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

Gu Xinrou came over and took her arm, saying, "Shall we go admire the plum blossoms tomorrow?"

"The plum blossoms in my mother's yard haven't bloomed yet."

"It's already the tenth of December, and some of them have already opened."

"We won't see the beautiful scenery yet, let's go when everything is open."

"You don't understand. The key to appreciating plum blossoms is the appreciation itself. You can appreciate the plum blossoms, or you can appreciate the artistic conception."

"..." Gu Xinyue was still hesitating.

"I invited you sincerely. I found out you had returned to the manor yesterday morning, so my aunt and I rushed back."

"Okay, okay, I'll go."

In the early morning, when Gu Xinyue greeted Yang Ziwei, Gu Hui said, "Sister, today I'm moving to Grandfather's courtyard, and from now on, Grandfather will personally teach me martial arts."

"Grandfather is too good to you. Your older brother must be so envious. He secretly learned from the guards, but you learned openly. His teacher was a guard, and your teacher is Grandfather. You'll be so proud if word gets out."

Yang Ziwei looked at Gu Xinyue and said, "You're so happy that your older brother suffered a setback? Why are you acting like a child? If your older brother finds out, he'll be sad."

“He’s sad, but I’m not.” Gu Xinyue said, then covered her mouth with her hand and said apologetically, “Actually, my brother is good too. As long as my aunt is unhappy, I’m happy.”

"Tell your mother the truth. Did someone push you when you fell off the artificial hill?" Yang Ziwei stared at Gu Xinyue, afraid that she wouldn't tell the truth.

Gu Xinyue covered her mouth with her hand and whispered in Yang Ziwei's ear, "Someone pushed me, but I didn't see who pushed me." Then she took Yang Ziwei's hand playfully and said, "Mom, be careful, the walls may have ears."

"Okay, Mother understands." Yang Ziwei said calmly. She had actually sensed something was wrong, but she couldn't assume the worst of people. "You have to be careful in the future. Always have someone with you. Hui'er will be safe in your grandfather's courtyard."

"Sister, can I learn with my older brother? Let Grandfather teach both of us."

Do you like your older brother?

"like."

"Between me and my older brother, who do you like more?"

"I like my older brother just as much as I like my older sister."

Yang Ziwei looked at the stunned Gu Xinyue and said with a smile, "What kind of question did you ask? If you ask a child whether he likes his father or his mother more, how is he supposed to answer?"

"Mother, this is a different matter. Mother and Father are both blood relatives. I am the older sister, and he is the cousin. How can they be the same? I just feel uncomfortable."

"If you feel uncomfortable, just bear with it. Hui'er, don't listen to your sister's nonsense. Just do what you think is right."

"Sister, don't you like eldest brother?"

"It's not that I don't like him. When I was your age, I liked him a lot too."

Gu Hui smiled and said, "That's good."

Gu Xinyue stroked Gu Hui's head, thinking that she was happy for him that someone else cared for him, but his aunt might think that he was on the path of inheriting the title as the eldest brother. However, with his grandfather protecting him, his mother and he were at ease.

Aunt Wu and Gu Xinrou arrived, and everyone stood up to greet them.

After exchanging pleasantries, Aunt Wu smiled and took out a pair of jade bracelets, as green as water and crystal clear, from her sleeve and handed them to Gu Xinyue. She looked at her affectionately and said, "I specially found these bracelets. Consider them a gift for the Third Miss!" Then she took out an elegantly shaped and finely textured Duan inkstone and gave it to Gu Hui, saying, "It's time for the Fourth Young Master to begin his studies. You can take this and use it."

Gu Xinyue happily accepted the jade bracelet, examining it closely; its warm luster made her reluctant to put it down. Gu Hui, on the other hand, carefully picked up the Duan inkstone, his eyes filled with surprise and gratitude. The two siblings thanked Aunt Wu in unison.

The group chatted happily for a while, and just as they were getting into the conversation, Jixiang came to report that Guard Qingdong had arrived.

He walked in with steady steps, a gentle smile on his face.

Qingdong arrived to take the Fourth Young Master to live in Qingfeng Courtyard. Upon hearing this news, Aunt Wu and Gu Xinrou congratulated Gu Hui and offered their blessings. Amidst laughter and cheerful conversation, Aunt Wu and Gu Xinrou bid farewell and left first.

Gu Xinyue and her daughter escorted Gu Hui to Qingfeng Courtyard. Yang Ziwei expressed her gratitude to the Marquis, and then, seeing Gu Hui's new living environment, she was overjoyed.

Gu Hui said happily, "Mother, sister, don't worry, I will listen to Grandfather and study hard."

Gu Xinyue arrived at the gate and saw Gu Xinrou waiting by the carriage. They each brought a maid.

Along the way, Gu Xinyue would occasionally lift the curtain to look outside. Gu Xinrou said, "After we finish admiring the plum blossoms, I'll take you for a stroll in the streets. The capital has changed a lot over the years."

The carriage stopped in the suburbs, and the gate was marked "Plum Garden".

As you enter the plum garden, you are greeted by a vast expanse of white snow and plum groves. Some plum blossoms are already in bloom on some branches. In the cold wind, the plum blossoms stand proudly against the snow and frost, emitting a refreshing fragrance.

There is a two-story pavilion on the right, which is the owner's residence, and several side rooms on the left, which are places for guests to rest while admiring the plum blossoms.

They chose to stroll along the path on the right, wandering among the plum trees and admiring the blooming plum blossoms.

"So beautiful..." Gu Xinyue exclaimed sincerely.

“It is indeed beautiful,” Gu Xinrou interjected. “It is said that the original owner of this plum garden was a talented woman who was deeply in love. She planted these plum trees while waiting for her beloved to return. In the end, her lover returned, but she was already terminally ill. However, she died happily in her lover's arms. People who came afterward visited the plum garden in hopes of finding true love…”

Gu Xinyue couldn't help but sigh, "I hope all lovers in the world will eventually be united in marriage."

The two strolled leisurely through the plum grove, enjoying the scenery and chatting in a relaxed and pleasant manner.

Suddenly, their sharp eyes noticed a unique purple plum blossom, which, like a dazzling pearl, quietly bloomed among a sea of ​​flowers.

This unexpected discovery filled them with joy, and they couldn't wait to get closer and examine it closely. Their eyes widened as they stared in amazement at the noble purple plum blossom.

Gu Xinyue tiptoed and smelled the delicate fragrance. Seeing Gu Xinyue's intoxicated expression, Gu Xinrou also smelled the fragrance of the purple plum blossoms.

They reached out at the same time to pick a leaf to tuck into their book, and looked at each other and laughed. It turned out they were so in sync.

"Stop!" A sharp, high-pitched voice rang out.

Their gazes followed the direction from which the voice came, and they saw three young girls standing not far away. All three were dressed in brightly colored and uniquely styled dresses, as if they had stepped out of a painting. The girl in the center was dressed in particularly magnificent attire, the materials and workmanship of which were extremely exquisite, clearly not something an ordinary family could afford.

Behind these young girls followed several maids, who served them carefully, their movements revealing a well-trained and elegant demeanor.

"The one in the middle is Princess Jiayang, the one on the right is Xu Qingxiang from the Ningguo Duke's Mansion, and I don't know who the one on the left is."

"The one on the left should be Meng Xiaodie from the Prime Minister's residence. Let's pretend we don't know her."

Three girls walked up to them, and Meng Xiaodie pointed at them and shouted, "Oh, you jinx! You think you're worthy of these elegant plum blossoms?" Gu Xinrou was furious, and Gu Xinyue, worried that she would lose her temper, gave her a wink.

Then he said to the three women, "What do you mean by 'you're not good enough', ladies?"

Princess Jiayang looked Gu Xinyue up and down, a cold smile on her face: "Do you think that by pretending to be pitiful, I will let you go?"

Gu Xinyue saw that Princess Jiayang was still angry. She had just returned to the capital and had not yet met Princess Jiayang. She didn't know how she had offended her.

Gu Xinrou was about to speak in rebuttal, but Gu Xinyue grabbed her hands, signaling her not to speak.

Xu Qingxiang added fuel to the fire, saying, "Your Highness, this scoundrel dares to disrespect you. He should be taught a lesson."

Meng Xiaodie chimed in, "That's right, that's right. Those who have no manners don't even give the princess a proper salute."

Gu Xinrou pulled Gu Xinyue's hand behind her back and began writing words in her palm.

Gu Xinyue smiled and said, "I'm glad Your Highness knows this jinx. I thought I was nobody in the capital."

Xu Qingxiang smiled smugly and said, "You are a jinx; the whole capital knows it."

Gu Xinyue smiled and said, "Thank you for telling me. I'm so happy. I'm actually a celebrity in Beijing. Everyone knows me."

Princess Jiayang and her two companions were stunned. How could there be such a person? Didn't they know they were cursing her? Was this person still suffering from idiocy?

Gu Xinyue realized that the few words Gu Xinrou had written were "The princess likes your older cousin." Why hadn't her aunt mentioned such important information in the documents she provided? It seemed she would have to collect more information later.

Meng Xiaodie said angrily, "You idiot, you can at least give the princess a grand salute, right?"

“Princess, you all know that I am a jinx, and you are of noble birth and high status. I am afraid that performing a grand salute to you would offend you, so I dare not do so.”

"Stop making excuses, you two hurry up and perform the proper bow."

"I'm telling the truth. People I've bowed deeply to in the past have all suffered mishaps – their horses have spooked, they've had stomach aches, some have even tripped and fallen. That's why my older cousin says that before I bow deeply to someone important, I must first ask them if they require it. If they agree, and something goes wrong, it's not my problem."

"Did Yang Mujin really say that?"

“It’s true. If the princess doesn’t believe me, I’ll have my maid bring my eldest cousin here right now.”

Princess Jiayang stared at Gu Xinyue, and seeing her serious expression, she remained silent.

Gu Xinyue said cautiously, "Princess, shall we perform a grand ceremony for you?"

"No need, you can go."

"Okay, thank you, Princess." After saying that, the two turned and left in another direction.

Finding a secluded spot, Gu Xinrou clutched her stomach and laughed, "Xinyue, I actually really want to see them get scared by the horse, have stomach aches, and fall down while walking. We could even kneel and bow to the princess."

Gu Xinyue sighed. She had received 26 years of modern education, so how could she casually kneel and bow to people?

"Go ahead and laugh. We'll go back when you're done laughing."

Seeing Gu Xinrou laughing so hard she was doubled over, completely lacking any ladylike demeanor, Gu Xinyue calmly untied her belt from her waist.

The belt danced in her hands like a serpent, and in the blink of an eye, it was transformed into a whip.

With a flick of her wrist, the whip lashed through the air like a bolt of lightning, whistling sharply. A crisp "crack" resounded, echoing through the empty plum garden.

The sound was like thunder, causing the plum blossoms around to tremble and their petals to fall, as if they too were afraid of the power of the whip.

However, Gu Xinyue did not stop what she was doing. She continued to swing the whip, each swing bringing a gust of wind, and the air seemed to be torn apart wherever the whip tip passed.

After cracking the whip, Gu Xinyue looked at Gu Xinrou, who was staring at her quietly, and said, "You're just laughing."

"You've vented your anger. The sound of your whip was terrifying, like it wanted to tear people apart."

"I wasn't venting. I just felt that the snow scene, the plum blossoms, and the sound of whips creating such a mood were truly meaningful."

“This isn’t artistic conception, it’s fear. Let’s recite poetry, that’s where the artistic conception comes from.” Gu Xinrou said and began to ponder the poem she wanted to write.

"Well, plum blossoms without snow lack spirit, and snow without poetry makes one feel vulgar."

Gu Xinyue waited a while and saw Gu Xinrou frowning. She asked, "What's wrong?"

"I thought for a long time but couldn't come up with a song. It's such a pity today."

"Don't be disappointed, your sister will sing you a song, listen carefully."

"I heard that plum blossoms burst open in the morning breeze, and snow piles up all over the mountains. How can I transform into billions of different plum blossoms? One Lu You for each plum blossom."

Gu Xinyue prayed in her heart: Master Lu, may I borrow your poem to comfort my second sister.

Gu Xinrou murmured and repeated it, then said happily, "This poem is wonderful! It expresses the love for plum blossoms so well. Xinyue, was this poem written by Grandpa Yang or your older cousin?"

Gu Xinrou grabbed Gu Xinyue's hand anxiously and said, "Tell me quickly, who wrote it?"

Master Lu, your poem has been given a title. It would be better to give it to your older cousin; your maternal grandfather wouldn't dare to.

"Big cousin." Gu Xinyue sighed after saying that.

“Your older cousin is truly a great talent. I’ll go back and write this poem down, and sell it to those admirers who like him. I wonder how much money I could make?” Gu Xinrou, who was in high spirits, suddenly sighed, “That won’t do. The poem is your older cousin’s. Oh well, let’s just forget about it.”

"Let's go back."

"Just for this poem, I'll buy you a gift, and then we'll have dinner at the biggest restaurant. I'll cover all the expenses."