NFBE Chapter 460 Four Female Students of Daqin Medical College
Chapter 460 Four Female Students of Daqin Medical College
Passing through the winding corridor, Chunyu Shu paused before the western annex, Bing Room. The carved wooden door was ajar, and the scent of medicine mingled with the smell of ink wafted out. As she pushed the door open, three wolf-hair brushes simultaneously came to rest on the bamboo slips.
"New here?" The woman by the window put down her medical table. She was dressed in a crimson ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and a silver pestle for grinding cinnabar sat on the table. "My name is Feng Yi, from Ba County. My family has been collecting cinnabar for generations."
A girl with her hair styled in two buns skipped over, her sachet embroidered with the five poisonous creatures clinking crisply: "Wei Lingyu! Father is from the Imperial Hospital."
The woman in the far corner remained engrossed in her medical practice, her wide black sleeves subtly embroidered with cloud and thunder patterns. Hearing the noise, she looked up: "Ying Jingyi, from a collateral branch of the imperial family." Her gaze swept over Chunyu Shu's blood-stained back. "Does your wound need treatment? I'm skilled in wound medicine."
Chunyu Shu wanted to refuse, but she thought that she would be spending a long time with these people in the future, and completely refusing their help might negatively impact their relationships. So, at the last second, Chunyu Shu changed her mind and said with a smile, "Thank you for your trouble."
Ying Jingyi was actually quite familiar with Chunyu Shu, as Chunyu Shu was quite famous in Xianyang. Compared to Chunyu Shu, Ying Jingyi, despite being a member of the imperial family, was little known. Chunyu Shu's fame stemmed primarily from her reputation for being well-educated, reasonable, and adhering to proper etiquette.
However, to Ying Jingyi's utter surprise, this well-bred young lady, considered by everyone to be the most knowledgeable about etiquette and manners, arrived at the Great Qin Medical College severely injured. Without much thought, Ying Jingyi could guess that these injuries must have been caused by family discipline.
Ying Jingyi carefully applied medicine to Chunyu Shu's wounds, her movements incredibly gentle, afraid of causing Chunyu Shu any more pain. However, despite her efforts, Chunyu Shu couldn't help but cry out in pain when the medicine touched the wounds.
As night fell and all was quiet, Chunyu Shu, exhausted after applying the medicine, could no longer stay awake. She climbed into bed and quickly fell asleep.
In the past few days, ever since her family learned that she had successfully been admitted to Daqin Medical College, she has been either scolded or lectured, and even made to kneel in the ancestral hall for three days.
Despite her extreme exhaustion, the pain in her body lingered, constantly disrupting her sleep. The wound on her back seemed to remind her of everything she had experienced during the day, preventing her from fully relaxing even in her dreams.
That night, Chunyu Shu's dreams were shrouded in nightmares. In her dreams, she kept running and struggling, but she could never escape the fear and pain that followed her like a shadow.
Inside the Zhangtai Palace, the flickering flames of the bronze candlesticks cast shifting light on Qin King Ying Zheng's face. Dressed in a black casual robe, he asked Ying Wuyou, "In the Great Qin Medical Academy, there are only four women. What are your plans regarding this?"
Ying Wuyou sat obediently below, and when she heard the question, she raised her head. Her delicate face was now filled with worry, and her brows were tightly furrowed.
She originally envisioned establishing medical and nursing majors and maternal and child health majors at Daqin Medical College to train a group of doctors, especially women, who could save lives.
The field of obstetrics and gynecology desperately needs women, and their delicate and gentle nature makes them even more suited to medical and nursing work. But reality was like a bucket of cold water, chilling her to the bone. She never imagined that although there were very few women applying to Daqin Women's College at the time, she would find out that only four women actually enrolled.
This completely disrupted Ying Wuyou's previous plans. She gave a wry smile and said, "Father, I would like to recruit another batch." There was a hint of helplessness in her voice.
"Recruit again? Easier said than done!" King Qin stood up. "Women's academies are closed off for students to study, and the aristocratic families can turn a blind eye. But medical schools require men and women to study together and also study the human body's meridians. Those old fogies have already submitted their complaints to the Prime Minister's office!" He suddenly grabbed the memorial on the table and handed it to Ying Wuyou.
Ying Wuyou took it with both hands, unfolded it, and saw the words "A hen crowing at dawn will surely disrupt the court."
Ying Wuyou's eyes seemed to be drawn to those words, staring at them without blinking. Her thoughts, however, had already raced back to half a year ago like a wild horse.
At that time, she was full of ambition to establish a medical school, not only to impart medical knowledge, but also to add an obstetrics and gynecology department to the medical school so that women all over the world could safely welcome the arrival of new life.
However, reality was like a bucket of ice water, ruthlessly extinguishing her enthusiasm. There were only four girls in the medical school! This was far from her original expectations, and she couldn't help but feel lost and disappointed.
Ying Wuyou's face turned extremely pale. She bit her lip tightly, trying hard to suppress her anxiety. The King of Qin noticed his daughter's change. He looked at Ying Wuyou with heartache and sighed softly, "Jiayang, why don't we slow down for now? Although there are only four girls, as long as their studies are excellent enough to silence those people, we can plan carefully and proceed gradually."
Ying Wuyou remained silent for a long time before slowly raising his head, a resolute light rekindling in his eyes: "Father, I am unwilling to give up. These four women are both an opportunity and a chance. I will focus on nurturing them and make them role models for the medical school. In six months, we will hold an exam. If the four of them perform exceptionally well, those old fogies will naturally shut their mouths."
Ying Wuyou paused slightly, seemingly considering how to proceed, then took a deep breath and continued, "Six months from now, everything will be based on performance. At that time, I will recruit a new batch of students to Daqin Medical College. I believe that when people see the real benefits of women studying medicine, they will change their views on women studying medicine and be more willing to send their daughters here to study medicine."
Her voice conveyed a confidence and determination, as if she could already see the future. She firmly believed that through the demonstration of tangible results, people would gradually realize that women can also play an important role in the medical field, and would no longer be limited to traditional notions.
The King of Qin looked at his daughter and nodded with satisfaction: "Good, since you have made this decision, your father will fully support you. However, the process will inevitably be difficult, so you must be mentally prepared."
Ying Wuyou nodded emphatically: "Your subject understands. Your subject will immediately make arrangements to ensure that these four female students can reach their full potential."
Meanwhile, in the West Dormitory of Daqin Medical College, Chunyu Shu awoke suddenly from a nightmare, her clothes soaked with sweat. She sat up, rubbed her temples, and gazed at the moonlight outside the window, secretly vowing to make a name for herself in the medical college and not let those who looked down on women studying medicine laugh at her.