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

The sun was gradually setting in the west.

After Ning Nan finished his Go lesson and took a nap, it was already late afternoon.

The maid said that the lady had returned.

Ning Nan squinted as she washed up, nodding as she did so.

My uncle sent someone yesterday to say he'd be coming over for dinner tonight, so my wife, Cui Cui, specially ordered food from Fu Lai Restaurant. They'll be delivering it, but she still plans to cook a few dishes herself. She also mentioned that my brother-in-law and Lizhi will be coming over for dinner too. That's great.

But somewhat unexpectedly...

When he arrived at the flower hall, he found that his uncle and brother-in-law were already there. Ning Nan quickly apologized, saying with a wry smile that he had overslept.

The brother-in-law was dressed in a white casual outfit. Although his face was pale, he looked to be in good spirits. Lizhi was standing beside him.

The brother-in-law laughed and said that it was no problem at all, as he had already greeted the old man and had a very pleasant conversation.

Ning Nan smiled and said, "Sorry, I was being rude." His brother-in-law said, "We're all family, it's alright."

Uncle hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "Yes, we had a very pleasant conversation."

Uncle Bo's complexion seemed better than before, but there was a complicated expression on his face, as if he had some unspeakable trouble.

Then, Uncle said that because his wife and Beizhi were going to Prince Xin's Mid-Autumn Festival banquet the next day, his wife took Beizhi back to her parents' home today to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with them.

Madam Xiao is the only daughter of the Minister of Rites and his wife, and the two families live close by, so this makes perfect sense. Ning Nan nodded.

The two maids had already served tea to the uncle and brother-in-law. They said that the lady was waiting for the master in the kitchen.

Ning Nan then apologized again, saying he was going to see his wife. His brother-in-law laughed and said, "Brother-in-law, go ahead. I'll keep the old man company for a while." Ning Nan immediately thanked him, but when he looked at his uncle, he noticed that the old man's expression was somewhat reserved at this moment. So he smiled and said, "Uncle, don't worry, I'll be back soon." His uncle immediately said, "Okay, okay."

When we arrived at the kitchen.

To my surprise, there were two people in the kitchen, two women.

Cui Cui's wife was standing there chopping vegetables.

There was another one… Ning Nan's eyes widened as he exclaimed in surprise at the pink-clad woman who was squatting on the ground washing vegetables with her sleeves rolled up: "Princess?!"

Princess Tang, Zhu Jiamu.

Zhu Jiamu raised his head and smiled, but that smile contained a hint of bitterness and grievance.

"Hello, Mr. Ning."

"Why are you washing vegetables?" Ning Nan asked, taking a few steps forward.

Water droplets clung to Zhu Jiamu's two fair arms, his hands submerged in the wooden basin. His dimples vanished and reappeared suddenly as he said, "Your wife and I hit it off immediately. Since the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, I accepted her invitation to visit your esteemed residence today."

"Uh..." Ning Nan's breathing hitched.

Zhu Jiamu continued with a shy smile, "I saw that Sister Cuiwei likes to cook, and I got the itch to cook, so I asked her to let me help out."

Ning Nan stared blankly.

At this moment, Cui Cui's wife glanced at him, a faint blush appearing on her fair, oval face. She said in a similarly indifferent tone, "What are you looking at?" She held out the kitchen knife, "You cut it! I'll go help the princess wash the vegetables."

……

……

The Northern Dynasty's embassy was located on the west side of Datong Street, and its size was comparable to that of a royal palace.

Nalan Ruo played chess all night last night. After leaving Ningnan's house at dawn with He Weng and his disciple Xie Lin, he was in a great mood, but he was also extremely sleepy.

He boarded the carriage and ordered the driver to take Old Man He home first. After that, he wandered around the city. He wanted to fall asleep to the sound of fireworks from the Southern Dynasty.

When I woke up, the sun had already sunk in the west.

Seeing that his mentor had woken up and was in good spirits, the old man in brocade robes, Xie Lin, ordered the coachman to drive the carriage back to the Northern Dynasty's embassy.

"Master," Xie Lin said with some worry, "By order of the Northern Emperor, you are to present your poetry, chess skills, and Ning Jiexiao's calligraphy to the literary world of the Southern Dynasty tomorrow, but now... it's so deserted..."

Nalan Ruo laughed and said, "Didn't Brother Ning say that he didn't go anywhere for the Mid-Autumn Festival, and he didn't write any poems or lyrics? Besides, even if he did write lyrics, when it comes to Mid-Autumn Festival lyrics, he might not be able to match..." He paused, then chuckled and said, "He might be able to match that old man Liu Zhenxi."

Xie Lin smiled, knowing that his mentor was being modest, only mentioning Liu Zhenxi and not himself.

After a while, he pondered for a moment and said, "I never expected that Leng Leng Qingqing would have such an unparalleled talent in elephant chess. Fortunately, Old Crane has trapped himself. Without Leng Leng Qingqing, my master would be invincible in the art of elephant chess."

Last night, during the chess game, because Old Man Crane felt guilty and worried that Leng Leng Qingqing's loss to his mentor would damage his reputation, he made everyone swear an oath not to reveal the result. But unexpectedly, Leng Leng Qingqing won in the end. This was actually a good thing.

Nalan Ruo found it amusing to see his disciple so cautiously scheming. However, since his disciple wasn't part of the Northern Dynasty's delegation and was unaware of the inside story, he didn't say much.

To be honest, what surprised him most yesterday wasn't poetry or chess, but rather... the Nineteen Cardinal Rules of Chess, which Leng Leng Qingqing had only just begun learning yesterday. Last night, after his apprentice fell asleep, He Weng gave him his copy of "Wei Xianhe's Chess Talks Across the River in the Year of Yi Hai," and then went to sleep as well. Neither of them knew... about the games he had played with Leng Leng Qingqing. Nor did they know how quickly Leng Leng Qingqing had progressed... so quickly that even he was astonished...

With a few "whoosh"s from the coachman, the carriage stopped outside the Northern Dynasty embassy.

As soon as Nalan Ruo stepped down from the carriage, the people outside the embassy saw him return and immediately shouted, "Sir, you're back!" They sent someone inside to announce his return while simultaneously welcoming him.

Nalan Ruo laughed and asked, "How is Hong Jiao? He was beaten so badly yesterday."

Yesterday, we were supposed to go see Leng Leng Qingqing together, but things went wrong halfway there, and Hong Jiao was even beaten up. He was sleeping in the carriage at the time, and after being woken up, he wasn't allowed to get out, so he missed the commotion. Who would have thought that the Southern Dynasty would actually produce such a remarkable person?

The minor official who came to greet him said, "Reporting to you, sir, the Fourth Young Master is not seriously ill, but he has recently gone mad. He says that while in the Southern Dynasty, he is determined to cut off that man's head and bring it back to the North."

Nalan Ruo smiled noncommittally and asked, "Have you found out who did it?"

The clerk clasped his hands in a fist and said, "We've found out. His name is Ning Nan, Ning Baixuan. He's the one who's cold and aloof."

Nalan Ruo stopped in her tracks.

His pupils widened, and he frowned, asking the clerk in confusion, "Who did you just mention?"

"Ning Nan! Ning Baixuan!"

Inside the side room, the fourth young master, Hongjiao, whose face was swollen on one side, roared and cursed.

"I'm going to kill him! Did you hear me? I'm going to kill him! I want his head!! His head!"

The deputy envoy, Nilon, raised an eyebrow and solemnly clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Fourth Young Master, rest assured, I will definitely help you capture this person and kill him."

But at this time...

A soft voice drifted in.

"We can't catch them, and we can't kill them."

"Um?"

Hong Jiao's face contorted with rage, aggravating the injury on half of his swollen face, causing excruciating pain that brought tears to his eyes. Upon seeing the newcomer, Hong Jiao's pupils constricted, and he shouted:

"Nalan, Mr. Nalan..."

Nalan Ruo glanced at Hong Jiao's face, chuckled, and said, "Forget about capturing or killing him."

"Why?!" Hong Jiao slammed her hand on the table and shouted angrily.

Nalan Ruo laughed and said, "If this person were so easy to kill, the Southern Dynasty would have sent his head over by itself. The fact that it hasn't means that this person is not easy to kill."

Nilon narrowed his eyes: "Mr. Nalan, your words are a bit too much..."

Nalan Ruo didn't waste any words with him and said directly, "Speak, who exactly is Ning Nan? Don't tell me you haven't found out yet. And don't even think about using us Plain Yellow Banner people as weapons. Of course, we must take over the Southern Dynasty, but not now. Before that, a small act of impatience can ruin a great plan."

Hong Jiao glared at her and said, "Since when did it become our turn to tolerate this?"

"If we can't beat the Rakshasa, then it's our turn to endure."

Just then, a melodious voice came from outside the door.

The three people inside were startled and looked up.

At this moment, a young man wearing a melon-shaped hat and a yellow-striped mandarin jacket slowly walked in.

The newcomer had bright, piercing eyes and a handsome, refined appearance.

The three people inside immediately stopped arguing, stood up in unison, and kowtowed, saying, "This servant greets the Third Prince."