Li Jin Qing: The one behind it all

Chapter 50

Jin qing looked over at the baskets of clothes Yu Qi had brought to her room last night. She smiled to herself as she sifted through them, looking at the now wide arrangements Yu Qi had prepared for her.

And it seems like she knows what I'm planning to do.

Jin qing lifted a silk robe in a deep crimson color, seeming as if the cloth was dipped and dyed in blood.
The hem and the borders were lined with silver, decorated with hand-sewn white threads to hold it in place.

But most importantly, it was a man's robe.

"I haven't crossdressed since those days in the countryside." Jin qing said out loud "when they went to town and had to hide they picked up a daughter... I wonder have I lost my talent?"

It helped matters that she spent the happiest years of her life with three boys.

The family in the countryside... they were her real family. They were the ones who took her in and hid her when she stumbled upon their house when she escaped from the Liang.

Barely eleven years old.
Small and Afraid.
Wanting a safe place to stay and hide.
To start over.
Hunted by the remains of a kingdom.

Jin qing redid the rolls of bandages on her body as quickly as possible before wrapping a long piece of cloth around her chest so it would appear flatter. She slipped on the different layers of the robe and tied a sash around her waist- adding some layering on the sides to hide her feminine features.

Jin qing turned to the mirror, admiring her work from the neck-down.

"Now for the face..." she mumbled, carefully sitting down at the vanity.

She didn't need to do much except for making a few aspects of her facial structure look more angular or darker. She has seen men who looked more feminine than masculine, all they needed to do was to act finely and diplomatic.

Jin qing brushed and tugged on her long hair until it shone in a small but neat loop on the back of her head before falling to her waist.

She stood up and smiled, slowly twirling around in a circle. "Well, isn't this light? Goodness, I've missed wearing men's clothes for their lightness in comparison to the garments a woman has to wear."

She cleared her throat and tried to imitate a man's voice. "That's because a woman only stays at home and in one place. There is no meaning for a woman to dress so lightly." Jin qing purposely talked in an accent, ending hard at the end of every sentence.

Jin qing laughed softly, making it sound different by putting pressure on her throat. "I should be set. Now, I'll be off."

She was surprised to see that no one was in front of her door guarding it. Has Tian Xiang told them to leave? Did he put that much trust in her?"

A truly stupid decision on his part. But that only makes my job easier.

unless, of course, he's planning something that I'm not aware of. Everything seemed too easy for me...

That aside... now, where is Yu Qi?

She waited a few more minutes for her friend, knowing that it would be a long walk from there.

"I almost didn't recognize you." Yu Qi finally said, hurrying to her side. "Did you do this in the Wei?"

Jin qing rolled her eyes "goodness no. As a male? Definitely not. As the Xue Xian? Yes." She looked Yu Qi over and smirked "My my, look at you! Wearing such a ladylike dress and makeup! Are you sure that people won't recognize you?"