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

As soon as the messenger finished speaking, the surrounding villagers erupted in a frenzy, their eyes wide with shock.

"County top scholar? What does 'county top scholar' mean?" An old man with gray hair came forward, rubbing his hands together as he asked.

Someone immediately chimed in, their tone full of smugness: "If you ask me, you old man, you should listen to more books! The top scholar in the county examination is the one who comes first in the county exam!"

Upon hearing this, the villagers became even more excited, and the place erupted in a cacophony of voices discussing the matter.

"I knew it! I'd heard people say that the dean of Tiande Academy raved about Gu Xiao, saying he was a promising student. Turns out he really is a genius!"

"My goodness! Not only did our village produce a scholar, but he's also the top scholar in the county examination?"

“I told you all long ago that Gu Xiao looks like he has a lot of knowledge and is obviously a scholar, but you just wouldn’t believe me.”

There were few scholars in the village to begin with, and over the years, only the Nie family had produced one scholar, Nie Wenye. So, people couldn't help but compare the two.

"What was Nie Wenye's ranking in the county-level examination?" someone asked.

"I heard it's tenth place!" a villager in the know answered readily.

"Wow! The difference between first place and tenth place is huge!" A gasp of amazement rippled through the crowd, their eyes filled with envy as they looked at Liu Yan's new house.

Liu Lizheng was overjoyed, his wrinkles crinkling into a wide smile, and his goatee stood up high.

He turned and tugged at Old Mrs. Zhao beside him, his voice trembling: "Quick! Go buy firecrackers! Buy a lot of strings, I want to set them off at the village entrance so the whole village will know that our village has produced a county-level top scholar!"

The fact that the first case in Fulin County came from their Qinghe Village was naturally a major event for the village, and it deserved a proper celebration.

Grandma Zhao beamed from ear to ear, repeatedly replying, "Yes! I'll go right away!"

“I also need to buy a string of firecrackers to congratulate her family!” Li Aniu’s mother squeezed to the front, her eyes crinkling with laughter.

Her husband, Ah Niu, works at Qiyuelou and earns a good income every month. Their lives are getting better and better, and she is truly grateful to Liu Yan's family.

Wang Dezhu's father chimed in, "Let's go together! I'll buy one too!"

The families who worked at Qiyue Tower, including Zhou Hesheng, also rushed to the town to bring joy to Gu Xiao.

The surrounding villagers chattered amongst themselves, all with smiles on their faces. Aunt Wang and Uncle Wang, whose houses were closer, were the first to arrive. When they heard that Gu Xiao had topped the county examination, they were first stunned, but then they couldn't help but exclaim, "This child is promising; he is truly the pride of our village."

People who are good at business and can make money can be a little jealous, but being good at studying is different; they can't even be jealous of that.

Families in the village with children would pull their kids to Liu Yan's door, pointing at the door and urging, "Look how amazing Brother Gu Xiao is! He got first place in the county exam! You should study hard too, and get first place in the future!" They would even let their children touch the door frame, saying that this would allow them to absorb Gu Xiao's scholarly aura.

Throughout the villages of Qinghe County, the sound of firecrackers rose and fell, and laughter echoed far and wide. Only the Nie family seemed to be isolated in another world, with an atmosphere so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

The Nie family used to be considered respectable in the village. The brothers Nie Daqiang and Nie Erzhuang were capable, and their daughters-in-law managed the household very well. The most prestigious family was Nie Wenye, who was known as the "God of Literature".

But now, the house is no longer what it used to be: ever since Nie Erzhuang heard about Lord Tang and Liu Yan's affairs during the New Year, he has been drinking all the time and rarely sober; Nie Wenye has disappeared without a trace. At first, Nie Daqiang thought he had returned to the academy, but later he received a letter from the provincial capital saying that he had gone to the provincial capital to study, without even a detailed explanation.

Grandma Nie's illness worsened, and she often fell into a coma, talking nonsense when she was awake. Liu Chunhua and Nie Wenting had previously tried to make a lot of money in business, but even as Qiyuelou became a hit throughout the city, their business remained sluggish, and they eventually lost all their capital.

Liu Chunhua was unhappy that all the housework fell on her shoulders, and she argued with Nie Daqiang every day; Nie Wenting also did no work, dressed up all day long, and always muttered that she wanted to "marry into the county town".

A once happy family has been torn apart, with people scattered and hearts broken.

The sounds of firecrackers and laughter outside drifted in, but Nie Daqiang remained huddled inside, too afraid to even open the door.

He knew perfectly well that such a commotion in the village must be related to Liu Yan and Nie Qianqian, and that inquiring about it would only bring him shame.

But the news seemed to have legs, always finding its way into his ears. The villagers passing by his door kept muttering things like "Gu Xiao has become the top scholar in the county examination" and "He ranked first in the county examination." Every word felt like a needle, pricking his heart with pain.

He knew better than anyone the weight of being the top scholar in the county examination: Nie Wenye had studied hard for years and only ranked tenth in the county examination, which already made the academy look at him differently; now Gu Xiao had actually taken first place!

Grandma Nie woke up at some point and sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), staring at the ceiling with cloudy eyes.

When she heard the shouts outside that "Gu Xiao has passed the county examination with top honors," she felt as if she had been pricked by a needle and suddenly sat up straight.

Her last pillar of support collapsed. Nie Wenye, who had brought glory to the Nie family, paled in comparison to Gu Xiao, the county's top official.

A mouthful of blood spurted from her mouth, splattering onto the kang (a heated brick bed), a glaring red. Her body went limp, and she fainted, but the room was quiet, and no one noticed.

The firecrackers were still going off outside, and laughter was still echoing. No one cared that in this dilapidated old house, an old man's last hope was shattered completely with that mouthful of blood.

That evening, Nie Qianqian held a celebration banquet at Qiyue Tower. The next day, Liu Lizheng led the villagers who were on good terms with him to Qiyue Tower with gifts to congratulate them.

Liu Yan smiled so broadly her eyes narrowed. Compared to the congratulations from the big shots in the city, these fellow villagers felt much more genuine. To express her gratitude, she discussed it with Liu Xiong and Nie Qianqian and decided to hold another banquet in Qinghe Village so that everyone could have a good time.

That evening, Qiyuelou closed its doors early, which was unusual for it. Liu Yan, along with several cooks, took the ingredients back to the village.

Several tables were set up in the new house, and one after another, classic dishes from Qiyuelou were served, their aroma wafting for miles.

In the past, the most prestigious banquet in the village was Liu Yan's housewarming banquet. But this time, both the dishes and the taste were far superior to the last one. The villagers ate with beaming smiles, feeling that they had broadened their horizons and that being able to eat such a banquet in the village would make them very proud to talk about it in the future.

The crowd became even warmer towards Liu Yan, their enthusiasm bordering on ingratiation, showering her with compliments.

"Liu Yan, you are truly blessed! Your daughter Qianqian is a shrewd businesswoman who has made Qiyue Tower a thriving business, and your son-in-law Gu Xiao is a brilliant scholar who topped the county examination—he's practically a reincarnation of the God of Literature!"

"That's right! Your greatest fortune is yet to come!"

Gu Xiao felt that these things were unnecessary, but seeing Liu Yan busy with everything and the villagers' genuine smiles, he patiently bowed and thanked everyone who came to congratulate him with a gentle smile.

Now he has become the most sought-after person in the village. In the past, everyone would flock around Nie Qianqian to try and get close to her, thinking that Qianqian had changed her luck and they wanted to share in her good fortune. Now they all revolve around him, hoping that their own children can inherit his literary talent and take the imperial examination path in the future.