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

"Go?"

Zhu Cuiwei stared at the two silhouettes shouting on the window frame, her brows furrowed slightly, and repeated the maid's words.

After pursing her lips and thinking for a moment, she instructed Chunyu to serve some fruits and pastries to the master and guests in the flower hall, and to replace them with hot tea.

Remembering what Qin Yuanyao had said about two old men among the three guests, and worried that the young doctor might wear them out, he ordered his maid Qiu Mu to remind the master to rest early.

Qiu Mu asked in a daze, "The two old people are already asleep on the bench in the flower hall."

Zhu Cuiwei's eyes widened in surprise, and she was speechless for a moment. She then ordered Qiu Mu to bring in a few quilts so that the guests wouldn't catch a cold. The two little maids ran off.

After giving these instructions, he told Qin Yuanyao and the others that they could also change shifts and rest.

At this moment, the female commander lowered her eyes, her gaze seemingly filled with struggle and complexity. But after gritting her teeth slightly, she took out a letter from her bosom, saying that it was written by her son-in-law and that she should deliver it to Princess Zhu Jiamu of Tang.

The moonlight was like water.

Like silver pouring down.

Zhu Cuiwei glanced at the envelope, her eyes indifferent, and said softly, "Don't open it."

Standing outside the flower-filled hall, Qin Yuanyao quickly bowed her head and said, "Your subordinate knows her mistake. Because the matter involves foreign vassals, it is the duty of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, so we had no choice but to open it up and take a look. It was not intentional disrespect towards the young master."

"Is that so?" Zhu Cuiwei looked helpless and nodded her chin, saying, "Since it's part of my duty... well... then let's not do it again."

Qin Yuanyao immediately nodded: "Yes, sir."

With a thud, Zhu Cuiwei turned around, her black hair cascading down, now streaked with silver, and said calmly, "Commander Qin, then send someone to deliver a message to the Princess. You've had a hard day too. The cook has prepared some white fungus soup; come to the main hall later for a bowl before you go to rest."

"Yes," the female commander replied, bowing.

The soft footsteps faded into the distance. Qin Yuanyao silently breathed a sigh of relief, tore the letter open, and examined the paper carefully under the moonlight for a long time, word by word. After letting out a long sigh, she put the letter back in the box, walked to the main gate, handed it to the guard on duty, and instructed him to relight the sealing wax and then deliver it to the Prince of Tang's residence.

After finishing these tasks, the female commander rubbed her eyes and arrived at the main hall. Sure enough, Prince Xin was drinking white fungus and lotus seed soup while waiting for her.

After Qin Yuanyao sat down, the maidservants immediately ladled out a bowl for her and served it to her. After offering their blessings by setting down the porcelain bowl, the two maidservants took their bowls and went to another room.

Qin Yuanyao picked up the white bowl, and at that moment, His Highness Prince Xin glanced at her.

Qin Yuanyao took a sip without showing any emotion and calmly said, "Your Highness, please calm down. It is my duty to check whether the letter my son-in-law wrote to the princess contains any taboos related to foreign vassals."

Zhu Cuiwei took a bite of the lotus seed and remained silent.

Qin Yuanyao said, "After Yuanyao checked it repeatedly... there is nothing, nothing at all that is taboo... the son-in-law asked the princess to find some things in Guangfu in the letter."

Zhu Cuiwei stopped eating and frowned: "What is that?"

Qin Yuanyao's expression was also somewhat strange as she sorted through the information, saying, "The young master said he hopes the princess can help him find corn, potatoes, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, chili peppers... and rubber trees and seeds in places like Guangzhou... The young master said that some things, like sweet potatoes, might already be found in Fujian and Guangzhou... As for chili peppers, they might already be found in Yunnan and Guizhou... The young master described the appearance and smell of these things... Oh, especially rubber, the young master seems to value this very much... The young master said that this might only be found by Westerners overseas..."

As Zhu Cuiwei listened, she scooped up some white fungus and lotus seed soup from the white porcelain bowl. She frowned slightly, but quickly relaxed. The young doctor always did things a bit strangely. She didn't think about it anymore and said calmly, "Alright. Don't open other people's letters again."

Qin Yuanyao's eyelids twitched, and she hesitated, saying, "What if it's my duty?"

Zhu Cuiwei didn't speak, and put down the porcelain bowl in her hand.

Qin Yuanyao solemnly replied, "Your Highness, rest assured, I will certainly fulfill my duties faithfully."

Zhu Cuiwei rose gracefully and said with a smile, "Commander Qin, you've worked hard. Have another bowl of white fungus soup before you rest."

"yes!"

……

The stars and moon revolve.

After the rooster crowed three times, Zhu Cuiwei slowly opened her eyes and looked to her side, only to find it empty. The young doctor hadn't returned to rest all night.

After getting up, I washed up with the help of two maids and had breakfast. The sky was beginning to lighten, and the Ning Mansion was shrouded in the morning mist, a vast expanse of white.

When she arrived at the flower hall, wearing a thin veil for warmth, she found that the three guests had already left. Only the young doctor remained, staring blankly at the chessboard. She went over to take a look; hmm, Go.

She glanced at him and noticed that the young doctor was holding a chess manual, staring intently at the chessboard, muttering to himself, and looking quite serious, so she didn't disturb him.

She only instructed Chunyu to remind the master to get a good night's sleep, as the uncle and his family would be coming for dinner that evening. The little maidservant responded with a "Yes, sir."

They left the Ning residence.

Zhu Cuiwei slowly boarded a carriage and returned to the Prince Xin's residence.

After changing into a robe with gold trim and dragon patterns, and wearing a crown with hanging beaded curtains, they arrived at the East Palace Council Hall.

Then someone excitedly came to report, saying, "Congratulations, Your Highness! Congratulations! Grand Tutor Sun's strategy has worked!"

Zhu Cuiwei paused for a moment, took the note handed to her, and after reading it carefully, her expression immediately brightened.

Last night, starting at midnight, the cabinet followed the method of Grand Secretary Sun, gradually summoning the Russian envoys, the Korean envoys, the Ministry of War, the Five Military Commissions, and the chief secretaries of the Tang and Gui kings. Sure enough, the Northern Dynasty stopped making trouble in the early hours of this morning.

But he did not apologize to Princess Tang.

At dawn, the deputy envoy from the Northern Dynasty entered the palace to request an audience with the Emperor. The Emperor later sent a letter, stating that considering the fourth son of the Northern Dynasty's Prince Heshuo was seriously injured and unable to walk, he would exempt the envoy from personally visiting to apologize, but a written apology was still required. Forcing the Northern Dynasty to submit was no easy feat, and this move greatly encouraged the officials in the hall!

……

……

It was around 3 PM.

A horse-drawn carriage was traveling from west to east along Datong Street.

Zhu Xianze, the beloved heir of the Gui Prince's Mansion, sat in the carriage with a complicated expression, heading to the Xin Prince's Mansion to pay homage to the Xin Prince.

"Mr. Cheng," Zhu Xianzhe said with some concern, sitting upright in the carriage, turning to the scholar beside him, "how is Mr. Zhang now?"

Cheng Qianqiu cupped his hands and said, "Young Master, rest assured, Mr. Zhang has been rescued. Although he has caught a cold, the doctor said that Mr. Zhang's health is not serious. He just needs to rest and avoid worrying, and he will recover in a month."

"it is good."

Zhu Xianze lowered his head and sighed.

"It's good that Mr. Zhang is alright."

He sighed silently. Zhu Xianze's feelings toward his advisor, Zhang Qingping, were truly complex.

As the heir of the Prince Gui's mansion, he had never felt short of money. However, thanks to Mr. Zhang's ingenious plan of "buying more when prices fall and continuously lowering the cost price, and selling when prices rise," the Prince Gui's mansion emptied half of its treasury in the capital by purchasing promissory notes at Baiyufang.

Mr. Zhang also jumped into the river.