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

Ning Nan glanced at the young woman who had inexplicably become very happy, and smiled. He quite liked the naturalness that this young woman was showing.

These days, there aren't many entertainment options. People might read some leisure books, listen to some operas, and maybe play mahjong. Not only are there few activities, but they're also not very sophisticated.

At this time, the status of actors was not as high as it is in later generations. Although their skills were often purer and more proficient than those of later generations, and some actors were even masters of their own school, revered as "patriarchs" by later generations, and could still receive offerings from their descendants after hundreds or thousands of years, nowadays they often could not bear the title of "talent". Being called a "master" was already a remarkable achievement.

A truly classy event must involve poetry.

Poetry has existed for thousands of years, ever since the sages of the Spring and Autumn Period compiled the Book of Songs, and it has never left the center of Chinese culture. Reading poetry, listening to poetry, writing poetry, and activities surrounding poetry are often considered more refined.

The same song, sung with lyrics by a brilliant scholar or a commoner's doggerel, can evoke vastly different feelings.

Ning Nan looked at the eager young lady in front of him and found it amusing. He thought that it would be interesting if a talented woman were paired with a courtesan tonight.

The "ee-ee-ya-ya" singing from downstairs continued, which is a characteristic of Qingyi (a type of female role in Peking Opera), where a single recitation often lasts for a long time.

Whether it's the way this leading lady in blue moves her eyes, sings her lines, or especially enunciates her words, she exudes a deep sense of sorrow from the inside out; the green mountains are faintly visible, and this sorrow lingers on.

But the more tragic the scene, the more uplifting the atmosphere became inside the building. The more the onlookers could feel the sorrow in the voice, the more they cheered for the actress in blue.

The talented men on the west side also leaned on the railing and cheered loudly, occasionally uttering an impromptu poem such as "Sorrowful tears fall like rain at dusk."

At this time of year, servants would write it down, and after the talented poets confirmed it, many people would copy it, and the poem would be passed down to various pleasure boats on the Qinhuai River. If it was well-written, it would become famous overnight.

Ning Beizhi looked on with envy.

At one point, the lead actress on the first floor finished her performance and a storyteller took her place. Ning Beizhi rolled her eyes and secretly told Jiang Sixue that she needed to use the restroom.

Ning Nan watched the figure skip away, and Jiang Sixue whispered in her ear with a smile, "Bei Zhi loves poetry the most, especially the poetry of a certain talented scholar. She came here tonight specifically for him."

"Then Miss Ning's wish will come true tonight," Ning Nan replied with a smile.

He popped a piece of pastry into his mouth. It was crisp, smooth and fragrant. Shangguan Xiu explained that this pastry was made by grinding glutinous rice flour, sesame seeds, white sugar and malt into forty-eight layers. It was called Dongtang and was created by a scholar named Dong.

He then pointed to the young girl performing Pingtan downstairs and said that she was so-and-so's apprentice, his expression somewhat excited.

Xiuxiu is indeed knowledgeable, and she's not showing off; she has the kind of appreciative attitude that comes from introducing fun things to friends. Ning Nan nodded.

Downstairs, the Suzhou storytelling and ballad singing was in soft, melodious Wu dialect. At one point, a discordant argument suddenly came from behind, as if a young girl was shouting something like, "Why am I not worthy?"

Jiang Sixue was sipping her sake and listening to the Suzhou storytelling, but the moment she heard that aggressive tone, her eyes widened, and she muttered, "This little devil!"

Ning Nan and Shangguan Xiu also put down their wine glasses at the same time.

The three of them turned around and glanced around. They saw a screen painted with landscapes separating the two sides, roughly at the junction of the east and west sides of the third floor.

In front of the screen was a table where Ning Xiaoniang was jumping up and down, while a middle-aged man who looked like a steward smiled bitterly and led several servants to block her way.

He thought that Miss Ning had been bullied, but when he rushed over, he found that the matter was actually very simple, so simple that Ning Nan was speechless and facepalmed.

Jiang Sixue blushed and pulled away Ning Xiaoniangzi, but Xiaoniangzi continued to grumble defiantly.

A black plaque with gold lettering stands in front of the screen.

"Talented scholars from both the north and south gather like clouds, their wealth unable to rival their elegance. A distinguished guest halts, requesting a brush, and pours forth a masterpiece from the Pan and Lu rivers."

"Pan Jiang" refers to the saying "Pan's talent is like a river, Lu's talent is like the sea." Pan and Lu refer to Pan Yue and Lu Ji, respectively, both figures from the Jin Dynasty. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, a man named Liang Zhongrong compiled the "Poetry Criticism" and used this phrase in the book.

The plaque roughly means that behind this screen lies the domain of talented scholars from both the North and South, and even money cannot grant entry. If one wishes to enter, one must ask a distinguished person to compose a poem to showcase their talent… Ning Nan was stunned; it was quite a display of integrity.

Of course, that's how it's written, but if a distinguished person really wants to go in and chat with the talented scholars, no one dares to stop them, and the scholars are happy to oblige.

The distinguished guests only need to say "I would like to go in and have a look," and the steward blocking the way will smile and move aside, saying, "This sign is only used to block some unscrupulous merchants who disturb talented people. Please forgive us." In this way, the distinguished guests can enter with dignity.

But the problem was that Miss Ning took the plaque seriously and actually wrote a poem and submitted it!

Tonight's event is quite large, and to ensure fairness, the seven judges have specially invited a brothel maverick to oversee the selection of talented individuals, so as to prevent any opportunists from writing poor poems and ruining the reputation of the poetry gathering.

There was actually no problem with Ning Xiaoniangzi entering as a "noble lady," as the steward had hinted at it many times.

But the young lady insisted on entering as a "talented scholar" and even presented her carefully prepared poem.

As a result, she was belittled by that arrogant courtesan, who said she had no right to enter. The young lady immediately broke down!

With red-rimmed eyes, they argued loudly.

"A light drizzle, willows swaying gently in the breeze... What's wrong with my lyrics?!"

"Hmph! Useless allusions, inarticulate, pretentious, and even two parts don't conform to the tonal patterns and rhymes! Utterly worthless!" A man in a blue robe sat behind a table, his hair and beard already gray, and he raised his eyelids to curse.

In fact, Ning Nan and his group were not the only ones around; there were also many talented scholars from poor families who were blocked here by this brothel madman.

These talented individuals are often hired by businessmen. Their skill level is generally low, and it doesn't matter whether they get in or not. As long as they get the money, they consider it as doing a favor.

But what's happening right now is quite a spectacle, and everyone is finding it interesting.

At this moment, a young man dressed in a blue and white cloak walked over, fanning himself, followed by a number of people.

The young master smiled at Shangguan Xiu and said, "Brother Shangguan, what's going on? It's one thing for the talented scholar you invited to be incompetent, but he's also causing trouble? This is not very respectable."

Shangguan Xiu was stunned for a moment, not quite reacting, before turning around and recognizing the other person.

"Oh, Young Master Qin?" He narrowed his eyes slightly.

The Grand Secretary's grandson passed the imperial examination last year.