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

Several clumps of angry chrysanthemums grew at the octagonal gate of the private school in Willow Leaf Lane.

As the sun began to set, Ning Nan glanced at the chrysanthemums and saw them shining brightly in the sunlight.

He moved his somewhat stiff neck.

The lively discussion around him was accompanied by the gentle breeze that stirred the autumn chrysanthemums. The young man, dressed in a moonlit robe, looked away and gazed at his classmates.

These young scholars, preoccupied with the imperial examinations, had no interest in the "picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence" sentiment and didn't even glance at the chrysanthemums.

In conversation, he would sometimes boast about "who has won the triple crown" or "who has won the six crowns," and at other times he would belittle himself by saying, "I would be grateful to my ancestors if I could even pass the county-level exam."

Ning Nan could tell that his classmates were actually very anxious, like several pots of water that were about to boil, already steaming hot.

His mood was actually not much different, but in the past few days, a white-bearded old man who had just stepped down as the headmaster had been relentlessly criticizing him every day with his rigid, formulaic writings.

If one's writing skills improve by leaps and bounds, and one puts in the effort, one's mindset will become less tense.

Tang Lianbin lowered his eyelids, stood opposite Ning Nan, sighed slightly, and his smile was somewhat awkward.

His family was of average means; he was from Shangyuan County. His grandfather was a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations and served as a county magistrate in Jiangxi Province in his early years. Now he had retired and returned to his hometown.

As a successful candidate in the imperial examinations, one could be exempt from land tax and corvée labor for two people, and Tang Lianbin, as the eldest grandson, was one of them.

Tang Lianbin had always been somewhat resentful of being outdone by Zuo Yong, who was a few years younger than him.

Unexpectedly, the talented scholar Ning Baixuan suddenly caught up with him in both the eight-legged essay and policy essays, especially the policy essays. Mr. Lizhou said that Baixuan's eight-legged essays were still inferior to Zuo Yong's, but his policy essays were far superior.

Tang Lianbin sighed inwardly. Before, in front of Brother Bai Xuan, at least he had some skills to offer, but now... even his skills were lacking.

Zuo Yong, who has a baby face, also said enviously, "Brother Bai Xuan, if you're not the top scorer in this county examination, you'll definitely be among the top three in Jiangning."

Zou Tianju, however, smiled broadly and said, "Don't flatter Brother Bai Xuan like that. What Brother Bai Xuan said is right. As for the county examination, as long as you pass, that's enough. What's so interesting about being the top scorer?"

Ning Nan laughed and said, "Only Brother Zou has a conscience." The others all laughed.

Zhao Jing, who was older and quite composed, said with a smile, "After today's parting, I'm afraid we can only meet again at the prefectural examination. Why don't we have a drink together?"

Upon hearing this, Fatty Chu, who had been silent all along, twitched his chubby face and suddenly looked up, saying:

"Gentlemen, please go ahead. I have other matters to attend to, so I will not keep you company any longer." His voice was somewhat low.

Chu Feixiong, who used to pat his chest and offer to treat everyone to drinks and meals, shook his head this time. After saying this, his fat face turned pale, and he said a few words of farewell before leaving.

The group found it strange, but they didn't ask any further questions. They simply smiled, clasped their hands in farewell to Fatty Chu, and said, "See you again at the prefectural examination."

Ning Nan glanced at the fat man's broad back and frowned slightly. He had felt something was strange a few days ago, noticing that the fat man seemed to be walking to the private school these days, and his usual luxurious carriage was nowhere to be seen.

However, this is their private matter, and it's not appropriate to inquire about it.

As the broad, sturdy figure disappeared around the street corner, they said no more and decided to find a place to have a drink.

Fengwei Street is located in Shangyuan County. The street is bustling with people and commerce. It is dusk, the time for dinner, and the street is filled with shouts and calls.

Along the long street, nine buildings and eighteen inns each displayed their unique skills, offering their signature dishes to attract diners.

Only one restaurant, without needing waiters to stand on the street or to decorate with lanterns and colorful decorations, only needed to polish its own restaurant signboard. The diners would flock to this restaurant before going to other restaurants, making other restaurants extremely envious.

This restaurant is Tianjinlou, which is famous for its Huaiyang cuisine.

Especially since Dong Xuezheng recently held a literary gathering here to test the students of Yingtian Prefecture, Tianjinlou has become even more literary.

However, a few days ago, something even more enviable happened at Tianjinlou.

It was about the Tianjinlou literary gathering... that was recorded in the major Beijing newspaper, the Nancheng Daily!

The article, published three days ago, described Tianjinlou as "gathering the auspicious purple energy of heaven and adding luster to the literary world," a statement that spread throughout the capital and greatly enhanced Tianjinlou's reputation.

For a time, apart from the "Number One Restaurant Under Heaven"—Fulai Restaurant, which was published in the Nancheng Daily five days ago, Tianjinlou Restaurant was the most famous restaurant in the capital!

After the new emperor ascended the throne, scholars from all over the country who had passed the provincial examinations flocked to the capital to participate in the imperial examinations. Unlike Ningnan and his group, they did not have to go through the first three examinations and the provincial examinations.

The capital city is full of wealthy and powerful people, and if officials and nobles want to befriend the talented scholars who may pass the imperial examination this year, they will naturally have to host banquets to entertain them.

The two newest items in the capital recently are the Baiyufang promissory notes and the Nancheng Daily, which costs only five copper coins per note.

Scholars from all over the country who came to the capital for the imperial examinations could often sit down in any restaurant and someone would come up to sell them the "Nancheng Daily". Seeing that it only cost five coins a copy, they would naturally buy one to try it out.

Not only are there eulogistic and eloquent articles, but also some hilarious and strange tales.

In addition, the newspapers also contained some recent government policies, such as some matters concerning the current imperial examinations, which inevitably tempted them.

Naturally, as the newspapers circulated, the names "Fu Lai Tavern" and "Tian Jin Lou" came into the public eye.

The former is said to be a century-old restaurant, renowned for its excellent dishes, and can be called "the best restaurant in the world".

The latter is known for its literary atmosphere; when Dong Xuezheng held a literary gathering recently, he chose Tianjinlou as his first choice!

Therefore, Tianjinlou's business has increased significantly recently!

On the long street.

A group of students dressed in the robes of the Imperial Academy chatted and laughed as they slowly approached from the east.

The group patted their folding fans, looking quite dashing.

"Your Highness, Brother Lu,"

A handsome young man in fine clothes, with a jade belt around his waist, raised an ivory and jade fan in his right hand, pointed to the Tianjin Tower on the left, and laughed.

"The Jinlou Restaurant was recently featured in the Nancheng Daily. It's very difficult to book a private room. Even I, Qin... heh... had to put in quite a bit of effort to finally get a private room."

Among the seven or eight people at the Imperial Academy, two young gentlemen wearing melon-shaped hats nodded.

The handsome young man on the left, wearing a red striped mandarin jacket, smiled and said:

"Brother Qin has gone to great lengths, and I am deeply grateful. If Brother Qin ever visits the Northern Dynasty, I will then extend my hospitality to him."

Lu Jingyi, wearing a melon-shaped hat on the right, also smiled and chimed in.

Qin Yun narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled, saying, "If our two dynasties are fortunate enough to form an alliance, Your Highness will probably find it difficult to return to the Northern Dynasty."

Hongfeng was taken aback.

The other students from the Imperial Academy laughed.

"Indeed, if our two dynasties were to form an alliance, Your Highness would likely become our Grand Prince Consort!"

"Hehe, not bad, not bad... It's only right that we put aside our past grievances and work together to drive that Rakshasa away!"

"Your Highness could have just proposed marriage directly, but you insisted on taking the imperial examination with us first... Sigh... Your Highness's intentions are truly profound."

Seeing everyone fawning over this prince with an iron cap, Lu Jing, who was also from the Northern Dynasty, couldn't help but raise his chin, raise the corners of his mouth, and smile slightly.

Hongfeng smiled and clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "I am honored by your high regard. I am participating in your dynasty's imperial examination and intend to serve in your dynasty. I also want your empress and your subjects to see that I am not some spoiled brat. I also have my own ambitions and wish to bring peace to the world."

Upon hearing what the man in the melon-shaped hat said, everyone couldn't help but feel a genuine sense of respect for him.

No longer solely motivated by the proposed dowry of "south of the Huai River"... Unlike those who simply parrot others, they knew that the talk of "dowry" was not a rumor... After all... they had heard it from the person at the Imperial College!

The other party said that the Northern Emperor had made up his mind to form an alliance with the Southern Dynasty, and that "south of the Huai River" was indeed a dowry. The Northern Emperor hoped that the two dynasties would form an alliance to jointly resist the Rakshasa!

The other party also said that the Northern Emperor was already drafting the alliance treaty, which would arrive in Nanjing soon. Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but feel a little excited.

Just then.

Five people strode over from the west side of the long street and met them at the entrance of Tianjinlou.

The leader of the group was dressed in a moon-colored robe of decent quality, while the other four were dressed rather plainly, with three of them having numerous patches on their clothes.

The two groups met in front of Tianjinlou. One group wore a jade belt and held an ivory fan, while the other group wore patched old clothes, making them quite distinct.

If they were complete strangers, they would ignore each other and go their separate ways.

But the people on the other side, whether it was Qin Yun or Hong Feng, were people they knew very well.

……

"Oh,"

Qin Yun bowed slightly and smiled,

"Qin Yun... greets Brother Bai Xuan."