After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

Zhu Cuiwei stared at the poem, stunned for a long time before she came to her senses.

The characters on the wall are written with vigorous strokes, upright and grand. The pauses and rises at the end of each stroke are just right, conveying a sense of soaring momentum and elegance.

It's a pity the force was a little weak, otherwise it would have been a truly excellent example of Wei stele calligraphy.

But at this moment, the pain in her abdomen was so intense that even the usually strong woman could not bear it any longer. Her temples throbbed, pulling at her nerves. Finally, she turned her gaze away from the poem, lowered her eyes, and moved them to the floral cotton quilt covering her.

The summer breeze blowing through the window makes me feel warm and cozy, but with the window open, the cicadas' chirping becomes a bit noisy and annoying.

Remembering the doctor's order that she was not allowed to get up, Zhu Cuiwei broke out in a cold sweat. For the first time, she realized that this country doctor was quite capable and that she really couldn't get up.

Deep down, she was eager to know whether the "Miss" was Zi Yuan or Qing Huan, but remembering the doctor's orders and seeing the poem, the woman, who had gotten up halfway, needed time to sort out her thoughts. She bit her lip and lay back down, her head resting on the pillow. As the pain subsided, she let out a long sigh of relief.

Before the whale has even swallowed the sea, the sword's aura has already swept across the autumn sky... Zhu Cuiwei recited it softly again, gazing at the mottled roof with a somewhat dull and puzzled look in her eyes. She had never seen such verses before.

The grandeur of the Tang dynasty and the unrestrained spirit of the Liang dynasty blend seamlessly, reaching the pinnacle of artistry. Who wrote this?

Ning? Or Ning's deceased husband?

or.

The Ning family's son, who has very strong rural habits?

Not like.

This country boy is quick-witted, but such spirit is something that a country boy could never cultivate.

The poem was placed very low on the wall.

Once I lie down, I can no longer see anything.

What kind of person would squat down to write poetry?

Moreover, Ning's room was already cramped and narrow, with the head of the bed only a foot away from the wall. Even if one squatted down to write, how could one write so freely?

Zhu Cuiwei pursed her lips.

Could it have been written by a child?

Zhu Cuiwei immediately dismissed this absurd thought.

The handwriting looks quite old.

It must have been written by Ning's husband, who passed away many years ago.

Frustrated and unfulfilled, yet still yearning for great things, the scholar spent half his life in the countryside, living a life of mediocrity.

"To see the whole leopard from a single spot—such talent! It's a pity he's already passed away, living a life of obscurity."

Zhu Cuiwei sighed, "A thoroughbred horse hasn't met its discerning owner, and the discerning owner pities that the thoroughbred horse has never had the chance to gallop freely. What a pity."

The sun climbed silently to its highest point, and as noon approached, wisps of smoke began to rise from the chimneys.

Most of the villagers carried hoes and chamber pots, their feet covered in yellow mud, as they headed home. Even from a distance, Zhu Cuiwei could hear many shouts as farmers greeted each other.

soon.

The Ning family mother and son also returned.

Despite her doubts about the young doctor's medical skills, when Ning fed her lunch, she deliberately ate only half and then claimed she couldn't eat anymore.

Ning asked if her godmother's cooking was bad, and she said it was too delicious. She used to be full after eating just a small bowl, but here she eats twice as much.

Ning smiled broadly as she wiped Zhu Cuiwei's face and left, but the next moment, Zhu Cuiwei regretted it.

"Hey, come on, eat your sister's leftovers."

The porcelain bowl clattered, indicating that Ning had poured her leftovers into the young doctor's bowl. Zhu Cuiwei's expression froze, and her ears instantly burned. She had given away her own food to someone else?

"I don't eat other people's leftovers!" Ning Nan protested, banging on her bowl.

"We don't have a dog at home, if you don't eat it, who will? And you're complaining! Don't leave any!" The woman rolled her eyes at her son.

The objections stopped, and only the sound of shoveling rice into the bowl remained.

After finishing his meal and mixing the leftovers, Ning Nan wiped his mouth, pushed open the door, and went into Zhu Cuicui's room.

However, this time it wasn't him who wanted to come in.

It was this pretty maid who called him in.

"What's wrong?"

Ning Nan dragged a bamboo chair over and sat down with a thud. He glanced at the woman's complexion; she had recovered quite well. Getting out of bed was out of the question, but at least her life was no longer in danger.

"Did the young lady you rescue... have a beauty mark near her eye?"

Ning Nan's heart skipped a beat.

It was discovered that this pretty maid had asked a crucial question.

Is that Miss Zhu a real Miss?

Does amnesia necessarily mean someone is a real prostitute?

Although Miss Zhu was dressed in extremely luxurious clothes, it is indeed possible that another maid changed into her mistress's clothes to distract the pursuers.

"No." Ning Nan thought for a moment, then shook his head abruptly, a sense of unease flashing through his mind.

"Oh." The pretty maid looked away and remained silent.

Ning Nan leaned closer to her, asking nervously, "Does your young lady have a beauty mark near her eye?"

"no."

Eh?

Why are you asking such a silly question?

Ning Nan frowned: "What do you mean?"

Just to be on the safe side, he described what Ms. Zhu looked like and said that she was wearing a red dress.

"That's our young lady."

"Is his surname really Zhu?"

"Um."

"What's the name?"

"..."

"Your maiden name is not convenient to disclose?"

Zhu Cuiwei turned her head and glanced at the young doctor, whose skin was tanned dark by the sun. She was surprised that the boy knew the old rules of these old mansions.

Ning Nan coughed lightly: "Cui Cui, it's like this. You see, it's not that your brother deliberately wants to know your young lady's name. It's just that when we go to inform Master Zhu later, we need to know your family's name to gain his trust."

"Miss has lost her memory?"

"Um."

"Don't you remember your own name?"

"Yes, yes, I don't remember at all, that's why I need to ask you."

"Let me think about it."

"...Does this even need to be thought about?"

"Zhu Qingmian".

"Great name!"

The boy praised.

Having escaped the scorching sun, Ning Nan happily carried his carrying pole and hoe to the fields, while Widow Ning followed behind her son, her hands behind her back.

On the golden dirt road.

When someone passes by, she raises her hand and calls out, "Son, slow down, let Mom take it." Ningnan cooperates and says, "No need, Mom, you rest." Passersby will then praise, "Sister Ning, you're so lucky! Your son is so filial!" The woman will then smile and say, "You're lucky too!"

In the cramped room, Zhu Cuiwei reached out and touched her forehead, staring blankly at the spiderweb-like cracks on the ceiling.

She had no beauty mark at the corner of her eye, and she was wearing red... She pretty much knew who the woman who had been mistaken for her "Miss" was.

"It's better that you've lost your memory. Just live well in this village. We'll never see each other again."

Zhu Cuiwei closed her watery eyes.

I'll stop thinking about it.

My health is still too poor to walk, so taking good care of my injury is definitely the top priority.

Half a year ago, the seriously ill emperor summoned his three uncles. Three days later, instead of choosing an heir from among the sons of his three uncles, the emperor issued an imperial edict to pass the throne to himself, which immediately caused an uproar in the court.

From that time on, the emperor appointed Shangguan Yun as the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to supervise all officials.

Shangguan Yunxun was the eldest son of the Marquis of Zhenguo. He had been a tutor to the emperor since childhood, and the two were as close as brothers. With the Marquis of Zhenguo still holding sway, Shangguan Yunxun was able to take charge of the Embroidered Uniform Guard with great success.

He himself was attacked and at least one commander of the Imperial Guard was killed.

Presumably, Shangguan Yun's men will come looking for us soon, so there's no need to worry.

As the mooing of the old ox echoed along the dirt road, the day's hard work gradually came to an end. Farmers led the ox by its nose ring, children lay on its back laughing and patting it. The setting sun dyed the figures of all sizes orange, the ox's tail swishing back and forth. Ning Nan followed behind, watching with a smile, feeling that such a life was very leisurely.

After returning home and making a pot of tea for his mother, Ning Nan went to Li Yanting's house.

Li Xing told him.

A shifty-eyed peddler from out of town entered the village and was about to reach the home of the student.