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

I was half asleep when I felt my wife patting me like a little girl.

With a smile, Mr. Ning rubbed his eyes and sleepily lifted the covers.

Pushing open the bathroom door, a wave of heat hit me. The bathroom had underfloor heating and charcoal burning outside, making it very warm.

Chunyu and Qiumu, the two maids, were full of energy. They rolled up their sleeves and kept saying, "Wishing you success in the imperial examination!" Their voices were clear and melodious, just like the song of orioles.

The small shadow moved back and forth, shuffling its feet as it carried the boiled water into the bathtub.

The bath water was warm, and I don't know if it was at Cui Cui's mother's behest, but there were also orchids and vitex flowers in it, giving the water a faint fragrance.

He rubbed his sore and heavy eyelids, took off his clothes, and even though it was warm inside, the December weather still made him shiver.

After his bath, two maids helped him dry his hair.

Chunyu carefully used incense to scent his clothes for a long time.

A light blue wide-sleeved blouse with black embroidered edges on the cuffs.

After putting on the clothes, a faint sandalwood scent lingered on her body.

In the bronze mirror, two maids helped him tie his hair into a bun.

"Master, you are truly a literary star descended to earth!" Chunyu, the little maid, stared blankly at the master in the bronze mirror, while Qiumu nodded in agreement.

Ning Nan shook his slightly sore neck and said, "Master hasn't participated in the palace examination yet, so there are no rewards for him now."

The two maids laughed and said, "He's clearly a scholar, but the master prefers to be a spendthrift."

Ning Nan smiled and glanced at himself in the mirror, thinking it was a pity his wife was gone, otherwise, after seeing himself, she would probably...

Well……

"Sigh..." She'd probably just pinch his ear and ask him why he wasn't hurrying up...

I had a vegetarian steamed bun in my mouth. It was late morning, and the sky was still dark, with the moon about to be full on the horizon.

Led by Steward Wang, the servants chanted "Yes, sir!" loudly.

"May you, sir, achieve the highest honors in the imperial examinations and top the list!"

Looking much more energetic than usual, Mr. Ning smiled.

"Thank you for your kind words, I'll reward you if I win."

Once seated in the carriage, Uncle Ping let out a smug "Heh!" and raised his whip.

At the Meridian Gate of the Forbidden City, bonfires were lit, and dozens of scholars dressed in the same robes as him stood scattered around.

In front of the tall palace gate, besides the heavily guarded soldiers, stood two officials in green robes and five or six clerks in blue robes.

"That gentleman is Lord Gao, the Director of the Ceremonial Affairs Department of the Ministry of Rites. To Lord Gao's left is Lord Meng, the Principal of the Ceremonial Affairs Department. The rest are clerks who will be responsible for leading us into the Meridian Gate later."

Tang Lianbin, who had a wide circle of friends, gestured with his chin towards the officials in the distance.

He arrived at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM) and had already paid his respects to those officials from the Ministry of Rites.

Ning Nan hummed in agreement and nodded.

The scholars stood in twos and threes, speaking in hushed tones. The bright yellow light of the campfire flickered on their faces, reflecting a variety of expressions.

Some looked reserved, some had arrogant eyes, some couldn't stop smiling, while others stood calmly with their hands behind their backs, whether they were faking it or not.

Some people, whether from the cold or from fear, were trembling, unsteady on their feet, and their jaws were chattering.

Li Yanting was one of the last to arrive. It was still pitch black when he got off the carriage from Bailu Academy, squinted and scanned the surroundings before rushing towards Ning Nan.

"Brother Ning," he said, bowing.

Ning Nan frowned and uttered a soft "Hmm?"

Li Yanting quickly corrected himself, addressing him as "brother-in-law."

Master Ning then gave a satisfied "hmm".

Li Yanting's handsome face relaxed as well.

Last time he called the other person "brother-in-law," the other person seemed a little unhappy, so he became hesitant to call him that again.

Tang Lianbin was greatly surprised when he heard this form of address.

Ning Nan introduced the two to each other, and Tang Lianbin then learned that Li Yanting, who ranked third in this year's imperial examination, was going to marry the sister-in-law of the top scholar in just a few months!

Tang Lianbin ranked forty-fifth, which was enough to qualify for the second class. He felt no jealousy towards the two men and clasped his hands in a fist and smiled, saying:

"Brother Li, you must send me an invitation. I'll have to come and have a drink at your wedding."

Li Yanting gratefully clasped his hands in agreement.

After chatting for a while, I learned that the reason the book seed arrived a little late was because he had gone to visit Yang Gu.

Yang Gu's throat and tongue were burned, but he survived. He has been surviving on rice gruel for the past few days. Despite being a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), he has had a very difficult time these past few days.

His appearance also changed drastically, with indelible red lines and burn marks on the lower half of his face.

"Yesterday, an imperial eunuch came to the Yang family and issued an order, informing Senior Brother Yang that he could skip the palace examination and stay home to recuperate. His Majesty would grant him a second-class degree. Senior Brother Yang's parents and relatives were moved to tears and thanked him profusely."

Li Yanting sighed.

Ning Nan and Tang Lianbin couldn't help but nod in agreement.

After expressing their feelings, Li Yanting and Tang Lianbin couldn't help but look at Ning Nan's right hand, which was bandaged.

Li Yanting was alright, after all, he already knew this man's temperament... At the age of ten, he chased Li Liang all over the village with a knife, making no one in the surrounding area dare to say anything lewd to Aunt Ning. At the age of fifteen, he dared to lead people to threaten Grandpa Li with knives and snatch back San Zhuang's sister, which was the first time in the history of Li Family Village.

Even now, Li Yanting still finds it hard to believe that the most likely outlaw in Lijia Village to join the bandits actually participated in the imperial examination!

Not only did he participate in the imperial examinations, but he also passed the provincial and metropolitan examinations with top honors, ranking even higher than him!

Tang Lianbin was even more surprised. He hadn't witnessed Brother Ning punishing Lu Jing, and he couldn't imagine how Brother Ning would act so violently.

In the nearly six months since they met, he and Zuo Yong had joked with Brother Ning quite a bit, but they had never seen Brother Ning show the slightest sign of anger.

Brother Ning was often scolded by Mr. Lizhou in the early days, but he always corrected his mistakes and never had any complaints about Mr. Lizhou.

They often remarked that Brother Ning, a renowned talent in the capital, was far too humble, possessing the demeanor of an ancient gentleman.

Upon hearing about the Crane Cry Tower, he was speechless, feeling that Brother Ning not only possessed the demeanor of an ancient gentleman, but also had a touch of the chivalrous spirit of the Spring and Autumn Period!

"It'll be alright soon. My wife changed my dressing last night, and it doesn't hurt or itch anymore. It's just that I'll only be able to write with my left hand from now on, so it'll look a bit messy." Ning Nan waved his right hand and smiled.

Li Yanting and Tang Lianbin smiled as well, and Tang Lianbin joked, "We actually got the better deal in the palace examination, Brother Ning."

Just then, the sound of whips cracking and horses neighing came from behind.

Everyone in the room turned to look.

A horse-drawn carriage came galloping along the official road.

The carriage was pulled by two white horses, which were tall and strong, and their hooves made a clear and loud sound.

The carriage is bright yellow overall, with exquisite carvings, and is half the size larger than an ordinary carriage, making it look majestic and extraordinary at first glance.

After the carriage stopped, a figure wearing a black skullcap with fur trim and a thick red and yellow striped mandarin jacket stepped down.