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

Upon hearing this, Madam Jia's slightly lowered pupils immediately contracted.

"What Prince Xin means is..." Her heart pounded like a drum, her chest felt tight, and she found it difficult to breathe.

"Hmm," Zhu Cuiwei nodded her chin, said nothing more, the pearl and jade nine-phoenix crown on her head trembled slightly, and said calmly, "Remember to come to the wedding banquet."

Madam Jia's pupils instantly shrank to their limit, and her face turned somewhat pale. She was well-versed in poetry and literature and was usually an unruly person, but this matter truly shocked her.

For a moment, I couldn't figure out where my nephew Ningnan could have gained His Highness's favor... But even so, such a thing shouldn't have happened.

Given Your Highness's status and position, the selection of a consort should be carefully considered by the Ministry of Rites and the royal family, and a meticulous selection process is the proper way to go. How could you possibly choose your nephew from Ningnan, who comes from a farming family?

Even if my nephew Ningnan is indeed talented and exceptionally gifted, talent is not the same as fame and fortune. There are many who can write a good poem but still fail to pass the imperial examination.

For example, Xu Wei, a talented scholar from the former Liang Dynasty, was skilled in both poetry and painting, but he repeatedly failed the imperial examinations. If he had not been hired as a staff member by Hu Zongxian, the governor of Zhejiang and Zhili, and had made contributions in resisting Japanese pirates, he would probably have achieved nothing in his life. Even after making great contributions, after Hu Zongxian's death, Xu Wenchang ended up in poverty and died in sorrow and indignation.

"Your Highness..." Madam Jia gritted her teeth slightly, feeling it was best to clarify the matter further, for the sake of her nephew Ningnan. "May I ask, Your Highness... His Majesty..."

Zhu Cuiwei nodded and interrupted directly, "Don't worry, Madam, my brother already knows about this... Madam... remember to come to the wedding banquet." She repeated it a second time.

This meant there was no need to ask anymore... Lady Jia immediately understood, but she also noticed that in Prince Xin's words, he said that His Majesty "knew" about this matter, rather than "agreed" to it. She suppressed her unease and forced a smile, "At that time, the Marquis and I will definitely come to offer our congratulations."

Zhu Cuiwei nodded her chin.

The eunuch beside him remained hunched over, silent.

It was already late.

The banquet at the Marquis's residence is about to begin, and the fourth young master, Shangguan Zhao, has sent a steward to invite the guests.

Zhu Cuiwei stood up.

Seemingly remembering something, she paused for a moment before saying calmly to Madam Jia, "Thank you, Madam... for preparing a room for me..." She paused, then explained, "I need to change my clothes..."

……

Prince Xin has left.

When Ning Nan heard the eunuch announce that Prince Xin was departing, he, like everyone else, lowered his head and unconsciously murmured, "Respectfully seeing off Prince Xin!"

When he looked up, he found Qin Yuanyao and Shangguan Xiu both staring at him with strange expressions.

"What are you looking at...?" Ning Nan frowned and said, "What's wrong? Do you two also want to appreciate poetry?"

Just now, many young women excitedly showed him the stationery they had painstakingly written over many days.

Looking at the young women's rosy cheeks and their expectant eyes.

Ning Nan used all sorts of tricks to coax children, praising their poems in various ways.

If it was well-written, he would read it aloud to attract attention. If it was just average, he would praise the imagery and the word choice, but he would not read the poem aloud. Even if it was a doggerel written by a beginner, he would smile and say to the writer's mother, "Your daughter's work is innocent and unrestrained, showing the talent of Dao Yun."

"Not as good as willow catkins rising in the wind..." This is a famous line by the talented Xie Daoyun. Upon hearing it, the other party's mother was overjoyed and said, "Ning, you have such good taste! Our tutor always says my daughter has no talent for poetry and needs to read the Book of Songs many, many times..."

He's absolutely right... Ning Nan expressed her admiration for the tutor who wasn't afraid of losing his job, and smiled at her mother, who was filled with maternal affection, saying, "It's always good to read more books."

"Appreciate my ass! You've never said anything bad about me," Qin Yuanyao said sarcastically, her strange expression gone.

"Heh, that's called encouragement-based education." Ning Nan curled his lip indifferently.

Next, the guests of Huanyue Pavilion, guided by the steward and servants, went to the central courtyard for the Marquis's banquet.

Although the Marquis's mansion was large, Ning Nan and the other two had Shangguan Xiu to guide them, so they were not worried about getting lost. They would take a detour along other routes, since the layout of each courtyard and the flowers and plants in the Marquis's mansion, which was a Suzhou-style garden, were quite different and had great aesthetic value.

On the road not far from the Intermediate People's Court, just as the sky was turning gray.

Ning Nan suddenly stopped in his tracks on a path paved with lake stones.

At the end of the path, a slender figure dressed in a simple green outfit stood gracefully, hands behind her back, tiptoeing slightly, seemingly admiring a green plum tree by the roadside.

Ning Nan's eyes narrowed, and after recognizing the person by their clothes and figure, he quickly took a few steps, leaving Qin Yuanyao and Shangguan Xiu behind.

"You've come at just the right time."

Ning Nanchao chuckled at Cui Cui, who was so late, "I'm here just in time for dinner."

The plum trees are lush and green.

Zhu Cuiwei turned around, her face still covered by a veil, and said calmly, "Yes, the matter is settled."

Ning Nan nodded, and seeing that her face was covered by a veil, asked her what was going on.

Cui Cui lifted a corner of her veil, revealing a small red spot on her right cheek. "It's prickly heat," she said softly.

She immediately removed her veil... and applied rouge.

Ning Nan nodded as if suddenly realizing something.

The two walked side by side toward the central courtyard.

After walking in silence for a while, Ning Nan took out the red rose from his sleeve. "Here, for you." He held out the rose.

"Why are you giving me the Lingering Flower?" Cui Cui narrowed her eyes.

Ning Nan smiled and said, "I'll make you rose cakes when we get back." In these days, roses don't have any other significance, but they can be used for medicine and cakes.

After a pause, Cui Cui accepted the rose, and Ning Nan smiled and looked away from the flower.

A few lights appeared ahead, and the servants of the Marquis's mansion had already lit lanterns. The invited opera troupe was performing inside, with gongs and drums banging loudly.

The somber color scheme suddenly became lively.

Upon entering the lobby, guests were already seated in a lively atmosphere. The hall was bustling with activity, and many waiters hired from the restaurant were performing tea-pouring for the guests using long-spouted teapots.

As soon as Shangguan Xiu entered the door, she was seen by Madam Jia and was called to serve the guests. Xiu Xiu went there helplessly, while Qin Yuanyao silently followed behind Cuicui.

A steward stepped forward and led them to the very front, but to the far left, table.

Ning Nan was somewhat surprised. The table was quite large, but it seemed that only the three of them were sitting there. There was a screen on each of the three sides, and only the diagonal side faced the stage so that they could watch the play. Fortunately, this table was a side table and there was no table behind it, so they didn't have to worry about blocking other people's view.

Cui Cui took off her veil.

Ning Nan asked the steward, who said that the madam knew the young master preferred quiet, so she specially set up this table.

He immediately smiled and nodded, saying, "Thank you on my behalf, Auntie."

Immediately, he slightly raised his chin and glanced at Cui Cui beside him... Hmm... I still have some face... That's the message he was conveying in his eyes.

Cui Cui ignored him, pointed to the opera troupe, and said that the troupe was good. She heard that they had invited Miss Qingyue, the top performer of Yanchun Pavilion, to play the leading role tonight.

Ning Nan immediately sneered, "Miss Qingyue is the top courtesan of Fanlou in the Northern Dynasty, and the top courtesan of Yanchun Pavilion is Miss Jin'er!"

"How did you know?" Before he could finish speaking, a pair of cold, sharp eyes swept over him like a storm.