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

Jiang Botao came to the tea room with Jiang Wenxuan and presented his congratulatory gift.

Jiang Botao was meticulous and thorough in his work. He had prepared the congratulatory gift long ago. If Gu Xiao passed the exam today, he would send it out. If Gu Xiao failed, he would not appear at all and would simply leave quietly.

During this time, he had many interactions with Nie Qianqian and knew her temperament and abilities well. However, in his heart, Gu Xiao was always like a fog, making him unpredictable.

But he firmly believed that Gu Xiao was no ordinary person.

A dragon lies dormant in the abyss, destined to break through the barriers to the heavens. This county-level examination is merely the first step on his path to success.

Whether it's Nie Qianqian's intelligence and competence, or Gu Xiao's potential and character, this family is worth getting to know better.

Everyone had their own thoughts, but they all smiled and congratulated each other, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.

Just then, two messengers carrying red silk, a gong, and a notice of good news knocked on the door.

As soon as Dean Qiu opened the door to the private room, two messengers carrying red silk and gongs squeezed in. They glanced around, their eyes instantly locking onto Gu Xiao, who was surrounded by the crowd. Their faces broke into joyful smiles, and they quickly bowed and said:

"You must be Young Master Gu Xiao? We heard you topped the county examination and are here, so we came to congratulate you in person. Your registered address is Qinghe County, so we'll set off to deliver the good news there!" After saying this, the two bowed again and hurried off to Qinghe County.

Tiande Academy received the good news of Gu Xiao's success in the imperial examinations even earlier than Qinghe County. As soon as the list was posted on the outer wall of the county government office, the people sent by the academy to monitor the list immediately rode back at full speed to deliver this exciting news and post the prepared congratulatory notice at the main gate.

At this time, the academy had officially started classes. In the courtyard, there were classmates who had participated in the county examination with Gu Xiao, as well as senior students who had already passed the academy examination and obtained the status of Xiucai.

Although the older students had achieved higher academic honors than Gu Xiao, their faces were still filled with undisguised envy and admiration when they saw Gu Xiao's good news.

It's important to understand that being the top scholar in the county examination is no ordinary title. Not every scholar can achieve this or even be among the top ten in the county. Conversely, if even the top scholar fails to pass the county examination, all the scholars in the county might feel hopeless and wish they could jump into the Qinghe River.

Gu Xiao has always been aloof and doesn't like to socialize much, but he is insightful in his words and deeds. His classmates in the academy never hold back when they sincerely ask him for help with their studies. They always offer some guidance. Because of this, many people in the academy have a good relationship with him.

Upon learning the news that he had achieved the top score in the county examination, his close classmates were genuinely happy for him. In their view, with Gu Xiao's talent and character, it was entirely reasonable for him to achieve this; after all, his talent had already been evident in their daily exchanges and discussions.

But there was another group of people in the academy, such as Yu Fengyang and Wang Zhiwen, who had a grudge against Gu Xiao before. When Gu Xiao first entered the academy, they looked down on him from the bottom of their hearts, thinking that Gu Xiao's background was due to cheating, and they often spread rumors, ridiculed and humiliated him in private.

But now, Gu Xiao has delivered a resounding slap in the face with his undeniable achievement of being the top scholar in the county. These people now wish they could disappear into the ground and dare not show their faces in the academy at all.

Yu Fengyang had completely lost his former arrogance and didn't dare to even breathe loudly in the academy. A few days ago, his family's Tianxiang Restaurant was suppressed by Qiyue Restaurant in every way, and Qiyue Restaurant's methods were precise.

Yu Fengyang was puzzled and secretly sent someone to investigate. He then learned that the owner of Qiyue Tower was actually Gu Xiao's wife, Nie Qianqian.

Yu Zhenjiang was depressed at home all day, but he didn't dare to tell his father the truth about why he had offended the people at Qiyuelou. He felt wronged and frustrated: if Gu Xiao's family was really rich enough to afford a successful restaurant like Qiyuelou, why did he have to copy books in the library and pretend to be poor? It was clearly a rich person experiencing life, but he was the one who got dragged into it.

Vice Dean Li of the academy was one of the few people who had contact with Gu Xiao but did not go to the teahouse to congratulate him in person.

He was simply too ashamed to go. Back then, he was arrogant and stubborn, always believing that it was impossible for someone so young to have such profound talent and attainments. He was deeply trapped in his own prejudice and criticized and looked down on Gu Xiao.

But now the facts are right in front of us: Gu Xiao's talent is genuine and undeniable.

This reminded him of Nie Wenye. Nie Wenye was a student he had personally taught; he was hardworking, not stupid, and studied diligently. But compared to Gu Xiao, he was worlds apart.

Nie Wenye did not come to school this semester without prior notice, which inevitably made Vice Dean Li feel uneasy.

He had always given Nie Wenyan a lot of guidance and care. Even if he was going to another place or wanted to transfer to another academy, he could have simply told him openly and said a formal goodbye. But Nie Wenye was different; he just left without saying goodbye and disappeared without a trace, without even a word of explanation.

On an ordinary afternoon in Qinghe County, as the sun gradually rose higher, many families had already started cooking, and wisps of smoke were rising from their chimneys. Only the occasional crowing of roosters and barking of dogs added to the peacefulness of the day.

Suddenly, a series of rapid, rumbling gong sounds broke the tranquility of the small village.

The villagers love excitement, and nothing much usually happens in the village. But now, hearing the continuous sound of gongs, they all came out of their houses out of curiosity, looked in the direction from which the sound came, and hurried over there, discussing among themselves.

"What's that sound? It sounds like it's coming from Liu Yan's new house."

"Yes, yes, haven't they always been doing business in the county town? Why did they suddenly come back today, and cause such a commotion?"

"In my opinion, maybe their Qiyue Tower is hiring? The last time they hired people, it caused quite a stir!"

Some people grumbled sourly, "Sigh, they just made a few bucks in the county town, why are they making such a fuss in the village all the time, as if they're afraid no one will know they've struck it rich?"

Whether out of curiosity or jealousy, everyone quickened their pace, heading towards Liu Yan's new house to see what had happened.

Liu Lizheng and Old Lady Zhao also heard the gong sound at home. They exchanged a glance and rushed to Liu Yan's house immediately.

When they arrived at Liu Yan's house, they saw two well-dressed servants holding red silk and a gong. They were standing at the door with happy faces, banging the gong and smiling at the villagers who were watching.

Everyone was incredibly curious. Liu Lizheng stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting to the two servants, and asked, "Gentlemen, who are you? Why are you banging the gong here? Could it be, as everyone suspects, that Qiyue Tower is hiring?"

Seeing that the question was directed at the village head, the two servants stopped beating around the bush, exchanged a smile, and then struck the gong three times loudly, announcing in a clear, resounding voice:

"Great news! Great news! Young Master Gu Xiao of Qinghe County has come out on top in the county's examination and has become the top scholar in the county!"