The Lucky Farmgirl

Chapter 1698 - Capítulo 1698: 1673: Do Not Vent Anger on Others (January Monthly Ticket Bonus 8)

Capítulo 1698: Chapter 1673: Do Not Vent Anger on Others (January Monthly Ticket Bonus 8)

Gao You and his companions, who had been rebuffed everywhere, were anxious. Suddenly, Honglu Temple agreed to their request. The official from Honglu Temple came to notify them, saying, “His Majesty has granted you permission to enter the Four Gates School. However, the doctors you applied for cannot enter the Imperial Medical Office. They said that the Imperial Medical Office is newly rebuilt and many things have not been settled, so they are temporarily not accepting foreign students.”

Gao You didn’t care about this at all. Being able to enter the Imperial Academy was already the greatest news for them. As for the doctors they especially brought along, if they couldn’t enter, so be it. It was just a craft, not as important as state governance strategies.

The official from Honglu Temple saw this and swallowed the reminder that was on the tip of his tongue.

Forget it, it seemed this group didn’t hold the Imperial Medical Office in high regard anyway. Since they didn’t like it, there was no need to remind them that the Imperial Medical Office specifically pointed out they didn’t want them.

Indeed, it was the Imperial Medical Office that pointed out they didn’t want them.

In fact, Director Xiao didn’t want to accept any foreign students. This was also how he negotiated with Yang Heshu. However, Yang Heshu indicated that this was a benefit the court intended to give to the vassal states and that it involved national policy. It wasn’t something they could simply refuse.

In the end, seeing that Director Xiao was really not happy, Manbao straightforwardly asked Yang Heshu, “Which vassal states’ students must we accept?”

With a smile in his eyes, Yang Heshu looked at Manbao approvingly, then said leisurely, “At the very least, you must teach the people sent by Tubo, Huihe, and Dangxiang.”

Director Xiao suddenly realized and immediately said, “Alright, apart from these three, the other doctors can be sent back.”

Yang Heshu pondered for a moment and said, “At the very least, you should select one more, otherwise it will seem too obvious.”

Director Xiao casually said, “Then let’s add Goryeo?”

The name does sound quite nice.

“No,” Manbao immediately said. “Hmph, didn’t the Liaozi Tribe and the Wuman Tribe also send people? We might as well choose their people. Just perfect, that area has many witch doctors, and I’m really interested in witch doctors.”

The Wuman Tribe and the Liaozi Tribe are located in the extreme southern regions of Great Jin, not vassal states, but part of the southernmost areas of the Lingnan and Jiannan Paths. There, the minority ethnic groups are particularly numerous, the jungles dense, and there are many venomous insects. Although it’s Great Jin’s territory, it’s always been autonomously governed by tribes.

The court basically doesn’t collect taxes from there; they just receive some tribute offerings from the tribes each year, such as peacocks, gems, or some local specialties.

After sending offerings, they would then plead poverty to receive some tribute rice, silk, and porcelain from the court to take back. Basically, as long as they didn’t disgrace the court or actively start wars, the court wouldn’t interfere with them.

As such, though not vassal states, they were similar to vassal states.

Manbao would rather have them than the people from Goguryeo; after all, they had just looked down on the Imperial Medical Office. Moreover, how could one bypass the Wuman Tribe and the Liaozi Tribe, where there were beautiful peacocks and the rumored mysterious witch doctors?

Thinking of this, Manbao became more determined, “Director Xiao, it has to be the Wuman Tribe and the Liaozi Tribe.”

Director Xiao curiously looked at her and asked, “Did Goguryeo offend you?”

“No,” Manbao flatly denied, rejecting the notion that she was publicizing personal grievances or was narrow-minded.

But Director Xiao and Yang Heshu weren’t fools. Her petulant “hmph” already conveyed her attitude.

Since she wasn’t willing to say, so be it. He said to Yang Heshu, “Alright, then just include the doctors from the Wuman Tribe and the Liaozi Tribe. Don’t accept any others for now.”

He wasn’t picky anyway.

Yang Heshu thought for a while and agreed. After writing down the list and handing it over to the secretary to process, he called Manbao to go out for a walk.

Manbao could only set aside her half-read book to go out with him. “Scholarly Senior Brother Yang, is there something?”

“Nothing much, just wanted to ask you if Bai Shan still needs help with the palace maid he asked me to investigate last time?”

Manbao thought for a moment and shook her head, “We’ll check slowly.”

She looked around and whispered, “Grandma Liu already sent someone to her hometown, and they’ve found her aunt’s family. They’re keeping an eye on it recently and haven’t found any problems yet.”

Yang Heshu nodded and smiled, “Thank you for delivering your scholarly sister-in-law’s baby last time. She mentioned today that you missed the ‘three washes,’ so when the child is a full month old, she must invite you over to eat red eggs.”

Manbao replied happily, “As long as I have a day off, I’ll definitely go.”

Yang Heshu seized the moment to ask, “Did the envoy from Goguryeo offend you?”

Manbao didn’t want to tell her superior she was avenging a personal grudge, but she didn’t mind telling Yang Heshu. At that moment, she forgot that, to some extent, Yang Heshu was also her superior, “They looked down on the Imperial Medical Office, and I wasn’t happy about it.”

She added, “Since they look down on it, then they shouldn’t come in to study. Hmph.”

Yang Heshu pondered for a while and then said, “But it was the Goguryeo envoy who looked down on us. They’re all scholars and nobles, whereas those who want to enter the Imperial Medical Office are doctors. How can you transfer your anger onto others?”

He continued, “Your actions toward the Goryeo doctors are unfair. They heard that the capital was opening the Imperial Medical Office back in their country, so they traveled long distances to come. To be denied entry due to your bias is quite unjust.”

Manbao was taken aback. Putting herself in their shoes, if she lost the opportunity to learn medicine because of a few words from a court minister or a student at the Imperial Academy…

Her face flushed with shame, and she lowered her head. Her mouth opened and closed several times before she quietly asked, “Then, what should be done? Should we add their names to the list?”

“The list has already been stamped and sent to Honglu Temple by the secretary. It’s too late to change it now. Even if you could change it, would your Imperial Medical Office decide to add another foreign student, or erase someone else’s name?”

Seeing that Manbao was filled with guilt and distress, Yang Heshu patted her head and smiled, “Silly child, knowing your mistakes and correcting them means not repeating them in the future.”

Manbao dejectedly returned for lunch.

Bai Shan, seeing her hanging her head, asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

Manbao poked at her rice and recounted her mistake, saying, “It was my prejudice that led me to blame others due to Gao You’s comments. I was really lacking in manners.”

Bai Shan said, “Knowing your mistake and correcting it is what’s important.”

“But the list has already been submitted, and it’s irreversible.”

“You’re so silly. Your Imperial Medical Office didn’t plan from the start to decide which family’s doctors to accept or reject. The fact that they missed out isn’t mostly because of you. Should the Wuman Tribe and the Liaozi Tribe have to miss out?”

“Next time your Imperial Medical Office invites foreign students, let them compete fairly. If you don’t interfere, that’s correcting your mistake.”

Manbao thought it over and felt a bit better. Then she retorted, “You’re the silly one. I’m not dumber than you.”

She also asked Keke in her mind, “Keke, don’t you think so?”

Keke didn’t respond.

Manbao didn’t mind either. She thought, even if she was slightly less competent, she shouldn’t be that much worse. After all, she’s been studying diligently.

However, what Manbao thought was a matter only known to a few of them ended up spreading. Even the officials at Honglu Temple vaguely heard that the Goguryeo envoy offended someone in the Imperial Medical Office, so the Imperial Medical Office specifically declined to accept Goguryeo doctors, opting instead for those from the Wuman Tribe and Liaozi Tribe.

Of course, at present, the Goguryeo envoy hadn’t heard anything about this. Due to Gao You’s indifference, the Honglu Temple official who wanted to give a heads-up decided to remain silent.