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

…………

South of Yongding Gate, on a flat area about a mile away, the delegation from the southern kingdom, which had traveled a long way, has set up a solid camp in the past two days.

The fences built around the perimeter were made of high-quality elm wood and were very sturdy.

At this moment, the central council chamber of the camp was brightly lit.

The three people inside remained silent, staring at a map on the table. Three dark figures intersected on the map that covered the entire desk.

This map, which took the Southern Dynasties many years to draw, encompasses the cities, passes, mountains, and terrain of the entire north.

Chen Ruhai, dressed in black silk robes and looking like a wealthy landowner, looked much thinner than he had in Nanjing.

The once chubby hand was now worn and flattened by the wind and frost.

After a while, he slapped his right hand onto the map.

"Gentlemen, this is the escape route that the Prince Consort has prepared along the way."

The map shows many places circled in red, starting from Beijing, passing through Cangzhou, then Jinan, then Xuzhou, then Huai'an, and then depending on the situation, there are two red lines, one going through Chuzhou and the other through Yangzhou.

Unlike the usual routes, none of these routes are official roads; they all lead into the mountains or marshes.

He has just broken down the route into its components.

"The Grand Prince Consort said, 'We have no choice. We can only fight a guerrilla war, going into the mountains and the marshes as we go.'"

"Guerrilla warfare?" Shangguan Xiu, the seventh young master of the Zhenguo Marquis's mansion, dressed as a servant and disguised as a laborer heading north, frowned.

"Exactly."

Chen Ruhai didn't really understand what he meant, but he still answered truthfully.

"The Grand Prince Consort said that we can only take mountain paths and waterways; we can't take the main roads, we can take the side paths; we can't take the straight paths, we can take the crooked paths. Only in this way can we have a glimmer of hope."

Shangguan Xiu stared at the map for a while, then shook his head and said:

"Food is a problem. Unless we become bandits or roving robbers, plundering as we go, we will definitely not be able to escape if we carry food with us."

Chen Ruhai nodded and said:

"Seventh Young Master, rest assured. The Grand Prince Consort has already considered this matter long ago."

"He promised great profits to about a dozen wealthy merchants from the north along the way and issued them imperial edicts to become 'foreign merchants of Daliang'."

"They trade goods to the south, and the tariffs are reduced by 30%. With the decree of the Grand Prince Consort, their trade routes will be unimpeded."

Chen Ruhai pointed to some areas marked with red dots with his finger:

"These wealthy merchants have already sent several caravans north, just as the Grand Prince Consort instructed. Wherever we go, there will be caravans for us to 'plunder' and they will also help us cover our tracks. When we head east, they will give the soldiers directions."

"To prevent leaks, there are usually three different caravans in each location. We can choose any one at that time."

Shangguan Xiu squinted and watched for a while, then slid her finger along the route Chen Ruhai pointed out, heading south. She asked a question every now and then, and the other party answered each one.

Dressed in a green official robe, Shangguan Zhao's brow furrowed with worry. He jotted down Chen Ruhai's words while simultaneously asking several crucial questions, such as: "How do we identify ourselves from those merchant caravans?", "What if the road into this mountain is frozen?", and "What if someone gets injured?"

Chen Ruhai said, "We are destined not to be able to bring everyone back. If they are wounded, we can only entrust them to various caravans, promising them great rewards to bring them back to the south for us."

"But a caravan can only hold a limited number of people; if there are too many, they will all perish."

Both Shangguan brothers nodded.

They didn't actually know why "Brother Ning" had made such careful arrangements for the mission's retreat. Logically speaking, the Liang mission had come to form an alliance, and the alliance between the two countries was almost a done deal.

But since Chen Ruhai had brought over the Grand Prince Consort's order, Shangguan Zhao had no choice but to believe him and carry it out.

What surprised him, and even Chen Ruhai, even more was that...

The evacuation plan was originally scheduled to be implemented at least two weeks later.

Around 9 PM, a burst of bluish-green fireworks suddenly rang out in Beijing. Chen Ruhai and his men were stunned, but they were also told clearly: The Grand Prince Consort has given the order that we must retreat tonight.

Having only been in Beijing for two days, and with peace talks probably not even starting yet, they're already having to retreat?

When Shangguan Zhao heard Chen Ruhai say that, he thought the other party was joking.

However, Chen Ruhai's expression was very serious. He hurriedly took out the map that he had originally planned to explain to the two brothers a few days later, when he was ready to go into more detail.

Shangguan Zhao then ordered Zhang Yaozuo and other generals and officials to rise and await orders.

Then, together with Shangguan Xiu, they went into the tent to discuss the retreat route with Chen Ruhai.

Both Shangguan Zhao and Zhang Yaozuo were initially confused.

Shangguan Zhaodu began to have some doubts about Chen Ruhai's identity.

But soon after, when they heard horns sounding throughout Beijing and even saw what appeared to be flames in one place, everyone became serious.

The entire mission camp was on high alert.

…………

As he walked out of the inner city through Chaoyang Gate and onto Chaoyang Gate Outer Street, a massive city wall, seemingly an insurmountable barrier, slowly unfolded before him in the dim light of night.

Ning Nan held the reins and softly shouted, "Giddy up!"

The white horse strode forward.

The team composition remains the same as before.

Ning Nan led a group of Imperial Guards, servants, and a dozen or so spies who had been lurking in Beijing.

Alin led three hundred riders lined up in two rows.

At Chaoyang Gate, this dragon-like procession slowly emerged from the city gate.

At the city gate, the commander and his soldiers stared intently at everyone, afraid that even one more person might slip away.

Ning Nan looked anxious and helpless, and turned to A Lin, saying, "Brother A Lin, if Prince Jing really suffers even the slightest misfortune, I... I really will have to smash my head against the Zhengyang Gate and die."

Ah Lin, with his square face and broad chest, calmly said, "Vice Envoy Ning, rest assured. With me accompanying you, that scoundrel Han Qing will not dare to make any move against you. You only need to feign compliance with him and welcome back Prince Jing; it will be an easy task."

Ning Nan smiled wryly, "You make it sound so simple. What if he demands I write a blood oath, promise a northern expedition, or something like that once I go?"

Ah Lin said, "Vice Envoy Ning, please feel free to write. Whatever blood oath may be, it will not affect the alliance between our two dynasties."

"What if he still refuses to release Prince Jing even after I go? For example, what if he insists that our delegation leave the capital first and sever the alliance before releasing him?"

Alin shook his head and said, "We will only compromise once. There will be no second compromise. If the other side does not release the people, I will immediately lead troops to hunt down this scoundrel."

"That's good." Ning Nan nodded. "A treacherous scoundrel who breaks his word should never be trusted a second time. If you don't take action, I will. Otherwise, he will be even less likely to let Prince Jing of my dynasty return."

"Vice Envoy Ning is absolutely right."

"Later, we will go around to Yongding Gate. After we leave the city, please ask Brother Alin to lead the brothers to stay close."

"Vice Envoy Ning, you can rest assured," Alin said calmly, holding his sword.