Chapter 344
Chapter 344
It was only because those eagles had appeared in time that she had gotten the chance to kill that man.
Jiang Yunsui noticed Ji Yushu looking at her and walked over.
“Big Sister, this is for you. It’s food.”
She handed Ji Yushu a roasted potato. It was still warm, one she had not had time to eat yet.
Ji Yushu swallowed. Her lips were dry and peeling.
“Thank you,” she said.
“And here’s some water. Hurry and eat.”
When Ji Yan’an saw that her clothes were torn, he found a thin blanket and handed it to her.
There were no clothes she could wear at the moment.
Ji Yan’an had someone take her away and help her settle in.
“If we want to rescue the captured women of the Ji Family, our only option is to slip into the Capital City in secret.”
Ji Yan’an said, “Let’s have Shen Qingzhu disguise us.”
Shen Qingzhu replied, “Disguises start showing flaws if they’re worn too long, and we don’t even know how long we’ll be staying there.”
The stuff trapped heat against the face and did not let the skin breathe. If worn for too long, the edges tended to peel, and the skin underneath was prone to rashes.
It would be fine for a short while, but they could hardly keep wearing it indefinitely.
“Then what do we do?” Ji Yan’an asked.
His features had changed as he grew older, but there were still people in the Capital City who would recognize him.
Song Jin walked over, fan in hand. “Easy. You’ve dressed as a woman before, haven’t you? Just do it again. That’s the least likely disguise to draw attention. Who in their right mind would imagine that the dignified Young Master had disguised himself as a woman?”
Ji Yan’an: …………
“Have you ever seen a woman as tall as me?”
Song Jin said, “What does that matter? Just stay inside the carriage and don’t come out.”
“Young Master, don’t blame me for offering an absurd idea. They’re waiting for you to walk straight into their trap. Outsiders entering the imperial city must be their main targets for investigation right now. A human-skin mask is not real skin, after all, and even a little scrutiny could expose its flaws. Men are bound to be searched especially closely. Traveling as women really will make things much easier.”
Ji Yan’an knew he was telling the truth.
But…
“Then the rest of you can be my maids.”
Hah… They wanted to laugh at him?
“Come on,” Song Jin protested. “You need guards too.”
Ji Yan’an pointed at the group of muscular guards behind them.
Did those men not count?
Song Jin: …………
Tsk. He had dug a pit for himself.
“Fine. I’ll see this through with you, whatever it takes.”
Given their height, however, women’s clothing was indeed rather difficult to find for them.
Fortunately, all of them had handsome faces. With some makeup to soften their features and skirts to complete the look, all they needed were high collars to hide their Adam’s apples.
They did not look much like maids, but they could pass for female guards.
Ji Yan’an dressed in flowing white women’s robes, which made his face look even more exquisite. Aside from being a little too tall, he truly looked like a strikingly beautiful young woman.
His assumed identity was that of a young lady from a wealthy family who had come to the Capital City to stay with relatives, so he wore a veiled hat.
Jiang Yunsui said, “I’m going to look very carefully and paint every one of you when we get back!”
The men in women’s clothing went pale with alarm.
“No!”
“Absolutely not!”
Their own people might know they were dressed as women now, but once they took off the clothes, it would all be over.
If the little girl really painted them like this, however, the humiliation would be preserved forever.
Jiang Yunsui clasped her little hands behind her back, wearing a cheeky expression that plainly said they could talk all they liked, and she would do as she pleased.
“But you really do look beautiful! And what a special experience this is. It isn’t a humiliating chapter in your past. It’s one step on your road to success!”
“Still no.”
Amid all their noisy bickering, the group reached the gates of the imperial city.
Shen Qingzhu said, “Get serious, everyone. We’re about to go in.”
Sure enough, numerous patrolmen and inspectors were stationed at the gates, and their questioning was strict. The men entering the city even had their faces, hands, and other exposed areas examined closely.
“I think they have portraits.”
Jiang Yunsui’s eyes darted around. She suppressed her presence, sauntered up to take a look, and then came back.
“They’re portraits of you. They have Ji Yan’an, Nanshu, Song Jin, Nanmo, and even Shen Qingzhu.”
Song Jin chuckled. “It seems those fellows in the Capital City aren’t all useless. They actually managed to get portraits of us.”
“Whoa… They’re even poking people’s faces!”
Indeed, the inspectors were poking at people’s faces to see whether they were real.
Clearly, someone had anticipated the loophole of using disguises.
Song Jin said, “Good thing we didn’t disguise ourselves that way.”
Yang Yan might be an idiot, but Princess Huiling and those wily old aristocrats certainly were not.
Their carriage was soon stopped.
“Who are you? Where have you come from? What business do you have here…?”
Nanshu pitched his voice higher. After taking the medicine Shen Qingzhu had given him, raising his pitch made his voice sound feminine.
Nanshu was posing as a maid.
“Sir, we’ve come from the south. Our young lady is here in the Capital City to stay with relatives. She’s reached marriageable age, and with so many distinguished families here, her parents asked her maternal uncle’s family to see whether they could find her a worthy husband.”
Jiang Yunsui suppressed her presence and swaggered back and forth by the gate, pulling out a handful of popcorn to snack on as she watched Nanshu perform.
The world truly owed Nanshu an acting award.
“Those two are maids? Why are they so tall?”
Nanshu said, “They’re female guards. As you know, sir, our young lady is a woman. Her family couldn’t feel at ease with only male guards around her, so of course they trained two female guards to accompany her. One comes from a family of pig butchers, and the other from a family of hunters. My lady’s mother trained them precisely because their builds made them look capable in a fight.”
That did make sense.
The inspectors gave the two female guards a cursory examination, then took the portraits over to check the guards and servants.
They confirmed that none of them wore human-skin masks.
Then they went to the carriage.
“Tell your young lady to come out. We need to inspect her.”
Nanshu looked troubled. “But… our young lady cannot simply show herself in public.”
“Enough nonsense. Have her come out at once.”
A cool voice sounded from within the carriage.
“If an inspection is required, then inspect me.”
Ji Yan’an had Nanshu lift the carriage curtain.
The entire interior was visible at a glance, leaving nowhere for anyone to hide.
Ji Yan’an lifted the veil of his hat slightly, revealing a beautiful face.
“Officer, it would be inconvenient for this young woman to leave the carriage. Will looking at me like this suffice?”
The soldier conducting the inspection was momentarily dazzled.
“Yes.”
They found nothing suspicious and finally let the group pass.
“I wonder which noble young master in the Capital City will be lucky enough to marry a woman like that.”
The soldier sighed wistfully.
Beautiful as she was, a woman like that was beyond the reach of men like them.
Ji Yan’an and his party successfully infiltrated the imperial city.
Naturally, he had people here ready to receive him.
The emperor could plant spies in his territory, and he could certainly do the same.
Their cover story was sound because they truly did have an “uncle” here.
He was a minor sixth-rank official in the Capital City who worked in the Ministry of Personnel.
They made no attempt to be discreet and went straight to the official’s residence.
He cooperated fully and ushered them inside.
Once everyone else had been dismissed, the official dropped to his knees.
“This subordinate greets the Young Master.”
He had known the Young Master was coming, but he had never imagined he would arrive like this!