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

As dawn broke in the east, a rosy glow gradually appeared.

The sky was beginning to lighten with the first light of dawn.

The mountains are shrouded in thick fog.

Dust billowed atop Zhongshan Mountain as a dozen or so fine horses hurriedly escorted a carriage down the mountain, heading straight for Taiping Gate.

……

Inside the capital city.

The autumn rain that had been falling day after day quietly stopped, leaving behind a clear blue sky and a serene atmosphere.

Two days after a series of chilling iron spears stormed into house after house and carried out a massive search, the city was still filled with a tense atmosphere, as if a storm was brewing. Everyone was silent and trembling with fear.

A thin mist hung heavily over the streets.

The bluestone path was damp and slick.

Occasionally, a few figures carrying paper umbrellas would walk by, their black shoes accidentally stepping into puddles with a crisp sound, splashing out a spray of water.

A few specks of yellow mud remained on the shoes, making the already messy road surface look even worse.

The restaurant waiter quietly opened the door, peeked outside cautiously, and seeing that no soldiers were patrolling the street, he took a broom and dustpan, bent over, and went out to clean up the fallen leaves, broken porcelain, wood chips, pebbles, half-rotten candied hawthorns, and other kinds of garbage on the street in front of his restaurant.

He muttered to himself, occasionally muttering "damn it" under his breath, but it was unclear who he was cursing.

The clattering of horses' hooves grew louder as they approached.

The waiter's ears twitched, and as if by reflex, he grabbed a broom and retreated to the steps of the restaurant, worried that he might accidentally offend a distinguished person.

A large yellow horse pulled a carriage past in a hurry, followed by a dozen or so horses. The people on horseback were dressed in blue robes and small hats, or brown short shirts, and a few were dressed in imposing flying fish robes.

The waiter at the restaurant followed the convoy for a moment, then patted his chest in lingering fear. He wondered what rank of official was in such a procession.

After the carriage passed Taiping Street, it soon arrived at Datong Street at the foot of the imperial city.

After rushing to the side gate of the mansion called "Ning Mansion", the stableman Uncle Ping shouted, and the gatekeeper opened the gate and called out, "Master has returned to the mansion."

Ningnan unveiled the carriage.

Get out of the car.

On one hand, he instructed the servants to take Xiuxiu, Liu Zhengyang, and Qian Sijin to the front hall to rest, and on the other hand, he instructed the grooms to feed their horses some good quality feed.

Ning Nan's eyes were red and sore, but now was not the time to sleep.

After rubbing it, he strode towards the flower hall, took out the sachet Qinghuan had given him from his bosom, and shouted loudly inside:

"Chunyu, bring the master a needle and thread!"

Before the usually obedient and sensible Chunyu could even respond, she entered the flower hall and saw her sister-in-law Qinghuan.

After having breakfast, Qinghuan was sitting in the flower hall doing needlework. There was a new pair of blue boots on the table, and she was making a second pair.

Ning Nan's eyes lit up.

When Chunyu came over with the tea, she saw the second young lady with a somewhat resentful expression sewing the second pair of blue boots she had made.

Qinghuan, her hands busy sewing the soles of the shoes, glanced resentfully at her brother-in-law beside her: "Brother-in-law, isn't this sachet good enough?"

"Okay, very good." Ning Nan looked somewhat apologetic and repeatedly agreed.

Qinghuan's slender fingers tucked the last bit of red edge of the sachet peeking out from the sole of the boot into it. She picked at the thread with a needle, inserted the needle into the edge of the boot, pinched the needle with her fingers, and pulled to guide the thread through.

"Then, then..." Qinghuan pouted, "Then why did you make me sew the sachet to the bottom of my boots?" She couldn't help but ask, feeling quite puzzled.

Ning Nan gave a wry smile and said, "It's just that it's too good, that's why my brother-in-law insists on having this sachet from you." Then, he pondered for a moment and said, "Brother-in-law, wear these new boots that you sewed for me to pick up your sister from school. Then your sister can explain things to you, okay?"

Hearing this, Qinghuan blushed inexplicably, and her needle and thread trembled slightly. However, upon hearing the word "sister," she quickly nodded. Her sister had not been home for several days, and she missed her dearly.

Chunyu served tea to Master Ning, and Qiumu, a young maid, brought him hot water and wrung out a hot towel.

The two young maids didn't understand what their master was doing. After exchanging a glance, they shook their heads slightly and trotted off to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for him. As they ran, Chunyu whispered, "Does he smell of perfume?" Qiumu's voice was even lower, "No!" "Then didn't Master go to a brothel last night...?" "Yes, yes, yes!" "When Madam comes back, will you tell her...?" "Go ahead and tell her!" "I won't..."

In the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.

The skillful sister-in-law then incorporated the sachet into the sole of her second pair of blue boots.

Master Ning, wearing his new boots, paused on the ground to try them on. The size was just right, and the boots were thick. The sachet was sewn into the left boot, and his sister-in-law sewed some smooth cotton cloth under the right boot, so it didn't look like a boot at all. Hmm, his sister-in-law's needlework is getting better and better.

"We ran into Han Ximeng," Ning Nan said with a smile.

Han Ximeng was also a woman, a famous Gu embroidery artist, and was known as a model of "painting embroidery" in Jiangnan, and was quite famous.

In the half-book that the book Seed of Reading gave to his sister-in-law, Han Ximeng alone occupied ten pages. Upon hearing this praise, the little girl's ears turned red, and she said shyly, "Qinghuan can't compare."

Ning Nan chuckled and said, "How can it be inferior?" He then glanced at the first pair of blue boots his sister-in-law had sewn on the table.

The two pairs of boots were exactly the same. He pointed to one and said, "My brother-in-law took this pair back to his room. It's just the right amount to have as spares. Two pairs are perfect."

His hand hadn't even touched the boot yet.

Qinghuan hugged the pair of blue boots to her chest, forcing a smile, and said, "Brother-in-law... um... these aren't sewn very well, the stitches are too messy..." She raised her big eyes and said, "Qinghuan... um... they need to be sewn a little more..."

Ning Nan was taken aback. He was about to say, "It's okay," or "Brother-in-law doesn't mind," but then he thought that his sister-in-law might be the kind of person who strives for perfection, so he smiled and said, "Okay, brother-in-law can wear it after you've finished sewing it."

That's all.

He turned around and exhaled a puff of white breath in the slightly chilly autumn air.

He strode out of the Ning Mansion's flower hall.

……

The Ministry of Works' ten wards in the capital were located in Kang'an Lane in the south of the city.

It was the hour of Chen (7-9 AM).

Inside the Kang'an Tavern, opposite the Ministry of Works' gunpowder workshop in Kang'an Lane.

As Shangguan Xiu sipped his tea, he frowned as he watched the talented Ning Dacai across from him, who was writing and drawing.

"A great talent,"

Shangguan Xiu also didn't sleep a wink all night. It wouldn't have mattered if he had been moving around, but now that he was quiet, he couldn't sleep at all, felt unwell, and was in great discomfort.

"We've been waiting here for an hour. What are you waiting for?"

"Wait a little longer." Ning Nan wrote something on the paper, his expression serious, and answered without turning his head.

At that moment, a series of hissing sounds rang out.

Qian Sijin reined in his horse outside the tavern.

The child, who was holding Qian Sijin's waist, quickly climbed down from the white horse, carrying a long object wrapped in gray cloth on his back, sweat beading on his forehead, and ran into the tavern.

"Big brother!"