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

Click!

Insert the key into the latch, turn it to the right, and the sturdy, thick latch will open.

The crisp clanging sound rang out repeatedly as the jailer removed the heavy chains from the cell, one by one. Finally, with a creak, the iron gate opened.

Shangguan Xiu, his hand on the embroidered spring knife at his waist, followed by Qian Sijin and Xu Cheng, a Manchu bannerman, raised an eyebrow at the people in the cell amidst the bowing and smirking expressions of the jailer and guards, and said with a smile:

"Let's go. You've committed a grave crime and are now being transferred from the Jiangning County government to our Imperial Guard Commandery!"

Ning Nan leaned against the cold wall, opened his eyes, glanced at the door, paused for a moment, then exhaled, stood up, and with a flick of his white prison uniform, shook off the straw covering him.

His hair was a little disheveled. He turned his head, blew out a breath, and blew off a piece of dry grass that was still on his shoulder. He slowly walked out of the cell.

It was late afternoon, and the afterglow of the setting sun lingered.

Outside the prison, the buildings along Fengxian Street stretched out in rows, with willows swaying along the street, all bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Having spent so long in the cramped and dark cell, even the sunlight from the setting sun felt dazzling to Ning Nan, who was standing on the steps, and he couldn't help but squint.

But the warm and comfortable light still dispelled some of the chill in my body, making me feel somewhat warm and pleasant.

As the bustling sounds of people coming and going on the street reached my ears, my thoughts finally came alive, my eyes regained their clarity, and my expression instantly became serious.

"Hmm..." he thought, "I'm out."

Outside the prison, the Imperial Guards had already prepared a carriage.

"Let's go take a bath at our Imperial Guard Commander's residence first, Your Highness... um..."

The carriage tumbled along.

Shangguan Xiu paused for a moment, pursed his lips, and continued, "Isn't your wife a clerk in our Commandant's Office? She has already prepared clothes for you there."

"My wife is so thoughtful..." Ning Nan nodded and hummed in agreement. "Cui Cui's wife should be at home with her mother right now."

Although he had come out, he didn't plan to go back immediately to see his wife, Cui Cui, and his mother, or to let them know he was safe.

After all, he is now not only burdened with the crime of killing Li Baoxin, but also willing to go to great lengths to gain temporary freedom, even adding a bucket of dirtier water to his name.

The crime of treason is far more serious than ordering someone to commit murder. If not handled properly, the crime of exile could easily turn into a capital offense.

He gritted his teeth slightly, his eyes turning fierce... This was a life-or-death gamble with the person behind the scenes who wanted to harm him. This time, it was either him or the other party who would die.

At times like these, it's best not to see your family.

Of course, most importantly, if his mother grabbed his sleeve and pressed him for details about who killed Li Baoxin, he really wouldn't know what to say.

My mother has always been grateful to Li Baoxin.

Even though Li Baoxin hadn't registered her household for many years, my mother never made a fuss about it.

He kept telling himself that Li Baoxin was a good friend of his grandfather back then, and he certainly didn't refuse to register his household registration because he wanted to take advantage of the fact that his family line had ended.

But I never believed it.

Ning Nan lowered his eyes, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled. He clenched his fist and then slowly relaxed it... Well, while it was important to clear his and Er Lai's names, he also had to avenge Li Baoxin.

This matter involves many issues and is quite complex.

After thinking about it all day, I finally managed to slowly sort out some clues.

The problem that preceded the investigation was its own internal issues.

He had managed to leave, but the laws of Liang were not just for show, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was not his own, and Grand Tutor Gu was neither a relative nor an acquaintance.

Once released, the first pressing question is how much freedom one will have.

The Grand Tutor and the Embroidered Uniform Guard were willing to help, partly because of their shared experience in defeating Black Tiger Mountain, but what they valued most was probably the refined gunpowder manufacturing method and the improved trebuchet they provided.

These kinds of technologies... provide room for negotiation with the other party.

Grand Tutor Gu and the Embroidered Uniform Guard's help was certainly not without any bottom line; at the very least, they would send people to keep an eye on him to prevent him from escaping.

However, this would likely result in a very low degree of personal freedom.

For example, one could only stay in the Imperial Guard Commander's residence and look at the evidence sent by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the county government... In this way, the case could not be investigated.

Many things require on-site investigation to uncover the truth.

Whether the other party allows free movement, such as visiting the crime scene in Lijia Village or the location where the county magistrate and his men are stationed in Yaoshan, requires negotiation with them.

After thinking about it silently, I realized that the condition of personal freedom could be exchanged for the method of refining fine steel.

Confront the other party and say that while gunpowder is important, the key to preventing a musket from exploding is actually the barrel... Grand Tutor Gu and the Imperial Guards are both knowledgeable, and this condition should be enough to obtain a certain degree of personal freedom.

Besides personal freedom, the second key issue is the availability of manpower.

Even with San Zhuang and the others by myself, it wouldn't be enough. There are too few people. Not only do I lack official status, but I'm also a criminal, so the investigation will inevitably encounter obstacles at every turn.

He needs someone with an official position to help him.

Officials not only help investigate cases, but also serve as a deterrent to those behind the scenes.

How many men can the Embroidered Uniform Guard lend out? This is the second question to be negotiated with them.

Upon thinking of this, Ning Nan's gaze darkened slightly.

A systematic and scientific composting technology is still being validated, and even if it were presented now, whether the other party would accept it would be a big question.

Although Lao Ning's twelve mu of land achieved a 30% increase in yield, it might be attributed to the fact that those fields were paddy fields, rather than the addition of technology.

But if he boasted that this composting technology could double the grain yield, the other party would probably be willing to give him a chance, delaying the execution of him and Erlai by half a year, and even lending out a small Jinyiwei officer... Hmm, the probability of this exchange is not low, he silently made up his mind.

The third and most important issue is the right to explore certain evidence.

For example, he reviewed case files, performed autopsies, examined murder weapons, visited Erlai in prison to ask what happened, questioned witnesses from Lijia Village, and even questioned the constables who were on stakeout that day, as well as Zhang Darui and Wen Liang who were arrested and imprisoned.

These witnesses and evidence are currently in the hands of the government, and he is not qualified to see them. If he wants to obtain this power from Grand Tutor Gu and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he may have to produce something else.

But whether it's agriculture or industry, many things have to be accumulated step by step; they can't be conjured up instantly like magic... For example, the penicillin given to Dr. Jiang before was obtained by sheer luck, and it's gone now. If you want to cultivate Penicillium mold on a large scale and mass-produce penicillin for the military, the two hurdles of sterile environment and large-scale temperature control will be extremely difficult to overcome...

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but frown, then relaxed and let out a sigh.

Go ahead and boast for a while. With Dr. Jiang as a witness, plus what we've already accomplished, there should still be some hope.

Even if they are only allowed to look at the case files for a short period of time, or even just an hour or half an hour, they should be able to find quite a bit of information, which should be enough...

Ning Nan sat in the carriage, leaning back. As the carriage bounced and swayed, he felt a tightness in his chest, but his thoughts continued to rise and fall with it, as he constantly pondered and combined solutions.

Suddenly, a bright, shiny object appeared in front of them.

Ning Nan was stunned for a moment, then looked over carefully... Shangguan Xiu across from him handed over a gold medal.

"Look," Shangguan Xiu nodded at him, "this is the gold medal that the Grand Tutor requested His Highness Prince Xin to bestow upon you. With this gold medal in hand, seeing you is as if seeing Prince Xin himself."

"As long as Your Highness doesn't take back this gold token, you can command the entire Embroidered Uniform Guard, including myself. Within the territory of Daliang, you can enter and leave any place you deem relevant to this case."

"certainly--"

Shangguan Xiu emphasized, "To avoid giving others grounds for criticism, the Embroidered Uniform Guard must follow you the entire time. When you need to show your gold token, you hand it to us, and we will show it to you... Um—we can only investigate under the pretext of investigating the Northern Dynasty's treason case..."

Before Shangguan Xiu could finish speaking, Ning Nan's eyes widened.