The ace special forces who dominated the Sui dynasty's late period

  "Someone!" Bao Ding woke up with a start and pushed his companion.

  Companion opened his eyes, all around was pitch black, didn't see a single person's shadow, couldn't help but mutter: "You've seen a ghost!"

  "Oh dear, I made a mistake, it's just a night bird."

  On a nearby rooftop, the "night bird" spread its wings and took off, disappearing in an instant without a trace.

  In these times, being a baojia headman isn't something just anyone can do. Those who can become baojia headmen must have some ability. Let them assist the regular constables in maintaining order and mediating disputes - that's fine. But if they really encounter big-time thieves, they'll run faster than rabbits. They only make a couple of taels per month, not worth risking their lives for. Although there is a curfew decree from the imperial court, in most cases, they just turn a blind eye.

  After several ups and downs, Liu Ziqiu had already passed the gate of the alley and arrived at Ping'anli nearby. Ping'anli was already on the banks of the Luo River, and after crossing the Luo River was the northern district. The imperial city and the palace were all over there, where many high-ranking officials lived. There was a bridge over the Luo River, with bridge guards keeping watch at night, and no shelter anywhere around.

  Liu Ziqiu picked up a stone and gently tossed it into the water below. "Splash" went the sound, stirring up a big splash of water. Two bridge guards squeezed to the edge of the bridge, stretching their heads to look down at the water. Liu Ziqiu had already taken advantage of the opportunity to slip past, hugging the side of the bridge.

  "Wow, it's midnight and there is a huge fish!"

  "Wow, if I could get it up, it would be a great meal, and if I could also invite..."

  On a long and boring night, this stone unexpectedly sparked a topic of conversation between two villagers, who chatted enthusiastically with each other, unaware that someone had already passed through their "defensive zone"......

  "Clang, clang, clang......" The fifth watch had struck outside. A dark shadow floated gently into the courtyard. Li Jing, Hong Fu Nu and Han Shi Zai hastily gathered around. From Liu Zi Qiu's departure to his return, two hours had passed, during which time none of the three had dared to close their eyes.

  Liu Ziqiu took off the black cloth covering his face and shook his head helplessly.

  Han Shiyan was somewhat disappointed, but Li Jing and Hong Zhaonu comforted him in unison: "It's okay, it's okay, you're safe and sound back."

  Without internal response, they snuck into the heavily guarded Forbidden City alone at night. They didn't dare imagine how many dangers they would encounter along the way.

  Liu Ziqiu remained calm and said, "Big brother, quickly get paper and pen!"

  Han Shi'e spread the paper on the table, Li Jing personally ground the ink. Liu Ziqiu picked up the brush, closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, nodded heavily and went down, but was dismayed to find that a large ink stain had seeped onto the paper, which he had ruined early on.

  At that time paper was very expensive and Li Jing's family was not wealthy, but Hong Fu Nu didn't mind, covering her mouth to laugh: "Younger brother, the pen is not held like this."

  Liu Ziqiu threw down his brush and turned around to ask: "Sister-in-law, is there any charcoal at home?"

  "Yes!" The red-haired girl didn't know what Liu Ziqiu was going to use it for, but she quickly went out and fetched a piece of charcoal from the stove.

  Han Shi'e had already spread out a new sheet of paper, looking at Liu Ziqiu with suspicion. Liu Ziqiu grasped the charcoal, feeling more at ease in his heart, and began to draw on the paper with "brush brush brush" strokes.

  Li Jing took a closer look and found that he had drawn the layout of the imperial palace, with even the names of the halls marked! The Qianyang Hall, the Daye Hall, and the Zhetian Gate were all clearly visible. Where the bell tower was, where the guards were stationed, the patrol routes, and the time intervals were all clear as day. Some characters and symbols Li Jing didn't even recognize.

  After more than a decade of hard training, Liu Ziqiu's eyesight had long been able to see objects in the dark. The city gate and palace buildings all had plaques with some characters that Liu Ziqiu didn't recognize, but he still forced himself to memorize them and translate them into what he thought were correct simplified characters. Reconnaissance, mapping, ambush, and beheading were all basic skills for special forces, and drawing a rough sketch was nothing, he also remembered the patrol rules of the palace guards.

  Li Jing picked up the map and examined it carefully, "Hmm" in admiration, saying: "This should be Yuanbi City, the northernmost part of the Imperial Palace. Further back should be Yaoyi City and the Rear Palace. The newly selected imperial concubines should live in the Rear Palace."

  "That place is too big and the sky will be bright soon, I can only explore these places." Liu Ziqiu regretfully threw down the charcoal and said, "Give me five more nights..."

  "Liu Zhuangshi, why don't you just go to the imperial harem and grab someone to ask? Wouldn't that be more convenient?" Han Shiyue had unknowingly changed his way of addressing Liu Ziqiu, no longer looking down on him as a lowly commoner.

  "Prince Han, I understand your feelings." Liu Ziqiu patted his shoulder and said, "However, this matter cannot be rushed. Capturing someone is naturally easier, but what if we can't rescue Princess Hou? Wouldn't that be like beating the grass to scare away the snake? Moreover, even if we rescue Princess Hou, how will we get out of the palace? The palace has lost a living person, how can we cover it up? We must think ahead before acting."

  Li Jing clapped his hands and said, "Well said! In the Art of War, there is a saying 'Before thinking about winning, think about losing first.' Your words are indeed ingenious and insightful!"

  Han Shi'e suddenly said in a low voice: "As long as Liu Zhuang has the ability to bring people in and out, I have a way. Choose a maid with a similar figure from my house, strangle her to death and send her into the palace, use fake to replace real, can cover people's ears and eyes!"

  "How can this be! That's also a life!" Liu Ziqiu furrowed his brow, but found that Li Jing and Hong Fu Nu were both calm and composed. He suddenly remembered that he was in the late Sui Dynasty, and couldn't help but sigh, "Human life is precious, let me investigate the path first, we'll discuss later."

  This is not an era that values human rights. In the eyes of their masters, slaves and maids are nothing more than property, not even worth as much as cattle, and can be disposed of at will, including being deprived of life without any qualms. Not only do aristocratic sons like Han Shizhong and Li Jing think this way, but even Hong Niangzi, who was born a maid, considers it a matter of course.

  Li Jing initially thought Liu Ziqing was just some down-on-his-luck son of a military family when he talked about the tactics of cavalry deployment. Later, seeing that he could come and go as he pleased, he took him for a knight-errant who delighted in righting wrongs. Now, seeing that he would actually bother to care about the life or death of a maidservant, it was clear that he had a kind heart, and Li Jing suddenly felt that he didn't quite understand him.

  The first ray of sunlight in the morning sprinkled on the East Lake of Shanglin Xi Yuan, and the gentle breeze blew over, making the lake's surface sparkle. Under the big willow tree by the lake, Gao Xiu'er finished her fist form and took a long deep breath. A lovely young girl dressed in palace attire had already brought over a white handkerchief and bowed to say: "Madam, your kung fu is so impressive, quickly wipe off your sweat."

  Gaixiu took the towel and said, "Fangqiong, from now on I'll take care of myself, you don't have to follow me. Besides, I'm not a lady or anything, we can just call each other sisters."

  Fang Ling hastily said: "Madam, please don't kill me. I was arranged by the princess to serve you, how dare I overstep my bounds? Madam's beauty is unmatched, and she must be the mistress of this mansion."

  This young girl, surnamed Chen, was the daughter of a wealthy family in Hedong and also one of the selected beauties this time. Her beauty was not inferior to that of Gao Xiu'er. Before entering the palace, she was also a proud and arrogant mistress. Unfortunately, her luck was bad, while others became masters, she could only be a humble servant girl. However, Fang Rong was very clever, she didn't complain about heaven or others, but only worked hard to serve her master well.

  The deep palace has always been full of grievances, and many people have entered the palace for a lifetime, but in the end, they don't even know what the emperor looks like. Fang Rong is very clear about her situation, she is now a slave following the master's nobility, only when Gao Xiuer gains the emperor's favor can she have an opportunity. She calls out "Madam" one after another, without any pretence at all. Although they are both masters, Madam and beauty are different. Madam will definitely gain the emperor's favor, while beauty depends on luck and the emperor's mood. She sincerely hopes that Gao Xiuer can become the main mistress of the fifteenth courtyard.

  Gaixiu'er knew that she couldn't persuade her, so she said: "Fangqiong, I want to be alone here for a while. You got up early today, why don't you go back and sleep for a bit?"

  There's a saying that goes like this: beauties are all made in bed. At this time, the other girls in the courtyard were still mostly sleeping soundly.

  Gao Xiuer remembered Liu Ziqiu's words and didn't dare to slack off in her practice for a single day. However, while internal energy was fine and could be practiced indoors, fist techniques required a more open space. Since leaving Yan Guan County, she hadn't practiced at all. Liu Ziqiu had said that internal energy could only enhance the body's potential, but killing people still relied on fist techniques. Now that she wanted to take revenge, she needed to rely even more on her fist techniques. Today, after finally settling down, she recalled what Liu Ziqiu had said about the "Water Fist" belonging to water, and Gao Xiuer suddenly had an idea - she decided to find a place by the lake to practice, so she arrived at the lakeside early in the morning.

  This made Fang Rong suffer, and he got up early, respectfully serving by her side. Just now when Gao Xiu'er was practicing boxing, she couldn't help yawning.

  But Gaixiu did not sleep, Fang Rong would not go, she agreed verbally, but only retreated two steps and waited far away.

  Gao Xiuer was also a clever and astute person, how could she not see through Fang Rong's thoughts? She didn't try to persuade her anymore, turned her head to look into the distance, and suddenly heard a soft cry coming from the pine forest in front of her. Gao Xiuer followed the sound and looked over, seeming to see a glimmer of cold light, and out of curiosity, she walked over step by step.

  In the woods, however, there was a woman dancing with her sword.

  Gao Xiuer was shocked. Yesterday, she couldn't even sneak a pair of scissors into the palace, and if it wasn't for Chen Chou saving her, she would have been beaten to death on the spot. Where did this woman get such a precious pair of swords?

  Actually, Gao Xiuer was a substitute for Shi Huiniang. The Shi family was overjoyed at the time and forgot to inform her of the rules in the palace. Even as a noble lady, one would learn needlework from a young age, which is both an art and a pastime. In the various palaces of the Forbidden City, there were not only scissors but also kitchen knives, all kept by specialized servants, with records of their issuance and return. However, when serving the emperor, it was absolutely forbidden to appear with them. This woman, like Wang Guiying and others, had been pre-selected by the eunuchs. The eunuchs knew she could dance with a sword, so they allowed her to bring one in.

  Gao Xiuer was filled with suspicion and looked at the woman again.

  She wore a pale red blouse, tied with a silver belt, her black hair covered her forehead, her lips were painted with crimson, her eyebrows contained three points of heroic spirit, and her beautiful eyes hid a divine light. A pair of precious swords danced in the air, fluttering like a startled swan, soaring like a flying dragon.

  Gao Xiuer often watched her father practice sword fighting when she was young, and although she couldn't dance herself, she knew some sword moves. When she saw the wonderful parts, she couldn't help but cheer. The woman heard the cheering sound and stopped what she was doing, looking over this way. It wasn't until then that Gao Xiuer got a clear look at her face - an oval-shaped face, peach-blossom eyes, slender shoulders, a slim figure, with a unique charm and demeanor, also a stunning beauty.