were soon taken away as well.

"Top Scholar Jiang, rest assured, since they spread rumors and disrupted the order of the venue, we will definitely teach them a good lesson," the leading officer said.

Jiang Zhan hurriedly thanked him.

Before long, this area of the venue finally returned to peace.

The students could finally watch the competition with peace of mind.

At this time on the high platform, the competition was also nearing its end, and Wen Shiyuan was announcing the results.

A total of two thousand people participated in this round, and only over five hundred advanced.

Both Du Ruo and Dr. Ke passed.

And their group had the highest number of eliminations among all groups: out of forty people, thirty-five were eliminated.

It was more tragic than tragic.

Who could have guessed the patient was faking illness? And faking it so realistically.

It was infuriating!

After the event ended and the crowd dispersed, Jiang Zhan and Bian Dou Dou and the others took a carriage back first, while Du Ruo and her disciple, like yesterday, ran to that high place to wait for Jiang Li.

Dr. Ke stared at Du Ruo without blinking. "Master, how did you know he wasn't sick?"

How did she know? Of course, the system told her.

However, Du Ruo couldn't say that.

So she continued to bluff. "I felt it from his pulse. Although his heart rate was slightly fast, the rhythm was regular, neither thick nor thin, neither floating nor sinking, neither firm nor weak. It was clearly a normal pulse, so I concluded he must be faking it."

"Master, you are so amazing!" The worship in Dr. Ke's eyes was almost overflowing.

Du Ruo gave an awkward smile and quickly turned the topic to him. "By the way, how did you see it?"

Speaking of this, Dr. Ke was immediately happy.

He first looked around to make sure no one would hear, then chuckled. "To tell you the truth, actually that patient... I happen to know him."

Du Ruo: "???"

Dr. Ke explained: "That man's surname is Xie, called Xie Tianji. We all call him Old Xie, and he is a centurion in the military camp. That guy, don't look at his thin appearance; he is actually more powerful than anyone, and he has never been sick. Let alone coughing like that, he hasn't even sneezed once. And he kept winking at me, so I guessed he was faking it."

So that was it.

Du Ruo chuckled. "That's quite a coincidence, I suppose it was just luck."

Luck is also part of strength; she didn't think it mattered.

Jiang Li came out very quickly this time. The two had only spoken a few words when they saw Jiang Li walking out of the entrance with long strides.

As usual, he brought delicious pastries for Du Ruo.

After Dr. Ke left, the couple got into the carriage they came in and hurried toward the county hostel.

In the carriage, Jiang Li mentioned the matter of the prescription.

After listening, Du Ruo bit into a water chestnut cake angrily. "I saw it from the beginning; that old man didn't like me just because I'm a woman. Hmph, what an old chauvinist pig!"

"Chauvinist pig?" Jiang Li was puzzled. "What breed of pig is that? How come I've never heard of it?"

Pfft!

Du Ruo almost choked, hurriedly swallowed the water chestnut cake in her mouth, and laughed. "Don't worry about what kind of pig it is; anyway, it's not a good pig."

As she spoke, she stuffed the half-eaten pastry into the man's hand. "I can't eat anymore."

Jiang Li said "Hmm."

Then, without any disgust, he stuffed it into his own mouth.

After eating, he stared at his little wife beside him for a long time, then suddenly lowered his head and kissed her lips.

"You have crumbs on your mouth," he said with a smile.

"Really?" Du Ruo raised her hand to wipe it, but her hand was caught in Jiang Li's palm. Immediately after, she was pressed against a hot chest, and the familiar clean scent rushed toward her, making her face flush and her heart race.

"Let me wipe it for you..."

After the kiss, both of their breathing was a bit unstable.

Du Ruo hurriedly pushed Jiang Li away and gave him a coquettish look. "No more fooling around. If someone hears, your reputation as a Divine Martial Colonel will be lost."

Jiang Li smiled. "Alright, I'll listen to my wife. If my wife says no, then no."

After a pause, he added: "But there is one thing I think is necessary to do."

"What?" Du Ruo looked up at him.

"It's my wife's handwriting." Jiang Li sighed. "It's all my fault; I'm always busy running around and have neglected my wife. There are two months left before the New Year. Once we return to the countryside and finish handing over the affairs at the Ya Men, I can stay at home with peace of mind and help my wife practice her handwriting."

Ah, this, Du Ruo was ashamed.

Her handwriting was indeed too embarrassing to show, and she really should practice it. She couldn't rely on the little system for help every time she wrote a prescription in the future, right?

"Alright." Du Ruo nodded in agreement.

It was also a good opportunity to cultivate her relationship with Jiang Li. Once Jiang Li took office, he would likely be even busier than before, and they would have even less time together.

The second round of the competition arrived quickly.

There were only over five hundred people left, and just like before, contestants and the audience took separate channels.

But strangely, although the number of people had decreased, the speed of passage had slowed down.

And they required five people to enter at a time.

Then they waited a long time before letting the next batch through; who knew what kind of trick they were playing.

By mid-morning, it was finally Du Ruo and Dr. Ke's turn.

There was also a handsome young man of about twenty, and two big macaques with their nostrils pointing to the sky. ===== CHAPTER 347 =====