Chapter 91 Extra: Outside the Palace Walls (Part 1)
Chapter 91 Extra: Outside the Palace Walls (Part 1)
Inside the side hall of Shenwu Gate, the sunlight gradually shifted westward, casting long shadows of window lattices on the blue brick floor.
Su Su sat upright on the embroidered stool, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the intertwined floral pattern on her cuffs. A full hour had passed.
An Dekang said he would be back soon, but he has yet to be seen.
The faint sound of the palace gates opening could be heard outside the hall, mixed with light footsteps and whispers—the older palace maids being released today were leaving the palace that had confined them for half their lives through the Shenwu Gate.
Each sound was like a small hammer, gently tapping on Su Su's tense heartstrings.
Chunlan shifted her feet uneasily and lowered her voice, saying, "My lady, Eunuch An has been gone for so long... could something have happened?"
Qiuju leaned closer, her brows furrowed: "I just peeked through the crack in the door and saw the palace maids leaving one after another. If we keep waiting like this, I'm afraid today will be..."
Su Su suddenly stood up.
We can't wait any longer.
All the events of her past life flashed before her eyes like a revolving lantern—poisoned wine in the cold palace, her father and brothers imprisoned, Li Qianche's icy gaze when Mu Hanyan miscarried… Every scene screamed: Leave here, leave now!
"Let's go." Her voice was soft, but it carried an unwavering resolve.
"My lady?" Chunlan exclaimed in surprise, "Aren't we waiting for Eunuch An? Without him to guide us, how can we get out?"
"I can't wait any longer." Su Su took a deep breath and looked at the tightly closed palace door. "I'm afraid if I wait any longer, I really won't be able to get out. When I blend into the procession of palace maids leaving the palace, I'll keep my head down and not attract attention."
Chunlan and Qiuju exchanged a glance, both seeing tension in each other's eyes, but also the same determination.
They nodded in unison: "We understand."
The three, master and servants, pushed open the door and went out. Outside the side hall was a passageway leading to the Shenwu Gate, where groups of three or five palace maids were walking silently toward the palace gate with their heads down and carrying simple bundles.
The setting sun gilded their figures with a golden edge, and also revealed the complex expressions on their faces—a sense of relief mixed with uncertainty about the unknown future.
Su Su lowered her head slightly and led the two maids to quietly blend into the back of the group.
Today, she deliberately chose the simplest moon-white dress, without any pearls or jade in her hair or makeup on her face. She blended in with a group of palace maids dressed in similarly plain clothes and did not stand out much.
One step, two steps... the palace gates drew ever closer.
The guards' dark blue armor and solemn faces were already clearly visible.
The palace maids at the front handed over their exit passes one by one, which were checked by the guards before they waved them through. The procession moved slowly forward.
It was finally their turn.
A young-looking guard reached out to stop her, his gaze lingering on Su Su's face for a moment—her face was simply too outstanding, even in simple clothes, her beauty could not be concealed.
He frowned slightly: "Where are your exit permits?"
Su Su's heart sank. The certificate was in An Dekang's hands, and he had not returned yet.
She forced herself to calm down, slightly raised her eyes, and kept her voice perfectly calm: "I am Consort Su from Changxin Palace. By order of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, I have requested to go to Puning Temple to pray for blessings and cultivate myself. If you do not believe me, you can send someone to Cining Palace to ask me."
She deliberately pronounced the words "Empress Dowager" clearly.
The guard's expression changed slightly. Who in the palace didn't know that Consort Su was the Empress Dowager's niece?
Even if they were demoted, they would still be the Empress Dowager's people. He hesitated, glancing at his companions, then at the person behind Su Su—Chunlan and Qiuju, though their heads were bowed, were clearly not ordinary palace maids in terms of their attire and bearing.
"This..." The guard clasped his hands in embarrassment. "Your Highness, it's not that I'm trying to make things difficult for you, but the palace rules are strict. Without a pass issued by the Imperial Household Department, I really dare not let anyone pass without permission. Please don't make things difficult for me, Your Highness."
Seeing that he was unmoved by her words, Su Su felt a surge of panic.
If she were stopped here and alerted others, she might not be able to leave today! Her fingertips trembled slightly as she frantically searched for a solution—
"Oh, why did Lady Su come out by herself?"
A high-pitched, panting voice sounded from behind. Anderkang jogged over, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, a slightly stiff smile on his face: "The time hasn't come yet, why are you in such a hurry?"
Su Su suddenly turned around and looked at the eunuch who had delayed her for a whole hour.
Fueled by anger and anxiety, she could no longer maintain her gentle demeanor, and her voice suddenly turned cold: "Eunuch An, don't try to fool me! Look at the time, look at these palace maids leaving the palace—everyone else can leave, but I can't? You just said you'd be right back, but you've made me wait for an hour. Are you trying to fool me?"
She stepped forward, her gaze sharp as a knife: "Or is it that the Empress Dowager's decree doesn't count in your eyes, An Dekang?"
These words were extremely harsh. An Dekang's face paled. He had indeed been ordered by Granny Duan to delay the matter—the Empress Dowager wanted to use this incident to test the Emperor's intentions and had instructed that the people could not be released until a clear signal came from Cining Palace.
But with no movement from the Emperor and Consort Su being so aggressive, many palace maids and eunuchs were already secretly glancing in their direction...
An Dekang quickly calculated in his mind. After all, Consort Su was the Empress Dowager's niece. Since the Empress Dowager had given her the ordination certificate, it meant that she clearly intended to let her leave the palace. If he tried to stop her, she would complain to the Empress Dowager in the future, and he would be the one who would suffer.
Well then, since the Empress Dowager has not issued any new instructions, we might as well go with the flow.
His face immediately turned pale with fear, and he bowed and said, "Please calm down, Your Highness! I was just... just now I was feeling unwell and went to relieve myself, which is why I was delayed. I had no intention of neglecting Your Highness!"
As he spoke, he took out a certificate of ordination bearing the seal of the Cining Palace from his pocket and presented it to the guard with both hands, saying, "This is a certificate of ordination personally approved by the Empress Dowager. Please check it, guard."
The guard took the document, examined it carefully, glanced at Su Su, and finally stepped aside: "Since it is the Empress Dowager's decree, I dare not obstruct it. Miss Su, please."
Outside the gate is a long palace road, and further away, the rooftops of houses stand in rows, with wisps of smoke rising in the twilight—the free world that Su Su has dreamed of in both her past and present lives.
An Dekang led the three out of the palace gate and pointed to a carriage with a green canopy parked by the roadside: "My lady, the carriage is ready. The driver will take you directly to Puning Temple, where everything has been arranged."
Su Su looked in the direction he pointed—it was an ordinary folk carriage with a worn-out blue cloth canopy, gray horses pulling the carriage, and a middle-aged man with his head down whose face was obscured.
Everything was in line with her requirement to "leave the palace discreetly".
"Thank you for your trouble, Father-in-law." She suppressed the surging emotions in her heart, maintained her last bit of calm, took out a purse from her sleeve and handed it over, "This is a small token of my appreciation. Please have some tea, Father-in-law."
An Dekang took it; it felt heavy in his hand. His smile became more genuine: "You're too kind, young master. May your journey be safe and smooth."
He spoke the last four words very softly, with a certain profound meaning.
Su Su said no more, and, with Chunlan's help, stepped into the carriage. The carriage curtain was drawn, separating the two worlds inside and outside the palace walls.
"Giddy up!" the driver called softly, the whip cracking in the air. The wheels rolled rhythmically over the cobblestones, gradually increasing in speed.
Only then did Su Su's straight back suddenly relax, and she leaned softly against the car wall.
She reached out and lifted a corner of the carriage curtain—the tall, vermilion city gate of Shenwu Gate was gradually shrinking in her sight, the figures of the guards in front of the gate turning into blurry black dots, and finally disappearing completely into the setting sun.
"We...we really got out?" Qiuju's voice trembled with disbelief.
Chunlan gripped Su Su's hand tightly, her eyes reddening: "We're out, my lady, we're really out!"
Su Su gazed at the rapidly receding street scene outside the window, her heart pounding violently in her chest, each beat like a drumbeat.
Shops along the street began to put up lanterns one after another, the cries of vendors could be faintly heard, and children chased and ran by laughing... These ordinary scenes of daily life seemed like a distant memory to her.
Having lived two lives, she finally broke free from that golden cage.
"How long will it take to get to Puning Temple?" she asked the driver softly.
The driver didn't turn his head, his voice deep and muffled: "About an hour. Young lady, hold on tight, this stretch of road is a bit bumpy."
The carriage indeed sped up, passing through streets and gradually leaving the bustling inner city. Night fell completely, streetlights were sparse, and the occasional shadow of the countryside woods could be seen.
Su Su's heart gradually calmed down, replaced by a sense of emptiness and unreality. Was it really over? All the grudges of the past life, the schemes of this life, the Empress Dowager's tests, Li Qianche's unpredictable thoughts… were they all left behind as she left the palace gates?
We came to a side road in the countryside, surrounded by sparse trees, with the moonlight barely illuminating the bumpy dirt road.
The wheels rolled over the gravel, causing the vehicle to sway slightly. Su Su held Chunlan's hand tightly. Although the tension in her heart had eased slightly due to leaving the palace, it had not yet completely subsided.
The night outside the palace seemed even more profound and unpredictable than the night inside.
"My lady, what's wrong?" Chunlan keenly noticed her absent-mindedness.
Su Su shook her head, about to say something—
The carriage suddenly stopped without warning.
The inertia caused the three to lean forward, and Qiuju nearly hit the carriage wall. Outside, they heard the restless neighing of horses and the driver's low shouts to stop them.
"What's going on?" Su Su's heart tightened, and she whispered, her hand instinctively pressing down on the self-defense hairpin hidden in her sleeve.
Could it be an unexpected turn of events? Is it Consort Zhuang? Or something in the palace...? Countless possibilities flashed through her mind in an instant.
Chunlan and Qiuju tensed up instantly, looking warily at the lowered carriage curtain.
The driver's voice came from ahead, low and tinged with barely perceptible tension: "Miss, there are a few people standing in the middle of the road ahead, blocking our way."
How many people? Su Su frowned and gently lifted a corner of the carriage curtain.
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