When renovating the house for Xu Huaiqian, the Emperor had sent a royal physician named Ying Xinghai to plant medicinal herbs in their courtyard. Chen Liejiu remembered his name and appearance.
Although royal physicians typically served only the imperial family and nobility, or officials with significant power or privilege, Chen Liejiu reasoned they might also treat acquaintances. Surely a royal physician wouldn't refuse to help friends or relatives in need? That wouldn't make sense.
Ying Xinghai was the only physician Chen Liejiu knew at the Imperial Hospital.
Furthermore, being personally assigned by the Emperor suggested his rank wasn't too low? Otherwise, why would the Emperor remember his name?
Chen Liejiu wanted to establish a connection and ask him to examine Xu Huaiqian.
He had concluded that no matter how good a local doctor was, they couldn't compare to a royal physician from the Imperial Hospital. Their treatment methods and prescriptions must be superior.
Duan Youyan said Xu Huaiqian's vitality would be severely damaged, reverting to his previous state. Chen Liejiu claimed they could restore it, but he no longer wanted to use the old methods.
The previous approach only addressed symptoms, not the root cause! A minor illness could undo all progress; it was just superficial improvement.
Moreover, Doctor Miao had once said he could only guarantee Xu Huaiqian ten more years of life.
Chen Liejiu wanted his little husband to live a long, healthy life, not just ten years! If one method could secure ten years, surely there must be ways to secure another ten, and more!
If it couldn't be done, it was due to inadequate medical skill.
Therefore, after failing to persuade his little husband to abandon the exams, he set his sights on the Imperial Hospital.
The Imperial Hospital was inside the palace, inaccessible to him. But he could wait at the intersections nearest to it, along the routes officials took.
He learned that officials' carriages couldn't enter the palace; they had to exit the palace gates to board them. Chen Liejiu waited along these roads, planning to approach the carriages fetching officials and inquire. The Imperial Hospital had a limited number of physicians; he was bound to find someone eventually.
February in the capital was not yet spring. The sky was overcast, as if draped with gloomy cloth, preventing the sun from penetrating the clouds.
Time passed, wind and clouds shifted.
After waiting for what seemed like ages, a light snow began to fall.
Chen Liejiu caught a snowflake on his hand, examining it. This was his first time seeing snow.
During his escort days, he never traveled to regions cold enough for snow. Snow was also uncommon in the capital. His arrival this year was unfortunately timed, missing a snowy period.
He heard that during rare, heavy snowstorms, the snow could collapse roofs and kill many in the capital because many houses, though outwardly impressive, were structurally weak, built with old, inferior bricks.
Life in the capital was prosperous but expensive. Bricks costing one or two wen outside could cost five or six wen, or even more, in the capital.
Chen Liejiu remembered in Xinghua Village, he sold bricks to villagers for one wen each. Building a house required at least fifteen thousand bricks, costing fifteen taels of silver for materials alone, excluding other expenses. Hence, villagers rarely built new houses.
In Xinghua Village, he thought people in a prosperous place like the capital could easily build houses for several dozen taels. But in the capital, with its inflated prices, even they couldn't afford to build easily.
It seemed every place had its own difficulties.
As Chen Liejiu contemplated this in the snow, Ying Xinghai from the Imperial Hospital finished his duties. Exiting the palace, he noticed the snow and cheerfully said to his coachman, "It's snowing today. Tell my wife to buy some mutton for you all to warm yourselves."
The nobility in the capital disliked pork. Even castrated pigs retained a distinct odor. They preferred mutton and beef, but these meats were expensive and not usually given to servants. Only on occasions when the master was particularly pleased would such a reward be granted.
The coachman was delighted. "Thank you, sir—"
Someone stood beside him and called out, "Official Ying?"
Ying Xinghai looked up and saw Chen Liejiu's face, bright and boldly smiling, saying to him, "Do you remember me?" He was startled.
***
Events in the capital had no effect on Mishan County.
Just as Chen Liejiu was inviting Ying Xinghai to his home, the Qinglian Academy, which had made a splash throughout Yong'an Prefecture and even the entire Changnan region last year, started its new term early!
Previously, Qinglian Academy would close after the provincial exams and reopen in March the following year. This saved on heating costs and allowed students to reflect on their studies independently.
After all, teachers open the door; you enter by yourself. Relying solely on lectures wasn't enough; one needed to integrate knowledge with practice and develop personal understanding.
But last year, Qinglian Academy had been too successful. It produced five Juren, including one Jieyuan—the top scorer personally recognized by the Emperor.
This glory and honor had made the academy head, Zuo Zhengjian, smile until his face went numb for days. Heads of other academies came with generous gifts, asking him how he taught his students.
Facing their questions, Zuo Zhengjian could only tell them, both happily and complicatedly, "We didn't teach these students much; they figured it out themselves!"
Hearing such words from his obviously delighted face, the visiting academy heads were furious, especially the head of the Qixian Academy.
Previously, when exams focused on poetry, Qixian Academy had specially hired teachers from Suzhou Prefecture to teach, allowing them to surpass Qinglian Academy year after year. Many Qixian students had even defected to Qinglian.
The head of Qixian Academy was convinced that Qinglian's success in the current affairs-based exams meant they must have hired an expert, just as Qixian had done. For Zuo Zhengjian to claim they didn't teach the students was nonsense he refused to believe.
Facing their skepticism, Zuo Zhengjian felt genuinely wronged. "It's true! Why would I lie? Take Pei Wangshu, for example. He used to be idle and at the bottom of his class here. If we were such great teachers, why did we only produce one like him? Why not all of them?"
Turning a poor student into a good one who then became a Juren was impressive enough for one student. Did they expect him to produce a whole class of them? It was unrealistic!
"Really, the only one we had high hopes for was Meng Fangxun. And he only came second, surpassed by that previously poor student, Xu Huaiqian! You know, the Jieyuan! When he first arrived, he was at the bottom, just like Pei Wangshu. Who knew he had the talent to surpass Meng Fangxun? We were surprised too! Hahahaha!"
Seeing his utterly smug expression, the heads of Qixian and other academies, who had arrived eagerly, left in a huff.
In short, they were convinced Qinglian Academy had a master teacher specializing in current affairs.
Not just them; Xiucai from various counties across Yong'an Prefecture thought the same.
Ever since the good news from Qinglian Academy spread last year, students from all over had flocked to enroll. After enrolling, they found the academy hadn't started yet and sent letter after letter urging an earlier start.
Faced with such eager students, Qinglian Academy had no choice but to begin the term early.
The start of the term was momentous. Many Xiucai from other academies arrived, especially those who had previously transferred from Qinglian to Qixian. Zuo Zhengjian even saw Zhong Yichen, once a star student of Qixian Academy, in the Class B.
This was truly… immensely satisfying!
Zuo Zhengjian, thinking about the Qixian head's frustration upon learning his prized student had defected, felt so delighted he wanted to go have a drink immediately.
However, he calmly addressed the new students: "Don't follow the trend blindly. Our academy truly didn't teach them much; Xu Huaiqian and the others figured it out themselves. It has little to do with us, the heads and teachers. Please choose your academy rationally!"
Sitting below, Zhong Yichen initially didn't believe the Qinglian head's talk. His own head had assured him Qinglian definitely had a current affairs teacher!
He firmly believed it because Meng Fangxun had studied the same things as him. If Meng passed and he didn't, the teaching method must be different! So, following Qixian's head's arrangement, he came to Qinglian. If he discovered a different teaching approach, he could record it and secretly send it back to Qixian.
But after a month of classes, the current affairs instruction seemed similar to Qixian's. He began to doubt. Could it really be that Meng Fangxun and the others figured it out themselves? Did they have that innate talent?!
He found it very hard to believe!