Do you know: I should be fat and you should be thin!

The Imperial Palace!

In an abandoned old hall in the front courtyard, everyone, including Zhou Ning, had piles of books in front of them.

For the past five days, the six of them have been so busy that they've lost their appetite!

Besides his work, Zhou Ning would also mentally rehearse the steps and sequence of rescuing the emperor from time to time.

He was the first to abandon the idea of ​​taking the old emperor and escaping!

Since the old emperor is still alive, the Prince of Yan will only kill the Prince of Yong's entire clan and his associates. Neutral officials like Sheng Changbai will not be in mortal danger, otherwise it would be bad for his reputation after he ascends the throne.

But if the old emperor runs away, who can guarantee that the Prince of Yan won't go berserk before he dies and slaughter all the scholar-officials who stayed in the palace, including Sheng Hong and Sheng Changbai?

Is it better to receive the blood edict from a palace maid or directly from the old emperor?

After all, even if the merit is great, it won't be high if someone else shares it. My goal is to achieve a double kill!

As noon approached, the six people had lunch in the hall. An eunuch named Qingyun entered the hall to ask questions, saying that someone claiming to be the sixth daughter of the Sheng family wanted to visit her father and brother.

Sheng Hong stepped forward and bowed, saying, "I'm sorry to trouble you, Eunuch, to make this trip to bring my daughter to the palace!"

Qingyun returned the greeting, went out to greet the person, and soon led Minglan into the palace!

Everyone saw that she wore a light orange lotus-patterned jacket with cloud patterns, and her simple three-bun hairstyle was adorned with only a single white jade ruyi hairpin. They also saw that her skin was as white as the first snow, her cheeks had a faint blush of rosy blush, and her lips were like the pink juice of a lotus flower. Her innocence and charm blended into a lively spirit in her eyes.

"Nice!"

Apart from Sheng Hong and Sheng Changbai, Zhou Ning and the other three all had this assessment in their hearts!

Minglan saw that there were six officials in the hall, two of whom, wearing scarlet robes, were her father and Zhou Ning. Her second brother was also there. Feeling less nervous, she put down the food box and bowed to everyone.

Sheng Hong and Sheng Changbai accepted the greetings without hesitation, while Zhou Ning and the other three rose to return the greetings.

Sheng Hong opened the food box and found a large bowl each of fish soup and dried fish. He took them out and divided them among everyone as an extra meal!

"Pickled cabbage fish, fried fish fillet?"

Zhou Ning picked up a piece of fish fillet and tasted it; it was very appetizing. She scooped up a few spoonfuls of fish broth to soak her rice; the tangy flavor was refreshing. She couldn't help but ask, "Did Sixth Sister make this herself?"

Minglan nodded, her face beaming with a smile.

Zhou Ning sighed inwardly, realizing he desperately needed a wife who could cook. Yu Yanran was an exceptional embroiderer, and Wei Zhi was multi-talented, yet neither of them could make a decent soup.

Everyone picked up their chopsticks, tasted the food, and kept nodding and saying "Mmm".

"Sixth Miss, tell me, how did you make this fish fillet? It's truly amazing!" Fu Chunxu praised.

He, Zhou Ning, and Sheng Changbai were all Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) in the same year, and he also successfully stayed in the academy after passing the examination to become a Shujishi (a junior official in the Hanlin Academy).

Sheng Minglan smiled and replied, "It's very simple. Slice the fish, marinate it in salt, ginger juice, and cold wine for an hour, then fry it repeatedly in warm oil with scallion segments. You've all been busy and your hearts are pounding, so you don't have much of a taste for food. This dish is slightly spicy, savory, mildly sour, and subtly sweet—it's extremely appetizing and refreshing, and will definitely go well with rice!"

Sheng Changbai nodded and said, "It's perfect with rice!"

Sheng Hong placed another piece of dried fish on Fu Chunxu's plate, saying, "Eat some more if you like it!"

"Thank you!" Fu Chunxu said.

Zhou Ning diligently ate his rice, his hair standing on end with nervousness. It was about to begin!

Seeing that Zhou Ning was only focused on eating, and only lit up when she first came in, but then stopped looking at her after asking her a question, Sheng Minglan felt a little disappointed.

"Ming'er, how is everything at home while we've been away?" Sheng Hong asked.

"All is well. Madam and sister-in-law miss them dearly and are hoping that Father and Brother will return home soon," Minglan said.

"Ha ha!"

"Hahaha!"

Everyone laughed, and Sheng Hong awkwardly scolded, "Nonsense! How can you say such things? You're making a fool of yourself!"

Everyone laughed even harder, even Zhou Ning laughed, no longer nervous!

Although he didn't know any top-level martial arts, with his internal cultivation comparable to the Sweeper Monk and Shi Potian, and the superior acupoint striking techniques he had learned from Yu Yanran, which surpassed Chu Liuxiang's lightness skills, breaking into the imperial palace was as easy as strolling around!

Sheng Changbai took a silk handkerchief to wipe his mouth, a smile on his lips, and looked at Minglan, silently asking: Does your sister-in-law really miss me that much?

Minglan responded with a cute smile, but when she saw Zhou Ning looking over, she quickly looked away.

Upon seeing Qingyun enter the hall, Sheng Hong rose to greet her, bowing and saying, "Eunuch, I will trouble you again to escort my daughter out of the palace later."

Qingyun asked in confusion, "I figured she should have left by now. But for some reason, I found that the palace gate was unattended, and no one came to open it no matter how many times I called."

"Huh? Closing the palace gates at noon? That's unprecedented!" Sheng Hong exclaimed in equal confusion.

"Yeah! Why close the door in the middle of the day?" Fu Chunxu asked curiously.

Minglan and her second brother exchanged glances, both feeling a sense of unease.

"Brother, if things go wrong later, you must come with me!" Zhou Ning said, leaning closer.

Sheng Changbai turned to the side and asked, "What do you mean? Do you know why the palace gates were closed?"

Zhou Ning shook his head. How could he admit to something like this?

Qingyun went out to inquire about news again, and everyone became restless and started to move around!

Minglan was also scared, but fortunately her father and brothers were there, so she sat quietly.

With the rescue imminent, Zhou Ning once again reviewed the order of events in which the people were saved.

He knew that without his intervention, everyone would have escaped unscathed. But if he got involved, the Prince of Yan might unleash a massacre!

First and foremost, Sheng Changbai must be saved. He has been kind to me and is my brother-in-law, someone who can provide assistance to both the Sheng and Hai families. There can be no risk involved!

Secondly, Minglan must be saved. Not only is she beautiful, but she also cooks well and is Yu Yanran's best friend. The temptation for her is greater than a promotion!

As for the three fellow graduates of the imperial examination, although they had a relationship, it wasn't particularly deep. Given the current situation, all I can say is "Sorry!"

If they die this time, I'll burn paper money for them myself, and they'll be well-fed!

Fu Chunxu, Lin Yuanfu, and Zhao Guo: "ᜊ꒦ິ^꒦ິᜊ"

As for Sheng Hong... it doesn't matter. What does it matter whether you have a father-in-law or not?

Okay, I can carry two people at once. With my light-footed skills, it shouldn't be a problem!

and many more!

Sheng Hong is also important!

If he dies, according to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, a daughter must observe a three-year mourning period after her father's death, during which she is not allowed to marry!

In other words, if he were to die, her peaceful life with Rulan on one side and Minglan on the other would immediately become a very distant dream.

Even if it is by imperial decree to take a concubine, there is no reason to take someone's daughter right after their father has died. At that time, the impeachment memorials will be at least higher than those of one's own people!

Oh my God!

Three people were saved at once?

How could there be time to retrieve the blood edict?

They keep coming in to rescue us?

The Prince of Yan isn't stupid. Knowing there are such skilled people who can scale walls and leap across rooftops, wouldn't he take them under control?

How about we try one on the left, one on the right, and one on our backs?

Even if his lightness skill was enough to carry three people up the city wall at once, if the Prince of Yan could surround the palace, then he could command at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, imperial guards!

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Six Arts of a Gentleman were fundamental; even scholars knew how to shoot arrows, let alone the Imperial Guards!

One's own protective barrier can shield one's entire body by half a foot, but it cannot protect the person on one's back!

My neck is numb!

Or should we just give up the favor of saving the emperor?

But without an imperial edict, would Sheng Hong really hand over his daughter to him as a concubine?

If all else fails, we'll have to give up on Shenghong. Even if something unexpected happens, we can just wait another three years!

Sheng Hong: "˃̣̣̥𓈊˂̣̣̥".

......