Chapter 89: The Moon Goddess Appears (Seeking Moon Votes!)

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"Quick, go." Song Duanping threw a red robe to Chen Ke, who quickly put it on. The three of them then hurriedly walked out.

They retraced their steps to the inner wall. To prevent theft, there was nothing near the wall that could be used for climbing. Chen Ke shook his head and, like Wulang, became a human ladder.

Xuan Yu and Song Duanping, who were experienced, easily climbed up. After securing his grip, Song Duanping extended his other hand to Xuan Yu. Song Duanping then reached down to Chen Ke, who had the strength of a tiger's back, a wasp's waist, and a mantis' legs. After a short run-up, he leaped high, grabbing Song Duanping's neck with his left hand. Song Duanping almost fainted from the strain: "Ouch, my neck..."

Chen Ke's body shot upward, and with his right hand, he grabbed the top of the wall, pulling himself up with one arm.

The three of them jumped down from the wall and met up with Wulang. They calmly left the yard and passed through the second gate, only to see the main gate slowly closing.

The four of them quickly hid under the corridor. In the gate passage, torches were lit, and a palace guard shouted, "There might be spies inside. Light the torches, close all the gates, and no one move!"

"What do we do?" Everyone looked to Chen Ke for a plan.

Chen Ke watched as torches were lit, illuminating the courtyard like daylight. He knew they couldn't leave now. Looking back at the second gate, he saw the guards starting to close it. Any hesitation would mean they'd be caught like fish in a jar.

"Go back!" Chen Ke whispered, leading them back to the second gate.

"Stop!" The city guards, who were naturally inferior to the palace guards, hesitated when they saw the four men in red robes. "Didn't you hear the order?"

"Damn it!" Chen Ke cursed, "That was the order from my superior!" Having spent time with the palace guards, he mimicked them perfectly. "Move out of the way, I need to report!"

The city guards had no choice but to let them pass before closing the gate.

Not long after, the palace guard who gave the order arrived, panting. "Open the gate, I need to report!"

"Four men have already gone through."

"What?" The palace guard slapped the city guard, furious. "Those four are the spies!"

Chen Ke and the others had planned to leave through the back gate, but it was already closed, and the guards were setting up defenses. There was no way out through the gates.

This government compound had offices to the north and south, and gardens to the east and west. With the north and south blocked and the east garden off-limits, they could only head west.

At the moon gate of the west garden, torches were already lit, and armed guards were on high alert. Chen Ke and the others had to avoid the entrance and walk along the wall. Turning a corner, the noise diminished, and they saw that the wall here was as high as in the east garden.

Wulang volunteered to be the human ladder but was stopped by Chen Ke. "I'll do it..."

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In the northeast corner of the west garden, there was a secluded small garden that was rarely visited. Now, a small table was set up, with an incense burner, two red candles, and four types of fresh and dried fruits.

In front of the table was a straw mat, and on it, a yellow cushion. On the cushion knelt the young lady from earlier, wearing a light silk robe and a white shawl, her long black hair tied up with a jade hairpin.

The pretty maid was also there, wearing a half-sleeved dress. She fanned away mosquitoes and muttered, "Mistress, people usually worship the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival, but it's still two months away."

"The moon goddess can't enjoy the worship during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and she must be hungry during the other months. I'll offer her incense two months early," the young lady said, holding three incense sticks and lighting them carefully. "The moon goddess will still receive it."

"Maybe she'll be moved by my sincerity," the young lady said, blushing as she inserted the incense sticks into the burner. "I'll make my wish come true while it's still quiet..." She then clasped her hands and prayed devoutly.

When the young lady opened her eyes, the maid giggled and asked, "What did you wish for, Mistress?"

"I won't tell you," the young lady said, tilting her head slightly.

"I know even if you don't tell me," the maid giggled. "You must be asking the moon goddess for a good husband."

The young lady blushed but didn't want to lie in front of the moon goddess. She looked up at the golden moon and said firmly, "So what if I am? We noblewomen, though called golden branches and jade leaves, are like slaves in marriage. Ordinary women can have romantic meetings, and even if their parents choose their husbands, they can still see and agree. We, however, are married blindly, and we can only pray to the moon goddess for protection..."

Before she finished, there were four dull thuds, and four men landed in front of her in various poses.

This was too unexpected, and the young lady was stunned.

"Wow, it really works..." The maid seemed to be in a daze, muttering, "Tall, short, black, white, and even a monk..."

"Ahh..." The next moment, she remembered to scream. Before she could, Chen Ke covered her mouth. The maid struggled, and Chen Ke threatened, "Move and I'll strangle you!" Seeing the young lady about to speak, he threatened again, "Make a sound and I'll strangle you!"

"You're covering her nose too," the young lady said, her voice calm despite her fear.

"Uh..." Chen Ke looked down. Indeed, he was. He quickly lifted his finger.

As soon as he did, the maid panted like a calf.

"Miss, don't misunderstand," the young lady said, maintaining her composure but with a hint of fear. This made Chen Ke and the others feel guilty. Song Duanping bowed and said, "We are not thieves..."

Before he could finish, the sound of alarm gongs rang out, and a soldier shouted, "Don't let the thieves escape!"

"Uh..." Song Duanping was speechless. Chen Ke, with a fierce look, said, "We are not thieves, but we can kill. If you don't help us, we'll take you with us to the netherworld!"

"I understand, don't hurt us," the young lady said coldly. "I will cooperate."

"Good, that's better," Chen Ke said, his newly learned bandit talk still fresh in his mind.

"Let her go, she won't scream," the young lady said, looking at her maid. "She knows her place."

Chen Ke released her, and the maid darted to the young lady's side, glaring at Chen Ke with anger and fear.

"Follow me," the young lady said, turning to leave. Suddenly, there were light footsteps approaching, and Chen Ke and the others quickly surrounded her.

Several maids in light pink dresses, holding lanterns and lifting their skirts, rushed over. Seeing the young lady, they called, "Mistress, go back quickly, there are assassins in the compound..." They then saw Chen Ke and the others and exclaimed, "Who are you?"

"Don't scream," the young lady's voice was gentle but firm. "These are the heroes they are looking for..." The maids, though frightened, did not scream.

"Stealth won't work," Song Duanping sighed.

"Then we'll have to fight openly!" Chen Ke glared and looked around. Seeing a two-story building nearby, he said, "Let's go there!"

"Isn't that walking into a trap?"

"I have hostages, what's to fear?" Chen Ke said coldly, his heart filled with hatred for Yu Jing, giving him a desperate air.

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A short while later, the compound's guards surrounded the small building.

Over a hundred torches illuminated the building, revealing the sign "Library" in black on a white background. It was isolated to prevent fire and water damage.

This made a rescue impossible.

Downstairs, a dozen guards escorted a middle-aged man in fine clothing, who walked quickly. The guards made way for him.

Seeing him approach, a young man who looked like him bowed and said, "Father."

"How is your sister?" the middle-aged man asked anxiously. "What's the situation upstairs?"

"My sister and her maid are being held hostage by the four bandits," the young man said, equally anxious. "We just arrived and were about to report to you."

"Send someone in to see what they want," the middle-aged man said sternly. "As long as they don't harm your sister, we can negotiate."

"I'll go," the young man volunteered.

"No need," the middle-aged man shook his head. "Let's assess the situation first."

"Yes, Father." The young man sent a guard in and paced anxiously.

"Has anyone outside found out?" the middle-aged man asked, his face dark.

"No," the young man said softly. "They wanted to help search, but I refused..."

"Good, this must not be made public," the middle-aged man sighed. "Otherwise, your sister's reputation..."

"I understand, Father." The young man looked at the guards, who all lowered their heads, promising not to speak.

After this, the father and son silently watched the small building, waiting anxiously for news.

---

In the Song Dynasty, the royal family indeed used the same terms of address as commoners, as historical records show.

I know I need to write faster, but I can't change my habit of prioritizing quality. I've only written two chapters so far. I know it's not enough, so I'll start writing the third chapter now and post it by 12 PM. If we reach 400 votes today, I'll write a fourth chapter, no matter how late it gets. I promise!