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“We’re just the messengers,” the two officers said. “Since the village head of the Jiang family refuses to send his daughter to the county medical office, why not write a letter for us to take back as a response?”

Jiang Samlang agreed with their suggestion. He asked them to wait a little and had his wife prepare two bowls of chicken noodle soup for them while he penned down a letter.

After seeing off the two officers, Jiang Samlang was filled with apprehension, feeling that this issue was far from over.

His worry turned out to be well-founded. Less than a month later, a group of men arrived. Leading them was Xiao Mo.

At that moment, Yingbao, along with Youyou and Xiaohei, were watering the saplings in the orchard when her sister came running hurriedly.

“Yingbao! That Xiao guy is here again!” she said, panting heavily. “He says he wants to take you to the county medical office to study.”

“What?” Yingbao’s face twitched in surprise.

The Xiao family again. Was she somehow at odds with this family’s fate?

Her sister pulled the young girl. “Quickly go home, that Mr. Xiao is waiting for you.”

Yingbao followed her sister home and saw Xiao Mo sitting in the main hall, talking to her father. “The decision for your beloved daughter to study at the county medical office is the wish of the nobleman. Once she completes her education, it would benefit your family as well,” he said.

Jiang Samlang replied coldly, “But her age… she can’t be separated from her family. I fear she’ll be ill-treated when away from home. We couldn’t bear that as parents.”

Xiao Mo replied, “You are mistaken, Mr. Jiang. There are nannies and teachers to oversee things in the medical office, who would dare to oppress her? Furthermore, for the next year, I will be stationed in the county and I will enjoin the office to take special care of the young students.”

Recently, Qinchuan County and a few neighboring counties had experienced a large influx of refugees. To prevent a repeat of the bandit raid, Xiao Mo had decided to station troops in the area as a precaution.

Jiang Samlang’s eyebrows were knotted together tightly.

From the sound of it, it seemed General Xiao was determined to take Yingbao away this time.

“Father, I’m back!” Yingbao entered the main hall and bowed to Xiao Mo. “How’ve you been, Xiao Langjun?”

Xiao Mo nodded at her, saying, “The nobleman has commanded you to study at the county medical office, and I have come to take you there. Yingbao, do you need to pack anything?”

Yingbao rolled her eyes discreetly and refused bluntly, “I don’t want to study.”

Xiao Mo seemed to have anticipated her response and said lightly, “None of us wants to study. But for the sake of our family, for survival, you must endure and do something you dislike.”

Yingbao scowled.

This bastard was threatening her!

The meaning behind his words was very clear—he was telling her, if she didn’t obey, her family wouldn’t survive.

“Fine then, shall we leave now?” Yingbao did not want to risk her parents or family members just to test this man’s limits, so she relented.

Xiao Mo nodded, “Sure.”

“I’ll go get my medicine box.” Yingbao ran back to her room and slung the medicine box onto her back.

She was now seven and had grown considerably, appearing to be an eight or nine-year-old child.

Upon thinking a little, Yingbao took out the ruler that the Empress bestowed on her and held it in her hand.

The ruler was made of wood. It was polished smooth and on its surface was inlaid with several golden peony patterns. The handle was decorated with a colorful tassel.

Returning to the main hall, Yingbao announced, “I’m ready to go. I even brought the ruler the Empress gave me. If anyone dares to bully me in the medical office, I’ll use it to teach them a lesson.”

Xiao Mo glanced at the ruler without uttering a word.

He was aware of the ruler the Empress had gifted to Yingbao. He found it surprising that this shrewd little girl knew to use it for backing.

“You don’t need to be tense; the medical office isn’t a dangerous place. Nobody dares to cause trouble there,” Xiao Mo said, sounding a bit worried about the safety of the other students.

This little girl was known for her erratic behavior. Annoyingly, she was always able to do things that left people scratching their heads.

Yingbao replied nonchalantly, “I’m not tense. I am just worried that someone might get jealous of my medical skills and purposely target me.”

Xiao Mo forced a cough to suppress his amusement, “All right, let’s set off now.”

Following this, he stood up, leading the way out of Jiang Family home.

Looking at his daughter, Jiang Samlang was filled with unease.

After saddling up the horses and preparing the carriage, Jiang Samlang drove, leading his daughter and Xiao Mo towards the county city.

After several hours of travel, they finally entered the city gates.

The county medical office was located in the backyard of the Huimin Pharmacy in the county and occupied a large space.

Within, there were two faculties— Medical sciences and Yin-Yang studies, each headed by a physician.

Upon arriving at the medical office, Yingbao was first introduced to a middle-aged man with a long beard.

This individual was the official in charge of the county medical office, Ya Sen — a ninth-rank official.

After paying her respects to him, Yingbao heard Xiao Mo say, “This is Jiang Yingbao, she is seven years old. From now on, she will study medicine at the medical office. I hope Mr. Ya Sen will keep a close eye on her and promote her learning.”

Ya Sen smiled, “I will obey your command.”

Yingbao turned her head to glare at Xiao Mo.

Keep a close eye on her? Who did he think he was, her father?

However, Xiao Mo didn’t pay her any attention. After a brief conversation with Ya Sen, he took his leave.

Once Xiao Mo departed, the smile on Ya Sen’s face disappeared. He turned serious and scrutinized Yingbao. He instructed a student dressed in white, “Take her to the dormitory to settle down.”

“Yes,” replied the student.

The student led Yingbao towards a small courtyard.

On the way, Yingbao saw several students. They all wore white gowns and black turbans, from ages ten to over twenty.

When they arrived at the courtyard, they saw two girls in white standing in the yard. They both had black silk scarves on their heads, just like the students outside.

“Sister Xueqing, we have a new junior sister. Can you help her arrange her accommodation?” the student called out to one of the girls.

Xueqing turned around, and looking at Yingbao, she expressed her surprise, “She’s so young?”

The student nodded, “General Xiao sent her. He asked us to take extra care of her.”

“I understand,” Xueqing replied. She turned to Yingbao, “Follow me.”

Yingbao followed Xueqing into a room. Inside were two small beds, two desks, and a few wooden boxes.

“Didn’t you bring any personal belongings?” Xueqing asked.

“No,” Yingbao blinked, “Xiao Mo said the office would provide everything and I didn’t need to bring anything.”

In fact, she had some belongings, but she insisted on not bringing them.

If they did not prepare life necessities for her, she would have to return home.

There was a slight flicker in Xueqing’s eyes, and her expression became more amiable.

She led Yingbao to a small wooden bed, “This bed is for you. Later on, I will ask Mr. Ya for your bedding and other items.”

Yingbao nodded and thanked Xueqing, “Thank you, Sister Xueqing.”

“There’s no need to be formal. We’re classmates; we should help each other,” Xueqing replied.

Xueqing moved an empty wooden box for Yingbao, “You can put your things in this box. Later, I’ll get a set of tea utensils for you, oh yes, two other girls studying medicine were sent here recently by General Xiao. They are staying next door. I can introduce you to them later.”

Yingbao expressed a reluctance immediately, “No need, it’s not necessary. We’ll definitely meet sooner or later.”

She had already guessed who Xiao Mo had sent, but who was the other one?