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

"Then Prince Xin has already married?" Xu Xiyin, with her hair styled in a female Taoist bun, exclaimed in surprise.

"Is your husband's family still Ning Baixuan's?"

"Brother Ge, where did you get this news?"

"Indeed, I have lived in Nanjing for a long time, and my spies have never heard a single word of it!" said an old man wearing a crown and looking like a wealthy man in surprise.

The younger sister of the Emperor of Liang, Prince Xin, the Crown Prince of Liang who will ascend the throne in ten days... Zhu Cuiwei is getting married, to a talented man who suddenly appeared... Such news is truly astonishing. The candlelight flickers in the underground chamber, and for a moment, everyone is talking at once, with exclamations and doubts rising up.

Chen Santong's left-hand man, Zheng Baoju with the hooked nose, also looked at each other, wondering if this was a fake news.

Ge Jianhong raised his eyebrows and let out a soft breath. He had just told everyone in detail about Ning Baixuan's defeat of Black Tiger Mountain. While everyone was indignant, they were also extremely shocked.

Unexpectedly, something even more shocking was yet to come.

A resolute expression appeared on Ge Jianhong's middle-aged face.

"Gentlemen," he said solemnly, bowing respectfully to those around him, "you need not doubt this news. Regarding the Crown Princess's private marriage, the Right Protector and I are..."

Ge Jianhong hesitated for a moment. This news was no small matter, and the source of the news was of utmost importance. If Xiao Chun had not died and the Right Protector had not had to transfer him to take charge of the overall situation, he himself would have found it extremely difficult to believe such a thing.

However, considering that everyone here is a prominent figure in the sect, and many of you are still young, your fathers often died in the sect's persecution, such as Chen San's father, who died at the hands of the Northern Tartars many years ago.

Twenty-two years ago, after the Heavenly Principle Sect decisively defeated the Forbidden City, the Northern Tartars relentlessly besieged and suppressed them, causing many of the sect's best members to perish. Fortunately, the younger generation stepped up one by one, proving themselves no less capable than their fathers and grandfathers. Ge Jianhong was actually quite comforted by this, and now, without hiding anything from them, he loudly proclaimed:

"The Right Protector and Ge have confirmed this information thoroughly; it comes from within the Zhu Liang royal family."

The Zhu Liang royal family?

Someone exclaimed in surprise, "That prince?!"

"Not bad." Ge Jianhong nodded.

Everyone suddenly realized.

If what that prince said is true, then it's almost certainly true.

The crowd was somewhat taken aback, never expecting that the second female emperor of Southern Liang was already married.

Zheng Baoju, with his hooked nose, sneered: "What a coincidence! Capture Ning Baixuan, lure and kill Zhu Cuiwei, and then kill Ning Baixuan afterward, sending this ill-fated couple to meet the King of Hell together! Avenge Master Xiao's blood feud!" He waved his arm.

"good!"

"Exactly!"

"Master Zheng is absolutely right!"

Everyone looked excited and agreed.

Chen San, however, looked grave and hesitated for a moment.

The Heavenly Principle Sect is divided into left and right protectors, four generals, and eight altars each in the south and north. He is the altar master of the North Qian Heavenly Altar, and Xiao Chun is the altar master of the North Kan Water Altar. The two are close. Previously, they only knew that the right protector sent Xiao Chun south to preside over a major event, but they did not know what it was. Later, when they heard that Xiao Chun had lost his life, all eight altars in the north were both saddened and shocked.

Xiao Chun was the most outstanding among his generation. Last year in Hejian Prefecture, Xiao Chun, with the combined strength of the three altars, killed a Manchu deputy commander of the Bordered Yellow Banner and escaped unscathed, greatly boosting the prestige of the sect! Unexpectedly, such terrible news came not long after they went south this year!

"Third Brother," Ge Jianhong said at this moment, "this time, our Beikun Ditan Temple is acting on the orders of the Right Protector..."

Knowing that the other party was afraid that he would feel resentful if the other party took charge of the overall situation, Chen San waved his hands and laughed, saying that it should be Uncle Ge who took charge!

Calling someone "uncle" is an acknowledgment of their seniority, and the seven people on the right, including Ge Jianhong, all showed expressions of gratitude.

The female Taoist priest on the left and the few people with hooked noses were somewhat dissatisfied.

If the Right Protector truly succeeds in assassinating the Crown Prince of Southern Liang and supporting that prince's ascension to the throne, his prestige will likely surpass that of the old leader. Proposing the old leader's abdication would then be a logical next step.

As for the young leader personally appointed by the old leader, even with the full support of the Left Protector, he would probably have little chance of rising to prominence. However, since Chen San had no objections, they could only remain silent.

Although Xiao Chun died at the hands of Ning Baixuan, everyone was inevitably somewhat disappointed after learning that the other party was Zhu Cuiwei's husband.

"Old Ge," the hook-nosed man sneered, "so it seems that Ning Baixuan's so-called research into new gunpowder and his so-called great victory over Black Tiger Mountain were all just a pavement for Zhu Cuiwei to pave for her lover!"

The old man in brocade nodded and said, "The gunpowder was the work of an unknown craftsman, and the destruction of Black Tiger Mountain was the work of Gu Xichuan."

"Gu Xichuan really is a man of few words, but when he does act, it's as swift as lightning!" The scholar Feng Yu on the right sighed, agreeing with the old man in brocade robes. The others nodded in agreement, their expressions solemn.

Seeing the atmosphere had become tense, someone chuckled and said, "I just heard that he was able to defeat Xiao Chun, and I thought he was some kind of hero. I thought it wouldn't be unjust for Xiao Chun to die at his hands. Turns out... he's just a pretty boy." Everyone smiled and the atmosphere relaxed.

Xu Xiyin said, "The poems must be genuine."

"That's right." Someone nodded in agreement.

Gu Xichuan wasn't a famous poet when he was young, so it's unlikely he wrote these many masterpieces. It's hard to imagine anyone in the world being able to write them on his behalf.

Feng Yu nodded in agreement, saying that it was probably because of his poetry that Zhu Cuiwei took a liking to this pretty boy, married him, and then looked down on his lowly status, sending him to follow Gu Xichuan to scavenge for credit. The hook-nosed man immediately agreed, gritting his teeth, "What a lucky pretty boy!"

Everyone present was quick-witted, and after a few back and forth, they had almost completely figured out the situation.

A long-bearded man on the right smiled and said, "It's not a bad thing. Zhu Cuiwei is willing to pave the way for this pretty boy, which shows that she is keeping a close eye on him. Once we capture Ning Baixuan, our big plan will be a piece of cake."

Everyone smiled and agreed, showing great confidence in the Right Protector's plan.

If the emperor of Southern Liang was installed by them, then when they start an uprising in the north, and Southern Liang launches a northern expedition at the same time, then driving out the Tartars will truly be a great thing to look forward to!

Seeing that everyone agreed with the Right Protector's plan and that the sect was united, Ge Jianhong felt relieved.

After hearing everyone explain Ning Baixuan's situation, she suddenly realized something and smiled, saying, "Ning Baixuan is just an eighteen-year-old boy, but Zhu Cuiwei feels that her lover's talent is not enough. She insists on arranging for him to go to Gu Xichuan's command to gain some military merit. Isn't she afraid of being laughed at?"

With the grand plan settled and everyone working together, they couldn't help but joke around. Upon hearing Ge Jianhong's words, everyone burst into laughter.

The female Taoist priest Xu Xiyin felt that these words sounded familiar. After pausing for a moment, she couldn't help but smile and say, "Ning Baixuan is eighteen years old, which is the same age as the young leader chosen by the old leader."

This remark drew another round of snickers, with several people saying, "What a coincidence!"

Then, because Feng Yu was the leader of the Nangen Mountain Altar, had been in the Southern Dynasty for a long time, and studied at the Bailu Academy, he was closer to Ning Baixuan, who was also a scholar, so the task of capturing Ning Baixuan was entrusted to him.

Feng Yu, who was thirty years old, was promoted by the Right Protector and was naturally overjoyed to accept the order. Chen San assigned Zhu Zi, who was good at tracking and surveillance, to Feng Yu, and Feng Yu immediately expressed his gratitude.

……

Deep night.

A few days after the Mid-Autumn Festival, the moon in the sky was already half gone.

Before leaving, Chen San turned his clothes inside out, turning his brown long robe into a blue servant's uniform.

He took off the dark blue wig from his head, put on a melon-shaped hat from his pocket, and then took out some dough to stick on his face to make himself look old. He hunched over, took a gourd of wine, and went out the door.

The soldiers, relying on the gold medals from the Northern Dynasty embassy, ​​passed through the curfew patrols.

They returned to the embassy of the Northern Dynasty.

The light in the Third Prince's room was still on.

After he arrived outside the room, he gently knocked on the door. Only after receiving permission from the Third Prince did Chen San open the door and go in.

"How is it?" Han Chang asked softly, holding a book in his hand as he read.

Chen San stepped forward slowly and said in a low voice, "The Right Seventh Altar is still not quite willing. As you instructed, we have already agreed to the Right Protector's strategy."

Originally, the sect was divided into eight altars each in the north and south. However, due to the subtle rivalry between the left and right protectors, the sect members secretly divided the altars into seven for the right protector and six for the left protector. As for the other three altar masters, Xiao Chun died, one was imprisoned in the imperial prison, and the other was trapped in the Rakshasa.

Han Chang didn't seem surprised. He hummed in agreement and smiled, saying, "Tell Elder Ge that you six from the Left Altar will only do support work and won't provoke Ning Baixuan."

Chen San frowned slightly: "We're not going to touch Ning Baixuan?... If that's the case? It's inevitable that..." He sounded somewhat weak.

Han Chang turned a page of his book, frowned, and said, "If they like to touch things, let them touch them. You just need to provide support." Chen San nodded in agreement when he saw that the other party spoke so solemnly.