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

"Ningnan? Ningdajia?"

Who is Ningnan?

"Brother Chen, have you ever heard of this person?"

"Ahem, Brother Zhao, I have indeed heard something..." Brother Chen pointed upstairs, "Something strange happened on the third floor just now..."

"I heard it's to stand up for his sister?"

"It should be, they both have the surname Ning... I heard it from a talented scholar present; both poems were written on one piece of paper... the foremost commentator among courtesans..."

"That's truly strange...to subdue the Northern Dynasties..."

The soft, fragmented sounds seemed to come from all directions, and when the old man downstairs opened his mouth, it was as if a single stone had stirred up a thousand waves.

Ning Nan's temple throbbed.

"What happened?"

Ning Beizhi pouted. Just now, she heard someone whisper, "It's for Ning Beizhi; it's written on the note!"

"What else could it be? Our poem became famous!" Ning Xiaoniangzi raised her chin, her tail seemingly standing up again.

At this moment, not only the surrounding tables, but the entire third floor seemed to be whispering among themselves, with all eyes gradually converging on their table.

Shangguan Xiuxiu acted as if it were none of her business, took a sip of wine, smacked her lips, and said that the wine was good, and tonight was worth it!

Doctor Jiang stared at him with amusement.

Ning Nan immediately sighed and rubbed his forehead.

Tsk... I underestimated Li Qingzhao's level.

The masterpiece that has been passed down through the ages is truly remarkable. I thought it would take several days for this poem to spread along with the poems of those talented scholars, but I didn't expect it to cause such a commotion tonight.

Let alone that frivolous courtesan and those scholars, it seems even these famous courtesans have a discerning eye, truly recognizing the brilliance of this poem.

"Let alone tonight, I'm afraid it's been many years since we've seen lyrics of this caliber," Shangguan Xiuxiu remarked.

Doctor Jiang laughed and said, "It seems that everyone wanted to sing your song 'Sheng Sheng Man,' which is why they discussed it for so long, but in the end they couldn't reach a conclusion. After compromise, they decided to sing it together."

"That's how famous courtesans build their reputations through poetry," said Shangguan Xiuxiu, a seasoned brothel connoisseur, raising her chin leisurely.

"After the second round of the competition, only four courtesans remain. If they don't sing that poem in this round, then participating in tonight's poetry gathering will be a waste, and they'll just be there to make others look good."

Jiang Sixue thought for a moment and nodded in agreement: "If I were one of them, I wouldn't want to be someone else's foil either."

Although there is only one courtesan, there are many talented men tonight, and the first two rounds of the competition are also to allow each courtesan to showcase herself.

Especially in the second round, the organizers must have arranged poems for all twelve courtesans. Perhaps the scholars from the south will write for the courtesans from the north, and vice versa, so as not to hurt feelings.

People from that building put in so much effort and resources to send their daughters here; they certainly didn't come here to be someone else's stepping stones. If they couldn't bring honor to their daughters, what would be the point of bringing them here?

As for the decisive game, it was arranged in the third round, where a famous courtesan would invite him to recite poetry on the spot. Even if he lost, the talented scholar would probably have more problems.

Of course, this is also a clever touch in poetry gatherings. Famous courtesans sing lyrics, and the most beautiful courtesan is selected. In the end, no matter who loses, it is still an elegant affair and will not cause any great loss of face.

But there are always exceptions.

If a truly exquisite poem were to be written tonight, and that poem were to dominate the entire event, then the situation would be quite different.

Regardless of the poetry gathering, the very fact that someone sings this poem is itself a topic of much discussion.

To put it bluntly, if this poem truly captivated talented scholars from both the north and south, then whoever sings it tonight will become a household name across the country tomorrow.

In such situations, even if the girls are generous and modest, the brothel behind them and the wealthy merchants behind it are unlikely to back down.

The atmosphere on the third floor became very subtle, and Ning Nan even felt a little awkward.

"Ning Nan... Master Ning..."

Those who were toasting him earlier asked for his name, and out of politeness, he told them. He just doesn't know who leaked it.

He had a headache and felt like he had nails stuck in his buttocks, making him quite restless.

While speaking.

The sounds of string and wind instruments had already begun to fill the air on the first floor. The courtesans had already assigned their lines and were singing one after another.

Even sitting on the third floor, Ning Nan could tell that the courtesans were giving it their all this time. Every word they uttered was particularly forceful, even a bit too forceful, unlike their effortless performance in the first round.

The song ended.

A continuous stream of cheers rang out in the main building, and words such as "Where is Ning Dacai?" and "Where is Miss Ning?" reached their ears.

There was even a sound of hurried footsteps at the top of the stairs, but fortunately, a purple token was required to go up to the third floor, so the steward and servants stopped them.

The third floor wasn't very quiet either. If it weren't for the fact that the third floor was relatively refined and reserved, and that we had just greeted everyone, they would probably all be rushing over by now... or at least their eyes would be burning with desire.

Ning Beizhi seemed to enjoy the attention and smiled contentedly.

Even though she was dressed as a man in a scholar's robe and a square scarf, she still sat like a lady from a respectable family, with her legs together, back straight, and head slightly lowered, as if she were feeling a little embarrassed.

Ning Nan glanced at her with a hint of helplessness.

Fortunately, the Grand Scholar was the judge tonight. When the old man went on stage, he asked everyone to judge the performances of the courtesans. Everyone cheered. Then, the old man Liu chatted idly with a smile, talking about how difficult it was to write poetry.

He even brought out some of his early, clumsy works to talk about, which made everyone laugh and feel a little closer to this Grand Secretary.

In short, the Grand Scholar, with just a few words, brought the poetry gathering back to its theme and laid the groundwork for the talented scholars' poems that followed with his own humble work.

Otherwise, if everyone keeps comparing Li Qingzhao's poem with the works of the talented scholars, then tonight's poetry gathering will be difficult to carry out, it will be very discouraging, and the performances of the courtesans will be greatly diminished.

This old man Liu is quite capable; he's willing to carry other people's sedan chairs.

The atmosphere at the poetry gathering did indeed become more lively afterward.

The twelve courtesans took the stage one by one, singing the lyrics of the purple scrolls they had chosen.

When it was Miss Jin'er's turn...

Ning Beizhi, the young lady opposite, and Shangguan Xiuxiu beside her both sighed.

"My name wasn't chosen..."

They both presented their purple invitations to Jin'er, but Jin'er sang a song called "Magnolia Flower" by Nalan Que, the foremost disciple of Emperor Wenzong of the Northern Dynasties.

"...Life is like the stars, fleeting and unpredictable...The cold of the stars and the warmth of the moon are unbearable...Take a moment to think of departed friends...Do not resent their delayed return..."

Jin'er's singing style is very distinctive; her voice is clear and cool, with a hint of stubbornness, which is indeed very suitable for this song.

Ning Nan and the other man laughed and said, "You didn't lose unjustly."

Ning Beizhi snorted and handed Jiang Sixue a peeled orange. Jiang Sixue took the orange and said, "I think you lost unfairly." Ning Beizhi then laughed again.

Shangguan Xiuxiu didn't care; the lyrics were bought anyway.

"How much did you pay for it?" Ning Nan asked curiously.

"One hundred taels."

"Tsk, rich people." Ning Nan shook his head and cursed the spendthrift.

"Gold."

Ning Nan sighed, "Buy from me next time."

Shangguan Xiu chuckled and said, "Then it's settled!"

Just then, a series of loud footsteps came from the stairwell.

The four of them turned their gazes in that direction.

Ning Xiaoniangzi's eyes lit up immediately, and she sat up from the stool: "Young Master Xu!"

Ning Nan glanced at it.

There were about ten people, half dressed in Southern Dynasty attire and the other half wearing melon-shaped hats.

At this moment, Qin Yun, Lu Jing, and the others who were originally on the other side also got up and followed.

This brought the number of people to over twenty.

Qin Yun pointed in this direction.

The group's eyes glared at them menacingly, and then the tiger cubs, big and small, strode over menacingly.

Shangguan Xiu sneered. Before long, a group of people on the third floor stood up and walked over. They were all sons of noble families who were known for their domineering behavior in Nanjing.

"My name is Xu Yang."

"My name is Nalan Que."

"My name is Shang Duo."

"I am..."

"Greetings, Young Master Ning."

Ning Nan was overwhelmed by these impressive titles.