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

Ning Nan's eyes suddenly widened, and he stared blankly at Fatty Chu.

"What?"

When the questioning continued, Mr. Huang Lizhou had already begun his lecture, his voice rising and falling in intonation, and the fat man leisurely turned back to the side.

Ning Nan hadn't been to the private school for several days and had already fallen behind, so he could only suppress his shock and doubts and go listen to Mr. Li Zhou's explanation of Zhu Xi's commentary on the chapter "Li Yun".

As Mr. Lizhou spoke, he would also pose several questions, asking them to solve them at any time and then explain them to him.

After listening to the lecture this morning, I realized that although I had missed a few days of schoolwork, I had been studying hard at home and was not far behind the top students in the school.

The teacher's questions were tricky, but the students' level was not bad either.

Tang Ruobin's approach to solving the problem was the most ingenious, but unfortunately, the professor commented that it was a bit too craftsman-like.

Zhao Jing is the most reliable and steady, but he is also unlikely to make any mistakes, while Zou Tianju falls somewhere in between.

Zuo Yong was surprisingly the youngest, yet his solution was surprisingly ingenious, making him a better version of Tang Lianbin.

Chu the Fatty was snoring so loudly that it even attracted the attention of those in the front row. Ning Nan nudged him, and he groggily looked up, drooling all over the table.

During lunchtime.

A group of people surrounded him, calling him "Brother Changxiao" and "Brother Gaoxiao" repeatedly.

Ning Nan had a terrible headache, and after a long while, he slowly pieced together the whole story from what Chu Pangzi, Tang Ruobin, Zhao Jing, and the others had said...

The day before yesterday was the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Inside the Xiaoxiang Pavilion of the Prince Xin's Mansion, a poetry gathering was held, led by Grand Scholar Liu, Old Man He, Elder Chen, and Zhang Jian of Bailu Academy.

The aforementioned distinguished figures are highly respected and can be considered as judges of the poetry gathering.

The talented men who participated in the poetry gathering included not only young people from the North and South such as Xu Yang, Shang Duo, Lu Jing, and Nalan Que, but also middle-aged celebrities around forty years old such as Xiao Xing, Chen Yuanhan, and Du Xiangqing from Sichuan. Nalan Que was even a relative of Nalan Wenzong of the Northern Dynasties.

The poetry gathering was divided into two pavilions, one for men and one for women, with the great scholars and talented men residing in the South Pavilion.

Many noblewomen and young ladies of marriageable age gathered in the north pavilion of Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

The North Pavilion was headed by Ren Xianglin, the wife of Tong Hanlin, who was renowned for her talent.

It was a poetry gathering, coinciding with the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the venue was the residence of Prince Xin, who was about to ascend the throne. With so many noble ladies in the North Pavilion, the talented men naturally gave it their all, producing a plethora of poems and lyrics, one wave after another.

Even Chen Yuanhan and Du Xiangqing, who had declared they would not write poems for the Mid-Autumn Festival, couldn't help but smile wryly. Not wanting to be outdone, they produced two excellent poems, overshadowing the younger generation like Xu Yang and drawing cheers from both the North and South Pavilions.

The elders couldn't help but argue about whether Chen Yuanhan's "Bu Suanzi" was better or Du Xiangqing's "Shan Jian Qing" was superior. However, after Zhang Jian curiously asked, "Can it be compared with 'Pipa Xian'?", everyone blushed and then froze, speechless.

The poem "Pipa Fairy" by Nalan Wenzong of the Northern Dynasties begins with "Year after year, on the blue sea, I ask, for whom does the moon wax and wane?" and ends with "Alone now, how can I bear to face the moon of yesteryear again?" It is desolate and lonely, truly a masterpiece for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Chen and Du, who were by his side, could only smile bitterly and shake their heads, saying that they were ashamed of their own inferiority.

At that moment, cheers and applause erupted from the North Pavilion where the woman was located.

Everyone was taken aback and looked in that direction.

Not long after.

A servant came over with a piece of paper, saying that it was a poem sent by Madam Ren Xianglin, written by Madam Xiao's grand-nephew.

For a moment, no one could recall who Madam Xiao was. Upon hearing "grand-nephew," someone laughed and said, "It's probably a child's work, hence the laughter."

Scholar Liu laughed and said, "Children are innocent and carefree. It is not easy for them to learn to read, but their lyrics may be quite unique."

Everyone nodded in agreement, but inwardly they felt rather helpless and unconvinced.

It seems that this Madam Xiao wanted to earn the title of "child prodigy" for her offspring, so she brought over this poem.

Scholar Liu took the note, and Old Man He casually smiled at the servant and asked, "Did that Madam Xiao mention the name of her grand-nephew?" It was Mid-Autumn Festival, so why not say that the child was a prodigy?

"Yes, she did," the servant nodded. "Madam Xiao told Madam Ren that her grand-nephew's surname is Ning, and his given name is Nan."

"Heh, Ning..." Old Crane laughed. "Nan..." After saying the name, his eyes suddenly froze, and the smile on his face came to an abrupt end.

The other prominent figures who had hoped to make this "prodigy" famous were also taken aback when they heard the name of their grand-nephew.

Immediately, everyone gasped, the entire room filled with astonishment!

They all rushed forward to look at the letter in Scholar Liu's hand.

"Ning Nan? Ning Baixuan?"

"Does he write lyrics?"

What words?

"Nian Nu Jiao?"

"To the tune of Nian Nu Jiao: A Mid-Autumn Festival Gift to the Virtuous Couple Ning Changling and Xiao Minmin..."

"Ning Changling?...Ning Changling! Could that be the name of the Marquis of Jingbei?"

For a moment, everyone was surprised that Ning Baixuan had written a poem for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Then, upon closer inspection, they were even more surprised to see that the poem was a gift to Marquis Jingbei, Ning Changling, and his wife.

Adding the words "grand-nephew" from before, someone stared in astonishment and said, "Could this Ning Baixuan be a member of the Jingbei Marquis's clan? Could he be the Jingbei Marquis's grand-nephew?"

Such surprise was nothing at this point.

Scholar Liu paused for a moment.

After looking at it for a while, he first let out a long sigh, exhaling his frustration. Then, a glint of light flashed in his eyes, and he raised the note in his hand, letting out a long laugh:

"Ladies and gentlemen, here comes a poem that rivals Nalan Xingde's!"

Everyone was immediately taken aback. Seeing Liu Zhenxi smiling and keeping them in suspense, they were both annoyed and itchy, and they all wanted the Grand Scholar to read out the poem.

Chen Yuanhan and Du Xiangqing exchanged glances. Although they hadn't participated in the North-South Poetry Gathering, they had long heard of Leng Lengqing's great reputation. They never expected to see him produce a poem that surpassed even Nalan's. For a moment, they were both curious and somewhat unconvinced. The two of them smiled and raised their hands, saying, "Grand Scholar, stop keeping us in suspense!"

"How about I read it instead?"

Just as Scholar Liu was about to recite this poem.

However, Nalan Ruo, having finished the chess game, personally went to Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

Upon arriving, I heard Scholar Liu say that he had a poem that could surpass the "Pipa Fairy" poem, which piqued my curiosity.

Upon seeing the arrival of this Emperor Wenzong of the Northern Dynasty and hearing that he had just defeated Master Gongsun in chess, everyone was filled with awe and respect, and they all bowed to him. Old Man He looked particularly embarrassed.

Nalan Ruo smiled and returned the greetings one by one.

Scholar Liu chuckled and stroked his beard, then handed the note to Nalan Ruo. Even though Nalan Ruo was nearly twenty years younger than him, he treated him as an equal and said with a smile, "Very good, very good. If Brother Nalan reads it himself, you will know whether what I said is true or not."

Nalan Ruo accepted it with a smile.

The writing on the note was in small regular script, seemingly written by a woman, and it must have been copied by Madam Xiao.

The ci poem title is "Nian Nu Jiao".

The first stanza begins with "Gazing afar from a high vantage point, one sees a vast expanse of sky, without a trace of cloud," and ends with "The landscape is like a painting, with misty trees clearly visible in the distance."

The second stanza begins with "I drunkenly clap my hands and sing wildly, raising my cup to invite the moon, making three guests with my shadow," and ends with "In the Crystal Palace, a single note from a flute breaks the silence."

His voice was clear and calm, and after the entire poem was heard, the audience fell silent.

Nalan Ruo clutched the note.

After gazing at it for a long time.

The Northern Dynasty's Emperor Wenzong sighed deeply and smiled broadly at the crowd, saying, "Last year, Nalan's poem 'The Immortal of the Pipa' was appreciated by friends from both the North and South, who called it the best work for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Although Nalan often declined to comment, he couldn't help but feel proud of himself. Today, I see," he raised the paper in his hand and laughed loudly, "Nalan claims that his long whistling is extraordinary, but there is an even higher whistling like the wind behind him."

Upon hearing this, everyone knew that what Emperor Wenzong of the Northern Dynasty was referring to was the story of "Su Men's Long Howl". While they were delighted and curious about the new poem, they couldn't help but admire him even more.