The imperial court is ceding territory from our northern border? Then we'll rebel!

child time.

At the foot of the western wall of Shuobei City, there is a long-abandoned drainage outlet.

This place is remote and desolate, overgrown with weeds, and no one usually comes here.

Several dark figures, taking advantage of the cover of night, silently crept into the area.

Leading the group was Zhao Yi, the commander of the Imperial Guards.

"This is it," a trusted confidant whispered behind them. "The thug we bribed in the city said that although the outside of this drain is blocked, the inside has been in disrepair for years, and the fence is rotten. You can climb in."

Zhao Yi nodded and waved.

Two trusted aides immediately stepped forward and began clearing away the rubble and debris blocking the entrance to the cave using the tools they carried with them.

Throughout the entire process, they were extremely careful and dared not make the slightest noise.

Although Shuobei City is large, Xiao Jingchen is extremely strict in managing his troops. Patrol teams come in waves at night, and if you are not careful, you will be discovered.

Soon, a hole just big enough for one person to pass through was cleared.

A cold wind, carrying the smell of dirt and decay, blew out of the cave.

"Commander, it's ready!"

"I'll go in first and scout ahead!" A small, slender confidant volunteered, lit the tinderbox, and was the first to crawl inside.

Zhao Yi and the others waited anxiously outside.

After a moment, the trusted aide's voice, tinged with suppressed excitement, came from inside: "Commander, it's safe! The fence inside is really broken! We can get through!"

Zhao Yi breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems that the thug wasn't lying to them.

"Walk!"

At his command, he led the remaining men, one by one, into the dark drainage pipes.

The pipes were narrow and damp, filled with an unpleasant odor.

They trudged forward, their feet sinking into the deep darkness, the light from their tinderboxes flickering in the darkness, illuminating only a small patch of land in front of them.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a sliver of light finally appeared ahead.

"Commander, it's over!" the leader's trusted confidant exclaimed excitedly.

They quickened their pace and emerged from the other end of the pipe.

Outside was a secluded alley, and there wasn't a soul in sight.

Not far away are the brightly lit streets of Shuobei City.

It worked!

They actually managed to sneak in without anyone noticing!

Zhao Yi was overjoyed.

He glanced back at his trusted confidants, all of whom wore expressions of relief and excitement at surviving a close call.

"Hurry up! Let's go find Manager Liu!" Zhao Yi lowered his voice, straightened his clothes, and led the way towards Jinxiu Pavilion.

They thought they were getting away with it.

Unbeknownst to them, on the eaves above their heads, in the shadows at the end of the alley, pairs of cold eyes were silently watching them.

It's like watching a few mice fall into a trap.

Jinxiu Pavilion.

Although it was late at night, a light was still on in a side room in the backyard.

Liu Changqing, the owner of the silk shop, was pacing anxiously in the room.

This afternoon, he learned through his spies planted among the city gate guards that Princess Chang Le was trapped outside the city.

He knew that the princess would definitely try to contact him.

He waited all day, and finally, at nightfall, he received a secret letter sent by the princess.

The letter said that Zhao Yi, the commander of the Imperial Guards, would be sent to meet him after midnight.

As midnight approached and no one showed up, he couldn't help but feel anxious.

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the door three times.

One long and two short.

This was their pre-arranged code.

Liu Changqing was overjoyed and quickly went to open the door.

Standing at the door was Zhao Yi, looking travel-worn.

"Commander Zhao?"

"Manager Liu?"

The two locked eyes, and Zhao Yi took out the jade pendant from his pocket.

Upon seeing the jade pendant, Liu Changqing was completely relieved and quickly ushered them in.

"Commander, you must be tired from your journey!" Liu Changqing closed the door and personally poured Zhao Yi a cup of hot tea.

"Enough with the nonsense." Zhao Yi pushed aside his teacup and cut to the chase, "The princess is trapped outside the city, and Xiao Jingchen is completely unresponsive. What should we do now?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Changqing revealed a confident smile.

"Commander Zhao, please calm down," he said slowly. "Xiao Jingchen is far too naive to think that he can rest easy once he closes the city gates."

"I've been operating in Shuobei City for five years, and I've long since infiltrated this place like a sieve. I know exactly which of his generals is a heavy drinker, which is a womanizer, and which is short of money."

"With just one order from the princess, I have over a dozen ways to throw his army into chaos and cause trouble at home!"

Zhao Yi's eyes lit up: "Oh? What's the plan?"

Liu Changqing stroked his goatee and said smugly, "Xiao Jingchen relies most on nothing more than a few brave but reckless warriors like Lei Lie. Among them, Zhang Meng, who guards the granary, is a gambler and owes my casino over a thousand taels of silver. As long as I use that as leverage to force him to comply..."

"Furthermore, Lieutenant Li, who is in charge of the city's arsenal, recently took a concubine, and his expenses are considerable. I only need to offer him a hundred taels of gold, and he will serve us."

"Most importantly, there's Wang Ergou, the head of Xiao Jingchen's personal guards. He's a pawn I planted five years ago, and now he's deeply trusted by Xiao Jingchen, with access to most of his defenses and orders."

"As long as we use a three-pronged approach—coercion, bribery, or subversion—we only need to create a small 'accident' within the city, such as a fire in the granary or an assassination attempt on Xiao Jingchen..."

"At that time, the city will be in chaos, and Xiao Jingchen will be too preoccupied to care about anything else. Then, Her Highness the Princess can exert pressure from outside the city using the righteousness of the imperial court. With attacks from both inside and outside, how can Xiao Jingchen not surrender?"

Zhao Yi nodded repeatedly, his face beaming with increasing joy.

"Excellent! Brilliant plan! Manager Liu is indeed farsighted!" He slapped his thigh. "Without further ado, let's split up and act now!"

"No rush." ​​Liu Changqing waved his hand, a sly smile appearing on his face. "To celebrate our resounding victory and to welcome Commander Zhao and the other brothers back, I've prepared some light refreshments. Let's have a drink first and wish for great success!"

As he spoke, he clapped his hands.

Soon, several beautiful maids came in carrying wine and dishes.

Zhao Yi and his close associates, having sneaked around in the middle of the night, were already starving.

Seeing such fine wine and delicious food, how could one possibly resist?

"Then... thank you very much, Manager Liu!" Zhao Yi didn't stand on ceremony, picked up his wine glass, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Excellent wine!"

The others also picked up their chopsticks and began to wolf down their food.

As Liu Changqing looked at them, a strange glint flashed deep in his eyes, unnoticed by anyone.

After several rounds of drinks and five courses of food,

Zhao Yi felt his head getting heavier and heavier, and his eyelids felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead.

"This wine...it has a strong aftereffect..." He shook his head, trying to clear his head.

But several of his close confidants were already slumped over the table, unconscious.

"Manager Liu... Manager Liu..." Zhao Yi sensed something was wrong. He struggled to stand up, but his hand went to the sword at his waist. "You... what did you put in the wine?"

At this moment, the smile on Liu Changqing's face turned icy and unfamiliar.

"Commander Zhao, isn't it a bit too late to realize this now?"

He slowly stood up, walked to the door, and opened it.

Standing outside the door were not beautiful maids, but a row of men in black holding unsheathed swords.

Leading the group was the expressionless Black Crow.

Behind the black crow, a tall figure slowly emerged from the shadows.

It was Xiao Jingchen.