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

They had already offended Hongfeng, so they should have killed him along with him this time.

But the older brother only let the other person crawl between his legs.

Not only did they not kill the other party, they also left him a horse.

Er Lai had some doubts before, since his elder brother had never had the perverse pleasure of having someone crawl between his legs:

"Isn't this like letting a tiger return to the mountains?"

Ning Nan, riding a large white horse, laughed and said, "Hong Feng can hardly be called a tiger."

The large cavalry unit had already been taken back by Zheng Xiao and Tong Shun ahead of time.

He was only accompanied by the Imperial Guards, his household servants, and a few cavalrymen who knew the way.

Chen San led about thirty members of the Heavenly Principle Sect on horseback and in a carriage, following behind them.

Erlai was stunned for a moment, and said in confusion, "But as long as Hongfeng is released, he will still oppose us later."

talking.

He suddenly paused, a hint of excitement in his eyes: "So, brother, you brought that eunuch and this Hongjiao with you to threaten Hongjiao?"

Ning Nan shook his head:

"No. I brought this eunuch and Hongjiao along because I was afraid Hongfeng would kill them."

Did Hongfeng kill them?

Riding a large yellow horse, Erlai frowned, puzzled. After chewing for a few moments, he said in a shudder:

"Would Hongfeng kill them to silence them?!"

Today, Hongfeng was forced to crawl between his legs by his elder brother. The only people who know about this are them, this eunuch, and Hongjiao.

Hongfeng only disinfected these two people, then made a great decision to find another way to kill them, and no one would know about the incident of crawling between someone's legs!

Even if they spread the word, it will just be a rumor and won't have much impact on Hongfeng.

Only the eunuch and Hong Jiao were the real thorns in Hong Feng's side!

Ning Nan laughed and said, "If Hong Jiao really goes back with Hong Feng, Hong Jiao will probably die of illness in a few days. Not to mention the eunuch."

That's all.

He said calmly, "With these two thorns in my hand, it's better for Hongfeng to be alive than dead."

"Apart from that, Hongfeng is alive, so our only enemy on this mission is him. If Hongfeng dies..."

Ning Nan stared straight ahead at the vast, misty sky and sighed.

"The enemy we're sending as an envoy could really be that iron-hat prince, or even that Tartar emperor."

By then, the conflict will be irreconcilable.

The failure of the alliance negotiations is a minor matter; we ourselves have no chance of escaping unscathed.

The reason for not killing Hongfeng was to keep the situation at this level.

In fact, I thought it would be good enough if we could wipe out this Tartar cavalry, but capturing the Hongfeng brothers alive was an unexpected bonus.

Erlai thought for a moment. He remembered what his elder brother had said; he had read some military books in Lijia Village and often consulted the schoolteacher at Lijia Village Elementary School. He frowned and said:

"Wouldn't it be better if we detained Hongfeng? We can use him as a hostage to threaten the Tartar emperor, hide him outside Beijing, or even send him back to Jiangpu. Even if the alliance fails, it will allow us to escape from Beijing."

The green mountains on both sides were left behind by them, one after another.

Ning Nan gave a wry smile.

If they had arrested Hongfeng's father, Yunxiang, the thirteenth brother of Emperor Yongzheng, it might have been useful in threatening the emperor.

But Hongfeng, this nephew... let alone a nephew, even if he captured Yongzheng's own son, he probably wouldn't be able to threaten him.

However, if I told Lai Zi this, he might not understand, so I said:

"Hongfeng is of little use to us; he's just eating our food. Only if he goes back can he help us with some things."

Erlai was taken aback.

Ning Nan patted the black cloth bag on the right side of the white horse, inside which was a skull of Amurtu preserved with lime, and laughed:

"For example, we really need Hongfeng to help us explain where Amurtu went."

"Whether it's those thirty cavalrymen, those hundred bandits, or even Hong Jiao, where did they go... Hong Feng will help us explain all these questions..."

Capturing Hongfeng was an accident; if we let him go, he will definitely come back with a vengeance.

But they couldn't kill him either. If they detained him, the Northern Dynasty would definitely investigate the disappearance of a dignified prince.

If the other party tracks them down, it will inevitably cause a disturbance and hinder the mission's objectives.

After standing at the cave entrance for a few moments, he realized that the only option left was to have the other person crawl between his legs.

Whether they can completely control Hongfeng by relying on Gui Cai and Hong Jiao, two thorns in his side, is unknown.

But at least it's enough to deter the other party from acting recklessly. Even some small requests, no matter how angry the other party is, are unlikely to be refused.

Things should be much simpler once we head north to Beijing.

……

……

It was already broad daylight.

The camps of the envoys from both the Northern and Southern Dynasties remained fully occupied, and they did not continue their journey north.

Duanliang, the Left Vice Minister of the Court of Colonial Affairs of the Northern Dynasty and the person in charge of the Northern Dynasty delegation, led a group of ministers from the Northern Dynasty delegation to the Southern Dynasty delegation's residence behind the main site for inquiries.

Duanliang, dressed in the official robes of the Northern Dynasty, smiled broadly at the group of somewhat silent Southern Dynasty officials and said:

"Gentlemen, shall we now set off?"

Dressed in a scarlet robe, Jia Shi'an calmly said:

"Please wait a moment, Ambassador. Last night, some bandits from your dynasty attacked our camp."

"Our Vice Envoy Ning is a man of great public duty and righteousness. He was worried that these bandits would harass the surrounding Han people, so he mobilized troops overnight to search for the thieves. They have not yet returned. However, he should be back soon."

Duanliang smiled and said:

"Your Excellency is alarmed. Indeed, such a thing has happened. The prefect of Chuzhou in our court wrote a letter saying that last year, there was a flood in Jiangnan, and some Jiangnan people who could not survive turned to banditry."

"They went north to the Yangzhou, Chuzhou, and Huai'an areas, looting everywhere."

"The local officials are quite troubled. Their efforts to suppress the bandits have been unsuccessful, which is why they have disturbed your esteemed envoy. After Duanliang returns to the capital, he will surely submit a memorial against them and avenge your delegation."

Upon hearing this, all the officials from Jiangnan turned their heads in surprise.

Censor Cai Tong snorted and said:

"In my opinion, this band of bandits is skilled in archery and horsemanship, and their orders are strictly followed. Their horses are all tall, fine horses from the north. If our bandits from Jiangnan had such abilities, they would probably have been raised by your dynasty long ago!"

This statement was a veiled jab at the fact that the cavalry unit was originally from the Eight Banners cavalry.

The officials from Jiangnan chuckled softly.

Duanliang and the other Northern Dynasty officials knew they were no match for their opponents in a war of words, so they didn't take it seriously.

Anyway, they saw that the enemy had returned with several cavalry units, all covered in blood, with no spoils and not even many heads.

Duanliang calmed down. He was a member of the Bordered White Banner, and the Prince Yi's mansion had sent someone to warn him that he would teach that Ning a lesson.

After considering it for a moment, he gave instructions that the other envoys from the Southern Dynasty should not be harmed, especially the chief envoy, Queen Jing, and then he left it at that.

Duanliang chuckled and said, "In that case, we will wait for your Grand Prince Consort. If your Deputy Envoy does not return in another quarter of an hour, I will send a letter to Chuzhou, requesting that the city send people to search for him..."

It was at this moment.

A scout came to report from outside the tent: "Lord Jia! The Grand Prince Consort has returned safely!"