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

Dean Qiu and Mr. Jiang hurriedly boarded the carriage and headed towards Qinghe Village. The two did not exchange many words along the way. Dean Qiu was getting old, and the back-and-forth travel had taken its toll. He had dedicated his entire life to education, cherishing talent and being selfless. At this moment, he was completely oblivious to his own health.

He recalled Director Liu's words and felt even more sorry for Gu Xiao. Such a promising young man had unfortunately married into a family that was not very discerning. They valued their son but neglected their son-in-law. He was going there this time to give the Nie family a warning and to support Gu Xiao.

When the carriage entered Qinghe Village, it caused quite a stir in the village. It was a carriage! People rarely saw a carriage, let alone rode in one. What kind of important person would ride in a carriage and come to Qinghe Village?

Soon they learned that the people in the carriage had inquired about the Nie family's address as soon as they entered the village. They had come to find the Nie family. The villagers guessed that it must be related to Nie Wenye, since the Nie family only had one promising son.

Someone sent their child to inform the village head, and the village's gullible old women followed the carriage from a distance all the way to the Nie family's house.

In the Nie family home, Liu Chunhua was feeding the chickens and ducks in the yard. After Liu Yan and Nie Erzhuang divorced, all the odd jobs at home fell on her shoulders. Naturally, she was full of resentment. She was the mother of a scholar, and her womb had been fruitful, giving birth to a son who could study. Which woman in the village didn't envy her? Now she was hoping that Wenye would pass the imperial examination and become an official, so that she would definitely hire ten or eight maids to serve her.

Thinking of this, her irritability subsided. After feeding the chickens, she looked up and saw a luxurious carriage parked in front of her house. Two elegantly dressed and distinguished gentlemen got out of the carriage, and more than a dozen villagers followed far behind, all craning their necks to look in her direction.

Good heavens! Liu Chunhua's heart pounded. Who were these people?

She put down the chicken feed in her hand, wiped her hands on the hem of her skirt, and asked somewhat awkwardly, "Excuse me, who are you?"

Master Jiang: "We are from Tiande Academy. I am Master Jiang from the academy, and this is Dean Qiu, the head of Tiande Academy. We are here to find..."

Before Mr. Jiang could finish speaking, Liu Chunhua interrupted him with a loud shout, which startled him.

Liu Chunhua excitedly called into the house, "Mom! Daqiang! Erzhuang! The headmaster of Tiande Academy is here for a home visit!"

Old Mrs. Nie was dozing off in her recliner when she heard Liu Chunhua's voice. She woke up with a start and rushed out without even putting her shoes on properly. Daqiang and Erzhuang also hurriedly went out the door.

The headmaster of Tiande Academy! He's a very important figure, comparable to a county magistrate, and he even visited my home.

Countless thoughts flashed through Old Lady Nie's mind. She guessed that Nie Wenye must have performed exceptionally well at the academy, which was so important that even the dean had come to visit him personally.

Nie Daqiang was equally excited, and he had the same thought as his mother.

Grandma Nie was a little nervous, but mostly proud. Only descendants like Nie Wenye could bring her honor; unfilial descendants like Nie Qianqian and Gu Xiao should have been kicked out long ago.

After Nie Erzhuang's divorce, Old Mrs. Nie had been holding a grudge. It wasn't that she didn't want Liu Yan and Nie Qianqian to leave home; she believed that she should divorce them to make them lose face and leave in a sorry state, rather than letting them lead her to divorce.

Thinking of Gu Xiao's triumphant appearance in court that day, Old Madam Nie was filled with hatred. If Nie Wenye were here, Gu Xiao would never have had a chance to show off.

After the divorce, Liu Yan had money to build a big house. When Grandma Nie went out, she felt that the villagers' eyes were full of ridicule, which made her feel even more upset.

Seeing the Dean arrive for a home visit in a luxurious carriage, and noticing the villagers' inquisitive yet envious expressions, Old Mrs. Nie finally felt relieved, as she had been holding her breath for a while.

What good is being eloquent and persuasive? Can you get into an academy? Can you pass the imperial examinations? Can you get the headmaster to visit your home in person?

Grandma Nie smiled broadly, "Dean, what brings you to our home? Is it because of Wenye? Chunhua, go and kill a chicken. Dean, please stay for dinner."

The villagers gradually gathered at the Nie family's door, and upon hearing what the Nie family members were saying, they all started discussing it amongst themselves.

"That grandson of the Nie family is something else; even the Dean himself came."

"The Nie family is just like us, a farming family. How come they have such a smart grandson?"

"Grandma Nie, you are truly blessed!"

When Grandma Nie heard the villagers' praise, she couldn't stop smiling.

Dean Qiu waved his hand, "No need for trouble, we're here to see Gu Xiao."

Grandma Nie's smug smile froze on her face, and the corners of her mouth twitched involuntarily a few times.

Who?

She must have heard correctly. It wasn't Nie Wenye, it was Gu Xiao?

Grandma Nie's voice suddenly rose several octaves, "Who??? Gu Xiao???"

Liu Chunhua and Nie Daqiang looked at each other, confused. Nie Erzhuang was even more puzzled, wondering why anyone would be looking for Gu Xiao.

Dean Qiu was unaware that Gu Xiao had moved out of the Nie family's house and assumed that the Nie family knew that he was going to the college to study and take the entrance exam. "He has completed the enrollment procedures and passed the entrance exam with a perfect score today. I am here to inform him of his results."

The entire Nie family was stunned. Old Mrs. Nie had just caught her breath, but now she was having difficulty breathing again.

What's going on? Gu Xiao went to study at the academy? How could he go to study at the academy... a disabled and useless person going to study?

Dean Qiu took in the Nie family's reaction. As expected, they didn't value Gu Xiao. He then earnestly emphasized, "In all my years of teaching, Gu Xiao's talent is truly exceptional. He has a very high chance of passing the imperial examination and even achieving higher ranks. Don't neglect this child and let petty gains delay his studies."

To pass the imperial examination and become a Juren, or even go further?

Grandma Nie and her family looked as if they had swallowed flies, their faces turning pale and then red, completely unable to accept what they had heard.

Is the dean talking about Gu Xiao? The disabled person in his family? Not Nie Wenye? How could that be!

Liu Chunhua was stunned, blurting out, "That disabled person? How is that possible?"

Dean Qiu frowned in displeasure. How could an elder in the family speak like that? Nie Wenye was usually so polite at the academy; he never expected his family to be so rude.

Dean Qiu became somewhat angry, and his aura immediately turned cold. "I, Qiu, have been teaching for nearly 30 years and am the head of a college. How could I speak carelessly?"

Master Jiang truly couldn't understand this family's thought process. A normal person would be overjoyed to hear of such accomplished descendants, practically beating drums and gongs. Two potential scholars from one family were considered incredibly lucky; what was wrong with the Nie family?

He was always outspoken, and there were some things Dean Qiu couldn't say, so he said them: "Although Gu Xiao married into your family, he's still your son-in-law. How can you be so biased? Wenye is sent to study, but Gu Xiao is just copying books! What a waste of his talent! How foolish! This is truly..."

He swallowed back what he wanted to say next; he wanted to say, "Isn't this a case of losing more than you gain?"

But he didn't say that. As a teacher, he couldn't show favoritism either way. Nie Wenye was a good student, and Master Jiang had a very good impression of him.

The villagers who had been watching understood what was happening, and their expressions varied. Most of them were somewhat gloating, wondering if the Nie family felt ashamed. They had always looked down on Gu Xiao for being disabled, never giving him a proper meal, and calling him a good-for-nothing in front of others, but it turned out he was a promising student.

The Nie family keeps pushing away such a promising talent; they're truly blind to his abilities.

Nie Erzhuang was stunned. His mother and his elder brother had always told him that Gu Xiao's ability to copy books was already the greatest skill he possessed. Did he really have the talent for studying?

Even with his simple mind, he could understand this immediately upon comparison. Wen Ye had been studying at the academy for so many years, yet no teacher had ever come to the village to look for him. But Gu Xiao had only passed the exam, and the academy's dean had personally come to inform him. This showed how much the academy valued Gu Xiao.

Gu Xiao is much stronger than Nie Wenye... This completely overturned his understanding.

Dean Qiu: "Where is Gu Xiao now?"

The Nie family fell silent, still reeling from the shock.

Among the onlookers, some of the more enthusiastic and bold villagers chimed in, “Sir, you may not know this, but Gu Xiao’s mother-in-law, Liu Yan, has divorced Nie’s second son. Gu Xiao has moved away from the Nie family with Liu Yan and Nie Qianqian.”

Dean Qiu and Master Jiang were both taken aback. "Divorce?"

"Yes, it was handled at the county government office. The county magistrate made the judgment and personally watched them sign the divorce papers."

This was a major event in the village. It had just happened, and everyone still remembered it vividly, recounting it all like spilled beans.

"Grandma Nie said that Nie Qianqian stole money from the family and took it to court, but there was no evidence at all; it was just slander."

"It was Liu Yan who initiated the divorce because Nie Erzhuang beat his wife."

"Gu Xiao is such a well-behaved child, yet he was bullied by them and had to hand over every penny he earned from copying books."

The Nie family was utterly humiliated. As the saying goes, family scandals should not be aired in public, but her family's scandals were known to the villagers for miles around, and now they were all exposed in front of the dean. For the first time, she felt as if her face was on fire.

The Nie family members were not decent in their dealings with the villagers. Because Wenye passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, they became even more arrogant and offended many people. That's why the villagers took advantage of their misfortune.

With everyone contributing their own points, the situation regarding Nie Qianqian and Gu Xiao was basically explained clearly.

Dean Qiu had expected Gu Xiao to have a hard time, but he never imagined it would be this bad, and that the Nie family would be so despicable.

Dean Qiu cherishes talent and pays close attention to the promising students in the academy. He has frequent contact with Nie Wenye and provides him with guidance and care.

Dean Qiu had a good impression of Nie Wenye; he was a polite and hardworking young man. But now that he had met Nie's family, Dean Qiu couldn't help but have some doubts. With family members of such high moral character, what was Nie Wenye's true character? It seemed that further investigation was needed.

It was getting late, and Master Jiang didn't want to waste any more time at the Nie family's house. "Folks, could you take me to find this Gu Xiao?"

The villagers, overjoyed, led the two towards the old house, leaving the once bustling Nie family's entrance suddenly deserted.