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

"Ning Jiexiao... Qianlong... Ning Jiexiao..."

Inside the warm, spring-like flower hall of Qingfeng Xiaozhu, Susu, wearing a peach-pink jacket and a bright red wide-sleeved coat, bent over.

A faint smile graced her fair face as she poured a cup of tea for the cult leader, who was muttering to himself.

Steam rose gently, and the aroma of tea filled the flower hall.

Ning Nan frowned, picked up his pen and wrote those words on the paper, clicking his tongue a few times.

Even now, the shock and confusion in his mind have not completely subsided.

Less than an hour ago.

The fourth prince, whose name was Hongli, asked him if he had time to go to Dulou the next day to help him attend a literary gathering.

Du Lou?

Literary gathering?

After confirming the place name and purpose, Ningnan naturally and decisively refused.

Hongfeng also invited him to meet at Dulou the next day. He naturally didn't have time and decided in his heart that he would not meet Hongfeng at Dulou the next day either.

To avoid being tricked by the other party using some trivial article as a pretext to make things difficult for him.

Once a suitable location is chosen, just send someone to summon Hongfeng. If he doesn't come... well, a new play will be performed by all the major opera troupes in the capital.

During the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang, a prince from the Abbasid Caliphate was sent as an envoy to the Tang Dynasty. In the capital, he made outrageous remarks, claiming that he wanted to marry Emperor Taizong's daughter. He was humiliated by the top scholar of the imperial examination and forced to kneel down.

Once this play is staged, or even just a rumor is spread, Hongfeng should come knocking on the door.

After a moment's thought, he naturally declined, saying, "I am too busy tomorrow and would be letting down the Fourth Prince's high expectations."

Hongli wasn't annoyed at all. He just smiled and took out a few sheets of paper from his pocket, pulled one out and handed it to Ningnan, saying:

"May I ask Mr. Ning a few questions? Hmm, for example, this... Sir, please look at this incomplete line from last year: 'Now I know the full taste of sorrow, I want to speak but cannot, I want to speak but cannot. Yet I say, what a fine autumn day.' I believe the title should be 'Ugly Slave,' and it should be the second stanza. There is no first stanza."

"Liu Zaidao of the Imperial Academy, Feng Guolin of the Lotus Pond Academy, and Chen Zhaolun of the Golden Terrace Academy all proposed to fill in the first part of the poem."

"Although they are all top choices and their lyrics are skillful, I feel that Nalan Wenzong, myself, or even the esteemed scholars Qian Shuwen, Liu Dun, and Fu Yun still lack a certain degree of refinement."

The Fourth Prince, wearing a melon-shaped hat, stared at Ning Nan with slightly bright eyes and bowed slightly, saying:

"I wonder if you could complete this poem today, so that Emperor Hongli could see its style?"

Ning Nan took the note, his face expressionless, but in his heart he cursed the shameless scoundrel who had sold his calligraphy and poems to the Northern Dynasty a thousand times over.

He twitched the corner of his mouth, thinking that this wealthy and generous Fourth Prince had paid 50,000 taels in one go, and he couldn't let him come for nothing, so he nodded and forced a smile, saying:

"The Fourth Prince has keen insight. This poem, 'Ugly Slave,' is indeed the second half of the entire poem."

Ning Nan took a breath, spread the paper on the table, and wrote the first half of the poem:

"The poem 'Ugly Slave'... In youth, one knows not the taste of sorrow... One loves to climb high, loves to climb high... Feigning sorrow to compose new verses..."

"Youth knows no sorrow..." Upon seeing this line alone, Hongli's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed in praise:

"Excellent! Great joy is simple, great sound is silent—this is truly simple and natural, sir. Excellent, excellent!"

He didn't stand on ceremony, pulling out a second sheet of paper and asking with hopeful eyes:

"And what about this line? 'Who among the heroes of the world can rival them... Cao Cao and Liu Bei... A son should be like Sun Quan...'"

"This poem... um... the title is 'Nanxiangzi'... the full poem is... Where can I gaze upon the Central Plains... The scenery before my eyes is magnificent at Beigu Tower, how many events of rise and fall have occurred throughout the ages..."

"Excellent! Wonderful! Brilliant! What a wonderful line: 'So many events of rise and fall throughout history, flowing endlessly like the mighty Yangtze River…'"

"Sir, what about this one? The willow catkins on the branches are blown away, and there are few left. Where on earth are there no fragrant grasses?"

"Hmm... this is 'Butterfly's Lament for Flowers'... The flowers have faded, leaving only small green apricots... When the swallows fly, green waters surround the houses..."

"..."

The oil lamp flickered.

The light and shadow flickered.

Inside the main hall of the Chen residence, Ning Nan wrote five poems in a row, and the other party then presented the line, "Kill one person in ten steps, leave no trace for a thousand miles."

Ning Nan put down his pen, gave a wry smile, and said, "This sentence is truly incomplete."

The other person counted the five poems on the table, seemingly feeling they had enough, and with a bright smile, cupped their hands in greeting:

"I, Hongli, am very grateful to you, sir, for saving the literary world with your own efforts."

That's quite a lot of talk... Ning Nan waved his hand dismissively and said, "Fourth Prince, you're too kind."

He thought for a moment, then picked up his pen again and labeled the poems with the lyricists' names.

Two of the poems were written by Su Dongpo, and the third by Xin Qiji.

"These two are people who retired with Jiexiao. All the poems and lyrics were written by the two of them. Mr. Su was from Sichuan, and Jiaxuan was from Shandong. Jiexiao dared not take credit for them, so he only wrote fragments," Ning Nan said sincerely.

Hongli's eyes gleamed, though he didn't know if what this person said was true or false.

But seeing that this person was so young, yet so modest and unassuming, his temperament suited him perfectly, so he laughed heartily and said:

"Today, Emperor Hongli will not act like the Duke of Zhou, who spat out his food to welcome guests. He will neither invite the three gentlemen to serve in the government nor inquire about their whereabouts."

"When our Great Qing Dynasty establishes its rule over the world and pacifies all directions, I, Hongli, will personally search the entire land on behalf of the Emperor, emulating Marquis Liu's invitation to the Four Recluses of Mount Shang, and request that these three gentlemen come out of seclusion to assist us in unifying the nine provinces!"

…………

Zhen Susu glanced at the cult leader opposite her, who seemed lost in thought, and sighed:

"Alas, Susu is blind. She should have her eyes gouged out."

Ning Baixuan is Ning Jiexiao... The woman's beautiful face couldn't help but feel a little hot... Who would have thought?

This statement is an apology for saying "Ning Jiexiao must be very ugly" before.

Ning Nan didn't even look up: "Hurry up and dig."

Miss Susu said aggrievedly, "But if we dig it up, won't we never see the handsome and dashing Master again?"

Ning Nan ignored her, suddenly frowned, and looked at her, saying:

"Have you ever met your former cult leader?"

"No."

"Where is the Left Protector?"

"Hmm... I've never seen it before. I've only seen it once from afar, wearing a mask."

Ning Nan paused for a moment, then nodded, glanced down at the intelligence reports on the table, and said nonchalantly:

"That's true... your rank is too low."

Feeling ruthlessly looked down upon, Zhen Susu immediately raised her head, her pretty face flushed, and exclaimed, "Promote me! Then I'll see it when I become the altar master!"

Master Ning chuckled and tossed a few more math problems at the other party.

…………

The blankets are very warm in winter.

Just as dawn broke, the deputy envoy of the mission, who had only slept for less than two hours, got up.

After washing up and eating, Ning Nan met with some junior officials in green robes from the delegation at Qingfeng Xiaozhu. After arranging various matters, he rode out of the city with Xu Xiyin, Zhen Susu, and about ten Imperial Guards, each holding a bronze token.

Fifty infantrymen, nearly one hundred cavalrymen, and more than one hundred laborers were stationed outside Beijing. Not far from them, the Northern Dynasty stationed a cavalry battalion of three hundred men to guard them.