Wang Youcai and Yang heard that the list of Gongju couldn't be changed, which means Wang Ping'an won't get a quota for next year. Their faces both turned gloomy. After messing around for half a day, it turned out that Qiu Wenpu came to their door today not to thank them but to apologize. His son had cured his illness, but he still couldn't get the quota. Qiu Wenpu felt guilty and came in person!

  Wang Youcai thought to himself: "If this subject doesn't work out, then what about the next one? The only thing is, I don't know when the next subject will start. If it's three years later, that would be a huge delay!"

  Yang thought: "A minor illness like wind and cold, even if it's cured, won't be able to sell for a big favor! Alas, why can't this old man Qiu get a more serious illness?" As soon as he heard that his son didn't get the quota, Master Qiu immediately became Old Man Qiu.

  Wang Ping'an remained calm and waited quietly for Qiu Wenpu to continue speaking. He understood in his heart that if today was just about telling him that the Gongju quota could not be given, then Qiu Wenpu would not have needed to come personally. Since he had come personally, there must be another explanation!

  Qiu Wenpu said "However", and paused for a moment, seeing the Wang couple's disappointed expressions, which was within his expectations. But Wang Ping'an's expression remained unchanged, he thought to himself: "This young man's experience and age don't match, he's mature beyond his years, and is even stronger than Xuan'er." There are indeed clever people in this world, even if he felt suspicious in his heart, there was no way to verify it, so he could only think about it in his mind.

  He no longer sells Guan Zi, saying: "The academic administration of this province comes from my door, so every time there is a science examination, he always sends the list of Gong Ju to me and asks me to help him check it, so as not to let those who have fame but no reality mix into the list. If there are such people, wouldn't they lose face for us Xu Zhou people when they enter Chang'an?"

  Qiu Tingxuan quickly unfolded his fan and nodded repeatedly, thinking that his father's words were very reasonable. Not passing the exam was a small matter, but losing face for their hometown was a big deal!

  Qiu Wenpu smiled and said, "With Ping'an's medical skills, if he were to take the imperial medical exam, it would be a sure win. As for me, I don't have anything more to teach him in terms of medical skills, so taking him on as an apprentice would be somewhat deceitful!"

  Wang Ping'an hastily said: "Old Master Qiu is too modest, I can only randomly come up with a few prescriptions, far from what you ordered!"

  Qiu waved his hand: "Our great Tang Dynasty does not hold the imperial examination every year, sometimes three years, sometimes five years. The academic atmosphere in this province is strong, and there are countless people who want to take the exam. That's why the number of candidates for the imperial examination has become a rare commodity that everyone wants to get one. Before the list of names is released, it is true that every family spares no effort, and everyone uses their means to get a spot. Once the list is out, it's all settled, and there's no way to change it!"

  Wang Youcai let out a long sigh. He had never eaten chicken, but he had seen chickens run. How could he not know this? But everything has its exceptions. He had just been holding onto a glimmer of hope, and now that Qiu Xunpu said so, even that last thread of hope was gone!

  Qiu Wenpu stopped here, paused for a moment to observe Wang Ping'an's reaction. Seeing that Wang Ping'an was still calm and even had a faint smile on his face, he couldn't help but feel puzzled in his heart. The words he wanted to say today, except for his son Qiu Tingxuan, hadn't been told to anyone else. How did this young man seem to know what was coming? If he really could predict the future, he should be studying divination, not medicine!

  Qiu Wupu said: "The scholars selected by the academic administration of this province, from a nominal point of view, only belong to the rural tribute and are not students. Of course, my disciples in the academic administration may be considered as figures in this province, but in Chang'an... they... haha, they do not have the qualifications to select students. However, there is one person in this province who has this qualification, that is, the Governor! Although I am not talented, I can go to persuade the Governor to give the student quota to Ping'an. After all, our Xuzhou only has one student quota!"

  After finishing, Qiu asked Pu to laugh loudly, but after laughing for a long time, he found that the Wang family was inexplicably confused and didn't understand what he was laughing at. He could only cough twice to hint to his son to explain for him. Qiu Tingxuan understood and immediately began to explain.

  In the Tang Dynasty, there were schools in the country. In the capital, there was the Guozijian Academy, and in local areas, there were four gate schools. Only noble children with high official positions or titles could attend school. Although the term "student" doesn't sound very good, it was actually a shortcut for aristocratic children to become officials. Of course, by the mid-to-late Tang Dynasty, this didn't mean much, but during Emperor Taizong of Tang's reign, being a student still had great value.

  Gongju and Seonbi both took the exam, but since Seonbi belonged to a privileged class, it was easier for them. In modern terms, they had targeted review questions! In the Gyeonggi region, nearby provinces all had four gates of learning because there were many high-ranking officials, and when their children gathered together, they could form an academy. This is different from the nature of the privately-run Samseong Academy.

  But Xuzhou didn't have that many high-ranking officials, so for the time being, there was no need to set up a four-door school. However, there was one quota available, and it belonged to the Governor himself, because in all of Xuzhou, only he had the qualification to let his own son become a student and directly report to the Ministry of Works.

  Wang Youcai was shocked after hearing this, he had never heard of the student's name before, and he always thought that the college entrance examination was very fair, never thinking that such things could also take a shortcut!

  He said: "This is not easy! If Master Qiu says so, the student quota is reserved for the son of Governor Cishi himself. How can it be given to my family's Ping'an?"

  Qiu Wenpu smiled, stroking his beard, and said: "This matter will be handled by me, you don't have to worry too much. I guarantee that next year's imperial examination will go smoothly!"

  Yang said suddenly: "How much money can that cost, do you want to give something to the governor? Ah, that's a big official, several ranks higher than the traveling rate! She remembered the incident at Fangma Village and thought that since the Wang family had no power or influence, they almost couldn't return when they encountered a traveling rate. Now encountering the governor, she really couldn't think of anything else!

  Qiu Tingxuan's facial muscles twitched, what a joke? That is the lowest-ranking small military officer, and it has nothing to do with the governor, and it is several ranks lower. What are you talking about, do you know how the imperial court ranks are determined? This country woman, really doesn't understand anything!

  Wang Youcai glared at his wife and said, "You're always bragging about how great the Yang family is, but now you've made a mistake with just one sentence. Are you trying to make us look like fools?" He turned to Qiu Zhangpu and exclaimed, "Master Qiu, this favor is too great, we can't repay it!"

  Qiu asked Pu to laugh loudly and shook his head: "Still have to get up, still have to get up. The future is boundless, and later I will rely on him to support my son Xuan more!" For him, sending gifts is either not sent or sent in a big way, otherwise he, the master of Xiangshan, would come to the countryside for nothing, did he think he had nothing to do?

  If Wang Ping'an was only good at medicine, Qiu Wenpu wouldn't have come here in person to give him a big favor. The key is that Qiu Tingxuan told him what happened that day, and Qiu Wenpu found out that Wang Ping'an was very good at handling relationships. This kind of person would definitely rise to prominence once they got the opportunity. In this case, burning bridges before they're even built is quite necessary.

  Wang Ping'an had no further development after that, but once he became prosperous, people would say that this person used to borrow books from Xiangtong Academy. Although he didn't worship Qiu Shan as his master, Qiu Shan treated him like his own son and helped him greatly. Wang Ping'an's success today is all thanks to Qiu Shan's cultivation.

  Of course, the tall trees in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. If Wang Ping'an falls into trouble later, he can quickly clear himself. I didn't accept him as a disciple, and he was just a visiting student at my academy. Let's not mention past events, it has nothing to do with me!

  A man's mouth is two pieces of skin, whatever he says makes sense!

  Qiu Wenpu was a seasoned and astute person. Before doing anything, he would think everything through from all angles. Although he didn't intend to harm Wang Ping'an, before taking action, he would still calculate the pros and cons first, ensuring that he wouldn't suffer any losses and guaranteeing that he would gain something.

  Wang Ping-An let out a long sigh and said, "Mr. Qiu's promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold. Since he has promised me, he will naturally keep his word. I thank him in advance!"

  －－－－－－－

  Additionally: Ping'an is here to thank book friends for their enthusiastic rewards, it's really too thankful! Ping'an also wants to thank book friend xiaomaner for their enthusiastic rewards, thank you very much!

  Salvia Miltiorrhiza and Soybean Decoction

  Formula: Danshen 500g, soybeans 1000g, honey 250g, rock sugar 30g.

  Method: Soak the soybeans in cold water for 1 hour, then remove and put them into a large pot. Add an appropriate amount of water, bring to a boil over high heat, add 1 tablespoon of yellow rice wine, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the soybeans are cooked through and the liquid has thickened. Strain out the soybean liquid.

  Put the Danshen into a large ceramic basin, soak it in cold water for 1 hour, making sure that it is fully submerged. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about half an hour. Strain out the first batch of liquid, add more water, and simmer again for about half an hour until there is about half a bowl of liquid left. Strain out the second batch of liquid and discard the dregs.

  Combine the soybean liquid and Danshen liquid in a ceramic bowl, add honey and rock sugar. Cover the bowl and steam over boiling water for 2 hours. Remove from heat, let cool, then bottle and seal tightly. The remaining cooked soybeans can be used to make another dish.

  Function: Promoting blood circulation, removing stasis, tonifying spleen and stomach, nourishing heart blood.

  Usage: Twice a day, 1 spoon each time. Take with warm water or rice soup 1 hour after meal.