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

The time when the sun sets.

The carriage rattled along Gongyuan Street, amidst a constant cacophony of noise outside.

Every now and then, the sound of Uncle Ping cracking his whip and urging his horse could be heard, along with shouts of "Lulu!"

The car was quite crowded.

The matriarch of the Ning family sat to the right of the main seat, while the head of the Ning family, who had just finished the imperial examination, lay sprawled on the main seat.

The master nestled his head in his wife's arms, his eyes closed, perhaps from exhaustion.

The lady had brought the master some tangerines, but since the master was lying with his hands in his sleeves, the lady had no choice but to peel the tangerines herself, eat a segment, and then put a segment into the master's mouth.

Such a posture was undoubtedly very ungraceful. The two maids squeezed together on the left side seat, watching nervously.

I have a feeling that if someone were to lift the carriage curtain at this moment and see the master in this state, the reputation of "the Ning family being ignorant of etiquette" would probably spread...

"you……"

A thoughtful expression appeared on Zhu Cuiwei's fair face as she pursed her lips.

"What kind of questions are there this year...? Are they difficult?"

Old Master Ning shook his head in her arms, sniffed, and mumbled sleepily, "I'll write it down when I get back."

"Why write it down?" Zhu Cuiwei asked curiously.

Ning Nan chewed on an orange, opened his eyes, and saw his wife's fair profile and neck. He said matter-of-factly, "It's a family heirloom."

Zhu Cuiwei's expression froze for a moment.

She then let out an "oh" and realized that the other person meant to pass on her experience in the imperial examinations to her children and grandchildren. Her lips curved slightly and she couldn't help but chuckle. But when she thought of the words "children and grandchildren," her face couldn't help but turn red.

If the child born to the young doctor is a daughter, then one must prepare to choose a husband from among the Zhu clan members to have a child and inherit the throne.

If she had a son, she would have two marquis titles to inherit... But soon, thinking about how many descendants she would have in the future, and how, apart from the main lineage who could inherit the title, the rest of the descendants would inevitably have to find their own way to make a living, her beautiful brows furrowed.

At that time, the imperial examination would naturally be unavoidable, and for a moment I felt that the young doctor was right.

"Daughter...descendants..." Zhu Cuiwei's lips parted slightly, and she sighed silently.

The image of the woman leading the little boy off a cliff in my dream inexplicably surfaced in my mind, and a wave of heartache washed over me again, causing my face to turn pale once more...

After the young doctor lay in her arms for a quarter of an hour, his fingernails were full of tangerine juice.

She wiped herself on Master Ning's clothes without ceremony, ignoring his grumbling, and slapped him up to peel an orange for her...

Night fell.

The Ning family has prepared a banquet.

However, it was just a feast for the servants; no guests were invited.

For the past three months since the imperial examination began, the servants have been constantly instructed by Steward Wang that they must not make a sound while walking or even breathe loudly, for fear of disturbing their master.

If you fail the imperial examination, you can only take it again three years later.

If you pass the imperial examination and become a tribute student, regardless of your performance, the emperor will not dismiss you in the subsequent palace examination.

There's nothing to be afraid of.

The servants of the Ning family finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Moreover, the master of the mansion has already passed the imperial examination and become the top scholar, so the name "Wenquxing" (literary star) has already spread far and wide.

After those days of continuous banquets, the servants of the Ning family now have to be looked up to by everyone when they go out!

Compared to the servants, the master, mistress, and second young lady of the mansion ate a much simpler dinner.

However, there were four meat dishes, three vegetable dishes, and a soup made by Chef Xu with mutton.

Qinghuan ate her meal in small bites, glancing at her brother-in-law every now and then, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Li Yanting is not dead." Ning Nan picked up a piece of chopped roasted lamb leg, not even glancing at his sister-in-law, and said indifferently.

Qinghuan was immediately embarrassed, her face turning red as she said, "I...I...I didn't mean to ask him..."

Zhu Cuiwei scooped up some soup with a spoon, glanced at her, and smiled, "Then who do you want to ask?"

Qinghuan's pretty face turned red to the roots of her ears, and she stammered for a long time, unable to say a word.

Ning Nan and Zhu Cuiwei exchanged a smile.

We've had a meal.

Chunyu and Qiumu, two young maids, handed over a golden basin and a hot towel.

After a hearty meal and a steaming wash, Ning Nan, who had spent nine days in the examination hall, finally let out a long-awaited burp.

During those nine days, if it weren't for the Empress's daily kindness in sending each candidate a hot meal, he would have probably lost a lot of weight just from those dry cakes and cured meats. But at his age, he was never truly full thanks to those hot meals.

The oil lamps in the study were all filled with oil, casting a dim, yellowish light.

The shadows cast by the two on the ground met for the first time in a long time.

The desk is still a mess.

He randomly picked out a copy of "Collected Essays on Longchang Policy" that he wanted.

The provincial examination was over, and the subsequent palace examination required writing policy essays. Ning Nan decided to focus on policy essays during the days of waiting for the results to be announced.

After turning two pages, I was still feeling a bit agitated, so I let my hand fall and put the book down again.

Ning Nan's eyes were vacant as he leaned back in his chair.

"The imperial examination is over..." He covered his face with his hands and couldn't help but rub his face. He felt a mix of emotions, as if he had become empty.

After a long while, he let out a long breath and began grinding the ink again.

Cui Cui was off work today and came to the examination hall to pick him up to go home. She was sitting next to him now, holding the book "A Brief History of the Later Zhao Dynasty" and reading it.

Her incredibly beautiful, delicate eyebrows sometimes furrowed tightly, and sometimes suddenly relaxed.

She would puff out her cheeks every now and then, and the dim light and shadow danced on her fair face, making her look somewhat suffocated.

Ning Nan smiled slightly, wondering what his wife had seen that made her so angry.

"Hoo..." The fragrance of ink gradually filled the room. Ning Nan took a breath and withdrew his gaze from Cui Cui.

Spread out a sheet of paper and pick up a pen.

He quietly began writing down the classical texts for the imperial examinations, as well as his own eight-legged essay.

The first one is naturally the one about "Renewal of an Old Nation".

He bit his cheek, recalling the passage as he slowly wrote it down from memory.

Not long after.

A faint shadow was cast on the desk... Granny Cui Cui peeked over, and Ning Nan glanced at her; her eyes were sparkling...

"The old state is strengthened by the new, and the new is used to maintain the old. If the old state does not exist, how can the new be like a tree without roots? Therefore it is said: the old state is the foundation, and the new laws are the means..."

Zhu Cuiwei softly read through the eight-legged essay written by the young doctor, pursed her lips, and her brows furrowed slightly.

This question was set by Sun Chengshan, with the aim of selecting reform talents who could be used by him in the future.

She couldn't help but glance at her husband, whose expression was serious. She had originally thought that the young doctor was exceptionally talented and should be the kind of person who "seeks change".

Unexpectedly, the young doctor did not extoll the benefits of the reforms, nor did he emphasize the need to uphold ancestral laws; he appeared rather moderate.

The old state is the foundation, and the new law is the technique.

Techniques can change, but the essence cannot.

The purpose of techniques is to maintain the fundamental principles, not to distort them for the sake of techniques.

It is also said that techniques should originate from the root; the roots of a willow tree will not sprout branches from a peach tree...

Zhu Cuiwei's heart stirred, and for a moment, her mind was both hazy and somewhat enlightened.

I always felt that the young doctor's words seemed to be quite similar to the old-fashioned and conservative opinions, yet there seemed to be a fundamental difference between them in some way.

But she can't say it, which is why she has this special feeling.

"Reform..." As she watched the young doctor silently write his article, Zhu Cuiwei took a deep breath, her eyes becoming complicated.

Since she ascended the throne, or more precisely, since more than a year ago, ever since her elder brother appointed Sun Chengshan as the Crown Prince's Chamberlain, the dark cloud of reform has been hanging over her head, and it remains to be seen when this storm will finally fall.

"It's just a pity..." Zhu Cuiwei sighed inwardly... She had just ascended the throne when the Northern Dynasty suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Rakshasa...