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

Chapter 31 Reasonable Doubt

"Grand Preceptor, have you been hiding anything from me lately?" In the garden of the inner court of the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince gently stroked the beautiful woman in his arms, who was only covered by a thin veil, with his eyes slightly closed.

"Your Highness is wise. Even if I had the audacity of a leopard, I would not dare to deceive you." With his hands tucked into his wide, crimson robe, Gu Lounan bowed with a smile, his gaze lowered so that he could just see the delicate, jade-like ankles of the beauty beneath the thin silk robe. A gold thread was tied around those fair and tender ankles, and at the knot at the end of the thread hung a golden bell. The bell trembled gently in the breeze, emitting a soft, melodious metallic ringing.

I wonder what Yin Quan would look like with this on...

Gu Lounan was a little distracted.

"Your Highness, he's peeping at me!" As if noticing Gu Lounan's undisguised gaze, the beauty in the thin silk dress said coquettishly and snuggled into the Crown Prince's arms, as if this would shut him out.

Hearing the woman's sweet, cloying voice, the prince opened his slightly closed eyes a crack and asked, "Is she beautiful?"

"Beautiful." Gu Lounan answered without hesitation, not even trying to guess who the "she" the Crown Prince was referring to.

"Hahaha, how could I forget? The Imperial Preceptor is just one of the countless ordinary mortals." Laughing, the Crown Prince suddenly got up from the mahogany dragon bed, and pushed the beauty in his arms to Gu Lounan's feet, saying, "Here you go."

After saying this, he shook his robe, which had an antique silver base with a dragon pattern, laughed loudly, and left with his hands behind his back.

Behind him, the beautiful woman looked up at the incomparably gorgeous man, her crystal-clear, alluring eyes suddenly flashing.

This morning, Xiahou Ying went to the palace for court, leaving Yin Quan, who slept until noon, alone at home, feeling incredibly bored.

The four white-clad guards were not there, and Long Jue had not returned yet. There were only servants and no female attendants in the mansion, which made it impossible for her to find a shopping companion. She even began to suspect that since there were only men and no women in this vast Duan Prince's mansion, perhaps he really had some special hobby.

Emma, ​​if she can really successfully transform him, doesn't that mean she's incredibly charming and captivating?

Thinking of this, Yin Quan recalled Gu Lounan, who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere on the day she ran away from her wedding, and her brows furrowed sharply.

Could it be that Xiahou Ying wasn't jealous of him yesterday at all?!

That seems to make sense...

She was stunned.

As she pondered, she faintly heard a low rumble of thunder. She looked up at the distant sky, where thick clouds had gathered, making the air even more humid and sultry.

Is there going to be thunderstorms today...?

I don't know if he brought an umbrella. He stood in the rain for so long yesterday, I wonder if his wound has reopened.

Xiahou Ying, if saving face could put food on the table, I think you would have starved to death long ago.

With his chin resting on his hand, Yin Quan leaned against the window, watching the burly men walking by in the corridor. Suddenly intrigued, he waved to one of them who happened to be passing by and said with great interest, "Hey, come here!"

"What are your orders, Miss Yin?" The man's voice was low and his face expressionless.

"Go and summon all the servants in the manor," Yin Quan said with a smile, her eyes darting around.

Upon hearing this, the man frowned. Although he was full of doubts, he still did as he was told.

Within a few minutes, twenty people stood in the small courtyard in front of Yin Quan, each one strong and burly.

Leaping over the dark railings in the corridor, Yin Quan stood before the twenty people, a satisfied and even somewhat intriguing smile on her face.

The burly men stared at Yin Quan, who was constantly making "hehe" sounds, and they all swallowed hard.

The head guard, Wei Jun, gave the order that everything Miss Yin instructed should be done and every command from her should be executed.

The men silently recited Wei Jun's instructions, their eyes filled with unwavering determination, displaying a heroic spirit of facing death without fear and ready to die on the battlefield.

"How do you guys train? Tsk tsk, such firm muscles, and abs too, ah, your trapezius muscles look pretty good too..." One of the men groped her body while leering and praising her. Yin Quan's face flushed red, like a pink peach blossom touched by a spring breeze, radiant and shining straight into everyone's hearts.

Unable to get enough of touching him, Yin Quan reluctantly released the man at the head of the first row, took a step back, pinched her chin, glanced at the burly men in front of her, and then said, "Take off your clothes and let me see."

This time, none of the burly men moved; their expressions were even somewhat stiff.

"Hey, I'm not going to skin you alive and eat you. Looking at you won't get you pregnant. Take off your clothes and let me admire your muscles."

As she spoke, Yin Quan sat down on a stone bench in the courtyard, crossed her legs with a smile, and her face was covered with a rosy glow, like peach blossoms after the rain, which was intoxicating.

The burly men stared at those smiling, bright eyes, their gazes seemingly concealing glittering gold, and their minds went blank.

This, this, this...

The burly men, caught off guard, were in a real predicament.

The Duan Prince's mansion has strict rules, and the Duan Prince is a ruthless and cold-blooded master. If the Prince finds out about today's events, the lightest punishment would be beheading, and the heaviest would be...

The burly men dared not think any further.

"You're afraid that your Prince Duan will cause trouble for you if he finds out, right?" Seeing the struggle and hesitation in the hearts of the burly men, Yin Quan's voice suddenly softened as she crossed her legs.

Upon hearing this, the burly men expressed their approval with their eyes.

"Don't worry, what happened today is known only to heaven, earth, you, and me, absolutely..."

"Is there anything I cannot know?" A chilling voice drifted from the shadows at one end of the corridor, like a flurry of snow, pouring down on everyone's heads.

"It's nothing, I'm just checking if your servants are loyal and competent enough." Smiling, Yin Quan greeted Xiahou Ying, who remained expressionless.

"Do I need to take off my clothes to see?" Xiahou Ying raised an eyebrow, his tone icy and his voice cold and sharp.

"Of course!"

The burly men's jaws dropped in astonishment, and Xiahou Ying's normally straight eyebrows twitched slightly.

"A loyal servant is one who obeys his master's every command without hesitation, whether reasonable or not. A competent servant, of course, is one who dares to raise objections, even at the risk of his life, when he thinks something is unreasonable."

Looking down at the serious-looking Yin Quan, Xiahou Ying pursed his lips.

I have to admit that what she said makes some sense.

"Your conclusion?"

"Congratulations, Your Highness! Your servants are truly unparalleled in their loyalty and competence!" As he spoke, Yin Quan bowed, and in the brief moment his gaze fell upon the burly men, he frantically winked at them.

Sensing her hint, the burly men immediately stood even straighter than before.

Xiahou Ying glanced at Yin Quan, then walked straight through the courtyard without saying a word.

After ascending the steps, he stopped, put his hands behind his back, and said, "I am the master of this palace. Do you all remember that?"

"Yes!" The burly men hurriedly knelt down, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Looking at the group of trembling men on the ground, Yin Quan pouted.

People from ancient times were just people from ancient times; they lived such a stifled life.

If there are no more muscular men to see in the future, won't life be even more boring?

She wants a waitress!

Thinking this, Yin Quan quickly walked in the direction Xiahou Ying had gone, and before leaving, she waved to the burly men with a smile: "It's all over, you can go now!"

When her radiant eyes swept over them, the men's gazes became unfocused once again.

No wonder the usually aloof prince would surprisingly keep her here; after all, he's just an ordinary person...

"Xiahou Ying! I want a maid!" Yin Quan shouted, clinging to the door of the study.

"I do not keep idle people." Xiahou Ying replied coldly without looking up, focusing intently on the silk scroll in his hand.

"Besides Long Jue, all the servants in your household are male. Don't tell me you're not interested in women! This is clearly a special fetish! Don't deny it!" Yin Quan rushed up to him and vented her anger like a machine gun. She looked at his slightly twitching fingers and felt very smug.

"I told you so! Actually, you don't need to be embarrassed. True love knows no age or race!" As she continued, Yin Quan became more and more excited, and her words became increasingly unrestrained.

“If you’re really worried, I can reluctantly consider marrying you, and then you can live happily ever after with your little Nan Nan! So…” Before Yin Quan could finish speaking, her wrist was suddenly grabbed. She was slightly startled and looked down, only to be met with Xiahou Ying’s fair and handsome face, which was unpredictable.

Xiahou Ying remained silent, but his fingers continued to tighten.

"Um, it hurts a little. Would you like to loosen your grip a little?"

Hearing her casual tone, which always carried a hint of nonchalance, Xiahou Ying suddenly became a little annoyed.

He gripped her tightly with his palm, lifting her from the other end of the table to his face. He leaned forward, pressing her lower back against the edge of the table, his dark, cold eyes fixed on her, a shallow furrow between his brows.

The pleasant scent of pine and bamboo wafted from him, and Yin Quan looked up at him, feeling that he seemed a little strange.

"Xiahou Ying, have you taken the wrong medicine?"

Upon hearing this, Xiahou Ying's eyes widened slightly. She felt a little stiff and embarrassed by what she said, and she didn't know whether to keep her hand on her waist or remove it.

He looked at her small face so close to his, his heart filled with confusion.

Why is she always so unrestrained, as if nothing in this world can frighten her, and nothing can enter her heart?

Noticing the fleeting embarrassment in his eyes, Yin Quan suddenly became interested. She reached out and touched his face, only to feel that his facial muscles seemed to stiffen abruptly.

"Want to kiss me?"

His brow furrowed abruptly. The woman's soft limbs and the faint, sweet fragrance made Xiahou Ying's mind go blank. He suddenly leaned down, his voice low and hoarse: "I warned you, don't mess with me..."

Seeing a strange, deep blue glint in Xiahou Ying's eyes, Yin Quan curled her lips, suddenly reached out her left hand to hook around his neck, and used the leverage to lift her body slightly upwards.

His skin was cool, even a little cold. She frowned, about to open her mouth, when suddenly Xiahou Ying, who was icy cold all over, lowered his head and kissed the corner of her lips.

His lips were cold and stiff, as if he had just come from an icy snowfield and was frozen stiff.

"Why are you so cold?" Without the electric shock that ran through her body during their first kiss, Yin Quan frowned deeply, and her gaze toward Xiahou Ying was no longer as casual as before.

Xiahou Ying did not answer, his thick, dark eyebrows furrowed even more deeply, and his refined features seemed to be covered with a layer of frost.

Suddenly, he pushed her away forcefully, stood up straight, his face pale and bluish, even covered with a strange bluish light, with faint purple veins protruding slightly on his forehead.