3 Sneaking Out

After some rummaging in the cupboards, I found some plainer looking clothes and put them on, and tied my hair up with those inconvenient ribbons. I had never been successful with tying my hair up with a flat ribbon, so I simply knotted two ends together to form a makeshift hair tie. I also found a rather sharp looking hairpin which I tucked in my waistband. It would do as a weapon for now. It probably wasn't a good idea to sneak out of the imperial palace, but who was I? I was Ling Yue!

In my previous life, I had never taken the conventional route. I had a degree and some experience from a prestigious bank, but I also had many side hobbies. I did martial arts (badly), I painted, started my own business, and most notably often moved from country to country, picking up languages and street smarts along the way. I could have said to have lived a full, enriching life viewing the world, until I perished tragically at 28.. and awoke here.

The lives of concubines were known to be very restricted and boring. I would probably be stuck in the palace all the time. I would investigate and stay put for a few days first, then see if I should try to get myself kicked out so I could go explore this world. I arranged some cushions underneath the blanket to look like me, tucked a note under the cushions in case the 2 maidservants, who seemed good natured enough, found it and freaked out. Then peeked out the window.

I dragged a chair below the windowsill as quietly as possibly, huffing with the effort. Man, ancient chairs were so heavy. I scrambled onto the chair with much difficultly, hoisting up my heavy skirts, and sat on the windowsill. There was no one outside, but there were probably guards patrolling.

I took a moment to appreciate the traditional architecture and clear planning that had gone into this beautiful, ancient place, before hopping down to the ground. I stiffened, looking left and right to make sure no one had noticed me. Okay. Still, no one was here.

If I was not wrong... the study was... that way! Earlier, I had gotten some pointers and the general layout of the place from those two. If I wanted to go to the city or wanted a map of the palace without arousing suspicion by asking anyone, I needed the study. I counted windows and corridors and crouched when needed until I found a certain window. The windows were open, and there was clearly a lot of books in it. I climbed into the room, then yelped softly as I dropped down. The floor was a lot lower than I thought. "Who's there!" a guard was alerted and came over outside. I pressed my back to the window and tried to slow my breathing. Damn it! I tried to shrink myself into the shadow of the windowsill, but noticed those long skirts were sticking out. I gathered them hastily and pressed them onto me.

I watched as the guard peered into the room, and investigated outside for a long while, before concluding it was nothing. He then closed the windows. I let out my breath. Why was I sneaking around in my own palace? Never mind. I looked around the small study. The previous Ling Yue had been a reader. There were some open books strewn on the table. I ducked between shelves till I thought I found a section I was looking for. Maps.... map of the imperial palace! I thumbed through the pages. I first had to look at the overall layout to figure out where my palace was, then from my palace to the city... taking into account entrances and possible guards... was it even possible to sneak out? Wasn't it heavily guarded?

I spread out the very big map on an empty table. The map was done up using black ink, which had faded after many years. Creases on the map from being folded up for a long time made it difficult to read some smaller parts. I narrowed my eyes as I peered at the map. The palace sure was big. It was probably drawn close to scale, which was why there were numerous tiny boxes with words I couldn't make out. I wondered if those were relevant. It was a hassle to even try to find my palace, when I hadn't been out yet.

The imperial palace was a mind-boggling crisscross of courtyards, with the more public buildings situated at the ends of the many palaces situated in the compound. Just as I thought, the more one moved toward the innermost parts of the palace, the buildings became more private, and access was likely restricted as well. These were the private chambers of the imperial family, and the imperial harem (where I was situated) as well as the Emperor's chambers were in the middle. According to a handwritten note by the previous owner on the side of the map, the imperial palace was the focal point of the capital was a symbol of the presence of the Emperor. My palace, being in the harem, was likely to be swarming with guards, making sneaking out very difficult.

Well, as I always say, you never know until you try. And if I am found, I can always say I was out for a stroll and got lost. I hit my head after all, and I am recognisable. Next was sights of the city. Thankfully, this study was well stocked. Food.. attractions... locations... okay. I got it. If I waited any longer, there wouldn't be much time to look around. I slotted the books back where I found them, then went back to the closed window, pressing my ear to it. There weren't any sounds outside apart from cicadas and a bit of rustling as the night wind swayed the trees.

Miraculously, the garden was empty again. To climb back out, I had to find another chair or stool of some sort. I went back and got a chair I had seen while browsing around, and half dragged it back to the windowsill again. I climbed back out, cursing the long skirt, and closed the window. I half ran, half crouched along the walls, hiding whenever I saw any people. It was crazy how many people loitered around here. Once outside my palace, it was a bit trickier. I must have hid behind a bush for at least half an hour waiting for a particular group of guards to disperse, before being able to move on.

Finally, I made it out of the palace. I took a moment to praise myself internally and catch my breath before I started to look around. I said it was nightfall, but it was probably only 8 or 9pm. Some stalls were still open, and there appeared to be quite a bit of people. I had wasted quite a bit of time trying to study the map as well as sneak out of the palace. Luckily, this era was a bit more liberal and women were allowed to go out at night, and hold jobs, but most posts still went to men, and women were usually accompanied by guardians.

Still, it was better than being a lone woman in a sea of men. I purchased a hat from the first merchant I saw with a bag of silver coins I snuck out, and pulled it low over my head. This face would definitely attract attention. I wandered through the square, marvelling at the world I was in. I had never seen anything reproduced to this scale – the forbidden city or small china towns couldn't compare. Come to think of it, I was technically living in the forbidden city myself.

According to the map of the capital I had read at the study, a lot of thought had clearly gone into city planning, making the layout exquisite and detailed, resembling a giant network of precise rectangles. The whole city was surrounded by sloping walls, and the only access to the city were towered gates. Important buildings like municipal and official buildings, government offices as well as the imperial palace were aligned on a north-south axis, with the main entrance facing south. In Huaxia, the Emperor traditionally faced south when ruling, implying power and command. Facing south also had better feng shui. All the other buildings were built in the remaining spaces, amidst wide avenues and smaller secondary streets.

The buildings I passed by ranged from elite houses and official buildings nearer to the palace, then to common buildings used by civilians. I noticed that elite buildings were built on raised platforms typically faced with stone, and the higher the rank of the residence (for example, "Duke of So and So Residence" as compared to "Marquis of So and So Residence), the more levels were added to the raised platforms, creating a very steep terrace.

Common buildings had timber posts strengthened with horizontal cross beams. They had gabled and tiled roofs, compared to the ceramic glazed tiles favoured by the elite. All the buildings had roofs curving outward and upward at the corners. The capital was built on a hill, and from the top a sea of yellow glazed roofs slowly fanned out, with bits of green and red commonly used for decorative parts of the buildings.

Red, bloated lanterns made of wire and a bit of dyed paper resembling fish, rabbits, butterflies and all sorts of animals adorned both sides of the street, and the cheerful chatter of men and women holding tidbits and street snacks rang throughout the night as the impromptu procession moved along. Children, staying up past their bedtime squealed and laughed as they pushed their way through the crowd, immersed in their games. Vendors hollered out to whoever cared to hear them, advertising their wares and promising they wouldn't be disappointed. Wooden carts stocked with colourful trinkets, children's toys, food, and anything you wanted lined the street.

I had a good time, walking around eating street food and following the stream of people to light lanterns, guess riddles and partake in the festivities. I wished I could save this magical moment forever, as a reminder that I had lived during these times.

After awhile, I noticed the people started to lessen. Vendors were closing up shop, disappearing off the street. The sounds of children could no longer be heard, and the people on the street looked increasingly less like merry makers and more like drunks, people trying to get home, and generally shady characters. I didn't have a watch, but I guessed it was probably getting late, so I should head back. I looked at the glittering palace in the distance and tried to figure out a route. How many turns had I made, again?