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

The sun was setting in the west, and a cool breeze was blowing.

Upon hearing that familiar tone and voice, Master Ning, who had just disembarked, froze.

The smile that had been on his face when he saw the majestic city of Jiangpu was now frozen in place.

Putting it away isn't an option, nor is continuing to laugh.

The members of the delegation were shouting and carrying things, while Prince Jing, the chief envoy, and Jia Shi'an, the right deputy envoy, were still changing into their official robes on the ship.

A moment later, as the man in the dark green striped mandarin jacket approached him.

Ning Nan turned his head and looked at the woman dressed as a man, yet with a very pretty face. He bowed slightly and said in as steady a tone as possible:

"I, Ning, have met the Seventeenth Princess."

"Call me Young Master Zhu... no, I mean Young Master Zhu."

"Well……"

"hurry up."

Ning Nan's expression was a complex mix of embarrassment, frustration, difficulty, and disbelief.

He looked at the smug-faced princess, whose head was rather small and whose melon-shaped hat made her look rather large, with the same complicated expression in his eyes, and said:

"I, Ning... have met Young Master Zhu."

"Hmph~"

The woman, whose Han name was Zhu Qingmian, then gave a satisfied hum and said:

"I'm leaving now, don't follow me."

Ning Nan breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "I wouldn't dare."

Zhu Qingmian waved her folding fan, followed by two identical maids on her left and right, and walked forward with light steps.

On the other side of the dock, the carriage that was there to pick her up was ready.

After walking a few steps, a dozen or so guards dressed in black jackets followed behind her.

Watching the girl walk away, Master Ning rubbed his stiff face and silently let out a breath.

While in the Zongren Temple prison, he overheard his wife talking about this, saying that the woman Li Yanting had carried home was actually the seventeenth princess of the Northern Dynasty.

Ning Nan jumped up from that simple bed.

His wife asked him, "If you had carried her home instead of me, would you have married her?"

His mind was in complete disarray at the time.

"Princess? Princess?" The phrase echoed in my mind.

Upon seeing his wife's suddenly cold and stern gaze, he instinctively denied it:

"How could that be? I'd definitely become sworn siblings with her."

The woman's cold gaze softened slightly, but she immediately asked again, still worried:

"What about Qinghuan?"

"Qinghuan?" Ning Nan was taken aback. "What does this have to do with Qinghuan?"

After his wife explained, he realized that his sister-in-law had not encountered bandits outside the capital at all, but had been assassinated along with his unfortunate wife!

At that time, Qinghuan should have collapsed not far from her mother-in-law and was rescued by the Imperial Guards.

"Damn it!" After figuring it out, his eyes widened and he couldn't help but curse.

Who are you insulting?

"Of course, I'm cursing those who tried to assassinate you!"

"Hmm..." Cui Cui's wife nodded in satisfaction.

Master Ning took a breath and couldn't help but sigh inwardly, realizing that the connection between the bookworm and his sister-in-law Qinghuan was truly remarkable.

Moreover… as he watched the Seventeenth Princess's retreating figure… he finally understood why this "Miss Zhu" had never met Li Yanting again.

If others knew that the "sworn sister" Li Yanting saved was actually the seventeenth princess of the Northern Dynasty, her sworn brother's career would probably be in trouble.

A mule pulled a cart past.

On the dock, the shouts of the laborers grew louder and louder.

Master Ning then walked forward at a leisurely pace, his black soap shoes stepping into the soft mud.

Erlai led his servants off the boat to bring down horses, many of which were severely seasick.

As soon as his limbs touched the ground, his massive body staggered, making the wooden planks on the dock creak.

They wanted to take the dozen or so horses to the manger at the front to eat some fodder and ease the burden of the boat ride.

Among them was the large white horse that his uncle had given him.

Qian Sijin's Imperial Guards also took turns leading their horses to the front to rest.

The river breeze carried a damp mist, and it seemed that the large delegation of about three hundred people would have to wait until nightfall to disembark completely.

Ning Nan walked slowly along the shore, glancing at the giant city of Jiangpu a few miles away.

She was accompanied by several people on her left and right, with a young Taoist nun holding a whisk on her left.

Following to his right was a young man wearing a melon-shaped hat and servant's clothes, with a short scar on his face.

Behind this young man stood a man with a white beard, his hands clasped together.

The river water surged up with a rushing sound. Ning Nan glanced at the withered yellow water plants submerged by the river on the bank, then turned to the young man with a short scar on his face and said:

"Alright, we've arrived in Jiangpu City. You may go now."

Having been released from the imperial prison and then taken across the Yangtze River, Chen San smiled and clasped his hands in greeting:

"Your subordinate thanks you, Master."

Upon hearing the words "Master," Ning Nan hadn't yet reacted, but the white-bearded man dressed in servant's clothes chuckled.

With his hands behind his back and a somewhat helpless expression, Mr. Ning said, "Next month, perhaps? Your... you know..."

Because of the presence of this gray-bearded man, Ning Nan did not reveal the location.

Chen San, however, seemed unconcerned, saying, "The fifteenth of next month! The Fragrant Mountain Gathering!"

Ning Nan's expression grew even more helpless. He thought to himself, "How can these people have absolutely no sense of secrecy?"

"Hmm, your Left Protector and the former leader will both be attending this conference, right?"

"Indeed," Chen San nodded. "At that time, the left and right protectors who command our million followers, the four generals, and the altar masters of each altar will all be present to meet the sect leader."

Ning Nan said, "This is the conference." He nodded and said, "When I see your old leader, I will return this leader's token to him."

Chen San remained silent for a while before saying, "Master, the old Master said that the position of Master of this sect does not belong to the Master..."

Ning Nan raised his hand to stop him. Although he had a vague guess in his heart, he didn't want to hear what the other party had said, nor did he ask who the old cult leader was. He simply said calmly, "Go quickly."

Chen San respectfully agreed, but as he was leaving, he looked troubled, glanced at Ning Nan a few times, and said hesitantly:

"Master, I have another request, but I wonder if you would grant it?"

Ning Nan frowned.

"Your subordinate wishes to ask the leader to write a piece of calligraphy."

"What word?" Ning Nan looked puzzled, a hint of wariness in his heart.

Chen San looked somewhat embarrassed, glanced at the female Taoist priest Xu Xiyin, and said:

"Hmm... a birthday greeting card, for an old lady celebrating her 80th birthday. The cult leader used a Wei stele calligraphy style, the content can be anything."

Ning Nan frowned even more deeply, but since it wasn't a big deal, he nodded in agreement and said he would write about it after Jiangpu City.

Chen San let out a soft breath and nodded in agreement.

After exchanging a glance with Xu Xiyin, the female Taoist priest beside Ning Nan, he calmly left, disappearing into the crowd of laborers as quickly as a fish entering the sea.