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

…………

Wangfu Street.

The Third Prince's Residence.

As the emperor's third son, Hongchang, whose Han name is Han Chang, was granted the title of Third Prince by the emperor last year and received a prince's mansion.

If he could be the first among the emperor's sons to be granted the title of Prince of the County, then this Third Prince, who was not favored by the court officials, might actually have a chance to ascend to the throne.

If he were to be granted the title of Prince, before the Emperor's most favored son, Fu Hui, came of age, this Third Prince might be approached by a considerable number of court officials who wanted to gain merit in "supporting the emperor's rise to power," and would genuinely compete for the throne.

To be granted the title of Prince, one either needs to be extremely trusted and favored by the Emperor, or... one needs to achieve an unparalleled feat.

Whether it's the battle with the Rakshasa or the alliance talks with the Southern Dynasty,

The fact that the Emperor didn't involve the Third Prince was seen by most court officials as a very simple signal.

The Emperor... does not really trust this prince who has been living among the common people for many years.

If the Emperor had only wanted to give the Third Prince a chance to touch the edge of the throne, he would have at least made the Third Prince a deputy to Ortai in this important matter of forming an alliance with the Southern Dynasty.

At the second quarter of Hai hour, the Prince's mansion was as deserted as ever.

The Third Prince emerged from a secluded courtyard called Lengheng Pavilion.

Upon arriving at the main hall of the Prince's Mansion, they were greeted by Chen San, who had rushed over.

"Left Protector!"

Chen San, disguised as an old servant, bowed and greeted the man.

Han Chang was wearing an ordinary light green jacket. Seeing that he was sweating and panting, he smiled and asked him to sit down and rest for a while.

Chen San, however, was breathing rapidly and hurriedly recounted what had just happened.

"The cult leader wants to return south!"

Chen San recounted the entire story of how the cult leader, after hearing the so-called pledge of allegiance from a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Rites, planned to return south overnight.

Han Chang frowned: "A fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Rites? Who?"

Chen San gave a bitter smile, the short scar on his face trembling slightly:

"I don't know who it is either. The leader is like a frightened bird, only intending to leave the city. I couldn't stop him."

Han Chang sat at the head of the table, pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said:

"He can't get out. Let alone leaving the city, it's difficult for him to even leave Dongjiang Rice Lane."

"After leaving Dongjiang Rice Lane, there's the inner city gate. Beyond the inner city gate, there's the outer city gate, but all the gates are already closed and won't open until 3:45 AM tomorrow. How will he get out?"

At the hour of Xu (7-9 PM) each day, the inner and outer city gates are closed. To enter or leave the city after the gates are closed, a Yin-Yang talisman is required.

The three gates of the inner city—Zhengyang Gate, Chaoyang Gate, and Chongwu Gate—would be opened at 1-3 AM to facilitate officials residing in the outer city to attend court.

The curfew in the capital was extremely strict; anyone who went out on the streets without a token would be flogged.

Patrol soldiers lined the streets in droves, not to mention the Dongjiang Rice Lane where he lived.

Chen San didn't know what the leader planned to do, and only said worriedly:

"I don't know either, but even if we can't escape tonight, the leader will definitely have to leave tomorrow. That fifth-rank official from the Ministry of Rites is saying with absolute certainty that the Emperor will kill the leader to establish his authority."

Han Chang denied it, saying, "Nonsense. I said he wouldn't be in any danger, and he absolutely won't be in any danger."

talking.

He suddenly narrowed his eyes and said, "Did you make a copy of the news that the cult leader asked you to publish in the Beijing Daily?"

Chen San clasped his hands and said, "Left Protector, rest assured. The bookstore manager has already reviewed it and consulted the Fourth Prince. It can be printed. It's just a supernatural story, and there's nothing taboo about it."

Han Chang nodded upon hearing this. He then smiled and said:

"The leader is too impatient, perhaps because he is too young. You don't need to worry about him, go and rest first."

Chen San nodded immediately.

But as he lowered his head, his brows furrowed slightly, though he didn't seem to care much. He bent down and stepped back.

Han Chang sat silently in the main hall. After a while, a man in a black jacket came to see him outside the main hall.

"Go in," Han Chang said.

He didn't like being served, so the maids and several eunuchs were all sent to Lengheng Courtyard, leaving him alone in the main hall.

The man in the black jacket rushed in, kowtowed, and said in a hurried tone:

"Your Highness, a report from the Imperial Guard! A major disturbance has broken out in Dongjiang Rice Lane!"

…………

The standoff has been going on for a while now.

The instant after the military commander named Tianye uttered his blatant threat, a long spear pierced through the moonlight and thrust towards him without warning!

"snort!"

The captain let out a cold snort, and his waist knife was drawn in an instant. With a "clang!", the crisp sound pierced the sky and deflected Qian Sijin's spear!

"Surround them!"

A lieutenant beside Tianye called out.

In an instant, hurried footsteps sounded, and squads of infantry, totaling seventy or eighty men, poured out of the dark alley, surrounding the Imperial Guard's cavalry.

The infantrymen in front held spears, while those behind drew their bows. More than thirty spears and forty or fifty bows were aimed at Ning Nan and his group. Breaths of hot air billowed out under the moonlight as these guards' infantrymen kept their eyes fixed on the Southern Kingdom people in front of them.

The Imperial Guards hurriedly rode their horses to surround Ning Nan, raising their shields.

Ning Nan drew a musket from his waist and aimed it at Tian Ye.

Wearing an iron helmet, Zhen Susu took out a tinderbox and helped him light the match cord of the musket.

The dark muzzle of the gun was pointed at Tianye.

Night patrols in the capital were forbidden from using firearms. When Tianye saw the firearm in the other person's hand, he was slightly taken aback and thought that this ridiculous rule should really be abolished.

He sneered and said:

"Kid, you really think this is your Nanjing city, huh?!"

Ning Nan calmly replied, "Call me Lord Ning."

Tianye scoffed, "I'll count to three, and if you southern dogs still don't respond..."

"Bang!"

A deafening gunshot ripped through the sky and rang out in Dongjiang Rice Lane!

Flames erupted!

Tianye paused, his legs trembled, and cold sweat broke out all over his body!

Although no orders had been given from above, some archers who had been startled by the volley of the gunfire were still frightened and released their bows.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"

A dozen or so arrows were shot at the Imperial Guards.

Thump, thump, thump, the shields of the Imperial Guards blocked them one by one, but only one Imperial Guard let out a muffled groan. There was a gap in the shield, and he was hit by an arrow in his left arm.

A commotion arose among the infantry of the guards, who looked around, unsure whether to charge. Fortunately, the guards officers noticed that their commander was unharmed and breathed a sigh of relief, immediately shouting, "Don't move!"

At the side entrance of the embassy.

Tianye stared at the plume of smoke on the ground beneath him, his heart nearly stopping.

"You..." He felt a chill run through him, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. "You fucking actually..."

Ning Nan handed the musket in his hand to Zhen Susu, then drew another musket and aimed it at Tian Ye.

"Don't swear. Otherwise, I wouldn't have missed this shot."

Tianye's breath hitched, and his face hardened as he said, "You..."

He was about to say, "Try hitting me then," when he suddenly remembered some of the rumors about this person that had been circulating before.

Shooting Mu Liang to death in the street, beating up Young Master Hongjiao in the street, dueling with Danzhu in the West on Mid-Autumn Festival night and killing Danzhu... Most importantly, the other party beat up the Prince Yi's Prince in the Golden Palace in Nanjing... Tian Ye's pupils suddenly widened... Damn it... This guy is a madman...

Konno's foot moved slightly.

Ning Nan aimed at him and calmly said, "Don't move."

"To move is to die."

The same words were returned to him, and Tianye froze, his feet seemingly rooted to the ground, unable to move. Two sharp glints shot from his eyes, but as soon as he bumped into the man on horseback, the two glints seemed to melt like ice, instantly becoming limp.

"This general,"

Ning Nan calmly placed his finger on the trigger.

"Please don't threaten me. I don't know what would happen if I killed you."

"But I will kill you. Only you."