Chapter 298 There Must Be Something Strange
Seeing that the guard was still hesitant, Shen Qingci smiled, her tone light but firm: "I'll stay here and not leave. You can send a message to Chu Jichen and report to him."
"But... I will never easily change my mind once I've made up my mind."
Shen Qingci paused, glanced at the guard, and added, "If all else fails, I will arrange for the Shen family's secret service to protect me. Although they are few in number, they should be more than capable of protecting me in this corner of the capital."
The guard was a smart man. He knew that the newly appointed Empress was gentle on the outside but strong on the inside. Since she had already said so much and even brought up the Shen family's secret service, she was clearly determined to keep her here.
He quickly bowed and said, "This subordinate truly has no way to make the decision and must report to His Majesty. But since Your Highness has decided to stay here, this subordinate will immediately arrange for people to make some preparations here to ensure that nothing goes wrong."
Shen Qingci nodded and agreed.
Since they hadn't left the capital yet, the news spread quickly.
In the afternoon, Shen Qingci received a reply from Chu Jichen, which was a thin letter.
The letter contained only a few words, yet they were written in a vigorous and powerful style, penetrating the paper—it was Chu Jichen's unique handwriting.
"If I had known, I should have dug that secret passage all the way to the outside of the capital."
As Shen Qingci looked at the words, she could almost picture Chu Jichen's helpless yet doting expression when he wrote the letter. She couldn't help but smile, and the last trace of unease in her heart dissipated.
The guard stood by with his head bowed, respectfully conveying the imperial decree: "His Majesty said that since we have already been assigned to the Empress, we should simply obey her orders and commands without having to report to her on everything."
“However,” the guard paused, his tone becoming unusually solemn, “His Majesty specifically instructed that His Majesty the Empress must protect herself at all times and in all places.”
Not a single hair can be harmed.
Shen Qingci's eyebrows curved into a smile, a warm feeling welling up in her heart, and she softly agreed.
Immediately, her expression turned serious, and she asked, "You should have brought along bodyguards who are skilled in disguise, right?"
If this group wanted to sneak out of the city, they would definitely need to disguise themselves, so they must have made that preparation.
"Yes," the guard replied, head bowed. "We also prepared human skin masks and corresponding clothing in advance."
Shen Qingci nodded, a thoughtful glint in his eyes: "Since we have to live here, simply hiding won't do. Hiding and concealing ourselves will only arouse suspicion, since there are people living around here."
"Besides, we need to keep track of everything happening in the city. We can't just stay cooped up in this little courtyard forever."
"Disguise yourself, and all of you change into the attire of ordinary maids and servants."
"Let's just pretend we are..."
Shen Qingci narrowed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and a past event flashed through his mind: "Pretending to be a merchant caravan from Beishuo, coming to the capital to buy some fashionable items to sell back in Beishuo."
Beishuo was the place where her father had been stationed for several years, and it was also the land where she had lived during her childhood.
She had also spent two years in the camp in Beishuo with her father, so she was quite familiar with the local customs and culture, and she could even speak some of the local dialect.
Moreover, most of the people in Shen's secret service had spent a considerable amount of time with her father in Beishuo and were very familiar with the local customs.
They could easily impersonate a merchant caravan from the Northern Shuo without arousing suspicion.
"Those of you who can speak some of the Northern Shuo language can follow the Shen family's secret service and openly go out to gather information on the streets. Those who can't speak any of the Northern Shuo language should stay here and be responsible for guarding the inner courtyard, and reduce going out," Shen Qingci instructed clearly.
The guard agreed and quickly found a guard skilled in disguise.
The guard was extremely skilled; in less than half an hour, he had transformed Shen Qingci into an ordinary-looking woman.
Shen Qingci looked at herself in the mirror. Although her appearance had changed, she still felt that her tall and slender figure was somewhat eye-catching among the ordinary women in the city.
She hesitated for a moment, then had someone find a cotton quilt, cut and sewed it to a more suitable size, tied it around her belly, and put on loose clothes, instantly making her look like a pregnant woman who was four or five months pregnant.
They then had soft wooden insoles placed inside her shoes, altering her gait and stride. This disguise significantly changed her appearance, making her unrecognizable even to acquaintances.
After getting dressed, Shen Qingci moved around a bit to get used to her new body, then took two bodyguards disguised as maids and went straight out the door.
As soon as she stepped out of the courtyard, Shen Qingci glanced at the location of the courtyard and the direction of the alley, narrowed her eyes slightly, and suddenly a thought struck her.
"This place seems to be quite close to the Huo residence?"
The guard, disguised as a maid, bowed his head and replied, "Yes, after passing through a few alleys and walking about two more streets, we'll reach the vicinity of the back gate of the Huo residence."
Shen Qingci lowered her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly, concealing a hint of deep thought in her eyes: "Let's go for a stroll over there."
For some reason, she had a strong premonition that Huo Yunting's break with Old Madam Huo was just a facade.
But behind this facade, there may be some deeper secrets hidden.
For example, if Huo Yunting really had someone behind him, he should have at least used some means to contact that person.
However, Chu Jichen had been keeping a close watch on Huo Yunting, so much so that it was a 24/7, all-encompassing surveillance.
Even the Shen family's intelligence network, which she controlled, had been used by her to keep an eye on Huo Yunting for a long time.
However, nothing seemed amiss; everything appeared excessively normal.
However, Madam Huo still felt that Huo Yunting would not really sever ties with her, and that his repeated visits to her home only to be turned away seemed a bit too persistent.
There must be something fishy about this.
Shen Qingci, supporting her lower back, walked slowly toward the Huo residence like a real pregnant woman.
The vermilion gate of the Huo mansion was tightly closed, and the entrance was deserted, exuding a sense of desolation.
Shen Qingci strolled leisurely to the back alley of the Huo residence.
Sure enough, the small side door that servants usually used for shopping was half open, and every now and then a few servants dressed in coarse cloth went in and out, looking hurried.
She found a small stall selling herbal tea nearby, ordered a large bowl of tea, and sat down.
The location was excellent, allowing a clear view of everything happening at the side gate without being too conspicuous or arousing suspicion.
She sipped her slightly bitter herbal tea while discreetly observing the people coming and going.
However, after sitting for most of the hour, apart from a few women who went shopping and a servant who delivered firewood, they did not find anything unusual.
Shen Qingci knew it was impossible for her to discover something amiss as soon as she arrived. She simply put down a few copper coins, got up, dusted off non-existent dust from her clothes, and slowly strolled back to her small courtyard.
Just as I reached my own front door, I heard the neighbor's gate creak open.
An elderly woman, around fifty years old, with a kind face, came out carrying a basket.
Upon seeing Shen Qingci, the older woman was visibly taken aback for a moment, then greeted her warmly with a smile: "Oh, this lady looks unfamiliar. Are you new here? I've never seen you before."
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