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

…………

"Uncle Jing must be captured... I cannot leave the embassy unless Uncle Jing is captured. Only when Uncle Jing is captured will I have a legitimate reason to leave the embassy," he said.

Inside the study.

Xu Xiyin said, "The leader can be handed over to me. I have a base in Bafu Hutong to the west. I will personally impersonate Prince Jing and be captured."

He pondered for a moment, nodded, took notes, and said, "Then change the explosion and fire from the south to the west. You can go from the west." Xu Xiyin nodded.

"Once you reach the stronghold, you'll have to find a way to burn the python robe."

Xu Xiyin said, "They will definitely search every house at that time. There is a curfew now, and it will take time to start a fire." She thought for a moment, "At that time, I can disguise myself as a firefighter and return to burn the python robe directly in the fire at the embassy, ​​leaving no evidence and making 'Prince Jing' disappear from the face of the earth."

He said, "Okay."

After arranging this matter, he quickly wrote a letter, then lowered his head and muttered to himself, pondering its logic and motives:

"On the front of the letter, I wrote the part about Han Qing inviting me to leave the city, and on the back, I had Su Su write the part about threatening Yongzheng in Manchu."

"I don't understand Manchu. When the time comes, I'll have a Northern Dynasty official translate it. He certainly won't translate it for me; he'll just give a random translation and then rush to hand it over to Yongzheng… No,"

He paused, his eyes dimmed, and he shook his head in self-reproach:

"...That's a bit too deliberate... It would be better to pretend you didn't see it, act angry, and just shove the letter into the official's hand... That would be more natural..."

"No, that's still not right..."

He frowned, the pen tip touched the paper, and he contradicted himself again:

"There are officials in the embassy who understand Manchu. I received a letter from 'Han Qing,' and there was absolutely no reason for me to ask the Northern Dynasty officials to translate it!"

"This is too deliberate and not safe, especially after seeing the front side of the text. Even a fool would know to keep it a secret and would definitely have Southern Dynasty officials translate it, even if they couldn't. They should at least cut it out sentence by sentence and find separate translators..."

"so……"

He frowned and thought for a moment:

"This most important letter can't be sent directly from 'Han Qing' to me at the embassy... It has to be found?... Hmm... found... and I also have to happen to have a Northern Dynasty official around me who understands Manchu, but not a Southern Dynasty official who does..."

He thought for a moment, then looked up at Zhen Susu: "Do you have any other bases in the capital?"

Zhen Susu rolled her eyes at him: "Isn't my subordinate's base Liuye Zhai?"

"Is it safe? Is it private? I need a very private place."

Zhen Susu said, "It's very private."

He then lowered his head and adjusted the contents of the letter, with each of them writing a portion.

After writing the letter, he handed it to Qian Sijin, asking him to give it to Chen San, who was waiting in the flower hall… Chen San lost the bet, and this was the third thing he had to do, in addition to “publishing the story in the Beijing Daily” and “setting off green fireworks at a designated location in the city”…

"Wait!" He frowned, but still took the letter back.

This letter is crucial tonight.

In the story, "Han Qing" says, "The Northern Dynasty and the Rakshasa have formed an alliance to attack Jiangnan. If you bring Ning Baixuan out and promise me Sichuan, we can live in peace. Let Ning Baixuan take King Jing away. If you don't agree, King Jing will lose his head. I will also go to the Southern Dynasty to file a complaint." ...That's roughly the gist of it.

This letter ultimately determined whether or not Emperor Yongzheng would allow him to leave the city.

Meanwhile, it's reasonable that Han Qing, not Ning Baixuan or the Southern Dynasty delegation, knew about the Northern Luo Alliance. Therefore, it's also reasonable not to kill Ning Baixuan for the time being.

There can be no negligence whatsoever, and we cannot let Yongzheng have the slightest suspicion. We must make him truly believe that this "Han Qing" wrote it.

He thought about it carefully for a moment, then put the letter in his pocket. He couldn't give it to Chen San; it was safest to put it away himself... Hmm... When we enter the secret passage of Liuyezhai that Su Su mentioned, he can just throw it on the ground and let someone else pick it up.

Simple plans are the least likely to go wrong.

Er Lai, covered in flour, spitting and clapping his hands as he entered, saying, "Big brother, we're ready."

He sat in the chair and nodded to Erlai:

"Go and put on your armor quickly. Remember, don't be stubborn. We can't break out by killing. Your mission is twofold: first, to send away 'Prince Jing'; second, to fight fiercely, burn fiercely, and bomb fiercely, to make them believe that a large force has indeed stormed into the embassy."

Erlai's eyes gleamed with a nervous excitement as he nodded and hurried away.

They didn't bring enough gunpowder into Beijing to make a big splash.

To create a big commotion, a dust explosion would be needed, but fortunately, the embassy had plenty of flour.

He took out a map of the embassy, ​​circled a location on it, which was a section of corridor leading from the main courtyard to the east wing. He handed it to Qian Sijin and asked him to arrange for someone to wait there.

We won't blow up the 'dust room' yet; we'll wait until he passes by.

At that time, there will definitely be people following along.

Bomb him.

Qian Sijin accepted the order and left.

His figure disappeared outside the study.

He sat in the chair, interlaced his fingers, and carefully went through all the major details.

Ensure the logic of each step, ensure that "Han Qing" truly exists, and ensure that these events will ultimately make Yongzheng willingly open the city gates.

Finally, he picked up the mouse-whisker brush and dipped it in ink.

I wrote another letter.

It begins with "The illustrious progenitor, the founder of the Yellow Emperor and the Yan Emperor," and ends with "Han Qing, the unworthy leader of the Heavenly Principle Sect."

Blow dry the ink.

He stuffed the letter into the envelope and tucked it into his pocket.

"Walk."

He picked up his sword and stood up.

…………

In front of the octagonal gate of the east courtyard.

He killed Yue Le.

This was a plan that was prepared well in advance.

He would be stopped if he tried to leave through the north gate, and among those who stopped him would be someone in charge.

Whether it's Yue Le or Zhang Le who's in charge, they must be killed.

One reason is to check if the other person happens to have a Yang talisman on them; if so, they've struck it lucky.

Secondly, if he didn't kill Yue Le, he wouldn't be able to directly contact Yue Le's superiors.

Thirdly... if Yue Le hadn't died, it wouldn't have been enough to highlight Han Qing's prowess.

If it were someone from the Nine Gates Commander's office, he would bring the severed head to the Nine Gates Commander's office.

Since the people who came were from the Sticky Rod Office, they were naturally going to the Yonghe Temple.

The moment he saw Yue Le, he felt that the man was quick-witted and intelligent, and he was glad that he had prepared a plan to kill him early on.

Otherwise, if the time drags on a little longer, such a person can find the loose end in the smallest asymmetry, and then follow the thread to find the elephant that is being pulled at the other end.

Kill Yue Le.

Successfully met with the Minister in charge of the Sticky Rod Office.

Only after Yue Le's death will the ministers in charge be shaken and receive him.

Only the minister in charge could report Han Qing's existence and his demands to Yongzheng in a timely manner.

Only Emperor Yongzheng had the authority to entrust three hundred cavalrymen to him.

Only with three hundred cavalrymen following him would Yongzheng not suspect anything, thinking... Oh, this person is trying to escape...

…………

At the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), the night was very deep, and the sparse moon in the sky was half-obscured by slowly drifting clouds.

In front of the tightly closed Chaoyang Gate, bonfires blazed on both sides, and about sixty armored soldiers stood on either side, twenty of whom were from the Eight Banners Army and forty from the Green Standard Army.

Above the city gate, there were endless rows of archers on guard duty.

After showing the city gate guards the Yang Talisman, the Nine Gates Commander's Order, and the Order of the First-Rank Minister in Charge of the Imperial Guard, Ah Lin, dressed in a black mandarin jacket, was present.

The city gate guard nodded, his hand resting on his sword, and waved his hand.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak~~~"

A sickeningly loud sound rang out.

The heavy, wide, and sturdy city gate was slowly pushed open inward by the twelve gate guards on the outside.

Ning Nan held the reins, and the clouds that had been obscuring the moonlight gradually drifted away, allowing the cold, tranquil moonlight to shine down directly. The straight Chaoyangmen Outer Street, bathed in the moonlight like water, appeared before his eyes.