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

"Clang, clang, clang!" A series of rapid and intense gong and drum sounds rang out from the stage.

Snap! Snap! Snap! Bang!

As the pair of golden gongs closed, a young man somersaulted onto the stage, landing in the center before stopping.

Deng!

With a stride, a raised hand, a twist of the waist, and a flick of the head, his face, painted with light red greasepaint, faced the audience. He uttered a "Tai" sound, his eyes gleaming brightly.

This brilliant performance immediately won a round of applause, with continuous clapping and cheers of "good, good, good!" Some people even threw several gleaming silver ingots onto the stage.

The Marquis of Zhenguo was, after all, a military general. There were far more military nobles than civil officials present today. This kind of play was to their liking, allowing them to vent their frustration at being brutally defeated by the Northern Dynasty chess fanatic in the previous game. Some rough men drank a few sips of wine and were still chuckling and shouting things like, "I don't discriminate between meat and vegetables, and this young man is quite good-looking!"

Amidst such lively applause and cheers.

Ning Nan's eyes widened as he met those eyes that were sweeping towards him, and he felt a chill run from his tailbone straight to the top of his head!

"Ah," he opened his mouth, "this..."

Cui Cui narrowed her bright, aloof eyes: "Shangguan Xiu told you?"

"Eh!... Yeah." Ning Nan composed himself and nodded seriously. "He goes there often... I've tried to persuade him against it."

"Was it him who took you to the brothel that day?" Cui Cui asked. "...Was it fun?"

"I've never been to a brothel." Realizing what had happened, Ning Nan shook his head vigorously, denying it seriously in a tone that said, "Don't try to smear my innocence..." Ha, I can fall for that a second time.

Cui Cui's bright eyes flickered like a snake's tongue.

Ning Nan's eyes narrowed. He guessed that this woman must have heard about the North-South Poetry Gathering from some gossipy person.

He said in a serious tone, "That day, I was just invited to the poetry gathering. It's just that they set the venue at Yanchun Pavilion. You know, a bunch of frivolous old scholars... They're all in their fifties or sixties, yet they still hold the poetry gathering in a place like that... Ha, a bunch of old scoundrels..." He shook his head and smiled sarcastically.

"Four courtesans, four poems," Qiu Shui said expressionlessly.

"Uh...sigh...that day, Xiuxiu knelt down and begged me. He's a regular at brothels and knows all these courtesans well. He wanted me to do him a favor and write a poem for each of them. Otherwise, if the ladies got upset, he would jump into the Qinhuai River. I had no choice...so I just wrote a few to make up the numbers." Ning Nan said helplessly, spreading his hands.

Cui Cui frowned: "Xiu Xiu?"

"Shangguan Xiu," Ning Nan said.

"Pfft—" Suddenly, Qin Yuanyao, who was sitting next to Cui Cui, spat out a mouthful of tea, splashing it onto the tablecloth, and burst out laughing... This was the first time Ning Nan had ever seen a dark-skinned woman's face show a smile other than a cold smile.

Cui Cui glanced at the innocent-looking man and couldn't help but facepalm. Who would give a man such a nickname?

The servant boy pretended not to understand anything and immediately stepped forward to change the tablecloth and the fruit plate on it.

The dark-skinned woman stood up awkwardly and said a few words of apology, but she couldn't hide the smile on her face and a hint of smugness in her eyes.

Fortunately, the woman's interruption stopped Cui Cui's wife from pressing the matter further. Ning Nan quickly changed the subject, saying, "This opera troupe's performance was quite good; the gongs were very loud."

Cui Cui ignored the man's attempt to make small talk, gave him a reproachful look, but did not pursue the matter of the brothel. Turning back, she instructed Qin Yuanyao, "Commander Qin, please do not spread the nickname of Deputy Commander Shangguan."

Qin Yuanyao hummed in agreement and nodded.

"Swear an oath." Cui Cui glanced at her expression, her eyes narrowing, and added, "Swear an oath in the name of your master."

The dark-skinned woman, unusually, looked at Cui Cui with a resentful expression, and despite her reluctance, she finally lowered her head and made a vow.

Ning Nan found it amusing and reached out to pour tea for Cuicui's wife.

The opera being performed on stage today is called "Beating the Golden Branch," a Huizhou opera. It tells the story of Guo Ai, the son of Guo Ziyi, who married a princess during the Tang Dynasty. However, the princess was arrogant and willful, refusing to attend Guo Ziyi's birthday celebration. When Guo Ai returned home, he beat his princess wife.

In the end, Guo Ziyi brought his son to the palace bound, and with the emperor's persuasion, the couple had a happy ending and reconciled.

Not long after the play began, Guo Ai had just done a somersault onto the stage to warm up the atmosphere when the Marquis's mansion started serving dishes. As soon as the steaming hot dishes were served, Ning Nan's appetite was immediately whetted.

The main meals at the Marquis's residence consisted of rare and exotic dishes, including a great deal of wild game, almost all of which were protected animals in later generations. There was even tiger meat. The tiger meat was stewed well, but the taste was actually just average; it was more about enjoying the novelty.

The six domestic animals were actually carefully selected by our ancestors. After so many years of domestication, they are the ones that best suit human tastes... Ning Nan thought to himself as he gnawed on a bear paw... It tasted like pig's trotters.

Cui Cui's wife ate very well, chewing slowly and carefully. The dark-skinned woman ate similarly at noon, not exactly wolfing it down, but quite heartily. Now, sitting next to Cui Cui's wife, she also started chewing slowly and carefully... Ha, what a show-off.

A moment later, Madam Jia brought Shangguan Xiuxiu to this table to offer a toast.

Ning Nan took the hot towel handed to him by the servant, wiped his mouth, stood up with a smile, and picked up a glass of wine.

Cui Cui's wife also stood up.

Ning Nan smiled and introduced, "Auntie, this is my fiancée."

Madam Jia's eyes lit up, and she chuckled, "My dear nephew, you are so lucky! You are truly blessed. Such a woman, who possesses both beauty and talent, is a rare find in this world. You must treat her well, or your aunt will not allow it."

Ning Nan smiled and offered a toast. Madam Jia also gave a gold hairpin to Cui Cui's wife, saying with a smile, "This is a gift from your aunt, please don't find it offensive, young lady."

Cui Cui's wife accepted the hairpin and whispered her thanks.

Qin Yuanyao held up her wine cup, a strange smile on her face as she looked at Shangguan Xiu. At Madam Jia's prompting, Shangguan Xiu offered a cup of wine with a hint of annoyance: "Welcome Commander Qin to visit often."

"Hmm." Qin Yuanyao gave a faint "hmm" and returned the toast with a glass of wine. Madam Jia immediately smiled warmly.

The banquet proceeded smoothly until around midnight. As soon as the banquet ended, Ning Nan and Cuicui took their leave. The civil officials had already left, but the Marquis and his group of military officers set up a gambling table and planned to gamble all night long. Madam Jia saw them off to the door with a smile, and Ning Nan thanked her with a smile.

As night deepened, the brown carriage that Cui Cui's wife had brought rumbled along the street.

With Imperial Guards on horseback following outside the carriage, there was naturally no need to worry about the curfew.

"Fulai Tavern has prepared the best rooms." Inside the carriage, Cui Cui's wife said calmly.

"How many rooms?" Ning Nan exhaled a few breaths of alcohol.

Cui Cui's bright eyes narrowed into slits: "How many rooms do you want?"

Feeling like he was being stared at by a snake with its tongue flicking out, Ning Nan sobered up instantly, his face turning serious. "The taverns on Datong Street are too expensive. I was worried you'd be reluctant to spend money, so I only booked one room and then made me sleep on the floor..." He shook his head. "I'm not sleeping there..."

"...Oh, right...When Prince Xin saw me today, he said I had great talent and was a pillar of the country, and gave me one hundred gold pieces."

As he changed the subject, he proudly tapped a brocade box next to him, implying that there was no need to worry about spending money.

Cui Cui glanced at the brocade box, her gaze turning strange before quickly returning to its usual calm. Her delicate, small nose let out a long-absent hum.

Ignoring the young doctor, he leaned against the window with one hand, closed his eyes, and remained silent.

The night wind was blowing fiercely.

The carriage curtains were occasionally lifted, allowing the wind to rush in.

Perhaps it was because he was feeling a bit cold after sobering up, Ning Nan tightened his robes.

There was a long silence inside the carriage.

The creaking of the wheels rolling over the bluestone pavement was more irritating than the chirping of insects.

At one point, Ning Nan suddenly asked, "Are you really willing to marry me?"

Cui Cui leaned against the window with her right hand, propping up her head and closing her eyes. The moonlight outside the window shone on her fair and clear face, and the light and shadow danced slightly on her face with the bumps of the carriage. The woman seemed to be asleep and did not speak, but suddenly, Ning Nan noticed that Cui Cui's left hand, which was hanging down, suddenly twitched.

He looked in the direction of the noise.

They found it in the woman's left hand.

She was clutching that bright red rose tightly.