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

As the carriage curtain was lifted, the dim light spilled out, and a wave of heat rushed towards us.

A woman dressed in a light blue dress was sitting in the main seat of the carriage, her dark hair piled up.

She held something in each hand, and her two watery eyes were quietly watching him.

Her oval face was so beautiful that you could never get tired of looking at it, like Xi Shi stepping out of a painting.

However, her temperament did not appear weak; her eyes seemed to gleam with the light of a sword shining from a long, clear box.

She snorted, seemingly expressing her dissatisfaction and urging him to hurry up.

Ning Nan then bowed and stepped into the carriage, lowered the curtain, took a few steps forward, sat down beside her, leaned back against the carriage seat, and smiled:

I was wondering where you had gone.

Yesterday, his wife, who is always so busy, made an appointment with him to come and see the results of the imperial examination today.

He had been busy at Heming Tower, but his wife hadn't come over yet. He thought she was so busy that she had stood him up, like Shangguan Wan'er, the wife of the Empress.

"I'll be waiting for you here."

She placed two hand warmers on her lap, glanced at her husband, and spoke in a clear, melodious voice.

The two stood shoulder to shoulder, and Ning Nan reached out his left hand to take a hand warmer from his wife and put it in his pocket.

The hand warmer is small and exquisite, filled with embers of charcoal, scattering tiny sparks of light, making it warm and cozy.

As soon as I put it in my arms, my body, which had been a little chilled by the river breeze, naturally warmed up.

He stretched his right hand out in front of her.

She took a small pair of scissors and cut open her bandaged right hand again.

"I won't feel at ease if I don't check it out."

Worried that he was in pain, I offered an explanation.

When the gauze was removed, her right hand, still red and swollen and covered in blisters, was revealed.

The doctor had previously given him painkillers such as gardenia ointment, and now his hand was emitting a faint, unsettling fragrance.

She pursed her lips, took a silent breath, and didn't say anything more.

Set the removed gauze aside and open a wooden box.

He scraped it with a small wooden knife, scraping out some dark mud, and began to smear it on his right hand.

This must be a medicine for burns. As soon as the woman applied it, a cool sensation spread across Ning Nan's right hand, making him feel much more comfortable. His fingers and the back of his hand trembled involuntarily.

"Don't move." She lowered her head, gently supporting his right hand with one hand, while carefully scraping the medicine with the other, frowning as she spoke.

"Oh," Master Ning replied, staring at his wife's smooth forehead.

After applying the medicine to his entire hand, his wife took out a new gauze and carefully wrapped it around his hand again.

……

……

Each carrying a hand warmer, the two lingered by the river in their carriage for quite some time. By the time the carriage returned to Datong Street, curfew had already been imposed.

"Ning Dayuan..."

Cui Cui's wife lifted the carriage curtain, glanced at the street outside, her lips curved, and snorted. Ning Nan was also speechless.

Firecrackers went off on the ground, and many restaurants had already pasted red paper with phrases such as "Congratulations to Ning Fu for passing the imperial examination," "Young Master Ning has passed the imperial examination," and "Talented Ning has passed the imperial examination."

This shows how lively Datong Street was not long ago.

Even now, the faint sounds of drums and string instruments can be heard on the street, as if some wealthy families have hired opera troupes to perform plays such as "The Heavenly Official Bestows Blessings" and "The Scholar's Record".

Back at the Ning residence.

The entire mansion was brightly lit and decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations.

Manager Wang and his group had been waiting at the side door for a while, and they had just entered when...

The servants of the Ning household excitedly shouted in unison, "Congratulations, Master, on passing the imperial examination with flying colors! Congratulations, Master, on your meteoric rise to prominence!..."

A series of congratulatory messages rolled in, and everyone's voices were filled with joy.

Ning Nan sat in the carriage, his breathing slightly labored. Hearing the servants' congratulations, he seemed to have no reaction and did not get out of the carriage.

Zhu Cuiwei stood next to him, glanced at him, and smiled slightly. She then reached out her hand, which was burning hot from being warmed by the hand warmer, and wiped his forehead.

"You really passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi..."

She spoke gently, a tone she hadn't used in a long time:

"Get out of the carriage... my esteemed scholar."

The palace examination did not reject anyone; passing the tribute examination was equivalent to passing the imperial examination.

Ning Nan pressed his left hand to his forehead and held his wife's right hand in his own; it was soft and warm.

"call……"

He held his wife in his arms, closed his eyes, and inhaled the fragrance of her hair. His heart pounded. After a long while, he finally let out a long breath and got up.

The deep blue carriage curtain was lifted.

Outside, the two maids, Chunyu and Qiumu, jumped up excitedly, shouting, "Master!" "Madam!"

The other servants were much more reserved than the two of them, looking at the master and mistress who came out of the carriage with apprehension and awe, but they couldn't hide the joy on their faces.

Coachman Uncle Ping, with a simple and honest smile on his face, placed a low stool for the master and madam to get off the carriage.

Master Ning stood on the carriage, straightened his back, coughed twice, and smiled at the crowd:

"The master has passed the imperial examination, so you... um... each of you will be rewarded with ten taels of silver!"

He had intended to joke with everyone, saying he would give them "ten coins" or something, but seeing their expectant eyes, he didn't say the joke.

He happened to have eleven thousand taels of silver lying in his arms, which he generously rewarded to his servants.

Upon hearing that the master had directly bestowed ten taels of silver, everyone was stunned, and then immediately cheered with an "Ah!"

"Thank you for the generous reward, sir!" Steward Wang, his old face beaming, immediately led the way in bowing, and the other servants followed suit, shouting at the top of their lungs, "Thank you for the generous reward, sir!"

……

"My lord, my lady, the procession from Shangyuan County arrived at 7 PM. They paraded through the streets with drums and suonas. I have already given them a reward."

"Both the Imperial Examination Hall and Yingtian Prefecture sent a congratulatory team to announce the good news along the streets, and I rewarded them all... Well, I took it upon myself to follow some rules I'd heard before: I rewarded the team from Shangyuan County with twelve taels of silver, the team from the Imperial Examination Hall with twenty taels, and the team from Yingtian Prefecture with twenty taels... I also treated them to a meal..."

At the small bridge leading into the Ning residence, Steward Wang, bowing low, reported some matters to Master Ning and his wife.

He then ordered four servants to each carry a lantern and stand in a row, so that together with the lanterns under the veranda, they could illuminate the area.

As Ning Nan nodded, his gaze swept across the room, and he then realized that the spacious courtyard was now like a warehouse, filled with all sorts of gift boxes and chests.

Holding a large stack of gift lists, Wang Baoqi nervously introduced them:

"Master, Madam, these are all gifts from our guests. They've been arriving continuously from dusk until midnight... I've noted down all the favors."

"Every shop on Datong Street sent gifts, even the Imperial Jade Workshop sent a couplet, a red envelope containing one hundred taels of silver, and a golden toad..."

"Xianyue Pavilion sent over a golden Buddha statue, along with many cooked dishes, which are being kept warm in the stove to help us entertain our guests... They're even faster than Fulai Tavern... They sent people over to deliver these things before the announcement was even posted this afternoon... Hmm..."

"...Magistrate Ye of Shangyuan County sent a painting of his own calligraphy...Grand Scholar Liu, Old Man He, and the great Confucian scholar Chen Xian also sent congratulatory gifts to the master, along with letters, which I have placed in the master's study..."

"Tianjinlou sent a copy of the 'Slaughtering Ox' calligraphy by a renowned scholar from the capital, written in the style of Chu Suiliang, to congratulate you on passing the imperial examination... After you pass the palace examination in a few days and the announcement of your success, Master Tan Xingbang will come in person to congratulate you..."

After a while, Steward Wang talked for almost half an hour. Cui Cui's wife listened for a while, but her hand warmer got a little cold. Her sister-in-law, Qing Huan, brought over a new one with Chun Yu, her face flushed. Ning Nan then told his wife to go to the flower hall to keep her sister-in-law and the others warm by the fire.

He stood there with his hands behind his back, taking notes on the favors that Steward Wang had mentioned.

At midnight, a crescent moon was reflected in the center of the small lake in the courtyard. The blue waves rippled with the night breeze, and the crescent moon also undulated in fragments.

As Master Ning listened, he silently took a breath... He was going to become an official later, and he couldn't avoid dealing with interpersonal relationships. He had to at least leave an impression of some people and some things in his mind.

……

……

"call……"

After blowing out the candle.

The room went dark.

After finishing her work, Ning Nan collapsed onto the bed.

"Hmm... the time for the palace examination..."

Zhu Cuiwei tidied her hair on the bed, lay down on the pillow, and gazed at her husband with her large, watery eyes, whispering,

"It's December 25th..."