The Princess Cannot Escape: The Cunning Prince Is Not to Be Messed With

Chapter 21 A Woman's Revenge

The reason why the master has become like this is because of you...

Suddenly, at that moment, the tightly sealed study door was pushed open from the inside with a "bang." Xiahou Ying, expressionless, stood in the doorway and looked at the two people not far away. His gaze lingered on Yin Quan for a moment, which immediately made the latter's scalp tighten.

Oh no! This is a sign that a powerful attack is about to be unleashed!

She has to slip away!

"Wei Jun, bring her in." Although the tone was light and indifferent, it was extremely penetrating to the two of them at this moment, like a straight icicle, swift and direct.

After escorting Yin Quan to the study door, Wei Jun withdrew with astonishing speed.

Although he didn't know what had happened between the two, it certainly wasn't as smooth as he had imagined.

"If you don't want to follow those outdated rules and regulations, at least do one thing."

Perhaps because he had been reviewing official documents all day, Xiahou Ying, who was standing in front of Yin Quan, looked paler than ever before.

It made her blood-red lips even more alluring, yet they seemed to be tinged with a poignant beauty, so stunning that one couldn't look away.

Enveloped by his cold, clear eyes, Yin Quan involuntarily opened her lips. She suddenly felt curious about what kind of past had shaped Xiahou Ying into who he was today.

"You (you)..." The two spoke at the same time, then paused simultaneously.

"You speak first (you speak first)." The words overlapped again as Xiahou Ying spoke, and he frowned.

"I'm not in a hurry, you go first." Grinning and waving her hand, Yin Quan suddenly became very cooperative.

The wrinkles between his brows deepened. Xiahou Ying lowered his gaze and looked at her for a moment before continuing, "During the wedding ceremony, you must not speak. I will have Long Jue accompany you, and she will tell you what to do and how to do it."

"Oh..." Yin Quan responded simply. She was the kind of person who would take the easy way out. If she didn't have to worry about something, she would never waste a single brain cell.

Suddenly, she realized that she had overlooked something very important.

When did she ever promise to cooperate with him and marry him?

Just a few days ago, she was racking her brains for ways to escape, so how come she has forgotten about such an important thing in the past few days?

Looking down at the thoughtful Yin Quan, Xiahou Ying pursed his lips, not intending to say anything.

He knew what she longed for, the only thing he couldn't give her.

"Are you making concessions?"

After moving her lips slightly, Yin Quan looked up at him, her eyes still bright and clear like the stars in the sky, dazzling and captivating.

Xiahou Ying remained silent.

Is he making a concession...? Perhaps he really is making a concession.

Seeing that he remained silent, she did not intend to press him for an answer. After a brief silence, she was about to speak again when he spoke first.

"I just don't want the Imperial Advisor's hard work these past few days to be wasted because of you."

His indifferent tone masked his true emotions. As he spoke, Xiahou Ying continued, noticing Yin Quan's slightly widened eyes, "I still have official documents to review. You may leave now."

Upon hearing this, Yin Quan, who was originally furious, suddenly smiled, her smile exceptionally bright. Instead of rushing out the door, she walked closer to the desk and then quickly pushed it open. With a "crash," all the official documents on the desk were scattered all over the floor like pebbles washed away by a flash flood.

"Go look at your official documents!" After snorting angrily, Yin Quan rushed out, no longer caring about the consequences of angering Prince Duan.

Anyway, Xiahou Ying has always disliked her, and this time it's her turn to get revenge!

Watching the figure rush out of the study like a whirlwind, Wei Jun and Pang Ban, who were guarding the door, exchanged a silent glance and then both let out a long sigh in their hearts.

My lord, you've suffered so much.

Why suffer for the sake of saving face...?

That's a whole year's worth of investigation records...

"Take it, I can't find anything better, just make do with this for now. If there's a chance in the future, I'll ask a craftsman to make one for you. This material might be a bit stuffy. Uh, A-Jue, why are you looking at me like that?"

Yin Quan handed a simple yet rustic wooden mask to Long Jue, frowned, and uttered a question.

Long Jue's dark eyes were filled with a complex light, a burst of excitement and exhilaration that had been suppressed for too long.

She looked down at the mask, which even had rough edges from its crude workmanship, but she couldn't hide her excitement.

In any era, appearance and figure are more important to women than clothes and jewelry.

Even someone as reserved and elegant as Long Jue is no exception.

She had asked the kitchen servant in charge of purchasing supplies to buy this. All her savings had been lost when she escaped from the general's mansion that day, and even the only silver hairpin she had kept for herself had been turned to dust by Xiahou Ying. The money for the mask was naturally something she had taken as compensation when she returned to the general's mansion earlier.

"It looks so good like this. Come on, tie your hair up." As she spoke, Yin Quan walked behind Long Jue and used a pure black ribbon to gather her long, glossy black hair, which reached her waist, high up.

As Long Jue's full, round, and fair forehead gradually appeared in the bronze mirror, his already dark and bright eyes widened suddenly, and his expression changed rapidly, becoming so complex that it was hard to keep up.

From the day her face was disfigured, she never lifted the long hair that covered her face in public. She never even imagined that she, with such a terrifying and hideous face, would have the opportunity to show her true face to the world again.

Long Jue had never dared to ask for anything like this before...

There isn't one now.

It was Yin Quan who allowed her to stand in the sunlight again, to rediscover the joy that beauty brings to her mind and body, and to feel the happiness that she, as a woman, can also experience.

At that moment, for the first time, she felt annoyed.

I was frustrated that I couldn't express my gratitude to her in words, and frustrated that I couldn't say "thank you" in person.

Long Jue tried to kneel down, but Yin Quan grabbed his arms tightly.

“A-Jue, don’t kneel down so easily. Although you obey Xiahou Ying, you are also my only friend in this Western Liang Kingdom. Friends are equal and help each other. Do you understand?”

Staring intently at Yin Quan, Long Jue's gaze was filled with confusion and bewilderment.

Looking at her as well, Yin Quan raised an eyebrow, somewhat helpless.

Isn't it too early to tell her all this? What if Long Jue suddenly comes to her senses one day and starts to rebel against Xiahou Ying? Wouldn't he tear her to pieces?

"Anyway, we're friends, friends. There's no need for formalities between friends!" Yin Quan grinned, patting her shoulder.

Although he didn't quite understand what she meant by "friend," Long Jue was clear about the weight and significance of the word.

She considered him a friend, and that alone was enough.

Nodding emphatically, Long Jue lifted Yin Quan's right hand and solemnly placed a kiss on the back of her hand.

With a furrowed brow, it was Yin Quan's turn to be puzzled.

Is this some kind of contract? A ritual?

Does this mean she will always be loyal to him from now on?

If that's really the case, wouldn't such a simple ceremony be a bit hasty?

Seeing Long Jue's kiss of loyalty to Yin Quan from afar, one of the four white-clad guards, who had never spoken before, had a strange look in his eyes before turning away.

"A kiss of loyalty?"

Looking up from the mountain of official documents, a hint of doubt flickered across Xiahou Ying's brow before he regained his composure.

“Indeed, when I was in exile on the border of the five kingdoms, I entered the Pitian tribe, which was located on the border of the five kingdoms but did not belong to any of them. The people of this tribe are born brave and good at fighting, and are natural warriors. The highest etiquette in the Pitian tribe is the kiss on the hand, which the tribe calls the ‘kiss of loyalty’. This etiquette is more like a contract. Once the ceremony is completed, those who make this contract will swear to follow their benefactor to the death.”

"You mean, Long Jue is a member of the Pitian tribe?"

The one who raised the question was Pang Ban. He looked at Jing Yu, his voice slightly low.

"It is highly likely. The Pitian tribe is a very mysterious tribe. They are cautious and suspicious and will never allow intermarriage with other tribes, which has led to a severe population decline, the spread of diseases, and the near extinction of the tribe."

Jing Yu continued speaking, glancing at Xiahou Ying's expression every now and then. He seemed unmoved, his expression remaining indifferent and calm.

He had known about what Jing Yu had discovered for a long time; it was a private promise between him and Long Jue.

He helped her conceal her identity, and in return, she pledged her loyalty and vowed never to betray him.

Even Wei Jun was unaware of this matter.

However, because Jing Yu noticed Yin Quan, he suddenly developed a new kind of curiosity about her.

It had nothing to do with romantic feelings between men and women; what he was curious about was her unique personal charm, which belonged only to her.

He truly couldn't understand why she, a stranger who had only lived in the manor for less than a month, could gain the utmost loyalty from the naturally cautious Pitian clan without any prior opportunity.

"Jing Yu, is there anything unusual about Lord Ding's residence?" Suddenly changing the subject, Xiahou Ying raised his gaze from the official documents and swept it straight to the white-clad guard opposite the desk, his deep eyes cold and intimidating.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, Vice Minister Ding of the Ministry of War has not shown his face for three consecutive days. I have already sent someone to infiltrate Ding's residence to investigate. Minister Ding has caught a cold and is resting for three days. During this time, apart from the doctor who came to see him, no strangers have come or gone."

"Remove the people." Xiahou Ying said calmly as he reopened a document.

Upon hearing this, the other three people in the room were taken aback at first, then looked at each other for a while. Despite their confusion and bewilderment, they finally obeyed and left.

Noticing the confusion on Yin Quan's face, Long Jue stiffly curled his lips, turned her palm up in front of him, and wrote the character "忠" (loyalty) on it.

Looking at the invisible yet tangible character for "loyalty" in her palm, she suddenly felt a little incredulous and asked, "You mean, you will be loyal to me?"

Upon hearing this, a strange light flashed in Long Jue's eyes. She nodded and tightened her grip on Yin Quan's fingers slightly.

With her eyes slightly open, Yin Quan felt as if she had been hit by a gold bar. How could she have guessed that correctly?!

Shouldn't a contract be written in a formal form, with a bloody handprint pressed on it, and then a chicken killed to swear an oath to heaven?

Thinking about this, she suddenly realized that her thoughts were somewhat ridiculous.

As a top lawyer in S City, she has handled numerous divorce cases. Even with a written agreement and fingerprints, what does it matter? Betrayal is always a common occurrence.

As Yin Quan thought this, her gaze darkened slightly, but she quickly regained her composure.

She grasped Long Jue's hand in return, smiled at her, and said, "I'm a very greedy person. What I've given you is mine forever. Don't even think about taking it away from me."

Looking at her with a slightly dazed expression, Long Jue seemed to understand her words but didn't quite, yet he still nodded.

Seeing the bewildered look in the eyes of the woman in black, Yin Quan curled her lips and said nothing more.