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

"Ninja"

Nilong looked at the words Dachun had written with tea, his eyes struggled for a moment, and he still made a move to get up, but Dachun tightened his right hand again, Nilong's face trembled, and he slowly sat down.

Seeing that the other party had already sat down, Da Chun swept his sleeve, and the words turned into several water droplets that disappeared.

Nilon narrowed his eyes to slits, glancing at Ning Baixuan, whose eyes were wide with astonishment, and then at Prince Xin behind the beaded curtain.

He pressed his hands firmly against the table, his eyes darkened, and he did not retaliate.

Da Chun is right. There are important matters to be discussed in the north, so we really have to swallow our anger at this time.

Da Chun glanced at him and said indifferently, "Vice Envoy Ni Chun...it's not a bad thing. The Plain Yellow Banner...it deserves a slap in the face too."

Niron was taken aback.

His gaze shifted to the expressionless bearded man, his eyes gradually narrowing. After a moment, he was suddenly startled and understood what the other man meant.

Dachun was a member of the Bordered Yellow Banner. The Bordered Yellow Banner was indecisive, with some wanting to go north first and then south, while others wanted to go south first and then north.

The Plain Yellow Banner, on the other hand, was determined to conquer the north before the south, proposing a ceasefire and alliance with the Southern Dynasty, and to expel the Rakshasa first.

Now that Hongjiao of the Plain Yellow Banner has suffered such a loss, if we return to the north... we can spread the word that Hongjiao was slapped by the Southern Dynasty people, and the Plain Yellow Banner dares not speak out against it.

Then we'll see which brat dares to say "north before south"! If they say that, let's see who still dares to call themselves a descendant of the Eight Banners!

Thinking this, Nilong felt a chill run down his spine and couldn't help but glance at Dachun a few more times.

In the past, the founding emperor started with thirteen suits of armor and rebelled against the Great Liang with seven great grievances... Looking at it now, it is not necessarily a bad thing to let the Plain Yellow Banner suffer this loss and harbor some hatred.

Da Chun said, "Nalan Ruo thinks that His Majesty allows him to act recklessly because he wants to appease Jiangnan and follow their path of first going north and then south. He has read too many books and his mind is no longer that of the people of Changbai Mountain and Heilongjiang. He only wants to learn the Han people's ways... He has forgotten how the eagles of Changbai Mountain and Heilongjiang swept across the world back then."

"His Majesty's appeasement of Jiangnan is certainly a gesture of appeasement, but it may not necessarily involve forming an alliance. He thinks His Majesty's mind is as broken as his own."

"Back then... when Emperor Taizong's army was at the border, did he not try to appease the nine border regions of Daliang? And was this appeasement an attempt to form an alliance? When he conquered the nine border regions, did Emperor Taizong's sword soften even slightly?... Deputy Envoy Nilong, if His Majesty truly intended to conquer the north first and then the south, the head and deputy head of the delegation... would not be you and me." Dachun had a rough appearance, but his voice was slow and deliberate.

Niron's eyes widened in surprise. After a moment of contemplation, he slowly relaxed, acknowledging the other's words. He smiled wryly and said, "Your Majesty... is indeed wise and mighty. It is beyond the comprehension of a servant like me."

Da Chun said, "His Majesty's mind has long been made up."

……

……

Hearing the old eunuch's question, Ning Nan's head was spinning.

What's wrong?

The old eunuch said expressionlessly:

"I think you are my neighbor. You made a big mistake the other day and were confined to your residence by His Majesty for three days. Tonight is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and I think that you are alone in the mansion, which may spoil the joy of the Mid-Autumn Festival reunion."

"Therefore, I sent someone to bring you to the Prince's residence, intending to give you a serious reprimand after the banquet today, so that you will not repeat the mistake of the day before."

"I never imagined that you, under the alias Jia Songling, would enter the courtyard and engage in a fierce battle with a group of officials, boasting shamelessly that you were invincible and claiming that whoever lost a game against you would have to kowtow three times to the bright moon! Ning Baixuan, tell me, is this true or not?!"

Upon hearing the old eunuch's strong voice and his self-designation as "I," everyone knew that he was speaking on behalf of Prince Xin.

Upon hearing its contents, I was quite surprised.

Ning Baixuan, Jia Wudi, whoever loses must kowtow... Everyone suddenly realized, so that's how it is.

So that's how the nickname "Invincible Jia" came about.

Ning Nan's expression froze for a moment, his heart pounding. After taking a deep breath, he slowly calmed down.

"Your Highness, this is indeed the case, but the matter may not be as Your Highness perceives it to be. Please allow me to recount the whole story..."

Before he could finish saying "Report in detail," the old eunuch interrupted.

"Let's not gossip, shall we?"

"Yes," Ning Nan replied.

"Very well, Ning Baixuan, let me ask you again: how many games of chess did you lose to your ministers?"

Ok?

Ning Nan swallowed, his face flushing slightly. After thinking for a moment, he honestly replied:

"Your Highness, the esteemed officials who entered the courtyard displayed exceptional chess skills and a steady playing style..."

"Stop talking nonsense," the old eunuch said.

"I haven't lost a single game," Ning Nan said awkwardly.

Upon hearing this, the crowd widened their eyes and erupted in uproar.

"Not a single game lost?!"

"How long did it last? A series of matches, and you didn't lose a single game?"

"How many people did you play chess with?"

"Did they really kowtow?"

"Really? You can't even win a single game?"

In an instant, a cacophony of questions and doubts arose, and a multitude of astonished and uncertain gazes converged on the figure in the arena.

The old eunuch sneered:

"Ning Baixuan, in the beginning, you played one-on-one, winning one game at a time, making one person kowtow to the moon. You weren't satisfied with that, so you started three games at the same time, playing against three different people simultaneously, isn't that right?"

As soon as the old eunuch finished speaking...

Someone jumped up in surprise and exclaimed, "Playing against three people at the same time?"

"Hmph, he not only played against three people at the same time, but later he played against five people at the same time, and even ten people at the same time!" the old eunuch sneered repeatedly.

Upon hearing this, everyone's mouths went dry, their eyes suddenly widened in astonishment, and gasps of surprise filled the room.

Playing against ten people at the same time?

You must not memorize the board positions of ten games at the same time.

Ning Nan's face was bitter, and he kept cursing the old eunuch's mother in his heart. Why did he keep harping on this when everyone was willing to accept the outcome of the bet?

"Uh..." Ning Nan said awkwardly, "Your Highness, this humble subject... this humble subject... had no choice. At the time, you gentlemen were in a hurry to settle things with me, so I opened several games at the same time to play chess with you all, hoping we could all cultivate our minds together..."

Cultivating one's character... Liu Zhi and Xu Longdao's eyes froze for a moment. They looked at each other, both speechless. They had seen the bruises on the foreheads of those officials before.

Is there such a way to cultivate one's character?

The people in the room were also surprised.

One person... opens ten chess games at the same time... plays chess against so many people at the same time... and still doesn't lose a single game?

At this moment, the old eunuch shouted sternly:

"Cultivate your character! Ning Baixuan, do you know that some adults are already in their sixties or seventies! There are quite a few in their fifties as well, and you actually want such elderly people to kowtow to the moon!"

Ning Nan gave a wry smile and said:

"Your Highness, I did try to persuade them... but those adults glared at me and said something about a gentleman's word being his bond, and they insisted on kowtowing..."

"If they don't kowtow, would you play a second round with them?"

"No," Ning Nan shook his head.

"That's it!"

Ning Nan stared wide-eyed and said, "They can't possibly not kowtow when they lose, but I have to kowtow when I lose, can I?"

The old eunuch snorted, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and said calmly with his head held high:

"Ning Baixuan, you are a criminal, yet not only do you show no remorse, you also used your talent to commit violence tonight, humiliating thirty-five officials, both civil and military, with your chess skills. The officials are furious... You have shown contempt for your superiors and acted arrogantly and recklessly. Ning Baixuan, you have incurred the wrath of the people tonight. I have decided to behead you—to appease the people!"

Before he finished speaking, the uproar in the room was even louder than before!

killed?

The ministers' pupils contracted, they held their breath, and turned their heads with a stern expression to look at Prince Xin at the head of the table.

Just kill them like that?

Next.

Ning Nan's eyes changed, his heartbeat instantly calmed down, and his hand subconsciously dropped to the three muskets in the leather bag behind him.

Li Xing quickly released his grip on his elder brother's robe, his face tense.

Although the three strong men beside him were pale with fright, they suddenly lost their fear and their legs stopped trembling.

"Big brother," San Zhuang whispered, "kidnapping Prince Xin..." He swallowed hard and placed his hand on the copper hammer at his waist.

Ning Nan's expression suddenly turned fierce. Upon hearing this, he felt somewhat relieved and let out a long breath. Although San Zhuang was simple-minded, he could still see the situation clearly at crucial moments.

At the critical moment.

Liu Zhi and Xu Longdao sighed inwardly, their eyes filled with complex emotions. The moment the old eunuch finished speaking, the two hurriedly stood up, rushed to their seats, and bowed:

"Your Highness, please reconsider! No! You mustn't!"

As the two trusted advisors of the Crown Prince stepped forward together, the breaths that had been held by everyone began to ease... This Jia Songling, oh no, this Ning Baixuan, was indeed too outrageous, humiliating so many civil and military officials, but his skills were undeniable, and killing him like this would be too much of a waste.

Hearing the two senior officials' unanimous opposition, the old eunuch remained silent, took a half step back, and listened attentively, seemingly heeding the king's decree.

After a tense dozen or so breaths.

The old eunuch said calmly in a raised voice, "Gentlemen, do you think this is unacceptable?"

Liu Zhi and Xu Long said in unison, "No."

Liu Zhi stepped forward and said that it was the Mid-Autumn Festival and it was not appropriate to shed blood. Ning Baixuan and the civil and military officials had a dispute over their feelings, and it was a gentleman's agreement between the two sides. No matter what the outcome, they did not deserve to die. Xu Longdao also spoke righteously. He basically just put Liu Zhi's words in a different way and repeated them.

The outspokenness of the two trusted ministers seemed to have put His Highness Prince Xin into deep thought.

After another ten or so breaths.

The old eunuch listened intently for a moment, then said loudly, "What you two say makes sense, but I also want to hear the opinions of others..."

He glanced at the seats in the Zhenguo Marquis's residence, bowed politely, and said, "I have long heard that Madam Jia of the Zhenguo Marquis's residence is well-educated, virtuous, and a model for noble families. May I ask Madam Jia, what is your opinion on this matter?"

This was a consultation with the nobles... The nobles' eyes lit up, and they nodded slightly. Prince Xin acted swiftly and decisively, but he was not autocratic and still respected them quite a bit.

"Bang!"

Madam Jia slammed her hand on the table, stood up abruptly, and said solemnly, "Your Highness, in my opinion, Ning Baixuan is not only innocent, but also meritorious!"

The old eunuch asked in surprise, "Oh? You've even rendered meritorious service?"