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

Deep night.

The main room of the two was equipped with an underfloor heating system. The smoke from the stove outside entered the main room through the underfloor heating pipes, making the entire room warm and cozy.

After the two covered themselves with the blankets, Mr. Ning, who was sleeping inside, placed his right hand outside the blankets and embraced his wife with his left arm. Hearing his wife's words, he closed his eyes and softly hummed in agreement...

……

……

The howling north wind raged all night.

It snowed in Jiangnan for a day.

When I woke up early, the entire Ning Mansion was already covered in a layer of silver.

The large, fluffy snowflakes were still falling, swirling and dancing in the air.

Without fail, Cui Cui's wife got up early and went out.

Even though the imperial examination was over, Master Ning didn't sleep much.

Yesterday I received many visiting cards, including those from the magistrate of Shangyuan County and the newly appointed prefect of Yingtian Prefecture, as well as several fellow graduates of the imperial examination. I must treat them all well.

Not long after his wife left his arms, he got up early.

The two chief examiners for this year's imperial examination were Grand Secretary Li Xiangsong and Vice Minister of Revenue Sun Chengshan.

According to the conventions of the imperial examination system, Li Xiangsong should be the "chief tutor" of the candidates in this imperial examination, and Sun Chengshan should be the "junior tutor".

After having breakfast, Ning Nan personally wrote a name card and had it delivered, intending to visit his two mentors the next day to establish a formal relationship as their mentors.

In the morning.

A group of guests arrived one after another, and Manager Wang, being a man of good manners, received them all.

Master Ning smiled and visited each person in turn, chatting about this and that. Before long, everyone was enjoying themselves.

After all, most of these people were neighbors from Datong Street. They just came to see each other, say "congratulations," chat for a few minutes, and then disperse.

He sent messengers to inform the Marquis of Jingbei and the Marquis of Gongsun that after the palace examination, the Ning family would hold another banquet and would also host a separate feast for the family of the Earl and the family of Headmaster Gongsun.

However, a servant from the Marquis's residence came to report that the Marquis had already thrown a lavish banquet, inviting the entire street, the capital's nobles, and the Marquis's former generals.

The servants also brought over enough things to fill an entire courtyard, excitedly saying that the young master should just focus on preparing for the imperial examination and not worry about anything else. After the examination, the Marquis would host another grand banquet.

Ning Nan was somewhat amused and exasperated, but his heart was warmed. After treating the messengers to a meal, he wrote a thank-you letter for them to take back.

At the beginning of the morning, I received Ye Huaimin, the magistrate of Shangyuan County.

Magistrate Ye arrived very early in the morning, dressed in casual clothes. Upon meeting us, he greeted us with a smile and a cupped-hand salute:

"Ning Huiyuan, I know you'll be very busy these days, so I've come early on behalf of the people of Shangyuan County to pay my respects, hoping to absorb some of your talent and bring forth more top scholars in the next few years!"

Ye Huaimin had a long beard with three strands, and he exuded a scholarly air. He had an extraordinary demeanor and looked like a great Confucian scholar who was profound and dignified.

Ning Nan smiled and bowed repeatedly, saying, "I am ashamed to say what Lord Ye has said."

The two walked into the flower hall, chatting and laughing.

Ye Huaimin was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) and was extremely familiar with the imperial examination system.

When Ning Nan respectfully offered the other party tea, the other party cheerfully recounted some events from the imperial examination and the announcement ceremony of the candidates for the highest rank back then.

For example, how to bow, how to speak, the route of the palace, the Golden Palace... what the Fengtian Hall looks like, so that he can be mentally prepared and not be frightened by the imperial majesty.

Ye Huaimin stroked his beard and laughed, "My family has always been a scholar-farmer, so I don't have much knowledge. When I passed the imperial examination, the late emperor held a grand ceremony to announce the winners. It was my first time entering the palace, and I was so frightened by the imperial aura that my legs went weak. When I stepped into the hall, I lowered my body and almost knelt down..."

Ye Huaimin laughed heartily, and Ning Nan naturally didn't mock him, only saying, "Magistrate Ye has the heart of a child."

After staying for about half an hour, Ye Huaimin took his leave, and Ning Nan escorted him to the end of Datong Street.

At the hour of Chen (7-9 AM), the newly appointed prefect of Yingtian Prefecture came to "congratulate the Duke of Yingtian Prefecture on his success in the imperial examination."

Unlike Ye Huaimin's cheerful and generous nature.

The newly appointed prefect of Yingtian Prefecture, Jiang Yuanwang, seemed to be handling things in a very official and bureaucratic manner.

He presented the Ning family with a plaque inscribed "Huiyuan Mansion," offered a few words of encouragement with a slight smile, and then prepared to leave.

After all... his predecessor, Prefect Liu, was rumored to have angered Marquis Jingbei by placing Ning Baixuan in the middle to lower ranks of the prefectural examination, which led to the Marquis's appeal to the Empress, who then demoted Prefect Liu out of the capital.

The Yingtian Prefecture had some reservations about this matter, and did not believe that Prefect Liu was jealous of talent or acting out of personal favoritism.

They believed that the Empress was biased and favored the sons of nobles.

However, after Ning passed the provincial examination with top honors, he could no longer vent his dissatisfaction and could only keep it bottled up inside.

And thankfully, Prefect Liu still had a conscience, unlike Lou Jizuo who ranked Ning Baixuan last. As a result, Prefect Liu received less criticism than Lou Jizuo.

However, since Yingtian Prefecture and Ning Baixuan had this slight 'grudge', the newly appointed prefect Jiang Yuanwang naturally wouldn't get too close to him, lest others think that Yingtian Prefecture was afraid of Xun Gui.

Regardless of the other party's attitude, Ning Nan naturally saw them off with a smile all the way, escorting them to the end of Datong Street, and had someone hand them a visiting card, saying that he would definitely come to visit Prefect Jiang after the palace examination.

Besides the two local officials, a number of other people arrived one after another, but they all sent someone to ask if Huiyuan Gong was available before coming directly to his door.

Most of the visiting cards simply stated that they wanted to pay a visit, but dared not be presumptuous. They asked the host to send someone to inform them when they were free, and they would then pay their respects on that day...

Master Ning's left-handed handwriting was crooked and messy, wasting several sheets of paper. By writing more slowly, he managed to reply to these guests in the official script, postponing the matter until after the palace examination as much as possible...

……

The snow stopped for a few quarters of an hour in the afternoon.

The young female disciple, Gongsun Heng, arrived as promised.

Unlike before, today the young lady Gongsun didn't just ride around in a carriage with a "whoosh" and rush off everywhere.

Instead, he was accompanied by four strong women and two maids.

The four strong women each carried a knife, their eyes were sharp, and they gripped the hilts of their knives. With their large hands and long legs, they looked like men who were not to be trifled with.

"Hmm...this was sent to the Gongsun residence by Her Majesty the Empress."

Gongsun Heng's tone was a mix of grievance and pride as she spoke.

"Her Majesty heard that I like to travel around and that my grandfather doesn't really care about me. She said she couldn't stand it, so she sent these experts to protect me personally... These two maids were also sent by Her Majesty. My own maids are still staying at the Gongsun residence."

Ning Nan handed a book to the female disciple sitting in the flower hall and said with a smile:

"Then you should thank the Empress properly. It's only because Old Master Gongsun seems to be assuming the post of Minister of Rites soon, otherwise Her Majesty wouldn't have the time or inclination to care about you."

Gongsun Heng nodded and said, "After Minister Xiao finishes presiding over this palace examination and the announcement ceremony, he will retire completely, and then my grandfather will become the Minister of Rites."

As she spoke, she took the book that her master casually handed her.

Gongsun Heng glanced at it and felt a chill run down her spine. She noticed that the book looked...so thick and heavy...

She mentally compared the two books and realized that the book was almost as thick as a little finger.

I've never seen such a thick book in my life. It's so heavy that I can't catch it with one hand. I had to use both hands to catch it halfway through.

The sealing wires were quite thick and coarse.

The female student, who had come with the intention of learning her master's "unique skills," couldn't help but swallow hard, feeling that something seemed a little different.

She held the book carefully and looked down at it.

The cover had four large characters written on it:

"Basic Mathematics"