The Princess’ Shadow Guard – Chapter 26

Go! I’m Taking You Away (Leaving the Tower)

On the day the last leaf fell from the treetops, the sky was a dreary gray.

Several crows transformed into black shadows, their eerie caws tearing through the unusual silence of the Capital.

            

As Ming Qin left the Imperial Academy with Murong Wan after his classes ended, she heard a high-pitched whistle coming from a narrow alleyway—a secret signal belonging to the Shadow Guard Camp.

Shielding Murong Wan, Ming Qin spotted her shimu¹, Gu Yun, in the shadows of the alley.

“Qinqin,” Gu Yun said. Usually gentle and pleasant, her face was now tight with tension. The moment she saw the two, she stepped forward and whispered in Ming Qin’s ear, “His Majesty the Emperor has just breathed his last.”

            

Taking a breath to steady herself, she handed a coil of rope to Ming Qin, then pulled a heavy packet wrapped in oil paper from her robes. “Leave the Eleventh Prince to me. Take this and find Commandery Princess Chongwen. Get her out of there quietly, then head to Wanjia Alley. Your shijie² will meet you there.”

Ming Qin took the heavy oil paper packet, her mind still struggling to process the sudden turn of events.

There was no time for further explanation. Gu Yun pulled Murong Wan close and looked directly at her beloved disciple, her expression grave as she gave a swift, solemn warning. “Qinqin, this concerns the imperial succession and is His Majesty’s dying decree. You must be careful!”

            

Nodding solemnly in acknowledgement, Ming Qin was about to turn away when a damp, trembling little hand tugged at her hem.

Seeing Murong Wan’s panicked, trembling frame and his reddened eyes, Ming Qin knelt down. She met the boy’s gaze and said softly, “From here on, the Eleventh Prince and I will be fighting on different battlefields. But we will surely win, right?”

Only when she saw the boy bite his lip stubbornly and nod with all his might did Ming Qin offer a reassuring smile. She then turned and departed.

            

But her smile vanished the instant she vaulted onto the roof tiles, her heart a tangled mess of anxiety.

Now that the Emperor had passed away, where would this perilous crisis in the Capital lead? The Crown Prince held immense power and would undoubtedly stop at nothing to grasp the throne.

The situation was incredibly complex, but only one thing was certain.

            

She had to escape with Murong Yan.

She had to take her and flee this prison built by the Crown Prince, before everything spun completely out of control.

Ming Qin accelerated. In an instant, she leaped and scaled the high tower—a place she had climbed countless times with a joyful heart, though she now hoped this would be the absolute last.

            

Hurriedly slipping into the room, she looked at Murong Yan, who was reading quietly with a calm expression, and called out, her voice trembling with suppressed emotion, “Go! I’m taking you away!”

Murong Yan looked up, her mind drifting back from the pages. As she gazed at the sudden intruder, her expression remained as unruffled as it had been the first time Ming Qin had climbed the tower.

“All right.”

            

She nodded, only the slight dryness of her voice betraying any emotion.

Time was of the essence, yet even as Ming Qin bundled her into a wool-lined robe, she still asked in a low voice if there was anything she wanted to take with her.

From a hidden compartment beneath the tea table, Murong Yan retrieved the other garnet ear stud she had kept hidden inside a tea tin, as well as her black hair cord, and had Ming Qin put them on and tie back her hair.

            

Everything else was nothing but worldly trifles.

She had no need for them.

Securing the iron grappling hook at the end of the rope deep into the wooden window frame, Ming Qin gripped the line with one hand and wrapped her other arm around Murong Yan’s waist as they stood on the window ledge.

            

Under the dimming sky, Murong Yan looked down at the expanse below the high tower. For six years, this was what she had yearned for without end—freedom, but also the great unknown.

Her body trembled slightly.

She mocked herself.

            

It turned out she wasn’t nearly as brave as she’d believed.

Surprisingly, she was afraid.

Ming Qin felt the tremor in her arms. Her clear, pure eyes turned toward Murong Yan, and she asked considerately, “Are you afraid of heights? Don’t fear. I won’t let go.”

            

With that, she tightened her embrace, intending to nestle the woman’s head against her neck to shield her view.

“I’m fine,” Murong Yan said, her throat tightening at the reassurance whispered beside her ear.

She stubbornly lifted her head to gaze at the vast, gray world beneath them. In an instant, her fear vanished. “Let’s go.”

            

She would not hide. She wanted to keep her eyes wide open as she shattered her shackles.

Taking a breath, Ming Qin gripped the rope with one hand and vaulted backward into the air. Bearing the weight of another person, she found it difficult to secure a foothold on the slick roof tiles.

Fearing that Murong Yan might be frightened, the Shadow Guard let out the rope bit by bit. Her hands, already flushed red from the biting cold, chafed against the rough fibers of the rope, leaving faint streaks of blood.

            

The moment they touched the ground, Ming Qin whipped out a small knife and threw it back, slicing the dangling rope from the window ledge in hopes of buying them some time before they were discovered.

After pulling Murong Yan’s robe tighter around her, Ming Qin lifted her in her arms. Channeling her qinggong³, she sprang forward without a backward glance, leaping toward Wanjia Alley.

Ming Qin moved with swift grace, her footsteps entirely silent. Upon arriving at Wanjia Alley, she spotted a small, elegant carriage, beside which stood Cao Yun and Song Shuqing, disguised as a coachman and a maid.

            

“Shixiong⁴! Shijie!” Ming Qin breathed a sigh of relief as she saw them, gently setting down the woman in her arms.

Giving a hurried bow to the Commandery Princess, Song Shuqing turned to Ming Qin and asked urgently, “Did you secure what Shiniang⁵ gave you?”

Ming Qin patted the cloth pouch at her waist and gave Song Shuqing a nod.

            

“We can’t linger here. Let’s get out of the city first, then we can talk.”

Song Shuqing exchanged a quick look with Cao Yun, who immediately swung open the carriage door. “Please wait a moment, Your Highness. Let Qinqin get in first.” Song Shuqing pointed to an open compartment beneath the carriage seat, gesturing for Ming Qin to squeeze inside.

Once Ming Qin was safely hidden, Cao Yun lowered the partition and said, “Commandery Princess, please.”

            

Murong Yan wasted no words. Supporting herself on Song Shuqing’s hand, she climbed slowly into the carriage. Though small, the interior was thoughtfully furnished, with seats thickly lined with soft cushions and fox furs, making it quite comfortable.

Song Shuqing followed her inside and sat opposite Murong Yan, sliding the door shut behind her. She tapped twice on the wooden carriage wall behind her, signaling Cao Yun to set off.

Feeling the carriage lurch into motion, Song Shuqing pulled out a cosmetic brush hidden in her sleeve. With a quiet “Pardon my intrusion,” she began to carefully paint Murong Yan’s face.

            

In her past life as a beauty blogger, she had always maintained that the brows were the most critical part of makeup—they entirely dictated a person’s aura!

Thus, Song Shuqing focused all her attention on darkening and thickening Murong Yan’s elegant, delicate brows, shifting the angle of the arches. The adjustment stripped the remarkably stunning woman of her sharp edge, giving her a slightly simple, naive look instead.

Fortunately, there was no bronze mirror in the carriage. If the Commandery Princess saw this masterpiece, Song Shuqing thought, her own life would surely be forfeit.

            

Just then, a clamor arose outside the carriage. The gruff voices of guards inspecting travel permits mingled with Cao Yun’s calm, steady responses.

“What’s this? Trying to leave just as the gates are about to close?”

“Please show some mercy, Officer. There’s indeed an urgent matter at home.”

            

“What urgent matter? The sky is already pitch-black!”

“My family’s eldest young lady received word this afternoon that her great-great-grandmother has fallen ill. She was desperate to rush back and visit, which is why we had to leave the city in such a hurry.”

“Oho! Quite a filial one, then. Fine, let me have a look.” With that, a hand parted the curtain. The guard peered inside at the two women. Finding nothing amiss, he withdrew.

            

Next came the sound of Cao Yun reaching into his purse.

“You’ve worked hard, Officer. This is a small token from our young lady.”

“Aha! Well, your young lady might have some thick eyebrows, but she’s certainly a decent sort. Go on, go on! Off with you.”

            

The carriage slowly rattled forward once more, and everyone inside let out a silent breath of relief.

After a long while, Murong Yan stared expressionlessly at the woman dressed as a maid in front of her. She pulled out a handkerchief and silently began to wipe her face.

In the cramped confines of the carriage, Song Shuqing felt incredibly awkward under that gaze. Guilt-ridden, she could only force a dry laugh. “Ha… Hahaha! Desperate times, desperate measures, Your Highness! Please don’t hold it against me, don’t hold it against me!”

            

Fortunately, Qinqin hadn’t seen the Commandery Princess looking like this, Song Shuqing thought, a cold sweat breaking out on her forehead. Otherwise, the Commandery Princess would have surely killed her with her own hands.

None of them saw the billowing dust kicked up at the gates as a portrait of Murong Yan was rushed to the checkpoint, just after their carriage had departed.

---

The author has something to say:

            

Congratulations on the escape!

Shijie: I really didn’t make you look ugly on purpose. I swear to Heaven, I wasn’t trying to get revenge!

The Commandery Princess: If Ah Qin had seen me looking that hideous, you would’ve been truly finished.

            

---