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

He galloped along with his seven men, the sound of hooves thundering in the night, leaving the blurry scenery on both sides behind.

The night wind blew from north to south, brushing against my face. The torch I held in my hand was slightly hot. With a flick of the reins, the inside of my thighs, which had been riding for a long time, ached and went numb.

The wound he had cut on his left arm with a knife had not yet healed, and now the blood had soaked the white cloth strip into a deep black.

As the third messenger sent by the Grand Prince Consort to deliver a message to the mission camp, Shi Sidong felt that the anxiety in his heart had completely shut down all physical sensations.

After nearly twenty years in the north, he rose through the ranks to become a commander of the secret guards. Once inside Beijing's inner city, he took a wife and a concubine to avoid suspicion, and they had three children.

Although he always treated his wives and concubines coldly and ignored his children in order to harden his heart.

But after more than ten years, the repeated calls of "husband" and "father" softened my heart.

On one occasion, he was caught red-handed by the people from the Sticky Rod Office. When these butchers in black jackets held up one of his eldest son's fingers in front of him, this commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard finally broke down.

Tonight, a sudden change occurred. The prince consort, who had come from afar, suddenly ordered their secret guards to become open guards.

Shi Sidong was startled. Before leaving, he cut his left arm, pretending that it was cut by someone from the Sticky Pole Office, hoping to gain a little trust.

He didn't know what the prince consort was thinking, but Shi Sidong was tormented throughout the journey.

When they were still more than a mile from the mission's camp, he abandoned his horse and ordered seven of his men to wait for him in a grove of trees.

He took a set of black night clothes from the bag that came with his horse, put them on, and, carrying the letter, went alone to the mission camp.

Despite feeling uneasy and constantly worried that the things written in the Grand Prince Consort's letter might be detrimental to her, she never considered opening the letter on the way. She even thought that if she were to be attacked as soon as she entered the delegation, it would finally be the end of the matter.

but.

This was far beyond his expectations.

When they were still more than a hundred paces away from the mission's camp, his heart skipped a beat.

Because the camp was completely dark.

Shi Sidong felt a chill in his heart, and quickly quickened his pace, gripping the hilt of his sword at his waist. Dressed in night clothes, he strode into the camp.

Looking around, there were no campfires, no soldiers on night patrol, and all the tents were pitch black.

His hair stood on end, and he shouted:

"My name is Shi Sidong, and I have come to deliver a message on the orders of the Grand Prince Consort."

The surroundings were completely silent, except for the sound of his soft footsteps.

At that moment, he noticed a faint orange glow peeking out from the largest main tent, casting its light through the white silver curtains.

Dengdengdeng.

Shi Sidong left footprints on the ground, lifted the tent flap, and went inside.

On a desk sat a dim oil lamp, and beside it lay a letter with five large characters written on it:

Respectfully presented by Master Sidong.

"By imperial decree of the Grand Prince Consort: Commander Shi Sidong is to burn the letter he sent. He shall immediately proceed to a location three li northeast of Chaoyang Gate and, at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), assist Prince Jing of Liang and our envoys from the Southern Kingdom in sneaking out of Beijing. There must be no mishap. After Prince Jing and his entourage have gone south, he shall sneak back into the inner city of Beijing and serve as a Ming Guard of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, permanently stationed in Beijing, acting as a communication channel between our dynasty and the Northern Dynasty."

The smell of burning filled the tent. Following the instructions, Shi Sidong lit the letter given to him by the Grand Prince Consort on the oil lamp and burned it completely.

He didn't know what was written in it either.

He turned and ran out of the camp, found his seven brothers waiting for him in the woods, and the group mounted their horses and rode into the night to a spot three miles outside Chaoyang Gate.

Under the cover of night, he saw Zhang Yaozuo, a captain of the Brave Guard Battalion, dressed in armor and wearing a black coat over it.

"Greetings, Commander Shi. I am here on the orders of the Grand Prince Consort to receive Prince Jing, Minister Jia, and all the envoys from our Southern Kingdom who have escaped from Beijing."

Shi Sidong had long had questions: "May I ask, Commander Zhang, wasn't Prince Jing captured by the Heavenly Principle Sect? Wasn't the Grand Prince Consort leading us out of the city to capture the Heavenly Principle Sect traitors? How come suddenly... suddenly... Prince Jing is now leaving Beijing?" His heart was pounding.

Zhang Yaozu shook his head: "It is my duty, and I know nothing about it. I only know that I am here today to receive Prince Jing."

Shi Sidong was rebuffed and turned away, no longer asking any questions.

Not long after.

A commotion arose at the distant Chaoyang City Gate, and Zhang Yaozu shouted, "Let's go!"

Shi Sidong and the others were startled.

Zhang Yaozuo led about twenty men, each riding a horse and leading another, galloping wildly across the plain.

Shi Sidong gritted his teeth and ordered his brothers to cover their faces with black cloth and follow closely behind the twenty riders.

After running for a short while, a dozen or so figures emerged from the icy moat in front of the eastern city wall of Beijing.

At the same time, dozens of torches were thrown down from the tall city walls, providing light for the fires.

Both the soldiers on the city wall and Shi Sidong, who was rushing from afar, saw these dozen or so figures.

They were all dressed in scarlet robes and black gauze hats, hunched over, surrounding a white python robe.

Arrows shot from the city wall, and a voice rang out: "Don't move! Anyone who moves will be killed!"

call out!

The arrows pierced the grass in front of the group of officials in scarlet robes.

At the same time, another sound came from the city wall.

"Don't shoot them! Please! Please! Go quickly and ask for help!"

"We've found that group of Southern Dynasty officials!"

"Open the city gates! Get out of the city! Get out of the city!"

Amidst the uproar on the city wall, a group of officials in scarlet robes, soaking wet and groaning, rushed forward, reaching within thirty or forty feet of the wall.

Zhang Yaozuo and others had already arrived on horseback.

"Your Highness!" Zhang Yaozuo exclaimed in surprise, grabbing the white-robed man and pulling him onto the horse that had been brought over.

The man in the white python robe shouted, "Quick, quick, run!"

The envoys from the Southern Dynasty had already mounted their horses.

The group immediately spurred their horses and galloped away!

"Commander Shi!" Zhang Yaozuo ran while tearing off the wet python robe from Prince Jing's body and throwing it to Shi Sidong.

"I'll trouble you to lead your guards to impersonate Prince Jing and draw away the pursuers!"

Shi Sidong felt a mix of bitterness, sorrow, and resentment. He remembered that the Grand Prince Consort's letter had also asked him to return to the capital, so he could only take a deep breath.

He donned a white python robe, had his brothers don several scarlet robes, grabbed the horse's sturdy frame, and, under the cover of night, led the enemy away from their pursuers...

…………

Hongchang leaned back, the chair making a thud on the floor, and said to his brother-in-law lying on the bed:

"At the same time, His Majesty has one more condition."

He narrowed his eyes slightly:

"You must hand over Prince Jing, Zhu Enbo, and Jia Shi'an, among others."

The light outside the window gradually dimmed.

Ning Nan put his hands behind his head, raised an eyebrow, and asked with a puzzled expression:

"According to today's newspaper, weren't Prince Jing and all our envoys accommodated in Dongjiang Rice Lane? Prince Jing even wrote a letter to thank your father. His words were sincere and insightful; I was deeply moved after reading them."