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

Pale light streamed in through the small fence on the wall.

The faint gray shadows of seven iron grilles were reflected on the ground.

The sky slowly brightened.

The couple in the prison cell were still sleeping in bed, covered with a thick quilt.

"Clang, clang"

Two palace maids and three old women opened the prison cell door.

Two palace maids walked silently to the table and gently fiddled with the food box.

A rough-handed old woman brought a bucket of clean water to exchange for the chamber pot, while two other old women replaced it with the latrine.

Ning Nan ignored the Empress, who was nestled in his arms and taking a nap, as well as the palace maids and old women. He looked up and glanced outside the iron fence.

Four eunuchs stood hunched over outside the cell, none of them daring to raise their heads or even breathe loudly.

Ning Nan narrowed his eyes, then looked up and peered forward, glancing towards the end of the prison corridor.

Although I couldn't see it completely, I did see a jailer standing there with his hand on the hilt of his sword.

In other words, while the guards dared not come over during the meal delivery, they would still stand guard to prevent him from escaping.

He sighed inwardly, "There's no way to escape..." and made a professional judgment.

My eyes and mind were exhausted, so I could only rest my head on the soft pillow, sink in, and close my eyes.

Unwittingly, his chin brushed against the woman's hair in his arms.

The palace maid lit the stove and placed the iron pot on it.

Water was poured into the iron pot, and the food that was brought in was placed inside to warm it slowly.

There were also fruits like oranges and jujubes on the table.

After doing all this, the palace maids and old women left the prison.

After locking the door and leaving completely with several eunuchs, the cell floor returned to silence once more.

When the sun is high in the sky.

The two got up silently.

Wash and groom separately.

eat.

After humming a few times, Ning cleared away the plates.

After the meal.

He lay in bed doing nothing.

She sat in the only chair, eating oranges and reading quietly.

The sky changed from bright white to azure, from azure to dusk, and then from dusk to complete darkness.

Although their meals were delivered by palace maids.

But it was my mother who made it.

As Ning Nan put a piece of chicken in his mouth with his left hand last night, he suddenly remembered that the woman had indeed mentioned the day before that she had sent someone to Lijia Village to bring his mother to Nanjing for the New Year...

"Um……"

While eating, he blinked repeatedly and took a few breaths to suppress the sour feeling.

"It's Chinese New Year..."

Occasionally, when she got tired of reading at the wooden table, she would stand up and walk around the narrow cell.

During the day, look at the daylight outside; at night, look at the bright moon outside.

It will be at the hour of Hai (9-11 PM).

The two then went to bed.

However, when he sleeps, Ning Nan still faces inwards with his back to his wife.

My back sometimes feels warm, and sometimes it feels cool.

He stared at the mottled prison walls, unable to sleep for a long time, until one day his back warmed up again, and he gently closed his eyes and slowly fell asleep.

The twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month.

The twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Two days passed by in this mundane and boring way.

He would occasionally frown and ask, "You really aren't going out?"

She glanced at the book, leaned back in her chair, and said indifferently without even looking up:

"I can stay wherever I want."

After saying this, Master Ning pursed his lips and then fell silent, simply lying down on the bed.

During the past two days, the woman would occasionally turn pale during meals, as if she had been disgusted by the stench, and would cover her mouth with her hand.

Master Ning's eyes narrowed with anxiety, but his lips moved as if he wanted to say, "The cells are just this stinky; if you can't stand it, get out!"

In the end, however, she lowered her eyes, pursed her lips, and did not say anything.

The 30th day of the twelfth lunar month.

Lunar New Year's eve.

The last day of the Tianqi year.

After today, the world will be changed to the Empress's reign title.

From the morning onwards, bursts of firecrackers could be heard.

He didn't find it boring at all; he spent the whole day staring blankly at the small fence on the wall and listening silently.

Although my mother's cooking is simple, I never get tired of it.

Light the oil lamp.

The dim yellow light filled the cell.

After dinner, she threw the book on the table, snorted, glanced at him, and said:

Did you see my aunt on the day the names were called in the imperial court?

Ning Nan narrowed her eyes: "Aunt?"

"Princess of Yong Kingdom," Zhu Cuiwei said.

Ning Nan was taken aback. After a while, he lowered his eyelids and remained silent.

That day, after being taken from the Qianqing Palace to the Yongshou Palace, all the imperial relatives and nobles in the Yongshou Palace, except for the Empress Dowager, were men. The princess of Yong Kingdom was naturally not among them.

I didn't get to see my great-uncle and great-aunt as promised.

Zhu Cuiwei glanced at him, raised her delicate eyebrows, and said:

"My great-aunt didn't know my identity at all; I wrote a letter a day in advance..."

"On the day you went to court, I sent Shen Pei to take you to the Qianqing Palace to see my aunt. I also specially invited the Marquis of Jingbei and my great-aunt to the palace, so that they could tell you about this matter in advance..."

After saying this statement, which carried an explanatory tone, Zhu Cuiwei looked at him sitting on the edge of the bed.

Ning Nan didn't look up, but stared at the wooden table in front of him.

In the past three days, as things have calmed down, although I haven't consciously tried to sort things out, I've unconsciously pieced together a few things in my mind.

"Northern Dynasties……"

"A marriage alliance..."

"An alliance..."

"Royal relatives..."

He pursed his lips, the light from the oil lamp casting shadows on his somewhat gaunt face, his eyes narrowing, the light and shadow on his cheeks flickering.

Zhu Cuiwei saw that he did not answer.

Without asking any further questions, he stood up and quietly tidied up the dinner plates with a clattering sound.

Today is Lunar New Year's Eve, and the sounds of firecrackers, opera singing, and barking dogs can be heard outside, making it very lively.

Occasionally, you can hear the sound of a group of people laughing together.

"Mother is spending the New Year at the Marquis of Jingbei's residence, with Beizhi keeping her company."

As she spoke, she reached her left hand into the hot water in the wooden basin and pulled out a wet towel.

"Drip, drip, drip," the water droplets on the towel kept dripping into the iron basin.

Since the right hand cannot get wet, leaving only the left hand, it's natural that the towel cannot be wrung out.

Ning Nan hummed in agreement. His right hand was also injured, so he extended his uninjured left hand and grasped the wet towel.

Since they were both left-handed, their posture and movements as they wrung out the towels looked somewhat strange and distorted.

A few days ago, the two of them were also wringing a towel in this contorted posture.

Although it was strange and a little awkward, both of them kept a straight face.

Today, even though we were both holding wet towels, the atmosphere was slightly different.

As the water droplets cascaded down the towel like a waterfall, Granny Cui glanced at the young doctor twisting his body, paused for a moment, then her lips curved into a slight smile before she burst out laughing.

Even though it was a scene she had experienced before, she didn't know why, but this time, experiencing it suddenly made her feel somewhat happy...

Master Ning snorted, snatched the wrung-out towel with his left hand, and stood next to Granny Cui Cui.

He patted the towel onto her fair face, covered it with his hand, and vigorously wiped her face...

The festivities on New Year's Eve lasted from nightfall until midnight.

"Bang bang bang bang..." Outside the small fence, you could see a sky full of dazzling fireworks, some red, some blue, some purple, a truly beautiful sight.

The two watched until midnight.

When he took off his clothes, lifted the quilt, and got into bed, Master Ning, as always, turned his back to the bed.

But tonight, Zhu Cuiwei forcefully turned him around.

On the soft, fluffy pillow,

Their eyes met, and Ning Nan stared blankly at the woman so close to him.

Zhu Cuiwei remained silent, her long, clear eyes also staring blankly at him.

After a long while, she closed her eyes and walked towards him...

……

……

Fireworks lit up the sky, the moon shone brightly, and the twelfth year of the Tianqi reign finally came to an end on this night.

Empress Dowager of Great Liang, who had been on the throne for more than four months, also ushered in her own reign title on this night.

Mingzhen...

The first year of the Mingzhen reign...

When the first ray of light in the first year of the Mingzhen era shone on the face of Master Ning, whose waist was slightly sore, he trembled his eyelids, groaned for a while, and opened his eyes, only to find that... he was suddenly alone.