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

Ning Nan stared suspiciously at the smiling Han Laoguai in front of him, feeling a little strange.

Ning Jiexiao... that name sounds very familiar.

I heard he's from the Northern Dynasties. Despite his young age, he's a renowned calligrapher who lives in seclusion in the countryside. His calligraphy is as strong as Yan Zhenqing's and as elegant as Liu Gongquan's, and each character is worth a fortune. He just rose to fame in the Northern Dynasties last year.

Previously at the Zhenguo Marquis's residence, the deputy envoy of the Northern Dynasty's Manchu people presented Lady Jia with a copy of Ning Jiexiao's Wei stele, specifically the "Zheng Wengong Stele".

He didn't see it with his own eyes. When he arrived at Huanyue Pavilion with Xiuxiu and Qin Qianhu, they happened to witness Madam Jia chasing people away.

The deputy envoy from the Northern Dynasty, carrying the calligraphy and painting, slunk away. He had only heard from others that the calligraphy was exceptionally well-written.

But I never expected to hear that name again here today... It's even the courtesy name that Han Laoguai gave himself... Hey, Laoguai! You're just copying someone else's name, it's a coincidence!

Boom boom boom!

Old Han gave a "feeding" sound, tapped the table, and gestured with his eyes to the overflowing tea. The tea gushed onto the table, making a large wet patch.

Ning Nan snapped out of his daze, said "Oh," straightened the teapot, and then slammed it down. He looked at Han Laoguai and asked in confusion, "Laoguai, where did you hear that name from?"

Old Han exclaimed in surprise, holding a fan in one hand and placing the other on the table. Leaning forward, he said, "I just got this name a few days ago..." He frowned subtly, "What? Have you heard this name elsewhere?"

Ning Nan's eyebrows furrowed, and after hesitating for a long time, he slowly nodded.

Old Han's eyes widened, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Where did you hear that... such a coincidence?"

Ning Nan clicked his tongue and frowned. He had heard it in Nanjing. Ning Jiexiao was a great calligrapher of the Northern Dynasty. The deputy envoy of the Northern Dynasty presented a piece of Ning Jiexiao's calligraphy to the Marquis of Zhenguo.

"oh……"

Upon hearing this, Han Laoguai first nodded, then shook his head: "What a coincidence..." He sighed and smiled.

Ning Nan curled her lip, a look of distrust in her eyes, and said, "You didn't just hear this name somewhere, and since the person's surname is Ning and we're from the same clan... you just randomly picked someone else's name to fob me off, did you?"

Old Han raised his right hand, displaying four fingers, and said with a wry smile, "Heaven and earth bear witness... these two characters, '节霄,' are the result of my painstaking contemplation, and there is absolutely no plagiarism involved!"

"I just didn't expect... that it's someone else's name... But..." Old Han changed the subject, stroking his half-white beard and smiling wryly, "It's not uncommon for names to be duplicated."

"During the Three Kingdoms period, Zhuge Liang was known as Kongming and Wolong. However, there was a hermit in the north named Hu Zhao, who also had the courtesy name Kongming. Hu Kongming was older than Zhuge Liang, skilled in clerical script and running script, well-versed in the classics, and also farmed the fields. He was of noble character and refused Cao Cao's invitations to serve him several times. It is clear from this that he had no intention of seeking fame. Well... it was just a coincidence."

Hu Zhao, Hu Kongming... Ning Nan nodded slightly. This was the first time he had heard of such a thing... He just wondered if the old monster was going to use the "Six Classics Interpreting Myself" method again, making up a whole set of nonsense to fool him.

Old Han's eyes flickered, then he leisurely shook his head: "Heh... Let alone the fact that it's easy to have the same name when choosing a courtesy name, it's not uncommon for parents to choose the exact same name..."

"For example, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, there was a talented scholar named Han Hong, but the governor of Jianghuai at that time was also named Han Hong."

"When Emperor Xuanzong wanted to appoint that talented scholar as a drafter in the Secretariat, he had to specifically mention the scholar's poems in the decree to prevent confusion among the Secretariat and Chancellery officials..."

When it comes to quoting classical texts, Ning Nan knew he was no match for Han Laoguai. He grunted twice and interrupted, "So what if it's heavy? It doesn't matter. Think of another one for me."

Old Han took a small breath and tentatively whispered, "Look, both Zhuge Kongming and Hu Kongming are named Kongming, and they happen to be in the south and the north, echoing each other... I'm not trying to belittle Mr. Hu... but... isn't the Southern Kongming... more famous than the Northern Kongming?"

Ning Nan frowned and said, "You mean, I should also be called Ning Jiexiao? To overshadow that Ning Jiexiao from the north?"

"Eh—"

"Ugh, what the hell?" Ning Nan said irritably. "I can't afford to lose face like that... Think of another one. If you don't want to, I'll think of one myself!"

"Alright, alright, alright." Old Han quickly waved his hand, "I'll think, I'll think about it..."

Next, Han Laoguai took out a few sheets of paper, ground some ink, and wrote a few words for Ning Nan.

Ning Nan glanced at them and found that a few were actually quite good, but before he could give his opinion, Old Man Han clicked his tongue twice, looked troubled, and crossed out each one with a horizontal line, deleting them... He thought of a word, wrote it down, and then deleted it. This process continued for several sheets of paper.

The scalding tea in Ning Nan's hand had already gone cold. He said with a helpless expression, "I don't have high demands... just pick one."

"How can we be careless about this?" Old Han shook his head.

He then pushed a piece of paper over and asked, "How about this?"

Ning Nan pointed at the note, turned around to look, and immediately frowned.

Natural law.

Ning Tianli.

"No way," Ning Nan said, dissatisfied. "This name is a bit too grand; it'll be embarrassing if people say it out loud."

Without waiting for Han Laoguai to retrieve another piece, he casually pinched a piece of paper off the table and pointed to the first name that Han Laoguai had crossed out—Bai Xuan.

"This one will do," Ning Nan said casually. "Ning Baixuan... that's about right, let's keep this one."

"oh……"

Han Laoguai's expression tightened for a moment, then relaxed in an instant, and he slowly nodded.

"This one is indeed quite good... then let's take this one. Hmm, Bai Xuan." He smiled gently at Ning Nan.

Ning Nan nodded in satisfaction... "Hmm, Bai Xuan, that's good enough. Anyway, this thing can be modified."

Han Laoguai was going to Bailu Academy in Nanjing. Ning Nan asked him if he needed a carriage or something. Laoguai said that the academy's coachman would come to pick him up. Ning Nan was immediately envious... Laoguai had practically jumped from a village teacher to a university professor.

As he spoke, he mentioned that he was also going to Nanjing soon and would come to Bailu Academy to see him.

The old eccentric smiled and nodded, but quickly his expression turned stern, and he adopted a strict teacher's demeanor: "What about the four essays I asked you to write before?"

Upon hearing this, Ning Nan's head immediately started to ache.

He did write all four of the eight-legged essays.

But after all, they were newly married, and he was always busy rewarding his wife, Cui Cui, at night, sometimes a bit too much. Even yesterday, he started asking for rewards during the day too... Cui Cui was satisfied, and she even ate an extra bowl of rice last night, but he himself was always a bit listless, so he didn't polish the four essays as perfectly as he could.

However, after reading through each article, Han Laoguai couldn't help but nod in approval.

"Hmm, almost...not bad...the focus is correct, and the key points are all hit. The most important thing about the eight-legged essay is to praise the sages, and you should avoid offering any advice or suggestions...your essay 'When used, act; when discarded, remain hidden; only you and I have this to say' is a very good key point."

Ning Nan shrugged regretfully: "With you leaving, I'll have to rely on myself from now on."

Over the years, he has read many reflections from those who passed the imperial examinations, including the reflections of Master Li's father and son on the imperial examinations in the past few days.

After reading through all of this, regardless of his skill in writing the eight-legged essay, he certainly has a good eye for it... Old Han is truly knowledgeable.

Although he only passed the lowest level of the imperial examination, a good coach is not necessarily a good athlete. At least he felt that Han Laoguai had truly mastered the art of the eight-legged essay.

Old Han smiled, took out a letter from his sleeve, and handed it to Ning Nan, saying, "I've already prepared this for you. After you arrive in Nanjing, find this private tutor at the address on this letter."

"Go study under him, read for a while, and do as he says, and I guarantee you'll at least pass the lowest level of the imperial examinations..."

"He was a scholar who passed the imperial examination, and when it comes to teaching people how to write the eight-legged essay, I have never seen anyone better than him in my life."

"Then why didn't he become an official? And why did he only pass the imperial examination?" Ning Nan asked, frowning.

Having passed the imperial examination at the provincial level, one could actually become an official.