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

The next day, at the crack of dawn, the three of them got up as agreed.

Jiang Wenxuan rubbed his sleepy eyes and watched Gu Xiao perform a set of relaxing movements. He curiously leaned forward and asked, "Gu Xiao, what are you doing? Do you have to practice martial arts while preparing for the exam?"

"This is called the Eight Pieces of Brocade, and Qianqian taught me it."

Gu Xiao continued, “When we study for exams, we sit and read all day long, which can easily make our bodies stiff and our minds sluggish. It can even damage our cervical spine, affect blood supply to the brain, and make us feel drowsy. This set of movements can activate blood circulation, make joints more flexible, and wake up the body before studying. This will make us much more efficient. Follow along with me.”

Having made up his mind to listen to Gu Xiao, Tang Yu did not hesitate at all. He watched with great attention, imitating Gu Xiao's movements step by step, his expression as focused as if he were studying an obscure scripture.

However, he spent most of his time buried in books and rarely exercised, so his movements were crooked, stiff, and awkward, far inferior to Gu Xiao's smooth, graceful, and beautiful movements.

Jiang Botao wasn't much better off, but he was still a little better off than Tang Yu.

Behind a pillar not far away, Jiang Botao and Sun Shi quietly peeked out, their faces full of surprise as they watched the three of them acting so strangely.

Jiang Botao lowered his voice and muttered, "Those three...could they have gone stupid from studying too much?"

Madam Sun slapped his hand hard and scolded, "What do you know? I heard clearly just now that Gu Xiao said this can train the brain! No wonder people say Gu Xiao is smart, he has his own unique methods!"

When Jiang Botao heard that it "could exercise the brain," his eyes lit up, and he secretly tried to learn the movements by waving his arms behind the pillar.

This movement looks simple, but to do it smoothly and effortlessly is by no means easy.

It requires flexibility, dexterity, and a certain amount of muscle strength. After studying for a long time, he only managed to learn a hybrid, with his arms and legs stiff as if they were tied to wood.

Jiang Botao took a deep breath, his face full of emotion and sighs: "Alas, that's why they say the path to the imperial examination is so difficult! Look at this, you have to get up earlier than the rooster, practice such strenuous physical movements, and after that you have to bury yourself in books all day long. Your brain and body just can't take it!"

Madam Sun nodded repeatedly in agreement: "That's right! So you shouldn't always be so harsh on Wenxuan. It's already quite an achievement for him to pass the preliminary examination. He's really doing well."

After saying that, she grabbed Jiang Botao's arm and hurried out.

"Oh dear, stop looking! Hurry up and go prepare breakfast for the three children. They need to eat well and be full to have the energy to study!"

With the prefectural examinations approaching, unlike other parents who can guide their children academically or impart their examination experience, all they can do is take care of the logistics, prepare clean and delicious meals for their children, and create a comfortable environment so that they can focus on preparing for the exams.

The couple were busy preparing breakfast, while on the open space over there, a set of Eight Pieces of Brocade exercises was nearing completion.

Although Tang Yu's movements were still a bit stiff, he practiced seriously. After completing a set, even on a cold winter day, he felt warm all over, as if a warm current was slowly flowing through his meridians. He instantly felt much more energetic, and his previously drowsy mind became much clearer.

At first, Jiang Wenxuan was perfunctory in his practice, his arms and legs were weak and disorganized. But when he saw Gu Xiao's smooth movements and Tang Yu's focused expression, and when he himself felt sore from sitting for a long time, he put away his playful thoughts and started to practice seriously. After finishing the practice, he felt much better.

The three of them studied very efficiently for the rest of the morning.

Tang Yu discovered that after exercising with Baduanjin, his reading and memorization speed was several times faster than usual, and he could also remember previously obscure words and phrases more easily.

At noon, Tang Yu took a good nap.

He had tried taking a nap before, but every time he lay down, his mind would become a jumbled mess.

One moment he was thinking about the scriptures he hadn't understood that morning, the words and phrases swirling and tangling in his mind; the next he was thinking that he was slow-witted, and that he had to read things several times over for others to understand after just one reading. If he wasted time sleeping at noon and didn't make the most of his time to study, wouldn't he fall even further behind?

As a result, I never had a good nap. Rather than lying there and wasting time, I would rather get up and continue studying.

But this time was different. Gu Xiao's established routine was like a ruler set for his chaotic mind, helping him rebuild inner order.

He knew perfectly well that taking a nap was not a sign of laziness, but a necessary step in his exam preparation plan to keep in step with Brother Gu and Jiang Wenxuan and avoid interfering with each other.

Once he understood this, the anxiety and unease that had been weighing on him suddenly dissipated, and he felt much lighter, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his heart.

He leaned back on the pillow and soon fell into a deep sleep, sleeping soundly without even dreaming.

In the afternoon, his mind was in an unprecedented state. He instinctively wanted to continue burying himself in his book, but Gu Xiao interrupted him:

"This afternoon we won't study; instead, we'll focus on writing policy essays. I'll give you each a question, and you two will each write one. I'll also answer it together, and then we'll give each other feedback."

After saying this, Gu Xiao picked up his brush and wrote the four characters "On the Importance of Agriculture and Sericulture," and the three of them then sat down at their desks and wrote quickly.

Gu Xiao wrote with great speed and clarity, finishing the draft in less than half an hour; Tang Yu pondered for a long time before slowly putting pen to paper, writing with exceptional caution; Jiang Wenxuan bit his pen, thinking for a long time before finally writing.

After they finished writing, Gu Xiao asked the two to first explain the core viewpoints and writing style of their articles in public.

Tang Yu then realized that being able to write something down is one thing, but being able to express it in concise and profound language and convince people is another.

This process is extremely challenging to grasp the depth of the article's ideas. While speaking and reflecting, he gained new insights into his own writing.

After the two finished their presentations, Gu Xiao did not rush to comment, but instead asked them to analyze each other's articles.

Tang Yu was initially a little embarrassed, feeling that it was inappropriate to speak frankly about others' shortcomings. However, Jiang Wenxuan was uninhibited. Although his insights may not have been profound, he was confident and open, and spoke eloquently about the merits of Tang Yu's article, while also pointing out the parts that he thought were inappropriate without any hesitation.

Jiang Wenxuan's straightforwardness aroused Tang Yu's desire to express himself. He composed himself and began to analyze Jiang Wenxuan's article in detail: "...Brother Jiang's article has a novel and ingenious approach. Many of his views are close to people's lives and are very insightful. This is something I lack."

Finally, Gu Xiao slowly shared his article's viewpoint with the two of them.

If Tang Yu and Jiang Wenxuan could clearly perceive the logical inconsistencies and loopholes in each other's articles, then listening to Gu Xiao recount his own writing was not like listening to classmates exchange ideas at all, but rather like sitting in an academy listening to a erudite scholar giving a lecture.

Both of them held their breath and listened intently.

With the groundwork laid by their previous dialogue and intellectual exchange, coupled with Gu Xiao's clear and insightful perspective, Tang Yu felt that he had gained more from just this one article than he had from studying it alone for half a month.

Jiang Wenxuan had long been accustomed to Gu Xiao's outstanding talent, but Tang Yu was once again deeply amazed.

He personally witnessed Gu Xiao go from deep thought to finishing the draft in just half an hour!

Such quick wit and effortless skill truly impressed him, leaving him completely convinced and in awe.

Genius! He's truly a genius!

Tang Yu was incredibly grateful that he hadn't rejected his father's idea of ​​finding Gu Xiao to be his study partner because of shyness and timidity.