NFBE Chapter 224 The Comatose Boy in Women's Clothing
Chapter 224 The Comatose Boy in Women's Clothing
"This humble general, Xiao Xingfang, greets Your Majesty!" Accompanied by a series of heavy, powerful footsteps, Xiao Xingfang, clad in gleaming armor, strode in. He clasped his hands in a fist salute, bowed slightly, and respectfully greeted Su Nuannuan, who sat regally in the main seat.
Su Nuannuan nodded slightly, indicating that she did not need to stand on ceremony, and said slowly, "Commander Xiao, I have someone here who needs your help to deliver to the Emperor." Her voice was clear and crisp yet authoritative, leaving no room for disrespect.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Xingfang was startled. His first thought was: Could it be that Her Majesty is sending a woman back to her husband, the current emperor? He muttered to himself, but maintained a respectful expression on his face.
Seemingly noticing the unusual expression on Xiao Xingfang's face, Su Nuannuan frowned slightly, gazed at him with her beautiful eyes, and asked softly, "Commander Xiao, what are you thinking about?"
Xiao Xingfang was startled and quickly bowed again, hurriedly explaining, "Uh... this humble general was just thinking about how to safely and reliably escort the person entrusted by Your Highness to the Emperor."
Seeing his panic, Su Nuannuan smiled gently and continued, "The person I'm sending is still unconscious. You can simply place him inside the carriage. If you want to travel faster, you can also just throw him onto the horse's back."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yanfang's eyes widened in astonishment. This was hardly a gift; it was more like escorting a suspect! However, faced with Consort Zhuang's decree, he dared not disobey in the slightest and could only reluctantly agree.
At this moment, Su Nuannuan turned to Yaoqin, who was standing to the side, and instructed her, "Yaoqin, take your brother to fetch the person. Be sure to act quickly to avoid delays and complications."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Yaoqin replied, bowing.
Then, she led her brother to another room.
“Brother, this is the man. The Fifth Prince found him by chance when he went hunting in the mountains today. The Empress saw that he looked unfamiliar and did not seem to be from our Canglan Kingdom. Fearing that he might bring unnecessary trouble to the estate, she decided to send him to the Emperor for personal disposal.” Yaoqin explained to her brother in a soft voice, while pointing to the pale-faced boy lying on the bed.
Yaoqin continued, "This person is currently in a coma due to severe poisoning, but fortunately, the poison can be cured with an antidote." With that, she gently took out a small, exquisite porcelain bottle and handed it to her brother.
Then, Yaoqin added, "However, Your Majesty does not advocate immediately detoxifying him, fearing that he might be an ungrateful wretch who repays kindness with enmity. In Your Majesty's opinion, it would be more appropriate to first escort him safely to the palace and hand him over to the Emperor personally before proceeding with the detoxification. After all, being in the inner palace, he is unlikely to cause much trouble."
"Furthermore, Her Majesty's original words were: 'This person was picked up by her precious son. I find his background quite suspicious, and I dare not take it upon myself to handle this matter. It would be more appropriate to leave it to His Majesty to decide.'"
Brother, just relay the message immediately. There's no need to say anything else; the more you say, the more mistakes you make, and the less you say, the better.
"I understand, brother. Don't worry, I assure you I will deliver the person to their destination safely!" Xiao Yanfang assured him.
"Also, this person may still be being hunted. It would be best if you took a small team with you. That way, even if something unexpected happens along the way, you can look out for each other."
After speaking, Yaoqin took out a token from her bosom and gently handed it to Xiao Yanfang, solemnly instructing him, "Brother, this is a token bestowed by the Empress. With it, even if the city gates are tightly closed, as long as you show this token, the soldiers guarding the city will open the gates and let you pass."
Xiao Xingfang took the token, feeling its slight coolness, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart. He smiled and said to his sister, "Little sister, you don't need so many people to send an unconscious person to the capital."
After speaking, Xiao Xingfang rushed to the bedside in one stride, and without any hesitation, roughly hoisted the unconscious boy lying on the bed onto his shoulder. Then, he turned to Yaoqin and ordered, "Go prepare a carriage for me, and find a set of women's clothing, headdress, and veil that are similar in size to this boy."
Yaoqin was incredibly clever and immediately grasped the deeper meaning behind her brother's actions. Without a moment's hesitation, she quickly turned and went out to make arrangements.
Before long, all the necessary items were prepared. Moreover, Yaoqin specially arranged an experienced coachman for Xiao Yanfang—Tingfeng. It should be noted that without Su Nuannuan's prior approval, how could Yaoqin, with her limited resources, have so easily commanded Tingfeng, this secret guard?
Xiao Xingfang deftly hoisted the unconscious boy onto her shoulder and quickly boarded the spacious but not luxurious carriage.
He placed the boy on the soft seat, then quickly removed his heavy and sturdy armor. The armor clanged crisply as it was neatly placed into the second layer of the carefully designed double-layered compartment beneath the carriage seat.
After doing all this, Xiao Xingfang took a deep breath, turned around and began to change the clothes of the unconscious boy. He quickly unbuttoned the boy's original clothes, picked up the women's clothing that Yaoqin had prepared, and quickly dressed the boy in it.
Next, Xiao Xingfang recombed the boy's hair, picked up two simple hair ornaments, and gently placed them on the boy's head, carefully adjusting their position so that they complemented the boy's face. Finally, he gently picked up a veil as thin as a cicada's wing and slowly covered the boy's face.
After all the dressing was done, Xiao Xingfang took a few steps back and looked the "woman" up and down. However, she felt that something was still missing.
He frowned slightly, staring at the unconscious boy. After pondering for a long time, he finally realized—isn't a person in a coma just like a patient suffering from a serious illness?
Thinking of this, Xiao Xingfang immediately summoned Yaoqin, who was standing nearby, and asked her to fetch a box of bright red rouge. After taking the rouge box, he dipped his fingertip in a little and carefully drew a few red dots on the boy's pale cheeks and exposed skin.
These red dots appear to be randomly distributed, but they actually create a kind of morbid beauty. If one does not look closely, one would definitely mistakenly think that the boy is suffering from some serious disease.
Once everything was ready, Xiao Xingfang nodded in satisfaction, turned around and called out to Tingfeng, who had been waiting outside the carriage for a long time, "We can set off now!" With his command, the carriage slowly moved forward, the sound of the wheels gradually fading into the distance, heading towards the bustling capital city.