Chasing Ghosts
Just days after relocating our elite courtesans, word of Jun's presence reached our spies in the military, who then relayed the information to us.
All this time – and she had been right under our noses warming the Emperor's bed as his concubine.
The Assassin's and I spent our days and nights consumed by this information, researching and planning her rescue, but, in the end, it all seemed fruitless as security surrounding the palace was absolute. We had numerous spies located in the vicinity, but they were not infiltrators, and we did not want their lives at risk – and many we could not trust under torture. But, in passing, it wasn't until Daiyu mentioned my ancient arrest warrant Jun had brought upon me almost two years ago, that our plan was finalised.
With construction plans of the Forbidden City, guard patrol routes and military uniforms all obtained by spies, we were ready within days – all that remained was to revisit my courtesan training.
The theory behind our plan was at least solid – the Emperor, being a man who pursued vigilantly his various desires and enjoyment, would not resist such a prize as a foreign noblewoman educated in the art of seduction. And already the knowledge of my existence had been planted with the court, which had begun to clamour for my arrest.
Weapons were all that remained, and luckily for us, it was winter – meaning our clothing could cover more and wouldn't be looked upon suspiciously, despite that, I would be wearing rather tight garments, meaning that I was only able to carry knives and a few throwing daggers – hopefully, I could make them count. Dajiang and Hai, in their military uniforms could wield larger swords or even polearms, but Cheng and Daiyu were at an even greater loss, if even we were able to even find a way for them to get inside.
But, our plan did not rely on them – but on my skills only, Cheng and Daiyu would be able to provide cover and assistance, but, with them it would mean I had less time to retrieve Jun, and I doubted that they would be able to reach the concubine quarters, as heavily guarded as they were.
Eventually, we settled on them being able to provide an escape route once Jun and I had exited the Forbidden City - we would be unable to lose the guards on foot, alone. Dajiang and Hai would then distract a detachment of guards by sending them in the opposite direction once the alert had been sounded – which we knew it would; the girls were consistently checked upon by their guards, they would realise Jun and mine's disappearance, but I was confident that I could retrieve her during the private moments in-between.
In the meantime, I focused on preparing myself when I was finally reunited with her – despite my own emotions, I could not let my feelings for her jeopardise this mission, not when we'd spent so long apart. I will not allow this mission to be ruined, and I will return her to her rightful place among the Assassins. The Brotherhood of China is relying on me, and I will not fail them.
A/N: I'm so, so sorry that this has taken so long! There was so much stuff happening in my life at the end of last year, and I've not actually had the chance to actually sit down and right until now. Also, I do realise that this chapter is teeny - the next one will be longer, but I wanted to give you guys something and show you that this isn't dead. Thanks for sticking with me! :D