Ji Zizhao did not wish to waste time on unnecessary people. Recalling her third sister's words, she asked, "Did my third sister just say that commodity prices in the city are all on the rise?"
Ji Ziyan nodded. "It's true. Many vegetable prices have more than doubled or tripled from before. However, the court has no clear explanation for the cause. The capital is in a state of panic, and the common people are clamoring to stock up on vegetables."
A sudden surge in prices was certainly not a good sign.
That evening, Ji Zizhao sent Qing Zhu to the four major medical halls to inquire about medicine prices.
The result was that medicinal ingredients were in short supply and had been forced to increase in price to more than four times their former cost.
Commodity prices in the capital had always been stable, and coupled with the strict investigations by the Ministry of Revenue, no one dared to maliciously inflate prices or speculate.
However, the population of the capital was limited. If it wasn't malicious inflation, then supply must have been insufficient.
Unless...
There had been a massive influx of outsiders into the capital.
Ji Zizhao's suspicions were correct. The capital had not been peaceful lately.
Upon receiving the news, the court assigned tasks to the Commander's Office and the Military Affairs Department.
Xie Jingqi, stationed at the Commander's Office, was naturally eager to take on the work. However, with Xie Jingzhou around, it was impossible for Xie Jingqi to easily gain favor with the Emperor by taking all the credit.
Xie Jingzhou secretly leaked information to his associates in the Military Affairs Department, instructing them to intercept on the way. He himself, meanwhile, stayed by Xie Jingqi's side all day, openly hindering his progress.
Imagine every time Xie Jingqi wanted to apprehend someone, there was someone shouting loudly, startled like a startled rabbit, sometimes feigning fainting, other times claiming to be too scared to move...
Completely restricted in his actions, Xie Jingqi was furious.
Yet, no matter how much he wanted to lash out at Xie Jingzhou, Xie Jingqi could not resort to physical violence.
After all, they were imperial brothers. If any fratricide were to occur, wouldn't the old and stubborn officials in the court impeach him to death?
However, while Xie Jingqi could not act openly, Xie Jinglan could operate behind the scenes.
Xie Jinglan, in the Ministry of Revenue, was indeed not qualified to participate in this matter. But he could subtly inflate the prices of goods in the capital, making the refugees who had poured into the city the first to be unable to afford necessities.
Under the heavy blockade of the Ministry of Revenue, the Military Affairs Department, and the Commander's Office, the influx of refugees into the capital was brought under control.
Although Xie Jingqi gained no advantage from this incident, and Xie Jingzhou's deployed forces in the Military Affairs Department also reaped no benefits.
To put it bluntly, all of you in military positions are no match for someone in the Ministry of Revenue who spends his days calculating accounts. Forget about merit; it would be a blessing if they didn't disgrace themselves completely.
Ji Zizhao was startled when she received the letter from the Fourth Prince.
The letter stated that the refugees now flowing into the capital were from Tong Lin. But Tong Lin was far from the border of Yu Lin. The fact that they were pouring into the capital from such a distant place indicated that the war in Tong Lin was becoming increasingly imminent.
However, Ji Zizhao was not adept at court affairs. Knowing this much was sufficient.
In any case, with the Fourth Prince present, the Seventh Prince would not suffer too much.
Moreover, thinking of what the Fourth Prince had said at the tea house that day, Ji Zizhao couldn't even be bothered to reply to the letter.
As commodity prices in the capital gradually returned to normal, the Imperial Academy's examination followed closely behind.
In mid-June, the weather was sweltering and humid, with the sun glaring intensely.
A group of physicians participating in the examination arrived at the Medical Teaching Institute, established outside the imperial palace.
This place was used to accommodate the descendants of imperial physicians who had already entered service. It also had fixed imperial physicians who took turns lecturing and teaching, in order to better cultivate aristocratic disciples for the court.
And because these disciples were within the Medical Teaching Institute, they had to undergo a small examination every six months. Therefore, they did not need to participate in the unified Imperial Academy examination.
With less than half an hour until the examination, the courtyard of the Medical Teaching Institute was already crowded with people.
There were over forty participants in this examination, crowded densely in the courtyard, making the heat stifling and making it difficult to breathe.
The moment Ji Zizhao appeared, she became the focus of everyone's attention.
Dressed in a blue skirt, her black hair lightly tied up at the back of her head, she was still remarkably striking despite wearing no makeup.
The physicians had already heard that a woman would be participating in this examination, but hearing it was one thing, and seeing it in person was another. They couldn't help but observe and discuss.
"Is this that eldest daughter of the Ji family?"
"She's the only woman, who else could it be? I'd say she was just lucky. Perhaps General Xue wasn't seriously ill, and she just happened to get lucky."
"That's true. We all studied medicine diligently from childhood. What great things can a frail woman achieve?"
The whispers in the courtyard were endless, and all eyes were fixed on Ji Zizhao.
Ji Zizhao walked past them silently, intending to find a quiet spot to wait for the examination. However, her path was blocked by a clumsy figure.
"Eldest Daughter Ji, I've heard much about you."
Ji Zizhao looked up at the mature man before her, not intending to speak.
The man didn't seem to mind. He cupped his hands in a salute and continued with a smile, "My surname is Jiang, and my given name is Guangcheng. I've long heard of the Eldest Daughter Ji's reputation. It is indeed my honor to participate in this examination alongside her."
The Jiang family from the capital?
As the man introduced himself, not only did Ji Zizhao's expression turn serious, but everyone else around them also turned to look at him.
The Jiang family was considered a prominent household in the capital.
The former Elder Master Jiang had served as an imperial physician in the palace and was rumored to have held the position of Yuanpan (Head of Imperial Physicians).
After the passing of Elder Master Jiang, the Jiang family used their family fortune to engage in the medicine trade in the capital.
Although there had been no news of the Jiang family taking up official positions in the palace in recent years, their medicine business had flourished.
Ji Zizhao knew Jiang Guangcheng because the four major medical halls had collaborated with the Jiang family. Chen Gang had even praised this Second Young Master Jiang of the Jiang family as a steady and reserved individual.
Recalling Uncle Gang's praise, Ji Zizhao spoke, "I've long heard of Second Young Master Jiang's reputation."
Seeing Ji Zizhao smile, as if a ripple had spread across her lips, making even the sunlight overhead seem brighter, Jiang Guangcheng was momentarily stunned.
Ji Zizhao took the opportunity to observe Jiang Guangcheng. He wore a deep brown robe and a jade crown. His features were strong, and though his skin wasn't as fair as jade, it was a healthy wheat color.
When he looked at her again, his eyes were clear and his demeanor steady. Despite his momentary daze, there was no trace of flirtatiousness.
Ji Zizhao knew that this person was indeed as Uncle Gang had said, a man of integrity. She then casually asked, "I heard that the former Elder Master Jiang served in the palace. Why is Second Young Master Jiang participating in the examination?"
As Jiang Guangcheng regained his senses, he quickly lowered his gaze and said, "I studied medicine with my family since childhood, but later I became involved in the medicine trade. In recent years, I have neglected my duty as a physician. I do not wish for future generations to remember the Jiang family only as merchants. Therefore, I intend to follow in the footsteps of my ancestors. Having made up my mind, I cannot take any shortcuts. Passing this examination would be the best account I could give to myself and to the patients I will treat in the future."
Ji Zizhao had not expected such a lengthy explanation from a casual question.
However, the fact that he was willing to participate in the examination instead of relying on any special arrangements was enough to earn her high regard.
"Eldest Daughter Ji need not be surprised. There is actually another candidate who was internally appointed and is also participating in this examination."