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The Myriad Heaven Palace\'s Saintess Zhu Xia also consistently ranked first in the subsequent literary exams. No one was able to beat her.

As for Xie Nandu, the same held true. After the long battle on the second day and finally emerging victorious, she never encountered Gu Ming again after that. No one could rival her anymore as well.

At present, these three people had became the most favored candidates for the championship in the major gambling houses of the Divine Capital. Among the three, Xie Nandu was naturally the most highly regarded.

However, after the risk of nearly going bankrupt, Chen Chao no longer appeared in the gambling houses. Besides accompanying Xie Nandu to the literary exams, he spent his time helping Song Lian resolve his marital affairs.

As the Commander of the Left Guard, Song Lian was truly busy during this period, and he had little time to visit that woman too.

It saved Chen Chao a lot of trouble.

He handed the roasted sweet potato to Xie Nandu before taking a moment to look at the item delivered by Weng Quan. He praised, "The literary exam three days later will be the final match. If you can get through these few days without any problems and then win the championship in the final match, you will become the first person in history to consistently rank first in every round until the championship."

Although Xie Nandu had already set a record in the literary exam on the second day and competed against Gu Ming in eight matches to determine a victor, it was still not as shocking as winning the championship with an undefeated record.

Xie Nandu peeled the sweet potato and said calmly, "There\'s a chance, it might not be that difficult."

Chen Chao said, "If you become the champion, not only will you make history, but it will also be the first time for the Great Liang Dynasty."

Xie Nandu did not say anything. She just lowered her head and took a bite of the sweet potato, feeling the heat in her mouth. She was quite calm.

"But the higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment."

Chen Chao lamented, "Especially for those who have placed heavy bets."

After Xie Nandu finished eating the sweet potato in her hand, the horse carriage also arrived outside the courtyard.

Chen Chao looked at this scene and asked with some confusion, "Where are you going?"

Xie Nandu said, "To the palace."

Actually, the literary exam had already caused a stir in the palace on the second day. It was said that the Empress was extremely happy and wanted to meet Xie Nandu that night. However, due to certain considerations, the idea was temporarily put aside. Now, with only three days left until the finals, the Empress planned to meet Xie Nandu before the decisive competition.

Chen Chao said "oh" without expressing any opinions.

Xie Nandu said, "Let\'s go."

Chen Chao was a little absentminded and asked, "What did you say?"

"Her Majesty the Empress wants to see you and me tonight."

Xie Nandu glanced at him and walked towards the courtyard on her own.

Chen Chao did not quite understand why it would involve him.

……

……

Some things did not need to be understood, they just need to be carried out.

Just like in the Great Liang Dynasty, if the Empress wanted to meet someone, it would naturally happen.

The carriage traveled along the long street and soon entered the palace.

Waiting at the palace gate was still Li Heng as usual. At present, Chen Chao already learned that this seemingly young eunuch was actually a highly important figure in the palace, so he naturally did not dare to underestimate him.

The two followed Li Heng and soon arrived at the palace where the Empress resided. However, they were led into a side hall where a table of simple dishes had been prepared. However, compared to the meal they had at the Xie Family\'s residence, the food here seemed much plainer.

It consisted of common dishes without any exotic delicacies.

Before Li Heng left, he reminded them, "Tonight\'s dishes were personally prepared by the Empress."

After saying this sentence, he departed.

Upon hearing this, Chen Chao could not help but feel rather nervous as he looked at the table of food.

How many people in the Great Liang Dynasty could have the privilege of eating dishes prepared by the Empress?

It was not something that could be achieved simply by having a high status. To receive such an honor, one had to be extremely close to the Empress.

Xie Nandu glanced at the steaming dishes on the table and thought to herself that even though she had achieved some success in the literary exam, she should not receive such a treatment. It was likely that this meal was prepared for Chen Chao, considering that he was also summoned to the palace by the Empress on the night of the imperial banquet.

Chen Chao remained silent and it was unclear what he was thinking.

Soon, the Empress entered with the assistance of two palace maids.

Chen Chao glanced at the Empress and furrowed his brows. Her complexion tonight seemed much worse than before.

There had been rumors in the city that the Empress\' health was bad. Looking at it now, it was likely even more serious.

After a brief moment of distraction, the two of them prepared to bow, but the Empress smiled and shook her head. "Let\'s not talk about these tonight. Sit down and dig in."

She took the seat at the head of the table and looked at the dishes, saying softly, "It\'s been many years since I\'ve cooked myself. I\'m afraid my skills have become rusty."

The two who had just taken their seats naturally could not say anything, they could only express their gratitude.

The Empress smiled and looked at Xie Nandu, saying, "I had heard of your name before, lass. As the dean\'s final disciple, you must be exceptional. But I never expected you to be so formidable in the literary exam. You have truly brought glory to the Great Liang Dynasty."

"It was just luck, Your Majesty. Your praise is too generous," Xie Nandu replied with a faint smile. At this moment, she had become much quieter.

The Empress served her a bowl of soup and glanced at Chen Chao. "You can serve yourself. I won\'t do it for you."

How could Chen Chao dare say anything? He simply nodded.

"I heard that you had a conversation with that daoist where you said it was meaningless. I won\'t make any judgments, but since you\'ve come this far, I still hope that you can forge ahead and achieve victory for the Great Liang Dynasty, so that those people from the foreign lands cannot mock us any longer."

The Empress looked at Xie Nandu with eyes full of affection, a kind of gaze that could not be faked.

Xie Nandu said softly, "I will do my best and hope to satisfy Your Majesty."

The Empress looked at Chen Chao and also said, "You must also strive in the upcoming martial exam and not be outperformed by a girl."

The corners of Chen Chao\'s mouth twitched. Since Xie Nandu was going to become champion, would he not also have to become the champion?

With that in mind, Chen Chao answered seriously, "This subject obeys."

The Empress glanced at Chen Chao and paid no further attention to him. Instead, she had a conversation with Xie Nandu, their interaction resembling that of a loving mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. As for Chen Chao, he felt like the neglected son.

He moved his chopsticks and picked up a piece of preserved meat, discovering that it tasted excellent.

Only then, did he realize how hungry he was, and he started eating rice along with the dishes.

Soon, the entire table of food had disappeared into his stomach.

When Chen Chao finally came to his senses, he felt somewhat embarrassed.

Fortunately, Xie Nandu had already eaten the sweet potato before arriving, so she was not hungry at the moment. The Empress, on the other hand, had a poor appetite. Otherwise, the situation would have been even more awkward.

The Empress glanced at Chen Chao with a smile, waved her hand for the utensils to be cleared, and then stood up with Xie Nandu. The two of them left the side hall and strolled slowly in the palace. The moon was shining brightly tonight, so they could enjoy the moonlight.

Chen Chao followed behind them, neither too close nor too far.

They arrived in front of a long corridor. The Empress felt a bit tired, stopped, and said with a smile, "I have three sons, and the youngest one is still unmarried. How about becoming my daughter-in-law?"

Chen Chao who was originally walking with a blank mind instantly became alert upon hearing these words.

So it turned out that the Empress invited Xie Nandu into the palace tonight for this reason?