sbdcsierra Chapter 487: Preparation for Testing
Chapter 487: Preparation for Testing
Just like now, Emperor Yong and his ministers are happily raising their cups and drinking, temporarily putting aside the urgent war at the front. Their refined taste is truly admirable.
In fact, many of the ministers came to the palace banquet with trepidation. After all, the military situation at the front was urgent, and the Ming King's birthday celebration was still going to be a grand affair. This made them somewhat puzzled. Shouldn't they be focusing on discussing how to resist the Northern Emperor's army at this time?
But now, looking at the scene, many ministers seem to be enjoying themselves quite a bit, staring intently at the scantily clad and alluring dancers, which is truly...
Almost all the important officials of the court who were attending this palace banquet were present. The powerful families of Liu, Sikong, Tang, and Zhu were all there. They also noticed that the number of guards patrolling outside seemed to be several times greater than usual.
Emperor Yongle sat on the dragon throne above, his smile never fading. However, some astute old ministers could vaguely sense something unusual about the situation.
Especially for an old fox like Sikong Shu, the more he looked at Xing Qiyu smiling brightly above, the more he felt that smile was despicable. He was afraid that tonight's so-called palace banquet was more like a trap for the ministers!
But none of these old foxes dared to expose this secret, and they continued drinking and laughing as if they had no idea what was about to happen.
The palace was bustling with activity, with most of the attention focused on Chang Le Palace. Therefore, the deeper parts of the palace, far from Chang Le Palace, were quite secluded.
Deep within the Cold Palace, in a secluded corner, only two dark figures could be seen flashing through the air like lightning, disappearing without a trace after a rustling sound of wind!
The frost of the cold night was chilly, accompanied by a few gusts of bleak wind. The lanterns in the corridor swayed slightly, and the mottled shadows reflected on the ground seemed to flicker like ghosts. The whistling wind made the whole world even more eerily silent.
The two dark figures vanished like lightning into a corner by the pavilion. Only a few faint tinkling sounds could be heard. By the light of the moon, two dark figures were seen huddled under the railing.
"This should be the location of the Cold Palace. I'm completely unfamiliar with this imperial city!"
A clear, cold voice reached the ears of the person next to them.
"Take a look at the map, Ajin!"
The man beside her suddenly spoke in a deep voice, “The map that Changfeng gave you is the complete map of the Dayong Imperial Palace.”
That's right, these two are Di Beizun and Sikong Jin!
They sneaked in through a side gate of the Cold Palace, bypassing the patrolling guards.
"Hmm, let me see!"
As soon as Sikong Jin finished speaking, she deftly pulled out a map from her sleeve. With the help of the moonlight and the exceptional eyesight of martial artists, she was able to clearly see the lines and markings on the map.
Stretching out her long, slender fingertips, Sikong Jin fumbled on the map for a while before finally finding her location.
"We're here now, in the Hibiscus Garden of the Cold Palace. It's said that the Cold Palace is abandoned nearby, and some discarded concubines are imprisoned over there. This way leads to the front palace, which is also the Chang Le Palace. Judging from the lights, it's a forbidden area of the imperial palace... Let me see where we are..."
Sikong Jin searched while muttering to herself.
"Let's observe from the northwest corner of the Emperor's palace in Dayong, wait for their message, and then take action!"
Emperor Beizun recalled the message sent back by the secret agents and offered a reminder.
Sikong Jin nodded, pointed to a spot on the map, and said in a low voice, "This should be it. I don't know if you've heard of this forbidden area of the imperial palace. It's said to be a haunted place, which is why it's so heavily guarded and closed off. I talked to Tang Jingyao about it before, and I heard there are traps inside. I'm worried that Xing Qiyu might set an ambush, so we need to be careful when we go out."
As she spoke, Sikong Jin subconsciously frowned. Today's operation was actually very sudden, and only a few people actually knew about it. In the past few days, she had been making all forces prepare to fight at any time, mainly to create a tense atmosphere and a situation of uncertainty. Even if Xing Qiyu found out, he might not know when they would act.
However, one cannot be careless when dealing with an old fox like Yukichi. Who knows if this old man will deliberately lure them into a trap?
Therefore, before this, Emperor Beizun had already sent experts from Fengyun Tower to test the waters.
The moonlight was like water, and a cool breeze was blowing. When Xing Fuhua opened the window, she saw frost swirling in the air. The surroundings were very quiet, so quiet that the only sound was the rustling of the wind swirling the yellow leaves.
As she leaned against the cold window frame, quietly gazing at the pale moon in the sky, she suddenly heard a melodious zither tune. Instinctively, she looked in the direction of the sound and discovered that Su Yue was playing the zither under the flower trellis, bathed in moonlight.
The music had a faint sense of desolation about it, so after thinking for a moment, she went out.
"Madam Sikong, it's such a chilly night, why are you still playing the zither here? Take care of yourself!"
Xing Fuhua came up behind Su Yue and considerately draped an outer garment over her shoulders, speaking softly.
Su Yue then stopped what she was doing, turned to look at Xing Fuhua, and smiled gently on her still charming face. "It's nothing. I was just feeling a little uneasy, so I came out for a walk."
"Is it about tonight, Madam?"
Xing Fuhua lowered her voice and laughed.
Su Yue sighed, somewhat nostalgic, "Yes, it's been so long since we last saw them. I wonder what the two children look like now. Has Ajin become even more beautiful? Has Xiao Mo grown taller? I just want to see them."
Su Yue's words startled Xing Fuhua, but for some reason, a bittersweet feeling welled up inside her.
In fact, Su Yue is also a woman with a very tragic life. When she was young, she was far away from her parents and married from Da Zhou to Da Yong. Her husband, Sikong Qi, was a general. Life was already filled with separation. Just when she should have been enjoying her life, Commander Sikong Qi suddenly died on the battlefield. Then she was placed under house arrest for several years. It is not easy for such a weak woman to have survived until now.