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

……

"Are you a doctor?"

"Oh, I've learned a few tricks."

"By the way, my name is Ning Nan, what's your name...?"

"Zhu Cui..."

"Zhu Cuicui, right? Okay... my mother stewed some meat, but you can't eat it now, you can only drink the soup..."

"..."

"Huh? What's wrong? Zhu Cuicui, are you bullying my mother?"

"...I'll beat you to death, you little brat!"

"...Cuicui, Mom will cook for you when she gets back at noon. It'll be meat again..."

"Okay, thank you, godmother..."

"Thump, thump, thump..."

"Hello, let me take your pulse..."

Thank you.

"You're welcome."

"...Um...actually...your young lady was also rescued...but she has amnesia..."

"Miss?"

"Hmm..."

"..."

"A maid?"

"I didn't mean to look down on you... I'm an unregistered resident with no household registration, how could I dare to look down on others..."

"Hey, go to bed early..."

"..."

"Don't let them set fire to the kitchen..."

"It's okay, it's okay... don't be afraid, don't be afraid..."

"..."

"Come in."

"...Hmph, I asked your mother, and in the surrounding villages, not a single person wants you!"

"You really want to marry me?...

"..."

"Hmm...then...we'll...have...our...wedding...wedding...bed..."

"Um……"

……

……

On a high platform nine feet away, a woman wearing a twelve-tassel crown seemed to bite her lip, her eyes, as clear as lake water, staring quietly at him.

Ning Nan stared blankly, his mind resounding with a series of thunderous booms.

"Zhu Cuicui...Empress...Empress...Zhu Cuicui..."

His lips trembled, and his mouth felt dry.

"...The Embroidered Uniform Guard hired me as a clerk..."

"How much is the salary?"

"Hmm? Well... three taels of silver a month, I guess..."

"Hmph! The Embroidered Uniform Guard is the Emperor's personal army... they can afford this salary... it's just that Miss Cui Cui is exceptionally clever..."

"I'm off to my post... I have to be on duty at 5 AM..."

"You should sleep a little longer..."

"I got promoted..."

……

……

"You, the top scholar..." the woman on the platform said, "Are you... married...?"

"What do you mean...?"

Ning Nan listened to the all-too-familiar voice that reached his ears, and his mind was in complete turmoil.

"What does this mean... weren't we already married?"

Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, his face turned deathly pale.

It felt as if all the air in my lungs had been sucked out, and my heart felt trapped in a narrow space, making even its beating difficult.

An aged voice echoed in his mind:

"Pretend to be deaf and dumb..."

"..."

"What are your thoughts on the alliance between our dynasty and the Northern dynasty through marriage...?"

"Those who are not in a position should not meddle in its affairs..."

Ning Nan's face was blank, and his pupils were contracted.

"Royal relatives...pretending to be deaf and dumb..."

"Northern Dynasties……"

"A marriage alliance..."

"An alliance..."

"The Northern Dynasty... the princes and nobles of the Northern Dynasty wish to marry into the Southern Dynasty... they wish to form an alliance with the Southern Dynasty, offering the land south of the Huai River and north of the Yangtze River as a dowry..."

"Sincerity...a sincerity the Northern Dynasty has never shown before...the Northern Dynasty has been terribly bullied by the Rakshasa..."

"The very land where the Northern Dynasties rose to power is about to be taken away..."

"If we were to forge an alliance between Qin and Jin, then the two countries would never again engage in warfare..."

"Let's fight against the Rakshasa together!"

"Let bygones be bygones! Let's not dwell on the past grievances of Southern Zhao!"

The past events at Yai Shan... are no more...

"It's a pity the Emperor Emeritus abdicated. If he were still alive, or if a man were on the throne... then the Northern Dynasty would probably send another princess in marriage..."

"..."

"Ding ding ding!"

"Brother Ning!" Tang Lianbin tapped his bowl with his chopsticks, frowned, and said, "...Hmm...What do you think about this?"

Inside the restaurant, singing and dancing filled the air, and steam swirled around.

He took a sip of tea, smiled, and said, "Brother Tang... let's not talk about state affairs..."

……

As his thoughts raced, the top scholar of this imperial examination, wearing a double-ridged crown and a scarlet round-necked robe, was struck dumb, his eyes filled with confusion.

"Pretending to be deaf and dumb...who...is it that wants me to pretend to be deaf and dumb...?"

……

At the end of October, on the veranda of the Nancheng Daily.

The Northern prince who planned to marry into the Southern Dynasty once confidently said some nonsensical things to him...

"Ning Baixuan, this trip south of mine is destined to make me your imperial son-in-law..."

"This is the inevitable trend between the North and the South, just like in the past when Jin conquered Eastern Wu, Sui destroyed Southern Chen, Zhao pacified Southern Tang, and Yuan eliminated Southern Zhao..."

"For all these reasons, throughout history, there has never been a dynasty that was confined to a corner of the south and was able to march north and seize the Central Plains!"

"Throughout thousands of years, which southern kingdom has not perished?!"

"Although your dynasty's founding emperor and the six founding dukes were all extraordinary figures, they only seized the opportunity during the struggle for power at the end of the Yuan dynasty to lead their troops northward from the Wu region..."

"During the reign of Emperor Mingkai, your dynasty lost its virtue. Since the southward migration in the year Jiazi, among the Zhu Liang imperial family, relatives of the emperor, and all the high-ranking and powerful families in the court, is there anyone who is not worried? Is there anyone who can sleep soundly for a single night? Is there anyone who is not afraid that wealth and honor will turn to nothing?..."

"Hmph! Brother Ning, we have an opportunity to seize control of the Huai River's strategic barrier without losing a single soldier. Tell me... who would miss it?! Who would dare to miss it?!"

"Don't be fooled by the fact that the alliance hasn't been reached yet... Ha... Your dynasty is merely waiting for the right price to sell!"

"Brother Ning...why not join my ranks soon? I guarantee you a bright future!"

……

A jolt, like electricity, coursed through his body. Ning Nan's eyes widened, and suddenly his entire body went numb...

"Empress... Grand Prince Consort... Grand Prince Consort..."

Above the golden palace, the top scholar, dressed in crimson, stood on the imperial path.

On both sides stood high-ranking officials, also dressed in scarlet robes, each holding a tablet, standing solemnly.

On the right are Grand Secretary Li Xiangsong, Minister of Personnel Zheng Yu, Vice Minister of Revenue Sun Chengshan, Minister of Rites Xiao Muchen, and others.

On the left are Grand Secretary Gao Congzhe, Minister of War Luan Zongyuan, Vice Minister of War Jia Shi'an, Vice Minister of Works Cao Du, and Vice Minister of Rites Zhao Silang, among others.

Upon hearing the Queen's sudden question, everyone was startled and looked up abruptly.

The other officials and newly appointed scholars, whose composure was not as refined as these high-ranking officials, were even more shocked. In an instant, a gasp and a murmur of discussion filled the room.

"Is the Empress... looking for a son-in-law?"

Time ticked by in the main hall, and as everyone was startled, they all turned their heads to look at the top scholar standing in the middle of the imperial path.

But at this moment, the top scholar in the middle of the imperial road seemed to be stunned and remained silent.

It neither said "married" nor "unmarried".

"His Majesty!"

At this moment, a clear voice rang out from the crowd, and a prince from the Northern Dynasty, wearing a red and yellow striped mandarin jacket and a melon-shaped hat, stepped forward from among the newly appointed scholars.

Thump, thump, thump, thump, the handsome man in the melon-shaped hat, while respectfully bowing, walked to a position next to Ning Nan and calmly smiled:

"Your Majesty, this Scholar Ning has remained silent for so long, presumably because he has already married a virtuous wife and therefore does not know how to respond..."

……

"I have already married a virtuous wife..."

When those four words came from that familiar yet annoying voice, Ning Nan finally snapped out of his daze.

"what……"

He opened his mouth and glanced at the Northern Dynasty prince beside him.

After a long pause, the master of the Ning family removed his crown, turned to look at the empress high above, awaiting his answer, and smiled:

"Your Majesty, what this prince says is true. I, Ning... I have already betrothed a virtuous wife. If Your Majesty wishes to bestow a marriage upon me by a princess, a county princess, or the granddaughter of some minister... then Your Majesty need not trouble yourself."

He looked at the woman at the head of the table with gentle eyes, his voice tinged with a sigh and a hint of self-mockery.

As soon as he finished speaking, the rustling sounds in the hall suddenly fell silent.

The man's words were so bold and presumptuous that the crowd could hardly believe their ears.

"Princess," "Countess," "Granddaughter of a Minister," "No need for you to come..." Everyone's eyebrows twitched. What audacity!

But just as everyone's doubts arose and they were still trying to figure out how to speak out in anger, another voice drowned them out.

Although Hongfeng frowned at Ning Nan's answer, he didn't seem to care too much.

Today was the final moment, and he had no time to deal with this person. He simply raised his head, smiled, and loudly proclaimed to the Empress on the dragon throne:

"Your Majesty, please forgive Hongfeng's rudeness..."

"When Hongfeng was in the north, he heard that Your Highness was born into a beautiful family, blessed with noble birth; your virtue was comparable to that of a jade pendant, and your beauty shone like the clouds..."

"I cherish the poem about peach blossoms, and feel the longing of the ospreys. I wish to emulate the phoenix in flight, and forever enjoy harmonious bliss... I remember that the alliance between our two nations is valued for its goodwill..."

"If Your permission is granted, then I will personally lead all the officials to welcome the imperial carriage to the border..."

The prince of the Northern Dynasties, well-versed in Han Chinese poetry and literature, had a gentle voice and his words were as bright as the moonlight.

At this moment, just as Hongfeng opened his mouth to tell the Empress at the head of the table his intention to propose marriage.

"Bang!"

The hall was filled with surprise and silence, when suddenly a soft thud was heard.

Hongfeng paused at the sound, frowned, and looked to his left. He saw the top scholar standing to his left throw the double-beam crown he was holding onto the ground.

The crown rolled on the ground, crashed into the steps of the platform in front of it, and then rolled twice more with a thud.

Hongfeng looked at the crown and uttered a sound of "Hmm?"

"Hoo..." Ning Nan took a breath in and slowly exhaled, his eyes becoming calm.

His right hand was still wrapped in gauze. He looked down at his right hand, scratched it, and opened it. Although it was still a little swollen and painful to move, he could move it.

"Yes," he said, his mouth agape and his right fist clenched, "I can move."

The person calmed down completely.

"Seventh Young Master," he said, as he untied the plain silver belt from his waist and threw it on the ground.

Immediately, he took off his scarlet robe and threw it on the ground, leaving him only in a white dress.

"Are you proposing marriage to her?"

Hongfeng was taken aback, somewhat surprised by this man's sudden and inexplicable behavior.

In front of the Empress, he removed the scholar's robes bestowed upon him by the Empress, and did not even address the Empress as "Your Majesty." Hongfeng raised an eyebrow. What? Was this person overstepping his bounds and courting death?

He scoffed inwardly, but smiled suavely on the surface:

"What Scholar Ning said is correct."

He turned around and bowed to the Empress above him with an impeccable smile and manners:

"No matter how you put it... Hongfeng... truly... was making a suggestion to His Majesty..."

"hiss!"

The sound of the wind.

Hongfeng bent slightly, and a dark shadow flashed by. His pupils contracted, and his voice paused again.

The word "dear" was still stuck in his throat, but he couldn't say anything more.

A hand as hard as iron gripped his throat.

Hongfeng felt a pain in his throat, his breath hitched, and his head was pulled back by the man.

Out of the corner of his eye, a face contorted with rage suddenly appeared before him!

"I!……"

The face was distorted, terrifying, and bright red. Its mouth opened and closed as if four words were being spat out from its body and lungs!

"Mention your mother!"

"hiss!"

The sound of the wind.

The prince of the Northern Dynasty was thrown into the air, his head was pinched and turned to the left, and the wind whistled past his ears.

Hongfeng's pupils contracted sharply, and he raised his hands, trying to pry open the hand that was choking him. His face turned deathly pale in an instant.

Deng!Deng!Deng!

The footsteps were hurried.

Having removed his top scholar's robes, the current top scholar grabbed the Northern Dynasty prince by the neck with one hand, strode forward, pressed down on the prince's head, and without regard for anything else, charged straight at the golden dragon pillar on the left with the force of thunder!

"Bang!"

A sudden, muffled roar!

In an instant...

Inside the Golden Palace...

Blood splattered everywhere!!