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

"The Grand Prince Consort... escorted our entire delegation... out of Beijing..."

The old woman's hoarse yet powerful voice echoed throughout the hall.

The tone contained an unquestionable element.

The faces of the officials in the hall froze, some of them not quite understanding what Yan Yuqing was talking about.

What does it mean to say "the second day after entering the city"...? The Grand Prince Consort escorted the entire delegation of our dynasty out of Beijing?

What is a "deceive the heavens and cross the sea" strategy?

All? What does "all" mean?

Does this include Prince Jing?

Does that include Jia Shi'an?

Does that include all the envoys?

What about the hundred cavalry and fifty infantrymen who escorted the troops north? How many died?

The old woman's short sentence stirred up a storm of questions in their minds.

"The Grand Prince Consort has learned of the Northern Dynasty's conspiracy to form an alliance with the Rakshasa..."

These words made Qin Yuanzhang, Gao Congzhe, Luan Zongyuan, and other important officials who had been summoned by the Empress two months earlier suddenly realize something.

I remember it was almost two months ago when the Empress summoned them and said that she had received a message from the Grand Prince Consort that the Northern Dynasty and the Rakshasa had formed an alliance and that the two countries planned to head south together, one by land and the other by sea.

The news came like a bolt from the blue, leaving them in disbelief.

The Qin chief minister acted swiftly and decisively, and only then did the Great Liang fall into the Northern Dynasty's trap, firmly preventing the two armies north of the Yangtze River from leaving the city.

Otherwise, the Jiangpu Army and the Liuhe Army would have already been surrounded by the main force of the Northern Dynasty that had secretly marched south... If this had really happened, the Great Liang would have perished in an instant!

A few days ago, after hearing the definite news that the main force of the Northern Dynasty's Eight Banners had arrived in Huai'an, everyone who attended that small court assembly that day was filled with lingering fear.

The Empress said at the time that the message was sent by the Grand Prince Consort, but when they asked the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Directorate of State Affairs, both denied that the message was sent through them.

If the Grand Prince Consort didn't send the message through the Embroidered Uniform Guard or the Bureau of Investigation, then how did he deliver the message to the Empress?

And, more importantly...

time……

time!

Several people couldn't help but turn their gazes to Zhang Jingshan.

Just now, Yan Yuqing said that Lu Chong's letter was sent all the way from Beijing by many northern refugees who risked their lives to deliver it.

Lu Chong wrote the letter on March 7th, but when the letter arrived... everyone was filled with lingering fear... it was already May!

Even for a seasoned spy like Lu Chong, sending a message out was incredibly difficult. So how exactly did the Grand Prince Consort manage to send a message to the Empress?

And the letter was sent back so early, on March 16th?

How is this possible?!

"Commander Yan," Gao Congzhe frowned, "what did you mean by what you just said?"

"Literally," Yan Yuqing relaxed his shoulders and addressed the crowd, "the Grand Prince Consort has sent everyone away, including the laborers of the delegation... except for himself, of course..."

"Laborers..." Cao Du's expression froze as if he had heard something unbelievable.

He was about to ask what about the other envoys when the other party replied that even the laborers had been sent away.

What does this mean?

Where was it sent?

Doesn't the Northern Dynasty investigate?

Sun Chengshan disregarded the previous events and only said:

"May I ask, Lord Yan, what is the meaning of this so-called 'sending them away'? Is Prince Jing safe? Is the delegation safe?"

Yan Yuqing said firmly:

"The so-called 'sending off' means that, under the strict surveillance and encirclement of the Northern Dynasty, the Grand Prince Consort sent the entire delegation out of the capital and even away from Beijing!"

"The Grand Prince Consort personally killed Yue Le, a second-class guard of the Northern Dynasty's Sticky Rod Office, and A Lin, a first-class guard. He also lured away the three hundred cavalrymen the Northern Dynasty was using to monitor the delegation's camp, and caused another group of cavalrymen to fight each other..."

"The mission is safe, and so is Prince Jing."

"The Grand Prince Consort made all the necessary arrangements as he traveled north, and the delegation is now retreating south along the route he arranged."

She only knew a little about the specifics of the southward retreat, and naturally wouldn't elaborate here.

As for how she knew that King Jing would definitely be safe?

It was precisely because of the recent proclamation and official letter sent by the Northern Dynasty!

If Prince Jing and his delegation were in the hands of the Northern Dynasty, during such a long period of time, the Northern Dynasty could have easily handed one of them over to Yue Zhongqi to take south, in order to undermine and intimidate the people of Jiangnan, such as Jia Shi'an, Wu Yuanlei, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, or Jiang Heng, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies...

but……

Not a single one...

not a single one!

This is enough to prove that not a single member of the Liang delegation fell into the hands of the Northern Dynasty!

Yan Yuqing's words were originally a response to Sun Chengshan's question.

His words, however, only aroused more questions.

However, Yan Yuqing's mind was also like a tangled mess. Although she had pulled out the beginning and end of the thread, she had not completely untangled the mess.

"A second-class guard from the Sticky Rod Office?" Wang Bing exclaimed in surprise. "And there's also a first-class guard?"

Unlike the other civil officials, Wang Bing, who was in charge of the Bureau of Assassination, naturally knew what such a title meant.

Second-class bodyguards are fourth-rank military officers, while first-class bodyguards are third-rank military officers!

Moreover, military officers in the Sticky Rod Office could be promoted directly from second-class bodyguards to third-rank military officer in the Green Standard Army if they wanted to take up an official post.

A first-class bodyguard can be directly appointed as a second-rank deputy general in the army!

If the emperor of the Northern Dynasty trusted them, it was not uncommon for them to be directly appointed as the commander of an army, serving as a garrison general or admiral of the first rank.

Even the guards at the Sticky Rod Office were skilled in both literature and martial arts.

The current Minister of State for Administration of Qinghai was originally a top-ranking bodyguard in the Sticky Rod Office.

Wang Bing, the "son-in-law," was stunned for a moment. "You personally killed such a military officer?"

Zhu Cuiwei, sitting at the head of the table, felt her heart sink.

"The Grand Prince Consort...he...he..."

The empress parted her lips slightly, but did not utter a complete sentence.

Huff... Yan Yuqing slowly exhaled.

Lu Chongxin's story is rather disorganized, with bits and pieces inserted here and there.

For example, after writing about the son-in-law's actions after he bombed the Southern Dynasty's embassy, ​​he suddenly writes something like, "Oh, and also, the Grand Prince Consort killed Yue Le that night."

After writing a long passage, he added, "When the son-in-law went north to Chuzhou, he killed Amurtu, the deputy commander of the Plain White Banner, and thirty elite cavalrymen of the Eight Banners..."

She had to sort things out in her mind for a long time. Although it was still a bit messy, seeing the shocked and questioning looks in everyone's eyes, she decided to start from the beginning and sort things out as she spoke.

"Gentlemen,"

The old woman said,

"On the second day after the Grand Prince Consort arrived in the capital, I, Qin Yuanyao, the Vice Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who went north, and his subordinate Xu Cheng..."

The old woman felt heavy-hearted.

"In a place called Sihai Tower, disguised as a beggar, he delivered a message to the Grand Prince Consort, saying that the Northern Dynasty and the Rakshasa had formed an alliance..."

She paused, then raised her old eyes and scanned the crowd:

"May I ask you, esteemed officials, if you were surrounded by wolves and under the constant surveillance of the Northern Dynasty's secret police, what would you do upon receiving such crucial news?"

Everyone's expression froze, and a chill ran down their spines...

…………

at the same time.

Inside the Lüliang Mountains, Master Ning, who was sleeping on the back of a large yellow horse, was draped in a tattered sheepskin blanket when his subordinates shook him awake.

"Young Master!"

"Master!"

"The boss!"

A jumble of names and various accents began to emerge.

Master Ning opened one eye impatiently and let out an "Ah".

"Boss!" a burly man with a thick beard cried out urgently, "Brother Erlai has been defeated! He couldn't break through that mountain stronghold ahead!"

Ning, the head of the household, sniffed: "Send Peng Liangang."

"Master!" a skinny man with pockmarked face cried out in despair, "Altar Master Peng was defeated even earlier than Brother Erlai!"

"Hey!" Master Ning, still half-asleep, chuckled in surprise as he swayed back and forth on horseback, and cursed, "Then send Su Lang!"

"General Su is long gone!" A thin, dark-skinned boy of no more than ten years old raised his hand and shouted, "It was General Su who sent someone to ask for help!"

"Master!" "Young Master!" "Chief!"

The jumbled names echoed once again along the verdant mountain paths on both sides of the Lüliang Mountains.

"The thief was ferocious!"

Everyone feigned pitifulness, shaking the reins of the big yellow horse and saying:

"Only you can handle this personally!"