The Court
"The Court" is the thirteenth chapter of the manga Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun written by Minoji Kurata.
Summary[edit | edit source]
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 and the Pieces of Eden, to which he reveals that one of his ancestors was an Assassin from the Middle East. Striving to uphold the same principles as the Assassins who came before her, Shao 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. Shao Jun reveals that she wants to rescue her best friend, one of the concubines in the inner courtyard. Xiao Hu tells her that he will wait outside, and expresses his desire to become an Assassin like her. Shao Jun promises to train Xiao Hu as her apprentice once she completes her mission.
Shao 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 Shao Jun is the Assassin that has caused the entire palace to go into high alert. She also reveals that Empress Zhang Qijie had given her a note in case such an Assassin arrived.
Shao Jun quickly reads the note, where Zhang Qijie specifically summons her to join her at the imperial garden pavilion. The Assassin recognizes the note to be authentic due to the drawing of a rabbit at the bottom, reminding her of how Zhang Qijie once compared the two of them to a rabbit and a butterfly, respectively. Leaving the concubine in peace, Shao Jun begins making her way towards the garden, looking forward to the reunion with her old friend.
Characters in order of appearance[edit | edit source]
- Shao Jun
- Wang Yangming (flashback only)
- Gao Feng (flashback only)
- Xiao Hu
- Zhang Qijie
Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]
The chapter adapts the memory "An Old Friend" from the 2015 video game Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China.