roccoschili Chapter 325 Xu Longxiang sneaks into the Qin Imperial Palace again!
Chapter 325 Xu Longxiang sneaks into the Qin Imperial Palace again!
Fan Li emerged from the depths of the alley. His blue scholar's robe appeared somewhat dim in the twilight, and a few withered leaves clung to the hem, suggesting they had been following him in the shadows for quite some time.
He stopped three steps behind Xu Longxiang, his gaze falling on the silent figure, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside him.
When His Highness came out of the teahouse, he had been standing there for the entire afternoon.
He doesn't speak, doesn't move, doesn't drink water, and doesn't eat.
He stood there, gazing at the palace wall, like a tree whose back had been broken by the wind, clearly on the verge of collapse, yet still stubbornly holding on.
Fan Li knew what he was thinking.
Every word spoken in those teahouses was like a knife, and His Highness listened to them for an entire afternoon.
Anyone else would have been crushed by those words long ago.
But His Highness did not.
He simply stood there, swallowing all his words, suppressing all his emotions, and firmly pinning all his doubts and wavering to his heart.
Don't let yourself fall down.
Fan Li sighed softly, the sigh so faint it was almost inaudible, carried away by the evening breeze.
"Your Highness, are you planning to infiltrate the palace again?"
Xu Longxiang finally turned around.
The twilight shone from the west, falling on his face and casting a half-light, half-shadow on his cold, hard features.
In the shadow of the straw hat, those deep brown eyes showed no hesitation, no wavering, only an almost stubborn determination.
"That's right."
He spoke, his voice hoarse, yet each word clear. "Later tonight, Mo Ya and I will sneak in together. You'll meet us outside."
Fan Li remained silent.
He looked at Xu Longxiang, at his stubborn eyes, at his pale, weary face, and his worry grew stronger.
He wanted to advise His Highness, to tell him that this was too dangerous, and to tell him what to do if His Highness were discovered.
I want to tell Your Highness that you cannot be harmed, and the Northern Frontier cannot do without you.
But he knew he couldn't persuade him otherwise.
Your Highness has always been like this; once you've made up your mind about something, nothing can change it.
Fan Li sighed again.
"Alright," he said, his voice soft but carrying a resolute determination. "But Your Highness must grant me one request."
Xu Longxiang looked at him without saying a word.
Fan Li met his gaze and said, word by word:
"If you encounter any danger, or find that things are hopeless, withdraw immediately. Don't linger, don't hesitate, and don't think about taking another chance."
He paused, his voice growing deeper:
"The Northern Territory can do without Liu Hongyan, without that intelligence, and even without Li Yang as an ally. But the Northern Territory cannot do without Your Highness."
A night breeze swept by, fluttering the hem of his blue robe and stirring the stray hairs at Xu Longxiang's temples.
The two stared at each other, one as stubborn as iron, the other as worried as water.
After a long silence, Xu Longxiang nodded. "Don't worry, I know."
His voice was very soft, as soft as a falling leaf drifting across the water.
But beneath that lightness lies an undeniable solemnity.
That was a promise, a promise that he would come back alive.
Fan Li looked at him and finally nodded slowly.
He turned and walked deeper into the alley. After a few steps, he stopped without looking back. "Mo Ya, protect His Highness."
In the shadows of the alley, a figure moved slightly.
He was a man dressed in black, with a cold and stern face, and his eyes and brows showed the alertness and sharpness unique to secret agents.
He leaned against the wall, almost blending into the twilight; if it weren't for his slightly moving eyes, it would be almost impossible to tell that a person was standing there.
"Yes," Mo Ya replied, his voice hoarse as if sand were grinding against each other.
Fan Li didn't say anything more, and stepped into the depths of the alley, his figure quickly swallowed by the twilight.
Only Xu Longxiang and Mo Ya remained in the alley.
As dusk deepened, the last vestiges of orange-red on the horizon were being swallowed by the deep blue.
In the distance, lanterns on the palace walls lit up one after another, their orange-red glow spreading in the twilight like slowly blooming flowers.
Xu Longxiang raised his head and looked at the sky that was gradually darkening.
The first star shone on the horizon, faint and weak, like a drop of diluted ink falling onto deep blue rice paper.
As he gazed at the star, the turbulent emotions within him gradually subsided.
It didn't disappear; it was suppressed.
Suppress them to the deepest part of his heart, to a place where they cannot be seen, to a place where he himself thought they did not exist.
He still has a chance.
There must be more.
There are still 300,000 iron cavalry in the North, and brothers willing to die for him.
He only needed to see Liu Hongyan, only needed to find out what happened, only needed to confirm that Zhao Qingxue was forced, only needed...
He will then find a chance to turn the tide.
It definitely can.
Xu Longxiang took a deep breath and strode into the depths of the alley.
Mo Ya followed silently behind him, like a silent shadow.
As night deepened, the lights of the imperial city lit up one after another.
The faint sound of string and wind instruments drifted from a distant restaurant, as if it were coming from another world.
The night was as dark as ink, and the moonlight as smooth as water.
The outline of the imperial city gradually became clear under the moonlight, and the majestic palaces, towering pavilions, and winding palace walls were all gilded with a layer of cool silver-white.
Xu Longxiang stood in the shadows outside the palace wall, raised his head, and looked at the high wall he was about to climb over.
The moonlight streamed down from the top of the wall, casting his shadow on the ground, making it very long.
Behind him, the black crow was hidden in the deeper shadows, almost blending into the night.
A night breeze, carrying the chill of early winter, blew across the hem of his gray cloth robe.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
When he opened his eyes again, the turbulent waves in those deep brown eyes had subsided, leaving only a cold calm.
"Let's go," he said.
The sound was very soft, as soft as a falling leaf drifting across the water.
Then he moved.
His figure shot out from the shadows like a gray lightning bolt, and in a few leaps he had already scaled the high palace wall.
Under the moonlight, the figure flashed on the wall and disappeared into the deep night.
The black crow followed closely behind.
The night wind was still blowing, and the lanterns on the palace walls were still swaying.
The sound of a watchman's drum came from afar, one beat after another, muffled like a heartbeat.
As night fell, the footsteps grew fainter and fainter until they finally disappeared into the depths of the imperial city.
The majestic palace stood silently in the moonlight, like a sleeping giant.
And at this moment, it is slowly waking up.