Qin Yu found Luo Shangyu and laid out her plan frankly.
Luo Shangyu thought it over and didn’t refuse.
“How are we going to get out?” Luo Shangyu asked.
There were guards everywhere in the palace.
If Grand Tutor Yin questioned the guards, their whereabouts would definitely be exposed.
“Should we disguise ourselves and sneak out?” Qin Yu asked tentatively.
“Of course no problem, but who should we disguise as?”
“As long as we change our appearances, that should be enough, right? We just need to go to the Left Treasury of the palace and find some potions that can help with that,” Qin Yu said confidently, already having the plan well in mind.
Without hesitation, the two left the Eastern Palace and headed to the Left Treasury.
The Left Treasury was a storage reserved exclusively for the royal family.
Currently, the royal family of the Chengji Empire consisted only of two brothers, Qin Ling and Qin Yi, and Qin Ling’s daughter, Qin Yu.
Qin Yi was a prince living in his fief and no longer resided in the palace; Qin Yu was still young and had no need for the treasury, so the Left Treasury had become Qin Ling’s personal storage.
‘My father is ill, so taking some things while he’s indisposed shouldn’t be a problem,’ Qin Yu thought as she pushed open the door to the Left Treasury.
The door was sealed with a magical lock that only opened to those who possessed the royal bloodline of the Chengji Empire.
Following the aisle inside, Qin Yu found the section storing magical reagents.
“Hair dye, height enhancer…” Qin Yu muttered while stuffing bottles and jars into her pocket.
Before long, she had collected a sufficient amount of potions.
Just as they were leaving the Left Treasury, Luo Shangyu suddenly noticed a problem: they planned to wear regular clothes to leave the palace, but all officials in the palace were required to wear court robes.
If they disguised themselves as commoners, they would surely be questioned.
Luo Shangyu expressed her concern to Qin Yu, who stopped and thought carefully.
“Should we get a set of official robes?” Luo Shangyu suggested.
‘No, officials’ court robes are specially guarded and not easy to take. But…’ Qin Yu’s thoughts were sparked by Luo Shangyu’s words.
“We can take eunuch robes to go out!”
That was the best option for now, and Luo Shangyu readily agreed.
The eunuchs’ quarters, known as the Straight Rooms, were located in the northeast corner of the palace.
Eunuchs took shifts on duty; those off-duty would remove their court robes and place them in designated spots.
Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu arrived outside the Straight Rooms and happened to see a young eunuch basking in the sun.
The eunuch didn’t pay much attention at first, but upon a closer look, he realized it was actually Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu—one the Crown Princess and the other the Second Princess.
He was so startled he quickly stood up and saluted them hurriedly.
Qin Yu waved her hand, interrupting the salute and said, “Take me to your changing room. I want to take two sets of clothes.”
The eunuch was puzzled and hesitated.
Seeing this, Qin Yu pulled out a silver coin and slipped it to him and said, “This is our secret! Don’t tell anyone!”
Seeing the coin, the eunuch stopped hesitating and quickly led Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu to the changing room.
Inside, rows of neat wardrobes stood.
The eunuch opened one and said, “These are all freshly cleaned clothes. Please pick whatever you like, Your Highnesses.”
Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu sized up the clothes according to their figures and each picked out a set that fit well.
“Left Yulin Supervisor Zhong Changgong,” Qin Yu read from the name on her chosen outfit.
“Li Siwu,” Luo Shangyu read from hers.
There was no official title, so Li Siwu must be a low-ranking servant, someone who probably just served tea and water.
Qin Yu examined Zhong Changgong’s rank and figured there would be quite a few who recognized him.
She wanted to learn more about Zhong Changgong to better impersonate him.
The eunuch was careful not to neglect anything and promptly brought over various items related to Zhong Changgong.
Though young, in his twenties, Zhong Changgong was already Left Yulin Supervisor, just under the Left Yulin Commander in rank, showing his formidable strength.
According to the eunuch’s description, Zhong Changgong was very kind and well-loved by his subordinates.
Though a male eunuch, Zhong Changgong’s face in private photos appeared even softer and more delicate than many women’s.
However, in official files, Zhong Changgong’s photo showed him armored and dignified, exuding a heroic aura.
Looking at Zhong Changgong’s face, Qin Yu felt the impersonation wouldn’t be too difficult.
As for Luo Shangyu’s role, Li Siwu, being an unknown nobody, no one paid attention to him, so it wouldn’t be troublesome for Luo Shangyu to impersonate him.
***
The two left the Straight Rooms and returned to the Eastern Palace to start their cosplay.
Zhong Changgong was slender, and his clothes fit Qin Yu perfectly.
Her chest was small, so the clothes hung nicely.
Luo Shangyu, on the other hand, was a bit unfortunate.
Although Li Siwu’s robes were long enough, Luo Shangyu’s fuller chest strained the fabric, making her feel a bit suffocated.
“…” Luo Shangyu couldn’t hold it in.
At that moment, Qin Yu came over and handed her a bottle of potion.
Luo Shangyu looked at the label and immediately understood.
After drinking it, her clothes became much more fitting.
“The potion lasts half a day. Here, take two more bottles!” Qin Yu said, handing over two more.
***
After much fussing, the two finally changed into the clothes.
They drank a hair-color potion, turning their hair uniformly black, then a hair-shrinking potion that styled their hair short—about ten centimeters long.
Qin Yu’s face changed after the potion, looking much like Zhong Changgong.
Next was the matter of the pass for leaving the palace.
Qin Yu went to the desk and wrote an imperial edict: “By decree of the Crown Princess: Left Yulin Supervisor Zhong Changgong is specially ordered to procure supplies for the Eastern Palace.”
The edict bore Qin Yu’s Crown Princess seal.
Playing the part fully, with this edict, Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu could now impersonate Zhong Changgong and Li Siwu to leave the palace.
The two walked out of the Eastern Palace and exited through the palace’s main gate, the Zhengyang Gate.
Beyond Zhengyang Gate was the broad plaza of Weiyang Hall.
Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu briskly passed through.
At that moment, a shout came from behind: “Supervisor Zhong! Please wait!”
Qin Yu was caught off guard and reacted slowly.
The voice’s owner soon reached them: “Supervisor Zhong, here is a military order from the Ministry of War.”
The man was an official from the Ministry of War, responsible for delivering documents.
Qin Yu felt like a pinprick was stuck in her back.
She wasn’t the real Zhong Changgong!
Sweat beaded on her forehead, clinging to her bangs in the autumn breeze.
But now that it had come to this, Qin Yu had to grit her teeth and continue the act.
“Uh…” Qin Yu faked opening the document.
It read: “Jingyuan Rebellion! Vice Minister Han You of the Department of State Orders the Ministry of War to dispatch troops for suppression!”
The rest detailed the counterinsurgency.
Qin Yu felt like she’d been struck by lightning.
This was an order to mobilize troops.
The Emperor, the Department of State, and the Ministry of War would all be watching and urging.
As “Zhong Changgong,” there was no escaping now!
‘What to do? Just go in and force it?’ Qin Yu’s mind raced.
The Ministry of War official’s face darkened: “Supervisor Zhong, are you going to run away? The Jingyuan Rebellion is taken very seriously by the Emperor. Deserting now would mean…”
He made a throat-cutting gesture.
“Oh no! If I don’t set out immediately, my life’s in danger!” Qin Yu groaned.
Luo Shangyu looked at her with sympathy.
Qin Yu gave her a look: you’re coming with me!
Withdrawing her gaze, Qin Yu faced the official.
That man’s dark eyes gleamed with malicious satisfaction.
To go or not to go—that was the question.
If she didn’t go, her identity would be exposed.
Grand Tutor Yin would likely punish her severely for this audacious act.
If she went, she feared the first battle might be a failure, which would be embarrassing.
Summoning courage, Qin Yu decided to go.
If she could achieve a quick victory, she could afford to slack off along the way.
If her identity was exposed, all would be lost.
With that thought, Qin Yu loudly declared, “I accept the order! I will not disappoint His Majesty’s expectations and will crush the rebels!”
The Ministry of War official smiled and handed over the tiger tally and the jade pass: “This is the troop mobilization tally and the pass to leave the city. His Majesty is deeply concerned. Please resolve this swiftly.”
***
Following the document’s instructions, Qin Yu arrived at the Left Yulin camp and mustered the troops.
According to the tiger tally, Qin Yu could only mobilize one hundred soldiers.
Though a hundred elite Yulin troops, each wielding close-combat magic blades and ranged magic guns, a hundred was nowhere near enough to face the rebels!
Qin Yu thought over the situation.
She was a fourth-tier magic craftsman, Luo Shangyu a seventh-tier demigod; with their strength combined, pacifying the rebellion should be effortless.
‘But if I were really Zhong Changgong, leading only a hundred troops into battle would be a death sentence,’ Qin Yu pondered. ‘Why would the court arrange such an important military operation like this?’
Recalling the Ministry of War official’s sinister expression, Qin Yu realized Zhong Changgong was being set up.
Normally, if Left Yulin Commander Zhong Changgong was on leave, the court would simply assign another general.
Zhong Changgong’s absence was for a reason, so he likely wouldn’t have agreed to lead the troops.
Moreover, sending just a hundred men to suppress a rebellion was almost a suicide mission.
Now everything was clear: someone was using the Jingyuan Rebellion and Zhong Changgong’s leave as an excuse to order him to mobilize troops, fully expecting Zhong Changgong to refuse.
That person planned to accuse Zhong Changgong of passive resistance, then sabotage troop numbers and other logistics, ensuring his defeat.
These combined offenses would make it impossible for Zhong Changgong not to be branded disloyal.
Disloyalty, by law, meant execution.
Qin Yu suddenly felt glad about her decision.
By impersonating Zhong Changgong and going into battle, she had saved his life!
There was no time for more hesitation.
Leading troops to quell the rebellion was the top priority!
Qin Yu summoned one hundred elite soldiers and, alongside Luo Shangyu, led the troops toward Jingyuan.
It was already three in the afternoon.
With magic-enhanced warhorses, they would reach Jingyuan in about four hours.
On the way, Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu rode side by side.
Qin Yu shared her suspicions about Zhong Changgong’s situation.
Luo Shangyu nodded repeatedly but had her own question: “Why would a general who cares so much for his men be targeted like this?”
Qin Yu tilted her head, pondering, but couldn’t come to a conclusion.
“By the way, how do you plan to suppress the rebellion? We only have a hundred men. To avoid exposure, we probably can’t use magic openly, right?”
Qin Yu confidently patted her chest and said, “I have a plan. First, we do this, then that, and finally…”
In her previous life, Qin Yu had been a modern high school boy with some understanding of warfare.
She had read “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” over a hundred times.
Plus, with rich RTS gaming experience, war had become an art in Qin Yu’s hands.
Of course, that was in games.
This was her first time leading troops on an actual battlefield.
With a mix of nervousness and anticipation, Qin Yu rode toward the front lines.
***
In the palace, inside the Ministry of War office, the official who delivered the document was reporting to Ministry Deputy Guo Qing: “Sir, everything went according to plan!”
“Excellent, excellent!” Guo Qing stroked his long beard and said, “Today, I will see Zhong Changgong dead and disgraced, with his whole family wiped out! That eunuch dares to block our interests!”
As he spoke, a figure quietly slipped out of the Ministry office.
He left the palace gates and spurred his horse toward an unknown destination.
***
Today was a rare day of rest for Zhong Changgong: he had used up all his accumulated leave for the year to take a week-long break.
Zhong Changgong was enjoying his afternoon rest in his residence in the capital when suddenly hurried footsteps interrupted his peace…
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