"Catch the assassin!"
Ziwei Mountain.
Before the mountain gate.
Chen Sanshi, who was in charge of the outer patrols, suddenly heard shouts erupting from all around.
"Catch the assassin!"
"Clatter—"
Bang!
A figure descended from the sky.
"General Meng?"
Chen Sanshi feigned ignorance. "What happened?"
"There are assassins, and quite a few of them!"
Meng Quji said gravely, "I'll pursue them from the front. General Chen, take your men around by the side paths. We must intercept them on the official road twenty li away!"
"Alright."
Chen Sanshi agreed. "Black Armored Army, search for the assassins!"
The Black Armored Army.
They had only ever been responsible for perimeter security.
The Imperial Guard would not leave Ziwei Mountain lightly. If something went wrong, then in theory, the Black Armored Army truly ought to handle it.
But Chen Sanshi knew perfectly well.
What assassins could there be?
The mutiny had merely begun, and they wanted to draw his force away.
"Deng Feng."
Chen Sanshi instructed, "The terrain nearby is complicated. Have the brothers form small squads and search separately. If anyone finds anything, use a whistling arrow as the signal."
"Alright!"
Very soon.
The Black Armored Army scattered.
Chen Sanshi also vanished into the darkness amid the chaos. Altering his appearance, he became Scabby Head, passed through the mountain gate with practiced ease, returned to Ziwei Mountain, and headed straight for the imperial palace.
Ziwei Imperial Palace.
Sleepmoon Gate.
Entering through this gate led directly to the Cloud Palace, where the Emperor rested at night.
Before Sleepmoon Gate.
Zhu Jianliang, the Imperial Guard deputy commander responsible for guarding this place, stood beside the gate with a hand on the sword at his waist, his eyes closed in repose. Yet he was pondering when he could return home and reunite with his wife