SYADEPCO – CH025

Chapter 25: The Esteemed Lady of the Liu Family – Liu Shuxin

Everyone turned their heads, only to see a young woman in a pale yellow gauze dress walking slowly toward them.

She wore a golden hairpin that swayed with her steps. Her eyebrows and eyes were delicately adorned, her lips a soft red, her temperament lively and elegant—one could instantly tell she was a pampered daughter from a wealthy family.

“Miss Liu! She really came!” someone in the crowd exclaimed in surprise.

Chu Baihan’s gaze flickered slightly—so this was Liu Shuxin.

Liu Shuxin walked quickly in their direction. She first gave Chu Baihan a gentle smile, then turned to scold the burly man.

“Uncle Su asked you to welcome honored guests from all over, not to throw your weight around and judge people by appearances.”

“Miss Liu, it was my fault. I was blind and foolish,” the man hurriedly apologized, clearly recognizing Liu Shuxin and instantly growing nervous.

“Still standing there?”

“Yes, I’ll get out of the way right now,” the man said, retreating hastily.

Liu Shuxin turned back quickly with a light laugh. “Sister, everything’s been taken care of. You don’t need to worry.”

“Miss Liu, thank you for stepping in. But I cannot accept unearned favors. You helping me like this…”

Chu Baihan frowned, a hint of suspicion in her eyes as she looked at Liu Shuxin.

Liu Shuxin smiled again and spoke warmly, “I noticed earlier that almost all the doctors here today are men. It’s rare to see another young woman—of course I’d want to get close to you.”

“Come on in. Prince Su is good friends with my father. I usually call him Uncle Su. If you feel uncomfortable about anything over the next three days, just let me know.”

“Oh right, what’s your name?” she continued inquisitively.

“My surname is Bai,” Chu Baihan replied softly, calming her emotions.

“Then I’ll call you Sister Bai from now on. Sister Bai, I’m going to look for Uncle Su. Wait here—I’ll come find you later.”

Liu Shuxin smiled and patted the back of Chu Baihan’s hand before quickly turning and going upstairs.

Chu Baihan rubbed her ears, which still ached from all the noise, just as she heard Ruolan sigh beside her—

“Miss… Miss Liu is truly kind, both warm and generous. She’s nothing like the other noble ladies. No wonder the Crown Prince has admired her for years and still keeps the title of Crown Princess for her.”

Chu Baihan was just about to respond when she noticed a familiar figure entering through the doorway. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and her entire aura turned cold.

Su Yuan had actually come!

Though the wound on his neck was still there, he had clearly recovered and looked as spirited as ever, standing proudly while the others inside praised him.

It seemed she hadn’t gone far enough that day—he’d recovered far too quickly.

Perhaps it was the chill in Chu Baihan’s gaze that caught Su Yuan’s attention, for he looked over in her direction.

But she had already turned her head away.

Her beauty mark near the corner of her eye was too recognizable, so she had drawn a blooming begonia flower over the scar on her forehead and incorporated the beauty mark into the petals.

Su Yuan shouldn’t be able to recognize her now.

Indeed, when Su Yuan glanced her way, he only frowned, surprised to see a woman participating in this kind of competition, but he suspected nothing.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Guangming Hall.”

At that moment, a powerful voice rang out from above.

Everyone looked up to see a man in his fifties standing there, speaking in a loud, commanding voice.

This must be Su Yuan’s father—Prince Su, Su Qiong.

“This competition has three rounds and will last for three days. Afterward, the winner will receive ten thousand gold taels from Guangming Hall, and the top ten will become physicians here.”

Downstairs, a large crowd was gathered, all listening intently.

Chu Baihan’s cool gaze swept across the crowd…

Liu Shuxin had been right—aside from the two of them, there really weren’t any other women here.

The world still harbored deep prejudices. Female physicians were rare indeed.

“Please head to the side to register your names. The first assessment will test your knowledge of medicinal herbs. Remember—if anyone is caught cheating at Guangming Hall, I will show no mercy.”

With that final warning, Su Qiong ended his speech.

Chu Baihan followed the crowd to the side and wrote down her name: “Bai Chu.”

“Young lady, to prevent cheating, your maid must wait outside,” a servant from Guangming Hall reminded her.

“My lady,” Ruolan looked at Chu Baihan with concern.

Chu Baihan gave her a reassuring look and gestured for her to go.

In the end, Ruolan had no choice but to follow the other non-participants outside.

Outside, the commoners had already surrounded the entire Guangming Hall, craning their necks to see what was happening inside—they were extremely curious about the competition.

The interior of Guangming Hall was quite large, able to hold over a hundred people. Around fifty participants had shown up. Tables were brought in and set up, each with a round, bulging cloth bag placed on top.

“These bags are filled with herbs. You will open them and write down the names of the contents. Any mistakes will result in elimination. You have one incense stick’s time.”

Su Yuan stood on a platform and spoke loudly.

At his words, the participants rushed to grab seats.

They aimed for the smallest-looking bags, hoping for fewer herbs to identify.

Chu Baihan didn’t compete with them. After they had all taken seats, she calmly walked to an empty spot and stood there.

“Sister, what a coincidence! Our seats are right next to each other,” Liu Shuxin turned excitedly to Chu Baihan.

She was here too? Chu Baihan was momentarily stunned, then gave a small nod without speaking.

She wasn’t used to chatting much with unfamiliar people.

They both looked away and began to untie their bags.

Sure enough…

As soon as she saw the contents, Chu Baihan let out a quiet breath—it wasn’t difficult.

She picked up her brush and began writing down the herb names quickly.

At the same time, in a teahouse across from Guangming Hall…

Yan Lian stood by the window, quietly watching the scene inside.

“Eighth Brother, do you think Sister-in-law will be able to identify all the herbs correctly?” he asked, turning around.

“Why wouldn’t she?” Yan Lin sat calmly with his eyes closed, answering in a low voice.

Hearing the confidence in his tone, Yan Lian looked surprised.

He had known his Eighth Brother for so many years, but had never seen him place this much trust in anyone.

“You’re right. If Sister-in-law could detoxify you, then recognizing herbs should be easy for her. But I still feel like there’s something shady about the Su Family’s Guangming Hall. I just hope Sister-in-law doesn’t end up suffering in there.”

Yan Lian muttered to himself.