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

"Haha... Gentlemen, Young Master Ning booked the superior private room 'Yunhe Room' three days ago. He also instructed me that if any of the talented individuals from Bailu Academy were to grace our establishment with their presence today to await the results of the provincial examinations, I would certainly give you the best hospitality..."

The old shopkeeper smiled gently, and his words, spoken with a slight bow, left the students of Bailu Academy somewhat astonished.

Qing Zude grunted "Hmm?", took a step back, looked up at the "Crane Cry Tower" signboard, and exclaimed in surprise, "How much silver did he spend?!"

Lian Ziweng, who had a somewhat expressionless face, shook his head and said, "I'm afraid it won't be cheap, it won't be cheap."

The crowd was somewhat surprised. A restaurant so close to the examination hall, especially on a day like today, would probably cost an astronomical sum to book a private room.

On the way here, they were saying that if we could find a corner on the first floor of Heminglou and try their famous "Zhuangyuan Tea", we could split the cost.

But as soon as they reached the east side of Gongyuan Street, they saw the awnings set up outside the restaurant and the dozen or so tables under them. They looked at each other in bewilderment, knowing that they would probably have to sit outside, or they might as well not go to Heminglou and find a restaurant nearby to sit down first.

Under the shade of the pavilion outside the building, tea masters were moving back and forth, pouring tea from teapots with pointed spouts.

Junior Sister Gongsun suggested, "Why don't we go check first? What if someone has vacated a seat?" Only then did everyone reluctantly come over.

When Gongsun Heng heard that her master had specially reserved a private room for her, her phoenix eyes suddenly lit up. She glanced at the eight or nine classmates around her with a raised eyebrow and hummed smugly.

"My master has booked a private room for us!" she exclaimed.

Qian, Huang, and the others, who were considered the most likely to pass the imperial examination this year, looked at Gongsun, a junior sister from an official family, and couldn't help but feel suspicious: Could it be that Gongsun had used her own money to book a private room in advance to save face for her "cheap" master? ...

Suddenly, everyone felt a pang of jealousy, and all sorts of thoughts raced through their minds...

Li Yanting, the bookworm, remained calm and composed, standing tall and quietly among the crowd with his hands behind his back and his chin slightly raised.

As the chief editor behind the scenes of the Nancheng Daily, he naturally knew what was going on.

Even the article about the "Top Scholar Tea" at Heming Tower was written by him, for which he received a writing fee of ten taels of silver...

"call……"

Li Yanting, a talented scholar who had recently risen to fame at Bailu Academy, did not show it on his face, but couldn't help but sigh in his heart... Nowadays, which restaurant in Nanjing would dare to offend Ning Baixuan, the big boss behind the Nancheng Daily?

really……

The shopkeeper lowered his eyes, smiled humbly, and said:

"Not at all, Young Master Ning and our landlord are close friends. It's just a private room, nothing to worry about. If Young Master Ning makes a call, this old man will naturally comply..."

Upon hearing this, Qing Zude and the others exchanged bewildered glances, their minds filled with extreme confusion.

……

……

The second floor of Heming Tower.

Inside the private room of "Red Crane Room".

Two round tables were placed there.

At the next table sat about ten students from the Imperial College.

Only a handful of people were seated at the head table.

At the head of the table, the prince, dressed in a yellow and black mandarin jacket, sat upright.

To the left of the prince sat a woman dressed in a bright yellow mandarin jacket, clearly a woman disguised as a man.

The woman was beautiful and charming, and no one dared to look at her for long. Even the prince treated her with great courtesy, so they were naturally even more afraid of offending this noble lady from the Northern Dynasty.

To the right of the Prince sat Qin Yun, Lu Jing, and two other talented students from the Imperial Academy who were highly likely to pass the provincial examination this year.

"This 'Top Scholar Tea' is just average, so how come it's so famous?"

Zhu Qingmian, disguised as a man, frowned in displeasure and put down her teacup.

The people in the room were enjoying their tea, chatting and laughing, discussing scriptures and doctrines, but as soon as the noble lady from the Northern Dynasty spoke, they immediately stopped talking.

"Hehe, Young Master Zhu, you are unaware of this," a student next to Lu Jing said with a smile.

The noblewoman from the Northern Dynasties said her Han name was "Zhu Qingmian," so he addressed her as "Young Master Zhu."

A student named Jin Huailun, with a bright smile and holding a white fan, spoke eloquently:

"The 'Top Scholar Tea' at Heming Tower isn't about its taste, but rather the story of eight top scholars who once sat here, drinking tea while waiting for the results of their examinations, and ultimately achieving the highest rank..."

talking.

Jin Huailun then recounted the legends of these people published in the Nancheng Daily.

His tone was slow and drawn out, and his words were quite witty and full of legendary color... The others had also read that newspaper, and now that they saw Jin Huailun showing off his knowledge and trying to please this noble lady, they couldn't help but feel annoyed.

But Zhu Qingmian, wearing a melon-shaped hat, only said "oh" after listening, and then yawned boredly, clearly not interested in these things.

She rested her right elbow on the round table, her palm supporting her chin, oblivious to everyone else, lost in thought, seemingly pondering something.

There were many exquisitely designed and delicious pastries on the round table, but she didn't even glance at them or show any interest in trying them. She just stared blankly at the table, oblivious to everyone else.

Jin Huailun's face stiffened, and he suddenly felt embarrassed.

Hongfeng and Qin Yun also looked rather unwell.

Others might not know, but the two of them knew all too well who the owner of the Nancheng Daily was. Now that Jin Huailun was bringing up the Nancheng Daily, they couldn't help but feel a little unhappy.

Just then, "Knock knock knock!"

Someone knocked on the door.

The waiter serving nearby quickly glanced at Young Master Qin, who was dressed in purple.

Qin Yun then said in a low voice, "Seventh Young Master, I will send someone out to check..."

Hongfeng hummed in agreement and nodded.

If it were just him today, it wouldn't matter; he could simply let the person knocking in. But since the Seventeenth Princess is here, it's best to have Qin Yun ask her first, so as not to offend her.

Qin Yun and Lu Jing got up, opened the door, and went out to see the person who came down.

Not long after, the two returned laughing. After whispering a few words in Hongfeng's ear, Hongfeng couldn't help but chuckle and said:

"Then let them in."

The gate was wide open.

Everyone looked outside and saw a group of students standing outside the door, holding either teacups or wine glasses.

Some people blushed, while others remained calm and composed.

Zhu Qingmian noticed a sudden flurry of figures outside and immediately perked up, wanting to see what was going on.

The scholar at the front of the group gritted his teeth and walked straight inside. His footsteps were heavy. He stopped in front of the round table at the head of the table.

The scholar, his face flushed, raised his wine cup: "Prince... Prince..."

I just can't bring myself to say the last word, "Master."

Qin Yun said, "Just call me Seventh Young Master." Hong Feng narrowed his eyes and glanced at Qin Yun standing next to him, but did not say anything.

The scholar felt as if he had been granted a pardon, let out a slight breath, and cast a grateful glance at the eldest grandson of the Prime Minister Qin.

"Seventh Young Master,"

The scholar raised his wine cup, looked at Hongfeng with a firm gaze, and said with a resolute tone,

"I am Li Youzhi of Mingli Academy. Two months ago, I heard that the Seventh Young Master intended to participate in our dynasty's imperial examination. I was indignant and shamelessly said at Mingli Academy, 'If the Seventh Young Master is like this, like this...'"

He didn't say it aloud, but everyone in the room knew he meant the word "Tartars." Hongfeng's expression turned slightly cold, and he remained silent.

Li Youzhi gave a wry smile and said:

"In short, I, Li, once boasted that if the Seventh Young Master could pass the imperial examination and even rank higher than me, I would never take the imperial examination again, never hold a pen again... I never expected that the Seventh Young Master would be so talented, winning first place in the county, prefectural, and provincial examinations! He achieved the triple crown! The Seventh Young Master's achievement is truly renowned throughout the capital... I, Li, feel deeply ashamed..."