I slaughtered my way through the border at the start, I am the Great Ming's Night Raider!

"My beloved Mingyue: It is as if I am seeing you in person. There have been many troubles in the capital recently, and I fear there may be great changes. If anything happens to you, please take good care of yourself. Our love is as clear as day, but fate is cruel, and I regret that we cannot be together forever. I only wish that in the next life, we can continue our bond. Also, please take good care of the child in your womb, for it is the continuation of my bloodline. If it is a boy, you may name him Yuan, meaning a hidden dragon in the abyss; if it is a girl, then you may choose. Take care, take care. Sui, my last words."

The letter was short, but every word was written in anguish.

Chen Yuan's hands were trembling.

This letter confirms everything.

His background, the death of the King of Zhao, and... that unwavering love until death.

He folded the letter and tucked it into his pocket.

Just as I was about to leave, I suddenly heard footsteps outside the door.

"...There seems to be some noise in the study?"

"No way, Boss Sun isn't here."

"Let's go take a look."

Chen Yuan quickly closed the hidden compartment, pushed the bookshelf back to its original position, and then slipped behind the door.

Two guards pushed open the door and came in, holding lanterns and shining them around.

"Nobody's here."

"Why is the window open?"

"It must have been blown by the wind."

The two walked to the window and were about to close it when Chen Yuan moved.

He emerged from behind the door, covering one person's mouth with one hand and striking their neck with his elbow with the other.

The two of them collapsed softly, without making a sound.

Chen Yuan dragged them under the bed and hid them there, then climbed out the window and slid down the pillars.

As soon as they landed, they heard Wang Zhen's furious roar coming from the direction of the main hall: "Something's wrong! Someone's entered my study!"

exposed!

Chen Yuan immediately ran towards the west wall, but he was too late.

As the alarm sounded, the entire Eastern Depot headquarters was instantly illuminated.

The guards poured out from all directions, wielding steel knives, and began their search.

"Catch the assassin!"

"Seal off all exits!"

Chen Yuan was blocked in front of the hanging flower gate.

With pursuers in front and high walls behind, there was nowhere to escape.

He drew his dagger, leaned against the wall, and his eyes were as cold as ice.

Seven guards surrounded them, the leader of whom was a gang leader. He grinned maliciously and said, "Kid, you've got some nerve, daring to trespass on the Eastern Depot. Put down your weapons, and we'll spare your life."

Chen Yuan didn't speak, but simply gripped the dagger tighter.

The foreman waved his hand: "Go!"

Seven guards pounced at the same time.

Chen Yuan moved, like a black lightning bolt, weaving through the flashing blades.

With each swing of the dagger, someone falls.

His moves are not fancy, only efficient—the Night Scout's killing techniques aim to eliminate enemies as quickly and effortlessly as possible.

Three breaths later, all seven men collapsed.

But even more foreigners came.

Chen Yuan knew that he couldn't fight head-on.

He looked around and saw an old locust tree by the wall, its branches stretching outwards.

He leaped up, grabbed a tree branch, swung with it, and climbed onto the top of the wall.

"Release the arrows!"

Arrows rained down. Chen Yuan ran swiftly across the wall, the arrows whizzing past him and striking the tiles with a clanging sound.

At the end of the west wall, below lies a dark, bottomless alley.

Without hesitation, he jumped.

Upon landing, I rolled over to dissipate the impact, but my left shoulder still hit something, causing a sharp pain.

He gritted his teeth and got up, about to run, when he suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves coming from the alley entrance.

"There it is!"

A troop of cavalry charged into the alley and blocked their way.

Chen Yuan gripped his dagger tightly, ready to fight to the death.

Just then, a loud shout came from the other end of the alley: "Fire! Fire!"

Immediately afterwards, flames shot into the sky—the stables of the Eastern Depot's yamen were on fire.

The fire, fueled by the wind, spread rapidly, throwing the entire Eastern Depot into chaos.

The cavalrymen turned around and were momentarily stunned.

Chen Yuan seized the opportunity, flipped onto the roof of the building next to him, and disappeared into the night with a few leaps.

He didn't go straight back to Qin Xiang's courtyard. Instead, he drove around the city a few times to make sure no one was following him before returning through the back door.

In the courtyard, Qin Xiang, Uncle Zhao, and Chen Jin were all waiting anxiously.

Upon seeing Chen Yuan return, Chen Jin rushed over: "Brother Yuan! You're injured!"

Chen Yuan's left shoulder was bleeding; he had been cut by a piece of tile when he jumped over the wall.

He waved his hand: "It's just a minor injury. I got the item."

He took the letter out of his pocket.

Qin Xiang took it, glanced at it, and her expression changed drastically: "It really is the Prince of Zhao's handwriting... If this letter is made public, the entire court will be shaken."

"But we can't make it public now," Uncle Zhao said in a deep voice. "Wang Zhen has lost something so important, he'll definitely go crazy. The Eastern Depot will soon be conducting a city-wide search."

"Then what should we do?" Chen Jin asked.

Chen Yuan sat down and let Qin Xiang bandage his wounds. He said slowly, "The most dangerous place is the safest place. Wang Zhen will definitely think we will hide or escape from the city. So let's do the opposite."

"you mean..."

"Go to the palace," Chen Yuan said. "Go see the Grand Princess. Give her this letter and let her decide how to use it."

Qin Xiang frowned: "Going into the palace now? It's too dangerous. The palace gates are already closed, and the Eastern Depot has spies inside the palace."

"There's a secret passage," Uncle Zhao suddenly said. "I know a secret passage that leads from a house in the north of the city to the palace. It was left by the Embroidered Uniform Guard back then, but the Eastern Depot doesn't know about it."

Everyone looked at him.

Uncle Zhao smiled bitterly: "I used to be a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but I offended Cao Jixiang and was dismissed from my post. This secret passage is my trump card for survival, and I have never told anyone about it."

Qin Xiang stared at him: "Uncle Zhao, you..."

"Miss Qin, I owed your adoptive father a life," Uncle Zhao said. "Today, I've repaid it."

Chen Yuan stood up: "Then it's settled. We'll enter the palace before dawn."

"I'll go too," Chen Jin said.

Chen Yuan initially wanted to refuse, but seeing Chen Jin's determined gaze, he nodded: "Okay. But you have to promise me you'll do whatever I say."

"I agree."

Qin Xiang carefully put the letter away and then began to prepare.

Uncle Zhao went to arrange things for the secret passage, while Chen Jin helped pack things.

Chen Yuan sat by the window, looking at the snow outside.

Tonight, he ventured into a den of thieves and obtained crucial evidence.

But the real battle has only just begun.

Tomorrow, the storm this letter will unleash will be bigger than he imagined.

But he wasn't afraid.

The hidden dragon has emerged from the abyss and is about to stir up the winds and clouds.

Whether this situation brings good fortune or misfortune.

He has to face it all.

Because this is his fate.

Outside the window, the snow gradually subsided.

A faint glimmer of dawn appeared on the horizon.

The long night is finally coming to an end.

The seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, at the third quarter of the Yin hour.

The capital city was still asleep, and the streets and alleys covered with snow were deserted.

In a quiet alley in the northern part of the city, Uncle Zhao pushed open the back door of a house.

The door hinges creaked softly, the sound particularly jarring in the silence.

"This is it." Uncle Zhao lowered his voice. "This house used to belong to a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He committed a crime and his property was confiscated. He secretly built the secret passage back then, for... for some special purpose."

Chen Yuan looked around the house.

The three courtyards were dilapidated, with broken doors and windows, clearly indicating that they had been abandoned for a long time.

A dead locust tree in the courtyard stood menacingly in the snow, like a ghostly shadow.

"Special purpose?" Qin Xiang asked astutely.

Zhao Shuqian coughed lightly: "Well... some of the ladies in the palace sometimes want to see their relatives outside the palace..."

"I understand," Qin Xiang interrupted him. "No need to go into details."