Chapter 365

"This is..." Du Ruo raised her head to look at Wen Shiyuan.

"This is the Divine Doctor Order, the reward for first place in the Apricot Forest Assembly." Wen Shiyuan smiled. "I figured you would be returning home soon, so I specifically ordered someone to have it made."

As he spoke, he pointed to the bottom right corner. "Look carefully, your name is also engraved here."

Du Ruo leaned in to look.

Sure enough, it was there.

Although the characters were a bit small, they were upright and looked much better than her dog-crawling style.

She weighed it in her hand.

"So heavy, is it pure gold?" Du Ruo's eyes were sparkling.

Pfft, Mu Shanyue nearly sprayed out a mouthful of tea.

He hurriedly put down the teacup and took out a handkerchief to wipe the corners of his mouth, but his gaze couldn't help but linger on Du Ruo's face.

This Madam Jiang was truly an interesting person; her focus was always so different.

This made him think once again of his little junior sister far away in the Medicine God Valley.

Two faces so similar, yet their personalities were worlds apart—one was naive and innocent, ignorant of the world; the other was shrewd and cunning, ice-snow smart.

Even when she showed this greedy face, it was not annoying at all.

Wen Shiyuan beside him was dumbfounded. "Why are you looking at the material? Its value is not in the material, but in its use."

Du Ruo's interest grew even stronger. "What use?"

"That is too numerous to count." Wen Shiyuan listed them for her one by one. "With the Divine Doctor Order, your title as Divine Doctor Du can truly be considered well-deserved, and you will be respected wherever you go. Even if you charge several times, or even dozens of times, more for the consultation fee, no one will dare to say anything to you, because this is the status of a Divine Doctor."

"In the entire Da Zhao, there are no more than fifty people with this honor."

That was the first one.

Besides this, there were many additional benefits.

For example, it could be used as an exit token, and you wouldn't have to wait in line when there were many people, being given priority to pass.

For another example, you don't have to kneel when seeing officials, and the treatment is equivalent to that of a scholar.

And another example, if one day you commit a crime, except for the ten heinous crimes, all others can have the punishment reduced by one grade...

Du Ruo became more excited the more she heard. "Doesn't that mean it's equivalent to a death-exemption gold medal?"

This, Wen Shiyuan choked. "It's not that formidable; it's just a lighter punishment; those who should die will still die."

Du Ruo, "Oh."

Although it couldn't compare to a death-exemption gold medal, having so many benefits was enough to be pleasantly surprised.

She carefully put the Divine Doctor Order back into the wooden box and pretended to put it into her sleeve, but in reality, she stored it in the system.

Such a precious thing, of course, had to be kept in the safest place to be at ease.

"By the way, Divine Doctor Wen, I still don't have a medical practice qualification certificate; how can I get the qualification certificate as soon as possible? What procedures are needed?" Du Ruo asked.

"According to the normal process, to get this certificate, you have to go through three levels of assessment and need a highly respected doctor to guarantee it. Under normal circumstances, it won't come down in a year or half a year."

As he spoke, Wen Shiyuan laughed. "But you already have the Divine Doctor Order, so what do you need a medical practice qualification certificate for? This is your proof of qualification, which is unobstructed throughout the world, including the Fenglin Kingdom, the Changli Kingdom, and the Guifang Kingdom."

Du Ruo was overjoyed.

That's great, so she didn't have to worry about practicing without a license anymore!

Just as she was about to express her gratitude, she saw Wen Shiyuan take out another identical wooden box and place it in front of her. "There is one more thing to give you; open it and see."

More things?

Du Ruo said 'oh' again and obediently reached out her hand.

Click, the box opened.

Inside lay an oval-shaped jade stone, crystal clear, and it looked very valuable at first glance.

She curiously took it out and glanced at it; it also had three conspicuous characters engraved on it.

"Elder Order?"

Du Ruo looked at Wen Shiyuan in confusion. "This is..."

"This is the Elder Order of the Apricot Forest Assembly, also for you." Wen Shiyuan coughed twice. "It's like this: I suppose you also know that besides me, the head, our Apricot Forest Assembly has seven great elders, all of whom are holy hands with excellent medical skills and upright character. Unfortunately, in order to prepare for this Apricot Forest Assembly, Elder Hua worked too hard, and coupled with his advanced age, his body couldn't take it, so... he has already submitted his resignation to me and is preparing to return home to retire."

Mu Shanyue took over the conversation. "That's right, now that there is a vacancy for the position of elder, both the Prince of Yu and I have recommended you, Madam Jiang, to take over this position. I wonder what you think?"

Du Ruo pointed at herself in disbelief.

"Me?"

"Elder?"

"Are you sure?"

It wasn't that she was belittling herself, but for a position like this, most of them chose elders who were highly respected and had deep qualifications.

She had just emerged, and she was young; how could she convince the public?

"You don't need to be surprised." Wen Shiyuan seemed to have expected Du Ruo to have this reaction and had already thought of the rhetoric. "In terms of medical skills, you are definitely qualified; in terms of character, I trust you even more. Coupled with the guarantee of the Prince of Yu, and your husband Jiang Li bearing it, I am not afraid that you will act recklessly outside and ruin the reputation of the Apricot Forest Assembly."

"If you are willing to come, you will be the first female elder in the history of our Apricot Forest Assembly, and also the youngest elder in history. Both I and the Sixth Junior Uncle are very optimistic about you."

"Are you willing?"

This, Du Ruo was a bit conflicted.

Although the Apricot Forest Assembly was over, she still had to practice calligraphy, study medicine, open a medical clinic, and there were old and young at home to look after, and there were shops and villas to manage...

It was really too busy, and she couldn't divide herself; she was afraid she didn't have that much time.

After thinking about it, Du Ruo asked: "What do elders need to do on a daily basis?"

Wen Shiyuan saw her concerns. "Rest assured, it won't take up too much of your time; it's just one day a month to provide free medical consultations for the poor who can't afford to see a doctor; in addition, serve as an examiner on the first and fifteenth of every month to issue medical practice qualification certificates, that's all."

A moment later, he added another sentence. "Then there is the Apricot Forest Assembly every three years, which requires the elders to put in some effort; there is nothing else."

Du Ruo's heart moved.

It sounded quite meaningful, and it didn't take too much energy.

Since that was the case, then she would agree; Divine Doctor Wen had already said it to this point, so it wouldn't be good to refuse...

"Look at my memory, I almost forgot to tell you the benefits." Wen Shiyuan patted his forehead. "After becoming an elder, you can be tax-exempt."

He smiled and said, "According to the laws of our dynasty, after passing the scholar exam, you can be exempt from land tax and commercial tax, but there is only one tax that cannot be exempted—that is the medical tax. If you plan to open a medical clinic or a pharmacy in the future, with the status of an elder, whatever you earn is your own, and you don't have to pay taxes to the imperial court. Isn't that very cost-effective?"

It had to be said that Wen Shiyuan had indeed firmly grasped Du Ruo's weakness.

Paying taxes according to the law was a citizen's duty.

But if you could reasonably avoid taxes, who would go against money?

Du Ruo grabbed the wooden box, stuffed it into her sleeve quickly, and said righteously: "As a healer, contributing to the Apricot Forest and seeking welfare for the people is my supreme honor. This elder, I will be!"

Mu Shanyue laughed out loud.

Wen Shiyuan's mouth also twitched. "Then it's settled; I will announce this matter to everyone later."

Du Ruo nodded like a chicken pecking at rice. "Alright."

After finishing the business, the three chatted for a while, and Du Ruo asked about Lou Shi.

According to Wen Shiyuan, Lou Shi's mental state had improved a lot; she could eat, sleep, and walk on the ground. Except for occasional dizziness in her head, there was basically no major problem.

It was just that she still didn't remember anything.

Du Ruo was inevitably disappointed.

However, there was no way for this kind of thing; it couldn't be rushed, and she could only wait for the appearance of a miracle.

In the afternoon, Wen Shiyuan asked his little apprentice to send Du Ruo back. Before leaving, Du Ruo told Wen Shiyuan about Lou Shi's identity, including the fact that Lou Shi's stepson, Yang Dian Feng, had committed suicide in prison.

And she entrusted Wen Shiyuan to tell her once Lou Shi recovered her memory.

Wen Shiyuan agreed very readily.

He didn't think too much, just thinking that Du Ruo was out of concern for the patient, and secretly gave Du Ruo a thumbs up in his heart.

Watching Du Ruo's figure gradually disappear at the end of the garden, Wen Shiyuan and Mu Shanyue looked at each other and smiled.

The servants put the chessboard back on.

Wen Shiyuan restored the unfinished endgame piece by piece. "Sixth Junior Uncle seems to be particularly concerned about Elder Du; is it because she looks like Little Junior Aunt?"

"Not entirely." Mu Shanyue smiled and said pointedly, "Don't you think she is quite strange?"

Wen Shiyuan's movements paused, and then he nodded. "Indeed, it is strange."

He recalled, "A few months ago, I went to Wutou Xian once, and Elder Du also brought her sister-in-law to see me for an illness. At that time, she didn't seem to be proficient in medical skills. In such a short time, the change is so great; it is truly incredible."

Even if she were a medical genius and had studied under a peerless divine doctor, it would be impossible to reach this level in a few months.

There must be some trick in it.

It was just that seeing Du Ruo's appearance, she didn't seem to want to say, so he couldn't ask.

Mu Shanyue placed a chess piece. "I suspect that Elder Du has had the same encounter as the Grandmaster."

Wen Shiyuan raised his head suddenly, his expression shocked. "Sixth Junior Uncle means... Elder Du is also a chosen one?"

"Not impossible."

Mu Shanyue analyzed, "Think about it, the Grandmaster was guided by gods in a dream and suddenly knew medicine when he woke up. Although it is not certain whether Elder Du is the same, she cannot say the name of her master, which in itself is very unusual. Unless the disciple is a great villain, otherwise, why would a master not want the disciple to mention their name?"

"And the best proof is the lens used in the eyes of double-pupil patients; except for the Grandmaster, no one can make that thing, but Elder Du made it."

"There is only one possibility—that is, Elder Du and the Grandmaster are of the same lineage."

After hearing this, Wen Shiyuan was so excited that he couldn't hold the chess piece steady. "If that's the case, then haven't I picked up a treasure?"

The so-called 'near water towers get the moonlight first'; in the future, if he had any medical problems, he could ask Du Ruo at any time.

This was a great opportunity!

Just as he was surging with emotion, Mu Shanyue placed the last move. "Checkmate."

Du Ruo's carriage was intercepted halfway.

The person who intercepted her was Ziyu.

"My Prince has caught a cold; I ask Divine Doctor Du to go to the mansion for treatment." Ziyu's attitude was very respectful.