This is a secret passage in the imperial palace, known to very few.
His Majesty ascended the throne hastily and is probably unaware of this.
The twelve figures, who had been waiting in the darkness, quickly filed out one after another.
His movements were completely silent, with only the chilling aura he had cultivated over the years filling the small space.
Yu Jingheng's face paled. He pointed to a huge wooden box in the corner and said in a very low voice, "Quick!"
The box was opened, revealing twelve sets of Qilin Guard uniforms and standard light armor.
As a Shangyi (a high-ranking official in charge of palace rituals and some internal affairs), obtaining some guard uniforms might not be too difficult.
But this armor, especially the standard armor for palace guards, was by no means easy to obtain.
It took countless hours of hard work to secretly gather the equipment that barely made up enough for twelve people.
None of the twelve spoke; their silence was as solid as a rock.
He quickly removed his clothes and put on the armor of the Qilin Guard.
The metal blades collided, producing a soft clicking sound that stood out clearly in the silence.
After changing clothes, the leader walked up to Yu Jingheng and clasped his hands in a salute.
That face bore an eight or nine-tenths resemblance to a centurion in the Qilin Guard, and his figure had also been deliberately adjusted to be almost indistinguishable from the real thing.
Yu Jingheng lowered her eyes, unwilling to look closely, and whispered quickly:
"Today's password for passing through the South Gate is 'May the mountains and rivers be forever secure,' and the reply is 'May the four seas be at peace.'"
Although the palace passwords were top secret, they weren't changed every day, and there were more fools than you might imagine who would forget them.
Over time, a set of rotational patterns will form, and if you are attentive... you can always figure it out.
Then, she handed over a piece of paper tucked inside the ledger, which unfolded to reveal a map of the palace starting from this location.
"The patrol routes of each squad of the Qilin Guard, the times they passed through the palace areas, and the layout map of the palace were all listed on the paper."
The leader clasped his hands in a fist salute again, remaining silent.
Yu Jingheng turned aside to make way and lowered her head deeply.
The "Qilin Guard" squad marched past her in perfect unison, disappearing into the shadows of the palace outside in the blink of an eye.
The footsteps faded into the distance until they disappeared completely.
Yu Jingheng remained alone in the same spot for a long time before finally letting out a long breath of stale air that had been suppressed for too long.
Fourteen years have passed, and the late Crown Prince's life-saving grace from back then...
Today, the report was finally submitted.
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