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

In the afternoon, Gu Xinyue came to the Marquis's study; this was her first time there.

She had always thought of her grandfather as a mighty and extraordinary military general. She never expected that there would be so many books in his study. The first thing she saw was a row of neatly arranged books, which covered classics, history, philosophy, military strategy, and more.

On the wall hangs the words "Great virtue carries all things," written by my grandfather. The characters are powerful and majestic, revealing that my grandfather was both a scholar and a warrior.

Her admiration for her grandfather grew ever stronger, like a never-ending, surging river. In her eyes, her grandfather was like a majestic and awe-inspiring mountain.

After Gu Xinyue greeted him, Gu Yong asked, "Is there something you need?"

“Yes, Grandfather,” Gu Xinyue said solemnly.

"About your father?"

“My grandfather was incredibly insightful; he knew exactly what I was thinking.”

"Hmm, what do you want to know?"

"Grandfather, you've been investigating these past few years. Is it possible that my father was imprisoned by the Emperor's men? Is he currently being held in that place in the palace?"

"I'm sure not."

"Have you left the capital?"

“At first, we thought he had left the capital, but after searching everywhere, we found no trace of him leaving. This is very strange; it’s as if your father disappeared into thin air.”

"Grandfather, do the mansions of the powerful and wealthy have dungeons or similar places?"

"I checked, and they searched all my people over the past few years, but they didn't find any."

"Are there any special circumstances with the Ministry of Justice or the Court of Judicial Review?"

"I checked, it's not there."

"Have you looked for temples or monasteries in the suburbs or outside the city?"

"We searched, even the surrounding caves were searched."

Gu Xinyue pondered, "What else could I have overlooked?"

Gu Yong stared wide-eyed at his beautiful and intelligent granddaughter. A powerful force seemed to surge through him, and his initial shock gradually transformed into deep pride and satisfaction.

Gu Yong sighed inwardly: How many men in this world are not as good as my granddaughter!

If anyone dares to mock his granddaughter for being a fool in the future, he will not let them off easily! He wants these ignorant people to know that anyone who looks down on his granddaughter will pay the price!

“Grandfather, I would like to see the map of the capital city. Also, may I find my father in my own way?”

"Okay, but this matter must not be known to anyone."

“I understand, I need manpower.”

"Gu An and the others are in Pear Blossom Lane. You can use them."

"Thank you, Grandfather. I'll take this map and study it for a few days."

Gu Yong stood quietly, his eyes fixed on Gu Xinyue's receding figure. He sighed inwardly, thinking that his granddaughter was like a brilliant star, and shouldn't be confined to the small world of the inner courtyard, where her talent would be stifled.

Gu Xinyue spent two days studying the map domain in the courtyard. The pharmacy was out of stock of medicinal herbs, so she decided to go out in the afternoon and check on Gu An and the others.

When Peony returned in the morning, she brought some shocking news: Lord Chengen had filed a complaint against her in the imperial court.

"What's going on? I don't know Lord Chengen."

“Miss, the other day at Tianxiang Tower you said that the heir of the Marquis of Chengen was having difficulty having children and should stop bothering the young ladies. Because of what you said, the heir is currently considering several young ladies, but the young ladies’ families have heard about this and are unwilling to discuss marriage. So the Marquis of Chengen complained to the Emperor about you.”

Seeing Shaoyao's anxious expression, Gu Xinyue said, "Don't worry, just sue. With Grandfather around, nothing will happen."

“Miss, this isn’t a matter of whether it’s a good thing or not. You’ll be of marriageable age soon, and in just over three months, the old lady’s mourning period will be over. You’ll be ready to get married. After this incident, what lady would still want you?”

"You're worried I won't be able to get married, so you won't marry them if they don't like me?"

Chuntao said, "Miss, please don't say that. The Second Madam will be saddened if she hears it."

"Yes, yes," Peony chimed in.

In the imperial court, the Emperor was enjoying the debate between the Earl of Chengen and the Marquis of Changning. The Marquis of Changning did not believe that his granddaughter had done such a thing in public; if she had, there must have been a reason. The Earl of Chengen requested that the manager and owner of Tianxiang Tower be summoned for a confrontation, and the Emperor agreed, also ordering that the heir apparent be brought up.

After the owner and manager of Tianxianglou paid their respects to the Emperor, they recounted in detail what had happened that day. The young master had been rude first, and Miss Gu had indeed mentioned the difficulty of having children.

The Earl of Chengen and the Marquis of Changning started arguing.

"Your granddaughter is slandering my son."

“Your son was rude first, and my granddaughter was just defending her dignity. I don’t think she did anything wrong.”

“Even if my son was rude, your granddaughter can’t slander my grandson.”

"Your Majesty, the Marquis of Chengen admits that his son was disrespectful. I beg Your Majesty to uphold justice for this old minister, and I also ask everyone to bear witness that the Marquis of Chengen's heir was disrespectful first."

The heir of the Marquis of Chengen arrived late. After paying his respects to the Emperor, he saw the owner and manager of Tianxiang Restaurant kneeling on the ground, and he dared not get up.

The Emperor asked, "Heir Apparent of the Marquis of Chengen, what do you wish to say?"

The heir of the Marquis of Chengen raised his head and said to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, Gu Xinyue hit me in public. I demand that he kneel down and apologize to me."

Many ministers below simply shook their heads, concluding that such a person was unfit to be the heir apparent and incapable of shouldering heavy responsibilities.

"Why did he hit you?" the Emperor asked with a smile.

"I didn't know she was the daughter of the Marquis of Changning. She was dressed simply and sitting in the hall. I thought she was from a lowly family." His voice grew softer as he spoke.

The Emperor was furious upon hearing this. He was busy with state affairs every day, yet his ministers had raised such wicked and unruly children. The people would surely think that he was condoning his ministers' misbehavior and oppression of the good. If there were more people like this, wouldn't it threaten his rule? Gu Xinyue's actions were to punish evil and promote good, and to rectify the court.

"Hmph, if Miss Gu had no ability to resist, she would have been bullied by you. If an ordinary woman were to be persecuted like this, summon Judge Sun."

The court was silent. The Marquis of Chengen was filled with remorse. His elderly mother and wife had spoiled their only legitimate son. He had wanted to make a scene in court, hoping that the Marquis of Changning would at least marry one of his concubine's daughters to his son, but the emperor was angry.

Marquis Changning believed that his granddaughter was sensible and that even if the emperor did not summon the imperial physician, he would still request the emperor to have the imperial physician examine the heir.

The manager of Tianxianglou was so frightened that his face turned pale, and he stood frozen in place as if under a spell, motionless like a wooden statue. The owner, however, felt that seeing such a grand spectacle after entering the palace made the trip worthwhile.

The ministers initially thought that Gu Xinyue lacked female virtues, but now it seems that the Crown Prince is a spoiled and brainless child. Such a person is not worthy to be the Crown Prince. He will not bring prosperity to the family, but will only bring it to ruin.

A quarter of an hour later, after taking the pulse, Physician Sun said, "Your Majesty, this man has been indulging in debauchery for a long time, and it will be very difficult for him to have children."

The Earl of Chengen was struck on the head and almost fell, but was caught by the nearest minister.

Marquis Changning was overjoyed. Anyone who dared to be disrespectful to his granddaughter would have to pay the price.

Marquis Changning said, “Your Majesty, this old minister begs Your Majesty to do justice for my granddaughter. My granddaughter’s reputation was almost ruined by this shameless man.”

The Emperor asked, "Does the Earl of Chengen have anything else to say?"

"It is entirely up to His Majesty to decide."

The hall was completely silent, as if it were an empty city, when suddenly a loud and deep voice rang out.

"The Marquis of Chengen shall remain in seclusion for a month to reflect on his mistakes. The heir apparent of the Marquis of Chengen shall be stripped of his title of heir apparent. The Marquis of Chengen shall compensate Gu Xinyue of the Marquis of Changning with 5000 taels of silver. He shall personally visit the Marquis of Changning's residence to apologize in three days. Court adjourned."

Emperor Yongfeng walked out of the main hall in a good mood. He had originally wanted to see the Marquis of Changning make a scene, but the heir of the Earl of Chengen was causing trouble. He went with the flow and used the Marquis of Changning to punish the Earl of Chengen. If word got out of today, the people would know that he would not tolerate the sons of the powerful and wealthy oppressing the common people. Perhaps there would be some unexpected gains.

The Earl of Chengen was furious at his son's lack of ambition. His hand trembled as he pointed at him, wanting to scold him but his chest tightened, and he couldn't utter a single word. He turned and slowly left, his attempt to steal a chicken backfiring, making the entire capital a laughingstock for the Earl of Chengen.

Sitting on the ground, stripped of his title as heir apparent, Ren Guangxin was stunned. He had assumed that Gu Xinyue's public beating of him was a blow to his reputation, and that the Emperor would surely support him. However, had the Emperor made a mistake? He was no longer the heir apparent, but Ren Guangxin. What would become of his future? If those illegitimate sons became heirs, wouldn't they be above him?

Marquis Changning was secretly pleased, wondering if they would dare to bully his granddaughter again. However, he was surprised that the Emperor so readily sided with him.

Peony brought more news: the Marquis of Chengen had been punished by the Emperor, and his heir had been stripped of his title.

Gu Xinyue smiled. Good will prevail over evil, and the bully won't be able to run rampant for long.