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

"One still needs to achieve fame and success."

The carriage rolled and turned, breaking through the white morning mist.

On the way to Liuye Lane School.

Ning Nan bought a hot fried dough stick and put it in his mouth while thinking about these things.

After tidying up Cui Cui's wife last night, he looked at his wife's sleeping profile and his expression became somewhat complicated.

These were actually not easy times to get by.

Cui Cui's family were merchants. Anyone in business needs a powerful patron, usually an official.

Even the street vendors selling fried dough sticks would boast that their third uncle was some big shot in some government office.

Although he was technically just a minor official, he still had some influence—the yamen runners would be more likely to give him a few less fried cakes on credit.

The powerful backer of Cui Cui's family was Master Zhu.

Thanks to the Zhu family's connections with the imperial relatives, their business remained quite stable even in the complex world of the capital.

In addition, since his wife had been Miss Zhu's maid since childhood, their bond of kinship was quite strong.

Perhaps that's why married women still have some say in their parents' home. She must have suffered a lot as a child… He stroked his wife's slightly damp hair.

Last night, after taking the box full of symbols of wealth, the first thing he did was to confirm this matter—who was the family's backer?

If this isn't clarified, things will become very difficult.

You might take over a task and before you've even had a chance to pay your respects, the relationship could fall apart in an instant.

Then, various government departments came knocking on our door.

If it's just a matter of taking advantage of someone or making small demands, that's a minor matter. But if they try to seize key shares by trickery or force, that's another matter.

At that time, I'm afraid I'll have to bring out my identity as the heir of the Marquis of Jingbei to scare people... But that wouldn't be good... Once I bring out my noble status, there will probably be complicated relationships to deal with at the noble level. Xiuxiu is also a noble, but doesn't the Grand Secretary Qin's grandson often cause him trouble?

This is another headache.

In the best-case scenario, everything remains the same. Taking over the business is simply to turn a profit without affecting the income of the person who is backing you, and it may even increase it... In this way, the other party will not object.

His wife told him the truth.

Upon hearing that it was an old acquaintance, Master Zhu, Ning Nan immediately breathed a sigh of relief and felt at ease.

Last night he asked his wife again how he should manage these relationships, especially with Master Zhu.

Should we give the other party a dividend every year? Should we give gifts for the three major festivals and two birthdays? And how much should the gifts be?

...These things are quite troublesome, but since that's how the world is, he has no choice but to accept it.

But the woman vaguely said it wasn't necessary, then nodded her chin and said that she would handle it.

Ning Nan's eyes lit up immediately, and he was completely relieved.

……

"Hmm... one still needs official rank and recognition."

Ning Nan chewed on the sesame-sprinkled fried dough, the aroma filling his mouth, and his mind reaffirmed the idea.

Having a title or honor means that even if one only inherits the title and doesn't become an official, having that title or honor means that civil officials can't be too arrogant in front of him, and it makes things easier for him to do things without having to worry about what others say.

If the civil officials were to say how the sage Yun opposed him, he could simply sneer and say, "If I remember correctly, you ranked thirty-sixth in the second class? This ranking... how come you're talking to me about the sage?!"

Hmm... As soon as this scene came to mind, Ning Nan couldn't help but grin, and his motivation to write stilted essays became strong again.

Old Huang's condition has improved considerably, but as the scientific expedition approaches, the stern-faced old man has become even stricter with them these past few days.

In a single day, they were required to memorize the first five articles of "Wen Jun, a Famous Scholar of the Liang Dynasty," compose two eight-legged essays, and write a policy essay. The students complained bitterly.

Although it was tough, it has to be said that everyone's rote learning skills improved rapidly under Old Huang's cramming method.

Zuo Yong said that he secretly read the essays of other students staying at the guild hall. Even though one of them was a scholar who planned to take the provincial examination, he felt that the other's essay was not as good as his.

They said that if they were faced with the same question, they would explain how they would approach and address it.

At first, Zhao Jing and the others laughed at each other, saying, "You brag so much even though you haven't been drinking." But after listening carefully to Zuo Yong's explanation of the scholar's solution, they all frowned and said that such a solution was indeed somewhat inappropriate.

Fatty Chu sneered and said, "Gentlemen, this kind of writing is not only about writing on paper, but also about writing outside of paper. You all bury yourselves in your desks all day long, only knowing how to write and comment on the eight-legged essay. I'm afraid you'll suffer a great loss in the junior examination."

Tang Lianbin frowned and said, "Brother Chu, you might as well say what you have to say. Why scare us like this?"

Chu the Fat chuckled twice, stood up and began packing his cloth bag: "Gentlemen, don't blame me for not warning you... Of course, given how closed-minded you are, you probably wouldn't have gotten this kind of information anyway."

Everyone immediately frowned.

But then he remembered that Chu Pangzi's father had donated money to get him a place at the Imperial Academy, so he was definitely more informed than they were. So he patiently waited for Chu Pangzi to boast.

"Hey!" the fat man laughed, his face flushed. "Gentlemen... the Qi Prince's Mansion has funded a literary gathering today at the Xianyue Tower on Datong Street. The magistrate of Jiangning County, the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture, the instructor of Yingtian Prefecture, and many scholars from the Imperial Examination Hall will be there."

"And there are also the Director of Studies of the Imperial Academy, the instructors of the Imperial Academy including Mr. Ge, the great Confucian scholars Zhang Jian and Mr. Yunlou from Bailu Academy, the candidates who passed the imperial examination this year from the Imperial Academy, and the candidates who passed the imperial examination this year from Bailu Academy... They are all gathered together at Xianyue Tower today..."

As Fatty Chu spoke smugly, everyone's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

They didn't care about the Imperial Academy or Bailu Academy; their focus was on the county magistrate and the prefect... These two local officials actually came?

The crowd's expressions froze for a moment, but after a few breaths, they became slightly excited.

The first two of the three preliminary examinations in the imperial examination system were the county examination and the prefectural examination. The chief examiner for the county examination was the county magistrate, and the chief examiner for the prefectural examination was the prefect.

The process of selecting candidates for the third round of the exam without proper recording left a lot of room for manipulation, especially since the final rankings were almost entirely decided by the county magistrate and the prefect.

If you can make your name catch the attention of the local officials in the early stages, and establish a reputation for talent, thus leaving a good impression on them, then the chances of passing the first two tests will greatly increase!

Of course, if you're left with a bad reputation for being arrogant and conceited, then people might try to suppress you. But that's just an exception; there are very few fools like that.

A slight excitement appeared on everyone's faces, and their eyes shone with a hint of fervor as they looked at the fat man. They quickly stood up and, like the fat man, began to pack their things with a clanging sound.

There aren't many opportunities to meet prefects and county magistrates on ordinary days, so such a literary gathering is naturally not to be missed.

Besides, since it's the Prince Qi's mansion that's paying for it, even if you don't become famous, it's still good to have a good meal on Datong Street and fill your stomach.

If one is fortunate enough to leave behind a few pieces of calligraphy, even if it only leaves a faint impression on the county magistrate and the prefect, that would be excellent.

Who knows, if someone sees that you attended the same literary gathering, they might be so pleased that they'd like to become your mentor.

It's now late afternoon, and Old Huang's lesson is over. The old man naturally doesn't object to these things; in fact, he encourages them, as long as the homework is handed in the next day.

Seeing everyone getting moving, Fatty Chu chuckled smugly twice, then glanced at Ning Nan, who was still engrossed in writing, and frowned, saying:

"Brother Bai Xuan, get moving!"

Ning Nan shook his head, smiled and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Brother Chu. I have other things to do today, so I won't be going with you all... Hmm, I need to go to the cloth shop outside the city to make a name for myself, then go back to Datong Street, check out three shops, and then go home... As for the literary gathering... I'd better skip it... I'm already famous enough."