Peerless Physician: The Path of a Foolish Eldest Daughter's Rise to Power

Seeing his sister becoming increasingly depressed, Hong Yu was determined not to let her become a concubine; he wanted Zhu Shan and his sister to divorce.

Hong Juan felt hopeless. She couldn't understand why Zhu Shan, who had always been very caring towards her when her father was alive, was not only not comforting her after losing him, but was also attacking her by saying that he wanted to turn his wife into a concubine. Why couldn't her child be born?

Her brother made all the decisions; he was her only family in the world. She didn't want to become a concubine for a heartless man, fearing she would be ashamed to face her parents in the afterlife.

To prevent her from being reminded of him by his belongings, Hong Yu planned to move her to a different place. He first wanted to get the divorce papers from Zhu Shan, and then decide where to go. He wanted to take it one step at a time.

He sold his property and brought Hong Juan to Jingzhou. After settling Hong Juan in, he went to find Zhu Shan. He saw Zhu Shan at the gate of the academy and said that he would never divorce Hong Juan. He said that Hong Juan was a member of the Zhu family when she was born and would be a ghost of the Zhu family when she died.

Hong Yu felt that he and his father had been blind. This man didn't want others to say that he had abandoned his wife who had shared his hardships, yet he still wanted to give the daughter of a high-ranking official the treatment she deserved. His happiness with two wives was built on his sister's suffering.

Hong Yu approached Zhu Shan several times, but Zhu Shan refused each time.

Today he found Zhu Shan, who then instructed the six men who followed him to look after Hong Yu. These six men were given to him by the prefect's daughter, who was afraid that if Hong Yu kept seeking him out, it would damage his reputation.

Hong Yu was no match for the six men. They beat him so badly he couldn't move. Guo Qingshan, who happened to be passing by, saw this and quickly knocked the men down, then helped Hong Yu up. To thank Guo Qingshan, Hong Yu invited him for tea.

Guo Qingshan felt great sympathy for their tragic plight and wanted to help them get a divorce. He asked Hong Yu to prepare paper and ink, and said he would be right back.

Fifteen minutes later, he brought Zhu Shan to Hong Yu like a chick. Zhu Shan's arrogance vanished, and he obediently signed the document.

With a single glance from Guo Qingshan, Hong Yu left. He was very dissatisfied with Zhu Shan, saying, "Both of our names contain the character 'mountain,' and a mountain should be someone to rely on for one's family and shoulder one's responsibilities. But you, a scholar, are no good."

An hour later, Hong Yu returned, nodded to Guo Qingshan, and only then did Guo Qingshan let Zhu Shan go back. Hong Yu took the marriage certificate and divorce agreement to the government office to file them.

Hong Yu liked the generous and enthusiastic Brother Guo. Guo Qingshan invited Hong Yu to be the second-in-command of Black Fox Mountain. He needed scholars to influence his subordinates. Hong Yu felt that he could not stay in this place any longer, having offended the prefect's son-in-law, so he readily agreed to Guo Qingshan's invitation.

Before leaving, they stuffed Zhu Shan into a sack and gave him a good beating. Wasn't he about to get married? Let him get married with a bruised and swollen face, so that all the guests would know that he had done something wrong.

Upon arriving at Black Fox Mountain, Hong Yu offered suggestions to everyone, and they elected him as their second-in-command.

Three years have passed, and Hong Juan's condition has not improved. She remains silent all day and stares blankly in a certain direction for long periods of time.

Today, she not only took the initiative to play the piano, which she hadn't touched in three years, but also showed a long-lost happy smile on her face.

For three consecutive days, Hong Juan came to the Gu residence to exchange ideas on music, chess, calligraphy, and painting with Gu Xinyue, and Gu Xinyue also helped her with prescriptions to regulate her body.

It's the end of October, and the weather is very hot and humid.

At midnight, people fall into a deep sleep and drift off to sleep.

Suddenly, Gu Xinyue was awakened by the violent shaking of the bed.

When Gu Xinyue opened her eyes, everything was pitch black. She heard the creaking of the wood on the roof and realized that it was an earthquake.

With a "clatter," something fell to the ground.

Gu Xinyue quickly reached for the small wooden box next to her pillow. Inside was the luminous pearl she had wrapped in a handkerchief. The bed was shaking violently. She shakily picked up the lid of the wooden box, opened it, and took out the handkerchief. The room was now bright. She quickly grabbed her clothes, but the shaking made it impossible for her to put them on.

Gu An burst in, "Miss, there's been an earthquake. Shall I get you out of here?"

"Okay, where are the others?"

"They should be fine. Let's go outside and talk."

Gu Xinyue didn't forget to bring the luminous pearl, and Gu An draped the clothes in Gu Xinyue's hands over her.

"Miss, I apologize for the intrusion."

After saying that, he carried Gu Xinyue and rushed into the yard. The earthquake was still ongoing, and Gu Xinyue was a little unsteady on her feet. She noticed that Gu An had brought his shoes with him.

At this moment, Gu Ran came out with Granny Liu and Huilan, and the horses in the front yard neighed.

The earthquake stopped, and Gu Xinyue quickly put on her coat and shoes; the night was chilly.

"There will be aftershocks later, so don't be afraid," Gu Xinyue said.

"Miss, please sit in the hall for a while. Gu Ran and I will check the situation."

"Take this luminous pearl with you."

"Miss, please take the luminous pearl with you, and we will light the lamps."

Everyone had arrived in the hall. The earthquake had caused relatively little damage; some small items and dishes from the kitchen had fallen and broken. The houses were made of brick, with triangular wooden frames on the roofs, making them quite stable.

Gu Wu and Gu Yang had calmed the horse down.

"Brother Gu, please have someone inquire about the situation outside, check on the people in our village, and also check on Master Li's situation. Tell Brother Guo of Mingyue Manor that they have a lot of people and can organize a rescue. We will prepare to distribute porridge at dawn."

Gu Xinyue understood that the fact that the Gu family's house hadn't collapsed didn't mean that the common people's houses wouldn't collapse, as most of the common people lived in thatched huts.

"Granny Liu, now you need to clean up the east wing and the two rooms next to it."

Gu An returned. The houses on the estate collapsed, but thanks to the arrangements made by Accountant Li, everyone was able to provide timely assistance, and the people on the estate were temporarily safe.

Half an hour later, Gu Ran returned. He saw that Young Master Ling's men had arrived at Mingyue Manor. Manor Lord Guo said that Young Master Ling had asked them to organize a rescue.

After that, Gu Yang brought Li Fu with him. The house Li Fu is living in now is rented. It was the house he lived in with his mother before. He has been living there since his mother passed away. The house collapsed after the earthquake.

Gu Xinyue was thinking about the earthquake relief work. As a doctor, she wanted to participate in the post-earthquake relief efforts and do her part for the affected people.

Li Fu said, "Miss Gu, there are eight or nine homeless children in the dilapidated temple on the east side of town?"

"Brother Gu, please bring them here. We'll help if we can."

Li Fu's eyes lit up, and he quickly said, "I will thank you on behalf of the children, young lady."

Gu An and the others knew the place, but they were afraid the children wouldn't go with them, so Li Fu went along.

Gu Xinyue wanted to sleep a little longer, since a dozen children couldn't walk fast. She told Granny Liu and Huilan to go to sleep too, as there would be a lot to do when it got light.

As dawn broke, Huilan had already cooked porridge and made pancakes. Granny Liu was tidying up the house, while Gu Xinyue checked for cracks.

Suddenly, there was a shaking. Gu Xinyue tried to take a few steps forward, but the shaking made it impossible for her to move. She didn't know how Gu An had managed to get her out of the house during the earthquake.

The earthquake stopped a few breaths later.

This is an aftershock; the epicenter is unknown.

At this moment, Gu An and the others returned, bringing eight children with them. They were all dressed in tattered burlap clothes, and their faces were dirty. The oldest child was eleven or twelve years old, and the youngest was four.