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

Upon seeing the swarm of beautiful women approaching, Shangguan Xiu was immediately struck with a headache.

He quickly waved his hand, smiling in surrender, "Ladies, please come again another day~" He then pointed to Ning Nan, who was dressed in shabby white clothes, "Today I have to accompany my friend~"

Upon hearing this, the women paused, their eyes filled with resentment, their jade hairpins and hair ornaments swaying as they all turned their heads away.

At this moment, no matter how shabby the clothes he wore, they couldn't stop the gazes of those women in pink dresses, carrying the scent of rouge, from looking at him.

These women seemed to want to devour him alive... Ning Nan looked at Shangguan Xiuxiu with a sense of helplessness. He hadn't expected that Shangguan Xiuxiu would be so popular in the brothel.

"Haha." Shangguan Xiu laughed and reached out his hand. The manager of Yanchun Pavilion had already run over and handed Shangguan Xiu a stack of dragon and phoenix purple altar invitations with a bow and scrape.

"Seventh Young Master, this is an invitation from our establishment. Please take a look." The steward secretly raised his eyes to observe Shangguan Xiu's expression.

The red invitation card was three inches square, with the four large characters "佳朋远来" (meaning "a dear friend from afar") written on it.

The gold inscription was also three inches square, but it was decorated with a landscape painting of a misty spring pavilion and was coated with a layer of gold powder, with the inscription "The Phoenix Arrives to Pay Homage".

As for this Dragon and Phoenix Purple Altar Post, it is six inches square and is vermilion in color. It depicts a lifelike dragon and a phoenix soaring through the sky, and is inscribed with the eight large characters "Dragon and Phoenix Sing Together, Tai Zhen Perfection".

Ning Nan took the three dragon and phoenix purple altar tokens that Shangguan Xiuxiu had stuffed into his hand, looked them over a few times, and weighed them in his hand. The quality was good, and they were a bit heavy.

"Thanks!" he smiled.

At this moment, Qian Tong, whose face had already turned deathly pale, took a few steps back, his eyes somewhat vacant.

If you only look at their outfit, the other person is indeed incredibly wealthy, but it's still within your comprehension.

But these girls kept calling him "Young Master Shangguan," and the manager of Yanchun Pavilion kept coming out to deliver the purple invitation... so this person's identity was obvious.

Shangguan Xiu was the seventh son of the Marquis of Zhenguo and also the son most favored by the Marquis of Zhenguo.

Snapped--

Qian Tong was hit hard on the back of the head. He felt a pain in his head and cried out, "Ouch!"

He turned his head and saw it was Magistrate Tian.

Tian Xiong's fat face trembled, and the imposing and dignified image he once presented to his subordinates was now completely gone.

"This humble official, Tian Xiong, greets the Seventh Young Master!"

Upon hearing this, Qian Tong knelt down without a word, his eyes instantly turning red, and hurriedly kowtowed, saying, "Qian Tong greets Seventh Young Master!"

The clerks hurriedly stepped forward and bowed along with Tian Xiong. At the same time, they glanced at Qian Tong kneeling on the ground and felt a chill of fear in their hearts.

"Seventh Young Master...it's actually the Seventh Young Master...the friend this country boy was waiting for is actually the Seventh Young Master!"

Everyone was shocked, their mouths were dry, and they didn't even have time to react when it happened. They just felt absurd and confused.

Yang Bing was the last to move, because he was stunned for several breaths before he woke up and went forward. At this moment, his waist was bent the lowest.

He would never have imagined that this ordinary fellow villager would actually be acquainted with the seventh young master of the Marquis's mansion!

Not only that, but he was even regarded as a friend by the Seventh Young Master. As soon as he mentioned it casually, the Seventh Young Master gave him three Dragon and Phoenix Purple Altar Inscriptions that were impossible to buy!

Yang Bing swallowed, feeling conflicted and regretful, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what he was regretting. His mind was in a state of utter confusion.

Shangguan Xiu glanced at the kneeling clerk and the crowd led by Tian Xiong who were bowing to him.

He is not a fool.

Although they arrived late, they were able to guess most of the situation with just a few words.

He looked at Ning Nan and winked: "Want me to stand up for you?"

Ning Nan waved the three purple tokens in his hand and shook his head: "No need, it's boring."

Even if he wanted to vent his anger, he would do it himself; besides, it was just a small matter… He paused, then frowned again…

"But this money boy..."

Ning Nan frowned slightly, expressionless. After a few breaths, he turned to Qian Tong, who was kneeling on the ground, and smiled, "Minister Qian, you just said that if a friend invites me, I will decline and say no... otherwise I would be spineless..."

"No, no, no, no!" Qian Tong hurriedly looked up, his face ashen, shaking his head like a rattle-drum. "Young Master Ning, it's natural for friends to be generous with each other. Even if you're in dire straits for now, your time will surely come..."

Damn!

Qian Tong gritted his teeth... How could this be... How could this be... How could a noble person like the Seventh Young Master associate with such a country bumpkin?!

"oh."

Ning Nan asked doubtfully, "Does the clerk mean that if a friend invites me and I accept, it's okay not to repay the favor?"

"It's okay, it's okay, of course it's okay, no need to pay it back, no need to pay it back..." Qian Tong smiled awkwardly.

Ning Nan patted the three purple invitation cards in his palm and smiled, saying, "Minister Qian," he pointed to Yang Bing and the others, "are these gentlemen your friends?"

Qian Tong was taken aback and looked at Tian Dali and the others who had been implicated and suffered undeserved misfortune because of him.

"Yes, yes, of course..."

"Since they're your friends, does that mean if you invite them into Yanchun Pavilion, they don't have to pay you back?"

Ning Nan spoke softly, but a collective gasp immediately filled the room, and Tian Xiong's fat face trembled.

Qian Tong's eyes widened rapidly, and after a long while, he stammered, "Um...yes..."

Shangguan Xiu immediately understood and took over the conversation, saying in a deep voice, "Minister Qian, you will be responsible for all the expenses of your colleagues tonight. Are you willing to generously contribute?"

Qian Tong's health collapsed.

"Seventh Young Master, my salary is not high..."

"I happen to be a member of the Imperial Guard as well. How about I take some men to your house tomorrow and search it up to see if any rats have stolen your rice?"

Qian Tong was startled and, as if mourning the loss of his parents, repeatedly said, "I dare not... I dare not... Qian Tong is naturally willing to generously contribute his wealth..."

A collective sigh of exhalation immediately filled the room.

The pressure on Tian Xiong and the others was immediately relieved; they had been worried that the Seventh Young Master would take his anger out on them.

Although everyone was a hereditary official, they were naturally no match for the Shangguan family, who shared the fate of the nation.

Moreover, the person opposite will soon be the eldest son of the Shangguan family. If Shangguan Yun earns himself a title in the future, it is not impossible for the title of Marquis of Zhenguo to fall into the hands of this seventh young master.

The crowd glanced at Qian Tong, who was kneeling on the ground, and their eyes couldn't help but show some resentment.

What an unexpected disaster... truly an unexpected disaster... Fortunately, the Seventh Young Master is magnanimous... He only asked Qian Tong to cover their expenses for tonight... If I don't take this opportunity to give this bastard a good beating, I'll truly be unworthy of being a son!

Only Tian Xiong secretly glanced at the country boy who had proposed the idea.

"Not simple at all..." His fat face jiggled.

The punishment proposed by the other party seems simple and bloodless, but it is extremely cruel.

If the other party wants Seventh Young Master to take direct action and punish Qian Tong, then they are putting Seventh Young Master in a difficult position. If they are too lenient, Seventh Young Master will feel sorry for his friend and lose face.

However, if the punishment is too severe, the Seventh Young Master will be embroiled in controversy, and these clerks will inevitably feel a sense of shared sorrow.

Although Qian Tong was unruly and offended the Seventh Young Master's friend, if we really want to be serious, he hasn't broken a single law.

As a result, the other party easily separated Qian Tong from his group of clerks.

After this night, Qian Tong dared not hate the Seventh Young Master, but he would hate everyone who had taken his money tonight. Given Qian Tong's character, he couldn't pretend to be indifferent.

And our group will never let Qian Tong stand up for us, otherwise we'll just be asking for trouble.

Ultimately, it wasn't the Seventh Young Master who dealt with Qian Tong, but rather these clerks who should have stood with him.

As for the Seventh Young Master, he will only leave behind a beautiful story of standing up for his friend and punishing corrupt officials at the entrance of a brothel.

Tian Xiong felt a pang of emotion and paused for a moment, regretting that he didn't know the young man's name. Otherwise, he would have been a real expert in navigating the officialdom, and he would have even considered recruiting him as a clerk.

Ning Nan withdrew his gaze from the crowd.

Although he didn't know how powerful Shangguan Xiuxiu's reputation as the "Seventh Young Master" really was, he still subconsciously helped Xiuxiu get rid of a problem.

It's easier to deal with the King of Hell than with his underlings. If you offend too many underlings, you're likely to be pushed down by everyone when you fall from grace.

After that night, no matter how cunning Qian Tong was, there was no hope left. Ning Nan didn't believe that these shrewd people from the ranks of clerks would give someone like Qian Tong, who brought trouble to the collective and harbored resentment towards it, even the slightest chance.

Ning Nan smiled and handed the two purple invitation cards to Jiang Sixue and the "Young Master Ning" whose mouth was agape.

"Let's go in together, you two talented gentlemen," he raised his eyebrows.