Chapter 24 Escape
"If there's anyone I can trust, it's you, Bingling."
"If it weren't for you by my side all these years, I'm afraid I would have been driven to depression by the Empress's faction."
"Help me, Bingling, please help me, you're all I have left, you're all I have..."
"..."
The princess spoke earnestly, her words filled with sorrow. Lou Bingling didn't know how she left the princess's residence, and returned to her own home in a daze.
During dinner, she claimed to be ill and declined the meal. She paced back and forth in her room alone, constantly thinking about the princess's complete trust and entrustment to her, and her heart was filled with mixed feelings.
She had witnessed the Empress's relentless pressure and torment of the princess.
The princess's eyes, which yearned for freedom, when she was at Cixi Temple, still make her feel heartbroken to this day.
Sitting blankly by the window, watching the birds flash by in the sky, Lou Bingling finally made up her mind.
"Never mind..."
"If this can help the princess break free from her cage, what's wrong with taking a risk?"
The next day, she summoned her personal maid, left the mansion, and went straight to the West Market. She secretly had two sets of men's clothing made at a tailor shop, bought a simple world map at a bookstore, and a small dagger for self-defense at a blacksmith shop.
Afterwards, she went to the princess's residence under the pretext of delivering new embroidery patterns.
Inside the room, Lou Bingling dismissed everyone around her and took out the bundle hidden in the basket.
“Your Highness, everything you need is here.” She then took out a few small silver notes from her bosom. “Your Highness, when you’re on the run… whole ingots of gold and silver are too conspicuous. These silver notes, though small in amount, are easy to exchange and won’t attract attention.”
Jiang Fushi was slightly surprised. She hadn't thought about this before. She could only gratefully hold Lou Bingling's hands tightly, tears welling up in her eyes and slowly falling down her cheeks.
"I will remember your kindness today, and if we meet again in the future, I will repay you with my life."
Lou Bingling also shed tears, raised her hand to wipe them away, and said with red eyes, "As for the travel permit, I will find a way, but His Highness is about to travel to the Imperial Mausoleum, so it can't be obtained before then. After His Highness... after His Highness 'has an accident,' I will order a trusted person to secretly send it to His Highness according to the marks His Highness left."
"All arrangements should be made as the princess has planned."
"Okay, okay..."
Jiang Fushi was both excited and nervous, her chest heaving. She sniffed, took out a red sachet, and poured out a small white jade bottle the size of her palm.
This is a resurrection pill that she collected materials from various sources and spent six years making after entering the palace.
This medicine, if taken when one is on the verge of death, can bring one back from the brink of death and prevent immediate demise.
"Bingling, this medicine is for you. If you ever encounter great calamity and are on the verge of death, take it and it will surely give you a chance to survive."
Lou Bingling looked at the warm white jade bottle in her hand and knew that it was extremely precious. She was so shocked that she couldn't speak for a moment.
"Your Highness..." she sobbed and hugged Jiang Fushi, "This parting is so far, I don't know if we will ever meet again in this life... I hope Your Highness will take good care of yourself."
Jiang Fushi hugged her back, her eyes reddening, but she held back her tears.
Making this decision, she felt both a resolute sense of liberation and exhilaration, as if she were breaking free from a cage, and a deep fear of the unknown future. But the die was cast, and if she missed this opportunity, she might never have another chance in her life.
After seeing Lou Bingling off, Jiang Fushi gazed at the setting sun gradually sinking in the courtyard, remaining motionless for a long time.
Last night, she packed all the things she was going to take with her.
Thinking about leaving this place soon, and looking at Qingdai and Zisu walking back and forth in front of me, I suddenly felt a pang of reluctance.
Both of them were palace maids assigned to her by the Imperial Household Department when she returned to the palace years ago. Over the years, they had been mistress and servant, and their friendship had deepened.
Fearing they would notice something amiss, Jiang Fushi returned to her inner room, using the excuse of needing to redo her hair and makeup. Opening the dressing case before her, she discovered a small, exquisite gold-inlaid jeweled mirror at the bottom, its craftsmanship superb, complete with a rope for easy carrying.
The day of departure arrived.
Jiang Fushi wore a dignified princess dress and hung a small mirror on her waist.
The streets leading out of the city had been cleared, and the grand princess's entourage slowly made its way out of the city amidst the watchful eyes of the people.
Zhan Xiao hid in a private room on the second floor of a teahouse next to the street, quietly watching the princess board the carriage with the help of palace servants.
A sliver of light flashed in his eyes.
It turned out that the princess had picked it up...
The imperial mausoleum is located on Qishan Mountain outside the city. As they ascended the mountain, Jiang Fushi lifted a corner of the carriage curtain to look out and silently memorized the forks in the road and landmarks along the way.
Before coming, Lou Bingling had someone draw a map of the area surrounding the imperial tomb for her. She had looked at it carefully and had a general idea of what it was like; now she was comparing it to the actual site.
Upon arriving at the Zhaigong Palace, she was personally received by the sacrificial official of the Temple and Sacrificial Office.
After a brief rest, Jiang Fushi was taken to the Hall of Offerings, where the spirit tablet of Empress Dowager Zhaohui was enshrined, to begin the first day of incense burning and worship.
For the next two days, she repeated morning prayers and recitations, copying scriptures and meditating. She was so busy all day that she had no time to explore her surroundings. Only after dinner could she find an excuse to go out with Qingdai for a walk to digest her food, while secretly memorizing the routine of the patrol handover.
This calm only made Jiang Fushi more uneasy.
The Empress's summons to the imperial mausoleum could not possibly be solely for filial piety; there must be a hidden agenda.
To her surprise, the past two days have been peaceful and uneventful. The officials of the Temple and Sacrificial Office treated her with great courtesy and did not mistreat her in her daily life, leaving her completely puzzled.
What's frightening is that the calmer things seem, the stranger things are going to be.
Jiang Fushi dared not let her guard down, even hiding a dagger under her pillow while sleeping, and sleeping very lightly, for fear that the Empress would cause trouble.
On the evening of the third day.
After dinner, Jiang Fushi, as usual, called Qingdai to go for a walk together. However, they hadn't gone far when Qingdai's foot was bitten by some kind of insect. It became red, swollen, and painful instantly, making it impossible for her to walk. She had to be helped back to her room by another maid who was with her to apply medicine.
Standing in the empty courtyard, Jiang Fushi's mind wandered slightly.
These past few days, she has been thinking about how to take advantage of the situation to escape and fake her death.
Now, the opportunity has arrived.
She returned to her room as if nothing had happened, and instructed that she had caught a chill during her walk that day and had a headache, so she should rest early and did not need them to serve her.
Immediately afterwards, she took out the men's clothes she had secretly brought and quickly changed into them. She then removed all the hair ornaments from her head, tied them into a simple men's hairstyle, carefully packed away her palace dress and embroidered shoes, shouldered the bundle she had packed earlier, and slipped out through a secluded side gate in the backyard under the cover of darkness.
The man in the shadows of the trees silently watched all of this.
When the boy came out of the princess's room, Zhan Xiao's eyes narrowed and his sword sheath tilted slightly. He was about to block the boy's way when he suddenly realized that the boy's walking posture was exactly the same as the princess's.
He frowned, abruptly stopped what he was doing, and then silently followed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
