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

"The moon is red."

In the quiet courtyard of Chengqian Palace, the maid Xixue gently massaged the shoulders of the Fujin (the princess's husband).

Hearing the Princess Consort, who was looking up at the sky, say this seemingly inexplicably, the maid with the bun hairstyle smiled and said:

"No, my lady, it's clearly yellow. Round and yellow, like the Qipan Street sesame seed cakes that the prince loves to eat."

Upon hearing the maid's description, a smile appeared on Tang Caifeng's thin face.

But his eyes remained fixed on the moon in the sky.

I still think the moon is red.

……

"Father...Father sent a letter, wanting your younger brother to become the leader of the Heavenly Principle Sect. Do you agree?"

Han Chang once told her.

She shook her head and put down the letter:

"Since he's living well in the Southern Dynasty and I heard he's even married, why drag him into this?"

Han Chang sat at the table, sipping his tea, and said with a smile, "His wife is no ordinary woman."

She paused, then looked at Han Chang.

Han Chang, who almost never smiled in front of outsiders, smiled at her:

"I don't know what kind of incredible luck your brother had, but his wife... ha, is very likely that Prince Xin of the Southern Dynasty... who is about to ascend the throne..."

……

"Father wrote that Xiao Chun visited him in Li Family Village. He himself did not agree with Xiao Chun and his group from Beikan Water Altar getting involved with the King of Wu of the Southern Dynasty. But the Right Protector insisted, so Father didn't bother to interfere."

Han Chang sighed, feeling sorry for Xiao Chun's death.

She shook her head and said:

"The Southern Dynasty's fate is sealed. Even Shangguan Ke is powerless to reverse it. If Emperor Tianqi were in good health, perhaps he could still put up some resistance, but with that Empress, it wouldn't make much difference... She couldn't persuade the Southern Dynasty's officials, who had been content with their precarious existence for so long, to agree to the Northern Expedition. Father already has a strong and well-equipped army."

Han Changyi nodded.

……

"You've agreed to your brother becoming the cult leader?"

Han Changdao.

With a helpless expression, she put down the secret letter:

"I've received so many letters, what can I do? I can't control the old man, nor can I control my brother. Whether he acknowledges me or not is another matter. What difference does it make whether I agree or disagree?"

Han Chang smiled and said, "If you agree, things will always be easier for me."

He put on a Guan Gong mask and headed south.

……

Tang Caifeng held her two hands, which were holding handkerchiefs, under the moonlight and looked at them.

There was a hint of red in his eyes.

……

……

Under the night.

Ning Nan's heart pounded like a drum.

"Han Chang made you write this letter?!" he exclaimed.

Xu Xiyin nodded solemnly.

Ning Nan's eyes narrowed, and he tightened his grip on the stone table, saying in a cold voice:

"Is he trying to follow you?"

With a seemingly unexpected yet perfectly reasonable request, Xu Xiyin was asked to find a way to affix the official seal of the mission.

Then, by following Xu Xiyin, they could find the location of the Southern Kingdom's delegation.

Ning Nan tried to figure out the other party's intentions.

Xu Xiyin shook her head and said, "I am certain that Han Chang did not send anyone to follow me."

How did you determine that? ... Ning Nan frowned.

"and……"

The female Taoist priest sighed slightly, glancing at the sect leader as she said:

"His tracking of his subordinates was useless."

Because at that time...

"The Southern Kingdom delegation... is no longer at Prince Yi's residence..."

"Where did you go?" Old spy Lu Chong stood up, sat on the stone bench, and squinted his eyes.

Xu Xiyin bent down, took out a large seal from her cloth bag, and handed it to Ning Nan with both hands.

"The old master...the old master, in my name...took the envoys from the Southern Kingdom away. I don't know what methods the old master used...in short, he got them all out of the city..."

…………

woohoo hoo...

The night wind howled and blew.

The wind, which should have been chilly in spring, was warm, even scorching, tonight.

However, the temperature of the wind is gradually decreasing.

This is enough to show that the fire caused by the Tianli Sect's surprise attack at Dong'an Gate is about to subside.

dong... dong... dong...

Ning Nan tapped his index finger slowly on the stone table, sorting through the information he had obtained from Xu Xiyin.

The Southern Kingdom delegation… Elder Han… Elder Han, the sect leader, moved the entire Southern Kingdom delegation… conveniently, they were moved to Miaofeng Mountain…

The official seal of the mission in Xu Xiyin's hand was given to her by the old cult leader Han.

Han Chang then had Xu Xiyin write that letter.

What's going on?

He originally thought that Han Chang had betrayed the Heavenly Principles Sect, but considering the connection between the two events, something seemed amiss.

That's even more wrong.

The question remains... why didn't Yongzheng use him to exchange for the mission?

After a few breaths, he suppressed the unease about Han Chang and Han Qing.

He frowned and asked Xu Xiyin, "Do you know?"

Regardless of Han Chang's motives in having Xu Xiyin write this letter, and regardless of why Han Qing cooperated with Han Chang by handing over the official seal of the mission to Xu Xiyin.

all in all.

The reaction of Yongzheng and the Sticky Rod Office was highly unusual. They shouldn't have remained silent.

Ning Nan held the mission's official seal in his hand.

I glanced at it.

He could think of two possibilities for the time being.

Firstly, the official seal of the mission and Prince Jing had already fallen into the hands of Emperor Yongzheng. Therefore, there was naturally no need to exchange them.

But since the seal of authority is now in his own hands, this possibility can be ruled out.

At the same time, if Yongzheng had really captured Prince Jing and his group, he would definitely tell him to force him to submit along with Prince Jing and his group.

The second possibility.

Ning Nan's index finger traced a mark on the stone table...

That was Yongzheng's true belief that he would definitely obtain Prince Jing and the seal of the mission.

That's why there's no need to exchange me for... or rather... it doesn't matter whether I exchange me or not, he'll definitely get the mission seal anyway.

Xu Xiyin shook her head, pondered for a moment, and said, "I am also unaware of this matter."

Ning Nan silently pursed her lips.

The envoy's seal in his hand was made of jade, and felt warm and cool to the touch.

He was extremely suspicious of the idea of ​​impersonating a Taoist priest to leave the city, because there was almost no room for error.

Once you enter Changchun Garden with the Taoist priests from Baiyu Temple, any mishap there will be like being caught in a trap, with no chance of escape or hiding.

Disguised and hiding within the city? Waiting a month or several months before returning south?

That's not feasible either.

The Eight Banners Army, the Luosha Army, and Nian Gengyao's Northwest Army... all three armies attacked simultaneously.

Cui Cui's wife is already in a very dangerous situation. Even though she has tried her best to send the message back to the south, it only ensures that the two armies north of the Yangtze River will not be surrounded and annihilated. It does not mean that the Southern Dynasty can really stop the Eight Banners cavalry and Nian Gengyao's Northwest Army.

While waiting for the carriage from Baiyun Temple to pick him up, he discussed the questions that had been lingering in his mind with Xu Xiyin.

Some doubts have been resolved.

Some doubts only deepened.

The moonlight was perfectly round.

It was at this moment.

Boom, boom, boom.

A knocking sound came from outside the gate of the courtyard house.

Lu Chong shook his neck, kicked a knife off the ground, and held it in his hand.

Xu Xiyin's expression remained unchanged. She glanced at Ning Nan. Ning Nan simply nodded, signaling her to open the door.

Xu Xiyin stood up.

Go around the screen wall.

Arriving at the door, I removed the bolt, click, and opened the door.

Outside.

A man with clear but tired eyes looked at Xu Xiyin and said apologetically:

"Chen, Chen San is late... Please... Please forgive me, Left Protector..."

Xu Xiyin was taken aback.

Chen San bowed to the Daoist nun who had recently been promoted to Left Protector, and then said:

"By order of Miss Tang... Chen San has come to inform the Left Protector that disguising himself as a Taoist priest to leave the city is no longer an option, and Ortai has personally left the palace to arrest the leader..."

Chen San took a breath, solemnly clasped his hands in greeting, and said:

"Miss Tang...she's already reached an agreement...she's found a better path for the cult leader..."