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

His Highness Prince Xin spoke in a low voice, as if he were curious, yet also seemed to harbor some inexplicable anger. His eyes also looked somewhat strange.

It looks rather ominous.

The courtiers found it somewhat strange. What was His Highness saying? Who was he trying to please? Naturally, he was trying to please Princess Tang!

But the next moment, apart from Xu Longdao and Liu Zhi, who were sweating profusely and looking stunned, everyone looked around and their eyes gradually opened as they realized the key to the matter.

call…

Reputation…

The reputation of Princess Tang.

Chen Yuezhi was far too reckless.

It's rumored that Ning Baixuan is already married, but Chen Yuezhi is saying that "Ning Baixuan wants to win the princess's favor!"

One is a talented scholar who is already married, and the other is a princess waiting to be married. If some kind of drama were to circulate among the people, such as "Ning Baixuan, in a fit of rage for a beauty, beats up the four princes of the Northern Dynasty," His Majesty and the Tang Emperor would probably be furious!

At that time, not only would Chen Yuezhi, the instigator of this reckless speech, be implicated, but the officials of the Eastern Palace would also be implicated, and the Censorate and the princes and nobles could impeach them to death!

"hiss!"

Everyone took a deep breath, a cold sweat breaking out on their backs! They raised their eyes, their gazes immediately shining brightly. Fortunately, Princess Xin was also a woman, and she immediately grasped the key point in Chen Yue's words.

Chen Yuezhi was the second-place scholar in the imperial examination of the second year of the Tianqi reign. He was exceptionally talented and deeply trusted by the emperor.

At a young age of less than forty, he was appointed Junior Chamberlain of the Eastern Palace, which meant he was no ordinary person. In an instant, he realized the inappropriateness of his words.

His eyes showed a hint of panic, and his three long, flowing beard, which could be described as a "beautiful beard," trembled. He quickly bowed and said, "Your Highness, please forgive me. I misspoke."

Chen Yuezhi composed himself, his facial muscles twitching, and continued, "What I mean is, this Ning Baixuan, this Ning Baixuan..."

As he spoke, Chen Yuezhi paused, his expression becoming troubled.

Without Princess Tang, there would be no point in discussing anything further.

It was the four young masters of the Northern Dynasty who stirred up trouble by crashing their carriages into the princess's carriage.

If we ignore the princess and only talk about Ning Baixuan, it's indeed impossible to convict him.

It can't be said that Ning Baixuan went mad and inexplicably killed the mission's commander.

However, if the matter of the princess is brought up, it will be even more difficult to convict Ning Baixuan in order to quell the anger of the Northern Dynasty.

This should not be attributed to Ning Baixuan's personal motives, lest it cause rumors.

That can only be attributed to Ning Baixuan's selfless act of protecting the emperor.

Since it was for the public good, Ning Baixuan's ultimate goal was to protect the princess; at most, his actions were just excessive.

After a moment's thought, Chen Yuezhi said, "Your Highness, as His Majesty has decreed, although Ning Baixuan did act out of public interest, he did not wrongly kill the head of the delegation in the street, and after the Northern Dynasty had already stopped its actions, he beat the son of a prince of the Northern Dynasty in the street... His Majesty's punishment of only confining him to his quarters for three days is rather inappropriate."

"Upon hearing this, the Northern Dynasty delegation was filled with shock and fury. They are already strongly requesting an audience with His Majesty, demanding that His Majesty behead Ning Baixuan and give the Northern Dynasty an explanation. As for His Majesty's request that the son of the Northern Dynasty prince personally visit and apologize to Princess Tang, they... they..."

After a pause, Chen Yuezhi said sincerely, "They probably won't comply with the imperial decree."

Refusing the imperial decree would be a blow to the Southern Dynasty's dignity; let's see if the Southern Dynasty dares to attack their prince's son.

Born into a cotton-farming family, Xu Longdao, with the honest face of a peasant, snorted coldly and said, "Since His Majesty has already issued the decree, how can he take it back? If Hong Jiao doesn't apologize to Princess Tang, then when the deadline is tomorrow, we will go and drive Hong Jiao out of Nanjing!"

A cold smile crept across Xu Longdao's dark, seemingly honest face: "If Young Master Chen doesn't dare go, he can simply feign illness. Then, I, Xu Longdao, will be the first to storm the Northern Dynasty's embassy and drive them away!"

Upon hearing this, a chorus of cheers and applause erupted in the hall.

"Good, Xu Zanshan is right!" "Let's go! I'd love to too!" "I'll go too!" "Xu Zanshan is right. If we send military officers, it might seem like a show of force. But if we go, and the Northern Dynasty's embassy turns on us with swords and axes, then it's their fault!" "Indeed, indeed, that's exactly right!"

Chen Yuezhi's eyes twitched; he looked as if he had incurred the wrath of the masses. But he always maintained that he was acting out of a sense of public duty, and he possessed a self-reflective, fearless spirit!

At this moment, he seemed to grow stronger with each battle, and coldly glanced at the assembled officials, saying, "Xu Zanshan, gentlemen, if you were students of the Imperial Academy, and you uttered such impassioned words, I, Chen, would applaud you and say that our Great Liang has great potential for talent."

"If you were eight or nine-year-old children, waving straw sandals and wooden swords while saying these words, I, Chen, would be quite pleased, and might even give you a few copper coins to buy candy. But you are all important officials selected by the court over many years! At this time, what is the meaning of saying such impulsive and childish things?! Is this factionalism and attacking those who disagree? Is this disregard for the consequences?!"

Chen Yuezhi's eyes were like ice, and his voice was stern, growing louder with each utterance, instantly silencing the agitated crowd in the hall.

In an instant, even Xu Longdao hesitated for a few moments, but couldn't say anything, and his face fell silent.

Upon closer examination, it seems that His Majesty's handling of the matter this time was indeed somewhat inappropriate.

It would be one thing if Ning Baixuan was treated too leniently, but His Majesty also demanded that the son of the Northern Dynasty prince personally come to apologize.

If the other party refuses to go, then send them back to the Northern Dynasty. This is the biggest problem... Your Majesty is forcing the Northern Dynasty delegation to bow down.

But on this side… the ministers sighed inwardly… how could it be so easy to suppress?

It's certain that the Northern Dynasty delegation won't go.

For the court officials, the most difficult thing was how to prevent the Northern Dynasty from making trouble, and how to save face for the court after the Northern Dynasty stopped going. Did they really have to kick the son of the Northern Dynasty prince out of the country?

Inside the main hall, there was a long silence that lasted for about several dozen breaths.

A young eunuch entered the palace to light the lamps.

Zhu Cuiwei glanced silently at the assembled officials, pondered for a moment, then looked at someone below the hall and said softly, "Grand Tutor Sun, what is your opinion on this matter?"

Sun Chengshan slowly stood up. The old man's face was covered with wrinkles, mottled like tree bark, but his eyes were still very bright, as if there was still a lot of energy hidden in this old body.

Sun Chengshan clasped his hands and nodded, saying, "Your Highness... I propose that tonight at midnight, the Grand Secretariat summon the Rakshasa envoy. At 1 AM, the Grand Secretariat summon the Korean envoy. At 3 AM, the Grand Secretariat summon the Ministers of the Six Ministries and the Left and Right Commanders of the Five City Garrison. At 5 AM, the Grand Secretariat summon the Chief Administrators of the Tang and Gui Princes stationed in the capital, and the Deputy Commander of the Tang Prince's naval forces stationed in the capital..."

He summoned the Rakshasa and the Korean envoy…he also summoned the six ministers, the five city garrison commanders, and the vassal kings…and also the deputy commander of the Tang King's navy…

As Sun Chengshan spoke, the eyes of the assembled officials lit up, but at the same time, they were filled with worry... The Northern Dynasty was at war with the Rakshasa... This was to put constant pressure on the Northern Dynasty delegation.

Sun Chengshan said, "In my humble opinion, Your Majesty's order to the son of the Northern Dynasty's prince was a brilliant move. This seized the initiative, pinning the blame on the Northern Dynasty's delegation first. Otherwise, they might have falsely accused us, putting our dynasty in a passive position. With Your Majesty's move, our situation is actually much better... At that time, even if the Northern Dynasty still refuses to submit, Your Majesty and His Highness can simply grant them clemency, and the Northern Dynasty will have no choice but to swallow the bitter pill and express their gratitude..."

Upon hearing Sun Chengshan's words, the assembled officials gasped in surprise, then paused for a moment before realizing something... His Majesty first condemned him, then offered him a way out... Hmm... that certainly makes sense!

Zhu Cuiwei thought for a while, and then, with a final glance, she said, "What Minister Sun said is absolutely right. Let's proceed according to this precedent."

Immediately afterwards, the Grand Secretary wrote an edict, which Prince Zhu approved, and then handed it over to the Cabinet for implementation.

After the ministers had discussed the matter again, Chen Yuezhi, with a complex expression, stood up and sighed towards Prince Xin:

"Your Highness, gentlemen. Now that everything has been settled, let us discuss this last matter."

These words were spoken.

The assembled officials in the hall immediately let out a silent sigh of relief, their eyelids lowered.

Chen Yuezhi said, "Gentlemen, Emperor Wenzong of the Northern Dynasty, Nalan Ruo, has come south. This man is a master of poetry, wine, and chess. We have already understood his intentions. At the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet at Prince Xin's residence the day after tomorrow, he will make it clear that he will meet with the heroes of Jiangnan through poetry and chess..." As Chen Yuezhi spoke, he sighed and glanced at the ministers. "I have been busy with many matters related to the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet recently. You have also been preparing for half a month regarding the selection of a person to deal with Nalan Ruo. I wonder if the preparations are complete?"