"Can I refuse this kind of disguise?" Dongfang Yi turned her head away, not wanting to look at that woman again, and said to Situ Qing.
"Then you can get ready to go back to the palace," Situ Qing replied with his eyes crinkled into crescents.
"You win!"
Dongfang Yi gritted her teeth and continued, "Come on, come on!"
The heavily - made - up woman then walked towards her coquettishly. Immediately, a strong smell of cheap perfume wafted over.
"Here I come, my dear lady. Sir, please wait outside. I'll surely paint her to your satisfaction~" the woman said. Situ Qing winked at Dongfang Yi and walked out of the room.
About the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the door of the room was pushed open. The heavily - made - up woman came out first, patted Situ Qing on the shoulder, and then went downstairs.
Dongfang Yi, following behind her, was now lowering her head and whispering, "Qingqing, you'd better be prepared."
Then she raised her head, and Situ Qing's smile froze on his face.
What the hell!
At this moment, Dongfang Yi was wearing a gaudy blue dress. Her whole face was covered with a thick layer of powder just like the woman before. Her eyebrows were drawn thick and long, her eyes were painted with blue and green eyeshadow, and her lips were a bright red just like the other woman's.
"Pfft... Hahaha!" Situ Qing couldn't help bursting into laughter.
"What are you doing!" Dongfang Yi glared at him angrily and stamped her foot. She thought that he had no right to laugh at her when it was him who brought her here for this "disguise"!
"Stop laughing!" Dongfang Yi suddenly leaned closer to Situ Qing, reached out her hands and pinched his cheeks. The distance between them suddenly became very close.
Situ Qing felt as if his heart skipped a beat. Although the woman in front of him was wearing an extremely ugly makeup, her eyes were still bright and clear, and now they were shining as she stared at him.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
He could almost hear the sound of his own heartbeat.
Dongfang Yi saw that the man in front of her suddenly became expressionless as if he was stupid. She suddenly felt a bit bored. She pinched his face hard again, then let go and prepared to go downstairs.
After leaving the brothel, they returned to the inn where they came from. Dongfang Yi found that Uncle Liu was still waiting for them in the carriage outside the inn. As soon as Uncle Liu saw Situ Qing coming out, he greeted, "My lord."
Situ Qing replied, "Get ready to leave the city." Then they both got into the carriage.
In the carriage, Dongfang Yi stared at the man opposite her with a look of unwillingness on her face.
Situ Qing felt a bit uncomfortable under her stare. He forced a laugh and asked, "Why... are you staring at me like this?"
The resentment in Dongfang Yi's eyes deepened. She snorted and looked at Situ Qing sideways, asking, "Why do you only need to stick on a beard and change your clothes!"
"Hahaha!" Situ Qing couldn't help laughing out loud. He didn't expect this little woman was still bothered by her ugly makeup.
"Who asked those people at the city gate to arrest you? I have no other choice, haha..." Situ Qing said with a laugh.
So Dongfang Yi lowered her head and didn't say anything. In her heart, she thought that she would never believe those martial - arts novels again, and she definitely wouldn't believe the magic arts written in them. They were all lies!
Finally, the carriage arrived at the city gate. According to Helian Qi's order, Ru Yi and a team of imperial guards were waiting there. Every person who wanted to leave the city had to be carefully inspected.
When it was their carriage's turn, Ru Yi lifted the curtain of their carriage. Instantly, he was squinting his eyes because of the strong smell coming from inside.
"What a disgusting smell in here!" Ru Yi shouted.
Dongfang Yi, sitting inside, half - covered her face and pinched her voice, saying, "What's disgusting about me?"
That shrill voice even startled Situ Qing. He tried hard not to laugh and said to Ru Yi, "My wife and I are going to visit relatives in Beiguan. Please be kind enough to let us through."
Ru Yi still suspected them and asked Dongfang Yi to show her face. But after seeing her made - up face, he put down the curtain with one hand. He didn't want to see that face a second time.
He had seen Dongfang Yi before, and she would never be so heavily made - up and coquettish.
Their carriage clattered away from the city gate...
On the other side, as soon as Helian Qi finished his business in the palace, he rushed to the city gate on horseback.
When Ru Yi saw him, he bowed and said, "Greetings to Your Majesty."
Helian Qi just waved his hand and asked, "Any news about the Queen?"
But seeing Ru Yi's hesitant look, the frost on his face became thicker.
"Do you know there was a young master who just left. His wife was so ugly..."
Not far away, an imperial guard was whispering to the guard next to him. His words happened to reach Helian Qi's ears who had just arrived. He couldn't help feeling suspicious.
"What are they talking about?" he asked in a deep voice.
Ru Yi looked a bit embarrassed and said, "N... nothing. There was just a couple who left here just now. The man was quite handsome, but his wife..."
"What about her?" Helian Qi continued to ask.
"His wife was wearing a strange makeup. She was extremely ugly, and her voice was shrill and very strange. It seemed as if she came from a brothel..." After Ru Yi finished speaking, he looked at Helian Qi.
Seeing the expression on Helian Qi's face instantly turn cold and rigid, and thinking about what he had just said, Ru Yi suddenly seemed to wake up. He got on his horse, turned back to Helian Qi and said, "Your Majesty, I will surely bring back the Queen!"
Then he led the team of imperial guards towards outside the city.
Helian Qi, who remained there, still had a cold expression on his face, and his lips were tightly pursed into a thin line.
Do you really want to escape so much? Hmph~ Even if I have to search from the highest heavens to the lowest underworld, I will catch you back.
After thinking this, Helian Qi called a few guards beside him and ordered, "Go and inquire in all the brothels in the city. Find out which brothel received a young master and a girl today, and they just put on some makeup and left!"
Those guards took the order and rushed to every brothel in the city.
After giving all the orders, Helian Qi mounted his horse and rode towards the palace. He still had an important thing to do.
On the other side, after leaving the city, Dongfang Yi and the others didn't go in the direction of Beiguan. Instead, they headed for another city in the opposite direction - Nanwu.
It was said that Nanwu was a city on water. Xiaoxin once said that her hometown was there, and her father made a living by fishing. Dongfang Yi's heart skipped a beat, but then she shook her head and threw these thoughts away. Anyway, she had left the palace and was now free. Let all those annoying things go with the wind!