Nine dragons fight for the throne, I don't want to sit on this throne

Dugu Jia ignored the stand-ins' pleas and ordered his men to forcibly strip off their ordinary palace clothes.

The empress dowager's court dress and the prince's robe, which symbolized supreme power but also meant death, were roughly put on them.

At the same time, Dugu Jia quickly took off the gorgeous empress dowager's dress and changed into an inconspicuous, even somewhat worn gray eunuch's uniform.

She messed up her hair and even deliberately put some dust on her face.

Liu Xiang was also forced to change into a set of eunuch's clothes. He was shaking like a sieve, his face was covered with tears and snot, but he didn't dare to make a sound.

Inside the Weiyang Palace, a strange and tragic costume-changing drama was being performed.

The real queen mother and prince disguised themselves as the lowest servants.

The two innocent stand-ins were forced to wear gorgeous clothes that represented death.

Looking at the two stand-ins who were fully dressed and could hardly stand because of fear, there was no mercy in Dugu Jia's eyes, only an almost perverted calmness.

She knew this was her last chance.

"Prepare the imperial carriage! Follow the plan!"

She gave her final order to the old eunuch.

An escape paved with the blood and lives of others is about to begin.

She herself pulled Liu Xiang, who was like a walking corpse, and hid behind the curtain in the deepest and most secluded part of the palace, like a rat in a gutter, waiting for an opportunity to escape in the chaos.

Deep in the Weiyang Palace, the suffocating wait seemed to last for a century.

Dugu Jia tightly grasped Liu Xiang's cold and trembling hand. The mother and son huddled in the shadow of the heavy curtain, like two frightened moles, even deliberately suppressing their breathing to the lowest level.

Outside the palace, the sound of patrolling Chu troops' footsteps, the clinking of armor, and the faint sound of commands were all striking at their fragile nerves like death warrants.

Finally, in the agony of every second feeling like an eternity, an expected and deliberately exaggerated clamor was heard outside the palace gate!

"Protect the Queen Mother and His Highness to break through the siege!"

"Charge out! Fight with Chu Gou!"

Then came the distinctive jingling of imperial bells, the creaking of heavy palace gates being forcefully pushed open, and a chaotic clatter of footsteps and horse hooves, all moving in one direction (quickly fading away!

"Gone! They're gone!"

Liu Xiang suddenly raised his head, a glimmer of hope as if he had survived a disaster flashed in his eyes, and his voice was filled with tears.

"Shut up!"

Dugu Jia shouted in a low voice, but his eyes were fixed on the gap in the curtain, and he listened attentively to the movement outside.

Sure enough, as she expected, the originally tight encirclement around the palace was instantly disturbed by this sudden "breakout"!

"Report! There's movement in the palace! It seems Dugu Jia and Liu Xiang are attempting to break out from the South Gate in the imperial carriage!"

The scouts' shouts came from far away.

"What? Want to run? Chase them! We can't let that mother and son get away!"

A rough voice of the Chu army general sounded, full of excitement and murderous intent.

"First Battalion, Second Battalion, follow me! Everyone else, continue to surround the palace and search it thoroughly to prevent any fraud!"

The sound of hurried horse hooves and numerous footsteps surged in the direction of the "bait" team like a tide.

The pressure around the palace was visibly relieved, and the originally airtight encirclement was briefly filled with chaos and gaps.

The time has come!

Dugu Jia's heart was beating wildly, but she forced herself to stay calm.

She suddenly pulled up the almost paralyzed Liu Xiang and whispered, "Quick! Follow me!"

The two of them flashed out from behind the curtain like ghosts.

At this moment, Dugu Jia was dressed in a gray eunuch's uniform, with disheveled hair and a dirty face. Where was the dignity of a queen mother?

Liu Xiang looked pale, with his neck shrunk, looking like a frightened eunuch.

They didn't dare go through the main entrance, or even any side door where they might be noticed.

Relying on his familiarity with the layout of the imperial palace, Dugu Jia took Liu Xiang and took them through the deserted paths and abandoned courtyards.

They walked through the overgrown imperial garden, bypassed the mottled walls of the cold palace, and finally came to an extremely secluded place in the northwest corner of the palace.

There is a narrow corner door here that was secretly opened in the early years to facilitate the transportation of dirty things in the palace. It is known to only a few people and is usually covered by debris.

Dugu Jia struggled to move away the broken baskets blocking the door, revealing the low, rusty door.

She took out an old key that she had prepared long ago, inserted it into the keyhole with trembling hands, and turned it hard.

With a soft "click", the door opened.

A chaotic and cold air from the street outside, mixed with a faint smell of blood and smoke, blew towards me.

Without hesitation, the two men, like stray dogs, successively crawled out of the small door that symbolized humiliation and escape, and truly stepped into the streets of Chang'an City, which had changed hands.

However, escaping from the palace is only the first step.

The scene before them made their hearts sink to the bottom again.

The streets were in a mess.

Abandoned weapons, scattered debris, and even bodies that had not yet been collected were everywhere. In the distance, sporadic shouts and cries of killing and crying could still be heard.

Some thugs who were taking advantage of the situation were smashing and looting shops. When they saw the two lonely "eunuchs" and "little eunuchs", they just glanced at them and didn't pay much attention to them - in troubled times, there were too many palace people who were running for their lives.

The air was filled with panic and disorder.

The main force of the Chu army was obviously attracted away by the "bait" team, but there were still small groups of Chu army patrols moving around the streets, checking people with suspicious behavior, maintaining basic order, and continuing to clear out sporadic resistance.

Dugu Jia held Liu Xiang tightly, lowered his head, and mixed in with the people and defeated soldiers who were also panicking and fleeing everywhere, trying not to attract any attention.

Her heart almost beat out of her chest, and every step she took felt like she was walking on the edge of a knife.

She knew it was absolutely unsafe to stay in the city. The Chu army would soon conduct a city-wide search, and every corner would be searched thoroughly.

We must get out of town as soon as possible!

But the city gate...

At this moment, the four gates of Chang'an City must have fallen into the control of the Chu army.

The East Gate is the direction from which Chu Ning's main force enters the city, so it must be heavily guarded, no need to think about it.

The South Gate and the North Gate, the "bait" team just now may have chosen one of the directions to break out, and at this moment they must be the focus of attention of the pursuers and defenders.

Then, only... Simon is left!

Dugu Jia's mind was thinking rapidly.

The West Gate is relatively far from the imperial palace, and according to the sporadic news just heard, the commander of the West Gate seems to have surrendered relatively early. The Chu army there may be relatively weak, and the security may not be as strict as the other gates that have experienced bloody battles.

More importantly, going out from the west gate, away from the east where the main force of the Chu army is located, there are more options for escape directions.