After filling their stomachs with a simple porridge, everyone began to discuss the countermeasures to escape from the Imperial City. Because the Southern Yan Kingdom wasn’t strict with the people that wanted to leave the Imperial City, they decided that they would leave during daytime.
Because their group wasn’t a small one, everyone decided that it was better to split in two and leave separately. Xiao PingYang would leave first with Princess Yongning, then Xiao YuAn, Yang LiuAn and Xiao Fengyue would disguise themselves as exiled brothers. In the end, they will meet up at the post station outside the Imperial City.
Everyone was worried about Xiao YuAn. His escape from the Imperial Palace should’ve been discovered long ago, and yet, when the female guards went out for a stroll, they didn’t see any ‘wanted’ posters. They didn’t know what Yan HeQing was planning, so they had to deal with it a step at a time.
Xiao YuAn changed himself into tattered clothes and painted his face with mud plaster, to the point where he couldn’t see his original features anymore. Xiao PingYang saw this and asked: “Isn’t this too much?”
Xiao YuAn illuminated the well water to look at his own reflection: “It does seem to be a bit too much.”
However, it was impossible for him to not cover himself, the Southern guards will definitely get suspicious after they see his delicate appearance.
Xiao PingYang’s thumb and index finger rested against her chin, thought for a while, and then said: “Why don’t you just pretend to be a woman?”
Xiao YuAn: “What?!”
Xiao PingYang asked one of the female guards for a grey puffed dress and a short coat, and then handed it to Xiao YuAn: “Your Majesty, the most important thing right now is to protect your life.”
Xiao YuAn: “…..”
He could understand the reasoning, but why was she holding her smile?
Forget it, the most important issue right now is to run away as soon as possible. Xiao YuAn didn’t want to drag them down just because he could be discovered at any second.
Xiao YuAn reached out and took the gray dress and the short coat. Due to the Emperor of the Northern Kingdom having a soft and delicate appearance, along with his body being notably thin, the woman’s disguise didn’t look weird on him, and nothing suspicious would be noticed at a first glance.
The female guard looked at Xiao YuAn for a long time, and then she suddenly stretched out her hands to braid his hair into a bun.
Xiao YuAn: “……..”
Princess Yongning changed her clothes too. When she came out and saw Xiao YuAn, she was at first too shocked to utter a word, but after calming down, she said: “This Jiejie1 is so beautiful.”
Xiao YuAn thought for a while, and with his voice in a pitched tone, he replied: “Meimei2 must be joking, I don’t dare to compare with Meimei’s beauty.”
Princess Yongning immediately covered her mouth and began to laugh.
Xiao PingYang raised the corners of her mouth, and then said: “You’d better pretend to be dumb, otherwise, you’ll reveal youself as soon as you open your mouth.”
Xiao YuAn spread out his hands and muttered to himself: “I can’t help it, the androgens make me have an Adam’s apple.”
When Yang LiuAn and Xiao Fengyue walked in from the outside of the broken temple, Yang LiuAn immediately said: “The guards will change shifts at noon, let’s get out now while we still can- Your Majesty?!?!!”
After seeing that Yang LiuAn was scared out of his wits by seeing Xiao YuAn’s appearance as a woman, he suddenly found it really funny. So he turned around, twisted his body and said: “Yang-ge, what’s wrong? Can’t you recognize your Xiao-mei3?”
Yang LiuAn violently retreated a few meters away.
Xiao YuAn burst into laughter, and the female guards of the Western Shu Kingdom couldn’t help but cover their mouths while also sneakily laughing as well. The atmosphere was cheerful, which made them forget about the hardships of escaping.
Xiao Fengyue finished covering his lips after laughing and stepped forward to say in a soft voice: “Xiao-mei, don’t panic, Dage and Er-ge4 will surely help you out.”
Xiao YuAn nodded, and the depression that had been trapped inside his heart for many days now, gradually dissipated.
There wasn’t time to lose, and a dozen or so people rushed towards the Imperial City gates. Xiao PingYang and Princess Yongning were the first ones to leave. After the Southern guards stopped them both, they interrogated them a few times before letting them go. The process seemed to go very smoothly.
Seeing that it was the turn of the two exiled brothers and a ‘sister’, Yang LiuAn and Xiao Fengyue kept Xiao YuAn half hidden and half protected behind their backs as they slowly walked out of the Imperial City alongside the crowd.
The Southern guards stopped the three of them and questioned as per usual: “How many people?”
“My brother, myself and my sister. Three people.” Xiao Fengyue nervously tugged at Yang LiuAn’s wrist, however, his face was extremely calm.
“Where did your family used to live before?”
“Outside the western outskirts of the city.”
The Southern guard swept a glance at the three and then pointed at Xiao YuAn: “You, raise your head and let me have a look.”
The hearts of the three of them almost jumped to their throats at the same time. Xiao YuAn slowly raised his head, his face was slightly covered out with dust, but his original appearance wasn’t very visible.
The Southern guard nodded and asked a few more simple questions, and then with a big wave of his hand, he allowed them to go.
They felt relieved and happy inside their hearts, so they hurried to get out of the Imperial City.
After seeing that the Imperial City’s gate was about to be left behind, Xiao YuAn took a deep breath to ease the tension of his body, however, his shoulder was suddenly held down!
Xiao YuAn became extremely stiff as he heard a male’s voice coming from behind him: “Young lady, may I speak with you for a moment?”
XYA’s delicate body finally can be of good use lol and poor YLA hahahaha too much of a shock to see his former monarch dressed like that lmao I’m dying
But oh noooo why did the guard stopped him?? Did he guess his real identity??? Σ(ﾟДﾟ；)
Footnotes
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