The cooks in the kitchen of Zaoyuan were sweating profusely. Today, there were many distinguished guests at Yuanmingyuan, and they had to be on their best behavior to prevent the royal family from losing face. If they were not careful, it could bring trouble upon themselves.
The head chef kept reminding them, and Lanqin called them over several times to inquire about the situation. In addition to personally explaining the menu and flavors, Lanqin also gave instructions on the afternoon snacks for lotus viewing.
"Hurry up!" The cook waved to the maids behind him, signaling them to put the dishes into food boxes. "Take them to the front hall!"
Several palace maids stepped forward with their heads bowed, and because they were a little slow, the cook had to urge them on.
The group of people, carrying food boxes, exchanged glances as they turned around and walked out of the kitchen.
The cook didn't notice anything amiss and went back to his work.
There were many palace maids and servants in the Yuanmingyuan, but each place and area had a person in charge. It was just that because this banquet was very important, many unfamiliar palace maids were transferred from other places.
All the palace maids left the Algae Garden in groups of three, carrying food boxes. The fisherwoman and the others, disguised as palace maids, easily blended in with the group of maids and successfully deceived everyone in the kitchen.
The fisherwoman led the others along the way, and they fell behind the last group. They watched from afar as the palace maids ahead left carrying food boxes. The group exchanged glances, and the fisherwoman said, "Go that way."
The group cautiously looked around before following each other to a rockery by the roadside.
This was the busiest and most chaotic time for the people of Yuanmingyuan. The guards were very strict, but there were always places they couldn't anticipate. The group was extremely vigilant and was not noticed by anyone along the way.
The fisherwoman placed the food box on the ground, glanced at the other person, and said, "Time is running out, quickly get the map out."
The other man quickly pulled a piece of sheepskin from his pocket, squatted down, and spread it on the ground.
The others also gathered around, looking together at the map of the Old Summer Palace drawn on the parchment.
The map marked all the places, and the group studied it carefully. The fisherwoman pointed to a pavilion and said, "The lotus appreciation event will be held here, and all the princes and nobles will gather here."
"The security here is very tight, so we must be careful," another person whispered.
“The Tartar emperor will definitely come here soon, and that will be when the defenses are at their tightest. We’ll just have to play it by ear,” the fisherwoman said.
The other person frowned, pressed her hand down, and said softly, "Let's wait until the other sisters arrive before we talk about it!"
The leading fisherwoman remained silent, while another person nodded in agreement, saying, "This matter is of great importance. There are only three of us. If something unexpected happens, it will be very troublesome if no one comes to our aid."
"That's right. This operation can only succeed and cannot fail, so let's hold back for now and wait until everyone is here."
The fisherwoman in the lead nodded after hearing their words, "Alright, then let's go to Jiuzhou Qingyan disguised as palace maids according to the plan, and get familiar with the terrain first."
"We need to figure out which area has more guards and which area is better for hiding," the woman on the side said in a deep voice.
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