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

Ning Nan rode on a large white horse, holding the reins with both hands. Hearing the menacing voice, he put more effort into the stirrups. Sensing his master's nervousness, the large white horse shook its head and exhaled a puff of white breath from its nostrils.

At the hour of Hai (9-11 PM), a curfew was imposed in the capital. Dongjiang Rice Lane was deserted, and moonlight shone on the bluestone-paved street.

Their group of ten or so riders, all wearing cloaks, already seemed rather out of place.

Ning Nan turned around and looked down at the approaching general, who was about ten feet away.

He wore a white standard armor, covered with studs, with red trim around the edges and a black tassel hanging from the top. He carried a waist sword and slowly emerged from the shadows of an alley, followed by about ten armored infantrymen.

The infantrymen all wore blue armor with red trim.

In addition, ten infantrymen blocked the road from both the front and the rear, five with spears and five with powerful bows.

Beside Ning Nan, Zhen Susu, dressed as a man and riding a large black horse, lowered her voice and said:

"Black Cherry...Commander of the Imperial Guard, General of the Plain Red Banner."

"Commander of the Imperial Guard..." Ning Nan suddenly realized.

The Imperial Guard Battalion, one of the elite Eight Banners troops stationed in the capital of the Northern Dynasties, comprised 15,000 men. The Imperial Guard Commander was second only to the Imperial Guard Commander, holding a high-ranking official position of the third rank.

Ning Nan took a bronze plaque from his waist, held it up, and said with a gentle smile:

"Ning Nan, the deputy envoy of the Liang delegation, wishes to meet a guest at Liuyezhai on Chaoyangmen Inner Street. Please allow him to proceed."

The white-armored general stepped forward and refused, saying:

"A curfew is in effect. The deputy envoy may receive guests during the day, but not at night."

Ning Nan, riding his white horse, calmly said:

"General, tomorrow I and the officials of the delegation will meet with your Emperor. This is a matter of great importance, and I dare not be careless in the slightest. I believe you, General, cannot bear such responsibility. Tonight, I hosted a banquet at Willow Leaf Studio. Does the General know who my guests are?"

The general gripped his sword and said sarcastically:

"Who you are is none of my business! I'm not going to waste my breath on you. Return to the embassy immediately, or don't blame me for imposing the curfew!"

Ning Nan squinted his eyes into a slit.

The chilly night wind howled through the long street.

……

……

At the same time.

Yonghe Temple.

Inside the study of the Minister in charge of the Sticky Rod Office, the lamplight flickered softly.

Mu Shu sat upright behind her desk, holding several letters in her hand, looking them over and over.

"At the second quarter of the hour of Xu (7:45 PM), he sent three Imperial Guards disguised as ordinary people, each carrying a bronze token, out on horseback."

"One of them disguised himself and went through several alleys to deliver a letter to Chen Yaoqing of Fulu Teahouse, Zhao Yunji, the blacksmith on Dong'anmen Street, and Shi Sidong of Sihe Restaurant on Chaoyangmenwai Street. He asked them to deliver the letters back to the south."

"The other two sent visiting cards to more than ten people, including the Nine Gates Commander Aqitu, the Ministry of Rites Vice Minister Xu Yinzhong, the Bordered Blue Banner Deputy Commander Long Erqi, the Plain Blue Banner Han Army Deputy Commander Liu Changsi, the Ministry of Rites Vice Minister, and the Second-Class Minister of the Court of Colonial Affairs."

"Regarding the visiting card from the Nine Gates Admiral Aqitu, he said he hoped to pay a visit on the 28th of February, and attached a gift list, which was quite valuable. Among them were a golden Buddha and a Du Kang ruler. The wording of the visiting card was also very respectful, such as 'This junior' and 'Hoping for an audience with Your Excellency.'"

"As for the other officials, he sent them his visiting cards, along with a list of gifts, and arranged a time to visit them."

Yue Le, a second-class guard from the Imperial Guard wearing a black melon-shaped hat with fur trim, sighed and laughed:

"He is a dutiful son-in-law. I wonder if he has become more mature after experiencing some things, or if he was reprimanded by his empress fiancée? He has become much more disciplined in his actions."

"For the next ten days or so, he filled his schedule to the brim, planning to visit each of them one by one to pay his respects, almost every single day."

"The officials who visit are either those who can exert influence in the alliance, or those who have a voice before the Emperor."

"It seems that the Southern Dynasty's strategy was for King Jing to act as a clay idol, while Jia Shi'an negotiated, and the grandson-in-law of the emperor had to act as a grandson to the emperor and pay a visit."

Yue Le laughed and said, "A mere day in the capital, and Prince Hongfeng is willing to submit a memorial? I wonder how many times this person kowtowed to the prince and how many gifts he gave him behind his back?"

As a member of the Plain Red Banner, when the current emperor was still Prince Yong, his family's banner was assigned to Prince Yong's jurisdiction. At that time, he was a third-class bodyguard of the late emperor. When he went to pay his respects to Prince Yong, he caught the prince's eye and was regarded as a confidant from then on.

Now, he is the Minister in charge of the Sticky Rod Office, holding the rank of First Grade. His master's kindness is as vast as the sea, and Mu Shu has never hesitated to express it so that his master knows.

Looking at the three memorials in his hand, which the Southern Kingdom's grand prince consort intended to send back to the Southern Kingdom's queen, he couldn't help but smile, feeling a sense of kinship.

The three letters actually contained the same content, presumably because the prince consort was worried that the letters might be lost, so he sent one to each of them.

The letters were filled with expressions of longing and tender feelings, conveying both the subject's gratitude to the ruler and the fiancé's romantic love for his wife.

Some phrases, such as "When I traveled north, I saw the Yellow River. I was reminded of Your Majesty's kindness to me, which is truly like the surging river, endless and boundless. I couldn't help but shed tears that soaked my handkerchief, which made others laugh. But my heart was filled with warmth."

Such wording is excellent. Mu Shu felt that he could use some of these phrases when submitting his next memorial to the Emperor.

Mu Shu put down the letters and smiled:

"That prince consort has become much more tactful, which has made things much easier for us."

Yue Le nodded, but couldn't help feeling regretful.

They had previously thought that if this person acted as recklessly as he did in Nanjing, they would break his leg, and the Southern Dynasty would have nothing to say.

"It's a pity..." Yue Le sighed inwardly, "We'll have to wait more than ten days to take action like this."

The main force of the Eight Banners will need another ten days or so before they can break camp in the Northeast and head south, and the Northwest Army will also need more time.

Once the alliance was agreed upon, the Southern Dynasty delegation was instructed to relay the news of its success back to Nanjing.

It would take at least ten days for the message to be successfully transmitted, by which time the main force of the Eight Banners would be on its way.

When Nanjing received the news, the three major camps of Huainan withdrew, and Nanjing allowed the Jiangpu Army and Liuhe Army of the two northern cities to go out of the city to take over Zhucheng.

Once the Second Army reaches the Huai'an area, the Three Great Camps and the main force of the Eight Banners will launch a counterattack, and the Second Army will definitely not be able to escape. With the addition of the Russians, Jiangnan can be taken in one fell swoop.

Mu Shu interlaced his fingers and said, "The official seal of the delegation should be in the hands of Prince Jing. When discussing the alliance, we should still have a proper discussion and be careful not to alert the enemy."

"Yes." Yue Le, dressed in a black mandarin jacket, nodded immediately.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the study.

"Report!"

Mu Shu had given orders that in case of an extremely urgent matter, no one needed to report before entering.

At this moment, the third-class guard, dressed in a yellow jacket, solemnly entered and kowtowed to report.

"My lord!" A third-class guard entered the study, kowtowed, and said in a deep voice, "Trouble has broken out at the Southern Kingdom's embassy!"