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

Ning Nan turned his head and glanced at them, seeing two people sitting opposite each other, one fat and one thin. The one with the high-pitched voice was fatter, and the one surnamed Geng was thinner. On the table were a plate of dried tofu, a plate of pickled vegetables, and a plate of steamed buns, which smelled like meat buns.

There was a bowl of yellow wine in front of the skinny man. Ning Nan smelled the aroma of the yellow wine and had an idea. He waved to the waiter and asked him to warm up a bowl for him too. He wanted to have a small drink so he could go back and get a good night's sleep.

The woman with the shrill voice picked up a piece of dried bean curd, stuffed it into her mouth, and said with a sigh, "That's right! The people from the Ministry of Rites are very polite. They've already accepted the gift list and said they'll present it to the Grand Secretariat, the imperial family, and even the Empress Dowager for a decision."

Brother Geng angrily retorted, "The Ministry of Rites must be bored. Why are they accepting such a ridiculous assignment! If His Majesty wants to choose a son-in-law, he should naturally choose from among the talented men of our Great Liang. What business is it of those Tartars?" Although he was cursing, he knew his limits and only cursed the "Ministry of Rites." The cabinet, the imperial relatives, and especially the Empress Dowager, were not to be involved in any way.

The high-pitched voice chuckled, "Brother Geng, the Ministry of Rites is quite busy. My brother-in-law told me they're really worried. Last night... um... last night they were terrified..."

His voice was very soft, and Ning Nan only heard the words "Prince," "major event," and "treason." He felt a chill in his heart, thinking that the Prince of Wu's rebellion must have been exposed, and he would probably be imprisoned or even poisoned. Ning Nan sighed inwardly, feeling that the Prince of Wu was not content with being a prince, but actually wanted to climb higher. He truly deserved what he got.

"Bang!"

The man surnamed Geng slammed his hand on the table, causing the plates, bowls, chopsticks, and spoons on it to jump. His expression changed in surprise as he asked, "Really?"

The high-pitched voice gasped: "Of course."

Brother Geng patted his chest and said, "Luckily, we're just minor officials in the Ministry of Revenue. Even if the sky falls, it won't be our turn." The shrill voice chimed in with a couple of words.

Ning Nan picked up a broad bean and popped it into his mouth, enjoying the crunch. He thought to himself, "This is truly Datong Street. I just sat down here and ran into two people from the Ministry of Revenue. Although they are minor officials, they are still officials, and they are even officials from the capital."

Then a shrill voice said, "The Tianqi Emperor has abdicated, and the new emperor is reading the edict inside. We'll know by noon." These lowly officials had no chance to attend court, but their words still carried a hint of smugness.

Brother Geng frowned again and said, "Brother Fang, hasn't Her Majesty already decided on her son-in-law? It's said that in this year's imperial examination, those who have passed the provincial examination will go to the palace for the palace examination, and after that, Her Majesty will choose the top scholar to be her chosen husband."

Upon hearing this, Ning Nan was taken aback. Last night, when he rode back to the city on horseback, Cui Cui's wife had also mentioned this matter, saying that it was a recent rumor in the capital.

He was busy writing eight-legged essays a few days ago, going back and forth between two places: either at the private school in Willow Leaf Lane or at home. These past two days, he was arrested by the Heavenly Principle Sect, so he was completely unaware of this matter.

The shrill voice scoffed, "That's a rumor."

"rumor?"

The high-pitched voice asked leisurely, "Brother Geng, do you know how this news spread?" Brother Geng asked in surprise, "How?"

The woman with the high-pitched voice shook her head and laughed, "I didn't know before either. My brother-in-law at Bailu Academy told me."

"Isn't your brother-in-law in the Ministry of Rites?" Ning Nan frowned, thinking to himself.

However, seeing that Brother Geng did not suspect anything, it seemed that this high-pitched wife must have two younger brothers, which was why he had two brothers-in-law.

The shrill voice continued, "Brother Geng, do you know where this rumor came from?" Brother Geng, being very accommodating, pressed on, "Who?"

"Bang!"

This time, a shrill voice slammed its hand on the table and exclaimed, "It's that Tartar who proposed marriage to His Majesty!"

"Him?" Brother Geng exclaimed in surprise.

"That's right! My brother-in-law studies at Bailu Academy. Tsk tsk tsk, he saw that Tartar with his own eyes that day."

Brother Geng scoffed, "What? Three eyes? Four noses? Five heads?"

The high-pitched man chuckled twice and said, "No, quite the opposite. My brother-in-law said that the Tartar is young but well-educated, handsome, and his looks are somewhat like yours, brother."

Brother Geng said, "Don't compare me to the Tartars." The shrill voice replied, "The people at Bailu Academy say that the Tartar is as handsome as Wu Shangmei."

Brother Geng exclaimed in surprise, "That does indeed have a touch of my style."

Wu Tanhua's looks are unparalleled in the capital; how could he possibly compare? "Haha." With a high-pitched laugh, the two of them chuckled together.

The high-pitched voice coughed and continued, "That Tartar came to Bailu Academy that day to become a disciple of Headmaster Gongsun."

Brother Geng was shocked: "Headmaster?! The headmaster took him in?"

The high-pitched voice shook his head: "Of course not, why would the headmaster accept him? Brother Geng, listen to me." Brother Geng said "Oh" and poured him a cup of tea.

The shrill voice said, "Brother, my brother-in-law said that the Tartar brought plenty of gifts that day, saying he wanted to become a disciple of the abbot and learn the Book of Changes. Who is Abbot Gongsun? Naturally, he refused the gifts and had someone send the gifts away."

The servants following behind the Tartar became enraged, saying, "This is your Liang Dynasty's son-in-law! How dare you treat our seventh young master like this?" Someone exclaimed in surprise, "Son-in-law?"

The seventh young master waved his hand to interrupt, feigning anger, and said, "How can you call yourself a son-in-law when you don't even know His Highness's feelings?"

The servant arrogantly replied, "The Seventh Young Master is willing to enter the Southern Dynasty. The Empress Dowager has already accepted the Seventh Young Master's jade throne and golden Buddha. The Minister of Rites has also spoken of a marriage alliance. What more could he possibly want?"

"Then the seventh young master became angry again and said, 'How can you say such a thing? Your Highness is of noble birth, and to assume that a marriage is settled solely based on the wishes of your parents and the words of a matchmaker? Isn't this an insult to Your Highness?'"

"Upon hearing this, the servant's face changed drastically. He immediately knelt on the ground, slapped himself, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, and said, 'This servant did this because I offended the madam by being slapped, not because I offended the Prince of Xin of the Southern Dynasty.'"

"Your Highness? King Xin?"

Brother Geng's face darkened with anger, and he shouted:

"That Tartar lackey isn't saying that the Seventh Prince married Prince Dingxin, is he?"

The woman with the high-pitched voice took a sip of tea: "That's right."

Brother Geng flew into a rage, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, he said, "Where are the people from Bailu Academy? A subject should die for his sovereign! Did they just let the Tartars slander our emperor like this? Are they all dead?"

The woman with the shrill voice poured him tea and advised him to calm down, saying, "That's not it. The students of Bailu Academy only just realized what that Tartar servant meant by 'son-in-law' or 'not son-in-law.' Their faces turned red with anger, and when they stepped forward to ask, the Seventh Prince shook his head and said, 'I have long heard that Your Highness Prince Xin is virtuous and kind, possessing the talent of Xiangfei and the beauty of Xi Shi. As the poem says: "A fair maiden is sought after by a gentleman." I, the Prince, do indeed intend to propose marriage to Your Highness.'"

Brother Geng angrily retorted, "Xiangfei is one thing, but what does it mean to compare our Emperor to Xi Shi? The poem says: 'Even a rat has skin, but a man has no manners! A man without manners, what is the point of living?!'"

The shrill voice knew he was furious and was cursing the Tartar for his rudeness. After he calmed down a bit, the voice nodded and praised, "Brother Geng's cursing was very satisfying!"

"Brother Fang, what happened next?" Brother Geng asked with a dismissive wave of his hand.

The shrill voice shook its head and sighed, "The students and teachers of Bailu Academy finally understood what the Tartars meant. Like Brother Geng, they were all furious and couldn't care less about gentlemanly conduct. They cursed, 'A monkey wearing a hat,' 'How dare the barbarians insult us,' 'Recklessly speaking about the Book of Poetry, recklessly speaking about the Book of Changes,' and so on."

"That Tartar, however, spoke eloquently, saying, 'Is your esteemed path of sages merely a minor path of Great Liang, and not the great path of the world?' The people of White Deer Academy coldly replied, 'We are not discussing with you any sage path of sages, but rather your impolite act of seeking marriage with our crown prince. Great Liang has countless talented individuals, and the crown prince should choose a son-in-law from among the young and promising talents of Great Liang. What does this have to do with your Northern Dynasty?'"

"Bang!" Brother Geng slammed his hand on the table, his expression invigorated. "That's exactly right! We mustn't fall into this Tartar's trap!"

The shrill-voiced man sighed, and after a while said, "Brother Geng, I heard about this from my brother-in-law, and I thought the same as you. Unfortunately... that Tartar servant laughed and said, 'Your esteemed dynasty's talents? Heh, among your Thousand Talents, is there even one who can surpass my master? If you have the guts, dare to discuss the Dao with my master? If my master loses a match against you mediocre people, I will cut off one finger. When all ten fingers are cut off, I will cut off my head.' The students of Bailu Academy felt a chill in their hearts, somewhat terrified. But seeing how arrogant and domineering this villain was, they were filled with anger and rolled up their sleeves to discuss the Dao with the Tartar. They first discussed the Book of Poetry, then the Book of Changes, and then the Mencius... But... unfortunately... alas... unfortunately... alas..." The shrill-voiced man's voice grew softer and softer, without saying what he was "unfortunate" about, only sighing repeatedly.

Brother Geng understood his implication and said with grief and indignation, "Are the students of Bailu Academy so useless?" He gave a few bitter laughs in a high-pitched voice, but did not answer.

Brother Geng sighed deeply, and after a while, looked up with a puzzled expression and asked, "Brother Fang, what does this have to do with the recent rumor circulating in the capital that the top scholar in the imperial examination will become the emperor's son-in-law?"

The shrill voice paused for a moment, then sighed wistfully.

"Hoo... Brother Geng... After that Tartar won the debate, he took out a household registration certificate from Jiangning County from his pocket and said..." The shrill voice deepened, "He has been granted permission by the Empress Dowager and the Ministry of Rites to participate in this year's imperial examination as a citizen of Daliang... and after winning first place..."

The shrill voice, her gaze heavy, announced: "He will go to the palace to formally propose marriage to the Empress!"