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

"Well……"

Ning Nan quickly bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty flatters me."

"This is not an overstatement."

The elegant old woman smiled and shook her head. The hall was warm with a fire burning in the stove, and she lifted the hand warmer in her hand.

"Bai Xuan,"

After a few breaths, she affectionately addressed him by his courtesy name.

"Do you know why I have summoned you today?"

Ning Nan shook his head: "Ning Nan does not know, please ask the Empress Dowager for instructions."

At this moment, a white-bearded man in a python robe suddenly stepped forward from the left side and said in a cold voice:

"Young Ning, let me ask you this: is your Ning family loyal to my Great Liang?"

"I would gladly give my life for the Empress, even unto death," Ning Nan replied solemnly without hesitation.

"Hmph," the white-bearded man in the python robe snorted again, "did the Liang dynasty take in nobles when your Ning family crossed the river more than thirty years ago?"

"Indeed, the Ning family will forever be grateful." Ning Nan nodded generously, but raised an eyebrow slightly. This person suddenly interrupted the Empress Dowager, yet the Empress Dowager and the others were not annoyed?

He glanced at the old woman at the head of the table and saw her looking completely indifferent; he immediately understood.

Presumably, the white beard represents the Empress Dowager and the other people present.

"I ask you again, was it not because of the late emperor's special favor that your grandfather was granted the title of Marquis, enjoying such a prestigious position for twenty years? Only then will the Marquisate, which is of equal renown to the nation, fall upon you and your descendants?"

Ning Nan's doubts deepened, but his expression remained serious as he said:

"Indeed! The descendants of the Ning family will forever be grateful for the late emperor's special favor."

Upon hearing the man's solemn tone, the white-bearded man in the python robe softened his expression slightly and nodded. However, his expression quickly hardened again, and he spoke in a sharp voice like a sudden storm:

"You, the Ning family, are loyal subjects of the Great Liang, loyal to the Great Liang, and loyal to the Zhu family ancestral temple. And you? Ning boy! Will you be unfilial? Will you be disloyal? Will you tarnish your ancestors' reputation? Will you become an unfilial and disloyal person, ruining your ancestors' illustrious name in an instant?"

"Your Highness, please! I, Ning, have long studied the classics and received teachings from my great-uncle! How could I have committed such an unfilial and disloyal act, tarnishing my great-uncle's reputation?" Ning Nan said in a deep voice, clasping his hands in a fist salute. "I—will certainly not tarnish the reputation of the Ning family!"

Although his voice was deep and sharp, and he retorted quickly, his eyes looked strange, as if he didn't quite understand what the other person was saying.

Tongbei? He's never been through the Northern Dynasty.

Could it be about the leader of the Heavenly Principle Sect?

A thought struck him.

However, he was completely baffled by the matter. Moreover, the Imperial Guards were present the whole time. If there was anything, he could have asked the Imperial Guards to talk to him. Why was this old man in the python robe telling him this?

"Very good." The man in the python robe seemed satisfied with his answer, a slight smile appearing on his face. He stroked his beard and said again:

"I ask you again, what...what is your opinion on the alliance between our dynasty and the Northern dynasty through marriage?"

As soon as the question was raised, several pairs of eyes in the room immediately turned sharp.

Ning Nan shook his head and said, "I am but a lowly person with little influence. I have not yet entered officialdom and dare not offer any opinions on important matters of the court. I leave it entirely to the Empress and the officials of the court to decide."

He had already figured out that these people were all members of the royal family, and the implication of what he had just said was, "Only the Empress and the officials of the court can make the decisions... What are you talking to me about?" He just didn't know if this person could understand.

"After your name is called in the imperial court today, won't you at least be a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination)? What's there to be afraid of!"

As expected, he didn't recognize it... Ning Nan gave a wry smile and said:

"If one is not in a position of authority, one should not concern oneself with its affairs. Only after I enter officialdom and serve in the Court of State Ceremonial or the Ministry of Rites will I dare to offer my opinions for the Empress's persuasion."

The white-bearded man in the python robe was even happier to see that he was unwilling to speak, thinking that this man was still bound to be weak-kneed and tight-lipped when he was in front of the emperor.

Unlike when facing Lu Jing and Hong Jiao, he knew that the Marquis of Jingbei couldn't back him up in front of the Liang royal family, so he naturally became less daring.

The white-bearded man in the python robe glanced at him leisurely and said, "Do you know who I am?"

"Please give your instructions, Your Highness."

The white-bearded man in the python robe had an arrogant look in his eyes, and his voice suddenly turned sharp:

"My title is Prince of Weinan!"

Ning Nan immediately bowed and said, "Greetings, King of Weinan."

The white-bearded man in the python robe snorted and said, "I am eighty-two years old this year! ... When the Tartars entered the capital, I was only ten years old and lived on Shiwangfu Street... Young Ning, do you know how the Tartars slaughtered my Liang imperial family back then?"

"What do you mean?" Ning Nan was taken aback.

Before he could answer, the old man raised his voice again:

"Young Ning...do you know how thick the blood was in the capital back then? Do you know whether a person's heart and liver are red or black when they are cut out?...Hmph! I...know that young Ning...do you know how many people died when the imperial family of Liang was scattered? Do you know how many women of the imperial family died back then...?" He took a step forward, his voice growing increasingly harsh.

"King of Weinan!" At this moment, a sharp shout suddenly rang out from the head of the table!

Ning Nan was taken aback. The Empress Dowager's expression was cold and stern. She shouted a rebuke to the Prince of Weinan, who wanted to recount the unbearable state of the Zhu Liang imperial family back then.

The white-bearded prince's face, as old as tree bark, paused, and his voice also stopped.

His chest was still rising and falling slowly, and his eyes were constantly changing, sometimes angry, sometimes fearful, and sometimes blank.

"Let alone that she cut off my heir's stipend..."

After a while, the old prince suddenly became angry and inexplicably raised his voice,

"So what if she strips me of my title?! Strip me of my title sooner rather than later, so my descendants won't suffer like that again! Strip me... strip me..."

The old prince's eyes seemed unfocused, filled with confusion and fear. Suddenly, he waved his hand and shouted:

"Better to be a dog in times of peace than a human in times of chaos!"

The old man's voice turned stern, and the atmosphere in the hall changed several times, with a rustling sound coming from the room.

The Empress Dowager glanced at the somewhat distraught Prince of Weinan and sighed, "Prince of Anfeng..."

As soon as the old woman spoke, another old man beside the King of Weinan sighed, took a few steps forward, patted the King of Weinan on the shoulder, took his arm, and whispered something in his ear, persuading the old man to go back.

The Prince of Anfeng, dressed in a white python robe, pulled the Queen of Weinan back to the front of the line, looked at Ningnan, and said calmly:

"Master Ning, let me ask you a question: if there were a plan here that could guarantee the Great Liang Dynasty thirty or even fifty years of peace, would you be willing to accept it?"

"My worthy grandson?" Ning Nan narrowed his eyes. He didn't know what was wrong with these members of the imperial clan. After considering his words for a moment, he said:

"The imperial court has shown the Ning family immense favor. If this plan can achieve perfect results, I, Ning, will naturally have no reason not to accept it."

The Prince of Anfeng gave him a deep look and said, "Good. With Ning Xiansun's words, I am relieved."

He said calmly and unhurriedly:

"Why we summoned you here, my worthy grandson, will surely become clear soon... At that time..."

His eyes sharpened slightly as he looked at Ning Nan and said:

"My dear grandson... simply pretend to be deaf and dumb, and you will become the most outstanding loyal and filial person in our Great Liang! I can guarantee that my dear grandson will enjoy endless wealth and glory in the future..."

The somewhat delirious King of Weinan seemed to have recovered by now, saying, "Indeed, he will surely enjoy endless wealth and glory..."

Immediately, the people in python robes on both sides began to say things like "great loyalty and filial piety" and "wealth and honor".

Ning Nan was a little confused, but she didn't refute them. She just kept quiet and didn't dare to say anything.

I don't know if it involves the Heavenly Principles Sect or if it involves Uncle Bo, but in any case, I think it's best to see Uncle Bo first, ask him, and get some information before making any decisions.

As the two sides began to argue amongst themselves, the Empress Dowager at the head of the table smoothed things over, smiling and saying:

"The announcement ceremony seems to have started, right? Bai Xuan, you should go ahead."

Ning Nan felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly bowed in agreement.

After the figure dressed in dark blue robes left Yongshou Palace, everyone in the hall breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking around, everyone's eyes showed a hint of excitement.

Inside the hall, Prince Anfeng withdrew his gaze from the retreating figure of someone and sighed, "It's not Your Majesty... alas... it's not that we are worried about the country and have no other choice, so why use the words 'loyalty and filial piety' to pressure people today?"

Among the crowd, some echoed, "That's right, what King Anfeng said is absolutely correct," some nodded, some looked ashamed, but most people did not agree.

At this moment, the Empress Dowager looked at a person on her right and said kindly:

"The former imperial son-in-law."

Zeng Congqin, who was the Imperial Son-in-Law Commandant, hurriedly stepped forward and bowed in greeting.

The Empress Dowager smiled and said:

"Everything you've done this time was for the sake of the Great Liang, so Yongguo can't blame you. Now go to Qianqing Palace with Eunuch Xu. Yongguo and the Marquis of Jingbei and his wife are probably still waiting there. Tell them that I've already said what they wanted to say, so there's no need for them to interfere."

The prince consort's eyes relaxed, and he felt a little pleased. He quickly agreed.

……

……

As dawn broke, we entered the main hall of Fengtian Hall.

When Ning Nan followed several eunuchs to the outside of the palace, they saw a group of people standing outside wearing identical dark blue robes.

Inside the hall, the sound of string and wind instruments rang out.

At the same time, the chanting of at least eight people emanated from the thick temple doors.

"This year's imperial examination, the thirty-fourth place in the second class, Xingyan from Sushui County, Yingtian Prefecture, Southern Zhili, is hereby granted an audience with the emperor!!"

Inside the Golden Palace,

They are announcing the names of the successful candidates in this year's imperial examination!