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

"Don't worry, Young Master Ning, Sijin will keep this in mind."

The newly promoted Jinyiwei captain, who had recently been promoted to junior officer, solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute.

……

Midnight.

Ning Nan, his face flushed, rubbed his aching forehead and sighed. He then looked at his senior brother Feng, whose face was flushed from drinking, and said:

"Senior Brother Feng, hiccup!"

He hiccuped a few times, becoming quite drunk, and said with squinted, intoxicated eyes,

"This wine, this wine, it's even stronger than the last one."

"Ha ha ha ha,"

Feng Yu laughed loudly, clasped his hands in greeting, and said...

"Brother Bai Xuan truly has a vast capacity for alcohol!"

His cheeks were flushed, and with an excited look in his eyes, he patted the empty wine jar and said with a smile:

"Brother Bai Xuan, do you know what kind of wine I brought?"

Ning Nan shook his head; his vision was already a little blurry.

The other person brought some alcohol last time, and although he got quite drunk after drinking it, with a headache and dizziness, his mind was clear and he didn't black out.

The wine the other party brought this time tasted just as good as the last one, and was even more fragrant and rich. Both wines were clearly the best wines of the time, even better than the tribute wines we had at the Prince Xin's mansion last time.

However, after drinking it this time, his eyes were getting heavy and his mind seemed a little muddled. At this moment, he could only shake his head and say:

"Please enlighten me, Brother Feng."

Feng Yu smiled and said:

"Brother Bai Xuan, if it weren't a good thing, how would I dare to bring it to your esteemed residence and embarrass myself before you?"

"This wine is called Qianqiu Niang, which, as the name suggests, is a aged Fenjiu brewed over a thousand years."

A thousand autumns?

Ning Nan frowned in confusion.

A thousand-year-old vintage?

Feng Yu smiled and said:

"It's said to last for a thousand autumns, but naturally it doesn't actually last a thousand years."

He grabbed the jar, shook it, and laughed.

"To be honest, Brother Bai Xuan, my ancestral home is Fenyang, Shanxi. My ancestor was from Fenyang and was known as the 'Wine Ghost.' It is said that as soon as our ancestor's wine was made, even the most greedy drinkers would come running because of the smell. The wine that I brought to you the other day was a 70-year-old Fenjiu from my family."

"Seventy-year-old Fenjiu?"

Ning Nan's drunken eyes widened, and he couldn't help but gasp.

He pointed across the table and the chessboard to the empty jar in his opponent's hand and said:

"Then, what about this jar?"

Feng Yu smiled mysteriously and said:

"Brother Bai Xuan, shall we take a guess?"

Ning Nan shook his groggy head and said, "You can't guess that."

"Bang!"

Feng Yu slammed the wine jar onto the table.

"Bang!"

He patted his chest proudly and declared, "A century! A century-old Fenjiu!"

Ning Nan's face flushed red, his brows furrowed, then a look of surprise appeared on his face as he exclaimed, "A century-old vintage?"

"Not bad, not bad," Feng Yu said with a smile. "How about it? Brother Bai Xuan, am I loyal enough? To tell you the truth, over the years, we only have three jars of this century-old brew made by our ancestors."

Ning Nan quickly thanked him, looked at the wine jar, then at the empty wine cup, and clicked his tongue for a long time before saying, "Thank you, Brother Feng. I've certainly broadened my horizons."

Feng Yu smiled, then leaned forward and said mysteriously, "Brother Bai Xuan, to be honest, I actually have another jar at home..."

He lowered his voice and said, "A jar of 120-year-old Fenjiu... a true timeless brew..."

Ning Nan quickly took a breath, gave a wry smile, and waved his hand, saying, "I cannot accept a reward without merit, Brother Feng. I am already extremely fortunate to be able to taste your ancestor's century-old wine."

He clasped his hands in a fist and said, "I am truly not fortunate enough to have such a 120-year-old vintage."

Feng Yu immediately smiled, but his eyes flickered slightly as he smiled. After a few breaths, he sighed and said...

"Brother Bai Xuan,"

Feng Yu's eyes suddenly reddened, and she sighed somewhat.

"Brother, to be honest, I have brought you fine wine several times. My junior sister invited me, that's one reason, and we are evenly matched, that's another. But thirdly, I do have something to ask of you." Feng Yu's eyes suddenly became extremely serious.

Ning Nan squinted his dizzy eyes and said, "Brother Feng, please speak freely."

Feng Yu gave a bitter smile and said that his family used to be quite wealthy in the north. After coming south, they passed down the family tradition of farming and studying, but generation after generation had no chance of obtaining official rank. In his generation, he only managed to pass the county-level exam and had not passed the provincial-level exam for ten years. Now, all that his ancestors left him were some books, a few pieces of jade, a few boxes of chess pieces, and a few jars of wine. If things continued like this, he was afraid that the virtue accumulated by his ancestors would be squandered by his unworthy descendants.

Upon seeing Brother Bai Xuan, he suddenly had an idea: to exchange three jars of fine wine for a good poem by Brother Bai Xuan, with the title "Qianqiu Niang" (meaning "Brewed for a Thousand Autumns"). This way, he, a worthless descendant who failed the imperial examination, could bring fame to his ancestor.

Ning Nan's drunkenness gradually subsided, and his expression became solemn.

Feng Yu smiled bitterly and said that he had originally planned to wait until Brother Bai Xuan drank the third jar of wine, since "he who eats another's food is bound to do so," but now that Brother Bai Xuan was unwilling, Feng Yu had no choice but to speak the truth.

Ning Nan smiled and said, "What's so difficult about that? Brother Feng is so filial, it's truly touching. How could I, Ning, refuse to help him achieve his goal?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Yu's face lit up, and his eyes shone brightly as he asked, "Brother Ning, are you willing?"

Ning Nan laughed and said, "Of course, Brother Feng doesn't need to bring that jar of 120..."

"No, no, no," Feng Yu immediately interrupted, clasping his hands in a fist and saying, "Fine wine deserves fine words. Three jars of fine wine can be exchanged for a poem that will last a lifetime. That would be a perfect story. Brother Ning is willing to use his great talent to fulfill my wish, so why should I begrudge a jar of fine wine?"

Upon hearing this, Ning Nan's eyes lit up, and he smiled and clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "Alright, since Brother Feng is willing, then let's raise our cups and drink heartily, and compose another fine poem." Feng Yu immediately applauded and repeatedly said yes.

Ning Nan glanced at the scholar and gradually felt relieved.

A 120-year-old bottle of wine is indeed rare, but that's secondary. He's not a wine connoisseur; what he really values ​​is Feng Yu himself.

Feng Yu was not good at the imperial examinations and had a wide range of knowledge. He was proficient in Go. After a brief test, Ning Nan discovered that Feng Yu was also proficient in arithmetic, which was extremely rare. If he failed the imperial examinations this year, he would probably give up on the idea of ​​taking the exams.

Ning Nan's only remaining businesses in the capital are the loss-making "Nancheng Daily" and the barely surviving Sujinge Pavilion.

The main reason why the money shop he wanted to open hadn't opened yet was that he didn't have the talent to take charge. Xing Ge'er was still young, and he needed a shrewd manager like Chen Ruhai to help him. Only then could some businesses be established. If he relied entirely on himself, he would probably work himself to death sooner or later.

Feng Yu is a fine talent. If we can get closer to him now, we can invite him to be the head manager of our Ning family business as soon as he fails the imperial examination this year.

Ning Nan chuckled and ordered his servants to bring out several bowls of hangover soup.

Gongsun Heng, the female disciple, was determined not to drink tonight, and instead sat quietly to the side, looking at the chess records she had made tonight, muttering to herself as if she were playing chess against herself.

After getting Li Yanting drunk, Feng Yu reverted to his old ways and said, "Junior sister, do you look down on your senior brother's family heirloom wine? This is all the wine your senior brother has left."

Upon hearing this, Gongsun remembered that she was the one who had brought this senior brother over to play chess with their master so that she could learn from him. So she had no choice but to drink a small cup, and she got drunk after just one cup.

Feng Yu laughed and said, "Drink more, drink more, and you'll have enough alcohol to drink."

Li Yanting was so drunk he was unconscious. Gongsun's face was flushed, and he could barely walk. Naturally, he had to be escorted by Chunyu and the Ning family's carriage.

Ning Nan rubbed his head, and just as he was about to get up to make arrangements, he swayed as soon as he stood up.

Feng Yu quickly pressed his hand down and said, "Brother Bai Xuan, please sit down. Your maids and grooms must know me. I will just say a word to them."

Ning Nan thought about it and realized he was indeed feeling dizzy, so he smiled and said, "Then I won't see you off any further." Feng quickly smiled and said, "Brother Bai Xuan, you're too kind, too kind."

Feng Yu carried Li Yanting out and politely greeted the two maids, Chunyu and Qiumu, who were waiting outside. The two maids nodded and went inside to help Gongsun Heng, who was walking unsteadily, out. Gongsun Heng blushed and said, "I can't hold my liquor very well, thank you for your trouble." The two maids smiled and shook their heads, saying, "Don't worry, Miss Gongsun."

Qian Sijin, Xu Cheng, and the others were guarding outside the flower hall when they saw Feng Yu carrying a student dressed in the uniform of Bailu Academy out. They couldn't help but smile, thinking that this scholar's alcohol tolerance was rather poor. They stepped forward and said:

"Mr. Feng, do you need any help?"

Feng Yu shook his head with a wry smile and said, "No need, no need, thank you very much." He carried Li Yanting to the side gate of the courtyard, where the carriages were waiting.

"Heave-ho, heave-ho..."

After forcefully helping Li Yanting into the carriage, Feng Yu leaned out and muttered, "How come Mom has such a high alcohol tolerance?"

The coachman from the Gongsun family, who was standing nearby, hadn't heard clearly and asked in confusion, "Young Master Feng, what did you just say?"

The smile on Feng Yu's face instantly turned into a spring breeze.

"It's nothing, it's nothing."

He pointed forward and said, "Uncle Chang, please see me off."

Uncle Chang nodded honestly and raised his riding whip.

……

Ning Nan stood in the flower hall for a long time, lost in thought.

Seeing that it was almost 1:00 AM and Cui Cui's wife still hadn't returned, he inwardly cursed Prince Xin for conscripting women into his men, then leisurely got up and swayed as he went back to his room to sleep.

Early the next morning.

"Bang bang bang, bang bang bang!"

A large group of Imperial Guards stormed the door, pounding on it without any regard for the danger. "Get out! All of you, get out here!"

"The Emperor's personal guards are handling the case!"

A cold-faced commander of the Imperial Guard, dressed in a red flying fish robe, stood in the front courtyard.

"Everyone in the Ning household, come out before me! Line up in a row!"

Qian Sijin, Xu Cheng, and the others were all stunned. They hurriedly showed their badges, but the commander didn't even glance at them. He stared at them with icy eyes and coldly shouted, "Get the hell out of here."