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

The woman's long, black hair cascaded down her back, a few strands brushing against Ning Nan's ears, but he felt no tickle. His gaze softened, and he smiled slightly, feeling his heart gradually calm down. He vaguely remembered carrying his wife on his back the last time was on their wedding day. This time, carrying her again, he truly couldn't tell whether she was lighter or heavier.

He hooked his arm around her thigh, lifted her onto his back to feel her weight, and then his feet sank deeper into the sand, leaving two deep footprints. She wrapped her arms around his neck even tighter.

The tide surged in with a rushing sound, submerging the footprints. Just as it was about to touch a few blades of grass at the edge of the forest, it receded again with a rushing sound, revealing the small pits formed by the footprints. Occasionally, a few small crabs would be left in the pits, waving their pincers and trying to move sideways, trying to climb out of the sand pits.

The mighty river flows eastward, surging ceaselessly. A strong wind from the north howls by, carrying the fishy smell from the river ashore.

The two men, smelling the fishy smell, chatted about random things.

Ning Nan raised an eyebrow and asked, "Where have you been these past few days?" Cui Cui replied, "I've been staying at Qingliang Mountain, guarding Prince Xin." Her warm breath brushed against his ear.

Ning Nan said, "I brought you food to Qingliang Mountain that day." Cui Cui's wife nodded, "It was cold, and the duck meat was a bit tough and chewy. The cured fish, however, was quite good." Ning Nan said, "The cured fish was brought from the countryside by my mother; it's been smoked for a long time." Cui Cui's wife said "Oh," and then added, "No wonder." She continued, "Your cooking is excellent too."

Ning Nan chuckled, tilted his head, and touched Cuicui's forehead with his ear, saying, "That old woman surnamed Yan from Qingliang Mountain is so awful. I stood there talking to her for ages, but she just wouldn't tell me where you are." Cuicui agreed, "Yeah, she's really awful." Then, the two of them gossiped for a while about the old Jinyiwei commander who was over sixty years old, and laughed a few times.

The moon moved from east to west, climbing from one side of the mountain to the other.

The two walked and talked and laughed. After a while, they saw a white horse tied to a bare poplar tree outside the woods. When the white horse saw its master, it neighed a few times, clearly very happy.

Ning Nan put his wife down and went over to untie the white horse's reins from the tree.

It was here before that he was attacked from both sides by Feng Yu and others, as well as a masked general leading twenty riders.

He fired a signal arrow to Qin Yuanyao, who was trailing behind for a mile or two. Before the female Yama arrived on horseback, he aimed his musket at the masked general, intending to threaten him. However, the general remained fearless and sent three riders to surround him.

His mind raced as he pondered a solution, but unexpectedly, the situation changed drastically. The three riders galloped up and intercepted Feng Yu and the others.

The masked general, spear in hand, shouted, "Attack!" Twenty riders raised their swords and began to fight amongst themselves. In an instant, eight riders died from their comrades' sneak attacks.

Another rider tried to escape, but the masked general hurled a long spear, its tip aimed at the fleeing rider's back. With a "whoosh," the spear pierced the night sky, passing straight through the rider's chest. Feng Yu and the others were shocked, and Ning Nan was also somewhat astonished.

After Qin Yuanyao arrived, the masked general removed his mask, revealing himself to be Chen Mu!

Chen Mu dismounted and removed his armor, saying that he had "suddenly come to his senses" and "surrendered," and that he had "important military information" to tell him.

Qin Yuanyao sent men to capture Feng Yu and the others, while also sending men to detain Chen Mu with some skepticism. After less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Qin Yuanyao came to call him. Ning Nan was relieved to see that Feng Yu and the others had been captured by Shangguan Xiu.

He rushed over and listened to Chen Mu's story for a while before he realized what was happening. It turned out that the real Chen Mu was indeed dead, and the Chen Mu who looked almost exactly like him was actually the real Chen Mu's twin brother!

The fake Chen Mu knelt on the ground and said with a bitter smile, "If it weren't for this, my sister-in-law and my two nephews would not have escaped the calamity of extermination of their clan." He added, "Both of us were raised by the King of Wu and are loyal servants of the King's palace. My elder brother is blindly loyal to the King of Wu and is willing to go through fire and water for him, but Chen Kan is not like that."

"I feel that the most important thing in life is to be loyal to one's sovereign and father. As the saying goes, righteousness is paramount, so how can one help the wicked just because of the kindness of being raised? Wouldn't that be a waste of the martial arts skills I learned from the sages?"

"The King of Wu acted perversely and colluded with the Heavenly Principle Sect to murder the royal relatives, which Chen Kan did not despise."

"After my elder brother obtained what he sought, I was ordered by the King of Wu to take his place and seize the position of the Shence Gate Guard. Thus, when the entire city was searching for the officials of the Eastern Palace, I opened the door wide for the traitors of the Heavenly Principle Sect."

"After the deed was done, I have been heartbroken every day. Now, I have finally made up my mind to abandon the darkness and turn to the light with my brothers who have been through thick and thin with me. Your Majesty is wise and can see our loyal hearts. I also kneel down and beg Qin Qian Shi to have mercy on us."

Chen Kan's words were both righteous and moving, even describing his own brother's death as "seeking benevolence and obtaining it," as if he had no lingering feelings for him and held no resentment towards others.

Ning Nan and Qin Yuanyao didn't believe a word of it. However, their desire to live and protect their brother's two children was genuine.

Qin Yuanyao immediately ordered Shangguan Xiu to take him to find a way to capture the King of Wu, as she was going to rescue the officials of the Eastern Palace. Ning Nan thought for a moment and asked the other party if he knew the secret code. The other party said he did, so he and Qin Yuanyao devised a plan to lure and kill the Right Protector... But he didn't expect... Master Ning tugged at the reins and patted his chest, where there was an iron plate.

His eyes were filled with complex emotions. He never expected that, inexplicably, he would become some kind of leader of the Heavenly Principles Sect.

call.

Master Ning sighed, mounted his horse, and reached out his hand. Cui Cui's soft hand touched his, and with a strong pull, she sat down in front of him.

He embraced the other person, and the two of them, on horseback, headed straight for Nanjing.

On the way, he told his wife, Cui Cui, about these things, frowned, and said, "I didn't expect that Master Zhu and Miss Zhu had such a powerful background, and that the matter was so deeply involved."

Cui Cui leaned against him and said, "Yes, Master Zhu is on Prince Xin's side, and Prince Xin trusts him a lot." Ning Nan nodded.

A white horse gallops swiftly under the moonlight.

The clattering of hooves echoed through the mountains.

"I want to talk to you about something." Granny Cui seemed to have thought about it for a long time, pursed her lips, and suddenly spoke.

Ning Nan's eyes were bloodshot. He nodded, but then suddenly there was silence in his arms.

He looked down and saw that his wife seemed tired too, so he smiled and said, "Why don't you get some sleep?"

The horse was a bit bumpy, so he slowed down.

Zhu Cuiwei buried her head in his chest, shook her head, and whispered, "The Emperor, the Marquis of Jingbei, the Ministry of Rites, the Imperial Observatory... Hmm, they've set a date. The 28th of next month is an auspicious day for ancestral worship. At that time, the Marquis of Jingbei will submit a memorial to the Emperor, requesting the Emperor to issue a golden edict and officially appoint you as the heir apparent of the Marquis of Jingbei's estate..."

Ning Nan's expression froze for a moment.

Zhu Cuiwei raised her head from his embrace, staring at his profile, and said, "Once you become the heir of the Marquis of Jingbei, then you will, then you will..."