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

It was another bright and sunny morning.

In the Plum Blossom Garden, Yang Ziwei was carefully selecting headdresses. Gu Xinyue saw a set of blue gemstone headdresses, simple yet elegant, which matched Yang Ziwei's clothes perfectly.

"Mom, this outfit looks great on you, it suits your clothes perfectly."

"You have good taste." Yang Ziwei picked it up and looked at it, noticing that Gu Xinyue wasn't wearing the clothes she had prepared. "Yue'er, why aren't you dressed for the banquet yet?"

"Mom, can I not go?"

“You attended many banquets when you were little, just like back then, but you’re all grown up now. You can’t run around like that. Don’t be afraid, your mother is here. It would be impolite if we didn’t go. If you don’t go, Princess Jingning will think you don’t like her anymore.”

"I don't know why, but I feel most comfortable in my own yard."

"Don't waste time, hurry up and get dressed. You'll be riding in the same carriage with your mother later."

When Gu Xinyue returned to Lingmeng Pavilion, Chuntao busied herself with preparations. Gu Xinyue looked completely different, dressed simply and elegantly.

At the main gate of the Gu residence, everyone was dressed in plain clothes, but Gu Xinyao stood out like a crane among chickens in her yellow dress, as if she had painted a bright color on a simple painting.

Gu Xinyue didn't see Gu Xinrou and Gu Rui, and thought that her aunt probably hadn't told them.

At the entrance of Prince Yi's mansion, crowds thronged and carriages flowed in a constant stream. Some of these carriages were luxuriously decorated, while others were simple and elegant, all exuding an air of nobility.

The people who came to the banquet were dressed in gorgeous clothes. Some were chatting and laughing, while others were dignified and elegant. Everyone's face was filled with joy. The whole scene was lively and full of vitality.

As soon as they alighted from the carriage, a steward, along with a servant and maid, came over. The steward bowed and greeted the Marquis, and then led the group into Prince Yi's residence under everyone's watchful eyes. Inside the residence, male and female guests were separated. The maid led Zhu Shi and Yang Ziwei to Princess Yi's courtyard, and Gu Xinyue and Gu Xinyao naturally followed.

Gu Xinyue followed Yang Ziwei, and after Yang Ziwei introduced her, she respectfully greeted her. Princess Yi warmly invited Zhu Shi and Yang Ziwei to take their seats, while Gu Xinyao and Gu Xinyue sat next to their mothers.

Gu Xinyue ignored the curious looks from the ladies, sitting upright and listening to their whispered discussions.

"Rumor has it that she is uncouth and vulgar, but I think she is a good girl. The rumors are wrong."

“She spent five years in the countryside without any guidance, but I never expected her to be so dignified and well-mannered.”

"Her mother was both beautiful and talented, so her child couldn't be too bad."

"How could the granddaughter of the Yang family be weak?"

Gu Xinyue knew without a doubt that they were talking about her; it turned out she had become a vulgar and unbearable person.

After Princess Jingning's maid, Lüqiao, arrived, Princess Yi instructed the other girls to follow Lüqiao to the princess's courtyard.

Yang Ziwei had met Lü Qiao, and she asked Gu Xinyue to go with her, and instructed Xia He and Chun Tao to take good care of Gu Xinyue.

On the way, Gu Xinyue needed to use the restroom. Xia He asked Lü Qiao for directions to the outhouse. Lü Qiao explained the location of the outhouse and the Princess's Bihe Courtyard in detail. She would take the other noble ladies there first and come to pick them up later.

When Gu Xinyue came out of the latrine, she noticed that in different places, three or five maids were whispering to each other. They would stop talking as soon as they got close to her, and their eyes would be filled with disdain.

"Xia He, go and eavesdrop on what they're saying about me."

Chuntao quickly said, "Miss and the others might be talking about other people."

Xia He returned quickly. "Miss, these people are outrageous. They're slandering you."

Gu Xinyue pointed to the artificial hill in front of them and said, "Let's go over there."

When they got to the rockery, they found several girls talking, and as they got closer, they could hear their voices.

"The third young lady of the Marquis of Changning's mansion used to be an idiot and a jinx. You can't get close to her, or you'll be doomed."

"Have you heard? Several noble ladies had accidents because they talked to her."

"I heard she has a foxy face but is illiterate; she's a disgrace to Young Master Yang."

"She was vulgar and spoke in a sharp and sarcastic manner, without any elegance of a noblewoman."

"Don't you know? His father disappeared and his mother has been bedridden for four years. It's all because of her."

"Her grandmother was also killed by her."

“She was rejected by the Marquis’s mansion and left to fend for herself in the countryside for five years. She had the audacity to come back and try to continue to cause trouble for the Marquis’s mansion.”

"It's shameful that such a scourge of hers doesn't just die, but clings to life like this."

Xia He was so angry she wanted to slap them across the face, but she remained expressionless. Chun Tao hadn't expected these rumors to harm her young lady, and she turned green with anger. Gu Xinyue told them not to be impulsive and to listen quietly.

The sound from that side stopped.

"Miss."

"Let's go. They were saying it on purpose so we could hear them. They were talking so loudly, as if they were afraid we wouldn't hear them, but we didn't make a sound, so they stopped talking."

“Miss, these people are really despicable,” Chun Tao said.

"In the future, when you encounter such situations, you must remain calm and composed, leaving them with no room to maneuver."

“Miss is right. If we scold them today, then Miss will become a vulgar person. I did not do well. I will try my best to become someone who can remain calm when faced with embarrassing situations.”

Gu Xinyue whispered something to Xia He, who frowned slightly but quickly regained her composure and said, "This servant obeys."

They continued walking towards Bihe Courtyard, and people along the way cast disdainful or pitying glances at them.

By the time Lü Qiao greeted Gu Xinyue, she was almost at Bihe Courtyard.

Upon entering Bihe Courtyard, there is a lake on the right, covered with thick ice. After walking along the lake for a while, there is a courtyard gate on the left with the words "Qin Yun" written on it.

Green Clover said, "This is where our princess lives."

In the flower hall, Gu Xinyue found that there were only seven or eight noble ladies. She recognized Princess Jiayang, Meng Xiaodie, Zhu Jiaojiao, and Xu Qingxiang, but she had never seen the others before.

Today, after Gu Xinyue properly greeted her peers, Princess Jingning took Gu Xinyue's hand and asked her to sit next to her, then had a maid serve tea.

"Sister Xinyue, I'm going to play a piece today. Consort Ling gave me some pointers, and I benefited a lot from them. Aren't you going to practice now?"

"I enjoy listening to others play the piano, but I don't really like playing it myself."

"Wouldn't that be a waste? What a pity."

"It's no pity. I can just listen to Princess Sister more often in the future."

Princess Jiayang was a little unhappy to see Jingning treating Gu Xinyue so well.

After Meng Xiaodie understood, she walked towards Princess Jingning, but her gaze remained fixed on Gu Xinyue. Then she pretended to fall and spilled the hot tea in her hand on Gu Xinyue.

Gu Xinyue was already on guard and dodged in a flash. Meng Xiaodie, having lost her support, really fell down, spilling all the hot tea on Princess Jingning.

Meng Xiaodie screamed in fright, drawing all the maids in. Princess Jingning hadn't expected Meng Xiaodie to be so bold as to bully her younger sister Xinyue right in front of her. She was determined to get justice for Xinyue. If she hadn't dodged, she probably would have had to suffer this injustice in silence.

Princess Jiayang never expected that Gu Xinyue would be unharmed, while Jingning would have tea spilled on her at the banquet.

The only sounds in the flower hall were Meng Xiaodie's sobs and pleas for mercy as she knelt on the ground.

Princess Jingning stood quietly, waiting. She couldn't handle the situation. If she dealt with it too lightly, it would have little effect on Meng Xiaodie; if she dealt with it too harshly, rumors would spread that she was ruthless.