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

The room was filled with the pungent smell of rhubarb medicine, which was used to reduce swelling and pain in Hong Jiao's facial injuries.

The Third Prince, however, remained calm, stepped into the room, and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, please rise."

"Thank you, Master!" Nalan Ruo and Nilong's voices rose and fell as they abruptly stood up. Hong Jiao's face was swollen and red on one side, and she had lost many teeth, so her speech was inevitably slow and slurred: "Thank you, Master."

The Third Prince pointed to a reclining chair nearby and laughed, "Fourth Brother, why don't you lie down for a while? I bought you some medicine, and your servants will try it first. They'll come and apply the medicine for you later."

Hongjiao gratefully exclaimed, "Thank you, Your Highness," took a few steps, and obediently lay down on the recliner.

The Third Prince lifted a gold-threaded blanket from the recliner and covered Hongjiao with it.

Hongjiao's eyes were already brimming with tears from the pain, and when he saw the Prince personally covering him with a blanket, his eyes welled up with tears that rolled down his cheeks. He said, his voice choked with emotion, "This servant thanks the Prince."

The Third Prince glanced at the other man's injuries and frowned. He disliked people referring to themselves as "servants" in his presence, but no one ever took it seriously. The Third Prince sighed, "No need. Fourth Brother, I'll have to make do for now. Don't worry, the face of Prince Yi's son isn't so easily slapped. I'll give you an explanation."

Hongjiao's eyes welled up with tears, and he immediately cried out gratefully, "This servant, this servant kowtows to thank Your Highness."

The fourth young master, who had never been so angry in his life, spoke with a mournful tone. In the delegation heading south, he brought many old bondservants, and even the deputy commander of the Han army in the delegation was a servant of the Plain Yellow Banner.

The original plan was to have the Han army deputy commander lead men to cut off Ning Nan's head, and before leaving, to take the fiery Tang princess with him to be the Tang king's son-in-law for a few days. But after the prince's suggestion, it was temporarily difficult to take action.

The Third Prince smiled at Nalan and Nilong and said, "Please sit down, gentlemen." The two thanked him and sat down.

While the maid was refilling the tea for the three, Nilong said, "Your Highness, I have already discussed this with Lord Dachun. Last night, the Southern Dynasty summoned the Rakshasa and Korean envoys one after another. Although we do not know the truth, it is not advisable to cause any trouble at this critical time in the north. Therefore, I have already made peace with the false emperor of the Southern Dynasty."

The Third Prince and Nalan Ruo nodded slightly.

Da Chun held the official rank of Vice Minister of the Court of Colonial Affairs, a second-rank official, and was the chief envoy of this mission.

More than sixty years ago, the Qing Dynasty entered the pass under the pretext of avenging the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. After sweeping away the dust and turmoil, killing the rebels, and seizing the central and southern regions, it immediately marched south and slaughtered its way through Jiangnan.

Just as the Qing dynasty's cavalry was sweeping across Jiangxi, the situation took an unexpected turn. Shangguan Ke, a magistrate from a small county in Jiangxi, suddenly rose to prominence, leading three thousand troops to decisively defeat the Qing army at the border of Fujian and Jiangxi. He then supported his wife, Lady Zhu, to become empress in Nanjing, and subsequently defeated the Three Feudatories of the Qing dynasty in Sichuan. His men traveled tirelessly between Quanzhou and Kunming within a few months, persuading the Princes of Tang and Gui to jointly honor the empress. The Liang imperial family appointed him Grand Prince Consort, and he was made regent in Jiangnan, where he re-established the ancestral temples, thus extending the Liang dynasty's reign.

After failing to conquer Jiangnan in three years, the Qing dynasty sought out a descendant of the Ming emperor Kaidi, performed ancestral rites to Heaven and re-establish the Liang dynasty. Three months later, the Liang emperor abdicated, and the Qing dynasty bestowed upon him the title of Marquis of Ying Le. From then on, the Qing court held sway over the Central Plains, and the people and officials north of the Yangtze River also held the reins of legitimacy, referring to the Southern dynasty as a false emperor and a false dynasty.

"good,"

Upon hearing the words of the deputy envoy, the Third Prince thought for a moment, then smiled and nodded.

"Vice Envoy Nilon and Lord Dachun have both worked hard."

Niron immediately nodded and said, "This servant dares not."

"About that Ningnan..." Third Prince raised an eyebrow.

Nilon immediately said, "Your Highness, according to our scouts, Ning Nan is not only a talented scholar who gained fame at the North-South Poetry Gathering, but also an advisor to Gu Xichuan, the Grand Tutor of the Southern Dynasty. He played a significant role in Gu Xichuan's conquest of Black Tiger Mountain. Furthermore—"

Nilon took a deep breath, his eyes grave, and said, "This person seems to be a descendant of Ning Changling and his lineage."

"Ning Changling?" Nalan Ruo frowned, her tone turning serious. "The Marquis of Jingbei of the Southern Dynasty?"

"Exactly."

The Third Prince narrowed his eyes and slowly nodded: "That's understandable."

Nalan Ruo laughed and said, "So that's why Ning Baixuan dared to beat up our handsome fourth brother in the street. He shares the same surname as Ning Changling, no wonder he's so arrogant."

At this moment, Hong Jiao, who was reclining on the chair, also twitched her eyebrows. She suddenly remembered that day, when that person seemed to have said something like, "His Ning is the Ning of Jingbei Marquis." So that's what he meant. Hong Jiao's voice turned cold as she said, "Didn't Ning Changling's adopted son die recently? Is this his only descendant?"

Niron said, "Yes, I do have a daughter, but she's the only one who can inherit the title."

"Then take his head back!" Hong Jiao's face trembled, and he said excitedly, "If we can make Ning Changling have no heir, His Majesty will be extremely happy."

Nilon smiled and said, "What the Fourth Young Master says is absolutely right."

Nalan Ruo glanced at Nilong and said calmly, "Fourth Brother, the Prince said he would give you an explanation. Just wait, what's the rush?"

He and Hongjiao were both from the Plain Yellow Banner, while Nilong was from the Plain White Banner. The Plain Yellow Banner advocated conquering the north before conquering the south, stabilizing the northern border first, and then seizing the south. Otherwise, if the Russians invaded, it would be a repeat of the Qing Dynasty's conquest of the Central Plains.

However, the territory of the Plain White Banner is now mostly in the south, where they do not have to face the Rakshasa. They advocate conquering the south first and then the north, otherwise, without grain and taxes from the south, it would be difficult to defeat the Rakshasa. Nilong, however, harbored malicious intentions and had been hoping that Hongjiao would send his lackeys to kill Ningnan, so as to provoke border conflicts without taking responsibility.

The Third Prince frowned slightly, raised his eyelids, and slowly said, "Vice Envoy, it seems that this Ningnan... is also from the village where Princess Bulbuza stayed, right?"

Nilon was taken aback, not expecting that the Prince had learned of this matter, and then said frankly, "Your Highness is wise, indeed, Ningnan is from that village."

The Third Prince laughed and said, "Then let's not move for now. We'll talk about it when we're about to leave."

"Yes." Nylon nodded immediately.

Although Hongjiao was unwilling to accept this, he could only suppress his feelings for the time being.

The backyard of the Northern Dynasty embassy features a meticulously arranged Jiangnan-style garden, complete with plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, chrysanthemums, and strangely shaped rocks—all masterpieces of Jiangnan craftsmanship.

The Third Prince walked slowly with his hands behind his back, alongside Nalan Ruo, whose hair was tied up.

"His Majesty allows Nalan to be so reckless," Nalan Ruo said leisurely, toying with the long, thin braid on his head. "He doesn't need to shave his head; he can just keep this one thin braid. This is how His Majesty pacifies Jiangnan. His Majesty is telling the scholars of Jiangnan that Han culture holds a place in His Majesty's heart."

"And the fact that I, a Manchu, have gained the reputation of being a literary master and traveled south to Jiangnan to seek knowledge is also a result of His Majesty's policy of appeasement. His Majesty wants to tell the scholars of Jiangnan that what Han people can learn, I, a Manchu, can also learn, and can learn even better."

"Similarly, what the Han emperor could do, he, the Manchu emperor, could also do, and even do better."

"Your Highness," Nalan Ruo turned to look at the person beside her and said solemnly, "the path of the Plain Yellow Banner is the right one."

The Third Prince said, "Mr. Nalan is too modest. It's not that Han culture holds a place in His Majesty's heart, but rather that you, Nalan Wenzong, hold a place in His Majesty's heart."

Nalan Ruo shook his head and laughed, "Brother Guiyu, since we're all alone, don't pretend to be stupid and say the opposite of what you mean."

The Third Prince, whose real name was Hongchang and Han name was Hanchang, didn't respond. He narrowed his eyes slightly and a mocking smile appeared on his handsome face. He said, "Let Nalan Wenzong pay the bill for that calligraphy by Ning Jiexiao first. To be honest, Brother Nalan, my booksellers spent a full 30,000 taels of silver to get Ning Jiexiao to write your poem 'The Immortal of the Pipa'."