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

After leaving, Nie Qianqian and Gu Xiao went straight to Tiande Academy and presented a letter of recommendation to Vice Dean Li.

The two followed Vice Dean Li's child into Tiande Academy. Along the way, they encountered many students who all sized them up.

Indeed, the appearances and attire of the two are quite intriguing. Gu Xiao and Nie Qianqian are both outstanding in appearance, and they are even more eye-catching when standing together.

Gu Xiao was dressed in an elegant scholar's attire, exuding an outstanding temperament that made others feel inferior in comparison. Yet, it seemed that no one in the academy had ever seen such a person before.

Nie Qianqian made the male students unable to resist taking a few more glances, and they would look at her a few more times until Gu Xiao shot them a cold look, at which point they would look away.

Nie Qianqian's looks and figure were unmatched by any of the wealthy young ladies in the county, especially her eyes, which were beautiful and sparkling, like the moon with a halo. Yet, this lovely girl was dressed as a peasant woman, with mud smeared on her cloth shoes, creating a striking contrast.

"Who are these two? Aren't they the young servants who work for Vice Dean Li? Are they looking for Vice Dean Li?"

"This man seems to be a copyist from the bookstore next door. I saw him before when I went to the bookstore to buy books."

"A book copyist at a library? I thought he was some young master from a wealthy family. How did he end up in the academy?"

"I do not know···"

"The woman beside me is so beautiful; I have never seen such a beautiful person in my life."

“See no evil, see no evil.”

"You say you shouldn't look at what you shouldn't see, but your eyes are practically popping out of your head."

Many students noticed the two, including Nie Wenye, who had just finished his morning classes. Nie Wenye frowned when he saw the two enter the academy from afar, wondering: Why are these two here at the academy? Are they here to cause me trouble?

The thought popped into his head, but he immediately thought it was unlikely. Liu Yan and Nie Erzhuang were already divorced, so the two of them had nothing to do with his Nie family anymore and had no reason to cause him trouble.

He was secretly relieved that the news of their divorce hadn't spread and hadn't affected his reputation, but he had still worried for a few days. Now, seeing the two of them made him feel a little irritable.

What exactly did they come to the academy for?

"Brother Nie, what's on your mind? You look so worried."

A voice pulled Nie Wenye from his thoughts; it was his classmate Liu Zi'ang. Like him, Liu Zi'ang had been sent to study in the county from a subordinate village, but unlike Nie Wenye, Zi'ang was the grandson of the village head of Liu's village, and his family was much better off than Nie Wenye's. Because they both came from the same village to study, they became quite close.

The academic atmosphere at Tiande Academy is considered upright. Students there focus primarily on academic examinations and do not blindly compare their family backgrounds. As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together, and students with similar upbringing and family backgrounds naturally tend to group together, forming different small cliques.

There was no need for him to deliberately show off or compare himself to others; the differences between different social classes were like an insurmountable chasm in Nie Wenye's mind. He could only keep his distance from them and focus on his studies, knowing that only by passing the imperial examinations could he completely change his fate.

He was a promising student who was also willing to put in the effort. In his early twenties, he had already become a scholar and was considered by the dean and vice dean to be a top candidate for the imperial examinations in the coming years. His teachers treated him with great care and affection.

The wealthy young men of the county had invited him to participate in garden parties and poetry recitals, but he always politely declined. Everyone assumed he had no interest and said behind his back that he was talented but aloof and arrogant. But only he knew that it wasn't that he didn't want to participate, but that he was short of money and couldn't afford to participate in the activities of these rich young men. He could only pretend to be uninterested to protect his self-esteem.

But the more this happened, the stronger his desire for fame and success became. He longed to stand out from the crowd one day, to experience being admired by others, and he worked even harder in his studies, enjoying the sense of superiority of being consulted and praised. He was both self-conscious and proud.

Nie Wenye: "It's nothing, I was just curious because I saw new faces at the academy."

Liu Zi'ang asked in surprise, "Brother Wenye, how come you, who are usually oblivious to the world around you and only focused on studying the classics, are now gossiping about these things?"

Nie Wenye just smiled and didn't say anything more.

Liu Zi'ang was someone who couldn't keep secrets, so he took the initiative to confess, leaning close to his ear and whispering, "I actually know about this. I'm acquainted with Vice Dean Li's pageboy. When he was delivering the visiting card just now, I asked him, and he said that this man was recommended by the county magistrate to study at the academy?"

"What???"

Nie Wenye couldn't control his voice and spoke in surprise.

Gu Xiao, who is disabled, wants to study at the academy?

Influenced by Old Madam Nie, Nie Wenye looked down on Gu Xiao. Gu Xiao had a disability in his hand and had been eating a lot of food from the family for free. In Old Madam Nie's words, it would be a great merit if Gu Xiao could copy some books to earn some money to subsidize his studies. How could someone like Gu Xiao, whom the Nie family didn't even give a second glance, be allowed to study at the academy?

Liu Zi'ang was surprised by Nie Wenye's strong reaction, who was usually calm and composed. "Brother Nie, what's wrong with you? Is there something wrong with this matter?"

Nie Wenye realized he had overreacted, straightened his clothes, and regained his calm expression. "It's nothing. I just saw this person when I went to Tiande Bookstore to buy books. He was copying books at the bookstore. I didn't expect him to be able to study at the academy. The threshold for academies has become so low now."

Upon hearing this, Liu Zi'ang also felt somewhat unconvinced. "That's true. I wonder what connections he used to get the county magistrate to recommend him."

He knew what connections were involved; it was just that Nie Qianqian had gotten lucky and saved the county magistrate.

How come he never realized that his usually quiet and timid sister was such a shrewd opportunist? Getting acquainted with the magistrate, causing a scene at the county office to file for divorce, and then arranging for Gu Xiao to study there—this whole series of actions was probably planned long ago; she was so cunning.

If Second Uncle and Second Aunt hadn't divorced, and Nie Qianqian had rescued the magistrate and then introduced him to him, wouldn't he have gotten on the magistrate's good side?

Unfortunately, their falling out was so bad that they even went to the county government office, so he had no chance of getting to know the county magistrate through Nie Qianqian. Moreover, the county magistrate already knew about Nie Qianqian's relationship with the Nie family, which might affect his impression of him.

Nie Wenye was filled with resentment. The Nie family members were either too busy to work or too concerned with trivial family matters, and were utterly useless. He had to rely on himself to plan everything.

Nie Wenye was in a bad mood. "Brother Zi'ang, I need to review the material for the next lesson, so I won't chat with you any longer." He then left in a hurry.

Liu Zi'ang watched Nie Wenye's retreating figure, admiring him greatly. He was a man who always kept his studies in mind; otherwise, how could he have passed the imperial examination at such a young age? Everyone in the academy knew that Brother Wenye was diligent and hardworking, and so humble. He believed that Brother Wenye would definitely pass the imperial examination next autumn.

Nie Wenye flipped through a book in the room, but he couldn't concentrate. His mind was restless. The fact that Gu Xiao was coming to study at the academy was like a thorn in his heart, making him feel uncomfortable all over.

What qualifications does he have.