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

Suddenly, a shocking statement came from the young man kneeling in the hall.

Ortai, kneeling next to Han Chang, reacted the fastest. The moment Han Chang's voice fell, his heart skipped a beat, and a sudden boom echoed in his head.

"Brother-in-law?!...The Heavenly Principle Sect...Ning Baixuan...is a member of the Heavenly Principle Sect?"

As the Minister in charge of the Sticky Rod Office, Mu Shu's eyes froze for two breaths before he mechanically turned his head, his face pale and his pupils contracted as he stared at Han Chang.

"Ning Baixuan... is he a member of the Heavenly Principle Sect?"

Mu Shu's mind suddenly jolted!

In an instant, he recalled the young man who kept calling him "brother" and "elder brother"... If Ning Baixuan was a member of the Heavenly Principle Sect, then... then Ning Baixuan was also a pawn of Han Qing.

Did he know about what happened tonight?

Or is it that he was unaware of the situation? Or is it just a cover-up?

If they knew...?

Mu Shu's pupils contracted more and more. Just how well did he know?

Was it done according to Han Qing's instructions?

Or were they fully aware of the situation? Were they just putting on an act with him all along?

Mu Shu took a breath.

If Ning Baixuan was fully aware of the situation, then what was Han Qing's purpose in having Ning Baixuan call him out of the city?

No, that's not right!

Mu Shu's thoughts flashed like lightning.

If Ning Baixuan is a follower of the Heavenly Principles Sect... then why would Han Qing need to cause such a commotion to abduct Prince Jing?

Ning Baixuan could easily act as an inside agent, kidnapping Prince Jing during the day and taking him out of the city.

Why take such a great risk to carry out such a big task at a gate that is already closed?

Mu Shu's mind was initially filled with confusion.

After hearing Ning Baixuan say the name "Han Qing", most of the confusion in his mind was finally cleared up.

When I saw Han Qing's letter, I felt a chill run down my spine, but I also relaxed a little, since the mastermind behind tonight's events had finally been caught.

But now, upon hearing what the Third Prince said... Ning Baixuan is a follower of the Heavenly Principle Sect...

The fog in my mind instantly churned up again.

At that moment, he suddenly remembered Ning Baixuan's identity... the top scholar of the Southern Dynasty, the grand prince consort of the Southern Dynasty...

Given the opponent's prominent status in the Southern Dynasty, and Han Qing's possession of the secret of the Northern Dynasty's southward expansion plan, would this leader of the Heavenly Principle Sect truly abandon such a pawn and only plot against Sichuan?!

Emperor Yongzheng, sitting on the dragon throne, paused for a moment. Perhaps because he was quite far away, or perhaps because it was too late, the hand warmer in his arms had gradually grown cold.

So he didn't react for a moment and asked, "What?"

……

……

As the hour of Yin (3-5 AM) approaches, the night is dark and vast, with a few scattered stars in the sky.

In the distance, under the faint moonlight, lie layers of dark green mountains.

The sound of horses' hooves crunched on the pebbles on the road as they traveled south.

It was nighttime, after all, and it wasn't easy for a horse to gallop.

The group moved at a moderate pace.

Ning Nan held the reins, staring intently ahead while pondering in his mind whether he had left any loopholes tonight, such as "Yue Le did not draw his sword."

After careful consideration, I still can't think of anything I've missed.

He rode a large white horse, galloping along the official road.

As soon as they stepped out of the imposing Yongding Gate, Ning Nan instructed two Imperial Guards to go to the delegation's camp and explain the situation to Shangguan Zhao.

"Brother Alin, would you mind if I transferred some of the troops from my mission? My mission still has a hundred cavalrymen."

Alin calmly said, "There's no need for Lord Ning's troops tonight. With my three hundred Eight Banner cavalry here, even if Han Qing brings three thousand men, we can still cut them down in one fell swoop. If thirty thousand men come, well, that would be enough to make us fight until our blades are worn out."

Three hundred armored cavalrymen, each carrying a newly made flintlock musket, a three-barreled gun, and a bow and sword.

Such confidence is reasonable.

Ning Nan smiled and said, "With Brother Lin's words, I am relieved."

The long, fiery dragon moved along the official road.

After walking about seven or eight miles, Ning Nan asked Chen Yaoqing, one of the Jinyiwei spies in the capital who ran a teahouse, to lead a few of his men to deliver a letter to the mission's camp. The letter did not have sealing wax on it.

Chen Yaoqing accepted the order and left.

After running another five or six miles, he took out another letter and asked Zhao Yunji, a blacksmith, to take the five or six men he brought with him to deliver it to the mission camp.

Alin Benma stood beside the deputy envoy of the southern delegation, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"If Lord Ning has instructions, why not have them all sent back at once? Why were there several groups of people?"

Ning Nan shook his head and said, "It's a long story. I'll tell Brother Alin later."

Alin smiled noncommittally: "I'll trouble Lord Ning to enlighten me then."

The sound of horses' hooves was hurried.

After running another five or six miles, when they were less than ten miles from the place Han Qingxin had mentioned, they finally reached the destination.

Ning Nan took out the last letter and handed it to Shi Sidong, who ran a restaurant in the capital, instructing him to deliver it to the Southern Kingdom delegation's camp. Shi Sidong immediately accepted the order and, along with the seven men he had brought, carrying torches, turned around and ran back.

Arlin said:

"The road is difficult to travel at night. How about I send ten riders to accompany this brother to your esteemed camp?"

Ning Nan shook his head and sighed, "No need for you to trouble yourself, Lord Alin. To be honest..."

Ning Nan turned his head on horseback, his gaze fixed intently on the first-class guard, and said, "I, Ning..."

"We suspect that among the three of them... there is a spy from the Heavenly Principle Sect!"

"Oh?" Alin's eyes narrowed slightly, clearly intrigued by Lord Ning's words. "They are all loyal heroes to your dynasty. Lord Ning, aren't you afraid they will become disillusioned and develop a rift with you?"

Ning Nan said with distress, "I was afraid they would lose heart, so I tested them. We'll soon see who's loyal and who's treacherous."

"A test?" Alin's pupils narrowed slightly. "I wonder what ingenious plan Lord Ning used? How could he possibly discern people's true intentions with just a simple matter of delivering a message?"

Ning Nan looked at him and smiled, "Brother Alin, do you know what was written in those three letters?"

……

……

The Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Yongzheng's eyes narrowed, and his face suddenly turned red and white.

"Brother-in-law?!"

Han Chang kowtowed and said, "That's right."

Emperor Yongzheng's pupils contracted, and he asked a crucial question: "Did he know it himself?"

Did Ning Baixuan himself know that he was a member of the Heavenly Principle Sect?

Does he know he has an older sister in the Northern Dynasty? Does he know you are his brother-in-law?

Han Chang paused for a moment, then said, "He only knows that he has an older sister in the north whom he has never met. But he doesn't know who she is, nor does he know your son."

"How did you know?" Yongzheng asked, his face ashen.

"The letter Han Qing wrote two years ago." The prince, who was bowing below, spoke frankly at this point.

"Okay, very good."

Emperor Yongzheng's face turned pale, but he did not have an attack.

Since Han Qing wrote the letter, it means that Han Qing knew of Ning Baixuan's existence and that he was a descendant of the Heavenly Principle Sect. In that case, Ning Baixuan is almost certainly a member of the Heavenly Principle Sect...

The emperor on the dragon throne clenched his fists, suppressing his urge to immediately order someone to bring Ning Baixuan back. He first looked at his bitter-faced son below and slowly said:

"So... Ning Baixuan tonight is not only Han Qing's decoy, but also Han Qing's weapon, a pawn in Han Qing's game. This orphan of the Heavenly Principle Sect is helping their leader deceive me? Is that so?"

Han Chang pressed his head even closer to the ground.

He sighed deeply:

"Father... Your son deserves to die ten thousand deaths."

"First, tell me if it's true or not," Yongzheng said calmly.

"no."

Han Chang felt a chill in his heart, and his tone became complicated as he said:

"Ning, Ning Baixuan is probably not a pawn."

Upon hearing the young man kneeling on the ground give a negative answer, Yongzheng was taken aback, and Ortai's eyes also shifted several times.

Mu Shu's face was deathly pale, after all, if Ning Baixuan was really a pawn of Han Qing, and if Ning Baixuan himself knew about it.

That means... he, the Minister in charge of the Sticky Rod Office, was deceived by Ning Baixuan and, together with the traitor, misled the Emperor.

Upon hearing the Third Prince say that "Ning Baixuan is not a pawn," Mu Shu's heart trembled, and a glimmer of light welled up in her eyes.

If Ning Baixuan were unaware of the situation and was caught up in it without knowing the full story, his own fault for being negligent would be less severe, at least he wouldn't have been deceived by the villains.

"Father Emperor,"

With a thud, Han Chang kowtowed again on the ground, his forehead already slightly red and swollen.

"Ning Baixuan...besides being the last surviving member of the Heavenly Principle Sect...he...he has another identity..."