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

In addition to the floor heating system, the Hall of Mental Cultivation also features animal-shaped braziers with glowing red charcoal fires in the four corners, making the hall warm and cozy.

The guard at the bottom, wearing a yellow riding jacket and a red-feathered hat, knelt on the ground and kowtowed with a hint of excitement, reporting this news.

"They've found Han Qing!"

"Speak." Yinzhen's face was somewhat pale, his tone was short, and he held the hand warmer tightly with both hands. His eyes changed from the mischievousness when he teased his son to a dangerous and solemn look, like a tiger that had suddenly spotted its prey.

The tall, square-faced imperial guard said in a gruff voice:

"Your Majesty, Lord Aning and the others have just arrived at Willow Leaf Studio. They reached the artificial hill mentioned in the letter, opened the secret door, and entered the underground passage."

Ortai, with his thick beard and hair, and a demeanor that was both gentle and dignified, described as having "the air of both spring and autumn," stood up and exclaimed in surprise:

"Is Han Qing inside that tunnel?"

Emperor Yongzheng, sitting on the dragon throne, suddenly pressed down on the hand warmer, while Han Chang, who had sat back down in the chair, pressed his arm against the armrest.

The guard named Niu Kulu Changbao shook his head and said, "Your Excellency, Your Majesty, Han Qing is not in that tunnel."

Yongzheng narrowed his eyes.

Not inside?

How could they possibly have found Han Qing?!

Chang Bao glanced up at the emperor, swallowed hard, and quickly continued:

"The entrance to the tunnel was small, but the inside was very large. Lord Alin and the others carried torches and went down the stairs. There were earthen walls on both sides. After walking about a hundred steps, there was a wooden door in front of them."

Ning Baixuan knocked on the door, but there was no response.

Ortai frowned and asked, "Is the door an old one or a new one? Is the dust on the door heavy?"

To dig such a tunnel within the capital city, right under the emperor's nose, the Heavenly Principle Sect really has some nerve!

Ortai's brow furrowed with anger, and he involuntarily glanced at the Third Prince beside him... He wondered if this Prince knew about the Heavenly Principle Sect's stronghold.

Chang Bao instantly understood what the adult meant. If the door was covered in dust, it meant no one had lived there for a long time. He quickly said:

"It's an old door, but it's been coated with tung oil and there's no dust, so it must have been used frequently."

"And then?" Yongzheng asked noncommittally.

Ning Baixuan called out, "I have come at your invitation. Is Master Han here?" But there was still no response. So Ning Baixuan knocked on the door again. Lord Alin, growing impatient, kicked the door open.

"Inside was a room with tables, chairs, and tea. Lord Arlin checked the tea and found it was just the right temperature. Then Lord Arlin found a letter on the floor."

"Another letter from Han Qing?" Ortai asked suspiciously.

"Exactly!" Chang Bao nodded.

The letter reads: "I had prepared a pot of fine tea, intending to meet you. However, you have failed to keep your promise, and I have no choice but to invite Your Highness Prince Jing out of the city. If the Grand Prince Consort misses your uncle, please come alone to meet him thirty li outside Yongding Gate. Han Qing."

Leaving the city… his sensitive nerves began to twitch, and Ortai immediately asked in confusion:

"Out of the city? He's already taken Prince Jing out of the city?"

Yongzheng calmly said, "If Han Qingzhen takes Zhu Enbai out of the city, Aqitu should die."

Aqitu was none other than the Commander of the Nine Gates of the Qing Dynasty!

As he said this, Yongzheng's gaze involuntarily drifted to the silent Han Chang.

Leaving the city... The inner city gates are closed... The Heavenly Principle Sect... How could they still leave the city?!

"It must be a smokescreen!"

Perhaps sensing his father's gaze, Han Chang stood up abruptly and bowed, saying:

"Your Majesty, I implore you to thoroughly investigate the Imperial Guards led by Ning Baixuan and the cavalry led by Alin! The Heavenly Principle Sect is omnipresent. Although I do not know whether Han Qing is in charge tonight, the Heavenly Principle Sect currently has no way to enter or leave the city after the city gates are closed!"

"Han Qing... The letter they left was probably meant to lure Father Emperor into opening the city gates so they could take advantage of the chaos and sneak out of the city!"

"As long as Father Emperor doesn't open the city gates, Azitu will dig three feet into the ground and find Zhu Enbai!"

Ortai's eyes flashed, and he nodded in agreement:

"Your Majesty, this servant believes the Third Prince is right. The inner city walls are patrolled daily; there is absolutely no way anyone could dig a tunnel under the walls. Zhu Enbo must still be inside the city!"

Yongzheng looked at Chang Bao and suddenly asked, "What did Ning Baixuan say?"

Ortai was stunned for a moment; his master was asking "Ning Baixuan," not "Alin."

Chang Bao said, "What Ning Baixuan said is exactly the same as what Prince Bei said!"

"He strongly opposed opening the city gates now. He said that capturing Han Qing was a minor matter; finding Prince Jing was the real issue. If the city gates were opened at night before the capital was thoroughly searched, what would happen to Prince Jing's safety if the Heavenly Principle Sect rebels took the opportunity to attack the Forbidden City again? What if Prince Jing was taken out of the city by the rebels?"

"Ha!" Yongzheng sneered. "Dig up the capital three feet from the ground? What a boastful tone! The White Lotus Rebellion traitors storming the Forbidden City? That's none of his concern!"

A mere foreign official dares to order me around?!

He cursed, but the emperor's brow on the dragon throne still throbbed slightly.

Zhu Enbo was crucial to the subsequent southward journey; he couldn't die, and he couldn't be lost.

Han Qing... that villain truly deserves to die. Tonight, he finally managed to show his true colors, but whether or not to have Ah Lin use Ning Baixuan as bait to capture Han Qing was something he was genuinely undecided about.

At this moment, he noticed that Chang Bao, sitting below him, looked somewhat anxious, as if he still had something to say.

He raised his hand, frowned, and said, "Chang Bao, is there anything else you want to say?"

Chang Bao hurriedly kowtowed and said, "It is indeed...it is indeed...Your Majesty..."

After Ning Baixuan finished speaking, he stuffed the letter into Lord Alin's hand, then turned and went out, saying fiercely that he was going to investigate the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the cavalry to prevent the Heavenly Principle Sect from taking advantage of the situation.

"Just as Ning Baixuan turned to leave, Lord Alin... Lord Alin discovered a huge clue..."

"?" Ortai was taken aback: "What did Alin discover?"

Sweat beaded on Chang Bao's forehead as he said earnestly:

"On the back of that letter... there was a passage of Manchu script..."

…………

"Regarding the alliance between your dynasty and the Rakshasa, I have personally traveled north to investigate and as I predicted, your dynasty's main Eight Banners forces will return south in batches, operating by day and attacking by night to annihilate the two armies of the Southern Dynasty. The Rakshasa will also travel by sea to jointly attack Nanjing."

"Whether King Jing is in the city or not is unimportant; his life is ultimately in my hands. Ning Baixuan is nothing but a decoy. The Southern Dynasty is incapable of launching a northern expedition, and our sect is already hopeless. I anticipate that with your dynasty's capabilities, this letter will eventually fall into the hands of the Shangyu Preparatory Office or even your emperor."

"The Zhu family's fate has run out. The Southern Kingdom will not return after sixty years. The Han family's legacy, I, Han, shall shoulder the responsibility."

"Before dawn, thirty li south of Yongding Gate, Han Mouqi and Ning Baixuan met with a high-ranking official of your dynasty."

"If Your Excellency grants me the rights to Sichuan, I will gladly return with King Jing, and both sides will be at peace. I suggest we join forces with Nian Gengyao to conquer Sichuan. Nian Gengyao is a great enemy of our Han dynasty, and I may take his head. Your Excellency, please do not be offended."

"If the two sons are not seen by the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), King Jing's head will fall to the ground, and the Southern Kingdom will know of this within ten days."

"If I, Han, obtain Sichuan, I will remain in seclusion for ten years, and then I will raise my head to meet you again, my lord, and we shall settle our score."

…………

"Bang!"

Upon receiving the letter personally delivered by Ah Lin on horseback, Yongzheng glanced at the Manchu script on the back, then slammed his hand on the table, his face turning ashen, and said:

"Well done, Han Qing!"

"What a fine leader of the Heavenly Principles Cult!"