Studying Medicine Cannot Save the Great Yu

Kong Ningyuan took out Bailudong Academy’s “admission letter” and respectfully presented it to Lianshan Jingcheng. He Miaojun and Lianshan Jingcheng looked at each other. “Bailudong Academy is about to enroll new students. You came to deliver Little Xin’s admission letter?” “Yes.” “The exam hasn’t even started. How was he admitted?” He Miaojun did not understand. The order was reversed. The scholar explained patiently, “Young Master Xin is a talent of exceptional virtue. He received direct admission.” Someone could be recommended for office in the imperial court, so of course someone could also be recommended into an academy. It was just that the person recommended had to possess some special skill. He Miaojun grew even more confused. “My son is a talent of exceptional virtue? In what way is he virtuous?” Was it because, at such a young age, he knew to advise Lianshan Jingcheng to sell more virility pills? From a business perspective, that truly was virtuous. Business at Huichun Hall had boomed as a result. But Bailudong Academy had a thousand years of heritage. Surely it did not value that, did it? Kong Ningyuan smiled faintly. “Madam, you may not know this. Young Master Xin possesses great talent; he merely habitually hides it. Since Young Master Xin has not spoken of it, it would naturally be improper for me to reveal it for him. I can only say that Bailudong Academy needs a talent like Young Master Xin.” “You are Kong Ningyuan? One of the Seven Worthies of Bailudong? The Kong Ningyuan famous throughout Jiangzhou for Yielding a Pear at Four?” Lianshan Jingcheng had already felt the man looked familiar. Now he finally recognized him. Kong Ningyuan was not a repeat customer of the clinic, but a prominent figure among Jiangzhou’s younger generation. His Yielding a Pear at Four had stirred Jiangzhou. Later, he received direct admission to Bailudong Academy and had a strong chance of being recommended to the imperial court. A figure like that had actually come to deliver an admission letter to their son? Kong Ningyuan was not surprised that Lianshan Jingcheng had recognized him. However, before this ordinary physician, Kong Ningyuan was not arrogant. Instead, he humbly lowered himself. “The pear-yielding matter is purely exaggerated praise from outsiders, and I must also thank Young Master Xin.” “Thank Little Xin? Thank him for what?” Lianshan Jingcheng and He Miaojun felt especially slow on the uptake today. However, Kong Ningyuan did not explain further. At that moment, Lianshan Xin had already heard the commotion and came strolling in a little late. “Brother Kong, you’re here.” Seeing Kong Ningyuan, Lianshan Xin greeted him warmly and familiarly. Kong Ningyuan also smiled. “I came to deliver the academy’s admission letter. Young Master Xin, congratulations.” “Congratulations to you as well. Brother Kong will surely be recommended by the academy to the imperial court.” Lianshan Xin did not speak in the form of a question, but as a statement. Hearing this, Kong Ningyuan’s smile became more genuine. “I must thank you again, Young Master Xin.” “Brother Kong, just call me Little Xin. Dear brother is fine too. Don’t be so formal.” Lianshan Xin clasped Kong Ningyuan’s hand firmly, then solemnly introduced his parents to Kong Ningyuan. Paying respects to a friend’s mother in his home was a sign that their friendship had deepened. Coming from an established clan, Kong Ningyuan naturally understood such customs even better. Since he also wished to befriend Lianshan Xin, he solemnly bowed to Lianshan Jingcheng and He Miaojun as a junior. Afterward, the two went to the rear courtyard to talk. That left Lianshan Jingcheng and He Miaojun utterly bewildered. … “Dear brother, the academy did recommend me to the imperial court, on the grounds of Yielding a Pear at Four. Your elder brother is ashamed. If not for your guidance, among the seven brothers of my household, I truly would not know how to stand out. Please accept a bow from me.” Kong Ningyuan was about to bow when Lianshan Xin held him up. Lianshan Xin looked completely lost. “Brother Kong, what are you talking about? I don’t understand at all.” Kong Ningyuan was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing. “Dear brother, you truly are a rare talent. Rest assured, I have kept all the help you gave your elder brother in my heart. I will certainly repay you in the future. The academy’s internal factions are complex, but your elder brother has already made arrangements. After you enter the academy, I will introduce you to all my connections. Do not refuse. I will remain at the academy for another half year, and only then will I go to the imperial court to take up my post. During this half year, your elder brother will certainly help you establish a foothold in the academy.” “In that case, this younger brother will not refuse.” The two looked at each other and laughed at the same time. A mutually beneficial deal was reached. The imperial examination was extremely difficult, especially under such a powerful Great Yu Dynasty, where the acceptance rate was especially low. The civil service exam was even more difficult than in his previous life. Unless one was a true prodigy, anyone with a means of securing recommendation would certainly take the recommendation route. The Kong clan was an established clan, so the disciples of the Kong clan naturally qualified for recommendation. It was just that in Kong Ningyuan’s generation, there were seven brothers, and he ranked sixth. Even for an established clan, not all seven could take the recommendation route; only the most talented could. So who was the most talented? Kong Ningyuan, who had yielded a pear at four, was the most talented. Did four-year-old Kong Ningyuan understand yielding pears? He understood nothing about it. He was not like Lianshan Xin, a man living two lives and born with innate wisdom. At four, he was still playing in the mud. But Lianshan Xin did understand. Once Lianshan Xin got to know Kong Ningyuan, the story of Kong Ningyuan yielding a pear at four spread throughout Jiangzhou, and Kong Ningyuan thus became a prominent figure among Jiangzhou’s younger generation. Of course, in this process, the Kong clan itself had contributed the most. Lianshan Xin had at most contributed an idea, and he had given that idea to Kong Ningyuan for free. Lianshan Xin understood that what is free is the most valuable. Now, his reward had arrived. With a few words, he had obtained a direct admission spot to an elite academy equivalent to Tsinghua or Peking University in his previous life. Was it worth it? Lianshan Xin thought it was. Kong Ningyuan also thought he had gained greatly. This was a win-win. As for turning hostile and denying everything… Leaving aside the fact that Lianshan Xin had backup plans, Kong Ningyuan was not that shortsighted. Only greater profit could make him turn hostile. “Dear brother, your elder brother has one more small favor to ask.” “What is it?” Lianshan Xin was a little curious. Kong Ningyuan spoke with an unruffled expression. “A friend of mine has often felt inadequate lately. Hearing that your clinic has an exclusive secret formula, he came to me with the request.” Lianshan Xin blinked and, without a word, fetched two boxes of pills for Kong Ningyuan, who had conjured an imaginary friend out of nothing. “Brother Kong, have your friend take it before intimacy. It’s guaranteed to work.” “Dear brother, my friend does not want outsiders to know about this.” “What just happened?” Lianshan Xin’s eyes began to cloud with confusion. Kong Ningyuan laughed again, then patted Lianshan Xin’s hand and said admiringly, “Dear brother, you truly are a genius at feigning confusion.” A moment later, Lianshan Xin personally escorted Kong Ningyuan out of the clinic. He walked him to the intersection, and only then did they reluctantly part. He had not asked for money. With the rich, one talked about feelings. Only with the poor did one talk about money. This was the hard-won wisdom of Lianshan Xin, a seasoned Xiaohongshu user. The sisters really were quite wise. … After Lianshan Xin disappeared from sight, Kong Ningyuan tossed the two boxes of pills to his page. “Go ahead and eat them. If you don’t need them, you can resell them to someone else.” The page asked curiously, “Young Master, you clearly have no problem. Why did you insist on making Lianshan Xin misunderstand?” Kong Ningyuan smiled faintly. “When dealing with others, fools feign cleverness, while the clever feign foolishness. Exposing one’s weaknesses is the best way to draw close to someone and dispel their guard. Lianshan Xin and I come from backgrounds too far apart. If I do not find a way to close the distance, we will only drift farther apart.” “Young Master, Lianshan Xin is merely an ordinary person. Is he worth lowering yourself to befriend?” The page still felt his young master had come off at a loss. Kong Ningyuan did not care. “Such behavior costs nothing and brings benefits. How is that lowering myself? If Lianshan Xin rises swiftly in the future, we will be friends in adversity. If he remains unknown, I lose nothing.” “But you have lost face.” Kong Ningyuan’s smile turned disdainful. “Face? Only the successful have face.” … Having read Bailudong Academy’s admission letter over and over, Lianshan Jingcheng and He Miaojun finally accepted reality. But they were still worried and puzzled. He Miaojun frowned. “Little Xin, becoming a student of Bailudong Academy is naturally a good thing, but there are struggles within the academy as well. Bailudong Academy is the first academy of Jiangzhou and one of the Four Great Academies under heaven. Many of its students come from extraordinary backgrounds. Moreover, the academy practices civil and martial cultivation, and is itself a leader in Jiangzhou’s jianghu. Harboring a sharp weapon breeds killing intent. As far as I know, every year students at Bailudong Academy are injured or crippled in struggles.” Lianshan Jingcheng nodded in agreement with his wife. “You are quite right, my dear. Son, our family is not rich or noble, but we can live without worry. Just study medicine with me in peace and inherit Huichun Hall. Why take such risks?” Lianshan Xin said calmly, “Father, studying medicine cannot save the Great Yu.” Lianshan Jingcheng: “?” “It cannot save our family either. Medicine can be a useful skill, but it cannot be the foundation on which we make our living.” “Nonsense! Your father has made his living through medicine. Have you ever lacked food or clothing?” He Miaojun scolded. “Do not look down on your father just because you have met a young noble like Kong Ningyuan.” “Mother, I have never looked down on Father. It is precisely for Father’s sake that I must become a student of Bailudong Academy.” “Why do you say that?” Lianshan Jingcheng frowned. Lianshan Xin looked at Lianshan Jingcheng, his pupils deep and dark. He seemed to see through his father’s body to another scene. Three days earlier, Chairman Qu of the neighboring merchant guild had asked Lianshan Jingcheng to save his wife’s brother. The man was a local strongman on this street, and because of a gang conflict, he had been hacked half to death. Lianshan Jingcheng had done his best, but he still could not save him. Then Chairman Qu stopped supplying medicinal ingredients to Huichun Hall. This was utterly unreasonable. No matter how skilled a doctor was, he could not guarantee saving every patient. But in this world, many people only reasoned with the strong. Lianshan Jingcheng had brought valuable gifts to their door, apologizing and forcing smiles, yet he was still turned away. He had then taken good wine to invite the Qu household’s steward to drink, drank until he vomited, and still received no reassuring answer. Lianshan Jingcheng had hidden all this well. He Miaojun only knew that he had failed to save the man; she did not know that he had later been made to suffer by Chairman Qu. Lianshan Jingcheng assumed Lianshan Xin did not know either. But Lianshan Xin knew. This was his innate ability: when he stared at others, he occasionally saw secrets from their past. “Father, Chairman Qu’s wife’s brother was hacked to death, but Chairman Qu bullies the weak and fears the strong. He will vent his anger on you and believe that you failed to save his wife’s brother. Cutting off our medicinal ingredient supply is only the first step. I worry that he will continue to make things difficult for you.” He Miaojun’s expression changed abruptly. “What happened?” Lianshan Jingcheng’s expression also shifted slightly. “Little Xin, how do you know about this?” “I saw you take gifts to apologize, Father, and be turned away from the Qu household’s door,” Lianshan Xin said. Lianshan Jingcheng’s face darkened. “I have made you lose face.” No father wanted to expose his own powerlessness before his child. Lianshan Xin shook his head and said seriously, “Father, it is not shameful for a man to support his family with a skill, or to bow his head and smile for them outside. What is shameful is to make the whole family suffer for the sake of his own pride.” Lianshan Jingcheng was moved. “Little Xin, you have grown up.” “Yes, I have grown up. So I cannot let you bear it alone, Father. When I saw Kong Ningyuan out, I passed by the Qu household. I am sure the Qu family saw me. Chairman Qu bullies the weak and fears the strong. He dares to make trouble for an ordinary clinic’s physician, but he would not dare make trouble for the father of a student who has received direct admission to Bailudong Academy. Father, you will not have to work so hard in the future. I will support this family together with you.” For ordinary people, living without worry about food and clothing had never been easy. If you think it is easy, then someone must be bearing that hardship for you. Lianshan Xin had understood this principle in his previous life. So he would not take for granted that ordinary life was a blessing. Ordinary life is not a blessing; ordinary life is suffering.