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

Is it a case of enemies meeting on a narrow road, or did a flood wash away the Dragon King's temple? ... Ning Nan sighed, rubbing his forehead.

Unexpectedly, the female thief I shook off on the way back yesterday turned out to be Manager Qin, whom Master Zhu had entrusted with an important task!

His shoulders slumped slightly, and he couldn't help but let out a soft breath.

I suppose they were doing something important yesterday... tracking me.

Suspecting you might be one of the kidnappers?

So, should we keep an eye on it and see what's going on?

He thought to himself, "Great job..." He mentally gave a thumbs-up to the female manager opposite him who called herself "Qin Yuanyao".

To be fair, it wasn't that the other party was being overly suspicious. If it were him, he might have arrested the messenger first and tortured him severely... That's why he made an excuse, saying that he was from the same hometown as the owner of Fulai Tavern and had come to visit and deliver a message, instead of swaggering over and saying, "Your owner's daughter is in my hands." He was afraid of causing a big misunderstanding and a big blunder.

A major blunder was avoided, but a minor one still happened... He cleared his throat and smiled at the man opposite him, who had an oval face, wheat-colored skin, and a fairly good-looking high ponytail: "Manager Qin is a handsome man... uh, dashing..."

Qin Yuanyao picked up the tea that Xu Qing had brought her and took a small sip.

The sun was shining brightly today, and I was still sweating at the temples. I was already quite irritable, and seeing this man in front of me only made me angrier.

"I'm sorry, Young Master Ning, I cannot grant your request." She slowly put down her teacup, interrupting him directly... Xu Qing had already explained the situation, and both publicly and privately, he could not agree to the other party's request.

A glistening drop of water rolled down her forehead, slid slowly down her cheek, and finally slid into her neck.

With her healthy wheat-colored skin and high ponytail, she exudes a capable, efficient, and even somewhat sharp aura.

That was a very decisive refusal… Ning Nan frowned: “Is Steward Qin still harboring resentment about what happened yesterday?”

"Young Master Ning is overthinking things... How could Yuan Yao be so petty? Young Master Ning is quick-witted, which Yuan Yao admires. It is Yuan Yao who is at fault, causing you to misunderstand. I am truly sorry... I wonder if that prostitute yesterday satisfied you?"

"So-so..."

"Heh." The woman chuckled noncommittally. "That's good."

Ning Nan smacked his lips; the woman's laughter made his teeth ache.

"I've dealt with Black Tiger Stronghold a few times before... Manager Qin, are you really not planning to cooperate?" He pleaded again, somewhat puzzled. Was he really that vengeful?

His demands were few; he simply hoped the other party could share information with him on certain matters, and that he could work with Master Zhu to wipe out the Black Tiger Stronghold, a den of thieves, and ensure peace for Miss Zhu and Li Family Village.

Another thing is, see if Master Zhu can allocate some manpower for him... after all, he did help the Zhu family find a young lady.

Qin Yuanyao glanced at him with her eyes raised, and calmly refused again: "This matter really does not require Young Master Ning's trouble. We... we Zhu family are not to be trifled with. We have already sent people into Black Tiger Stronghold, and we have already found out more than enough about its situation."

At this moment, the Liangzhou white horse in the courtyard pawed its hooves under the shade of the tree and neighed a few times.

Qin Yuanyao narrowed her eyes, knowing that the horse must be starving and exhausted from the past few days. She would have to feed it more hay later.

As for the young doctor in question, His Highness Prince Xin has ordered him to remain uninvolved.

Saving Prince Xin was already a great achievement. Even if he didn't become rich and powerful, he could easily be a steward in the prince's palace or find a job in the county government, and he would be set for life for several generations.

The king is kind-hearted and promotes you. Knowing you are his only son, he doesn't want you to take risks... Well, that's roughly how it is.

The person in front of me is a bit clever. I was too worried yesterday and fell into his trap, but that's a minor matter.

Every single Red Stick in Black Tiger Stronghold is a ruthless killer who doesn't blink an eye when it comes to murder. The stronghold's influence is growing, and its population is increasing.

Within a radius of several hundred miles, notorious bandits have started flying the banner of Black Tiger Stronghold. These are major bandits who are on the Ministry of War's list, and they are not something that bookish scholars with only theoretical knowledge can handle.

These scholars always dream of being Zhuge Liang or Zhou Yu, solving problems with a wave of their fans... Ha, dreaming!

A scholar like this who doesn't wet his pants when he sees blood is a real character... There's really no need to get entangled with him.

Qin Yuanyao exchanged a few more polite words with him, her tone somewhat perfunctory, saying that Master Zhu was grateful for saving the Zhu family's daughter and had prepared one hundred taels of silver and ten bolts of silk as a token of his gratitude. He added that there would be a greater reward after the matter was settled, and that the young master should simply wait patiently.

Ning Nan remained silent for a moment, then asked if he could meet with Master Zhu.

Qin Yuanyao shook her head and refused, saying that Master Zhu had important matters to attend to and that she could make the decision on any matter.

Since things had come to this, Ning Nan said no more. He first pursed his lips tightly, and after a dozen breaths, he smiled calmly, with a strange expression, as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He hadn't expected the Zhu family to be so indifferent. This was really... really... Heh... That's fine too... Then there's no need to consider helping them take down Black Tiger Stronghold.

With those two hundred taels of gold on hand, perhaps we could try to find a way to get in touch with Yang Bing and prevent Shangguan Xiuxiu from directly intervening. We could borrow his influence and use the money to bribe the clerks in Jiangning County.

Or perhaps I could present a few poems and then ask that Grand Scholar Liu Zhenxi for help? I became acquainted with him at the last poetry gathering; maybe there'll be a chance.

Well, the road is still wide enough... no need to resort to banditry for now.

He had already made up his mind, and when he looked at Qin Yuanyao, he was completely at peace.

Ten years of planning, could this be considered ruined in an instant? ...Sigh...maybe.

It's like failing the college entrance exam but still feeling relaxed... at least you've graduated.

"In that case, I won't accept the reward..." he said with a sincere smile. "I only wish to ask Master Zhu to bestow upon me one thing, and I will be eternally grateful."

Scholars are all like this, so concerned with saving face that they suffer for it... Qin Yuanyao's lips curled up slightly: "Young Master Ning, please speak freely."

What do you want?

Is it an introduction to Bailu Academy, a book by some great Confucian scholar, or a plaque with the words "May you have boundless blessings and longevity"?

If it were the former, she would really think highly of the other party, at least she would get some benefit from it.

If it's the latter type, who wants nothing but to gain a reputation for saving lives without seeking personal gain, then she can only laugh at him as a pedantic scholar seeking fame and fortune.

"A contract of indenture," Ning Nan said solemnly.

Qin Yuanyao narrowed her eyes, somewhat confused. "What?"

"A contract of indenture; Ning wants to obtain a contract of indenture from Master Zhu."

"Whose?" Qin Yuanyao frowned.

"Cui Cui's..." Ning Nan hesitated for a moment, trying to make his tone sound sincere and earnest, "Zhu Cui Cui, that is, the maidservant of Miss Zhu..."

Under normal circumstances, maids in wealthy households like Cui Cui were all slaves.

But since the two were engaged, and Cuicui had not explicitly stated that the marriage was invalid, it was her responsibility to help the other party get rid of her slave status... She could always resolve her own household registration issue, it would just take some time.

Qin Yuanyao's expression froze, and she frowned in confusion.

Ning Nan let out a slight breath and said solemnly, "To be honest, I and your esteemed Miss Cuicui are deeply in love and have already made an engagement. The 28th of this month will be the wedding day... Therefore, I hope that Master Zhu can grant our wish and return Miss Cuicui's indenture... On the day of my wedding with Cuicui, if Steward Qin and Master Zhu do not mind, I will welcome you both to my humble abode for a celebratory drink..." He tried to be as polite as possible.

These days there's a saying: "It's better to tear down ten temples than to break up one marriage." Forcing a couple apart doesn't earn you a good reputation.

Moreover, it was Cui Cui who wrote the letter and he who delivered it that saved Miss Zhu. Even if Steward Qin is vengeful and Master Zhu is cold-hearted... they wouldn't be this cold-hearted, would they?

Qin Yuanyao remained stunned for a long time until Ning Nan frowned and called her name, at which point her gaze finally focused.

The female commander stood up, closed her lips, and strode quickly towards the door. Just before she reached it, she flicked her high ponytail and turned back to Ning Nan, urgently saying, "I'm going to ask Master Zhu. Don't move!"

She gestured with her hand, waving her finger and pointing, "You stay here! Don't move! Wait for me to come back!"

Bang!

As if afraid he would run away, the female commander even closed the door!