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

The waiter, wearing a towel, brought over a bowl of shredded duck noodles.

The noodles were steaming hot and had a wonderful aroma, with a sprig of scallion floating on top of the soup.

Master Ning picked up a piece of noodles with his chopsticks, blew on it, and put it in his mouth. The noodles were chewy, the duck shreds were tender, and the soup was fragrant and rich.

The soup was old duck soup, and the waiter said that the head chef of the restaurant got up at dawn to stew it, showing great care.

The duck meat is made from shredded fresh duck legs, first stewed and then stir-fried, and sprinkled with some spices from the Western Regions. It is fragrant and tender, and after one bite, a little sweat appears on your forehead.

He ate while glancing to the side.

The man with the shrill voice and the man surnamed Geng were one fat and one thin; one looked somewhat sad, and the other somewhat indignant.

The shrill-voiced man sighed and put a piece of dried bean curd in his mouth, while the man surnamed Geng snorted, picked up a bowl of warm yellow wine, and wished he could have rebuked the Tartar to his face right there at Bailu Academy.

With a flick of his wrist, he downed the bowl of yellow wine in one gulp.

Master Ning slurped up a mouthful of noodle soup. The soup was warm and fragrant, and as it sloshed around in his throat, his stomach felt warm.

He frowned, somewhat surprised that the rumor that "one who becomes the top scholar in the imperial examination can become the emperor's son-in-law" had originated in this way. He was both astonished and somewhat enlightened.

The imperial examinations of the Liang Dynasty were divided into three minor examinations and three major examinations.

The former is further divided into the county examination, the prefectural examination, and the academy examination. Passing all three examinations grants one the title of Xiucai (a scholar who has passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations).

The latter is divided into the provincial examination, the metropolitan examination, and the palace examination. Passing the provincial examination makes one a "juren" (a successful candidate in the provincial examination), and passing the metropolitan examination makes one a "gongshi" (a successful candidate in the metropolitan examination).

When the candidates entered the palace, the emperor would pose a policy question, and the candidates would answer on the spot. After the examiners reviewed the papers, they would hand the top ten papers to the emperor.

The emperor then assessed the rankings, designating the top three scholars: Zhuangyuan (状元), Bangyan (榜眼), and Tanhua (探花).

Generally, no one was rejected in the palace examination; passing the palace examination meant passing the imperial examination.

The Tartar wanted to pass the imperial examination and enter the palace to win the Empress's favor. If the Empress then appointed him as the top scholar, the two dynasties would naturally become allies...

Ning Nan frowned. Not to mention those young, impetuous students, even he, a married man, felt uneasy. He felt that if the Tartars really succeeded, the scholars of Liang would lose all face.

However… Ning Nan then thought of some officials in the Ministry of Rites… perhaps this is indeed the script that some people hoped to see.

The Northern Tartars "marrying" into our country can be considered another form of peace marriage, thus preventing a major war between the North and the South.

The Tartar even became the top scholar in the Southern Dynasty, which brought honor to the Northern Dynasty. If the people in the Ministry of Rites continued to exaggerate, it might even become a legendary tale.

He chewed on his noodles, feeling a little wistful. That so-called Seventh Prince of the Tartars was indeed bold, meticulous, and ingenious.

Even at Bailu Academy, he could debate with his peers and dominate the field, so he must have some real talent and learning. I just don't know who he is.

He only knew one guy, the Fourth Young Master, whose face he had knocked off halfway.

The two shrill voices grew louder and louder, and some diners nearby heard their conversation and came forward to say things like, "Please, sir." "I wonder if what you just said is true or false?" "Those Tartars are hateful!" "They have wolfish ambitions." Some even generously bought each of them a bowl of yellow wine and paid their bill.

In an instant, the tavern became lively and noisy, with everyone laughing together in a shared sense of indignation.

The voices weren't entirely filled with shared hatred; a few were saying things like, "If that's really the case, it might not be entirely a bad thing," "Those Tartars actually admire our Han culture," and "Our Great Liang should still be tolerant," earning them a lot of eye rolls.

"when!"

Ning Nan tossed down a coin containing the horse feed, picked up a bowl of warmed yellow wine and drank it all in one gulp. His already muddled mind became dizzy. He walked out the door, leaving the increasingly noisy and cursing sounds behind him, intending to go home and get a good night's sleep.

The waiter chuckled and led out the white horse, calling out, "Greetings, sir." Ning Nan grunted in response, took the whip, mounted the white horse, pulled the reins, and headed towards the Ning residence.

The other day, I went missing, causing chaos in the Ning family.

With both the master and mistress absent, the second young lady was deathly pale. The only person who could make decisions, Steward Wang, hadn't slept for two days, sending people to keep an eye on Bailu Academy while also arranging for people to search for the master's whereabouts.

Just this morning at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), the Imperial Guards brought back Master Erlai, Master Dahei, Young Master Li Xing, and several injured servants, saying that the master had been found and would be back soon. They also brought the lady's orders, saying that the lady of your household had instructed you to take good care of Master Erlai and the others.

Upon hearing that the master and mistress were alright, Steward Wang felt a wave of relief and collapsed to the ground, fainting. He remained unconscious for a full hour before finally waking up around dawn.

When I woke up, the sky was beginning to lighten.

The head maid, Chunyu, had already arranged everything perfectly. She had arranged for Master Erlai and his family to stay in the side room of the second courtyard, invited three doctors to treat them, and sent someone to buy a lot of medicinal herbs and willow boards for bone setting.

Manager Wang felt ashamed. He noticed that Miss Chunyu's eyes were red, and she must have not slept for several nights. So he said, "Miss, go and get some sleep."

Both she and Miss Qiu Mu shook their heads and stood guard at the side gate of the Ning residence, saying they would only feel at ease when the master returned.

Manager Wang sighed inwardly, knowing that the two young ladies were filled with remorse for losing their son-in-law that night, and their eyes were almost blind from crying.

……

……

"Waaaaah... Waaaaah..."

When Ning Nan returned to his residence, he saw a dozen or so servants crying in front of him, all of whom had come to greet him. He was both amused and exasperated. After dismounting, Uncle Ping helped him lead his horse over.

He ordered Steward Wang to arrange everyone's departure and not to worry about him. Steward Wang's eyes were red, and he kept saying "Oh dear" for a while before saying, "Master, tomorrow I must take the servants to the temple to fulfill a vow to the Bodhisattva. We must go and fulfill a vow." Ning Nan waved his hand and said, "Go ahead, go ahead."

Chunyu and Qiumu, two little girls, stood in front of him. Wherever he went, the two girls followed. Seeing that they looked haggard, he told them to go and rest, but the two girls shook their heads and refused to go anywhere, choosing to stay with him.

Chunyu's own eyes were bloodshot, but she still stared at his eyes with concern: "Master, your eyes are very bloodshot! You need to get some sleep." Master Ning hummed in agreement.

He patted the two girls on the head and said with a smile, "It's alright, it's alright, your master is doing very well, doing very well."

Qinghuan, the sister-in-law, was sobbing that she almost twisted her handkerchief in two, wiping away her tears as she cried, "Brother-in-law... I... I regret it so much, sob... I thought you were dead..."

Ning Nan smiled and said, "Brother-in-law is fine, but he lost the sachet you gave him. Could you make him another one?" Qing Huan quickly wiped away her tears and said "yes" several times.

Master Ning smiled and asked his sister-in-law and two maids to accompany her to rest.

He took a step forward, followed by Chunyu and the other two, to visit Erlai and the others in the side room of the second courtyard.

The side room smelled strongly of medicine.

Apart from Li Xing, Er Lai, Da Hei, and the remaining six servants were all asleep.

Ning Nan sighed inwardly. Four servants had died in this incident. Their bodies had been brought back, and Steward Wang had arranged for people to buy coffins. They were preparing for the funeral, sending the coffins back to their hometown, and handling matters related to compensation.

Li Xing's eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep. He whispered to him, "Brother, the doctor said that Brother Dahei and Brother Laizi are both fine, but they need to rest."

Ning Nan nodded, patted his little head, ordered two old women and three servants to keep watch here, and told Uncle Ping to be on standby and to go and invite the doctor back every day to take a look at Er Lai and the others.