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

The old woman only said:

"However, the Northern Dynasty has now strictly blocked trade routes, and it is unknown which mountain in the north our Great Liang delegation is hiding in."

The enemy is currently.

The safety of the Southern Dynasty delegation, especially the safety of King Jing, had always been a thorn in the side of the court officials.

If this thorn is not removed, the legitimacy of the cause could be seized by the Northern Dynasty at any time.

After all, as long as Prince Jing is in the hands of the Northern Dynasty, they can easily establish him as a false emperor to shake and divide the hearts of the people in Jiangnan.

but……

Since King Jing is no longer in their hands.

The situation would be very different. The Southern Dynasty could have taken the initiative now and said that King Jing was forced by the Northern Emperor in Beijing, and in grief and indignation, he had died for his country.

This was to thwart the Northern Dynasty's idea of ​​establishing a false emperor.

This is why Yan Yuqing, seeing that all the high-ranking officials of the court were present, felt even more determined to explain things quickly and clearly.

The Northern Dynasty army is getting closer and closer, and may be at the city gates at any moment to begin the siege. If the court still has concerns, it will inevitably be constrained.

She said that.

Only then did everyone realize.

It turns out that the thorn that had been stuck in everyone's hearts for a month and a half never existed in the first place... it had been removed by someone long ago.

and,

It is human nature to feel sorrow when the rabbit dies and the fox grieves; the officials could not help but feel heavy-hearted for their colleagues who were heading north.

Upon hearing that the Southern Kingdom's delegation had escaped danger, the ministers were naturally encouraged.

The young eunuchs strode into the hall, adding lights to the surrounding area.

A dim, yellow light illuminated the main hall.

After the old woman finished speaking, the Qianqing Palace fell into silence for a while.

The empress's eyes, as clear as autumn water, narrowed tightly.

She was naturally pleased that King Jing and the officials of the Southern Dynasty had escaped danger.

His eyes welled up with tears, knowing that the man had taken such a risk and gone to such lengths to safely send all the officials away from the capital, all for whom?

That's why her face gradually turned pale.

Because she remembered something Yan Yuqing had said at the beginning.

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

He was imprisoned in Prince Duan's mansion... He rescued everyone except himself...

Zhu Cuiwei's hands, resting on the imperial desk, were clenched into fists, and her voice trembled slightly as she spoke:

"The Grand Prince Consort... did Master Lu say... whether it's possible to rescue him?"

She felt a sudden pang of sorrow.

She hoped that Master Lu could find a way to save her husband, but she was also worried that Master Lu would die in vain. So she hoped that Master Lu would just keep an eye on things in the capital and not lose his life in vain.

Upon hearing His Majesty's words, everyone fell silent.

Everyone naturally understood the meaning behind His Majesty's words.

But the Grand Prince Consort... is beyond saving.

According to Yan Yuqing, the Embroidered Uniform Guard in Beijing is no longer trustworthy.

The spies loyal to the Great Liang were either killed or their subordinates had betrayed them, leaving them under their control.

This is also why Lu Chong did not send messages through the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice. Although Lu Chong is capable, without anyone he can use, how could he possibly rescue the Grand Prince Consort?

Even if there were capable people, the Grand Prince Consort was trapped in the bandits' lair, so where would Lu Chong get the extraordinary ability to save him?

Below the Qianqing Palace, the group of people in scarlet robes sitting upright couldn't help but raise their heads slightly. They exchanged glances, their eyes filled with helplessness and emotion.

"Vice Envoy Ning..."

Vice Grand Secretary Gao Congzhe stroked his beard, his expression becoming complex, and sighed with emotion:

"I'm afraid we'll have to use a Northern Dynasty delegation to exchange for it later."

Fortunately, they still held the Northern Dynasty delegation captive.

The Northern Dynasty delegation lacked the decisiveness and ruthlessness of the Grand Prince Consort, and thus could not escape from their grasp.

Luan Zongyuan nodded, gave a wry smile, and said:

"We were worried before, after all, Dachun and Nilong's status is far inferior to His Majesty King Jing, and we didn't know how to negotiate to get more people out."

"Now that only Vice Envoy Ning remains in Beijing, the Northern Emperor will surely agree to the exchange in order to appease the Northern Dynasty's officials."

Zhao Silang said, "I think Da Chun alone is enough to exchange for Vice Envoy Ning."

"Even a lion needs to exert its full strength to hunt a rabbit," Luan Zongyuan frowned. "In exchange for Vice Envoy Ning, who has made great contributions to the country, to return to Nanjing, I think it's best not to haggle."

Minister of Revenue Fang Xiaofan coughed lightly and agreed with Zhao Silang:

"Lord Luan, you are mistaken. The Northern Dynasty is insatiable. If we do not bargain with them and let them know that Vice Envoy Ning is very important to our dynasty, then what the Northern Emperor wants..."

Fang Xiaofan emphasized his words slightly:

"It's likely that there's more than just one Northern Dynasty delegation that he may have already discarded!"

Sun Chengshan frowned, about to retort, when he suddenly saw the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works across from him wink at him.

"Huh?" Sun Chengshan was taken aback. Following Cao Du's gaze, he saw the Empress with a deathly pale face.

Sun Chengshan paused for a moment, then sighed inwardly.

The Ministry of Rites frequently dealt with the Northern Dynasties, while the Ministry of Revenue was adept at calculations.

Sun Chengshan immediately understood what the two meant.

They were worried that if the Northern Dynasty controlled Vice Envoy Ning and used him to blackmail the Empress, the Northern Dynasty would take advantage of any slight wavering in the Empress's resolve and further blackmail her.

Gao Congzhe and Luan Zongyuan were both quick-witted and naturally thought of it at the same time.

The two exchanged a glance, their expressions becoming more serious.

Previously, they actually considered Prince Jing more when dealing with the Liang delegation trapped in the Northern Dynasty.

They believed that Prince Jing was the key figure who hindered the Liang dynasty from the Northern Dynasties.

but……

Prince Jing has now been rescued by the Grand Prince Consort, while the Grand Prince Consort remains trapped in Beijing.

Only then did the two realize.

In their hearts, Prince Jing, whose status was higher than that of the Grand Prince Consort, was probably... somewhat inferior to the Grand Prince Consort in His Majesty's eyes...

What if the Northern Dynasty uses the life of the Grand Prince Consort to force His Majesty to make concessions?

Everyone felt a heavy weight in their hearts.

By then, they will likely find it extremely difficult to offer advice, and may even anger the Empress, leading to an embarrassing end.

The courtiers immediately fell silent, unsure of how to offer their advice.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured."

At this moment, Yan Yuqing, who had white hair, bowed and said something to the Empress above.

She had watched the Empress grow up and knew what the other person meant.

He first offered a comforting remark.

"Lu Chong is a man who cherishes his life extremely much."

The old woman, ten years older than Lu Chong, was Lu Chong's successor as commander.

"He would never act rashly and lose his life for no reason unless he was absolutely certain."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cuiwei relaxed slightly.

She was afraid that Master Lu, because she had sent him to protect the young doctor, would encounter such a dangerous situation, and that he would risk his life without hesitation so as not to worry his apprentice.

She pursed her lips, temporarily suppressing some of her complicated and turbulent emotions.

With a slight frown, just as he was about to discuss with his ministers how to revise the official letter to exchange the Northern Dynasty delegation for the young physician, he heard Yan Yuqing bow again.

"His Majesty,"

For some unknown reason, the old woman's dough began to tremble involuntarily.

"Although I don't know exactly what happened in Beijing... I also don't know how the Grand Prince Consort and Lu Chong are doing now..."

The old woman's voice was very soft, but the meaning behind her words seemed very heavy.

She sighed softly, gave a bitter smile, and said:

"But I can assure you," she looked into His Majesty's eyes, "that the Grand Prince Consort... has successfully escaped Beijing..."

"Hmm?" Zhu Cuiwei's gaze froze.

"Because," the old woman said sincerely, "Lu Chong's letter also mentioned another name for the Grand Prince Consort."