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

…………

With bonfires burning brightly on both sides, they pushed the manure cart with all their might and entered the small city gate on the right.

Facing the wind blowing through the city gate, the shadows of the two men and the manure cart had just left the white marble paving stones when the starlight from the sky began to fall upon them.

The four cold-faced men behind him pushed the small city gate, and after about ten breaths, bang! It closed completely.

Then, a series of hurried footsteps sounded from the other side of the city gate, gradually fading into the distance. It seemed that the four people had followed Uncle Donghu.

Ning Nan's hands, which were pushing the manure cart, involuntarily lost their grip. His left arm, which already had a knife wound, throbbed with pain. His heart sank, and after gritting his teeth, he managed to regain his strength.

Uncle Donghu... a spy from the Northern Dynasties... the Sticky Rod Office... the Heavenly Principle Cult...

He knew that Uncle Donghu was a spy from the Northern Dynasty. Last year, out of so many people in the village, only Uncle Donghu was valued and left with "Miss Zhu," which was abnormal in itself.

After entering Nanjing, Qin Heipi asked him several times if he could visit the butcher at Master Zhu's residence, but Heipi didn't give him much of a reply and just gave him perfunctory answers.

In the Imperial Clan Court prison, after Cui Cui's wife told him the true identity of "Miss Zhu," he was shocked and naturally thought of Uncle Donghu's unusual identity.

After asking, Cui Cui hesitated for a moment before saying that Uncle Donghu was a guard from the Northern Dynasty who was hiding around Nanjing.

Ning Nan remained silent for a long time.

The two naturally did not tell Er Lai this news. His biological father was from the Northern Dynasty? Especially a spy from the Northern Dynasty? Such news would be devastating for Er Lai's family. If it were leaked, Lai Zi's future would be ruined.

As for Uncle Donghu, he is also a member of the Heavenly Principle Sect... I only found out tonight.

However, considering that the "old leader" of the Heavenly Principles Cult was in Li Family Village, and that Uncle Donghu, the spy from the Northern Dynasty, was also a member of the Heavenly Principles Cult, it was not so strange after all.

"Am I... really a member of the Heavenly Principle Sect?"

Recalling what Uncle Donghu had just said to him, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

The first person he saw when he opened his eyes was his mother. He had never thought about or cared about his origins growing up. But he never expected…

"Tenri Sect..."

Ning Nan applied some force with both hands, his eyes darkened, and he sighed softly.

"Even if he really is the son of a couple from the Heavenly Principle Sect, those two must have already passed away. Hmm... maybe he has an older sister left..."

Compared to his biological parents, he was actually more concerned about the living Uncle Donghu and Old Monster Han, wanting to know if Old Monster Han had come and what the Heavenly Principle Sect was planning to do tonight.

but……

Uncle Donghu didn't give him the chance. Before he could even speak, the other man smiled and urged him to leave the city.

He has never been a fussy person, nor does he like to meddle in other people's business.

But when I heard the city gates close, my heart skipped a beat.

Exiting Shenwu Gate, the North Gate is not far ahead.

Like entering a fish market, one soon becomes accustomed to the stench.

Although the journey by manure cart was short, the stench seemed to have disappeared from my nostrils.

However, a faint smell of gunpowder still drifted over with each gust of wind.

Ning Nan glanced at Lu Chong on the other side. The old spy was pale and seriously injured.

"Master Lu," Ning Nan frowned slightly, "your injuries?"

Lu Chong glanced at him and smiled, "Hey, it's good that the young man is putting in a lot of effort, but there's no need to worry about this old man."

Upon reaching the north gate, the stench of blood wafted from ahead.

Ning Nan's expression was serious.

At this moment, the north gate was littered with corpses.

The small city gate on the left was ajar.

Ning Nan ran over and pushed open the city gate. The two continued pushing the manure cart forward. After exiting the North Gate, they were greeted by Jingshan Hill, hidden in the night.

Lu Zhong broke out in a cold sweat, licked his pale lips, and said:

"Let's go to Di'anmen."

The Di'anmen area was brightly lit and bustling with noise.

Nearly a hundred archers had already climbed up to the city gate tower, their silver armor gleaming, exuding a murderous aura.

Inside the city gate, fifty or sixty men were armed with guns and clad in armor.

The commotion outside the gate was even greater, since it was not far from Di'anmen Gate, where the Infantry Commander's Office and the Fifth Patrol Battalion were located.

"At a time like this, what are you still doing transporting manure? Whose men are you working for? And which route are you taking?"

The commander of the Plain Red Banner, wearing a white armor with red trim, glared and roared.

The 4th, 14th, and 24th of each month are the times when unclean things are transported from the Forbidden City.

Today is March 14th, which is indeed a day when good fortune is about to arrive.

The waste of the nobles in the Forbidden City was no ordinary stuff; there were many intricacies involved. There were people outside who collected it, and some shops even bought it to use in medicine.

These people who collect excrement often have powerful backers; they are all "excrement tycoons" who have carved out their own empires.

The dung carts leaving the palace had designated routes from Di'anmen to Andingmen, one of the nine gates of the inner city, and these routes were known as "dung roads."

Different latrines have different latrine lords.

Everything inside and outside the palace, from top to bottom, has been taken care of; ordinary people can't get involved.

Lu Chong took out the register of disciples and handed it over, his face pale, and said:

"We're Eunuch Su's men. Outside, it's Yu the Big Belly who's in charge. We have no choice but to move them. No matter what happens, we have to get rid of the filth for this important person."

"Which Eunuch Su?"

"Which other Eunuch Su could it be?" Lu Chong rolled his eyes.

The officer paused, his expression shifting between light and dark.

Upon hearing this, it was clear that he was Su Peisheng, the eunuch. However, such a despicable person often uses deception to spread rumors. His godfather or even godfather might be someone of Su Peisheng, but he himself would claim to be one of Su Peisheng's men.

But the one collecting manure outside was Yu Daduzi, so the magistrate waved his hand and said angrily, "Wait."

Yu Daduzi was quite shrewd; he controlled twelve latrines outside the city. After he took over the duty at this Di'anmen gate, he received a considerable amount of money from Yu Daduzi every month.

Lu Chong took back the clan register from the commander.

It was noisy outside. Every now and then, horns and drums would sound.

About fifteen minutes later, the fire at Dong'an Gate had subsided.

The side gate of Di'anmen was finally opened.

The commander frowned and shouted, "Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

Lu Chong responded with "eh eh," and together with Ning Nan, they pushed the manure cart forward, just as they entered the city gate.

"Wait!"

The commander suddenly jolted and raised his hand to call out.

Ning Nan's eyes changed, a chill ran down his spine, and he stopped with Lu Chong, putting down the handlebars.

Lu Chong frowned and asked, "My lord?"

The commander waved his hand, and the four soldiers looked solemn, but their eyes held a sense of helplessness.

With a series of thuds, the four jumped onto the cart, lifted the lid of the large chamber pot, and a strong, pungent, and acrid smell suddenly wafted out!

The soldiers on the cart immediately frowned.

Ning Nan's eyes narrowed slightly as the pungent smell hit them. However, his tense body finally relaxed a bit.

The commander said helplessly, "Just in case, we still have to search."

The four soldiers looked at each other, but in the end they couldn't bear to use their knives to stir it. One of them went to find a stick and stirred it inside.

It was at this moment.

A deafening battle cry rang out from south of Di'anmen.

The commander of Di'anmen and the guards immediately turned around and identified the direction from which the shouts of battle were coming.

The officer's expression changed drastically in an instant!