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

After all, Lu Zhong's letter contained many coded messages, which were difficult for anyone other than her and a handful of others to decipher.

After reading the letter, Yan Yuqing felt a strong sense of absurdity, even disbelief.

This news left even this veteran eunuch feeling somewhat bewildered.

Unable to verify the authenticity of the message, she felt intense anxiety and unease.

But the fact that this letter came from Lu Zhong, whom he trusted most, left no doubt about it.

This unbelievable and shocking news... is true, without a doubt.

Yan Yuqing's blood swelled and cooled, then cooled and heated again, sometimes feeling chilled, sometimes feeling heroic, his heart filled with extremely complex emotions.

The old woman's silver hair shimmered in the setting sun.

My steps, like my mood, were sometimes heavy and sometimes light.

As the group passed through the Qianqing Gate and was about to reach the Qianqing Palace, a young eunuch hurriedly came over and said:

"Please wait a moment, Eunuch Wang and Commander Yan. This servant will go in and report first."

Wang Bing nodded slightly.

Yan Yuqing said, "Thank you for your trouble, sir." But her tone was somewhat complicated.

Wang Bing glanced at Zhang Jingshan, whose figure was somewhat hunched, and then at Yan Yuqing, whose face was extremely solemn.

He was summoned by Yan Yuqing, but he didn't know the specifics of the matter.

There was actually some rivalry between the Imperial Censorate and the Embroidered Uniform Guard; they had even shown signs of it before.

But now the situation in Jiangbei is complicated, so the two of them have no choice but to work together.

It seems the Embroidered Uniform Guard has some significant intelligence, which is why they summoned him along. Wang Bing was quite grateful.

"Commander Yan,"

He whispered a reminder:

"Let me first tell the commander that His Majesty is discussing the letter of state with the officials, including the exchange of diplomatic missions, in an effort to rescue our delegation."

"If you insist on bringing this person to see the Emperor now, saying it's extremely urgent, and if those civil officials start to berate him, I, Wang, will find it difficult to fight alongside the Commander and argue with them."

The emperors of this dynasty rely more on their noble titles, such as the Marquis of Zhenguo, the Marquis of Jingbei, and the Marquis of Mingzhong... The secret police and imperial guards are not well-regarded.

With Xun Gui leading the heavy army of Liang, the civil officials couldn't cause any trouble, and it was unlikely that any powerful ministers who disregarded the emperor would emerge again.

Since the emperor didn't have much backing, the eunuchs, whose backs were already weak, became even more limp.

"Eunuch Wang,"

Yan Yuqing shook her head, her tone tinged with a sigh of regret:

"No need."

Wang Bing nodded and said, "The Commander is indeed wise."

He spread his hands and said:

"Then why don't we take this person out of the palace first, and not disturb His Majesty and the others for the time being?"

Yan Yuqing sighed: "I did not mean that we do not need to bring Mr. Zhang to see His Majesty."

"What he said is true."

Her somewhat grayish eyes looked at Wang Bing with a hint of pity in them:

"There's no need to discuss bringing back the Southern Dynasty delegation."

"Huh?" Wang Bing was taken aback, somewhat confused.

"What do you mean?" He frowned, puzzled.

Before Yan Yuqing could answer, a young eunuch from the Qianqing Palace came running out, saying, "His Majesty requests your presence."

They were invited inside to pay their respects to His Majesty…

…………

Zhu Cuiwei, sitting at the head of the table, looked at the somewhat hunched young man from the Northern Dynasty with a shaved head, and a look of doubt appeared on her face.

"This servant, this servant Zhang..." Zhang Jingshan's eyes welled up with tears and his body trembled slightly. His knees buckled and he knelt down. "Jingshan pays his respects to Your Majesty..."

He referred to himself and kowtowed using the etiquette of the Northern Dynasties.

Zhu Cuiwei gestured for him to dispense with the formalities, and ordered someone to quickly help him up, saying gently, "There's no need for you to call yourself a servant."

Among the courtiers in scarlet robes on both sides, many showed dissatisfaction.

They were originally discussing the letter of state word by word, aiming for a wording that was both strict and flexible.

The northern barbarians, if things go wrong, they might not only refuse to exchange delegations, but they might also cut off the head of a high-ranking official and send it to Nanjing to threaten and intimidate them. If that happens, what should we do?

Cao Du snorted coldly:

"I wonder what important matter Commander Yan has brought to see His Majesty with this man from the Northern Dynasty who has shaved his head?"

Zhao Silang, the Vice Minister of Rites, was now walking on thin ice. When His Majesty invited them to sit down, he was even hesitant to do so. Now, his face turned cold as he said:

"Commander Yan, are you aware that we are currently discussing important national affairs with His Majesty?"

On the left side of the main hall, the distinguished scholars and Madam Jia, who had been quietly discussing the structure of calligraphy, were surprised to see several more people suddenly appear in the hall, one of whom was a Northern Dynasty man with a shaved head. They all turned their gazes toward them, and a chorus of surprised and doubtful voices arose.

"His Majesty,"

Yan Yuqing, who was in the room, had no intention of arguing or quarreling with the civil officials today. He bowed and said:

"This man's name is Zhang Jingshan... He... He brought news from our dynasty's delegation from Beijing..."

"Um?!"

"What?!"

Gao Congzhe's eyes widened, and he immediately stood up, patting the armrest.

Is this true?

With a whoosh, everyone else turned to look at the somewhat reserved young man.

"Absolutely true."

Yan Yuqing, with her silver hair, bowed to the Empress and said sincerely:

"The message came from Lu Chong himself, and it bears Lu Chong's unique signature. The letter also uses the secret code of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. I have personally verified it."

Lu Zhong?

Upon hearing the name of the former commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the group of civil officials felt as if they had swallowed a fly, and were somewhat uncomfortable.

But upon hearing that it was written by Lu Chong himself, he couldn't help but feel excited.

"Lu Chong? That bastard Lu Chong went to Beijing?"

"When did you go?"

"How is my delegation doing? Has anyone been made an example of by the Northern Emperor?"

"What about King Jing? How is King Jing?"

"Are they being held captive in the embassy, ​​or have they been imprisoned?"

A barrage of questions and piercing stares rained down on Zhang Jingshan.

Whether it was the Empress at the head of the table or the cabinet ministers on either side, they were all pampered and high-ranking people, exuding an imposing aura.

Zhang Jingshan was so frightened by the crowd that his face turned ashen, his legs trembled, and he was speechless. His ambition to see the ruler of his former country and question him about why he had not launched a northern expedition earlier had long been forgotten.

Yan Yuqing stepped forward, shielding Zhang Jingshan behind her.

She explained to everyone that it was this person and many other people from the north who worked together to deliver the letter, which finally made it safely to Nanjing despite the many checkpoints of the Northern Dynasty.

The gazes of the crowd towards Zhang Jingshan were now filled with awe and respect.

After briefly explaining the origin of the letter, Yan Yuqing stepped forward and said:

"Gentlemen..."

She was sorting through her thoughts, still figuring out how to bring it up, but she had just opened her mouth.

But then a short, anxious cry came from the Empress at the head of the table.

"Where is the Grand Prince Consort? Where is he? Where is Master Lu? Is Master Lu alright?"

Upon hearing that Master Lu had returned from Beijing with a letter, Zhu Cuiwei froze on the dragon throne, her face turning pale, her heart pounding rapidly.

I want to ask some questions, but I'm afraid to know the answers.

It seemed that some kind of panic forced her to ask the question subconsciously.

"Your Majesty,"

Yan Yuqing took out a letter from her bosom, waved it, and said:

"Lu Chong wrote this letter on March 7th. At least at that time, the Grand Prince Consort was still in Beijing, imprisoned in the Prince Duan's Mansion..."

"March 7th...? The 7th..."

The empress on the dragon throne felt a sudden surge of emotion, and she slowly stood up. Her heart seemed to come alive again, but she still felt suffocated.

In her letter, Bei Chao Da Chun said that Vice Envoy Gui Chao Ning died on February 26th.

"Fake."

Tears suddenly streamed down her face as she murmured to herself,

"Fake...fake...alive...actually alive..."

The Empress at the head of the table suddenly lost her composure, and the courtiers quickly looked away, not daring to utter a sound. The Qianqing Palace immediately fell silent.

Fortunately, His Majesty's loss of composure did not last long.

He quickly took the handkerchief Chunyu handed him, wiped away his tears, and said to the person below:

"And what about our delegation? If the Grand Prince Consort is being held in that so-called Prince Duan's residence, where are Uncle Jing and the others being held?"

"Our delegation..."

Yan Yuqing's expression and tone were extremely complex. She looked at the Empress with her old, gray eyes.

"His Majesty……"

She sighed again, deeply moved.

"Our diplomatic missions...are no longer in Beijing!"

"Not here?" Minister of War Luan Zongyuan stood up, his eyes widening. "Not in Beijing?"

The other senior officials also felt a jolt in their hearts.

"Where were they imprisoned by the Northern Emperor?" Cao Du asked in return.

Everyone exclaimed in surprise.

"Rehe?"

"Ningguta?"

"Still Jinan?"

If they were imprisoned in Rehe or Ningguta, it would be an insult to the court officials.

If they are imprisoned in Jinan or Huai'an, it means they intend to use the delegation as hostages to force our dynasty to submit.

"call……"

Yan Yuqing took a small breath, slowly shook her head, and glanced around at everyone.

"Your Majesty... Gentlemen, our delegation is not in Beijing, nor is it being held captive by the Northern Emperor anywhere... Rather..."

After a few breaths, the sixty-year-old Imperial Guard's expression turned serious, and his tone became firm as he spoke:

"But on the second day after entering Beijing, our Grand Prince Consort learned that the Northern Dynasty intended to ally with the Rakshasa to annex our Southern Dynasty..."

"The Grand Prince Consort then acted decisively, devising a plan to deceive the heavens and cross the sea, thus bringing the delegation..."

"They've all been sent out of Beijing!"