The Court
"The Court" is the thirteenth chapter of the manga Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun written by Minoji Kurata.
Summary
Nan'an, China, 1529
Shao Jun attends her Mentor's funeral, and thanks the Buddhist monks for their hospitality and aid. She asks how the monk leader knows so much about the Assassins, to which he reveals that he has an Assassin ancestor from the Middle East. Striving to uphold the same principles of the Assassins who came before her, Jun vows to bring peace and order to her country and sets off in search of the missing Precursor box.
Beijing, China, 1530
Shao Jun and Xiao Hu pose as siblings, as they make their way through the guard patrols at the entrance to the city. Jun reveals that she wants to rescue her best friend, one of the concubines in the inner courtyard. Hu tells her he will wait outside, but that he also wants to train as her first Assassin apprentice.
Jun evades the guards and enters the inner courtyard with ease. As she enters a window, she startles a concubine. The young woman guesses that Jun is the Assassin that has caused the entire palace to go into high alert. She also reveals that Qijie had given her a note in case such an Assassin arrived. Jun quickly reads the note, where Qijie specifically summons her to join her at the imperial garden pavilion. Leaving the concubine in peace, Jun makes her way there quickly, looking forward to meeting her old friend once more.