Chapter 0267: Bouncing White Maggot Quilt Bug, Xie Chengze Disguised as a Palace Maid

After reading “bedtime stories” for several days and seeing Xie Jinyu remain stubbornly unyielding, Xie Chengze ultimately decided to abandon this approach and chose to directly slip away from the palace.

Staying at home is precious indeed, brotherly love holds higher value, but for the sake of innocence, both can be cast aside!

As for how an ordinary person like him, with no strength to truss a chicken, could evade the guards at the door, ensure that Xie Jinyu wouldn’t find him after sending troops to search the entire palace and even all of Jingcheng upon discovering his escape, and then quietly leave the capital…

Xie Chengze could only say that opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared.

And opportunities must also be sought out by oneself.

As the Ministry of Rites gradually completed the funeral and burial arrangements, the interment ceremony at Emperor Jian’s Mausoleum was ready. At that time, the Empress, imperial consorts, all princes and princesses, and even the entire court of civil and military officials would need to leave the palace en masse to accompany the Dragon Ascension Ceremony. The imperial guards would also escort the procession to ensure complete safety.

That would be the time when the Taiji Hall’s defenses were at their weakest.

As for whether Xie Jinyu would specifically assign extra guards to watch him, Xie Chengze thought of the letter hidden in the rice and secretly believed that with Shen Yuan’s intelligence, he must already know where he was being hidden.

He would definitely choose to send someone to rescue him on the day of Emperor Jian’s funeral procession.

When the two sides met…

Hehe~ that would be his chance to escape the palace~

Things unfolded exactly as Xie Chengze had anticipated. As Emperor Jian’s coffin was transported to the imperial mausoleum, with the rear palace and entire court following in procession, only two imperial guards remained stationed at the entrance to the Taiji Hall’s inner chambers.

Xie Chengze removed the silver tasseled ball earring from his left earlobe and extracted a round, pellet-like object from it.

This pair of earrings had been gifted by Shen Yuan during the New Year, with both silver balls originally containing poison. Xie Chengze found having poison in both redundant, so he removed the poison from the left side and secretly replaced it with intoxicating incense.

A real man never goes into battle unprepared!

Xie Chengze lit the red candle at his bedside, pulled out a golden thread from his person, and used the melted candle wax to attach the thin thread to the Intoxicant Pill. He then coated the pill completely with more candle wax.

Retrieving two sheets of royal-grade wool paper used for personal hygiene from the wooden cabinet, he stuffed them into his nostrils. Tearing a strip of bed cloth, he tied it around his face as a mask. Glancing at the Intoxicant Pill now encased in hardened wax, Xie Chengze picked up the thin thread, carried the candle holder, and walked to the door.

Quietly opening a small crack in the door, he lit the Intoxicant Pill, swiftly pushed it out while holding the thread, then rapidly retreated and buried himself under the blankets to avoid being affected himself.

The flames consumed the thin wax coating on the intoxicant. The fully burning open flame combined with the deluxe version Intoxicant Pill, specially made in the martial world, caused extremely dense intoxicating smoke to erupt on the spot in less than five seconds!

“Fizz—”

“Thud, thud!”

By the time the guarding soldiers realized what was happening, it was too late. The thick smoke entered their mouths and noses, and within mere seconds, both men collapsed unconscious.

Although the smoke from the intoxicant burst forth fiercely, its lingering effect was insufficient—as if it had burned itself out all at once. Before long, no more smoke emanated from it.

“Thud—”

The door was kicked open. Xie Chengze, wrapped head to toe in a quilt like a bouncing white maggot, charged through the mist outside the doorway and sprinted wildly into the distance!

Thump!

Blinded by the covering, he accidentally veered off course and collided with the corridor wall. The quilt-wrapped figure paused briefly, adjusted his direction, and continued his frantic dash outward.

Only when he felt the smoke could no longer reach him did he violently throw off the quilt, swiftly removing his “anti-poison gear” from his face while gasping for air.

“I nearly suffocated!!!”

Xie Chengze took several deep breaths of fresh air, gradually recovering his composure before cautiously creeping toward the exit of Taiji Hall.

With Emperor Jian’s coffin having been carried out for the funeral, the guards stationed at Taihe Hall had all been withdrawn. The clashing sounds of weapons erupted unexpectedly outside. Adhering to the principle that curiosity killed the cat, Xie Chengze decisively fled in the opposite direction.

The Imperial Wardrobe, the Imperial Wardrobe, the Imperial Wardrobe…

He skulked toward the outer palace, hiding and dodging along the way. Fortunately, the imperial guards were lax in their duties today, and he soon reached the Imperial Wardrobe.

The palace servants had likely been exhausted from preparing mourning garments during this period, and with today’s rare day off, the courtyard was deserted. Xie Chengze stealthily slipped into one of the rooms, only to stumble upon two maids resting inside.

Thankfully, there were only two. Xie Chengze quickly raised a finger to his lips. “Shh!”

The maids immediately covered their mouths.

“Where is your supervisor? Take me to him at once!” Xie Chengze demanded.

The supervisor of the Imperial Wardrobe was Shen Yuan’s subordinate. To leave the inner court, Xie Chengze needed a pass—something only the supervisor could issue.

“This servant will take Your Highness there!” one maid responded promptly.

Xie Chengze nodded, then addressed the other maid, “You come too.”

The inner court was a den of intrigue—who knew which faction these maids served? Keeping them close was safer.

The two maids led Xie Chengze to the supervisor, who was startled to see him. Upon learning he needed a pass to exit the inner court, the supervisor hurriedly assured, “This servant will prepare it immediately.”

Xie Chengze glanced meaningfully at the maids. “What about them…”

“Your Highness need not worry—they are loyal to this servant,” the supervisor reassured, then instructed the maids, “Fetch a new set of maid attire and bring the rouge and pomade from my room.”

“To avoid scrutiny by the guards, it would be wise for Your Highness to disguise yourself,” the supervisor suggested tentatively, studying Xie Chengze’s expression. “This servant can disguise you as a maid. With a veil to cover your face and a small bribe, it should suffice.”

Xie Chengze nodded. “My thoughts exactly.”

Soon, the maid’s attire was delivered. The two maids worked together to tie Xie Chengze’s loose long hair into a maid’s bun, then applied the rouge and pomade to his face.

The pomade was darker than his skin tone, instantly dulling his complexion and making him less conspicuous.

The supervisor returned with a prepared pass and some silver pieces. “This is the Leave Pass. Many maids are on leave today—the guards won’t inspect closely.”

With that, he fastened the face-covering veil over Xie Chengze’s ears.

After expressing his gratitude, Xie Chengze left the Shangyi Depot and hurried toward the outer palace.

As he passed the palace guards at the gate, his heart fluttered with unease. He proactively presented his pass, and when the guard finished inspecting the seal and was about to scrutinize him, Chengze immediately produced some silver pieces. Adopting a delicate voice, he whispered, “You must be weary from guarding the gate, sir. This humble girl offers this for your personal comfort.”

Upon hearing this, the guard immediately lowered his head again, stealthily reaching out to take the silver and tucking it into his sleeve. He waved dismissively at Xie Chengze and said, “Go on.”

Xie Chengze promptly turned away and headed into the distance. Only when he was far enough did he let out a sigh of relief.

Then he broke into a run.

Cheng Huan Palace! Cheng Huan Palace! Cheng Huan Palace!!!