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

Seeing the spit Peng Liangan had just spat onto his trouser leg, the beggar frowned and said:

"Old Peng, you seem to have a lot of liver fire lately; your saliva is so yellow."

Peng Liangang scoffed, ignoring Gan Jiaohua, who was known for healing beggars and had developed followers among them.

He frowned and asked, "Have you finished farting? Where's Nun Xu?"

Gan Heng leaned lazily against the wall, pointed behind him with his thumb:

"Master Xu is inside treating the concubine of Master Chen."

"A Taoist nun, instead of staying in the temple collecting incense offerings all day, runs around treating people's illnesses without charging a fee. Treating illnesses? What kind of illnesses are you treating?"

As Peng Liangang cursed, he looked around and said:

"You want me to wait here?"

Gan Heng handed the broken bowl beside him to Peng Liangang and said:

"I just got a few tips. Here, take them and go have a bowl of tea at the tea stall across the street."

Peng Liangang reached out and grabbed, but Gan Heng didn't pull back in time, and the four copper coins were snatched from the broken bowl. He glared and said:

"You're really going to take it?"

Peng Liangang ignored him, tossed the four copper coins in his thick, rough hand, and snorted:

"Tell Nun Xu to come to the Drunken Crane Tower over there and find me..."

Zuihelou is most famous for its wine, and the main hall is filled with guests in twos and threes.

Just as Peng Lian was drinking his third bowl of Xianlaichun, Xu Xiyin, a female Taoist priest with a clean and simple face, entered the restaurant and slowly strolled over to his table.

The female Taoist priest, holding a whisk, sat down with a calm expression and spoke in an ethereal voice:

"Has the young master been found?"

Xu Xiyin is in her early thirties, but she has mastered the art of preserving her youth, looking like she has just turned twenty.

"Found it."

Peng Liangang said with a sneer.

"Where?"

"Who cares where he is?" The old man picked up his wine bowl, took a satisfied sip, and laughed. "He'll be out soon anyway."

Xu Xiyin frowned and said, "Old Peng... do you have enough manpower?"

"Heh!" Old Man Peng snorted, "Why would I need to send anyone! With your abilities, young master..."

"Bang bang bang!"

He stretched out his right thigh and patted it several times.

"As long as we send him the weapons in, he can take that guy hostage, and then he'll be out of here, right? ... My men are already waiting outside... Once the young master is out, we can leave the city quickly..."

Old Peng spoke with conviction, yet his right thigh throbbed with pain.

Four months ago, they captured the young master, who then used a gold hairpin to kill all three of them, steal their knife, and even slashed Old Man Peng's right thigh and ankle.

I walk with a slight limp now.

Xu Xiyin frowned. They were outside, surrounded by people, and it wasn't appropriate to ask too many questions. She simply lowered her voice and said:

"Old man! Don't make decisions on your own!... Tell me! Where exactly is the young master being held... We've already searched Qingliang Mountain..."

The so-called Qingliang Mountain... refers to the imperial prison of the Embroidered Uniform Guard...

Peng Liangang chuckled, keeping him in suspense.

At this moment, Xu Xiyin glanced at him, her eyes narrowed slightly, and she said coldly:

"Old man, I know you have a personal grudge against the young master..."

Peng Liangang's eyes widened instantly, and he said:

"Nun Xu! I always say one thing and mean another! I didn't know he was a young master of the New Church before... I offended him... But since the matter is settled, and it was ordered by the master, if he says one, I won't say a word against it! He wants me to go through fire and water, and if I say no, I'll be reincarnated as an animal in my next life..."

Hearing the old man, who had been stabbed by the young master, make such a solemn oath, Xu Xiyin finally nodded.

In fact, given Peng Laoguan'er's character, she naturally believed that this person would not do anything to deliberately harm the young master. However, without provoking him like this, the old man would still have to disguise himself for a long time.

"Speak," she said calmly, taking a sip of her tea.

Peng Liangang snorted twice, looking extremely smug, and said, "What is he now?"

Xu Xiyin narrowed her eyes and whispered, "The top scholar?"

Peng Liangang shook his head, looking even more smug.

Xu Xiyin had cultivated Taoism for many years, and her heart was usually as calm as a still pond. However, because Old Man Peng had acted on his own initiative, she worried that he might do something foolish and couldn't help but feel annoyed. So she simply disagreed with him and calmly said:

"Your goddaughter has crossed the Huai River."

Peng Liangang was taken aback, and after a long pause, he asked, "What's she here for?"

Xu Xiyin sneered, "The Tartars have changed their Governor-General of Jiangnan. Guess who it is now?"

Although the Tartars also had a Governor-General of Jiangnan, he only governed the area south of the Huai River and north of the Yangtze River. Naturally, he had no jurisdiction over the area south of the Yangtze River.

Peng Liangang narrowed his old eyes. He had been recuperating in the mountains for the past few months and hadn't been very well informed.

After thinking for a moment, he was startled and lowered his voice to say:

"That beggar surnamed Li?"

Xu Xiyin snorted and said:

"To form an alliance with the Southern Dynasty, using the area south of the Huai River as a condition, who else could the Tartar emperor send besides his most trusted corrupt official?"

Peng Liangang's expression changed, and he seemed to grit his teeth. After a while, his face fell, and he lost interest in keeping him in suspense, saying:

"She's not the only one, is she?"

Xu Xiyin looked at the wisps of steam rising from the teacup and said:

"Of course not... How could we let that corrupt official return to Beijing? We must send enough people."

Upon hearing the news about his goddaughter, Old Man Peng sighed, feeling both joy and worry.

Xu Xiyin frowned and asked, "Where exactly is the young master being held now?"

Old Peng said, "Given his current status... where do you think he's being held now?"

"Identity?" Xu Xiyin repeated these words several times, then suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Identity... Grand Prince Consort... Imperial Clan Court!"

The noise was a bit loud, so Xu Xiyin quickly shut up. She glanced around and saw that there weren't many people around, and the few other diners were sitting quite far away from their table, so she felt relieved.

He couldn't help but be secretly surprised; this old man Peng was truly bold and meticulous.

The choice of Zuihelou restaurant, the timing, and even their table's seating arrangement were all perfect.

There's really no need to worry too much about being eavesdropped on.

But when she suddenly learned where the young master had been imprisoned, she couldn't help but purse her lips silently, her heart filled with turmoil.

The Imperial Clan Court… Her pupils contracted… This was something she should have expected… A few days ago, the court announced that this top scholar, who was also the grand-nephew of the Marquis of Jingbei, had actually been engaged to the Empress the day before the names were announced in the Golden Hall. The Emperor Emeritus had made the decision, and there was even an imperial edict from the Emperor Emeritus as proof… The Empress’s questioning in the hall was to confirm the marriage.

Unexpectedly, the Northern Dynasty prince's marriage proposal in the imperial court angered the top scholar, leading to a violent fight between the two...

The Northern Dynasty embassy is in an uproar... The chief envoy, Da Chun, is furious and threatens to personally skin the top scholar alive... It's said that negotiations between the two sides have broken down...

"Now that he's the Grand Prince Consort, he's naturally being imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court..."

Xu Xiyin was secretly annoyed, regretting that she hadn't thought this through sooner.

Old Peng, knowing that his goddaughter was crossing the Huai River most likely to assassinate the corrupt official, Beggar Li, was in low spirits. He sighed and whispered:

"After the imperial proclamation was issued, it took me a long time to figure it out..."

Xu Xiyin frowned, recalling what the other person had said earlier, and asked, "You passed a weapon in to the young master?"

This was his masterpiece, a work of art that skillfully used minimal force to achieve maximum effect. Peng Liangang immediately became smug again, saying casually:

"I handed it over... I heard from the guys inside that he was visiting the young master... The young master is very fierce, but with this weapon in hand, he should be out soon..."

Xu Xiyin frowned and said, "They...they...are they husband and wife?"

Old Man Peng asked in surprise:

"So what if he's a couple? How can he possibly survive in the Southern Dynasty? Well, well... anyway, even if they've posted a notice saying they're engaged... with this whole thing, the marriage might not be happening! Even if they do get married, the young master will probably have to stay somewhere for the rest of his life."

"Many people in the Southern Dynasty hate him to the bone. Officials from the Court of State Ceremonies, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Revenue are desperately submitting memorials, saying they want to strip him of his official titles! Officials from the Ministry of War and the Jingbei Marquis's faction are protecting him... But no matter who the court officials are, everyone is watching him to the death... How can he possibly endure this?"