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

I thanked Doctor Jiang for the penicillin ointment, but Jiang Sixue just smiled and rubbed her forehead:

"Brother Ning, my master and I have gone to unnecessary lengths this time. If I had known you were the Emperor Emeritus's brother-in-law, I wouldn't have had to go through all that trouble."

Ning Nan smiled and clasped his hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Doctor Jiang and Physician."

Because he saved the Emperor Emeritus with that penicillin, and fearing that if the Emperor Emeritus had health problems, the blame would fall on him, the master and apprentice never mentioned that the penicillin came from him.

Ning Nan is very grateful for this.

Jiang Sixue smiled and bowed, saying, "My master and I are the ones who should thank Prince Consort Ning for his meritorious service." Ning Nan repeatedly said that he dared not accept such praise.

The two chatted and laughed as they walked into a low house to check on the progress of penicillin.

With a thermometer to measure the constant temperature, the room is neither too hot nor too cold, but warm like spring.

"Hmm... we've already started the experiments... the things you mentioned about removing impurities and drying... we've already produced the first batch of powder... the 'allergy' you mentioned... we'll be very careful about that too, the initial dosage will always be just a tiny bit..."

Dr. Jiang, who had the air of a female researcher, raised her chin and said.

Ning Nan nodded: "It would be best to have a fixed quantity..."

At that moment, he paused, noticing a person at the far end of the low house.

"Yes, Brother Ning,"

Jiang Sixue smiled and stepped forward, pulling a female Taoist priest out from the shadows and introducing her to Ning Nan:

"This is the Taoist priest I told you about before, the very famous Taoist priest in the city—Taoist Priest Xu Xiyin…Taoist Priest Xu is skilled in alchemy and healing, his Taoist practice is profound…"

Ning Nan glanced at the Taoist nun with a clean-cut face a few times, and raised her eyebrows slightly.

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that the Taoist nun looked somewhat familiar, and the more he looked at her, the more familiar she seemed.

The young-looking but mature and gentle-voiced Daoist nun greeted Ning Nan, then turned to Jiang Sixue and smiled:

"Dr. Jiang, I have just observed the growth of this mold and gained some insights. Could you please fetch me some paper and pen?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Sixue's face lit up with joy, and she nodded repeatedly. This Taoist priest Xu was highly skilled in medicine and had helped them solve many problems these past few days.

After giving Ning Nan a somewhat apologetic look, she hurriedly ran out to get paper and pen.

While Ning Nan's gaze was still fixed on Doctor Jiang's back, the female Taoist priest holding a whisk had already silently walked in front of him.

Xu Xiyin lowered her voice, her expression excited, and said, "Sect Leader..."

"Hiss!" Ning Nan felt a chill run down his spine, his eyes widening.

He slowly turned his head, looking at the female Taoist priest whose eyes were glowing in the dark room, and gasped...

……

……

From the fourth day of the first lunar month to the eleventh day of the first lunar month.

The weather is unpredictable, sometimes good, sometimes bad.

Mr. Ning spends most of his time each day locked in his study writing books.

After writing the "Hygiene Rules for the Wounded and Sick Camp," he ordered the eunuch waiting outside to give it to the imperial physician for review. When Cui Cui's wife found out, she immediately arranged for two imperial physicians to take people and the "Rules" to the wounded and sick camp in the second northern city for trial implementation.

After writing the "Commercial Tax Reform," he handed it to his wife that evening. After reading it, his wife summoned the cabinet and Ministry of Revenue officials to discuss it the next day.

When it comes to taxes, the stakes are extremely high, and the arguments are even louder.

Fortunately, Sun Chengshan, a member of the reform faction, praised the proposal highly. Since the court had been making excuses about merging the poll tax into the land tax, Sun Chengshan decided to focus on reforming the commercial tax.

The first article in Ning Nanding's regulations was to change the market stall tax. Seeing Sun Chengshan and his men charging into battle, Master Ning naturally breathed a sigh of relief and felt at ease.

After writing "Suggestions for the Promotion of Craftsmen," he sent Qian Sijin to summon Xu Qing, the manager of the gunpowder workshop...

Time passed little by little, and the sun gradually shone brighter outside the study.

The twelfth day of the first lunar month.

A cold wind blew by, and the golden light in the sky was not very obvious, reflecting a gloomy white.

The main gate of the Northern Dynasty embassy was wide open.

The seventeenth princess of the Northern Dynasty, who has been living in the capital for seven months, will return north today with the Northern Dynasty delegation.

Accompanying the Northern Dynasty delegation was a Southern Dynasty delegation selected several days earlier, who would also travel to Beijing together.

The Northern Dynasty delegation was large; at a glance, there were about twenty large horses on each side at the front of the procession.

The knights, dressed in gleaming Northern Dynasty red-studded armor and carrying a banner, led the way.

Following the horse team was a four-horse carriage, upon which sat the seventeenth princess of the Northern Dynasty.

The group marched in unison, making a rumbling sound as they headed towards the ferry crossing north of the city.

The mighty river flows eastward, a cold wind howls, and at the northern ferry crossing, a row of bare willows sways alone in the wind.

Two imposing three-masted, three-sailed warships are moored on the shore.

The laborers, carrying loads on shoulder poles and leading mules and horses, were moving back and forth carrying things onto the two warships. Their feet sank deep into the water, and they were sweating profusely as they made "heave-ho" noises.

Beside a row of willow trees on the riverbank.

Ning Nan looked at Er Laizi and asked, "Did you bring all your gear?"

Erlaizi gestured towards one of the warships, rubbed his face, and said, "Don't worry, brother, everything's ready. Our men have brought the horses and all that stuff aboard."

Master Ning nodded and said, "Sanzhuang is waiting for us in Jiangpu City."

Zhu Cuiwei, dressed in green, stood beside Ning Nan.

The fishy wind from the river made the woman's black hair flutter. Ning Nan said to Cuicui, "I'm leaving Erlai's wife to you."

Zhu Cuiwei looked at him and smiled, giving a soft "hmm".

Ning Nan smiled and took her hand.

Erlaizi got married about two months ago; he married the sister of one of the servants.

Zhu Cuiwei called out, and the two maids, Chunyu and Qiumu, stepped down from the carriage carrying a long box.

Since Ning Nan is heading north, she no longer needs to stay at the Ning residence. Last night, she stayed at the Qianqing Palace with the young doctor, and she will continue to live there from now on.

She then brought the two maids, Chunyu and Qiumu, to the palace.

The two little maids, who had suddenly become the Empress's head maids, had their faces flushed red from the wind, and their eyes were also red. Their gazes toward Master Ning were full of reluctance.

Zhu Cuiwei opened the long box, took out a redwood longsword, and handed it to Ning Nan: "Here, this is for you."

Master Ning took the cold, hard scabbard and frowned. "A sword?"

Zhu Cuiwei said, "This sword is called 'Shishui' (逝水), and it used to be the sword of the former Imperial Son-in-Law Shangguan."

Ning Nan hummed in agreement, looked at his wife's bright, clear eyes, patted her hand, and said softly with a smile, "You'll be back soon."

Zhu Cuiwei reached out and wiped his forehead, then threw herself into his arms, burying her face in his chest, oblivious to everyone else.

The old woman, dressed in simple winter clothes, looked at them with a smile.

My great-uncle, wearing a black cloak, and my great-aunt, wearing a light fur coat, accompanied my mother.

A cool breeze was blowing, and after an unknown amount of time, Zhu Cuiwei quietly left his embrace.

Aunt Ning Beizhi, her nose red, stuffed ten thousand taels of silver notes into Ning Nan's hand.

"Too much..." Ning Nan said, both amused and exasperated. Ning Beizhi replied, "Auntie can't possibly spend it all."

Zhu Cui smiled and took her aunt's hand.

dong... dong... dong...

Ning Nan kowtowed to his mother several times.

My mother, whose hair has turned quite gray, pulled him up and laughed, "When you were born, your grandfather and father were pacing around anxiously outside. Your grandmother held my hand, telling me not to be afraid, saying that you weren't born to cause me any trouble... Hey... whoosh... you've grown so big already..."

When my mother found him, my father and grandparents had been dead for a year or two.

When he was a child, the village kids called him a bastard, so his mother would make up some plausible lies to deceive him, saying that he was her biological son.

Ning Nan smiled and hugged his mother.

"My child..." The old woman buried her head in his arms, cried out twice, and said, "I lied to you..."

"I'm not lying..."

Ning Nan patted his mother's head and chuckled softly:

"I am Ning Beiwang's son, and Ning Changping's grandson..."

……

……

The mighty river surges and flows eastward in a mighty torrent.

The long wind on the river made her moonlit robe flutter loudly.

Prince Consort Ning, serving as the deputy envoy of the mission, stood at the bow of the warship.

The sailors behind me were pulling the sails back and forth on the deck, and the sound of flowing water could be heard constantly from below the ship.

Ning Nan gazed at the hazy, distant Jiangpu City and silently picked up the sword that Cui Cui had given him.

"Clang!"

A flash of cold light.

He drew his sword.

Looking towards the sword, his gaze suddenly sharpened slightly.

He then discovered that there were two lines of poetry engraved on the sword.

Squinting at the familiar brushstrokes and structure, his eyes warmed instantly, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

Hmm, it's a Wei stele style.

He thought for a moment and realized that his wife must have sent someone to make a rubbing of it from the earthen-yellow wall in Lijia Village and then engraved it onto the sword.

The poem engraved on the sword, though the brushstrokes are upright, lacks strength. However, there is a certain imposing aura hidden within the strokes of the brush.

This was when he was ten years old, and he wrote down the words of Jiaxuan Gong by hand!

"Before the whale has even drunk its fill of the sea, the sword's aura has already swept across the land!"

……

(End of this volume)