Resplendent – Chapter 516

Chapter 516 – First Class

Elder Doctor Liang stifled the reprimand in his throat and sighed: “Zhan’er, your life was saved by Miss Gu. Aren’t you going to thank her properly?”

Liang Hongzhan gave a faint, weak smile and tried to sit up, but Gu Ye stopped him, “You just had surgery. Don’t move around, or the wound might tear open. Rest well, recovering quickly is the greatest reward to a healer.”

Hearing this, Liang Hongzhan felt deeply moved. He looked at Gu Ye with burning eyes and, a little embarrassed, said, “Miss…May I learn medicine from you?”

“Medicine is vast and profound. I specialize only in surgery, that is, the art of Trauma Medicine. In other areas, I’m not as skilled as your grandfather. If you want to learn, I will teach you earnestly after the assessment is over.”

Gu Ye thought that life in ancient times was too fragile. Spreading the medical knowledge she knew well could also be a way of accruing merit for herself and Brother Chen. To be reborn without leaving anything behind would be a disservice to this extra chance at life.

Liang Hongzhan nodded gratefully. Hearing this, Chairman Rao quickly interjected, trying to curry favor, “Miss Gu, I have a friend’s child who is interested in Trauma Medicine. Could you perhaps teach him a little as well?”

Gu Ye raised her eyes to glance at him. You are my evaluator. Aren’t you afraid people will say you’re showing favoritism, openly asking me for a favor?

“You are from Yan Kingdom. My father is the Defender Duke, and my grandfather and brother are in charge of the frontier. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to get too close to someone from another kingdom. This matter should be negotiated with His Majesty. If he agrees, I would have no reason to refuse.” Gu Ye’s response earned the approval of the other judges.

For ordinary pharmacists, if a judge asked for something, even if it was inconvenient to comply, they would rarely outright refuse. After all, your exam results were still in someone else’s hands.

For senior-level pharmacist assessments, besides simply passing or failing, there are three grades: A, B, and C.

If you were to compare the pharmacist exam to the imperial civil exams, these three grades are equivalent to the top three ranks. Grade A is first-class, akin to being the top scholar in the provincial, metropolitan, and the very top, palace imperial examinations.

If you offended a judge, someone who should have gotten an A might be given a B, or even a C, and you could only watch helplessly. However, Gu Ye had three great guardians above her: the Sage Apothecary, Grand Pharmacist Jiang, and Grand Pharmacist Baili. Any judge who wanted to unfairly lower her grade would have to think twice.

The judges from Yan Kingdom carefully examined Liang Hongzhan’s wound and verified the effectiveness of the golden sore medicine. They objectively gave her an A grade, though the exact ranking within A would only be determined after all candidates had completed their assessments.

Nearby, the rough-looking man with a head injury had his wound treated with the A-grade Golden Sore Medicine by the judges. Having witnessed the ‘stomach-opening surgery’ firsthand, he felt both regret and guilt. He solemnly apologized to Gu Ye. She waved him off, indicating she hadn’t taken it to heart.

Unexpectedly, the man pressed his luck, smiling slyly, “Little Divine Doctor, the medics at the clinic said my wound was pretty serious. Could you help me re-treat it?”

Gu Ye examined the wound and shook her head: “The doctor treated it well. There’s no need to redo it. Over the next few days, avoid spicy food, alcohol, and sexual activity. Keep the wound dry…”

The man’s eyes darted around as he forced a big smile: “Well… the Golden Sore Medicine you just made, could you send some to me for self-protection? Price doesn’t matter…”

Gu Ye rolled her eyes deep inside. Who was so stubborn just now about refusing to test the medicine for her? Did he really think that, because she was just a young girl with a thin skin, she would obediently comply with whatever he asked?

“The rules of the Great Pharmacists Convention state that all medicines made during the exam must be submitted to the judges. So… there’s nothing I can do. It’s getting late, and my father is calling me home for dinner. Farewell…” Gu Ye cupped her hands toward the judges, then turned and strode away.

Holding the pharmacist uniform and medal she had just received, Yue Yuan bounced along to follow. As for the tents and cooking equipment they had left at the site, those would only be retrieved after this level of the pharmacist assessment concluded.

Once they exited the exam grounds, the entire Duke’s household was waiting at the exit. Seeing her little daughter’s dark-rimmed eyes and fatigued face, Chu Bufan hurried forward, heart aching: “Tired, aren’t you? You haven’t eaten well or slept well, it must have been rough on you…”

Gu Ye covered her mouth and let out a delicate yawn: “This is nothing! The scholars taking the imperial exams have it worse than this exam site.”

“So, Sister treated the pharmacist assessment like the imperial exam? Does that mean our family is about to produce a top scholar of the pharmacy world?” the fifth son, Chu Mubai, teased.

“I wouldn’t dare call myself the top scholar, but entering Grade A should be no problem,” Gu Ye said confidently, chin lifted, fully assured of her result.

“Ye’er, any words can wait until we get home. Get into the palanquin first.” Ling Juechen appeared from behind the crowd. 

Knowing the little girl might be too tired to walk all the way out, he had arranged a comfortable soft sedan chair to carry her. The Chu family felt a little embarrassed. They hadn’t thought of such thoughtful arrangements for her at all.

Gu Ye was already accustomed to Ling Juechen’s meticulous care. She stepped into the soft sedan chair and was carried out. The chair rocked gently, like a cradle, almost hypnotic. One moment she was chatting with her brothers, and the next, she dozed off like a little chick pecking at rice.

When getting into the carriage, Gu Ye’s eyes were completely shut, and her two maids helped lift her in. Once inside, she leaned against the soft, fluffy pillows and slept soundly, tossing and turning as if in a deep slumber. 

Chu Bufan instructed the coachman to slow the carriage and keep it steady, so his daughter could sleep longer and more comfortably.

After a brief nap, she woke up from hunger when they arrived at the manor. Because she had rushed to complete the Golden Sore Medicine and submitted it before the judges ‘clocked out,’ Gu Ye had only eaten a few scraps at noon to fill her stomach. She wasn’t used to going hungry, and now it was past her usual dinner time. No wonder her stomach was protesting.

Even though she was weak from hunger, she insisted on bathing and changing her clothes first. There were no facilities last night, and she felt disgusted with the smell of sweat mixed with medicinal herbs clinging to her. She couldn’t tolerate it.

When she arrived at Mingzhu Pavilion, she saw the maids and older servants bustling about, moving her clothes and belongings out. 

Gu Ye frowned in curiosity and asked, “What’s going on? Don’t tell me someone realized I’m not really from the Chu family and they’re going to kick me out as an imposter?”

Chu Bufan, who felt like laughing and crying, tapped his daughter’s small head with his finger. He wondered what kind of strange ideas were always running through that little mind. 

Smiling, he explained, “You know the courtyard was supposed to have a heated room installed? The craftsmen have arrived. Your mother was worried that those rough men might accidentally bump into you during construction, so she arranged for you to stay temporarily in the embroidery building behind the main courtyard of Rong’an Garden.”