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

The current emperor was still young when he ascended the throne.

Although the late emperor entrusted the young Qin chief minister with the task, he also left behind many nobles and officials, including the now-adult King of Qi and King of Wu, to check and balance him.

The former Minister of War, Gao Congzhe, entered the cabinet. Both were ministers entrusted with the care of the young prince. The Prince of Qi, who was not yet thirty years old, succeeded him as Minister of War.

To guard against the Prince of Qi, although the Marquis of Jingbei was in the second northern city, he also remotely held the position of Left Commander of the Five Armies Commandery and sent his trusted generals to take over the Yongwei Camp.

The Prince of Wu, who was only in his early twenties, was appointed as the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture, in charge of the capital region.

King Qi rode his horse.

The King of Wu, who was skilled in literature, and Yu Wen, together formed a check and balance between the two.

Furthermore, the two powerful figures, Tang and Gui, are also present outside the capital.

Under such circumstances, the Qin chief minister could not act arbitrarily, and after the emperor turned fourteen, he could only be allowed to rule personally.

The lights in the Imperial Study were dim.

As Zhu Cuiwei listened to Qin Yuanyao report these events, she gazed at the faint moonlight outside the window.

Six or seven days have passed since the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the moon is now half-full.

Upon hearing that Jiao Dun was a man of the Prince of Qi's uncle, Zhu Cuiwei fell silent for a moment. After a long while, she smiled slightly and let out a sigh of relief:

"That's good."

……

……

Ning Nan accepted the pre-Qingming tea handed to him by the female disciple dressed in scholar's robes, blew on it a few times to warm it, and took a small sip.

It has a warm and refreshing taste upon entry, with a subtle sweet aftertaste.

"Snapped!"

With a tap of the fingertip, a white piece is placed on the chessboard.

"Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!"

Across from him, the handsome scholar Feng Yu's eyes lit up. He took out a black piece from the chess box, praising his opponent's move while pondering his next move.

Gongsun Heng didn't stand on ceremony and stood gracefully behind Ning Nan.

After each move, the two players would take out paper and pen to record the game score, their oval faces showing extreme seriousness.

After becoming a disciple of the master's wife.

No matter how much the master didn't want to teach, he had no choice but to accept it.

Moreover, her learning wasn't in vain.

Last night, I saw my teacher's sister, Qinghuan, pounding flowers, so I asked her if she wanted to make a sachet.

After receiving Qinghuan's affirmative answer, he brought the finest Shu embroidery that could be found in the capital. The craftsmanship was exquisite. He presented it to Qinghuan with both hands. Qinghuan was overjoyed, but dared not accept it. She kept blinking her big eyes at her brother-in-law.

Since his sister-in-law liked it so much, Ning Nan had no choice but to roll his eyes, wave his hand impatiently, and his sister-in-law happily accepted it.

Gongsun Heng secretly checked their ages and discovered that she was a month and three days older than Qing Huan. She was overjoyed and secretly told Qing Huan, "Let's address each other by our own names. I'll call your sister 'Shiniang,' and you can call me 'Sister.'"

Qinghuan was still a little dazed, but she was naturally very happy to have made a new friend. She called her "Sister Gongsun" as she wished. Gongsun laughed out loud. When Ning Nan looked at her with a pair of suspicious eyes, she covered her mouth again. When she opened her mouth again, her face turned into a ladylike smile.

Gongsun's kindness towards Qinghuan wasn't simply about pleasing her master's wife. Last night, when she saw her younger sister's face was damaged, she felt a pang of sympathy. But when she saw that Qinghuan remained cheerful despite her facial injuries, Gongsun felt that some of the sorrow in her heart had also dissipated.

Qinghuan is easily satisfied, but Gongsun's biggest worry is not knowing what his master's wife likes. So he can only spend lavishly to buy a set of jade and a set of gold, thinking that giving these as gifts can't be wrong.

The sixteen-year-old female scholar was extremely generous to Master Ning, her "master."

Knowing that Master Ning wanted to take the imperial examination, they catered to her interests by directly bringing over the examination experience shared by her father and brother.

His father was appointed as the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Zhejiang, and his elder brother was the Prefect of Meizhou in Sichuan. Although neither of them were among the top three in the imperial examinations, they did not suffer any setbacks in the examinations and passed the imperial examinations in their twenties. In addition, his grandfather, who also passed the imperial examinations, did not take office but only served as the headmaster of an academy. With three generations of three imperial examination graduates in the family, the family was extremely illustrious and envied by all the civil and military officials.

After Ning Nan received the three thick books, she caught her breath and subconsciously said politely, "Miss Gongsun, please sit down," before turning her head and loudly calling for Chunyu to serve tea.

Senior Brother Feng brought over his legendary Yongzi chess set, which has a history of several hundred years.

Ning Nan touched it and felt the weight of history... Many of the chess pieces had cracks and their luster was dim... However, the jade was indeed Yongzi Jade, which made Ning Nan feel flattered. Senior Brother Feng smiled and said, "It is rare to find a worthy opponent in chess, and even rarer to find a kindred spirit. Although I was invited by your disciple, I have wanted to visit Bai Xuan for a long time. I hope Bai Xuan does not mind my intrusion."

Ning Nan then said, "Brother Feng, you're too kind. Your visit has made my humble abode shine."

Li Yanting also came.

They said they came to lend a hand and help Brother Ning and his senior brother restore the Laurel Chess Game.

However, Ning Nan didn't think so, because this guy was sitting on Feng Yu's side, and although his eyes were not fixed on the chessboard, he would always steal glances at Qing Huan sitting on the side pounding flowers, which made Ning Nan frown.

However, the bookworm had a keen ear; as soon as he and Feng Yu placed a piece, the bookworm actually stood up and restored the Laurel Chess Game.

Gongsun Heng glanced at Li Yanting, then at Qinghuan, a slight smile playing on her lips. She cleared her throat and said, "Qinghuan, do you remember coming to this Moon Laurel Chess Game?"

Qinghuan shook her head: "I can't remember that."

Gongsun Heng said, "But my junior brother Li can remember it."

Qinghuan said enviously, "Senior Brother Li is truly amazing."

Li Yanting blushed with embarrassment. "Pa pa pa pa," the sound of the pieces hitting the ground was like raindrops pattering on lotus leaves, getting faster and faster.

Gongsun and Feng Yu burst into laughter.

Ning Nan gritted his teeth.

When Zhu Cuiwei returned to the Ning Mansion and arrived at the flower hall, this was the scene she saw.

"elder sister!"

"Master's wife!"

Zhu Cuiwei smiled gently, patted Qinghuan's head, and then asked Gongsun, "Has your master taught you how to play chess?"

"I've been taught!" Gongsun said excitedly, holding up the chess manual. She explained that her master would break down the Laurel Chess Game three times a day and had her memorize the chess manuals.

Zhu Cuiwei hummed in agreement. Gongsun then presented her with exquisite gold and jade artifacts. Zhu Cuiwei smiled and instructed Chunyu and Qiumu to accept them, saying, "Your master's wife didn't prepare a gift for you. I'll give it to you next time." Gongsun nodded excitedly.

Feng Yu and Li Yanting quickly stood up to greet them.

Zhu Cuiwei had met Li Yanting, a promising scholar from Lijia Village, many times. She thought he was humble, polite, and very talented. So she arranged for someone to introduce him to Bailu Academy. If he could pass the imperial examination this year, he would be of great use.

This was the first time Feng Yu had met this unfamiliar scholar. Upon hearing that he was a student of Bailu Academy and the senior brother of Li Yanting and Gongsun, he greeted him with a smile. As for the young doctor, the two only exchanged a glance before silently looking away.

Zhu Cuiwei ordered the maids to serve some tea and snacks, then smiled and said, "I won't disturb you any longer, I'll take my leave and go to my study."

But just as she turned her head, she suddenly noticed something strange... Li Yanting, this bookworm, seemed to be secretly observing Qinghuan.

And Qinghuan... seems to be secretly observing the bookworm.

"Um?"

She frowned.

After glancing at it once and taking a few steps, I couldn't help but turn back and look at it again.

After a while.

His Highness Prince Xin's eyes couldn't help but light up slightly.

……

"I'll be very busy these next few days."

Cui Cui's wife touched her head to the pillow and exhaled a small breath.

After finishing his chess game, Ning Nan reviewed the book his female disciple had given him, stayed up all night writing a rigid, formulaic essay, and then lay down on his pillow, yawning as he said:

"How busy?" he asked, confused.

Cui Cui turned over and muttered, "I've been transferred to Prince Xin's residence. Prince Xin will be practicing rituals on the 24th, so I'll probably be too busy to come back that day."

Ning Nan was so sleepy that his head seemed glued to the pillow, and his eyes were almost closed. He nodded.

"From the 24th to the 29th, um... it will be very busy, I might not be home for several days."

She let out a sigh of relief, then turned over to face the young doctor who had closed his eyes. Her eyes were bloodshot with fatigue as she looked at his profile.

"If he doesn't come back, don't worry, he'll be back in a few days."

The cold, pale moonlight of the waning moon streamed in through the window.

Ning Nan nodded again and gave a soft "hmm".