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

Chapter 294 Secret Base

As the sound of horses' hooves approached, a dozen or so men in white rushed in, immediately disrupting the situation. When Hao Gang saw that reinforcements had rushed in, he was the first to hide inside the inn, surrounding all the servants beside him in front of him, afraid of being seen by the men in white. The men in white rode straight to the location where Xiahou Ying and the others were.

Upon seeing Xiahou Ying, the leader leaped onto another horse. Xiahou Ying, carrying Yin Quan, jumped onto the horse's back, and the group quickly headed towards the path at the foot of the Qilian Mountains without lingering for a fight. Xiahou Jue never expected that his perfectly laid trap would still allow Xiahou Ying to escape. A surge of anger welled up in his heart, and he almost coughed up blood.

"Chase after them! Men, prepare the horses!" A guard beside him hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, you mustn't! You are a nobleman, you absolutely cannot be harmed. We'll go after them." Xiahou Jue narrowed his eyes dangerously and said, "If you can't bring them back, you don't need to come back either." He turned his head and saw Gu Lounan with a forced smile.

"How foolish it was for the Imperial Advisor to betray me because of Prince Duan back then." Gu Lounan bowed. "Your humble servant knows he is guilty and will resign upon returning to the capital." Xiahou Jue remained silent for a long time before slowly walking up to him.

"I've heard that the Grand Preceptor seems to be extremely fond of Princess Duan. It's a pity that my brother—or rather, that traitorous rebel—has that princess completely under his thumb. Xiahou Ying has devised a clever plan this time. Judging from the woman's eyes just now, she probably hates you to the core. However, I'm willing to give you a chance to redeem yourself. If you can bring that woman to me even if you can't capture Xiahou Ying, I can still let bygones be bygones."

Gu Lounan lowered his head. "Your Majesty's orders are my due." Xiahou Jue patted his shoulder and turned to leave. Gu Lounan looked in the direction where the two disappeared, his expression somewhat complicated.

The cold winter wind felt like a knife, scraping against their faces. The horses galloped swiftly, making it hard for Yin Quan to open her eyes. Occasionally, a few snowflakes drifted down, landing on their thin clothes, and Yin Quan felt as if she were frozen solid. As the sky began to lighten, the group stopped at the foot of the mountain. Looking at the snow-covered forest, Yin Quan couldn't help but shiver.

Xiahou Ying took off his outer robe and draped it over Yin Quan; both of them had lips that were turning slightly purple from the cold. The leader, dressed in white, dismounted and knelt before Xiahou Ying.

"Lin Xiang arrived late to save the emperor, Your Highness, please forgive me." Xiahou Ying waved his hand. "What time is it now? This is not the time for questioning. How many of us, including those in the capital, are still here?"

“There are still two teams of the Ghost Slayer Crimson Group.” Jing Yu said with some annoyance, “How did things turn out like this? It’s all my fault for not keeping an eye on Gu Lounan, otherwise those generals wouldn’t have lost their lives in vain.” Xiahou Ying pursed his lips, “It’s normal that you couldn’t find out about Gu Lounan’s methods. I just didn’t expect that he had infiltrated so many forces over the years. Now is not the time to talk about this. We must leave here immediately.”

Lin Xiang said, "Your Highness, once you cross this mountain, you'll reach our newly established secret contact point. It's very safe there." Xiahou Ying nodded, and a group of masked men on horseback caught up behind him. Xiahou Ying said loudly, "Dismount and let the horses run along the official road. We'll go through the woods." Everyone abandoned their horses and disappeared into the woods. The snow fell heavier and heavier, covering Yin Quan's eyelashes like a small fan.

Yin Quan tightened her outer garment. The night seemed exceptionally long, and the snow fell heavier and heavier, erasing all traces of the group. After passing through the woods, they saw a cave entrance. Once inside, Lin Xiang activated a mechanism, and the group slipped into a hidden underground chamber, where they instantly felt warm.

What appeared to be an inconspicuous, desolate place turned out to be a secret chamber of nearly 300 square meters built underground. After entering the cave, Xiahou Ying hurriedly pulled Yin Quan aside and said to the others, "Quickly go and find the physician from the Red Group, and get some hemostatic prescriptions." Everyone obeyed and left.

Since entering, Yin Quan had relaxed and her whole body began to disobey her commands. Even her smile was unusually stiff. Xiahou Ying frowned, carried her to the inner room, took off her shoes, and carried her to the bed.

"Hey Xiahou Ying, what are you doing? Don't you have wounds too? Hurry up and get them treated. The doctor will take care of them when he comes."

Xiahou Ying looked at her reproachfully, "Who told you to take that sword for me just now? I'm a martial artist, so that little injury is nothing to me, but you're different. You bled so much along the way, how could I be at ease? Do you know I almost went berserk because of you?" Yin Quan nodded, "But when I saw that sword was about to pierce you, I really just instinctively blocked it. Besides, I'm fine now, but I've suffered much worse injuries than this before, haven't I?"

Xiahou Ying gently untied the strip of cloth wrapped around Yin Quan's arm. The blood on the cloth had frozen into ice crystals. Yin Quan unconsciously groaned. Her body had just been frozen stiff and she hadn't felt any pain, but the sudden warmth made her feel a burning pain. Not wanting Xiahou Ying to worry, she clenched her teeth and endured it to keep herself from groaning.

Xiahou Ying carefully tore open her clothes. When he saw the torn and bleeding wound, Xiahou Ying froze, and his voice became unusually low.

“Ever since you’ve been with me, you’ve always been hurt. Yin Quan, maybe I really am not the right person for you, or maybe you would be better off living in your so-called peaceful world. Am I being too selfish by insisting on keeping you by my side?” Xiahou Ying has always been like a mountain in Yin Quan’s heart.

Hearing these words brought tears to Yin Quan's eyes. She grasped Xiahou Ying's hand and said, "Don't overthink it. I did this willingly. Although our world is wonderful, it has no meaning for me without you." Xiahou Ying remained silent for a long time, when a soft knock sounded at the door.

The two quickly composed themselves. A young woman pushed open the door and entered. She paused for a moment when she saw Yin Quan, then walked to the bedside and said to Xiahou Ying, "Your Highness, would you please excuse yourself for a moment?" Xiahou Ying nodded, and Yin Quan hurriedly said, "You should also go and treat your wounds. Don't worry about me."

Xiahou Ying nodded. "Jinsheng, take good care of her." The woman curtsied slightly. "Your Highness, rest assured." After Xiahou Ying left, Yin Quan could no longer hold back and began to groan in pain, clutching her arms. Jinsheng couldn't help but chuckle. "The Princess Consort is quite tolerant in front of Your Highness," Yin Quan said pitifully.

"I didn't feel it when I was frozen stiff, but now it's excruciatingly painful. Beautiful doctor, do you think I'll be left with a scar?"

Jinsheng opened the medicine box, took out a small pair of scissors, and cut open Yin Quan's sleeve. He was surprised to see the sword wound. Although he knew that Yin Quan was injured, he did not expect that the injury was so serious. The wound also had some slight frostbite. "Your wound is a little infected. Let me give you some simple treatment."

Yin Quan nodded, and Jin Sheng took out an alcohol swab and gently wiped her face. Yin Quan bit down on the towel, and closed her eyes when the pain became too intense.

Seeing her struggling to endure the pain, Jinsheng said softly, "It's okay to cry out if it hurts too much. There are only the two of us in the room, so it won't be a problem." Yin Quan shook her head.

Yin Quan didn't want Xiahou Ying to worry about her. After Jin Sheng treated Yin Quan's wound and bandaged it, Yin Quan finally relaxed. "How is Xiahou Ying's injury?" Jin Sheng shook his head. "I'm not responsible for the prince's injury. I can ask for the princess."

"Ask quietly, but don't let Xiahou Ying know." Jin Sheng glanced at Yin Quan with suspicion. Yin Quan whispered, "If Xiahou Ying knew I asked, he would never tell you the truth." Although Jin Sheng found the prince and Wang Ai's lifestyle a bit strange, he didn't press the matter.

"Your Highness, please rest first. I'll go get some hot water." After Jin Sheng left, Yin Quan fell into deep thought, Gu Lou Nan's complicated gaze flashing before her eyes.

Did he really betray them? Why do I feel so heartbroken? What does Gu Lounan really want?

Not long after, Xiahou Ying came in dressed in clean plain clothes. He frowned when he saw Yin Quan still wearing dirty clothes. "Why haven't you changed your clothes yet?"

"Jinsheng went to fetch water for me. I want to take a hot bath before changing." Xiahou Ying held her hand and gently rubbed it in his palm. "Is it frozen?" Yin Quan nodded. "What do you plan to do next?" Xiahou Ying put Yin Quan's feet in his arms to warm them up.

Yin Quan's thoughts raced, after all, the two of them were in a very dangerous situation. "Xiahou Ying, have you ever thought about why Xiahou Jue was able to eliminate all the generals you trusted in one go? Could it be that there is a traitor among your people?" Xiahou Ying tidied her hair. "Gu Lounan is just one of them. After all, he has been with us all along and has no chance to leak information, right?" Yin Quan looked at the silent Xiahou Ying.

Xiahou Ying simply breathed on her hands to warm them, and seeing her staring straight at him, he said calmly, "Don't worry, I have my own plans. Xiahou Jue is an impatient person. Now that he has just ascended the throne, he must want to eliminate his opponents in the court first. During this period, we can only lie low quietly. Chonglou Manor is a good place. Would you like to come with me to take a look?"

Yin Quan was getting anxious. "What time is it? If we leave this cave, we'll be fugitives. You're still thinking of going to Chonglou Manor?"

Xiahou Ying shifted his position, warming her feet. "You're right. I'm no longer some high and mighty prince. Once we step out this door, we'll be wanted criminals who can never see the light of day. Are you still willing to follow me?" Yin Quan rolled her eyes at him. "Xiahou Ying, are you even speaking human language? Is that how you see me, Yin Quan?"

Xiahou Ying chuckled and pinched her nose. "I know you're not, I just wanted to hear it from you in person. Although we suffered heavy losses this time, we haven't reached the end of our rope yet. I'll make the arrangements myself. Let's go to Chonglou Manor first. Since it's not advisable to rush into the capital, let's search for the Four Divine Artifacts first."

“But…” Yin Quan was still a little worried. Jin Sheng gently knocked on the door and came in with hot water. Yin Quan had no choice but to swallow her doubts. “You take a shower first and I’ll go out and make some arrangements.”

As soon as he stepped out the door, Xiahou Ying couldn't stop coughing. He picked up a handkerchief covered with red plum blossoms, carefully put it away, glanced at Yin Quan through the crack in the door, and tightened his grip on the handkerchief.