Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved
Chapter 450: The Emperor with More Heart Than Strength

Chapter 450: Chapter 450: The Emperor with More Heart Than Strength

To enter the Medical College, one must of course be literate, and also not too young.

Because once in the Medical College, one can learn Medicine and read medical texts.

If one can’t even recognize characters, lacks comprehension ability, how can they read medical texts? If they can’t understand the names of medicinal materials, how can they remember each one?

As long as one studies diligently, and passes each school examination, they can graduate in four years.

If one can’t pass the school examination, then they must continue to delay.

At that time, the college will issue a certificate from the Medical College, which one takes to the Government Office for stamping, and afterwards, one can practice medicine.

Even though many are eliminated, there are also not a few who pass the assessments.

The college established by Princess Consort Ling of the Capital City has been operating for over half a year, and many children from impoverished families who can’t afford schooling cherish this opportunity and study very hard.

The students the college admits range in age, and even if an illiterate old man wants to learn, the college is willing to teach.

Therefore, many of those who come to enroll in the Medical College are students who have previously attended school.

They might lack the ability to take the imperial examinations because they started too late, or even after studying hard for many years, they may not be certain to make a name for themselves, and their age and family background do not suit the path of the imperial examinations.

Even when they come to study, it is also to recognize a few more characters, to not be cheated.

After classes, they still have endless farm work waiting for them at home.

But the news of the Medical College’s establishment is like a beam of hope shining on these impoverished students, giving them confidence in their future.

In four years, just with hard work for four years, they might become a Court Physician, able to provide for their family and not be tenant farmers or long-term laborers for landlords anymore, and perhaps even change the fate of their whole family.

How can they not be excited? The news spreads from one to ten, ten to a hundred, with a steady stream of people registering.

The parents who had not sent their children to school to learn how to read regretted it deeply, hurriedly sending their kids to school.

The college does not charge a scholarly honorarium, but one must buy their own books and ink. Many parents are simply too stingy to spend this money, not allowing their children to go to school because they believe knowing a few characters is useless, and in the future, won’t they still be toiling in the fields?

But with the establishment of the Medical College, everyone’s enthusiasm for sending children to study increased significantly.

When they arrived at the college and gritted their teeth to buy books and ink, and heard the teacher express his thanks for reducing the number of illiterates in Great Yan and adding another learned person, they were suddenly ashamed. Only then did they realize how grand the scope was of Prince Ling and Princess Consort Ling in establishing the college.

The cost of books and ink was merely to test the parents’ determination to send their children to school.

If the study lasted only three or five days and then stopped, it would be meaningless. Only by buying books and ink, due to this invested cost, would parents make their children grit their teeth and continue studying.

Moreover, the atmosphere inside the college is very good, not as stern and forbidding as in other colleges, where playfulness is not allowed.

Only after these parents entered did they realize how honorable studying is. Listening to the students’ childish voices and their fluent recitation of texts and poems, they suddenly felt that their own children might also have a bright future, not like themselves, working as farmers for a lifetime with mud stains that can never be washed out from their trouser legs.

The Medical College was inaugurated with much fanfare, yet it didn’t create much of a stir in the hearts of the officials and nobility. In their eyes, these were all just useless country bumpkins. Even by gathering these talents, what good talent could they be? In four years, they will just be country bumpkin doctors anyway, with no relation to them, incapable of changing anything or affecting them in any way.

As such, it wasn’t important.

Prince Ling and Princess Consort Ling focusing their efforts on this matter is actually a good thing for the other Imperial Princes’ faction.

With the advent of spring, the Emperor’s health improved and the constant headaches and fevers became rare. In great spirits, he picked a day with fine weather to hold a court banquet and invited the ministers to bring their families to attend.

Its intent was very clear, it was to let everyone see his great regard for the Young Prince.

He, too, must hold the Young Prince and show his face in public more often.

Jun Yuyan and Murong Jiu naturally also attended the banquet.

Today, the weather was indeed fine, and although the temperature wasn’t high, there was no wind, and the sun above shone down warmly, not cold at all.

Seizing this opportunity, the women of the harem dressed to the nines and vied with one another in splendor, all in hopes of catching the Emperor’s eye and receiving a bit of affection.

Wasn’t Noble Consort Yun using the Young Prince to gain favor by virtue of her son?

They were young and could bear children; as long as the Emperor took pity on them, they could surely give birth to sons and daughters for him.

Even if the children they bore were not as favored as the Young Prince, they could ensure that they would no longer be nameless in the palace, at the very least, they would have something to look forward to, right?

Speaking of which, there were numerous beauties in the harem; many of these women had met with the Emperor only once before being cruelly discarded, the Emperor wouldn’t even remember the women he had slept with.

There were also many women who, since entering the palace, had never been graced with favor; ranked lowly, they couldn’t even see the Emperor on a regular basis. With the palace servants acting high and mighty, the days these women spent in the palace couldn’t possibly be good.

A poor life was one thing, but to live without any hope was truly terrifying.

There were women who had gone mad because of this.

Some were sent back to their homes by the Emperor, while others were sent to the Cold Palace; after all, the Emperor they longed for day and night might not even remember their names.

Such was the fickle love of an emperor.

Murong Jiu saw that many of the women had wrinkles at the corners of their eyes, yet they still had to dress flamboyantly, all for that one chance.

But, in truth, even if they did receive the Emperor’s favor, they couldn’t possibly become pregnant.

Because the Emperor lacked the capability.

And he was also willing but unable.

His body had long since lost its vigor; a collapse was only a matter of months away.

Therefore, at the palace banquet, when the Emperor noticed this group of ostentatiously dressed women, he angrily scolded them, causing them embarrassment and likely resentment.

The court officials also did not look pleased.

Because many of them had brought their daughters, hoping to catch the eye of the old Emperor and have them bear a Prince, which would reduce Noble Consort Yun’s chances.

After all, Noble Consort Yun wasn’t greatly favored; her position today was entirely due to giving birth to the Young Prince.

If their daughters could bear a Prince, with the support of their families, the Emperor might well consider them more suitable than Noble Consort Yun’s Young Prince.

Who knew if the Emperor had scolded them because he saw through their intentions?

As a result, the Young Prince seemed even more valuable.

Whether or not the Emperor did it on purpose, no one knew, but in Murong Jiu’s view, it certainly wasn’t intentional; Noble Consort Yun had said the Emperor was no longer capable, and a few days ago, when he took a fancy to a Palace Maid who seduced him, it didn’t lead to anything in the end.

Embarrassed and enraged, the Emperor had the woman executed.

Apart from Noble Consort Yun, no one knew of this.

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