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

Click!

The box is opened.

Inside, a rolled-up calligraphy and painting sat quietly.

Madam Jia personally took out the calligraphy and paintings from the paper. They felt firm and smooth to the touch, and one touch was enough to tell that they were Xuan paper.

This child has really put his heart into it, Madam Jia thought with a gentle smile.

Let's expand on that further.

As soon as the words on the painting came into view, Madam Jia's gaze sharpened, her expression changed slightly, and her hand stopped moving.

Zhu Cuiwei glanced at her indifferently, without urging her. Her fair neck was as straight and beautiful as a swan's. Her lips were rounded, and her voice was clear and crisp as she said, "Madam, isn't this one too?" As she spoke, the pearl and jade nine-phoenix crown on her head did not move at all.

"If that's not the case either, then let's look at the next one."

"Uh..." Madam Jia gave a somewhat embarrassed smile.

She knew in her heart that since His Highness had said so, he must have made some arrangements, perhaps even having a guest present him with a copy of a famous calligraphic work in the Wei style.

The staff of the Marquis's residence selected about ten wooden boxes. The calligraphy copybook that His Highness prepared should be in one of the boxes at the back, but it is unknown who sent it.

The congratulatory gift from my nephew Ningnan has only arrived at the fifth wooden box so far.

However... Ningnan's calligraphy just so happens to be in the style of Wei stele!

Madam Jia gritted her teeth slightly, now she was in a bit of a dilemma. The safest approach would be to not mention that her nephew's calligraphy was in the Wei style, but wait and see what the wooden box behind it was, and let His Highness's arrangements break the deadlock. That was the right way.

However, doing so would inevitably be seen as deceiving the emperor and would also betray Ningnan's good intentions.

If His Highness finds out in the future, even if I am thinking of His Highness, I'm afraid I will still have a knot in my heart.

If we were to directly state that Ningnan's nephew's work is a copy of Wei stele calligraphy, it might ruin His Highness's plans.

Moreover, this would also embarrass Ning Nan's nephew, after all, Ning Nan's nephew's calligraphy is inferior to that of Ning Jiexiao of the Northern Dynasty... um... Madam Jia's face showed a look of suspicion, and she suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

She frowned and looked again at the calligraphy and painting that had only been unfolded a few lines.

It seems her nephew gave her a poem.

However, because the text is arranged vertically, only the first few characters of each column can be seen.

"The east wind blows at night..." she silently read the first few words.

Leaving aside the words, just look at the characters… Madam Jia frowned deeply… How could they be so similar to Ning Jiexiao’s?!

What's even more surprising is that, apart from the resemblance, Ning Nan's nephew's handwriting seems to be... a bit more grand than Ning Jiexiao's.

Lady Jia was filled with doubt and suspicion, wondering if she felt that her nephew's calligraphy was better because she was close to Ningnan and hated the Northern Dynasty.

At this moment, Zhu Cuiwei's jeweled nine-phoenix crown moved slightly, and her voice deepened a little: "Madam, how is it? Could it be that the calligraphy in your hand..." She bit her lip slightly, "is a Wei stele?"

When asked this question, Madam Jia's expression panicked slightly, but she quickly regained her composure.

Ning Nan's nephew's reputation had already spread throughout the North-South Poetry Gathering. It was not only his reputation as a talented scholar that spread, but also his reputation as a talent that surpassed that of the Northern Dynasty's scholars. This made the people of the Southern Dynasty breathe a sigh of relief.

Although I think my nephew's calligraphy is better than Ning Jiexiao's, I am not an expert in poetry and calligraphy. If this is just my narrow-minded opinion, I am afraid that I will make a fool of myself today and let my nephew lose to Ning Jiexiao in calligraphy. If that happens, it will be very bad!

Madam Jia made up her mind, but a smile appeared on her face. Just as she was about to say that it was just a piece of regular script calligraphy, Scholar Liu, who was not far away, smiled and said.

"Young friend Ning's poetry is unparalleled. Madam Jia was probably so engrossed in reading your poems just now."

He was nearby and had just overheard Madam Jia saying that the painting was "a gift from my nephew from Ningnan," and he had been itching to get his hands on it ever since.

Old Crane nodded repeatedly and echoed with a smile, "Exactly, exactly. Young friend Ning may not be attending this Huanyue Pavilion poetry gathering, but he is as close as a brother to your son. He must have written a fine poem for you, Madam. Madam, even if young friend Ning did not use the Wei stele style, you cannot keep it to yourself. Why not display it so that we can also appreciate it?"

As soon as Ning Nan's name spread, the flower hall erupted in chaos!

The talented scholars and Confucian masters whispered amongst themselves, discussing the matter animatedly. Some were unfamiliar with the name, but when someone mentioned "searching and searching," they immediately clapped their hands and exclaimed, "So it's him! Cold and quiet...it's him!"

Many young ladies blushed and said shyly, "Auntie, please take out Young Master Ning's poems and let us see them!"

One young lady even blushed and softly recited: "What is love in this world that makes people willing to die for it... I've memorized Young Master Ning's poem these past few days."

Zhang Jian from Bailu Academy frowned and asked, "Is this Ning Nan the one who wrote four poems for the four most beautiful courtesans of the North and South at Yanchun Pavilion that day?"

Fan Shilie, wearing a melon-shaped hat, narrowed his eyes and interjected, "It is indeed this person."

Fan Shilie frowned. Ning Nan did indeed have some talent; he had certainly outshone the Northern Dynasty's scholar that day. Of course, that was only in terms of poetry.

If it were today, and we were to let Ning Jiexiao outdo his family in calligraphy, it would indeed be a good opportunity to save face for the Northern Dynasty!

Even if Ning Nan's calligraphy is in running script or cursive script, as long as it is compared with Ning Jiexiao, the saying will inevitably circulate that "Ning Nan writes good poems, but his calligraphy is not as good as that of his cousin from the Northern Dynasties."

With that thought, he rolled his eyes, tugged at Nilon, and whispered a few words. Nilon immediately understood that this was indeed a good opportunity to put down the arrogance of these talented scholars from the North and South!

His face showed excitement, but he quickly suppressed it and stepped forward with a chuckle, saying, "I have also read the poem 'Searching and searching, so desolate and lonely,' and the poem 'Having witnessed the rise and fall of dynasties, the great calamities are all empty,' which is very familiar to me. It seems that today, I will not only be able to read Ning Caizi's new poems, but also appreciate Ning Caizi's calligraphy... This is truly a worthwhile trip..." He smiled and steered the conversation back to calligraphy.

The flower hall became noisy, but Nylon's words did not cause much of a ripple.

Inside the hall, shouts of petition, excited laughter, and anticipation filled the air.

Zhu Cuiwei, standing in front of Madam Jia, seemed not to hear anything. Her expression was extremely ordinary, even somewhat cold. However, the pearl and jade nine-phoenix crown on her head was swaying slightly, occasionally making a few tinkling sounds.

"Yanchun Pavilion... the most beautiful courtesan... four... four poems?" she murmured.

"Ah," Madam Jia chuckled, "My nephew is quite the romantic and unrestrained fellow. Back then, the North-South Poetry Gathering was also a selection ceremony for the most beautiful courtesans. My nephew was invited to write a poem by four courtesans! Originally, the four courtesans were offering their toasts to see which one my nephew would choose to drink from, but my nephew drank them all in one gulp! And on the spot, he picked up his brush and wrote a poem for each of the four courtesans! It truly became a legendary tale in the poetry world..." Her tone was light and her words were bold and unrestrained.

Madam Jia smiled brightly, but inwardly she sighed... It seemed there was no escaping it today.

Fortunately, with so many renowned scholars around, Ning Nan's nephew's poetry is sure to be presentable. Even if his calligraphy isn't as good as Ning Jiexiao's, in my opinion, it's not far behind.

Moreover, with Prince Xin present, if he could gain Prince Xin's favor, it would be considered that his nephew Jian had won the Emperor's favor, and that would be a way of returning the favor.

But then she suddenly heard Prince Xin smile gently.

"A romantic and talented man...not bad...hmm...really good...so that night, was it that the talented man Ning was in a brothel...and those four courtesans offered themselves to him?" Zhu Cuiwei said calmly.

Madam Jia smiled and shook her head, saying that her nephew was so drunk that night that he was unconscious, and her son brought him back in a carriage, where he stayed at the Marquis's residence.

Later, he received invitations from famous courtesans and numerous poetry gatherings, but his nephew didn't go for those few days and stayed at the Marquis's residence.

Madam Jia laughed and said, "Once this child sobers up, he transforms into a perfect gentleman."

"Well……"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cuiwei nodded slightly, and the pearl and jade nine-phoenix crown gradually returned to its calm state.

"Since you all want to see this talented and romantic scholar's new work, please allow me, Madam, to show you this calligraphy first."

Madam Jia nodded.

He turned around and had someone hang Ning Nan's calligraphy in front of him.

As soon as the calligraphy and painting were unfurled, everyone exclaimed in surprise!

"Wei stele!"

"It just so happens to be a Wei stele!"

"Wait! No, this character, this character..."

The learned scholars, who could read, approached with suspicion, while the young woman, who couldn't read, chattered closer.

"The east wind blows at night... a thousand trees of flowers..." Madam Jia, who was closest, parted her lips slightly and softly read out the words on the painting.

……

……

"Where did your Snow Appreciation Pavilion get so many pear trees? And where's the snow?"

Ning Nan, who was leading Qin Yuanyao to the Snow Appreciation Pavilion in the backyard, frowned and asked Shangguan Xiu.

Shangguan Xiu looked at him like he was a country bumpkin. "Don't you know anything about elegance? Elegance, elegance! When the pear tree blossoms, isn't it like a snowstorm?"

"Oh, that's creative..." Ning Nan curled his lip. "Heh, so-so."

"Then let's go to Huanyue Pavilion? Didn't you want to see Ning Jiexiao's calligraphy?" Shangguan Xiu squinted and rubbed her slightly sore neck.

"If you don't want to go, I can steal that tattered calligraphy piece someday."

He had just been forced by his mother to sit in Huanyue Pavilion and entertain guests. His face was almost frozen from smiling, and he was quite bored.

He wanted to invite some famous courtesans to sing, but his mother wouldn't allow it and almost pinched his arm until it turned blue!

I took advantage of my mother going to receive the imperial decree to escape quickly. I searched the Marquis's mansion for a long time and finally found Ning Nan on a small path.

Now that we have to go back, I'm actually a little reluctant, but after hearing Ning Nan mention it a couple of times on the way, I thought I'd better take him to see it anyway.

Moreover, besides that calligraphy, there are many other treasures, which could indeed broaden the other person's horizons.

"Go ahead." Ning Nan hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "It's still early for dinner, and we're just killing time anyway."