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

Sunlight streamed in through the south-facing window. Inside the "Zi Ru Xie" (Purple Pavilion), a round table stood in the center, surrounded by potted plants such as orchids, peonies, calamus, podocarpus, and five-needle pines.

The most precious item was a pot of red coral shimmering with a crimson light, placed on the windowsill opposite the entrance. Its eye-catching shape and exquisite, rare beauty left Zuo Yong and his companions speechless. After asking the waiter how much it was worth, they were taken aback by the price and stared at the red coral with envy, shaking their heads repeatedly.

Although the furnishings were luxurious, the reason why the private room was the best in Tianjinlou was because of the screen on the east side, on which was mounted a calligraphy copybook. The copybook was well-structured and powerful, written in the vigorous and slender Yan style, and it was the "Butcher's Calligraphy"!

This priceless treasure is signed by Gao Congzhe.

When this calligraphy was written, the recipient was a successful and accomplished scholar who had passed the imperial examination in the second class.

Time has passed, and the poor scholar who sold his calligraphy more than 20 years ago has now become the second prime minister!

After listening to the waiter's explanation, even someone as composed as Tang Lianbin couldn't help but stare in astonishment at the calligraphy.

Zou Tianju even stood directly in front of the screen and examined it carefully.

Ning Nan pointed with his finger and said with a smile, "Brother Zou is the smartest. He knows that this is a rare opportunity, so he quickly went to absorb some of the literary talent of Master Gao back then."

Upon hearing this, even Zhao Jing, the most reserved among them, could not contain himself. Together with Tang Lianbin and Zuo Yong, he hurriedly stepped forward, squeezed in with Zou Tianju, and carefully examined the "Slaughtering Ox Post".

This calligraphy copybook was exhibited at the Tianjinlou Literary Gathering, but apart from Dong Xuezheng and a few others, it wasn't very noticeable to others.

There was a knocking sound at the door, and the waiter quickly went to open it.

The door opened, revealing a square-faced man wearing a purple and blue brocade robe.

Ning Nan stood up, greeted him with a smile, and said, "Brother, you're too kind."

Tang Lianbin and the other three looked over, and Ning Nan introduced them to each other, saying that these four were his classmates.

Tan Xingbang, sporting a short mustache, chuckled and said, "I, Tan, have met all of you talented scholars. I wish you all success in the imperial examinations and may you all achieve great things."

The four men blushed slightly and quickly greeted Master Tan.

After exchanging greetings, Tan Xingbang looked at Ning Nan, his eyes gleaming with excitement, and clasped his hands in a fist salute, saying, "Young Master Ning, I am truly grateful for your help..."

Ning Nan returned the greeting, saying, "Brother Tan is so generous. I must thank you... It's not easy for a small newspaper to survive, so we came to your esteemed establishment to beg for donations. I never expected Brother Tan to be so generous as to directly reward me with a thousand taels of silver to sponsor our newspaper. How could our newspaper not return the favor?"

Tan Xingbang's face stiffened with a forced smile, and he hurriedly waved his hand, saying, "No, no, if it weren't for Brother Ning's help with the *Nancheng Daily*, how could my brother's Tianjinlou have been doing so well these past few days..."

Tan Xingbang's face was flushed, and his heart was pounding.

Whether business is good or not is secondary; the main thing is that Tan Xingbang got a lot of exposure this time!

Tianjinlou did have some fame before, but it was mainly due to the "Butcher's Post" that circulated among some officials and scholars.

A few days ago, the Nancheng Daily published a report on various events at Tianjinlou, specifically mentioning how Tan Xingbang stepped forward and turned the tide when Tianjinlou suffered losses ten years ago... This helped him gain fame... Yesterday, his wife pouted and said, "When I go out to buy rouge, everyone recognizes me as Tan Xingbang, but not many people say that my father is the Grand Master of the Imperial Clan of Liang..." Tan Xingbang knew that his wife must have seen the rouge shop clerk reading the Nancheng Daily and brought it up to save face.

He wouldn't call him out on it, but just laughed and said, "Don't ask for a discount on the rouge, or you'll embarrass your husband." His wife rolled her eyes at him, then gracefully took some rouge as a gift and a copy of the *Nancheng Daily* to visit her sisters at her parents' home...

Ning Nan smiled and cupped his hands in greeting: "Even the best wine needs advertising; I'm just helping to promote it..."

Tan Xingbang's eyes lit up, and he remembered the other man's words, "Even the best wine needs a good location." He thought to himself, "He truly is a great talent; he can speak eloquently."

His palms felt cold, and he couldn't help but feel a little scared... Five days ago, this man came to the door with several copies of the "Nancheng Daily" and said that he was the owner of the Nancheng Daily. He said that the small newspaper was having difficulties and hoped that Tianjinlou could sponsor some money. At that time, the shopkeeper recognized the man as Ning Baixuan and was shocked.

Previously, at the Tianjinlou literary gathering, one of the waiters had offended the other party. The manager was worried that the other party was coming to seek revenge, so he quickly called the owner over.

He approached politely and listened attentively. Seeing that the other party only wanted money, he readily handed over a thousand taels, considering it a way to establish a good relationship with Marquis Jingbei. As for the other party's talk of "sponsorship" or not, he didn't take it seriously at all... Unexpectedly, this matter gave him such a big surprise!

After exchanging pleasantries, Tan Dongjia, not one to be tactless, saw that he was going to host a banquet for his classmates, so he smiled and took his leave, patting his chest and saying that all expenses would be covered by him, and that the "Zi Ru Xie" room would always be reserved for him, ready to welcome him anytime. Ning Nan quickly thanked him.

Old Master Ning couldn't help but feel a little sad. Five days ago, he began to work on solving the problem of the Nancheng Daily's continuous losses.

On the one hand, the Nancheng Daily claimed that some people were using the free newspapers to do indecent things, and said that the newspaper had no choice but to start charging. It also turned the newspaper into a wholesale system. When buying the newspaper at the newspaper office, you had to buy at least 100 copies at a time, each copy costing three coins. As for how many copies the buyer could resell, he didn't care, he only required that the price not be lower than five coins.

On the other hand, he started begging for alms and getting some casual sex.

The first place to go was Fu Lai Tavern. The portly owner, Chen Ruhai, waved his hand and said he would give him five hundred taels of silver. Ning Nan was worried about messing things up, so he only accepted one hundred taels.

The second place he went to was Tianjinlou, which had just held a literary gathering. He thought that since this place was popular, it wouldn't be a disaster... Unexpectedly, this place was even more generous, offering a thousand taels of silver!

Fu Lai Tavern only charged 100 taels, hoping for a steady, long-term business, while Tianjinlou was likely looking for a one-off deal... So he politely accepted 1,000 taels... who cares...

Master Ning took a silent breath, his palms sweating slightly... Fortunately, neither family suffered any setbacks, and both gained fame.

After seeing Tan Dongjia off, the waiter served dishes one by one, all of which were Huaiyang cuisine with excellent color, aroma, and taste, and exquisite craftsmanship. Tang Lianbin and his three companions did not stand on ceremony and ate until they were full with smiles.

period.

The group chatted about this and that.

Inevitably, the topic turned to a recent "rumor" circulating in Beijing.

—A prince from the Northern Dynasty, who was a hereditary prince, wanted to marry into the Southern Dynasty by offering "the area south of the Huai River" as a dowry!

Zhao Jing frowned, picked up a piece of squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, and asked, "Brother Bai Xuan, what's your opinion on this matter?"

Ning Nan shook his head. As a commoner, he was currently unable to participate in such important national affairs, so it seemed pointless.

He then used the same excuse he had used to deal with Cui Cui's wife, and said with a smile, "Let's not talk about state affairs."

Zuo Yong sipped a cup of tribute wine, smacked his lips, and chuckled, "The county examination is now up to Brother Bai Xuan!"

The others chuckled as well, saying that the Tartar was taking the county examination in Jiangning County, the same county as Brother Bai Xuan, so... The four of them raised their cups and smiled together:

"When the time comes, we'll await Brother Bai Xuan's great victory over the Tartars in the other counties!"

The claim that land "south of the Huai River" was offered as a betrothal gift is still unconfirmed, as no official document has been issued yet.

The fact that the Tartars participated in the imperial examinations is absolutely true, and no one wants to be outdone by those Tartars.

In this county-level examination, all the candidates from Jiangning County are probably eager to show their skills and outshine the other candidates!

Ning Nan remained noncommittal, only smiled and raised his glass: "Let's drink first."

……

……

Night was falling.

Ning Nan drank some wine, but wasn't drunk. He rode back to the Ning residence in a carriage, and after getting off, he strolled slowly back to the second courtyard. His shadow was stretched long by the bright moon in the sky.

Master Ning walked through the colorful banana groves and was taken aback when he saw the brightly lit flower hall. He was inexplicably surprised.

Upon entering the flower hall, one would see that Cui Cui's wife, who usually didn't return home until late at night, had suddenly appeared there today.

Cui Cui's wife sat on a chair in the flower hall, her hands on the table and her head resting in the crook of her arm. She seemed to be tired and sleeping.

Her long, flowing black hair cascaded down the edge of the table.

A table full of dishes was laid out in front of his wife. Ning Nan glanced at it and saw that there was rice wine duck, steamed preserved fish, a plate of stir-fried chrysanthemum greens, and some pickled vegetables that his mother had sent from the countryside. On the left side of the table, there was a small stove and a kettle, warming yellow wine.

Unfortunately, the food had all gone cold, the stove had been extinguished, and the wine on top had also gone cold.

Chunyu, the little girl, quietly stepped forward, her voice low and her eyes filled with reproach:

"Master, Madam returned home at sunset... She prepared a table full of dishes for you... But... But you haven't come back yet..."