SNEAK OUT
After much thought, Mei-ling came up with a plan.
"Is there any not so auspicious passage out of this palace?" She asked Chang.
He has lived here longer than either of them so if there was one.
She knew that the original villainess had frequently sent Chang and Li-na to do her dirty work, but Mei-ling didn't have the heart to be so wicked and do such.
"Yes." He nodded. "It's a the back of the palace and it's frequently used by servants."
There would be guards there, but surely they were not as much as the front entrance of the palace.
Mei-ling opened the wardrobes and picked out very plain clothes that belonged to Li-na.
"I will wear your clothes." Mei-ling informed. "I will wear a shawl so that I can conceal my identity. No one would know it's me."
Chang and Li-na looked at each other.
They both tried to dissuade her again, but Mei-ling had made up on her mind.
They had no choice but to help her with her disguise.
"What if someone asks for you?" Li-na asked reasonably.
"Just tell them that I am on my monthly and I have been very ill." She said as she disguised herself proper. "I will be back very soon."
"The two of you will not say a word of this to anyone." She informed them.
She could trust because in the original story he was a very good and loyal boy.
Chang described the back for her to follow out of the palace and after she has made rounds and turns in the servants quarters, she had found the back gates.
Just as she was about to make a step towards the gates, she saw the guards standing up front.
She swallowed heavily and bent her face lower as she hurried past.
She knew that If she lifted her face the guards would see how beautiful she was.
Her beauty was beginning to seem like a curse.
It attracted anyone and so she had to hide her face very well.
"Hey!" One of the guards snapped stopping her in her tracks.
She froze.
Badum! Badum! Badum!
"Where are you going to?" The guard asked.
She began to shake in fear.
She could not be caught!
"I was sent on an errand out of the palace." She said.
"Why are you hiding your face like that? Are you a thief?!" Another guard asked.
Thief?!
She knew what they did to thieves. They cut is their hands!
"No sir please I am only a simple servant." She said.
"Take off your veil."
Another guard said.
She started to sweat.
She felt her hand shake as she began to slowly pull out the veil to reveal her face.
At that moment, a woman's loud voice boomed .
"Hey you?!"
Mei-ling turned and saw that it was a buxom woman.
"Why haven't you gone ahead with the other servants?" The woman yelled. "The feast won't prepare itself. Don't waste my time."
Then the woman stopped and saw the guards.
"It's one of the servants who is supposed to fetch the decorations for the festival." She informed them.
"We just wanted to confirm." The first guard said.
"What are you waiting for? Go!" The woman snapped.
Mei-ling quickly took off and made her escape out of the Imperial palace.