At midnight, the night was as dark as ink.
A crescent moon, obscured by thick dark clouds, occasionally let out a few pale rays of light, adding to the eerie and desolate atmosphere of this deep palace garden.
The entire palace had fallen into a deep sleep.
Only in the inner chamber of Kunning Palace was a faint candlelight still burning.
Under the candlelight, Lin Wanwan took off the elaborate and gorgeous palace dress that symbolized her status as empress.
She changed into a tight-fitting black night outfit that Ruolan had somehow found. The fabric was light yet strong, perfectly outlining her shapely figure. She tied her long black hair up high with a black ribbon, and covered her face with a black veil, revealing only a pair of eyes that looked exceptionally bright and resolute in the candlelight.
At this moment, she was no longer the gentle and delicate Empress.
She was like a sharp blade, sharpened with a cold gleam, about to be drawn from its sheath, exuding a cold and resolute aura.
"Your Majesty, you... really want to..." Chun Tao looked at her dressed like this, her eyes filled with worry, and her voice was trembling with tears.
"Don't worry." Lin Wanwan's voice sounded somewhat muffled through her face mask, yet unusually calm. "Wait for me to come back."
She didn't say another word.
She knew that any words of comfort would seem pale and powerless at this moment.
All she could do was succeed and come back alive.
She did one last check of her belongings—a small packet of special sleeping pills to knock out the guards, several pieces of wire of varying lengths that she had sharpened to an extremely thin level, and a sharp dagger hidden in her boot.
Then, she blew out the candle.
Under the extremely worried gazes of Chun Tao and Ruolan, her figure, like a wisp of smoke, silently merged into the boundless night outside the window.
The stealth has begun.
Lin Wanwan's body pressed against the shadow of the palace wall, like the most agile and elegant night cat, silently darting through the crisscrossing palace paths.
Her breathing was so light and slow that it almost blended into the night breeze.
Her footsteps made no sound at all.
During the day, she used the excuse of taking a walk to clear her mind, and she had memorized the route to and from the Imperial Hospital. She had meticulously calculated where there were artificial hills where she could hide, where there were suitable bushes for concealment, and even the changing times and routes of each patrol of the Imperial Guards.
"Pat, pat..."
A series of synchronized footsteps, the sound of armor clashing against each other, came from around the corner not far away.
Lin Wanwan's figure suddenly lowered, and like a ghost, she darted behind a dense grove of osmanthus trees.
She held her breath and remained motionless.
Soon, a squad of imperial guards, armed with spears and clad in armor, marched past the bushes where she was hiding. They scanned their surroundings warily, their torches casting flickering light on and off.
Only after the imperial guards had completely disappeared at the end of the palace road did Lin Wanwan slowly and carefully peek out from behind the bushes.
Once she was sure it was safe, she once again sped off like an arrow toward her next target.
The whole process was tense and exciting, yet filled with a strange, adrenaline-pumping pleasure.
She felt like a super agent from a movie in her past life, carrying out the most dangerous and greatest mission.
With her accurate memory and extraordinary courage and meticulousness, she narrowly escaped one patrol of imperial guards after another, finally arriving at her ultimate destination—
Imperial Medical Academy, Imperial Pharmacy.
From afar, she could see the solitary courtyard that looked particularly eerie in the night.
The courtyard walls are high, with blue bricks and gray tiles, and it looks quite ordinary.
But the chilling aura it exuded was far beyond that of other palaces.
At each of the four corners of the courtyard wall, there were tall sentry posts with imperial guards armed with bows and arrows, who monitored the surroundings day and night.
At the entrance of the courtyard, there was a whole squad of guards, holding long swords, standing there like door gods, with solemn expressions and sharp eyes.
In addition, there were two patrol teams of imperial guards, conducting continuous, overlapping patrols centered on the courtyard wall.
The entire Imperial Pharmacy was surrounded like an iron barrel.
Let alone a person, as the abbot said, not even a fly could get in.
Lin Wanwan hid behind a rockery, calmly observing everything through the cracks in the rocks.
Her heart sank.
The defense was a hundred times more formidable than she had imagined.
Forcing your way in would be tantamount to courting death.
She could only wait, wait for an opportunity.
Even if it's just for a moment, a defensive lapse.
Time passed, second by second.
The night wind, carrying a chill, brushed against her cheeks.
Lin Wanwan lay there motionless, like a lifeless stone, all her attention focused on observing and calculating the patrol routes of the guards.
Once... twice... ten times...
Finally, after nearly half an hour of long and tedious observation, her eyes, which shone brightly in the darkness, suddenly lit up!
She discovered it!
She discovered an extremely small, almost negligible pattern!
The two teams of imperial guards responsible for patrolling the perimeter had intersecting routes, but due to the different lengths and corners of their routes, a very brief blind spot would appear under the eastern courtyard wall, lasting only about three breaths!
This blind spot appears once every incense stick's time.
Three breaths!
For ordinary people, it's just a blink of an eye.
But for Lin Wanwan, this was her only, and all, chance!
She adjusted her breathing, calculated the time, and her entire being was tense to the extreme.
Now!
The moment the two groups of imperial guards crossed paths again at the designated spot, creating that brief blind spot, Lin Wanwan moved!
Her body, like a spring compressed to its limit, suddenly burst forth!
Like a cheetah hunting its prey, she made no sound and with incredible speed darted out from behind the artificial hill, crossed the open space, and in the last moment before the three breaths were about to end, she flashed and silently climbed over the high wall of the Imperial Pharmacy!
With her feet on the ground, she immediately rolled over and hid herself once again in the shadows at the base of the courtyard wall.
The whole process was smooth and fast!
The imperial guards outside the wall continued their routine patrols, completely unaware that an uninvited guest had infiltrated the forbidden area they were protecting.
Lin Wanwan leaned against the cold wall, her heart pounding wildly from the extreme sprint she had just endured.
It was a success!
The hardest first step has been successfully completed!
She calmed her breathing and began to survey the situation inside the courtyard.
The courtyard was not large, with a three-story pavilion in the center, which was presumably the main building for storing medicinal herbs.
She didn't choose to go through the main entrance. That place would surely be heavily guarded and riddled with traps.
She quietly circled the courtyard wall and came to the back of the attic.
In an inconspicuous corner of the back wall, she discovered a small, tall window, just wide enough for one person to pass through, specifically for ventilation.
A brass lock hung on the window.
A smile appeared on Lin Wanwan's lips.
She took out several thin iron wires of varying lengths that she had prepared beforehand from her bosom.
She gently pressed her ear against the window, and with one hand, slowly inserted the thinnest wire into the tiny keyhole.
Then, she closed her eyes.
The whole world seemed to have fallen silent.
Only the extremely faint, metallic "click" sound produced when the wire rubbed against the lock cylinder clearly reached her ears.
Her fingers moved gently and steadily.
Once... twice...
"Click!"
A very faint, almost inaudible, crisp sound!
It's done!
A hint of joy flashed in Lin Wanwan's eyes.
She gently pushed open the window, and with a swift movement, like a nimble cat, she silently slipped through the narrow window into the attic.
The attic was pitch black; you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.
The air was filled with a rich and complex aroma of various medicinal herbs mixed together.
Lin Wanwan had barely landed when she was still struggling to catch her breath and adjust to the sudden darkness.
Sudden!
A chilling, deadly killing intent suddenly attacked her from behind!
She didn't even have time to react!
A cold, sharp dagger, silently and precisely, pressed against her vulnerable throat!
Immediately afterwards, a deep, slightly hoarse male voice, filled with vigilance and murderous intent, echoed in her ear.
"who?"
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