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

"desolate?!"

That talented poet from the North-South Poetry Festival?!

The fat man's heart raced, and his small eyes suddenly widened... from squinty slits to crescent moons.

Ning Nan smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Ning Nan, courtesy name Bai Xuan, greets you, brother." Hmm... he's using the courtesy name the old monster gave him.

The fat man's expression immediately became interesting. He took a breath and stammered, "Chu Feixiong is not yet of age." He spoke awkwardly, and the cheeks on his fat face turned red.

Ning Er asked with some surprise, "Brother Ning, you've already chosen a courtesy name?"

"I got married recently," Ning Nan smiled shyly, "and my master gave me a courtesy name."

Ning Er Ning Zhiyuan suddenly realized, smiled and offered his congratulations, and also introduced his courtesy name to the other party... Chengbo.

Ning Chengbo.

His original name was Ning Zhiyuan. After being adopted by the Marquis, he was given the name Ning Beiyu, but when he was out in public, he would usually refer to himself by his original name.

He actually knew about the other party's wedding; it was June 28th, which meant it had been half a month since the wedding.

He also knew that the other party's wife seemed to be a distant cousin, and that his godfather, Ning Changling, was preparing a grand ancestral worship ceremony, intending to include the other party in the Ning family genealogy.

But little did they know that the other party had already arrived in the capital without a word, had even chosen a courtesy name, and had come to this Taiping Private School. What a coincidence!

It seems he wants to participate in this year's imperial examination... Ning Zhiyuan silently pursed his lips.

Fatty Chu Feixiong's face fell.

He was indeed clutching a letter of recommendation from Scholar Liu in his right hand; this letter was something his father had obtained through begging.

His family runs a money exchange. Ten years ago, when the Grand Secretary was serving as the governor of Jiangxi and was responsible for disaster relief, his family contributed their efforts, so they have a connection with the Grand Secretary.

Yesterday, after being turned away at the door, and hearing that the private school teacher only accepted students recommended by Scholar Liu, the old man gritted his teeth, swallowed his pride, and went to the school to beg the scholar to write this letter of recommendation for him.

The letter was genuine, but it was useless now, and it was a waste of a favor... Chu Feixiong looked at the scholar in front of him with a bitter expression.

If a private tutor were to meet this talented scholar from both the north and south, what reason would he have to accept him as a student?

Although he had been recommended by Grand Scholar Liu, he had never actually met the Grand Scholar. He was no match for the talented scholars from the North and South who were praised by Grand Scholar Liu.

The status of Imperial Academy students was obtained by their fathers through expensive donations. They studied at the Imperial Academy for several years before they were qualified to take the imperial examinations.

"Brother Bai Xuan," the fat man asked hesitantly, "are you also here to study at Taiping Private School?"

Ning Nan nodded.

He was actually quite surprised, not because the fat man had Old Man Liu's letter of recommendation, but because he was surprised to see Ning Er Ning Zhiyuan here.

Ning Zhiyuan is the son of the Marquis of Jingbei, and his surname is Ning. The Marquis of Jingbei must also be surnamed Ning.

The name of the Marquis of Jingbei faded into obscurity over a decade ago after the Marquis retired. It's unknown whether he and his son have any connection to the Ning family of the capital.

It seems that Uncle Bo is under the protection of the Ning family in the capital. I have just arrived in Nanjing and there are still many things to settle down. I should take my wife, Cuicui, to visit Uncle Bo later.

As for the Ning family in the capital, he had little interest in learning about them.

On the one hand, I worry that their standards are too high, and they'll treat me like a poor relative begging for food, leaving me feeling humiliated; on the other hand, if I manage to establish a connection, I'll probably end up with a bunch of elders out of nowhere... It's such a hassle.

Tong Ningzhiyuan had a conversation with this Brother Chu.

Ning Nan then understood. It turned out that Ning Zhiyuan, the young master of the Marquis's mansion, was a regular student at Taiping Private School. He had studied there last year and even passed the provincial examination. This year, he planned to take the metropolitan examination and try to become a Jinshi.

Ning Nan immediately gained more confidence in this private school.

As for this Fatty Chu, Ning Nan was somewhat conflicted.

Only one teacher will be accepted into the private school.

This guy looked pitiful, as if he had lost his parents, so he probably knew what was going on.

After all, he was a talented scholar personally selected by Old Man Liu, so even with the title of "talented scholar," his chances of winning were still greater than those of Fatty Chu.

However, this would be a somewhat unfair victory.

After thinking for a moment, he proposed a three-point agreement with Fatty Chu: whoever entered the private school today would need to provide private tutoring to the other person afterwards, which would be considered a form of mutual exchange and learning.

Chu the Fat Man burst into tears of joy, exclaiming, "Brother Bai Xuan, you are truly a saint!"

"Saint my foot..." Ning Nan said speechlessly as he broke free from the other person's fat hands.

The young servant Zhibao, leaning on a large broom, looked Ning Nan up and down.

"You're such a cold and aloof person... You really can't judge a book by its cover," Zhibao sighed.

You can't judge a book by its cover. I thought you looked very polite... Ning Nan's smile remained unchanged, but he thought to himself.

With Ning Er acting as an intermediary, guaranteeing that he wasn't there to cause trouble, and with the reputation of being a talented scholar from both the north and south, the servant Zhibao eventually let him pass.

Although Han Laoguai wrote him a letter of recommendation, he didn't really intend to use it.

After all, Old Monster was just a country bumpkin scholar, and he might have only met this private tutor once. If I were to produce Old Monster Han's recommendation letter when Fatty Chu produced Scholar Liu's recommendation letter, Old Monster Han would inevitably be laughed at.

Pursuing further education is ultimately a personal matter; there's no need to let Lao Guai be laughed at or looked down upon by others.

The title of "talented scholar from both the North and South" is quite useful. Having a "talented scholar" like himself as a student would surely make the private tutor feel extremely proud, thus leading him to accept the student.

He was also the poetry champion handpicked by Old Man Liu, who only needed to say, "For the sake of Scholar Liu, I will accept you."

That way, we can repay Old Man Liu's favor.

Old Man Liu should recognize it too.

In that case, I would owe him a huge favor.

Old Man Liu would have a lot of face among Old Man He and his circle of friends.

Ningnan prides himself on having a knack for judging people.

After interacting with the old man a few times, I was able to get a general idea of ​​his personality.

"I'll take him in, um, that's it... You can go now."

Inside the study, a thin old man sat on a pear wood chair, waved his sleeve, and said calmly.

Ning Nan's eyes widened, and he froze on the spot.

Fatty Chu, however, seemed to have lost dozens of pounds of weight; his body and expression became lighter, and he repeatedly bowed and said, "Teacher, rest assured, now that I have entered your tutelage, I will certainly rise before dawn and work diligently to follow you in studying the great path of the sages!"

The thin old man waved his hand: "We are not teacher and student. I am a man of principle. You pay me tuition, and I teach you to write the eight-legged essay. This is just a business deal. Once we leave, you won't know my name, and I won't know yours. We have no connection whatsoever."

Oh...that's great!

Chu Pangzi's face turned even redder. As the young master of Wu Yue Money Shop, he liked this kind of transaction the most!

But on the surface, he still looked pained, saying, "No, no, a teacher is a teacher, and a student is a student..." He kept spouting flattery and compliments.

The thin old man ignored him, simply twirling his beard and putting away the letter of recommendation from Scholar Liu.

Ning Zhiyuan frowned, cupped his hands, and asked, "May I ask, Mr. Lizhou, why don't you accept Brother Bai Xuan as your student?"

Chu the Fatty immediately tossed his head, looking at Ning Er with some displeasure... So what if you accepted me? I'm not the kind of person who goes back on my word... I'm tutoring Brother Bai Xuan!

The thin, elderly Huang Lizhou raised his chin and said, "I have always been a man of principle... Since this private school has said that a letter of recommendation is required for admission, then that is how it is done. That's how it was done before, that's how it is now, and that's how it will be done in the future. As for whether you are a talented scholar from the North or South, or from the East or West, or from above or below, or from left or right... that's none of my business."

"You write your poems, I'll write my formulaic essays."

He said calmly, "Go back to where you came from."