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

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter.

Who in the capital doesn't know that the Emperor's most favored prince is the Eighth Prince, Fu Hui?

Twelve-and-a-half-year-old Huang Daizi Fu Hui stood with her hands on her hips, somewhat shy yet proud, and chuckled as she scolded:

"He's so much older than me, I can't beat him by myself. You guys hold him down, and I'll smash him to death with something!"

"Great!" Everyone's eyes lit up, and they immediately cheered loudly!

Seated at the head of the table, Prince Yi of the Prince's Mansion glanced at the dozen or so faces surrounding him below, forced a smile, and clasped his hands in a fist salute, saying:

"Hongfeng...thanks to all my brothers."

"Feng-ge'er, you're too kind! Why are you telling us this?"

"Hey, as long as you don't blame us for taking away Feng Ge'er's chance to take revenge himself, that's fine."

"Yes, yes, and this time, the Fourth Prince went to invite that person to come out of seclusion, and we also invited a bunch of those big shots..."

"A great Confucian scholar!"

"Yes! With all these great scholars as witnesses, let Ning Jiexiao smash that man's face! First, crush his so-called talent and reputation, then beat him to death, otherwise he won't be satisfied!"

"Yes, let's make him lose face in Beijing first!"

Immediately, the crowd's expressions ranged from excitement to disdain, and they began to discuss the matter animatedly.

Hongfeng, who sat at the head of the table, had a bitter pill to swallow.

Sometimes I think it's better to let these brothers cause trouble, especially with Fu Hui around. He's the emperor's favorite, and he's also Nian Gengyao's nephew, so nothing bad will happen to him.

Sometimes the image would flash through his mind: his brothers punching and kicking that man, while the man shouted, "Hongfeng crawled through my crotch!" The others would turn their heads and look at him... Just thinking about this scene made him shudder.

He felt that to kill that person, he had to strike decisively.

He had already prepared his men, and after negotiating with the other party and obtaining Gui Cai and Fourth Brother, he disregarded everything and sent someone to assassinate the man.

Only then can I vent my anger.

Unfortunately, the moment he arrived in the capital today, these royal brothers, feeling humiliated, all came to his door, saying they wanted to avenge him…

This implicitly conveyed the message, "Your trip south has caused us to lose face, so we're here to restore your dignity," which secretly annoyed him.

To make matters worse, the other party immediately sent someone to deliver a letter to him as soon as he arrived in the capital.

Upon hearing the doorman's name, the crowd erupted in fury, feeling utterly daring to come and provoke them. They shouted, "You dog slave!" "You have the guts!"...

Hongfeng placed both hands on the armrests of the chair, his fingers gripping the sandalwood armrests with a slight creak.

With that exertion, his head began to throb again, and cold sweat poured down his forehead. He quickly let go.

"Eighth Prince," the young master holding the snuff bottle asked doubtfully, "the Fourth Prince said he would see Ning Jiexiao today and would definitely invite him to Du Lou tomorrow. Is that for sure?"

This was a boast that the Fourth Prince had made a few days ago.

However, since the Fourth Prince was always reliable, they believed him.

After all, they had heard that the man was a master of poetry, even Nalan Wenzong was inferior to him. Apart from Ning Jiexiao, whose calligraphy was unparalleled and who occasionally produced famous fragments, they really couldn't think of anyone who could suppress the "cold and desolate" style of the Southern Dynasty.

"If it's just a matter of handwriting, Ning Jiexiao can completely dominate him!"

"I don't know why the Fourth Prince didn't participate himself? His poetry is really impressive."

"Hmph, those great scholars say that the Fourth Prince's poems are simple and unconventional, which is inappropriate..."

The Eighth Prince patted his chest and said with a grin, "How could my Fourth Brother be unreliable? He means what he says! He already went to see Ning Jiexiao tonight! He'll definitely be there tomorrow!"

"Hey," the young master holding the snuff bottle laughed, "I'll take Ning Jiexiao as my servant after he got this done."

Fu Hui immediately retorted with dissatisfaction, "If anyone's going to take bribes, it'll be Fourth Brother, what's it to you?"

The snuff bottle was taken aback, realizing his slip of the tongue, and quickly smiled apologetically, "Yes, yes, the Eighth Prince is right..."

…………

"You've invited me to see the 'owner of Lok Sin Tong'? Tonight?"

Inside the study of Qingfeng Xiaozhu, the dim light cast shadows on Ning Nan's face, and he frowned.

After the leader decided not to pursue the matter of Li Wei, Chen San felt much relieved and explained his purpose to Ning Nan: "Please accompany me tonight to meet someone... the owner of Leshan Hall."

Chen San was filled with trepidation, but the matter was of utmost importance, so he could only tell the truth:

"Master, that's right. Your subordinate has come to visit you, firstly to apologize, and secondly to request that you meet this person tonight."

Chen San's heart was pounding.

The Left Protector has already agreed to the other party's request. If the leader is unwilling to go tonight... Chen San swallowed hard... He didn't know what to do.

Ning Nan thought he had misheard, so he casually picked up a book of news articles that Zhen Susu had neatly organized in small regular script from the desk.

Spread it out.

Pointing to a particular line of text, he frowned and said, "This 'Owner of Leshan Hall'?"

Chen San glanced at the line of text and nodded solemnly: "Master, it is indeed this person."

Ning Nan asked疑惑地问道, "Didn't he offer a reward of 50,000 taels of silver in the newspaper to see some Ning Jiexiao? Why would he want to see me?"

Xu Xiyin closed her eyes.

Zhen Susu held a warm hand warmer in her hand and looked at Chen San curiously.

Huff... Chen San took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

"Master," Chen San looked at Ning Nan and said solemnly, "you are Ning Jiexiao!!"

Chen San's words, spoken with emphasis, rang out in the quiet study like a thunderclap from a clear sky.

With a soft thud, the hand warmer in Su Su Fox's hand suddenly fell to the ground. Her peach-pink lips froze, and her peach blossom eyes widened as she stared at Chen San, whose face was solemn and serious.

At the head of the study, separated by a sandalwood desk, Master Ning's eyes widened slightly:

"What...did you say?!"

…………

He sat in front of the bronze mirror.

Susu, with her foxy little face, carefully combed his hair.

"No braids allowed!" he said angrily.

"Yes, Brother Jiexiao. I'll just tidy up your hair."

"Don't call me by that name..."

"Yes, Brother Jiexiao."

"..." Ning Nan's temple throbbed.

Stand up.

With her delicate, fair hands, she draped the moon-colored fur-trimmed cloak that the princess had given him over his shoulders and put on the hood.

Xu Xiyin and Qian Sijin accompanied her. Zhen Susu remained at the embassy.

On the veranda, Chen San lowered his voice:

"Rest assured, Master, we have prepared a carriage and guards outside, twenty riders, all of whom are our own men."

Ning Nan's temples throbbed, and he growled in a low voice, "Tell your so-called old cult leader to come see me sooner rather than later!"

Chen San nodded, his face serious, and said, "Yes." He had no idea where the old cult leader had gone... so he could only agree for now.

The night was deep, and a cold wind was blowing.

A gust of wind made the hood rustle, and the wind rushed in around his neck, making Ning Nan feel a little chilly. He reached out and pulled the hood back to keep it from being blown off.

Stepping out of the embassy.

Sure enough, there were twenty cavalrymen wearing Northern Dynasty armor waiting outside, which was somewhat unexpected and raised his estimate of the strength of the Heavenly Principle Sect by another level.

"Please get in the carriage, young master."

Chen San shrugged and invited him.

Ning Nan, Qian Sijin, and Xu Xiyin boarded the carriage together.