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

"Tsk, I'm late."

Ning Nan, with his sleeves tucked in, gazed leisurely at the openwork stage on the first floor.

The hour had passed the beginning of Hai (9-11 PM), and just as everyone's patience was about to run out, the courtesans finally made their appearance.

The twelve courtesans took to the stage one after another, graceful and elegant, lined up in a row. Some held pipa, some held sanxian, and some held guqin.

The courtesans each had their own unique figure, attire, makeup, and temperament, yet they were all equally charming and graceful, a feast for the eyes.

An old man who seemed to be in charge stood on the stage, smiling as he introduced the courtesans to the crowd. In the very center was Qingyue, a young lady from Fanlou in the Northern Dynasty. Qingyue smiled and bowed...

Then came Jin'er from Yanchun Pavilion. Jin'er gently plucked a string on her zither, and a soft, trembling note stirred the heartstrings...

Next came the maiden Huanyue from the Yangzhou waterside pavilion. Huanyue raised her pipa, her incredibly slender waist twisting to the left like willow catkins swaying gently in the wind...

Exclamations and praises rang out from the main building.

Shangguan Xiu, who had just helped fend off a lot of drinks, chuckled and commented, "People from the North tend to be taller and more slender."

Ning Nan nodded. The courtesan from the north was indeed taller, but the southern courtesan's graceful beauty was also extremely alluring.

On the other side, Lady Ning and Doctor Jiang peeked around, peering at the entrance.

Ning Nan knew they were waiting for that talented man named Xu Yang.

"Here he comes! Here he comes!" At this moment, Ning Xiaoniangzi suddenly jumped up, leaned on the lacquered wooden railing, and shouted loudly, "Young Master Xu!"

Doctor Jiang quickly sat down and grabbed her collar, worried that the little girl might fall because she was too excited.

Ning Nan and she exchanged a glance, and both smiled helplessly.

"Look, that's Grand Scholar Liu Zhenxi." Shangguan Xiuxiu pointed to the scholar at the front of the group.

Several old men walked in front, followed by a group of scholars dressed in long robes and holding white fans. The group walked with upright posture, heads held high and strides, exuding a great aura.

"I saw it."

The old man wasn't very interesting; he just nodded perfunctorily.

The cheers from the guests in the main building for these renowned figures and talented men were no less enthusiastic than those for the courtesan earlier, with many shouting until their voices were hoarse.

Even the noblewomen dressed as men on the third floor, like Ning Xiaoniangzi, lost their composure, waving handkerchiefs and calling out things like "Young Master Xu," "Young Master Nalan," and "Young Master Xu." Ning Nan even heard a few words about "Second Young Master Ning."

It must be because one of these talented men was surnamed Ning, and they were from the same clan. That's quite a coincidence.

Idol culture is not a later invention; people in ancient times were also very enthusiastic about idol worship.

I remember Han Laoguai telling a story about a handsome man named Pan An in the Jin Dynasty. He was so popular that even old women in their seventies and eighties would throw melons and fruits into his carriage when he went out. Eventually, one day, he was killed by the falling fruit.

Han Laoguai concluded that it was useless for a man to be good-looking, but Laoguai always liked to fabricate things and put on this "interpreting the classics through my own lens" nonsense, and it's hard to tell whether it's true or not.

The most imposing Yoo Jin-hee replaced the manager and took the stage to begin hosting.

It was basically a tribute to the sages of the past, talking about the history of poetry, what famous people had said, and so on, especially what so-and-so from the current dynasty had said. Finally, they thanked the courtesan and talented scholar who had come all the way from the north, saying that their participation in today's grand event was a blessing for the literary world.

They didn't say much.

After the old man left the stage, the first round of the competition began.

Ning Nan drank a cup of tea and cheered himself up.

The talented scholar named Xu Yang took his seat, and once Ning Xiaoniang could no longer see him, she sat back down with a flushed face.

"Hmph!" She wrinkled her nose at Ning Nan.

"What's wrong?"

"Xu Yang's poems are no worse than yours!" she said firmly.

"Well……"

Ning Nan was speechless.

"Much better than me, okay...?"

"Hmm..." Ning Xiaoniangzi looked at him suspiciously, and only after confirming that he was not being sarcastic did she nod in satisfaction: "A draw!" she concluded.

Ning Nan smiled and cupped his hands in thanks to the young lady for her kind gesture.

The first round of the competition was for the top courtesans to take turns performing their signature skills.

The girl from the north, Qingyue, performed a dance called "Treading the Song." Her sleeves fluttered, her ribbons danced, and her movements were extremely captivating.

The background music was also very layered, with a variety of instruments that were well coordinated. As the music became more and more urgent, the footsteps became more and more frequent. When it came to the "entering the breakthrough" moment, Qingyue's aura suddenly changed, and she stepped out on the stage like a female general, giving the feeling of a thousand troops.

The two young ladies who hadn't originally intended to applaud the Northern courtesan now shouted "Bravo!" in unison.

After the dance ended, applause and praise filled the air inside the building.

The courtesan from West Lake in the south also performed a dance, the Rainbow Feather Dance. The woman's figure was graceful, her sleeves were long and flowing, and her presence was no less impressive than that of the north. Shangguan Xiuxiu said from the side, "This dance can be the best on the Qinhuai River."

The most beautiful river in the Qinhuai River is the most beautiful in the world.

Shangguan Xiuxiu is an expert on brothels, so her words are quite credible.

The other young ladies also had their own special skills; some were good at playing the zither, and some were good at playing the drum.

Miss Jin'er then held her pipa and sang a song, the title of which was "Butterfly Loves Flowers," a famous poem by Xu Yang.

Upon hearing her idol's lyrics, Ning Xiaoniangzi immediately clapped her hands and cheered, looking at Ning Nan provocatively.

Ning Nan chimed in with "Impressive, impressive!" Only then did Ning Xiao Niangzi raise her chin with a touch of demureness: "That poem 'Sheng Sheng Man' you gave me is also very impressive!"

The first round of the competition has ended.

A servant brought paper and pen, asking the distinguished guests holding the Dragon and Phoenix Purple Altar Scrolls if they would be willing to send poems to the courtesans.

The three of them stared intently at Ning Nan.

Ning Nan waved his hand, indicating that he was not interested.

The three of them immediately lowered their gazes... What words from a dream... Only a fool would believe that!

Not only the three people at the same table, Ning Nan noticed that many people at other tables were also looking at them.

Ning Nan simply stood up and grabbed the railing with both hands to show his innocence: I didn't write any poetry.

Sighs immediately rose from many of the surrounding tables, and people turned their attention away.

Ning Xiaoniangzi wrote another "masterpiece," and with a flushed face, handed it over, saying it was for Miss Jin'er.

Shangguan Xiuxiu handed over the book she had bought, "The Mountain Grows Green," saying it was a gift for Miss Jin'er.

Doctor Jiang, of course, hadn't written anything. He turned to Ning Nan with a hint of resentment and said, "It's all done. I've handed it in. Come back and sit down!"

Ning Nan then clapped his hands nonchalantly and sat back down happily.

The second round involves the courtesans choosing a poem they like from those poems presented to them for performance.

This round involved elimination, so the courtesans were very careful in their selection, and it took quite a while.

Ning Nan chatted idly with the three of them, and didn't feel bored at all.

But some impatient people around couldn't stand it and went down to check the situation.

Around the end of the Hai hour (9-11 PM), the second round began.

But something went wrong.

The host came on stage and said that before the second round began, the twelve courtesans planned to perform a collaborative piece, playing a song together.

"Well……"

Ning Nan was stunned for a moment.

"Twelve courtesans together, that would be very interesting."

"Gentlemen, the title of this poem is 'Sheng Sheng Man'..." the old man said with a smile.

Ning Nan squinted.

At this moment, several people who had gone downstairs to inquire about the situation came back up. These people shook their heads with wry smiles, saying things like, "They almost got into a fight," "There was no other way, we just let them sing together," "Tsk tsk..." "Yeah, with lyrics like that, if they don't sing it this round, and get eliminated, will they have another chance to sing it?" "Singing it will double their value!"...

Shangguan Xiu and the other two looked at Ning Nan with strange expressions.

Ning Nan dared not move her head and held her breath.

"The talented scholar who wrote this poem is named Ning Nanning... I humbly request your esteemed judgment!"