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

  Upon hearing such outrageous and treasonous remarks, anyone else would have been shocked and lost their composure. However, Li Jing and his wife remained calm and composed. They had both witnessed Liu Ziqing's audacity before, for someone who dared to intrude upon the imperial palace, what words wouldn't he dare to say?

  "A chaotic world produces heroes." Li Jing seemed to have an epiphany, "So, younger brother is thinking that when the time comes, he can make a move?"

  Liu Ziqiu almost blurted out his plan, but finally restrained himself and said: "In a chaotic world, human life is cheaper than a dog's. When the dynasty prospers, the people suffer; when it falls, the people also suffer. I only wish for eternal peace in the world!"

  Li Jing originally thought that Liu Ziqiu would express his own ambitions, become a great general who commands the wind and clouds, or even rise up in revolt. But he didn't expect it to be such a sentimental speech. However, this passage sounds empty and hollow at first, but after careful consideration, it actually has profound meaning.

  "Not in office, not discussing its politics." Hong Zhaonu broke the silence, pointing to the dishes on the table and said, "You two brothers, one is a commoner, the other is a low-ranking official, what are you talking about? Come, eat, eat."

  Liu Ziqiu also raised his wine cup and smiled: "Right, today is a day for reunion, what's the point of talking about these things? Older brother, older sister-in-law, younger brother here offers you a toast!"

  In the western garden of Shanglin, beautiful girls gathered to worship the moon god. Some missed their loved ones, while others prayed for a bright future. Gao Xiuer also arranged incense and offerings in front of her door, facing the bright moon and silently making two wishes.

  For two years, she had been drifting outside and was already content with just having enough to fill her stomach, how could she dare to expect any festivals. Now that she has entered the palace, she is wearing silk and satin, eating mountain delicacies and seafood, even if it's just a simple moon-worship ceremony today, it was all arranged by Fang Rong herself.

  In this way, "clothes come to stretch out your hands, meals come to open your mouth" days, Gao Xiuer also spent ten years. Although she was born out of wedlock and her mother died early, Gao Jian loved her the most. Even after sensing that he himself was in danger, Gao Jian arranged only one retreat for her.

  Gao Xiuer, who had been deprived of motherly love since childhood, was most attached to her father. Upon learning of his death, she would be so impulsive as to come to Dongdu for revenge. In fact, she knew in her heart that such an action was no different from suicide. The first wish she had just made was to ask her father's spirit in heaven to bless her to avenge herself.

  Her second wish, however, was for that person to live a good life. On the day when that person's boat was caught in the fishing net on Tongji Canal, her heart suddenly ached. Later, when she saw that person again at Yizilai, she felt a little sour and melancholic. That person had saved her life without taking advantage of her purity, and she knew that he had chased all the way to Luoyang just to persuade her to return. She owed that person this lifetime, and it was impossible to repay him; she could only hope for the next life.

  Gao Xiuer let out a soft sigh, lifted her head and saw Chen Fangqiu staring blankly at the incense table. She couldn't help but smile: "Fangqiu, you should also pay your respects."

  Chen Fanghong was just about to do so, and hastily bowed her head to pay respects, but was pulled back by Gao Xiuer, who pointed at the offerings on the table and said: "Let's switch."

  "Thank you, madam." Chen Fanghong was overjoyed and hastily put away the incense table.

  Gao Xiuer clearly understood Fang Rong's thoughts, but unfortunately, she had to plot that big thing, and in the future, she would inevitably drag her down, so for now, she could only be a little kinder to her.

  Taking advantage of Fang Rong's worship of the moon god, Gao Xiuer came to the courtyard alone. The best place to assassinate Yang Guang was in the 15th courtyard where she lived, so she wanted to familiarize herself with the situation in the courtyard and see if there were any places that could be used.

  Suddenly, someone behind her shouted: "Shi family's little sister."

  Gao Xiuer turned her head and saw that it was Xie Xiangyun. She hastily said: "Sister, are you also going out for a walk?"

  Xie's family was a scholarly one, and Xie Xiangyun had been well-versed in poetry, music, chess, calligraphy, and painting since childhood. She had set her sights on becoming the head of the imperial harem. Among the twenty beauties in the palace, only Gao Xiuer and Yuan Ziyun could pose a threat to her. However, Xie Xiangyun was elegant in demeanor and warm in temperament, without any jealous intentions, and instead sought to befriend them.

  Xie Xiang smiled and said: "On such a beautiful day, sister, are you willing to accompany me to the lake to admire the moon?"

  Gao Xiuer didn't dare to wander around in the hospital anymore and smiled: "Please go first, sister."

  Yang Guang was fond of extravagance, and Yuwen Kai catered to his tastes. When building the Western Garden, he spared no expense in its construction. There were over 10,000 lanterns prepared for the occasion. At night, all the pavilions and buildings were lit up, shining like stars in the sky. The cost of candles alone was a significant expenditure every day. According to Yuwen Kai's original intention, the lakeside area would also be decorated with lanterns, but he abandoned the idea due to concerns about strong winds by the lake. As a result, the lakeside area became the quietest place at night. Xie Xiangru liked peace and quiet, so she took Gao Xiuer along to the lakeside.

  Gao Xiuer's eyes were sharp, and she saw Yuan Ziyun burning incense and praying under the trees by the lake. She couldn't help but say in surprise: "Sister, look! Yuan's younger sister has come here to worship the moon, indeed she is different from others."

  Xie Xiangyun's curiosity was also piqued, and she quietly walked to the lake shore, suddenly asking: "Young lady of the Yuan family, what are you doing here?"

  Yuan Ziyen was staring at the sky in a daze, unaware of someone approaching from behind. She suddenly let out a startled cry and turned her head to see Gao Xiuer and Xie Xiangyun standing there. Only then did she pat her chest and say, "You two sisters really scared me half to death."

  Gao Xiuer smiled and said: "Little sister, why are you worshiping the moon here, without even a single offering?"

  Yuan Ziyen shook her head and said: "I'm not worshiping the moon, I'm stargazing."

  Xie Xiang's interest was piqued, and she asked: "Sister, have you discovered anything?"

  "The two sisters are not outsiders, so I'll just say it. Yuan Ziyun pointed to the north and said, 'Look, those five stars in a row are for Ziwei, and the big red one is the Emperor Star. Now that the Emperor Star is shaking, it means the Son of Heaven likes to travel. However, since Ziwei is dim and unclear, I'm afraid the national fortune will be difficult to last!'"

  "Little sister, this is a remark that cannot be spoken lightly!"

  Gao Xiuer secretly sneered.

  "It's fate, how could I dare to speak rashly?" Yuan Ziyun said seriously, "Since we entered the Forbidden Palace, our honor and shame are already tied to the Emperor. The two sisters must be favored by the Emperor before me, I hope the two sisters can remind the Emperor to cultivate virtue and avoid disaster in time, or it may be possible to win back the heart of heaven."

  After hearing this, Gao Xiuer suddenly felt like she had fallen into an ice cave on the ninth day of the third month, her heart chilled to the bone. She entered the palace only for revenge, if this icy and elegant body was tarnished by that foolish ruler, even death would not be able to close her eyes in peace.

  Xie Xiangwen had already believed it, and frowned, saying: "I'm afraid we are insignificant and the emperor won't listen to us."

  "Do one's best and leave the rest to fate."

  Gao Xiuer had come back to her senses and suddenly felt a movement in her heart, asking repeatedly: "Yuan Jia's sister, when did you find out?"

  Yuan Ziyanyan thought for a moment and said, "I saw some signs last Mid-Autumn Festival, but I didn't believe it. Today I see that the ominous aura is even heavier. At this rate, we can only hold on for another decade or so."

  Gao Xiuer asked again: "Since it's calculated to this point, why don't you know how to avoid calamity and invite good fortune?"

  Yuan Ziyanyan smiled wryly and said: "I was destined to have this fate, it's hard to escape, how can I go against heaven?"

  Gao Xiuer had been holding onto a glimmer of hope, but after hearing these words, she suddenly became disheartened and fell into a gloomy mood. Yuan Ziyun and Xie Xiangru thought she was worried about the fate of the Great Shou Kingdom, but they didn't pay much attention to it either.

  But Li Jing's family had a good drink, and it wasn't until nearly three watches that they dispersed. Liu Ziqing was wide awake and stood in the courtyard gazing up at the night sky when he suddenly saw a blaze of fire rising from the direction of the east city wall, and hastily roused Li Jing.

  Li Jing stood up and looked for a while, frowning and said: "It seems like that's the East Gate Street."

  In the eastern capital city, there were many imperial guards and soldiers. Upon hearing the alarm, they rose up, and for a time, the sound of voices was deafening, causing a great commotion that lasted for nearly half a day before slowly subsiding.

  After daybreak, Hong Niangzi returned from outside and sighed: "Medicine Master, brothers, you don't know that last night a drunkard set fire to the water and also burned down over a dozen houses of our neighbors."

  Li Jing suddenly remembered Liu Ziqiu's advice that day, and was shocked. He hastily asked: "What about Wang Xiaoting, the shopkeeper who came drunk?"

  "Alas, it's too terrible." Hong Zhan girl shook her head and sighed, "Yesterday he rushed out of the store with his whole body on fire, seemingly doused in oil. The neighbors were unable to rescue him in time, and in the end, he was burned into a piece of charcoal. It's truly unbearable to look at."

  Liu Ziqiu couldn't help but feel some regret. If he hadn't taken the lead that day, Xu Tingfu wouldn't have taken out those five hundred taels of silver, and Wang Xiaoting wouldn't be in her current predicament.

  Li Jing comforted him, saying: "Younger brother, you have already reminded me, but it's just that greed harms people. Everything has its own destiny, and this is not your fault."

  Three days later, the weather suddenly turned gloomy. Liu Ziqiu finished his preparations and made another foray into the palace. With the experience of last time, Liu Ziqiu was much faster this time. Before three o'clock, he had already reached the drum tower on the southwest corner of the Qianyang Hall. Below the tower, a team of patrolling imperial guards were passing by. According to his previous observation, the next team of imperial guards would not appear until a quarter of an hour later.

  After the team of guards passed by, Liu Ziqiu quickly took out a small flying claw from his sleeve and hooked it onto the eaves. After a few ups and downs, he had already crossed over to Yao Yi City. Here were still many halls, pavilions, corridors, and courtyards, but no soldiers guarding them could be seen, and compared to Yuan Bi City, it was much quieter.

  Liu Ziqiu did not dare to be careless, and silently memorized the location of each hall in his mind. Among them, there were two halls, one called Xiūwén Diàn and the other Guānwén Diàn. Each hall had dozens of side rooms, with countless books stored inside, leaving Liu Ziqiu sighing in amazement.

  Behind the Wenyuan Hall, there are two more pavilions. One is called Miaokai Pavilion, which houses authentic calligraphy works. The other is called Baoyi Pavilion, which houses famous paintings and antiques. Each piece is a rare treasure worth a fortune.

  Time was pressing, Liu Ziqiu had no leisure to observe carefully, and didn't dare take one or two, passing over the palace wall, it was another world. Compared with Yuanyu City and Yaoyi City, the buildings here were no longer magnificent, but should be described as luxurious.

  It is now past the third watch, and many of the buildings here are still brightly lit, with women in fine clothes coming and going, presumably having arrived at Yang Guang's harem.

  According to Liu Ziqiu and Li Jing, Han Shiyue's judgment, Hou Susu and a group of beautiful girls should live here, and Liu Ziqiu couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement.