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

Chapter 273 Taking the Blame

Seeing that Yin Quan had been behaving well these past few days, Chu Fenghua relaxed her watch on her a little. Taking advantage of Chu Fenghua's deep sleep at midnight, Yin Quan quietly sneaked to Xiahou Ying's door. She put a letter she had written in her bosom. Could it be that she couldn't write it yet?

Before even entering Xiahou Ying's room, Yin Quan spotted a furtive figure in the distance. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the person who had been impersonating her for the past few days. After a moment's thought, Yin Quan chased after him. Not far away, she saw the fake Yin Quan being stopped by a man, and the two of them slipped behind a rockery.

Yin Quan carefully sidled closer and heard Chongyang's voice, "I'm done with the little mouse, you can have it back now. I've also made some progress on the matter of the Ancient Spirit Pearl. Don't worry, I won't go back on my promise. But I still need you to do me a favor." Fake Yin looked at the mouse with some disdain.

Xiao Rong stared at the fake Yin Quan for a long time, then suddenly bared its sharp teeth and refused to jump onto her no matter what. Yin Quan was so moved by this scene that she almost cried. Xiahou Ying and Gu Lounan were no match for a mouse. Xiao Rong had actually seen through the imposter at a glance.

Xiao Rong's reaction immediately alerted Chongyang. He frowned and looked Yin Quan up and down. "You didn't tell Gu Lounan and the others about seeing the sect leader and a man in the secret passage, did you?"

The fake Yin Quan's eyes darted around, and she stammered, "Of course... of course not. How could I tell anyone what I promised you?" Chongyang sneered, and a cold glint flashed in his hand as his soft sword went straight for the fake Yin Quan's throat, catching her off guard. Clearly, this woman was no ordinary person; she leaped over the artificial hill.

"How did you know I wasn't Yin Quan?" Chongyang tossed Xiao Rong away. "Go find your master." Xiao Rong sniffed around and suddenly her eyes lit up. She ran straight to Yin Quan. Yin Quan looked at Xiao Rong, who was jumping happily onto her, and danced with excitement, but unfortunately, she couldn't say anything.

Xiao Rong bit her fingertip, and the blood that flowed out was all sucked in by the little guy. Before long, Yin Quan felt that she had regained her strength. "Xiao Rong..." She opened her mouth and was able to speak. Chongyang looked at the unfamiliar Yin Quan.

"And who are you?" Yin Quan rolled her eyes at him. "Big brother, are you brain-dead? You were the one who sent Xiao Rong to find its owner, right? Who do you think I am?" Chongyang looked at the fake Yin Quan in front of him, pondered for a moment, and said incredulously.

"Are you the Ghost-Faced God?" The fake Yin Quan no longer concealed his voice, revealing a man's voice. "I hid myself so well, yet I still failed because of you, brat. I think you won't be leaving here alive today." The Ghost-Faced God pulled out two iron rods shaped like candlesticks from his sleeve.

Yin Quan looked at Xiao Rong and asked, "Xiao Rong, can you help?" Xiao Rong nodded, jumped off Yin Quan, shook its fur, and soon returned to the appearance it had seen in the cave that day.

Chongyang's martial arts skills were already quite good, and with Xiaorong's help, the man was at a disadvantage. After a few rounds of fighting, a loud shout from the guards suddenly came from outside.

"Who's there! Help! Catch the thief!" Fake Yin Quan smiled eerily and sprinkled some white powder at Chongyang. Chongyang covered his face and turned his head away, but when he turned back, he saw that the mask on his face had melted into liquid and dripped down his face. Chongyang thought to himself that something was wrong and was about to run away when someone in the dark flicked a pebble.

His knees buckled and he collapsed. Then, he delivered a chop to Chongyang's neck, and Chongyang's eyes rolled back as he fainted. Yin Quan tried to run away, but before he could take more than a few steps, the fake Yin Quan caught up with him and pressed a pressure point on Yin Quan's mute acupoint, rendering Yin Quan mute again. When the guards of Qifeng Manor arrived, the fake Yin Quan stood aside in a panic.

Pointing at Yin Quan and Chongyang, he said, "I just came over and accidentally bumped into these two... plotting to murder the master." The guard was shocked and quickly tied up Yin Quan and Chongyang and sent them to the dungeon.

Inside the dungeon, Chongyang still showed no signs of waking up. Chu Fenghua, dressed in red, slowly walked in. Through the iron bars at the door, she looked at Yin Quan with regret. "I wanted to spare your life for a few more days, but why were you in such a hurry to seek your own death? Since that's the case, I have no choice but to remove your face ahead of time."

She gave a wink to a guard standing nearby, who quickly unlocked the door for Chu Fenghua. Yin Quan pinched Chongyang's thigh hard, and Chu Fenghua shook her head. "Don't waste your energy. He won't wake up for three or five days after being poisoned by the Ghostly Face God's Soul Powder."

Chu Fenghua revealed a delicate dagger at her fingertips. With a flick of the blade in front of Yin Quan, a lock of Yin Quan's hair was cut off. Chu Fenghua looked at the guard and said, "Go out and keep a close watch. Notify me immediately if anyone comes." After the guard bowed and left, Chu Fenghua spread her five fingers and lifted Yin Quan up.

Yin Quan struggled desperately, but Chu Fenghua held her hands and feet down. The blade shifted, and the cold touch lingered on Yin Quan's face, causing her to tremble involuntarily.

That crazy woman Chu Fenghua, she wouldn't really peel off her own face, would she? Just thinking about it made Yin Quan's heart tremble. "Don't worry, I'll be quick, so you won't feel the pain."

"Master, Elder Qinghuang and the others have arrived." Chu Fenghua was taken aback, and hurriedly released her grip on Yin Quan. A cold glint flashed in her hand and disappeared into her sleeve. She put on a pained expression and said to Yin Quan with tears in her eyes.

“Xiao Xun, you’ve been with me for so many years, how could you do such a heinous thing? Your master has treated you well. If it weren’t for your pitiful family background, why would I have taken you in? I never thought I would be letting a wolf into the house. If you still insist on not saying who ordered you, I will clean up the house today.”

Chu Fenghua shouted her words towards the door, clearly intending them to be heard by the person outside. She leaned close to Yin Quan's ear and whispered, "If you don't want Xiahou Ying and Gu Lounan to get into trouble, you'd better listen to me. Otherwise, I can't guarantee what outrageous things the Ghost-Faced God might do. I've heard that he really likes collecting people's internal organs."

Yin Quan glared fiercely at Chu Fenghua and said, word by word, "If you dare to touch Xiahou Ying, I will risk my life to send you to hell with me." Although it was just his mouth, Chu Fenghua was shocked by the aura that Yin Quan released in that instant.

A gentle male voice rang out from outside the door, "What's wrong with Fenghua? She's just a maid, what did she do to make you so angry?" The person who came was Gu Lounan. He picked up Chu Fenghua and glanced at Yin Quan, then seemed to wink at her. Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

If she knew that she was Yin Quan, she would definitely not have been completely unresponsive. She must have just imagined it. Chu Fenghua said in a trembling voice, "Senior brother, I... I'm sorry to Master. The person who caused Master to be bedridden now is my personal maid, Xiao Xun."

Qinghuang looked at Chu Fenghua's heartbroken expression and wondered what she was up to, why she was trying to smear her.

"Chu Fenghua, how dare you! You actually ordered a maid to plot against the sect leader. Is it because you saw that the position of sect leader was out of your reach that you became so ruthless and tried to kill your own master?"

Chu Fenghua hurriedly shook her head, "That's not how it is, Xiao Xun just said..." She glanced at Qinghuang with a hint of fear, and Elder Chang Li said loudly.

"Feng Hua, don't be afraid. Just say what you need to say. If anyone dares to frame you, we will absolutely not allow it." Chu Feng Hua glanced at Qing Huang intentionally or unintentionally.

"Xiao Xun just told me that the person who instructed her was Elder Qinghuang. Elder Qinghuang kidnapped Xiao Xun's younger brother and used him as leverage to force her to poison Master's tea." Qinghuang finally understood Chu Fenghua's intention; it turned out that she had been set up.

"Chu Fenghua, you ordered your maid to do such a thing and dared to frame me! I think you have no respect for your elders! Guards, seize her!" Chang Li and Cai Feng hurriedly blocked Chu Fenghua's way.

“The matter hasn’t been investigated thoroughly yet, Elder Qing, why are you so angry? I think there’s something fishy about this matter. Why don’t you let us interrogate you?” Chu Fenghua was on the verge of tears. She bit her lip and pointed at Yin Quan, saying, “I have evidence.” She went to Yin Quan’s side and reached her hand inside Yin Quan’s shirt.

Remembering the letter she had written to Xiahou Ying, Yin Quan hurriedly covered her chest. Chu Fenghua slightly raised the corner of her mouth, "I'll say it again, if you don't want Xiahou Ying to die, then you'd better behave yourself." Yin Quan unconsciously glanced at Xiahou Ying's position, only to see him standing at the back of the crowd, with the fake Yin Quan standing behind him.

With a silver needle pointed directly at Xiahou Ying's back, Yin Quan held her breath. If the Ghost-Faced God moved any closer, Xiahou Ying would surely die at his hands.

His hands gradually fell limply to his sides. Xiahou Ying, oh Xiahou Ying, how wonderful it would be if you could recognize me at this moment.

Chu Fenghua took a letter from Yin Quan's bosom, opened it in front of everyone, and read it aloud.

What shocked Yin Quan was that the letter wasn't a letter she had written to Xiahou Ying at all, but a conspiracy letter in which she, Chongyang, Qinghuang, and Elder Ling secretly plotted to murder the manor lord. Chu Fenghua passed the letter around to everyone, then turned to look at Yin Quan with a pained expression.

"Elder Qinghuang, are you still not going to admit that you murdered the sect leader?" Caifeng and Changli looked at Yin Quan. "Did you really conspire to murder the sect leader?" Yin Quan looked at the Ghost-Faced God behind Xiahou Ying and had no choice but to nod with difficulty.

Chu Fenghua finally felt relieved, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her lips. Gu Lounan saw it but did not point it out. He comforted Chu Fenghua and said, "I know you treat the sect leader like a mother, so this matter must be very sad. I just didn't expect that no matter how much you guard against a traitor in your own home, it is hard to guard against. I didn't expect it to be Elder Qinghuang's conspiracy."

"Nonsense! You've plotted to frame me! Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. Don't be fooled by him. He wants to push Chu Fenghua to the position of manor lord so that Qifeng Manor will become his Chonglou Manor." Faced with Qinghuang's accusations, Gu Lounan just sneered.

"Who harbors such wolfish ambitions? The elders will make their own decisions. And what did Elder Xiao Xun Qinghuang use to plot against the Manor Lord?" Yin Quan looked at Chu Fenghua, who handed over her hand, indicating that Yin Quan should write something on it. Yin Quan casually drew a few strokes, and Chu Fenghua exclaimed in shock.

"They actually joined forces with the Valley Master of Hundred Flowers Valley!"