A peasant girl travels through time with a hospital, rising to become an empress.

After the county examination, the three rounds of preliminary review, second review, and final review proceeded in full swing. Time seemed to be accelerated, and in the blink of an eye, the day of the final results announcement arrived.

The area in front of the county government office was several times more bustling than it had been a few days earlier.

Not only were there candidates who had passed the first three rounds and their relatives and friends, but also candidates who had been eliminated in the early stages and ordinary people from the county who had nothing to do flocked over, crowding around in layers, creating a noisy and bustling scene.

Everyone stood on tiptoe and craned their necks, eager to see the final county examination rankings as soon as possible, curious about who would come out on top and become the county's number one, and who would make it into the top ten.

At the appointed time, two yamen runners carried a vermilion scroll in large strides, followed by a clerk holding an imperial seal.

The constables pushed through the crowd and stood in front of the wall. One of them held down a corner of the list, while the other held a wooden nail and a hammer. With a few "thump, thump, thump" sounds, they fixed the top of the list in place. Then, the two worked together in perfect harmony and slowly unfolded the long list.

This is a long list arranged according to the final results of the county examination. The candidates' names are written neatly from top to bottom in order of their ranking, and the vermilion characters are particularly eye-catching and easy to read.

"The list is posted!" the constable shouted, and the crowd instantly erupted, pushing and shoving forward, shoulder to shoulder, the noise almost drowning out everything else.

Everyone craned their necks and stood on tiptoe, all with the same question in their minds: Who will ultimately be the top county official?

All eyes were fixed on the very top of the long table, where the county magistrate's desk was located. The bright red characters "Gu Xiao" were prominently displayed.

"Gu Xiao? Who is Gu Xiao?" The crowd erupted in a commotion, with whispers rising and falling.

"I heard it's from Tiande Academy!"

"Yes, yes, it's that guy from Tiande Academy. The dean has long said he's a genius!"

Some people wondered, "Is he the one who copied books at the bookstore before? I remember his name was also Gu Xiao, and he seemed to have injured his hand?"

"That's old news. His hand has long since healed; otherwise, how could he have topped the exam?"

But Liu Yan and her group seemed to hear none of these discussions. The surrounding noise was as if it had been muted; they only felt a surge of joy in their hearts, and countless shouts of "It's Gu Xiao! It's our Gu Xiao!" screamed in their minds.

Nie Qianqian's face showed little surprise, but she couldn't hide her genuine joy. She reached out and tightly grasped Gu Xiao's hand, her fingertips conveying a burning warmth.

Gu Xiao looked up and his gaze met hers. They smiled at each other, and the encouragement and appreciation in Nie Qianqian's eyes were clearly visible.

Gu Xiao felt a surge of warmth in his heart. Just for that look in his eyes, he was determined to be number one in all future scientific expeditions.

As Liu Yan stared at the two words on the list, her vision blurred until a hot tear slid down her cheek.

She recalled how in previous years, the Nie family would always celebrate around Nie Wenye, praising him as the reincarnation of the God of Literature, while Gu Xiao could only painstakingly copy books in the cold night, his hands covered in frostbite.

It turns out that the real genius had always been right beside them; this was the God of Literature who had sent their family to study!

Liu Xiong, a rough and rugged man, now had tears welling up in his eyes, gripping Huang Zhenzhu's hand so tightly it almost hurt. His excitement was even greater than the frenzy surrounding the opening of Qiyue Tower; finally, a promising scholar had emerged from their family!

"It's Father! Father is number one!"

Tuan Tuan's clear shout broke the silence among them. During this time, he had been learning to read with Gu Xiao, and the first character he memorized was "Gu Xiao," which he recognized at a glance.

As soon as he said that, everyone's eyes turned to him, and the crowd surged forward, making the already packed scene even more crowded. Countless burning gazes fell on Gu Xiao, filled with curiosity and envy.

"Is this person Gu Xiao?"

"Brother Gu is truly a role model for us all. May I ask for your guidance?"

How did you prepare for the exam? Did you have any secrets?

"This year's top official in the county looks exactly like someone described in a storybook!"

An older woman tugged at his sleeve and asked, "Young man, are you married yet? I have a daughter of marriageable age who seems like a good match for you!"

The person next to her quickly pulled her back: "Didn't you hear the child call for his father? Don't talk nonsense!"

Nie Qianqian quickly stepped forward to protect Gu Xiao, and was about to speak to help him out when a familiar voice suddenly pierced through the crowd: "Please be at ease! Gu Xiao is a student of our academy. The academy will be holding an academic exchange meeting in the next few days, and all students are welcome to come and exchange ideas. I have other matters to attend to today, so I will take him back first!"

Dean Qiu pushed through the noisy crowd and walked over, his posture as upright as a pine tree, his chin slightly raised, his eyes full of undisguised satisfaction and smiles. He looked just like a rooster that had just won a victory and was feeling triumphant.

In fact, he secretly came to see Gu Xiao off at every exam, but stood quietly in the corner without disturbing him; he had long expected Gu Xiao to be able to take the top spot in the county exam, and was very confident.

He led the group to a tea room not far away, where private rooms had already been prepared. "A red banner with gold lettering announcing the good news has been hung outside the academy's gate. We originally wanted to hold a celebration banquet for you, but knowing you don't like fanfare, we canceled it." Inside the tea room were several teachers who had taught Gu Xiao at the academy, as well as Master Jiang, who had taken Gu Xiao's entrance exam.

Inside the private room, a group of teachers from Tiande Academy were already waiting, their eyes all fixed on Gu Xiao, filled with undisguised admiration and praise.

They were even more excited than Gu Xiao himself. Looking at the young man in front of him, Master Jiang couldn't help but recall when he had presided over the entrance exam for Gu Xiao. At that time, he felt that the young man was exceptionally talented. Now it seemed that he was like a pearl diver on the beach, lucky enough to have found a dazzling pearl.

Dean Qiu stepped forward and handed over an exquisite brocade box, his tone gratified: "Inside are the documents the academy has prepared for the top scholar, as well as a complete set of writing implements. You must accept them. Return to the academy in a few days and exchange ideas with your classmates."

Gu Xiao solemnly accepted the brocade box with both hands, bowed deeply to Dean Qiu and all the teachers present, and said sincerely, "Thank you for your guidance, Dean, and thank you for your careful instruction, teachers."

Dean Qiu is a truly good teacher. He has no ulterior motives and only a sincere heart to discover and cultivate talents. Such a person is most worthy of respect. Moreover, if Dean Qiu had not personally visited him to invite him to study at Tiande Academy, everything that followed would not have gone so smoothly.

The teachers accepted Gu Xiao's bow without hesitation, as this was the proper etiquette between teachers and students, and then returned the bow with clasped hands.

Master Jiang smiled and said sincerely, "Although we are nominally your teachers, we haven't actually taught you much. On the contrary, we have gained a lot from exchanging ideas and discussing philosophy with you during this time."

Another teacher nodded in agreement: "Student Gu is academically superb and has a vast amount of knowledge. What is even more remarkable is his broad-mindedness and concern for the world. This vision and demeanor far surpass those of his peers."

The teachers spoke one after another, each word a heartfelt expression of praise, without a trace of formality. For them, it was a great blessing to have such students.

Nie Qianqian, Liu Yan, and the others stepped forward to sincerely thank Dean Qiu and the teachers. The scene of Dean Qiu coming to their home that night to announce Gu Xiao's entrance exam scores was still vivid in their minds.

Nie Qianqian warmly invited, "Dean Qiu, you must come to Qiyue Tower tonight. We will prepare a teacher appreciation banquet to thank all the teachers and to celebrate Gu Xiao's success!"

Dean Qiu smiled and agreed, "Of course I'll go and share in the good fortune of being the top scholar."