The arrival of Ji Zizhao naturally drew everyone's attention.
Yet, not a single person stepped forward to greet her.
In fact, those who had participated in the three rounds of imperial examinations with Ji Zizhao now looked at her with even greater rejection and distance.
From the bottom of their hearts, these people had never held Ji Zizhao in high regard.
But sadly!
They, who considered themselves far superior to Ji Zizhao, had been thoroughly defeated by her in three consecutive imperial examinations, without even a chance to struggle or resist.
Now, just thinking about having to work alongside Ji Zizhao at the Imperial Academy in the future, they couldn't even bear to face her, let alone give her a pleasant expression.
Frankly, in Yulin, what man didn't live by stepping on women?
Yet, for decades to come, they would be crushed by a woman.
Moreover, as long as this woman was present, she would invisibly render them less than nothing…
Just thinking about such a life felt like an endless darkness.
When Jiang Guangcheng saw Ji Zizhao, he had intended to approach and greet her.
However, seeing that others hadn't moved, he paused where he was.
Unlike the Medical Education Institute, this was a private setting. Ji Zizhao was a woman, and being too close to him in public would be detrimental to her reputation and honor.
Ji Zizhao, of course, understood Jiang Guangcheng's concerns and gave a slight nod, acknowledging the greeting.
The Zou family's rear garden was spacious, and the pavilion was unoccupied. Just as Ji Zizhao was thinking of walking towards it, she suddenly heard a commotion from another direction.
She saw several young masters from wealthy families dragging a poorly dressed young beggar towards them.
The beggar looked no older than ten, with a dirty face that still held a trace of childish innocence.
This was the Zou family's rear garden, and the appearance of a strange young beggar naturally attracted everyone's attention.
Zou Hansheng, who rushed over upon hearing the noise, looked displeased at the sight of the beggar. He ordered a servant, "Throw him out quickly, lest he dirty the courtyard."
The servant, with a smile, approached the young masters.
However, the young masters had no intention of letting the beggar go.
Furthermore, one of the young masters, out of nowhere, placed an apple on the beggar's head.
"You little beggar, you're lucky to have run into us today. Since we're bored anyway, if you're willing to be my target, and if the pebbles I throw hit the apple on your head, I'll give you one copper coin, how about it?"
The beggar looked imploringly at the speaking young master, seeming to hesitate.
The young master casually took out a copper coin and threw it at his feet.
Upon seeing the money, the beggar's eyes lit up. He carefully picked up the coin, blew on it, and then obediently stood still with the apple on his head.
Seeing this, the young master sneered, "Indeed, born to beg."
With that, he motioned for a nearby servant to pick up pebbles and hand them to him, then threw them at the beggar.
The pebbles, though not intended to cause serious harm, still stung sharply when hitting the body due to the force of the throw.
Before long, the beggar's face was streaked with blood from the scrapes caused by the pebbles.
Pebbles rained down like a storm, hurled at the beggar with wild abandon, yet the beggar, for the sake of a few copper coins, stood his ground without moving an inch.
This scene, in turn, caused the other young masters to burst into laughter.
The Zou family's servants, seeing this, approached Zou Hansheng and asked, "Young Master, this…"
Zou Hansheng saw nothing wrong and instead instructed the servant, "These are all renowned noble sons from the capital. You must not neglect them. Take some people to help them pick up stones and ensure they have a thoroughly enjoyable time."
The other doctors near the Imperial Academy, though they disagreed, could do nothing as even the eldest young master of the Zou family had spoken. All they could do was offer a hypocritical smile and feign agreement.
Jiang Guangcheng clenched his fists in anger, wanting to step forward and argue with the young masters.
However, the doctors around him quickly blocked his path, "Can we afford to offend those people?"
Jiang Guangcheng looked at the people before him in disbelief, "Are we just going to let them do as they please?"
"Look at their attire. The jade pendants alone hanging from their waists are worth more than our annual salary."
"I heard that many prominent figures have been invited to the Zou residence today."
"We are about to enter the palace for duty. Why should we create trouble for ourselves over a beggar?"
It wasn't that they didn't want to intervene, but they were truly powerless.
Were there not enough unfortunate people on the streets?
This was something even the imperial court couldn't fully control, so what could they do?
A ball of rage churned in Jiang Guangcheng's chest, his clenched fists turning white.
He wanted to serve in the palace to save people from suffering and to live up to his responsibility as a physician.
Illness knew no class distinction.
Why then, between people, could there be such cold-hearted selfishness driven by the disparity between rich and poor!
"Isn't that the eldest daughter of the Ji family? What is she doing?" Someone exclaimed, and others followed their gaze.
Indeed, Ji Zizhao was walking towards the group of young masters.
Seeing Ji Zizhao walking alone, Jiang Guangcheng became even more anxious.
These people were so cruel to a child, how much worse would they be to a defenseless woman?
However, the doctors in front of him held Jiang Guangcheng back even more tightly.
The young masters were also surprised by Ji Zizhao's arrival and stopped their actions, looking at her with curiosity.
Zou Hansheng, seeing this, quickly approached and said, "I advise the eldest daughter of the Ji family not to meddle in other people's affairs."
Ji Zizhao looked at Zou Hansheng with a touch of curiosity, "So, in the eyes of the eldest young master of the Zou family, the loss of humanity is merely a trivial matter of meddling?"
Zou Hansheng frowned unhappily, "It's just a joke, how can it be called a loss of humanity?"
The other young masters also gathered around.
"What, is the eldest daughter of the Ji family going to butt into our business?"
Ji Zizhao's appointment to the Imperial Academy had caused quite a stir in the capital.
But in the eyes of these self-important young masters of the capital, Ji Zizhao's actions were clearly damaging her family's reputation and were unbecoming of a woman.
And now, such a person wanted to interfere in their affairs, so they decided to confront her themselves.
Ji Zizhao calmly surveyed the young masters before her and said, "Seeing as you all are having such a good time, I would like to join in and try as well."
The young masters: "..."
All the doctors: "!!"
Not only was she not stopping them, but she wanted to join?
Their worldview was shattered!