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

The emperor's tone grew increasingly angry, and his last sentence was almost a roar.

In such a fit of rage, a silence fell over the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and neither Ortai nor Mushu dared to speak up for Han Chang.

Silence is not an option either. If the emperor were to order the death of the third prince in a fit of rage and later regret it, the blame would fall on the "ministers present who failed to dissuade him."

The two could only wait silently for their opportunity.

"Hongchang! Don't think I don't know how many things you've been secretly doing behind my back!!"

Mu Shu immediately said, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger! I... I have an inside agent within the Heavenly Principles Sect through my own investigation. The Third Prince has absolutely nothing to hide from Your Majesty..."

Besides the left and right protectors of the Heavenly Principle Sect and the dozen or so altar masters, they actually had quite a few inside agents within the sect, some of whom had even reached the level of incense masters.

It's just a pity that those dozen or so altar leaders were either die-hards appointed by Han Qing or confidants appointed by Mu Ziying, the most treacherous bandit.

The remaining few were the Third Prince's childhood playmates from his time in the thieves' den, and he seemed somewhat impenetrable.

But no matter what, the Heavenly Principles Sect always has to do things, and when it does things, the tasks always end up on the shoulders of its subordinates.

Generally speaking, the information that the Third Prince handed over to the Sticky Rod Office matched what they had investigated.

Moreover, with the Third Prince in charge, the Heavenly Principle Sect has mostly been rebelling in the south these past few years. This is something they simply cannot do.

If the Third Prince were to completely control the Heavenly Principle Sect after the Fragrant Mountain Conference, then… certain thoughts flashed through Mu Shu’s mind… the Third Prince might not be without a chance.

As Mu Shu spoke up for him, Han Chang suddenly shouted:

"Your Majesty, I do indeed have a very important matter to hide!"

"?" Mu Shu's words caught in her throat, her pupils contracted, and her heart skipped a beat in that instant.

Emperor Yongzheng, who was already furious, paused for a moment upon hearing this, and then coldly said, "Speak!"

Han Chang continued, touching his head to the ground:

"Your Majesty, I humbly request a request of you."

As he spoke, he raised his head, still kneeling on the ground, but straightened his back, and looked at Yongzheng above with a pair of clear but questioning eyes.

When Yongzheng looked at his son, whose eyebrows and eyes resembled his mother's but whose features resembled his own, his expression remained icy, but his heart softened a little.

Especially the inexplicable aura about the other person, which was exactly like his own when he was young.

He was just like that when he was young: silent, aloof, and stubborn. Sometimes he would back down, and sometimes he would stand his ground. He always put "practicality" first and even wrote the four characters "avoid haste and be patient" for himself.

and so……

He understands people like this best, knowing exactly what they're thinking. He's always both soft-hearted and angry with this son.

He felt that the other person had suffered too much injustice, and he also felt that people who have suffered so much injustice cannot have a broad and open mind like him. He didn't know how to advise his son, and even if he did, he guessed that the other person would just verbally agree, and he, as the father, would not know what the other person was thinking.

Upon thinking of this, the emperor, who was nearing fifty, softened his expression and felt an even deeper hatred for Han Qing and his gang of Heavenly Principle Sect traitors who had kidnapped his son.

"Your Majesty, I wish to ask you something..." Han Chang looked directly into the emperor's eyes and said in a deep voice, "Did you ever harbor any intention to kill Ning Baixuan?"

The series of unexpected events tonight left him feeling as if he were in a fog.

My first reaction was naturally, "Han Qing... how is this possible?"

But the facts seem to be right in front of us.

Who else but Heaven could mobilize so many people within the city and use so much gunpowder to attack the Southern Kingdom delegation?!

Within the Heavenly Principles Sect, only Mu Ziying and… the former sect leader Han Qing were capable of acting so independently and accomplishing such a major feat without his approval as the Left Protector…

When he was questioned by his father, the Emperor, he knelt on the ground and kowtowed.

My mind is still a fog.

Manchu... Sichuan... Nian Gengyao... Ning Baixuan was just a front...

From any perspective, the truth of this matter has been revealed tonight.

Han Qing learned of the Northern Dynasty's plan to invade the south, launched a surprise attack on the Southern Kingdom's delegation, and captured King Jing, hiding him in the inner city.

Han Qing himself was outside the city, holding the life of King Jing in his hands, as well as the Northern Dynasty's grand plan to march south.

Using this as leverage, they coerced the Emperor to cede Sichuan and allow the Heavenly Principle Sect and Nian Gengyao to jointly seize Sichuan.

Sichuan is easy to defend and difficult to attack. The Heavenly Principle Sect did not have the ability to conquer the world for the time being, so they followed the example of Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bei, and Zhang Xianzhong, and took Sichuan as their base.

They even proposed to take Nian Gengyao's life in Sichuan. Whether the Emperor felt anger or joy at this was hard to say.

The whole incident makes perfect sense.

The most crucial, yet easily overlooked, and somewhat perplexing aspect of this was the way Han Qing sent a letter to his father, the Emperor.

It wasn't done by shooting arrows at the city gate.

It's not through the adhesive rod.

It wasn't through him, as the left protector of a prince.

Instead... through... Ning Baixuan?

Han Chang knelt on the ground, listening to his father's angry scolding while silently reflecting on his own thoughts.

Ning Baixuan... is her younger brother, my brother-in-law. Han Qing, my adoptive father, values ​​him highly.

Could they have sent a letter to transfer Ning Baixuan out of the embassy to prevent him from being accidentally injured in a surprise attack? ...That makes sense.

Write another letter on both sides and place it in the secret passage of Liuye Studio.

This letter is brilliantly written.

The front side was for Ning Baixuan to see, while the back side, written in Manchu, was intended for the Emperor to see, to threaten him and completely achieve his goal… Deeply calculating, meticulously orchestrated, and extremely scheming—truly worthy of being the leader of the Heavenly Principle Sect…

"The Heavenly Principle Sect... its leader..."

As his thoughts drifted to this point, he suddenly paused.

He could no longer hear some of the Emperor's scolding, and Han Chang's pupils gradually contracted as he stared at the carpet.

It was as if a bolt of lightning had suddenly struck my mind, severing some of the fog.

"The person capable of mobilizing the Heavenly Principle Sect to accomplish great things in the capital... is not only Han Qing... not only Mu Ziying... there is another person..."

Han Chang felt as if his blood had been plunged into an ice cellar, and his whole body was ice-cold!

There's one more person who could mobilize the Heavenly Principle Sect to launch a surprise attack on the embassy... and that is...

His brother-in-law...

The new leader of the Heavenly Principle Sect... Ning Baixuan!

"Why did I kill him?!"

Behind the imperial desk, Yongzheng pointed at Han Chang's nose. He didn't know why his son had asked about this matter, and scolded him irritably:

"These past two days I've been saying that I want to take Ning Baixuan into my service, and I'll be generous enough to bestow upon him the title of king. In the future, I'll have him and his wife guard the Jiangnan region!"

Han Chang felt a chill run through him and couldn't help but ask:

"Is what Ama said true?!"

In a split second, as if struck by lightning, he suddenly remembered Chen San's report a few hours earlier: "The sect leader said the Northern Dynasty emperor plans to kill him, and he's leaving the city tonight..."

"You can't get out. There's a curfew, and all the city gates are closed..." Han Chang shook his head and said.

And now… Han Chang’s face turned a few shades paler.

"What?" Yongzheng sneered. "Does the Left Protector want me to swear a poisonous oath?!"

Thump! Han Chang immediately kowtowed and said in a deep voice:

"Your subject deserves to die ten thousand times!"

"Your Majesty, I have concealed something from you!"

"Then Ning Baixuan..."

Han Chang took a deep breath, closed his eyes, sighed inwardly, and said:

"Also an orphan of the Heavenly Principle Sect..."

"at the same time……

"He is also my wife's...brother...my...brother-in-law..."