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

Zhu Cuiwei sat upright behind the imperial desk, looking expressionlessly at the Jiangning County Magistrate kneeling below her.

She had secretly read the young doctor's essay in the study. It was certainly not earth-shattering or awe-inspiring, but in any case, it was far from being ranked last in a mere county examination.

She lightly swept her eyebrows and demanded, "Magistrate Lou, who ordered you to do this?"

As soon as the Empress uttered those cold words, Lou Jizuo's heart skipped a beat, and the joy of being summoned by the new emperor vanished completely.

He composed himself, thought for a moment, and then said, "Your Majesty, it is not that I have any bias. Prince Hongfeng of the Northern Dynasty's essay is exceptionally well-written, concise in its language, apt in its allusions, and unconventional in its approach to the topic, far surpassing his peers. My decision to appoint him as the top scholar in the county is entirely based on the principle of selecting talent for the country, and there is absolutely no intention of currying favor with the Northern Dynasty..."

Lou Jizuo inwardly groaned. Hongfeng's writing was certainly good, but it couldn't be said to far surpass his peers. At least in Jiangning County, there were several people whose writing was no worse than his.

Just before the county examination began, Cui Xianghai, the Minister of Rites, came to the county government office and gave him detailed instructions.

This imperial examination is highly valued by His Majesty and the court. It also happens that the Prince of the Northern Dynasty is taking the examination in Jiangning County. Magistrate Lou must make a fair judgment, so as not to discourage the scholars of the country, nor to discourage the scholars of the Northern Dynasty from their support for our Southern Dynasty.

Cui Xianghai said with a smile at the time: "Of course, Lord Zhao of the Ministry of Rites, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, and the Director of Studies have all read Prince Beile's articles. They all said that this Prince Beile admires our Han culture and has been taught by many great Han scholars from the north. His writing is so natural and his understanding of the classics is so profound that even Lord Zhao was impressed."

"As long as Magistrate Lou makes a fair judgment, the ranking of the Northern Dynasty's prince will not be low. If the prince gains face, doesn't that just prove that both the Northern and Southern Dynasties believe in the Great Way of the Sage and are of the same lineage? In this way, the alliance between our dynasty and the Northern Dynasty will naturally be more successful."

Having said that, Lou Jizuo understood immediately and said repeatedly, "Rest assured, Lord Cui, I will certainly make a fair judgment."

During the county examination, he naturally and calmly selected this prince as the top candidate...

Inside the Qianqing Palace.

Lou Jizuo broke out in a cold sweat, wondering if appointing that prince as the county's top scholar had offended the empress, who was unwilling to arrange the marriage...

call.

Zhu Cuiwei took a silent breath. Upon hearing this, Lou Jizuo actually thought she was asking about the Tartars. He gritted his teeth, and the veins on his temples throbbed involuntarily.

After a while.

The Imperial Guards handed over a note saying that the Prince of Anfeng's carriage had been outside the county government office, and that Qin Zhongxi, the nephew of the Chief Minister Qin, had entered and exited the Prince of Anfeng's carriage and the county government office.

With a raised eyebrow, she guessed most of the matter and immediately found a pretext to demote Lou Jizuo to the position of registrar in Dazhou. For a civil official like Lou Jizuo, this was a complete demotion.

After ordering someone to escort the Jiangning County Magistrate, whose body had turned completely cold, away, Zhu Cuiwei placed her delicate hand on the imperial desk, her gaze suddenly becoming heavy, and she lost interest in reviewing the remaining memorials.

It was dinnertime, and it was completely dark outside. She had no appetite and didn't even eat the filling pastries.

Frowning, feeling utterly exhausted, the Empress, who had been on the throne for nearly a month, glared and ordered someone to summon Prince Anfeng to the palace. However, the Grand Master of the Liang Clan claimed illness and refused to come.

Zhu Cuiwei snorted and was about to send someone to investigate what wrong the Prince of Anfeng's offspring had done when her aunt, Princess Yongguo, requested an audience.

Zhu Cuiwei was taken aback, somewhat surprised.

Princess Yongguo was in her early thirties, two years older than Prince Jing. She was gentle and had married early.

Zhu Cuiwei didn't see her aunt often when she was a child, but she remembered her aunt as having a very kind personality.

She recalled that her aunt had never written a letter telling her to "put the safety of the nation first."

This was the first time the princess had requested an audience, so she naturally wouldn't refuse her request.

The elegant and graceful princess, in her early thirties, entered the hall and greeted the emperor with a smile: "The Kingdom of Yong pays its respects to Your Majesty."

Zhu Cuiwei, dressed in a fitted dragon robe, stood up and said with a smile, "Aunt, please do not stand on ceremony."

As she emerged from the imperial desk, Princess Yongguo rose with a smile and stepped forward, taking her hand and saying, "Auntie, you recently gave birth to your second child and are feeling quite weak. I wonder if we could ask His Majesty for a favor and find a place to sit?"

Upon hearing the word "child," Zhu Cuiwei, who was already a married woman, was taken aback. A blush rose on her fair face, and her heart softened.

She hummed in agreement and brought the Princess of Yong to the warm pavilion. Her aunt held her hand, and the two sat together on the couch.

The palace maids and eunuchs served the two of them tea, along with some candied fruit and pastries.

Princess Yongguo's headdress was luxurious and extravagant. Her black hair was tied up and covered with a fine net woven from gold thread. A delicately designed gold hairpin was inserted in her hair, and below the gold hairpin was a jade hairpin, which was adorned with a pearl on gold thread and swayed back and forth in her black hair.

The stove in the warm room was burning with red charcoal, making the room as warm as spring.

Princess Yongguo held Zhu Cuiwei's hands together in her palms.

Princess Yong looked at her face and smiled, "I still remember what His Majesty looked like when he was a child. He was only three years old then. He ran out of the palace to greet me, but he tripped and fell on the bluestone. Tears were welling up in his eyes, but when he saw me looking at His Majesty, he held them back, snorted, and got up... In the blink of an eye, Auntie has already had two children, and His Majesty has grown up so much."

Zhu Cuiwei smiled, and after a moment, she glanced at her aunt and said, "Aunt, what brings you here...?"

Princess Yong rolled her eyes at her: "Does it have to be something? Couldn't it be because you were worried His Majesty was tired, so you came to see him?"

Zhu Cuiwei was taken aback for a moment, but when she saw her aunt's gentle eyes, she felt a warmth in her heart.

Princess Yong patted her arm and said softly, "It was the Emperor Emeritus who asked me to check on you... Lately, some of them have gone too far, even your aunt can't stand it anymore."

Zhu Cuiwei immediately understood, and a smile appeared on her thin, oval face: "It's alright." She added, "Thank you, Aunt..."

Princess Yong asked with a smile, "Are you tired?" and "Have you eaten properly?"

Zhu Cuiwei answered each question in turn.

Finally, a sly smile appeared in Princess Yong's eyes: "I haven't even met His Majesty's husband yet!"

Zhu Cuiwei's lips parted slightly, somewhat surprised.

Princess Yong blinked, somewhat curiously, and said, "My aunt was pregnant before, so there were some things she didn't know. It was only a few days ago, when the Emperor Emeritus summoned me, that I learned that His Majesty had secretly done such a big thing."

Zhu Cuiwei's dough immediately turned red from the heat.

Then Princess Yongguo teased, "Your Majesty...Your Majesty, could you tell me about you and your husband?"

……

On the evening of September 20th.

A gentle night breeze was blowing.

Zhu Cuiwei changed into casual clothes and returned to the Ning Mansion from the palace. When she reached the flower hall, she saw Chunyu carrying lamp oil. Upon seeing her return, Chunyu exclaimed in surprise, "Madam!"

She smiled and asked what was wrong. She learned that Chunyu was going to the study to add lamp oil for the master, so she smiled and took the lamp.