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

…………

Inside the Qianqing Palace.

The young eunuchs, their faces flushed red, struggled to lift the long table holding three calligraphy scrolls, moving it from the center of the hall to the left side of the pillar, clearing space in the middle of the hall.

Beside the main hall and the red pillars, this place can only be considered a corner, which is somewhat undignified for the learned scholars present.

However, being in the Qianqing Palace, no one dared to complain or show any dissatisfaction to the eunuchs and palace maids.

"Madam Jia, Old Man He, Scholar Zheng, Dr. Yu, and Lord Chen,"

Zhang Qi, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, bowed and smiled at them:

"And esteemed elders, I apologize for the inconvenience. His Majesty has important matters to discuss with you all, so we must ask you to wait here for a while. Please help His Majesty take another look at this 'Butterfly Loves Flowers'... whether it was written for Ning Jiexiao. This matter is not related to romance, but it is extremely important to His Majesty."

The two Hanlin Academy scholars, three Five Classics Doctors, and the highly renowned literary figures, including He Weng and Chen Gong, immediately exclaimed in unison:

"No, no, I wouldn't dare."

The old crane, with his white hair and long, straight white eyebrows, stroked his white beard and said with a hearty laugh:

"We are overjoyed to be able to see Ning Jiexiao's calligraphy and this anonymous poem, 'Butterfly Loves Flowers.' Eunuch Zhang, please don't worry, you're too kind of us."

Zhang Qi smiled and said, "Thank you for your understanding, Elder He, and thank you all for your understanding."

Lady Jia noticed that His Majesty's complexion was somewhat off today. She took a few steps over and whispered worriedly to Zhang Qi:

"Eunuch Zhang, what brings His Majesty here today?"

If someone else had asked that question, Zhang Qi might have subtly told her not to ask.

When the wife of the Marquis of Zhenguo asked this question, Zhang Qi dared not be negligent.

With a formidable enemy at hand, the enemy's eldest son is stationed in Jiangpu City in Jiangbei, and is a pillar of the nation.

Her husband, the Marquis of Zhenguo, was of noble character and integrity. After relinquishing his position as governor to his son, he continued to govern Liuhe City.

The royal family and the Shangguan family have always been as close as family.

"Madam Jia, I truly have no idea!"

Zhang Qi bent over and truthfully complained.

"However, Zhang suspects..."

In an instant, his expression hardened slightly, and he said in a lower voice:

"This matter is probably still related to the Grand Prince Consort..."

Madam Jia was taken aback: "The Grand Prince Consort?"

Upon hearing her nephew's name, her heart clenched.

The imperial son-in-law, who was a close friend of her son, was sent on a mission to the Northern Dynasty three months ago. Even though her mischievous son was already a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he was still restless and went with her.

Besides her biological son, the delegation also included another son of hers—Shangguan Zhao, Zhao'er, a son born out of wedlock.

This talented illegitimate son was recommended for officialdom by her. From the day Zhao'er went north, Zhao'er's birth mother wished she could chant Buddhist prayers ten thousand times a day.

My nephew, Prince Consort Ning, was one of the two deputy envoys of the mission.

The other deputy envoy of the mission, Jia Shi'an, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, was her younger brother whom she had raised since childhood.

Ever since the atmosphere between the North and the South started to turn sour, my sister-in-law would often come to my door with her child in hand, asking me to inquire about the mission's news.

She was always optimistic and accepting of her fate, and she knew how to maintain the bigger picture. She kept her worries to herself and didn't ask any questions.

It wasn't until a few days ago, when the war between the North and South had finally settled down, that her sister-in-law came to her house and cried her eyes out, and only then did her own tears start to stream down her face.

He then gritted his teeth and wrote a letter to Shangguan Yun in Jiangbei.

She was a concubine who had been promoted to the position of principal wife, and was not the biological mother of this Governor-General of Jiangbei and former Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Since becoming the principal wife of the Marquis's mansion, Shangguan Yun had never returned home, and she couldn't help but feel uneasy while waiting for a reply.

Fortunately, she received a reply yesterday. The first sentence of the letter was "Mother, please don't worry," which put her mind at ease.

"My uncle, fourth brother, and seventh brother will not be returning for the time being. The Northern Emperor will certainly be keeping a close watch on our delegation, and we will be unable to rescue them. However, all three of them are extraordinary individuals. If the Northern Emperor wishes to win over the scholars of Jiangnan, he will not dare to harm them. Mother, please rest assured... Only after the war has ended and our dynasty has driven the tigers and leopards out of the wilderness can we negotiate with the Northern Dynasty to exchange our Southern Dynasty delegation for the Northern Dynasty delegation. Do not worry or be afraid..."

Upon seeing Shangguan Yun's reply, Madam Jia felt a slight sense of relief, but she was still filled with bitterness. However, since even Shangguan Yun, who had previously served as the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, said this, she naturally gave up any hope that her younger brother and son could return to Jiangnan as soon as possible.

Lady Jia glanced at His Majesty, who was sitting on the dragon throne, waiting for the ministers to arrive at the Qianqing Palace.

Your Majesty and the Grand Prince Consort are a young couple with deep affection for each other. I imagine Your Majesty's worries are even greater than your own.

Suppressing the bitterness welling up from the bottom of her heart, she forced a smile and nodded to Zhang Qi:

"Eunuch Zhang, please go and serve His Majesty. I will take care of things here."

Zhang Qi quickly thanked her, saying, "I thank Madam Jia."

Led by Chief Minister Qin, three senior cabinet ministers dressed in scarlet robes, along with seven or eight high-ranking officials from the six ministries, stepped inside.

This official letter was of great importance, so even Sun Chengshan, who was relatively junior, was included among the officials whom the Prime Minister Qin had set aside his prejudices and could discuss the matter with.

"Your Majesty, we, your humble servants, pay our respects..."

The officials, dressed in scarlet robes, bowed like mangroves as a dozen high-ranking officials paid their respects to the head of the court. The Empress gestured for them not to kneel and offered them seats.

"Your Majesty, I thank you..."

Everyone expressed their gratitude together, and the officials in scarlet robes walked to both sides in turn. After the chief minister Qin took his seat, Grand Secretary Liu, the second minister Gao Congzhe, and Li Xiangsong took their seats.

Next came the six ministers of the Ministry of Rites, Gongsun Yuliu, and the Ministry of Revenue, Fang Xiaofan, who possessed extraordinary demeanor.

Finally, there were the Vice Ministers Sun Chengshan of the Ministry of Revenue, Zhao Silang of the Ministry of Rites, Cao Du of the Ministry of Works, and other vice ministers.

Everything proceeded in an orderly manner, and no one overstepped their bounds.

Even some officials who were not on good terms with him did not dare to overstep the bounds of propriety at this time.

"Your Majesty, this is the letter of state we have drafted."

Gao Congzhe handed a memorial to Zhang Qi with both hands, who bowed and accepted it, then silently passed it to Her Majesty the Empress at the head of the table.

Zhu Cuiwei reached out and took the memorial, exhaled softly, and focused her somewhat scattered attention to calm her anxious heart.

This official letter was strongly worded, accusing the Northern Dynasty of "wolf-like ambitions, you are like beasts of prey, ignorant clowns, no different from monkeys in crowns..."

…………

Yan Yuqing, accompanied by the somewhat reserved young man Zhang Jingshan, passed through the side gate next to the Meridian Gate.

Wang Bing, the eunuch of the Directorate of Justice, came to pick them up.

"Mr. Zhang," Yan Yuqing said, his face wrinkled like dried-out wood, spreading his hands, "please."

Zhang Jingshan, who was emaciated and had suffered countless hardships, nodded respectfully.

He followed behind Wang Bing.

Yan Yuqing, accompanied by two Jinyiwei centurions, followed behind Zhang Jingshan.

The elderly woman, though over sixty and still vigorous, had a cold expression, but her trembling fingers and lips were enough to show how agitated this veteran of the imperial guards, who had seen countless storms, was at this moment.

The letter that Zhang Jingshan wrapped in a brown leather bag

She had already seen it from the carriage.