The Lotus Cult Leader left with the princess's token.
Liu Rumei intended to take the prince's token to the Prince's Mansion but was stopped by Chen Xiaobei.
The Crown Prince, being the heir apparent, would surely be under heavy surveillance. It was already fortunate to find a breakthrough from the Princess Zhaoning.
Holding the princess's token, the Lotus Cult Leader turned left and right along the streets of Wannian City, arriving outside the Plum Blossom Palace.
Sun Yuliang was in the front court of the imperial palace, while the female attendants were in the back palace. The Plum Blossom Palace was in the farthest corner of the back palace. Since she was a princess and would eventually marry, she naturally wouldn't be housed in a prime location.
Therefore, the guards here were relatively weak.
Seeing that no one was around, the Lotus Cult Leader leaped onto the wall.
Looking into the courtyard, only a few lights remained, suggesting that the remaining people had already gone to sleep.
A patrol of guards approached in the distance. The Lotus Cult Leader remained on the wall, patiently waiting. Only after the patrol had moved far away did he pick up a small stone from the wall and toss it into the courtyard.
The small stone landed on the ground, making a rolling sound.
After a long while, a door in the east wing opened.
Two figures emerged, holding lanterns and looking outside.
Then, a clear voice said, "Chunhua, you must have misheard. There's no sound outside."
Another person replied, "That can't be right. I definitely heard something."
After exchanging a few words, the two returned to their room.
Excellent, it's just the two of them.
The Lotus Cult Leader quietly landed in the courtyard and tiptoed to the outside of the east wing, placing a hand on the door and gently pushing.
The door moved inward slightly. It wasn't locked from the inside, merely ajar. This put the Lotus Cult Leader at ease.
With a sudden surge of strength, the Lotus Cult Leader pushed the door open and then leaped inside. In the room, Chunhua and Qiuyue, two palace maids, were embroidering under the lamp. The sudden intrusion of a dark figure startled them so much that they were rendered speechless, forgetting even to cry out.
The Lotus Cult Leader rushed forward, covering both their mouths with one hand each.
"Don't make a sound. Listen to me, I was sent by the princess."
The Lotus Cult Leader repeated this three times, ensuring the two had heard him, before changing his tone. "If you both understand, nod your heads."
The two frantically nodded.
Very good.
The Lotus Cult Leader continued, "Now I'll let go of your mouths. Do not scream. If anyone discovers us, we'll all be doomed."
The two nodded again. The Lotus Cult Leader first released Chunhua and said to her, "Go and close the door."
Chunhua cautiously stepped forward and carefully closed the door. She then returned, standing there as if awaiting the Lotus Cult Leader's next instruction.
The Lotus Cult Leader took the princess's token from his怀 and extended it forward.
"This is the princess's token. Look carefully to see if it's her handwriting."
Chunhua took it and brought it closer to the lamp, examining it with a look of joy. "Yes, it's written by Her Highness the princess."
Very good. Only when she said this did the Lotus Cult Leader remove his hand from covering Qiuyue's mouth.
Qiuyue took the princess's token, read it, and was so overcome with emotion that she wept. She bowed deeply to the Lotus Cult Leader, "May I ask, esteemed warrior, where is the princess?"
The Lotus Cult Leader did not conceal anything. "The princess has already reached Qingniu County and is no longer at Baoen Temple."
Chunhua and Qiuyue exchanged glances, clearly surprised. They couldn't understand why the princess would suddenly go to Qingniu County.
The Lotus Cult Leader continued, "Listen to me, the princess is currently trapped on Qingniu Mountain by Zhu Meng's army of 300,000. My purpose here is singular: we want to enter the palace and capture Sun Yuliang to relieve the princess's predicament."
Upon hearing this, Chunhua and Qiuyue looked helpless and returned to their chairs.
"Esteemed warrior, to be frank, although it may be easy for you to enter and leave the back palace, the imperial palace is heavily guarded. Forget people, even a fly would struggle to get in."
The Lotus Cult Leader couldn't hide his disappointment. After all this effort, to have such an outcome. "Is there truly no way at all?"
At this moment, Chunhua's eyes suddenly lit up. "How about I take you to see Consort Shu? She is an imperial consort, perhaps she has a way."
Hearing that there was a way, the Lotus Cult Leader's small flame of hope reignited.
Soon, the Lotus Cult Leader changed into a palace maid's attire and, accompanied by Chunhua and Qiuyue, went to the Lotus Palace to see Consort Shu.
Consort Shu had already gone to bed. Hearing that a palace maid from the Plum Blossom Palace wished to see her, her heart stirred. Could it be that she had received news about her daughter?
Consort Shu immediately dressed and ordered them to be brought in.
Soon, the Lotus Cult Leader met Consort Shu. Having taught Princess Zhaoning martial arts before, Consort Shu had seen her many times, so there was no need for excessive pleasantries.
He stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Greetings, Your Highness."
Consort Shu was initially stunned. After a moment, she recognized him as the Lotus Cult Leader. Consort Shu said with surprise, "You are Tang Lianhua?"
Tang Lianhua nodded. "Reporting to Your Highness, it is indeed I."
Having said that, the Lotus Cult Leader retrieved the princess's token again and presented it to Consort Shu.
The princess's token was simple, stating that everyone must obey the arrangements of the Lotus Cult Leader and Liu Rumei.
After reading the token and clarifying his identity, the Lotus Cult Leader got straight to the point. "We wish to charge directly into the imperial palace to apprehend Sun Yuliang. Your Highness, do you have any strategies?"
Apprehending Sun Yuliang, Consort Shu frowned upon hearing this.
"The imperial palace is heavily guarded. Even occasional entries and exits are subject to extremely strict inspections."
The Lotus Cult Leader nodded. "Are all officials of the third rank and above still imprisoned inside?"
Consort Shu nodded. "Yes, they are all imprisoned inside."
"Food must be delivered to them three times a day."
Upon hearing this, the Lotus Cult Leader's eyes lit up. "Oh, then can we blend in with the food delivery team?"
Consort Shu pondered with her head bowed for a while. "It's not impossible. Every day, palace maids and eunuchs are selected from various palaces to help with cooking."
"My palace is required to send out five palace maids and five eunuchs each day."
The Lotus Cult Leader's eyes brightened. "That's wonderful! Tomorrow, I will disguise myself among these people and enter the great hall to capture Sun Yuliang."
Consort Shu appeared very nervous. "Is it enough with just you?"
The Lotus Cult Leader chuckled. "I didn't say it was just me. I will return now to mobilize forces. They will all enter your palace before dawn. Please arrange for someone to cooperate."
Consort Shu stood up and bowed deeply to the Lotus Cult Leader. "Thank you, Cult Leader. If my daughter can regain control of the Plum Blossom Palace, Fang Shuyun will be eternally grateful."
The extent to which a mother would go to this extent showcased her deep love for her daughter.
The Lotus Cult Leader returned the way he came to the Huguo Duke's Mansion and reported the situation to everyone. The crowd, with their fists clenched, was eager to act.
Liu Rumei looked at Chen Xiaobei and clasped his fist. "Brother Xiaobei, you should stay here and not go."