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

Chapter 35 Cold Questioning

Standing outside the kitchen, Wei Jun watched the two people inside starting a fire and washing rice, and felt a deep sense of melancholy.

The rules in the Prince's mansion have always been strict. The kitchen is only lit three times a day, and only at fixed times. If it is lit an hour earlier or half an hour later, the cook will be replaced immediately without any hesitation.

Having followed Xiahou Ying for so long, they had grown accustomed to such rules, but they had forgotten that there was now another person in the household, someone who was quite special to the prince and to them.

This person not only disregards the rules, but also repeatedly causes the prince to break many rules for her. Overall, it is a miracle that Yin Quan, who disregards the rules, can survive in the Duan Prince's Mansion, which regards family rules as life itself.

Looking at Yin Quan and Harina, whom he had brought back to the mansion today, Wei Jun felt quite conflicted.

If I stop them, the master will be unhappy; if I don't stop them, it seems the master will also be unhappy...

Just as he was caught in a dilemma, a bright white figure suddenly appeared before him like a god. Wei Jun was startled, but the figure that suddenly appeared gestured for him to be quiet.

"Master, Father said that Prince Duan is a very cautious person, and all his meals and tableware are prepared by special people..." Harina kindly reminded him as he knelt by the stove with Yin Quan.

"I know, he's pretentious and a germaphobe, a rare breed indeed." Yin Quan casually replied, blowing a breath into the fire under the stove.

“Master, it’s past dinner time now. Prince Duan eats three meals a day regularly, and he won’t even touch any food sent to him outside of those three meals.” Looking at his master, who even personally cooked for him, Harina suddenly felt a little sorry for him.

"Did your father say that again?" Yin Quan raised an eyebrow and looked at her, who nodded.

"Well, let me tell you, if you want to win a man's heart, you have to win his stomach first. It's like boiling a frog in lukewarm water. You add fuel to the fire little by little and gradually let him get used to it and lower his guard. By the time he realizes what's happening, bang, we've already made it! It'll be too late to regret it then! Come on, watch the fire, I'll go check on the porridge!" As she spoke, Yin Quan stood up. Just as she straightened up, she was suddenly struck by a gaze sweeping over her, making her a little dizzy.

Ugh, I feel so dizzy, I think I might have low blood sugar... or maybe low blood pressure?

Thinking this, Yin Quan moved with her heart, swaying and about to fall, when she felt a firm, warm chest beneath her. Her heart skipped a beat, and she blinked at him: "Are you feeling better?"

Upon hearing this, Xiahou Ying raised an eyebrow and suddenly let go. With a "plop," Yin Quan had a close encounter with the long-unseen kitchen floor.

"You've been busy for so long, are you hungry? Smell this mushroom and chicken porridge, doesn't it smell delicious?" Yin Quan, who got up from the ground, was not annoyed at all. Instead, she smiled and ladled a bowl of porridge in front of Xiahou Ying, staring at him intently with eager eyes.

Frowning as he looked at her, Xiahou Ying's brow furrowed even more deeply than before, showing no signs of fading.

He stared at the porridge in her hand for a long time, then turned his gaze to Harina, his thin lips, which were pressed into a straight line, slowly moved slightly: "Who are you?"

"Your Highness, I am the daughter of the chief of the Tutan Banner of the Mongol tribe. Due to the rampant plague in the tribe, I fled here with the refugees. Today, I was rescued by the Princess from the hands of evil people. To repay the life-saving grace, I voluntarily become a slave and serve the Princess."

Upon hearing this, Xiahou Ying pursed his lips, not even glancing at Yin Quan, his eyes growing increasingly gloomy.

"The northern grassland peoples have a long-standing tradition that in the event of a major epidemic or disaster, the chieftain and all his close relatives are forbidden from leaving the tribe. Those who violate this rule will be fed to wolves and eagles with their bones. As far as I know, the chieftain of Tutan Banner, Kurk, is an upright and loyal man. He would never allow his descendants to commit such a betrayal." As he spoke, Xiahou Ying's originally calm voice suddenly turned cold and sharp. His dark eyes flashed with a cold light, sharp as knives, piercing directly at Harina beside Yin Quan.

The smile on Yin Quan's face froze. Although she was reluctant to believe that she had brought back a liar who might even threaten Xiahou Ying's life, she knew that Xiahou Ying was cautious and would never make hasty judgments.

Did she really let a wolf into her house?

Does this have to be so melodramatic?!

Thinking of this, Yin Quan also noticed Harina's unusual behavior.

The little girl's body was somewhat stiff, with a barely perceptible tremor.

This reaction is hardly what one would expect from a spy or assassin.

When someone discovers your identity, shouldn't they yell something like "I'll fight you to the death" or "Long live XX" and then pounce on their target to fight to the death?

Harina's behavior was strange, yet it seemed as if he was trying his best to suppress something.

"Xiahou Ying! Are you interrogating my person?! I trust her, that's enough!" Stepping forward to block Xiahou Ying, Yin Quan raised her chin, giving him a "take it or leave it" look.

"You believe her..." Xiahou Ying frowned as she looked at her, and slowly moved her lips.

"I believe you!" Yin Quan nodded, her gaze firm.

"Do you trust me?" His lips twitched again, his eyes deep, like a crescent moon reflected in water, forever gleaming with a cold, unattainable blue light.

“…” Yin Quan remained silent.

This was the first time she had been silenced by his question.

Her words just now were nothing but impulsive, thoughtless ramblings. For the first time, gazing into his deep, dark eyes, she was thrown into turmoil.

Say something! Say something! Say something! She absolutely has to say something!

Her mind was screaming and howling, but in the end she only moved her lips and made a strange "gurgling" sound.

Holy crap! Wake up, you silver tongue of yours! If you let me down at this crucial moment, I'll fire you!

Wei Jun, who was watching the two of them from the side, was extremely anxious, but he could only worry helplessly.

The master was always cautious and indifferent. Even when he met someone he cared about, he still drove away those around him repeatedly because of his cold-hearted nature.

Over time, being alone for long periods of time becomes a habit.

Until he met someone who constantly offended and contradicted him.

Whether it was because Yin Quan had a strong mentality or for some other reason, she really was the woman who had stayed by Xiahou Ying's side the longest so far.

It can't be killed by poison, and it can't be driven away; its perseverance is astonishing.

Xiahou Ying's gaze, like moonlight, fell upon Yin Quan, who was also looking at him, staring back without flinching.

He felt annoyed and irritable, and over time, this aggravated his condition, turning into an unbearable burning pain.

He knew what he was expecting, but he also resisted those thoughts.

Because he shouldn't have any expectations.

Why aren't you saying anything...

Why can't we just say we believe him...?

Looking up into Xiahou Ying's deep, mountain-like eyes, Yin Quan pursed her lips, pondering the same question: Why isn't he speaking?

Why did she hesitate?

Is the hesitation due to belief, or to disbelief...?

Just as he was pondering this, he suddenly heard Xiahou Ying's cold voice ring out in his ear: "Wei Jun, let's go."

Gazing at that white, bright figure, as straight as a pine tree, from afar, Yin Quan took a deep breath and then exhaled.

She turned to look at Harina, raised an eyebrow, and said, "You threw the plate downstairs not to get my attention, but to get Wei Jun's attention, right?"

It's not a question, it's a statement.

Yin Quan looked at her, her face showing neither anger nor any other emotion.

The defense I made just now was simply to avoid appearing worthless, especially in front of Xiahou Ying.

Harina did not avoid her gaze, but simply bit her lip and remained silent.

“I believe you are the daughter of Kurk, the banner chief of the Mengbutan Banner, but you have to tell me the truth, otherwise I will make you regret it, and you will also regret your choice today.”

Upon hearing this, a fleeting look of surprise appeared in Harina's eyes.

Yin Quan's tone was always so casual, making her feel that she had never taken anything seriously.

Even if she were rescued from the clutches of evildoers today, she would only feel that it depended entirely on her mood. If she was in a good mood, she would do good deeds; if she was in a bad mood, she would simply let things take their course.

Having traversed the Gobi Desert from the northern Mongolian grasslands, Harina had seen and experienced too many people and things along the way, making her mature far too early for her twelve years. She was genuinely surprised by Yin Quan's incisive observation.

A slight wavering appeared in Harina's clear, prairie-sky eyes, and Yin Quan felt inexplicably anxious.

Speak, speak, speak! Why are all these people so hesitant and stuttering?

"A spy has appeared within the banner..."

Just then, Harina slowly spoke, his expression turning somewhat grim.

“My father was assassinated, and all five hundred men and women of Tutan Banner were brutally killed under the iron hooves of my father’s former subordinates, Charhan and his hounds. The women were all raped to death, and the children were all fed to the wolves…” Harina said, her thin and small body trembling, her voice growing lower and lower, hoarse.

"Boom——"

A bright flash of lightning streaked across the sky, accompanied by a deafening clap of thunder, as if it were a furious low growl for the innocent souls who had perished tragically throughout the Tutan Banner.

A burst of lightning swept through the window into the kitchen, casting a shadow that made Hari's thin body appear deathly pale, like a ghost carrying the souls of five hundred innocent victims, as fragile and ethereal as a blank sheet of paper.

"I believe you." Yin Quan placed her hands on Harina's slightly uncomfortable shoulders and said only three words.

After the thunder came the downpour, washing over the dark tiles and gray-white floor tiles of the Prince Duan's Mansion again and again, as if to strictly distinguish them, making the black even blacker and the white even whiter.

Standing silently behind Xiahou Ying, Wei Jun looked at his back and felt a little depressed.

After returning from the kitchen, the master stood by the window with his hands behind his back, without moving an inch.

Aside from the time when his mother, Consort Xiao, was brutally dismembered, he had never seen him so preoccupied.

Thunder rumbled like drumsticks of refined iron, striking his chest again and again, each strike creating a crater deep within his heart.

Just as Wei Jun was about to say something, a tempting aroma wafted over, and he frowned slightly, looking towards the door.

Yin Quan, holding a white porcelain bowl with blue and white decorations, was standing at the door. She winked at him, and Wei Jun understood immediately and quietly slipped out.

Walking behind Xiahou Ying, Yin Quan peeked out from his left side, carefully looking him up and down, and said, "I heard you didn't have dinner?"

No response.

"Mushroom and chicken congee, a secret recipe passed down through the Yin family. Just smelling it will refresh your mind and invigorate you, and taking a bite will give you a hundred times more energy. Are you hungry? Want a bowl of congee?" Peering out from his right side, Yin Quan's movements remained very cautious, as if the person standing in front of her was a glass doll that would shatter at the slightest touch.

Still no response.

"Xiahou Ying, just do me a favor and have a sip?" Yin Quan leaned closer to him and raised his spoon.

There was no response.

She reluctantly lowered her arm, looked down, and sighed softly.

He's definitely angry!

But this guy is so stingy! She's been so humble, and he hasn't even flinched. How can they be friends happily?

Just as Yin Quan was getting a little annoyed, a cold voice suddenly came from above.