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

"Uh, Cui Cui?" Ning Nan's pupils shrank, somewhat surprised that she had come over.

On the shallows, a woman in a simple dress and with a hairpin moved gracefully towards him. As her figure gradually became clearer, it overlapped with the deep impression in his mind. Ning Nan was somewhat surprised, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Commander Qin beside him also visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

But it seems that Qin Qianhu was not relieved because of Cui Cui's arrival, but because of the man who was half a step behind Cui Cui at this moment.

This same man just spoke, and Cui Cui called him "Commander Shangguan"... Shangguan?

The man's face did indeed resemble Shangguan Xiu's, but his temperament was much more domineering. Coupled with the red and yellow python robe he wore, which was obviously somewhat presumptuous, Ning Nan knew who the man was even without Cuicui saying it... Shangguan Yun, the elder brother of Shangguan Xiu, the heir of the Marquis of Zhenguo, and the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, whom she had heard about countless times in Nanjing.

The soldiers who had been surrounding the arena quickly parted to make way after an old centurion excitedly exclaimed, "Greetings, Prince Zhenguo!" A buzz of discussion immediately broke out in the arena. Even Qiu Guang did not speak up to stop them, but simply kept his eyes downcast in silence.

It seems that the title of the heir of the Marquis of Zhenguo is more useful than that of the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Behind the two were a large group of Imperial Guards with gleaming eyes, including four commanders in red flying fish robes who were of the same rank as Qin Yuanyao.

These commanders were all vigorous and fierce, clearly not easy to deal with. They stood in a row, their left hands on the hilts of their swords.

A group of people came aggressively, but Ning Nan felt no pressure at all. Like Commander Qin, he was much more relaxed. The Jinyiwei, who were fierce and menacing in the eyes of others, seemed very kind to him.

It was the arrival of Cui Cui that made him inexplicably worried.

He stared at Cuicui, frowned, and asked in confusion, "Why did you come here?"

When he said this, he was actually a little unsure of himself. After all, the two of them were not married yet, and it seemed that where the other person was was not his business for the time being... Not to mention the present, he was even a little unsure about this marriage.

I wonder if the other party entered into the marriage agreement because of reasons such as, "No woman is interested in you, your mother is sick and in a hurry, so I'll help her out..."

Moreover... one can see the whole leopard from a single spot. Just now, Cui Cui was chatting and laughing with the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The aura she exuded was very imposing... well... much more imposing than the one who destroyed Black Tiger Mountain.

Moreover, the fact that the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard addressed him as "Miss Cui Cui" shows that even if Zhu Yuanwai was not a prince, he must have been a member of the imperial family whom the young emperor relied heavily on, otherwise, why would others give him such face?

Perhaps she's perfectly content with her position as the head maid of the Zhu family, and the title of mistress of the Ning family really doesn't hold much appeal for her... Ning Nan's mind suddenly went blank.

She really didn't seem to have any right to ask the other person such a question... Hmm... So, from a friend's perspective? Out of concern for her safety? ... Ning Nan's two eyebrows furrowed together in a rather troubled manner.

Cui Cui approached Ning Nan within a foot of him, glanced at his blood-stained clothes, and gave him a look of disgust.

"Who are you planning to have wash with?"

She added casually, "My godmother hasn't been feeling well lately."

Ning Nan was taken aback, staring blankly at the woman's fair and delicate oval face for a moment, then grinned and said, "I'm not washing it... I'll throw it away and buy a new one."

Cui Cui's lips curved into a smile, but her pretty face hardened slightly: "Wash it yourself."

Ning Nan curled his lip indifferently... This woman is a bit lazy, but at least she's not a spendthrift.

"Master Zhu sent me here to take a look..." She glanced at Ning Nan, "Once this matter is settled, I will leave the Zhu residence."

Ning Nan gave a nonchalant "Oh," but his tense shoulders relaxed at the opportune moment.

Cui Cui walked to his side, withdrawing her slightly helpless expression. She wasn't trying to explain anything... she just glanced at the young doctor's expression and knew that his sensitive and suspicious nature had flared up again.

Just like Cao Cao… The woman couldn’t help but mutter a curse about the young doctor in her heart.

A cold wind howled across Yunze Lake, and the sound of the tide rising and falling echoed across the water.

Things became much simpler after Shangguan Yun, the heir of the Marquis of Zhenguo, arrived.

Qiu Guang decisively loosened a bit of his armor, knelt down, and kowtowed repeatedly, saying that he had been audacious and begged the prince for forgiveness.

The Marquis of Zhenguo commands 300,000 troops of Daliang and has been a pillar of Daliang throughout history. Most of the military camps of Daliang are from the Marquis of Zhenguo's ranks. He does not feel ashamed or wronged to kowtow to him.

Even if I wanted to rebel and take down the enemy right now, most of the hundreds of soldiers in this field, except for a few trusted confidants, would probably side with the enemy and I wouldn't be able to command them at all.

Qiu Guang sighed inwardly, regretting that despite his haste, he was still too late... Of course, it was also because Black Tiger Stronghold had been inexplicably... destroyed too quickly.

Shangguan Yun raised his eyes and disdainfully told him to stand up, saying that the Great Liang was not the Northern Dynasty and did not practice the master-servant system.

Qiu Guang's knees sank deeper into the sand. His eyes hardened, and he made a ruthless decision. He put his left little finger in his mouth and then clenched his teeth tightly.

Horrifying chewing sounds echoed in the room.

A moment later, Qiu Guang spat out his bloodied little finger and said that when the salt merchant crossed the river, he stuffed a large amount of silver into his hand. He was blinded by greed and wanted to swallow the salt merchant's treasure. That's why he violated military orders and led his men to chase after the salt merchant, intending to extort a large sum of money from him under the pretext of capturing a Northern Dynasty spy... He just didn't expect to run into Commander Qin of your garrison. Due to a misunderstanding, a small conflict broke out.

His words were flawless, absolving Yunhu Camp of any responsibility and allowing him to take all the blame himself... but it was a minor matter, just a little money... which military general doesn't embezzle?

A couple of slaps and a reprimand would suffice; if things escalated, no one in the entire Liang Dynasty would be willing to risk their lives for the Zhu family.

As for the little finger, it was a genuine apology to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Shangguan Yun smiled and glanced at Qiu Guang, saying that Commander Qiu was bold, meticulous, and loyal. No wonder General Fan trusted him so much.

Qiu Guang's pupils suddenly contracted as his head drooped.

Without wasting any more words, Shangguan Yun ordered his men to seize Qiu Guang and take him back to the imperial prison.

As for the hundreds of soldiers here, they were deceived by their superiors and were innocent. They were personally led by two commanders of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to return to the ship and be taken back to Yunhu Camp, where they were handed over to Fan Shiwei for disposal.

The men immediately obeyed. Qiu Guang sighed inwardly. If the enemy had convicted all the hundreds of soldiers in the field of serious crimes, they might have been able to fight back by instigating a mutiny... But clearly, the enemy was not such a fool.

The lake breeze was cold.

Ning Nan and Cuicui mounted their horses. After he called out, Da Hei also led his horse over, carrying a composite bow with several key components covered in black cloth on its back. Qin Yuanyao, representing the Embroidered Uniform Guard, thanked him for helping to capture the remnants of Black Tiger Mountain and praised his superb archery skills.

Dahei smiled calmly and said that he had studied and practiced diligently since childhood, which was how he achieved some success.

Cui Cui raised her eyebrows, glanced at the bow on Da Hei's back, and didn't say anything. She quickly pursed her lips again.

On the one hand, the other party calls her sister-in-law, considers her one of their own, and even helped them replace the door panels. The workmanship is excellent, and they didn't charge her anything. Now, the Ning family's main room is no longer drafty.

On the other hand, the young doctor had told her about "technology diffusion." The bow's construction wasn't too complicated; anyone who was interested could learn it by taking a closer look or studying it a bit after getting their hands on it. Once the Northern Dynasty learned this construction, the hundreds of thousands of cavalrymen of the Northern Dynasty would be equipped with this bow.

"call……"

On horseback, she silently exhaled, her eyes filled with complex emotions and a somber mood as she recalled this scene. She tightened the reins, trying to temporarily banish these thoughts from her mind.