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

Last night, when she was pale, Tong Jia, who was sitting next to her, put her little hand into hers and asked, "What's wrong, sister?" She stared blankly and couldn't open her mouth for a long time.

Tong Jia's hands were like a furnace, but her palms were ice cold.

Only after seeing the young doctor slowly emerge from the night and enter the arena did his stiff body gradually recover, and his pursed lips finally opened, letting out a long breath.

Four brutal and decisive gunfights resulted in the deaths of seven people.

Still shaken, the Ministry of Rites arranged for the dancers to perform several more dances at the subsequent banquet.

She, the master, could no longer sit still. After handing the reins over to Zhao Silang, she hastily returned home.

I was on tenterhooks the whole way, but I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the young doctor fiddling with Kongming lanterns in the flower hall.

The young doctor had a sudden inspiration and took her to the Qinhuai River to release lanterns... Standing by the river, when the fishy wind blew over, her gaze remained blank, as if she had not yet emerged from that feeling of panic.

The two rested until nightfall.

She covered herself with a light blanket, snuggled into his arms, and felt that familiar warmth. She couldn't help but pinch his cheek, then closed her eyes peacefully, like a bird that had escaped death from a flying arrow, finally returning to its nest after flying for a day and a night... She snuggled into his arms and slowly fell asleep.

The sky is high and the air is crisp today.

The kitchen was unusually bright.

Cook Xu was a bit of a clean freak. She was diligent in cleaning every day, and after cooking, she would wipe the stove more than three times to keep the kitchen clean and tidy.

Ning Nan chopped vegetables with a clattering sound. Seeing that Cui Cui was pretending not to hear him again, he helplessly snorted and sulked as if he had been tricked. The chopping sound became much louder. Cui Cui said casually, "Don't cry if you cut your hand." The chopping sound immediately quieted down again.

The osmanthus tree in the courtyard was in bloom. When I brought the dishes to the flower hall, the autumn breeze carried the fragrance of osmanthus throughout the entire hall.

Zhu Qinghuan had long, slender fingers, sat upright, and looked delicate and frail. She must not have taken good care of her health, as her face had a sickly pallor. No wonder her mother-in-law, Cui Cui, made her chicken soup.

There is indeed a scar on her face, running down from the left side of her nose to her left cheek. It's not too serious, and she's still quite pretty. She has a very sweet and innocent look when she smiles.

With facial disfigurement, it's difficult to find a good husband, unless a matchmaker intervenes and helps conceal it.

But in that case, it would be better to provide her with some family property, lay things out on the table, and find a son-in-law with a respectable background.

Otherwise, once the veil is lifted, the groom might give her a hard time, and she'll have to suffer her husband's temper for no reason.

"Qinghuan toasts her brother-in-law."

The little girl's eyes were like those of a frightened little deer, and she held up her wine glass with both hands, her face flushed.

Ning Nan chuckled, returned the toast, and said, "Greetings, sister." Then, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a one-hundred-tael silver note, handed it over, and said with a smile, "This is a small gift for us. Take it and go buy some cloth and food." The young girl secretly glanced at Cui Cui's mother, and only after the mother nodded slightly did she accept the silver note with both hands, obediently whispering, "Thank you, brother-in-law." The unease and fear in her eyes finally faded away.

Ning Nan also rewarded the two sharp-looking maids of the other party with twenty taels each. Both maids had oval faces and were tall. They were considered very beautiful in ordinary families. Perhaps Cui Cui's wife had changed their names. One was called Xia Wan and the other Dong Ying. They were now grouped together with the two maids Chun Yu and Qiu Mu in the family.

Cui Cui's wife said that the Ning family would provide for the food, clothing, and daily necessities of her sister and the two maids, and that her brother-in-law would no longer be responsible for them.

Ning Nan didn't understand any of this, but with a wave of his hand, he said generously, "Giving my sister a hundred taels of silver a month is the usual practice, just consider it as raising a daughter."

Cui Cui's lips curved into a smile as she said softly, "Hmm, we don't need that much. I'll arrange it. You eat." Ning Nan nodded with an "oh," and then, with the composure of a middle-aged patriarch, picked up his rice bowl with an air of unwavering resolve.

We've had a meal.

Ning Nan took the hot towel Chun Yu handed him, tidied himself up a bit, and said with a smile, "Brother-in-law is about to take the imperial examination and has gone to study. Your sister rarely has a day off at home, so spend more time talking to her." Qing Huan gave a soft "hmm."

Hurried footsteps.

Seeing the young doctor's back as he walked out of the flower hall, turned right, and went to the study.

Zhu Cuiwei slowly withdrew her gaze and took Qinghuan's hand in hers.

But his mind couldn't help but wander to other things.

Last night, when we were releasing lanterns, the young doctor said, "I'll write 'Master Zhu, your martial arts are unparalleled,' and you'll write 'Master Ning, congratulations on your fortune.'"

She was immediately annoyed and refused to show it to the other person. She planned to write "Ning the young doctor is glib-tongued," but after writing "Ning the young doctor," she crossed out a few words, her face flushed, and changed it to "Ning the prince consort."

Shashashasha.

"May the Prince Consort of Ning enjoy joy and peace."

……

Night was falling.

Inside the study of the Ning family mansion.

After diligently adding oil to the lamp, Chunyu hurriedly walked out with small, quick steps.

The room was brightly lit with a dim yellow light.

In the afternoon, Ning Nan took the topic from the top scholar's exam paper given to him by Han Laoguai, which was from the fifth year of the Longchang era: "Promote the upright and dismiss the crooked, and the people will submit." He wrote an eight-legged essay, starting with the topic and continuing the theme, and finished it in one go.

Full of confidence, he compared his paper with those of the top three in the provincial examination, but the difference in quality was immediately apparent.

People praise the sage from a much more novel angle, using more allusions, writing style, and diction, making him seem incredibly learned and talented. This inevitably makes people feel melancholy and frustrated.

However, the progress is still quite significant. Although it cannot compare to the top three, it is not necessarily inferior to other papers in the provincial examination.

When he got married, Grand Tutor Gu and his brother-in-law each gave him several boxes of books, many of which were rare and unique copies.

It has little to do with the imperial examinations, but it is perfect for enriching allusions and vocabulary.

For the past two weeks, although I've been busy with many things, I've still managed to read a lot of books.

At this time, the night was deep and still.

He pulled Cui Cui's wife into the study.

"What is this?" Zhu Cuiwei's eyebrows, which were as light as distant mountains, furrowed slightly as she stared at the brocade box on the table filled with silver notes.

Ning Nan closed the study door tightly, flipped over a teacup, and poured a cup of tea for himself and his wife.

"Silver notes," he said to his wife, rolling his eyes.

Zhu Cuiwei's fair, porcelain-like hands rummaged through the contents, her brows furrowing deeper with each rummage: "How much silver is this?...Where did you get so much money?"

"Two hundred and twenty thousand taels," said Ning Da Dongjia.

Zhu Cuiwei's pair of bright, clear eyes widened slightly.

She was momentarily dazed, when something suddenly came to mind.

Fang Hongcai had previously reported that his son-in-law was asking him to do some strange things, such as trading with another accountant at a certain price. As he was talking, Fang Hongcai stopped talking, looking like he wanted to say something but couldn't.

She frowned and pressed him for an answer. Fang Hongcai's eyes glazed over, and his face paled slightly. After thinking for a while, he said in an extremely uncertain tone, "Your Highness, I don't know either... I always feel... the prices of the entire Baiyufang... seem, seem, seem to be under the control of the young master..." He spoke hesitantly, his expression complicated.

"It was earned from Baiyufang," Master Ning chuckled, offering a casual explanation.

Zhu Cuiwei's already large, watery eyes looked even bigger, and she subconsciously puffed out her cheeks.

Master Ning clapped his hands and said, "I originally intended to use this money to settle the debts of Sujin Pavilion, but the imperial court is generous and has taken over Sujin Pavilion's debts as well, treating it as a redemption of Baiyufang from me... Well, this money is ours now."

Zhu Cuiwei's breath hitched... Hadn't the Ministry of Revenue and the Inner Court already settled accounts...? Didn't the Emperor say that the young physician had suffered a great loss this time?