Everyone in Qinghe Town laughed at Gu Qingzhou, calling him a useless live-in son-in-law. He was made to kneel on a washboard and sleep in the woodshed, and even the neighborhood dogs dared to bark at him.
No one knew he was the sole inheritor of the greatest divine physician under heaven. A single silver needle could cure a hundred poisons, reverse death, and shake half the imperial court. He had kept his abilities hidden for years for the sake of one dying man's final request: to protect the sharp-tongued but soft-hearted teahouse owner.
A summons dragged them both into a deadly trap in the capital: a powerful minister schemed for control, the Imperial Medical Academy hid traitors, and undercurrents stirred among the four kingdoms.
The day Gu Qingzhou finally stood up, he held a silver needle in one hand and set down a teapot.
"You can come after me, but if you lay a finger on her! I may not be able to cure your illness, but I can take your life."
Later, she ascended the throne as emperor. He refused a prince's title, wanting only to be "a gentleman who kneels on the washboard by His Majesty's side."
Only, the empress's washboard seemed to have been worn smooth again.
