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

The red lingering flower, also known as the rose, is bright red and considered gaudy. Its stems are also covered in sharp thorns, so it is often called the assassin flower. However, she had studied some medicine and knew that it could be used medicinally.

The young doctor's illness flared up again; she guessed that as soon as he saw the flower, he wanted to squat down and take a closer look... she thought to herself.

Zhu Cuiwei raised her eyebrows, somewhat surprised. Why had the young doctor suddenly come here?

But after a few breaths, upon seeing the man and woman who had come in a few steps behind him, he breathed a sigh of relief. Qin Qianhu and Shangguan Xiu... it must have been Shangguan Xiu who brought him here.

At this moment, the young doctor suddenly reached out his right hand and reached for the most beautiful blooming lingering flower... and broke it off.

Zhu Cuiwei immediately lowered her eyes and took a small step to the side, trying to block the view of the person behind her as much as possible... Hmm... she even bent down.

A hint of helplessness flashed in her eyes... How rude of her!

Seeing her turn around, the eunuch beside her bowed and asked in a low voice whether Your Highness wished to return to the mansion.

Zhu Cuiwei pursed her red lips, her gaze following the flickering light and shadow in the courtyard. She said she wouldn't be going back for the time being, and suggested setting up a screen. The eunuch quickly bowed and agreed.

The sun is about to sink into the embrace of the distant mountains.

As soon as the temperature changed, a breeze arose here.

Holding the rare rose in her hand, Ning Nan pulled out the thorns as she asked Shangguan Xiuxiu, "Can I really pick it?"

Shangguan Xiu nodded his chin and said calmly, "They all belong to my mother...of course I can pick them!"

Ning Nan smiled, then glanced at Qin Yuanyao, whose face was as black as the bottom of a pot, and said with a smile, "What's wrong, Commander Qin? You're still angry... If you're not, I won't send you these flowers."

Qin Yuanyao said coldly, "What would I want with a lingering flower?"

"No, better not..." Ning Nan curled her lips, too lazy to pay attention to this person.

On the way here, Xiuxiu and Qin Yuanyao had a fight for no reason, and she came in a few steps behind him.

The matter was quite simple. Xiu Xiu was smugly reviewing the day he had cleverly killed Xiao Chun's men, how decisive he was in his actions, and how he withstood the halberd strike from the fake Chen Mu. Although he hadn't achieved the great merit of breaking through Black Tiger Mountain, his elder brother Shangguan Yun told him that based on these achievements, he could be promoted to deputy commander.

At this moment, the female commander, who had risked her life for many years to become a commander, said sarcastically that he only became what he was because of Young Master Ning's schemes. Xiuxiu disagreed and said that the female commander looked down on the noble sons of the family.

The female commander scolded, saying, "If it weren't for your drunken mistake, Shangguan Xiu, how could this matter have been delayed for so long? Do you know how much effort the entire Imperial Guard Command has wasted investigating in the wrong direction to the north because of you!"

Xiuxiu didn't hold back either. After a few breaths of guilt, she mocked, "Isn't it all because you, Commander Qin, are resourceful and commanded so well?"

Qin Yuanyao immediately erupted in anger, like a lioness with her fur standing on end, saying that even if you become the deputy commander, the investigations will have nothing to do with you!

Xiuxiu immediately became agitated and shouted, "Why should I? He got the clues by pretending to be a female opera singer!"

The two exchanged insults, going on and on, but many of their words were left unsaid, and they hesitated quite a bit.

Ning Nan knew it must be about the assassination of Miss Zhu. The Embroidered Uniform Guard had found some big fish. Xiu Xiu wanted to get involved, but Commander Qin wouldn't allow it. However, since he was there, the two of them argued unhappily for the sake of secrecy.

Fearing he would get himself into trouble, Ning Nan quickened his pace...

Ignoring the two still bickering behind her, Ning Nan hid the rose in her sleeve and slowly walked towards the flower hall.

Xiuxiu has already seen the Wei stele written by her Northern Dynasty relative, Ning Jiexiao, which is said to be the "Zheng Wengong Stele".

This actually piqued his interest even more.

The "Stele of Zheng Wengong" is a famous calligraphic work of the Northern Wei Dynasty, which I also wrote in my early years.

About a year and a half ago, Han Laoguai asked him to write this post.

After writing it three times, wasting a lot of good ink and paper, Old Man Han finally gave him twenty coins.

He was dissatisfied, saying that he had written it three times, which counts as three posts. If he didn't get sixty coins, he should at least get thirty coins.

Old Han slammed his fist on the table and said that only one painting was barely to his liking, while the other two were completely unacceptable. But he stubbornly insisted that if he was never satisfied, he was not expected to keep writing.

After a long standoff, Old Man Han couldn't win the argument, so he waved his hand and said he would pay with half a chicken, and even invited him to stay for a meal... After eating his fill, he took the half-plucked chicken home, and only then could he barely be considered to have not suffered a loss.

Now, he no longer needs to sell his calligraphy to supplement his family's income... Ning Nan smiled leisurely as he walked.

He planned to wait a bit, just to appreciate the calligraphy from a purely appreciative perspective... like a wealthy person looking at an art exhibition, calmly and leisurely enjoying it. He smiled happily.

The main hall was wide open, and it seemed to be quite lively inside.

As soon as I entered the room, several people wearing melon-shaped hats rushed out from the crowd. Some of them were carrying a long wooden box, and the one in the lead had a small mustache.

The collision caught Ning Nan off guard, and the other group also paused for a moment.

At this moment, someone exclaimed, "Young friend Ning?" The voice sounded somewhat surprised.

Ning Nan glanced over, then paused, and thought, "Uh... Old Man Liu?"

Ning Nan quickly smiled and waved his hand, "Ah, Master Liu."

The conversation between the two was extremely brief, but in that very short moment, the flower hall fell silent as countless gazes swept towards him like bullets.

"Ning Nan, are you Ning Nan?"

"Young Master Ning?"

"Quiet and deserted? Is he really quiet and deserted?"

In an instant, the bullet left the barrel... Inside the flower hall, waves of exclamations rose and fell.

Ning Nan took a breath, and his head instantly started to ache... Oh no, he didn't know how many greetings he would have to give later, and his face would be stiff from smiling... Should he just make an excuse to pee?

At this moment, the man with the two small mustaches and melon-shaped hat stepped forward, squinted, and said, "You're Ning Nan?"

"Uh..." Ning Nan didn't understand what this Northern Dynasty person meant, and nodded, "Yes."

"Good," said the man in the melon-shaped hat. "Very good, you have beautiful handwriting and have even composed a fine poem!"

He immediately started praising her… Ning Nan feigned youthful shyness and smiled, “Thank you.”

"You even thank me..." The smile vanished from the man in the melon-shaped hat, and he snorted coldly, "Very well... Let's go!"

Immediately, the group of people wearing melon-shaped hats passed by him and hurriedly walked away, one of them carrying a long box.

Ning Nan gave a strange look. What's wrong?

Just then, a noblewoman came up with a smile and called out, "Nephew."

Ning Nan looked up and saw that it was Madam Jia. He quickly bowed and said, "Ning Nan greets Aunt Jia."

Madam Jia chuckled, gave him a slight push, and said with a laugh, "You're still being so polite with me."

Seeing the envious looks on the faces of many noble ladies around him, Jia Fu straightened his back and his smile grew wider... Hmm, this nephew of hers really made her look good today...

As she spoke, she subtly glanced at the departing group in melon-shaped hats. Only after their figures disappeared did she finally feel relieved.

They still managed to take away Ning Jiexiao's "Stele of Duke Wen of Zheng".

Although Prince Xin said that she could keep the calligraphy.

On the one hand, serving a ruler is like walking on thin ice; she couldn't be sure if the Prince was deliberately testing her. On the other hand, these ignorant men from the Northern Dynasty weren't sincerely offering her congratulatory gifts; why accept such ulterior motives?

Unlike her nephew Ningnan, who wrote the lyrics himself... this is a true nephew who is genuinely congratulating her.

Madam Jia looked him up and down, becoming more and more satisfied with him. Her eyes softened, and she only regretted that she didn't have a daughter, otherwise he would really be half a son to her!

Madam Jia smiled and said, "Nephew, you've lost weight. You'll be staying at the Marquis's residence for a few more months. Your aunt will cook you some delicious meals."

Several months... Ning Nan gave a wry smile, pulled out a red invitation from his pocket, handed it over with both hands, and said sincerely that he would be getting married on June 28th and would be going home to prepare for the wedding after saying goodbye today.

These words were spoken before Madam Jia had even accepted the invitation.

Inside the flower hall, one could see a group of young women with red eyes, and a chorus of sighs could be heard.

Madam Jia was also taken aback. She hadn't heard about it before, and she didn't expect that her nephew's marriage would be settled so quickly.

She took the invitation, opened it, and chuckled twice, praising her nephew for his good fortune. She also wondered whose daughter was so lucky to marry such a good husband. As she spoke, she glanced down at the invitation.

To the Venerable Lady Jia… On this auspicious day in the late summer of the Dingmao year of the Tianqi reign (1627), amidst the celestial and auspicious atmosphere, the Ning family of Lijia Village, Jiangning County, Yingtian Prefecture, Southern Zhili, Daliang, hereby betroths Miss Cuiwei, the eldest daughter of the Zhu family of Datong Street, Shangyuan County, Jinling, to the eldest son of the Ning family, whose given name is Nan. In accordance with ancient rites, this marriage between the two families is solemnly concluded in this hall… At noon, the wine cups are prepared… We sincerely invite our guests…

Madam Jia narrowed her eyes slightly, her smile gentle, and with a glance, she saw her nephew's in-laws' family.

At first glance, I didn't notice anything unusual, only that the other person's surname was Zhu, a national surname. Then, at a second glance, I looked more closely at the woman's name...

Datong Street... Zhu... Shi... Cuiwei...

At that very moment, Madam Jia's pupils suddenly contracted!

……

At this moment, not far from her, at the head of the flower hall, there was a screen... Prince Xin sat dignifiedly behind the screen, a smile on his lips, holding the hands of the young ladies from the noble families, and saying some intimate words.