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

This unexpected turn of events caught everyone off guard.

Thick smoke billowed from the embassy in the south, and the smell of burning spread with the night wind. The fire, fueled by the wind, grew larger and larger!

The towering flames instantly turned half the sky red!

In an instant, the sounds of hurried footsteps, shouts of killing, cries for help, crackling explosions, occasional "bangs" of explosions, and the chilling sound of collapsing buildings filled the air, sending chills down everyone's spines and making them break out in a cold sweat.

The seventy or eighty armored and armed soldiers of the Northern Dynasty's Imperial Guard immediately erupted in uproar.

"Enemy attack?"

"Who?"

"The Nine Gates Admiral?!"

"Prince Yi? Your Highness? Your Highness wants to kill that southern dog who hit him?"

The sounds of fighting, both real and feigned, emanated from the embassy. As everyone looked at each other, they felt a sense of shock and bewilderment. The soldiers stared at each other, inhaling the acrid smell of burning air, while awaiting orders from their superiors.

When the explosion rang out, Tianye, the commander of the guard battalion, suddenly widened his eyes, felt a chill in his heart, and swayed.

"Was there really an enemy attack? Did they sneak in through my defenses?"

The horrifying thought flashed through his mind. A wave of scorching heat hit him, but he felt a chill run through his body and his face turned deathly pale!

But as a military officer of the third rank, he instinctively calmed down, waved his hand, and was about to order his subordinates to enter the embassy to put out the fire and capture the thieves when...

The names "Nine Gates Admiral" and "Prince Yi" that came from inside made him hesitate for a few moments.

There was already a lot of opposition in the capital to the alliance with the Southern Dogs, such as the Plain White Banner and the Plain Red Banner to which he belonged. Everyone was against it. Although the Rakshasa people had captured Aihui, they might not be able to capture Ningguta. Khotan hadn't even been to Ningguta yet.

But the emperor had already made up his mind, so they had no choice but to obey.

The Commander of the Nine Gates was a member of the Plain White Banner.

As for Prince Yi... it's not entirely impossible that he could stage a sneak attack to kill that person, based on the grudge between Prince Yi's mansion and someone in the delegation.

The commander, dressed in white armor with red trim, pondered for two breaths amidst the deafening shouts of battle.

This hesitation didn't last long. The thought that whoever attacked the embassy would be implicated triggered his instincts as a military officer stationed in Beijing, filling him with extreme hatred for the traitors. The next moment, his face hardened, and he issued the order:

"Blow the horns!"

"Report this immediately to the Commander of the Nine Gates! There are rebels! Please send troops at once!"

"Order all firefighters in Dongjiangmi Lane, Qipan Street, and the surrounding streets—including those responsible for extinguishing fires—to come immediately and put out the blaze!"

"Mo Dan! Take twenty men to protect the Southern Dynasty delegation! Da Lu! Take thirty men to flank the enemy and cut off their retreat! The rest of you, immediately follow me into the fray and charge the enemy! Achieve great merit!"

"Yes, sir!!" After Tianye gave the order, the deep sound of a bull's horn pierced the night sky and resounded throughout the city. At the same time, seventy or eighty people in the field shouted "Hail me!"

Yue Le, a second-class guard of the Sticky Rod Office, was startled by the sight of flames soaring into the sky, and his heart sank.

"A Rakshasa?"

impossible!

The young man on the white horse had just said that he had received news that the Rakshasa would be attacking the delegation tonight with a group of thieves, and he wanted to verify this news. Before he could leave the delegation, the sound of explosions and the sound of the attack came one after another.

Yue Le gritted his teeth, the tough, rough dough trembling slightly, revealing a sinister look.

Such an explosion sound was definitely caused by gunpowder!

Could it really be a Rakshasa?!

The light in his eyes flickered uncertainly, as if he were about to devour someone.

The commander beside him calmly issued the order to respond normally.

It was at this moment.

"Bang bang bang!"

Several plumes of fireworks rose into the sky above the inner city of Beijing.

Yue Le suddenly turned his head. The fireworks, a mix of blue and purple, bloomed like lotus flowers in the night sky, and his heart skipped a beat.

"Tenrikyo?!"

How is that possible?!

How could it be the Heavenly Principle Sect?!

These fireworks signals appear to be signals from the Heavenly Principle Sect.

"But how could it be the Heavenly Principle Sect?!"

Yue Le's doubts were like a howling wind!

"Discard the horse!"

At that moment, a sharp, angry roar rang out behind him.

"Follow me immediately to protect Prince Jing!"

Holding his waist knife, Yue Le, whose arms were already tense, suddenly turned his head, just as the flames and heat wave rushed towards him.

He saw that the young man who had come out on horseback had already put away his musket, his face ashen.

He raised the long sword from the side of the white horse.

He dismounted from his horse, accompanied by a group of Imperial Guards dressed in black flying fish robes.

The crowd rushed into the embassy through the side door, shouting as they ran, "To Zishui Pavilion! Save Prince Jing!"

Yue Le's eyes narrowed slightly.

Tianye, who was beside him, had already given the orders. Both Mo Dan and Dalu were sixth-rank military officers.

Mo Dan led his men to closely follow Ning Baixuan, to protect the delegation, especially the Prince Jing of the Southern Dynasty.

Darlu led his men deeper into the alley, using the sound to pinpoint the location. The first explosion and flash of light came from the west wing of the embassy. They were at the north back gate. Darlu led his men deeper into the alley, then turned left to reach the west wing and block the thieves' retreat.

"Lord Yue Le!" Tian Ye gritted his teeth and clasped his hands in a fist salute, "This humble general will now go and slay the traitors!"

Yue Le said urgently, "I will explain everything to you. You just need to protect the delegation and capture the traitors; that will be a great achievement! You will be rewarded without any blame!"

Konno was overjoyed! After shouting "Thank you, sir!" he grinned maliciously, spat out a mouthful of saliva, and led the rest of his men into the embassy!

The two side doors had been kicked off by the crowd, and one by one, figures filed in, revealing a sky full of flames and the gleaming of knives.

"grown ups!"

"grown ups!"

After ordering someone to quickly inform the Shangyu Preparatory Office, Yue Le took a step forward, intending to step out, and then led the remaining four guards behind him into the embassy.

Just then, someone from either side delivered a message.

"Speak first!" Yue Le said gravely, "I'll settle accounts with you later for your negligence!"

The entire embassy was surrounded by spies from the Sticky Rod Office, but until that explosion, not a single person from the Sticky Rod Office gave a warning!

Yue Le frowned, feeling extremely annoyed.

"Sir!" a man on the left reported in a panic, "We didn't see anyone climb over the embassy wall!"

Yue Le abruptly stopped, puzzled, but shouted:

"Would you dare stake your life on this?!"

The man's expression froze instantly.

Yue Le turned his head again to look at another scout who had come over to report.

When the cold gaze fell upon him, the scout's face turned deathly pale. He said something similar to what the previous scout had said: that his men hadn't seen anyone climb over the wall either.

But it's hard to say whether those thieves were lying in ambush beforehand, or whether the embassy had been tunneled into.

The shouts of battle inside grew louder and louder, and the explosions became more frequent. In the intervals between the explosions, Yue Le heard a deafening shout:

"They've kidnapped Prince Jing! After them! Go after them right now!"

Sweat beaded on Yue Le's forehead, and a chill ran through him. The peace talks hadn't even begun, and these Southern Kingdom envoys hadn't even had a chance to pay their respects to the Emperor, yet they had been wiped out in the capital.

Yue Le gritted his teeth and gave the order in a fierce tone:

"Immediately issue the order! The secret guards are to become the visible guards, and they are to be on guard in all directions! Anyone who escapes from the embassy to the surrounding areas, arrest them all! Any Southern Dynasty people who escape and haven't shaved their heads, send them to the Siamese embassy next door!"