Chapter 75: Palace Intrigue, Nothing More Than This (1)
“What? You’re going?”
Ouyang Tong was stunned, then said excitedly, “This… how can this be? Eunuch Zhong said this matter is quite important. If it fails, I will die.”
“Precisely because of this, you should let me take over. Otherwise, with your performance, there’s always a risk of exposure.”
Qi Huang patiently persuaded her.
“Am I… am I really that bad?”
Ouyang Tong asked cautiously.
“What do you think? Cheng Hong Ling is known as a cold and aloof immortal. Her clone wouldn’t be much different, yet you’ve portrayed her as a soft girl. Anyone who has heard any rumors about her would see through you at a glance,” Qi Huang scoffed.
Ouyang Tong fell silent. She knew herself well, but she was really unwilling to entrust her fate to others.
“There are only two days left. Is it really necessary to switch?”
After a moment, Ouyang Tong asked with a ray of hope.
“Even though there are only two days left, you should understand that anyone targeting an Imperial Concubine would definitely not let go of this last opportunity. Therefore, the trouble will definitely be concentrated in these last two days. You even need someone to bring you food. Don’t you have any self-awareness? If I wasn’t here, you probably wouldn’t even be able to get past Consort Hui, let alone anything else,” Qi Huang said frankly.
A resentful look appeared on Ouyang Tong’s face. However, recalling how the girl before her had remained calm and composed, handling Consort Hui with ease, her heart gradually softened. She then said, “Even if I agree, you can’t impersonate me. After these two days, they’ve already formed a fixed impression of me as an Imperial Concubine candidate. Although our heights are similar, there are subtle differences in our figures, and how can we change our voices?”
“You don’t need to worry about that. This is a matter of life and death. If I wasn’t confident, why would I step forward? Do you think Eunuch Zhong will let me off if the mission fails? He said that if the mission fails, I will also die. Otherwise, do you think I would help you like this?” Qi Huang said impatiently.
“Alright!”
After pondering for a moment longer, Ouyang Tong finally gritted her teeth and agreed. However, she suddenly realized something and hastily asked, “Then what about me? If you pretend to be me, won’t I be useless? Eunuch Zhong said this matter absolutely cannot be leaked. Will he kill me to silence me? And what about you?”
“That’s why if you want to live, you must not tell him. When the first screening happens, we can switch back. At that time, you just need to step onto the stage and test the Phoenix Selection Token,” Qi Huang instructed.
“That’s fine, but where can I hide such a big person for these two days? I can’t impersonate you, can I?” Ouyang Tong said with difficulty.
“Smart. You’ll have to impersonate me for these two days,” Qi Huang praised.
“Ah? No, you can see that I’m not cut out for acting.” Ouyang Tong’s brows furrowed immediately.
“Don’t worry, I told Madam Shangyi that I caught a cold, and she agreed to arrange a separate room for me to recuperate. You can hide inside and not come out. No one outside will dare to enter. If anything happens, you just need to speak up, and I’ll give you a pill that can temporarily make your voice hoarse, just like a cold,” Qi Huang comforted.
“That’s fine then.” Ouyang Tong breathed a sigh of relief, and a hint of admiration appeared in her eyes. She increasingly felt that the girl before her was simply too reassuring.
“Alright, to be safe, I won’t be going out for these two days. To ensure you don’t starve to death, I need to go out of the palace to buy you some food. You go back first. Once the room is arranged, we’ll switch identities immediately,” Qi Huang instructed.
“Thank you.” Ouyang Tong thanked her sincerely. If it weren’t for the girl in front of her, she wouldn’t have known what to do.
“By the way, don’t go into the room after you go back.” Qi Huang remembered the Storage Ring that Consort Hui had thrown away and added.
“Why? What’s going on?” Ouyang Tong asked with a puzzled look.
“Why so many questions? If you want to live, just do as I say,” Qi Huang rolled her eyes and then turned to leave.
Ouyang Tong watched Qi Huang’s slender back, her expression gradually relaxing, and then she walked back to her residence with light steps. Upon arriving at her residence, Ouyang Tong obediently did not enter the bedroom, but stayed by the door waiting for Qi Huang’s good news. Qi Huang, on the other hand, took leave on the pretext of being sick and left the Imperial Palace without hindrance. In the end, she returned with large bags of pastries, and by then, her exclusive bedroom had also been arranged. Qi Huang immediately moved out of her original room. Although living there allowed her to feast her eyes, she was a person who was destined for great things, so how could she let herself be captivated by beauty? In fact, her rationality wasn’t due to strong self-control, but simply because the male hormones were no longer at play.
Qi Huang entered her new bedroom and tidied up the bedding. She then quietly went to meet Ouyang Tong because the Imperial Concubine candidates were currently attending music class.
“Follow me.”
Qi Huang passed Ouyang Tong as if she were a stranger, without stopping even for a moment. This was a critical juncture, and she didn’t want to do anything suspicious. Ouyang Tong already trusted Qi Huang 100%, so she quickly followed. Qi Huang led Ouyang Tong back to the room, closed the door, and then used a soundproofing talisman. Only then did she feel completely at ease and said, “To be safe, let’s disguise ourselves first. You pretend to be me, and I’ll pretend to be you.”
“Okay!” Ouyang Tong obediently agreed. The two women began to act. Since they were both wearing standard Imperial Concubine attire, the only differences in their appearance were their hairstyles, makeup, veils, and accessories. The two women quickly finished, but neither was satisfied, as the other still didn’t look much like themselves.
“It’s still not right. Your skin is too fair and delicate, and your chest is a bit bigger than mine, your waist is also thinner, and your hips are small and perky, making your curves look particularly exaggerated. Anyone can tell at a glance,” Ouyang Tong said frankly. After all, it was a matter of her own life, so she dared not hide anything.
“This is easy to fix!” Qi Huang thought for a moment, then took a bundle of bandages from the bag in the corner and began to “shape” her body. She took off her outer clothes, first binding her chest tighter, then wrapping her waist several times. This way, her figure immediately became similar to Ouyang Tong’s.
“That’s good. You’ll stay in this room for the next two days. Absolutely do not go out. The food is in the corner, and I’ve also prepared water for you. If someone calls from outside, use the excuse of being sick and refuse visitors, understand?” Qi Huang instructed patiently, then handed a pill to the other person: “This is a voice-changing pill. Taking it can stimulate your vocal cords, making your voice hoarse, just like a cold. Others won’t be able to recognize it.”
“Mmm!” Ouyang Tong swallowed the pill without thinking and then asked, “What about the clone mark? Qi Huang is a cultivator’s clone, you should know, right? She has a lotus-shaped pink clone mark between her eyebrows.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve already prepared it.” Qi Huang took off the forehead pendant and handed it to Ouyang Tong.
“You’re quite thoughtful,” Ouyang Tong said with some admiration.
“Of course, I prepared it a year ago,” Qi Huang couldn’t help but complain.
“What?” Ouyang Tong asked blankly.
“Nothing, if you want to live, remember what I said,” Qi Huang said with a perfunctory smile, then left the room and went directly to Ouyang Tong’s bedroom to stay.
“Heh heh, strictly speaking, this should be my room.” Qi Huang looked around, a self-deprecating smile on her face. Next, Qi Huang sat cross-legged on the bed and began to cultivate. Her spiritual sense, however, remained locked onto the Storage Ring under the bed. She wanted to see what tricks Consort Hui could come up with. Time slowly passed, the night grew darker, and the Shangyi Bureau quieted down. Around midnight, the Storage Ring finally reacted. A black shadow floated out, and before the person even landed, their spiritual sense had already descended to suppress Qi Huang on the bed.
