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

As Ning Nan entered the second courtyard, he turned back to glance at Wang Guanshi, his expression unchanged as he smiled and said:

"Uncle Wang, after you've arranged dinner, come to the study later. I have something to discuss with you."

Steward Wang quickly bowed his head and said, "Yes, sir."

At this moment, Ning Nan paused, suddenly remembering something.

"Where is my mother? Where is the old lady?"

He was slightly surprised.

Since my mother came to the Ning residence from Lijia Village and even cooked for him and his wife, she should be staying at the Ning residence.

But he hasn't seen his mother since he entered the house.

Thinking of his mother, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.

He was a top scholar, and his mother was overjoyed, but in the blink of an eye, he became a prisoner.

These past few days, the old woman, whose hair was already turning silver, must have been extremely worried.

Chunyu nodded and said, "Master, the old lady went to play mahjong with Marquis Jingbei and Madam Xiao."

Ning Nan was taken aback.

"Mahjong?"

After a while, he widened his eyes.

"When are you coming back?"

Chunyu frowned slightly on her small face: "If I lose, the old lady will play again; if I win, she'll come back earlier. I guess I lost a bit again today."

The rows of banana trees in the second courtyard of the Ning Mansion are now completely bare.

Master Ning rubbed his face, inhaled the winter chill, and his eyes, no longer sore, blinked and said:

"Alright... then we won't wait for the old lady. As for the madam... um... that is, His Majesty, we don't need to wait either. She already told me that she has a lot of memorials piling up and she's very busy... oh,"

Ning Nan glanced at Steward Wang walking behind, then said to Chun Yu,

"Go to Yijinyuan and invite Brother Qian Sijin and the others in for a meal."

The little maid nodded and left.

The sky changed from dark blue to pitch black.

I had dinner with Qian Sijin and the others.

Ning Nan washed her face and hands with the golden basin and hot water brought by the maid, then played a game of chess alone in the flower hall before returning to her study.

The little maidservant rushed in to add lamp oil for the master.

The old steward of the Ning family also arrived at the invitation.

"Master," Wang Baoqi said, bowing respectfully.

Ning Nan, who was originally sitting in a chair, glanced at the old steward and smiled:

"Uncle Wang, please wait a moment."

talking.

He stood up and slowly walked a few steps to the sandalwood bookcase where the books were kept.

"Squeak~"

Mr. Ning opened the bookcase and rummaged through it.

Wang Baoqi frowned, her brows furrowed in confusion.

At this moment, the old man in front of the dark purple sandalwood bookcase turned around and pointed a crossbow at him.

The crossbow was nocked, and the arrowheads gleamed under the dim light of the oil lamp.

The old steward of the Ning family suddenly narrowed his eyes.

"Hoo..." Ning Nan sighed, his eyes narrowing slightly.

He slightly raised the crossbow he had taken from the bookcase with both hands. His right hand, which was bandaged, was still a little swollen, but he could easily pull the trigger.

Using the crossbow that Qian Sijin had arranged, he aimed it at "Wang Baoqi" and said gently to the old steward:

"Uncle Wang, come on, raise your right hand above your head, don't let it hang down, and peel that stuff off your face with your left hand... Take it slow, don't rush. Don't rush, if you rush, I'll rush... Hmm, if you don't listen, I can shoot through your thigh first..."

Wang Baoqi on the other side seemed stunned, somewhat taken aback.

After a few breaths, she obediently did as her master said, raised her right hand, and her eyes, which had been deliberately drooping, finally became bright, no longer pretending to be Wang Baoqi.

With his left hand, he first tore off his eyebrows, then his beard, and then wiped off the makeup on his face, finally revealing a young face with a short scar on his left cheek.

The young man raised his right hand, looked at Ning Nan, and smiled:

"As expected of the leader, you have keen insight. It took me seven whole days to finally be able to impersonate Wang Baoqi... but I never expected that the leader would see through my disguise at a glance."

Upon hearing the words "Master" and "Subordinate," Ning Nan did not lower his crossbow even slightly.

But when he saw that face looked somewhat familiar, his gaze suddenly shifted, and he sighed inwardly.

"They really are members of the Heavenly Principle Sect..."

About four months ago, when we went to rescue Princess Tang, the left protector wearing a Guan Gong mask came out of the forest.

The man in front of them followed behind Guan Gong with a female Taoist priest, the two of them supporting a young man covered in blood on either side.

Ning Nan narrowed her eyes slightly: "Where's Wang Baoqi? How many days have you been impersonating him?"

The man didn't answer the question at first, but with clear eyes, he smiled and said, "This subordinate is Chen San, the master of the Northern Qian Heavenly Altar. Greetings, Master."

He wanted to clasp his hands in a salute, but knowing the cult leader's temperament, he figured that if he lowered his right hand, the cult leader would shoot an arrow.

Chen San nodded slightly, and seeing that Ning Nan ignored him, he continued:

"Don't worry, Master. The steward of your residence is sleeping in the cellar of a restaurant on Datong Street. We have brothers guarding him. I am Wang Baoqi, who was disguised this morning. I originally intended to visit you at the Imperial Clan Court as the steward of the Ning residence, but I didn't expect you to return home today. I admire you greatly."

As he spoke, Chen San glanced around and saw that outside the study, a group of Imperial Guards, led by the burly man surnamed Qian, had surrounded him, with three or five crossbows pointed at him.

Chen San sighed. He had originally intended to use Wang Baoqi's identity to visit the young master at the Imperial Clan Court and explain some things, but he never expected it to backfire.

"You're too calm."

Ning Nan put away the crossbow, his eyes calm.

"If it were the real Wang Baoqi, he would have led his men out of the mansion to greet me long ago. The moment he saw me, he would have already led his men to kneel down and kowtow, calling me 'Great Prince Consort'."

Chen San was taken aback.

Ning Nan shook his head and said, "I dare not accept the title of 'Master,' but... what brings Brother Chen here?"

This attitude was somewhat unexpected for Chen San. He thought he was going to lose his life here. Chen San's eyes lit up, and he quickly said:

"Reporting to the Master, Chen San is here on the orders of the Left Protector to offer you a way to live a lawless life in the Southern Dynasty..."

"Oh?"

"The Left Protector said that the leader of the sect has acted arrogantly in the Golden Palace, destroying the alliance between the North and the South. This is a serious crime in the Southern Dynasty and has caused the officials of the Southern Dynasty to hate each other."

Even if the Southern Dynasty Empress protects the leader, the leader will probably only be able to live a depressed life under the Empress's wings for the rest of his life, wasting his talent as a top scholar.

"Ignorant commoners might praise the leader for his bravery. But if he were to become an official or a general, he would likely face attacks from the entire court! Even the Qin Emperor and the Tang Emperor struggled to silence public opinion, let alone your esteemed empress? The leader's situation is precarious..."

Chen San's voice was a mix of calm and rapid tones, as he spoke eloquently.

Ning Nan glanced at him and smiled, "What can the Left Protector teach me?"

Seeing that he had put away the crossbow, Chen San tentatively lowered his raised right hand, solemnly cupped his hands, and said seriously:

"The Left Protector said that Hongfeng was seriously injured and remains unconscious. Dachun ordered the Han deputy commander of the Plain Yellow Banner to send him and Hongjiao north overnight, and they have now arrived in Huai'an. Since Hongfeng is not dead, there is still room for maneuver. The Left Protector proposes:"

Chen San said solemnly:

"The leader should demonstrate his immense courage and volunteer to join the mission! He should accompany the mission to the Northern Dynasty!"

"To atone for one's crimes with merit, and to silence the public's criticism!"