messenger pigeon swiftly arrived in the hands of one of the warriors from Shadow Wolf Clan. As he unrolled the message tied to the bird's leg and read it, the man was struck with confusion over the strange command. Unable to comprehend the contents clearly, he hurried to show it to his elder brother.
"Brother Chang Hu, I don't understand what Minister Li wants us to do," the young man said, puzzled.
Chang Hu took the letter and read it. His thick brows furrowed deeply as a similarly perplexed expression crossed his face.
The message read:
"To the Shadow Wolf men, when the royal funeral procession departs the palace, you must be ready. Your target is the whore Mu, the imperial consort of the late Emperor. She will be riding in a carriage marked with a phoenix banner. But do not strike too early—wait until Chancellor Zheng's men attempt to seize her. Then, and only then, you are to kill her. Do not let them take her alive. Remember this well: keep your eyes on the phoenix banner."
Upon reading that line, Chang Hu looked toward the procession of carriages—all fifty of them bearing the same phoenix-embroidered flags. It was nearly impossible to determine which one carried the imperial consort.
"Has Minister Li gone mad?" Chang Xue grumbled in frustration. "Every single carriage has that same strange phoenix banner. How are we supposed to know which one she's in?"
Chang Hu shared his brother's doubts. But as he re-read the final line—"keep your eyes on the phoenix banner"—he began to suspect the minister was leaving them a subtle clue.
Chang Xue grew restless. "Brother Chang Hu, why don't we just storm the carriages one by one and force them to reveal the consort? That'll save us time."
"Calm yourself, Chang Xue," Chang Hu said, trying to bring reason. "If Minister Li resorted to such secrecy, it likely means we're not the only ones after her."
Chang Xue frowned. "There are others who want her dead?"
"Not to kill," Chang Hu explained, "but to rescue her, more likely."
Chang Xue's face lit up. "That means there'll be a fight! My hands have been itching for action!"
Chang Hu shook his head with mild exasperation. "That's not our mission. What we must do is avoid direct conflict and assassinate the imperial consort swiftly and quietly."
"I'm not afraid of them, Brother Chang Hu. No matter how skilled our enemies are, they're no match for us. Just you alone could wipe out an entire regiment," Chang Xue declared confidently.
Although his words might have sounded exaggerated, they were not far from the truth—for the two brothers were indeed unmatched warriors, feared and revered across the realm.