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

The other person's actions, expressions, and words were all full of sarcasm, but Qin Yuanyao was completely oblivious. She simply raised her eyelids slightly and then turned around abruptly.

She was a fourth-rank commander, while Shangguan Xiu was only a fifth-rank commander.

Even this commander, who seems to have been appointed because of several great achievements, probably relied more on the names of his father and brothers in the process.

Otherwise, even if they had made meritorious contributions, how could they have risen so quickly? Unlike her, who earned a fourth-rank official position purely through fighting her way up with her sword.

As for the young master Ning who seemed so dismissive of the fourth-rank official… she let out a slight snort, somewhat disdainful. But soon, this disdain wavered as she recalled a series of events.

This young master Ning, or rather, this great prince consort Ning... is strange, very strange.

When this man was researching and developing that new type of gunpowder and creating the detachable trebuchet, he was like a master craftsman reborn as Lu Ban; when he was plotting to lure and kill Xiao Chun, he was like a strategist who could devise ten plans in one step; when he spent a fortune to invite troops from three counties, he was like a spoiled brat who didn't know the cost of living; when he led his troops to attack Black Tiger Mountain, it seemed like there were no obstacles at all, and the enemy directly transformed into a decisive general, breaking through the mountain in a single day.

In resolving the cotton issue at Sujin Pavilion, the other party's temperament, tactics, strategic planning, courage, and wisdom were so impressive that even Chen Ruhai, who had been navigating the business world for many years, felt terrified. He felt that his son-in-law was like Tao Zhu reborn, turning the rotten into the miraculous.

All the bizarre, audacious, and seemingly reckless actions this person had taken in the early stages suddenly transformed into ingenious and far-sighted moves once Bai Yufang appeared, leaving people deeply astonished and even terrified.

In particular, the fact that this person had put himself in a life-or-death situation and then survived, by asking Grand Tutor Gu to point out the ten major harms of Baiyufang, thus drawing the imperial court into the game and ultimately making Baiyufang the only futures trading shop in the world, sent chills down her spine.

It's hard to believe that this person had already planned every step of the way the moment he approached the Songjiang cotton merchant with the silver notes to buy cotton at five times the price... If that's the case, then the speed and depth of his calculations are truly terrifying.

When Zhuge Liang emerged from seclusion, he was only twenty-seven years old. And this seemingly carefree, even somewhat rascally-like young man, who was curious about many things but at the same time seemed indifferent to many things, was only eighteen.

As Qin Qianshi led the other party out of the mansion after revealing his credentials, he paused for a moment, waiting for the young man who was looking up at the fireworks and Kongming lanterns filling the city. The young man's eyes were full of curiosity and envy, completely unlike a sinister figure who carried three terrifying weapons hidden in a leather pouch on his waist.

Qin Yuanyao's eyes widened in surprise, and a quote from historical records about Emperor Gaozu of Han inexplicably came to mind: "Emperor Gaozu was neither good nor bad."

The fireworks were dazzling.

The rumble was like thunder.

Qin Yuanyao wore a black gauze hat, a bright red robe, and an exquisite gold belt around her waist, with a frost-covered embroidered spring knife hanging from her left hip. She turned her head, interrupting the young man's gaze on the fireworks, and said, "Your gunpowder—" The Vice Minister Qin hesitated for a moment, then solemnly replied, "Why is it that although the Ministry of Works has developed your kind of gunpowder, and the probability of it exploding has been greatly reduced, its power still seems inferior to your musket? And its accuracy is also not as good as your musket?"

Ning Nan withdrew his gaze from the fireworks over the Qinhuai River, smiled, and said noncommittally, "I don't know either. A lot of times, some things depend on luck. Like calligraphy, some pieces, even the Sage of Calligraphy, might only be completed once in their entire life, right?"

Qin Yuanyao glanced at him. Seeing that he was unwilling to say more, she didn't press the matter. With a flick of her head, the black hair under her black hat almost hit Ning Nan's face.

"Stay close to me." The female officer pressed her left hand against the cold blade at her waist, her voice short and forceful.

The Prince Xin's residence covers a large area and is divided into the East Wing, the Main Wing, and the West Wing. Ning Nan followed Qin Qianshi ahead and entered through the side gate of the West Wing. Along the way, there were countless sentries, both overt and covert. Even Qin Yuanyao had to check her gold badge and the password for the day from time to time in order to slowly pass through along the winding path.

The road was adorned with dazzling lanterns.

The further you go, the clearer the noise becomes. The aroma of wine and the smell of grease from food gradually fill the air, and occasionally you can smell the smell of gunpowder, which must be the lingering smell of cannons and fireworks.

Passing through an octagonal gate, a lively atmosphere greeted them. Round tables were scattered throughout, and a stage stood in front. Qin Yuanyao said, "This is the first courtyard of the main residence. You'll stay here. Those sitting here are just minor officials. If anything comes up later, I'll call you." She then handed him a gold token, explaining that with this token, the guards of the Prince's residence and the Imperial Guards would allow him to carry firearms.

Ning Nan nodded. Seeing the female officer turn and walk towards the second courtyard, he didn't think much of it. The other party was strolling so leisurely, it seemed that there was nothing urgent. Perhaps she just wanted his firearms to keep things under control, otherwise she wouldn't be so calm.

He put the gold medal in his pocket, casually found a round table at the end of the row and sat down. The banquet was over, and there were only some fruits and snacks on the table.

A young servant in blue from the Prince's mansion served him tea and politely presented a play schedule, saying that there were three more plays to come. If the guest wanted to request a play, he could, but the troupe might not be able to perform for another hour before it was his turn.

Ning Nan made an "oh" sound, pretending to look at the opera folds. The play being performed now was "The Peony Pavilion," and the next three acts were "The Ballad," "The Weaver Girl," and "Ding Lang Recognizes His Father."

He glanced at the selections and then chose "Sun Wukong's Havoc in Heaven." The young servant in blue smiled slightly, said thank you for choosing the play, and then left. The people at the same table looked at him with some surprise, wondering how such a poor-looking scholar had entered the Prince's mansion.

The people from the Prince's residence were just being polite by asking you to choose a play, but this scholar actually took it seriously? Even officials of the sixth or seventh rank in the capital only dared to laugh and say, "The guest follows the host's lead. It's already a blessing to be able to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with Prince Xin..." How could they dare to actually and casually choose a play!

Ning Nan was naturally unaware of these things, but seeing that everyone was looking at him, he naturally put on a friendly smile, raised his glass in greeting, and the officials, of course, would not offend him for no reason, so they all smiled and nodded in acknowledgment, then subtly withdrew their gazes and continued watching the show.

However, their hearts were not on this side. While watching the play, some people would say things like, "I wonder if the winner has been decided yet," "What is the Northern Dynasty worth?" "Wu Tanhua," "Sending a child to humiliate us," "Even Wu the Chess Saint has been defeated," and so on.

Ning Nan became curious upon hearing the words "Chess Saint Wu".

He recognized this man. Back at the Zhenguo Marquis's residence, this man had played chess with the chess fanatic. Although he lost more often than he won, he was practically the only one who could beat the chess fanatic. Li was indeed formidable. Presumably, someone from the Northern Dynasty was currently facing off against this Wu chess master.

Following the gaze of these distracted spectators, he realized that the chess game was likely being played in the inner courtyard, perhaps even the third courtyard. He glanced around and saw a group of people gathered at the entrance to the second courtyard.

Beyond that group of people, there were indeed some stewards and servants standing at the entrance. They were probably blocking the officials. To be precise, they were blocking some officials whose hats were too small.

Even the lowest-ranking official is still an official. Since they can't get in, there's no need for me to join the fun and make a fool of myself, getting humiliated by the servants of the Prince's mansion. I'll just listen to that dark-skinned woman who's been promoted and stay put.

Just then, a surprised voice came from behind him.

"Big brother!"