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

Chapter 37 A Peerless Wonder

As Gu Lounan passed through the narrow alley leading to the backyard of the Prince Duan's mansion, he spotted a familiar face peeking out from the back gate of the mansion, looking around furtively.

He stood at the alley entrance, not getting close, just quietly looking inside. He saw Yin Quan, dressed in a light purple dress, almost tiptoeing out of the back door, looking extremely cautious.

Yin Quan quietly closed the door and let out a sigh of relief.

She wasn't worried about being discovered by Long Jue, Kou Yun, or anyone else for leaving without permission. Her only concern was Harina.

She didn't care about herself, but she couldn't let that girl suffer along with her because of her, so she kept her departure a secret from her this time.

After staring at the dark back gate of the Prince's Mansion for a moment, Yin Quan bit her lip and strode off with a carefree air. But just as she was about to reach the alley entrance, she suddenly saw a leisurely figure in front of her.

The figure stood backlit, its posture somewhat languid, but its long, narrow phoenix eyes shone brightly, like a rainbow spanning the sky after rain, reflecting the dazzling colors of the morning glow.

Damn it! Why did I have to run into him at this time?!

With her mind racing, Yin Quan suddenly turned around, and at the same time, that figure had already appeared in front of her without her noticing.

With her eyes widening slightly, Yin Quan stared at the smiling Gu Lounan, a thousand curses running through her mind.

Holy crap! Lightness skill?! Instant step?!

Another guy who's mastered some unparalleled martial arts! Or perhaps, another extraordinary oddball?

"He's not here?" With his hands tucked inside his magnificent crimson brocade robe, Gu Lounan raised an eyebrow, first glancing behind Yin Quan before speaking.

"You know that?" Zhang stared at him with wide eyes, and Yin Quan was a little surprised.

"This national teacher knows everything." Shrugging, Gu Lounan stroked his chin, his deliberately drawn-out tone carrying a hint of teasing.

"Narcissistic!" Yin Quan pouted and tried to move forward, but he stepped forward and stopped her.

"Don't be in such a hurry to leave. What, are you really not going to consider my previous suggestion?" Gu Lounan leaned closer to her, the corners of his lips curving upwards, his gaze pouring down like a thousand rays of sunlight, enveloping her.

"Read my lips, no way." Yin Quan replied dryly, not even glancing at him, and immediately changed direction to seek a breakthrough.

"I'm telling you, Xiahou Ying's journey to the Mongol tribe is fraught with peril. Are you really not going to consider it? You wouldn't be at a disadvantage marrying me, would you?" Seemingly ignoring her, Gu Lounan spoke with a smile, his eyes crinkling like two newborn crescent moons, radiating warmth. Yet, he consistently blocked her path amidst his laughter. Suddenly, before he could finish speaking, the double-breasted robe embroidered with silver auspicious cloud patterns on his chest was abruptly grabbed by Yin Quan. At the same time, he met a pair of clear, bright eyes.

"What did you say?! He went to the Mongol tribe?! You just said he went to the Mongol tribe?! What did he go to the Mongol tribe for?!" Grabbing Gu Lounan's clothes, Yin Quan bombarded him with questions. She didn't care that the person in front of her was the Imperial Preceptor, whose power and status in the court were second only to the Emperor. All she knew was that this person seemed to know something she didn't.

"Didn't he tell you?" Not in a hurry to answer Yin Quan's question, Gu Lounan was a man who was good at seizing opportunities, no matter the time or the situation. It was precisely because of this that he was able to climb to the position of Grand Preceptor, a position of great power and influence, in just a few years, and become the youngest and most accomplished Grand Preceptor in the founding history of the Western Liang Kingdom.

When he asked her that, Yin Quan pursed her lips and gritted her teeth, saying, "If he had told me, would I need to ask you?! Tell me, tell me, tell me!" She almost shouted it out, grabbing his collar and shaking him wildly, as if she wanted to press herself against him.

As if he hadn't expected her to react this way, Gu Lounan suddenly smiled helplessly, then raised his hands to grasp her slender wrists and said calmly, "If you want me to tell you, you have to agree to one of my conditions first."

"Taking advantage of someone's misfortune! Taking advantage of someone's vulnerability!" Yin Quan suddenly let go and jumped back, breaking free from him and roaring as she pointed at his nose.

"Say whatever you want, but I, your teacher, am just taking advantage of someone's misfortune." Raising an eyebrow, Gu Lounan tilted his chin up and looked down at her with a half-smile.

"Fine, I won't ask you anymore!" Yin Quan turned her face away, too lazy to pay him any attention.

“The people of Prince Duan’s mansion only obey Xiahou Ying’s orders. If he forbids something, asking any more questions will be futile…” Still with his sleeves rolled up, Gu Lounan walked up to her, his handsome features, a blend of charm and approachability, gleaming faintly like rainbows in the sunlight. He smiled and continued, “Hearing my conditions before refusing won’t waste too much of your time. Besides, aren’t you afraid that if you linger here with me too long, you’ll miss the best opportunity to pursue him?”

Upon hearing this, Yin Quan frowned.

She was almost certain that Gu Lounan was an absolute genius who had taken opportunism to its extreme.

Every word he uttered hit the nail on the head, eliminating any potential rebuttal. She had to admit that, aside from his utterly despicable shamelessness, he was quite admirable.

Thinking of this, she raised an eyebrow at him, and he seemed to understand perfectly, saying, "The journey to the Mongol tribe is arduous, and I don't feel comfortable letting you go alone. I will go with you."

"These are your conditions?" Yin Quan blinked and looked at Gu Lounan, who smiled and nodded.

"I'm telling you, you just want to use me as an excuse to go and see what Xiahou Ying is going to do in the Meng tribe, right?" She pouted, her gaze direct and disdainful.

Upon hearing this, Gu Lounan paused for a moment, then smiled and replied with a faint orange lip, "I have a bit of a headache, you noticed."

"What's wrong with your head? Are you going to kill me to silence me? Anyway, whether you like it or not, you have to keep me alive now. Otherwise, you, the Imperial Preceptor, would be out of the capital for ten or fifteen days without explanation. Even if the Emperor doesn't investigate, you'll still be subject to gossip from other ministers. But with me here, it's different. Men, you know how it is." Yin Quan shrugged nonchalantly, waving his hand as he spoke, his tone as casual as if he were discussing something as mundane as eating or sleeping.

Looking down at her, Gu Lounan suddenly realized that there were many things about her that he had not noticed.

She seemed to have volatile emotions, her joy and anger were easily seen, and she had little manners or upbringing. However, her clever mind surprised even him, who had been in officialdom for many years. He even began to seriously consider marrying her.

“What you said makes some sense. In that case, why don’t we get serious?” With his phoenix eyes slightly narrowed, Gu Lounan suddenly leaned down, but Yin Quan turned her head to avoid him. His lips brushed against her earlobe, leaving a faint fragrance on his lips.

"Seriously my ass! Hurry up and prepare the carriage! If we don't hurry, we'll really miss Xiahou Ying!" Ignoring Gu Lounan's ambiguous expression, Yin Quan roared.

Upon hearing this, Gu Lounan straightened up and whistled. As soon as the whistle fell, a completely black carriage stopped at the entrance of the alley.

Yin Quan stared wide-eyed in surprise.

So fast! She would never believe that this wasn't premeditated!

In fact, Yin Quan had misunderstood.

The feud between Gu Lounan and Xiahou Ying had a long history, and his men were already spread throughout the vicinity of the Prince Duan's residence. If it weren't for Yin Quan's influence, he really wouldn't have thought of exposing these people so soon.

Watching her board the carriage, he suddenly felt a little helpless.

It seems that we were still a bit reckless.

The carriage wasn't spacious; with the two of them sitting face-to-face, there was practically no extra space.

The wheels rolled across the ground with a "gurgling" sound. Yin Quan glanced at Gu Lounan, who had remained silent since getting into the car, and moved her lips slightly.

How can you be sure he'll take this route?

“I don’t know which route he will take out of the city…” Gu Lounan replied calmly, not avoiding Yin Quan’s questions and gaze, always answering honestly. He paused, then continued, “He is cautious by nature and will not be easily caught. I’m just taking you to stop him.”

As Gu Lounan spoke, his phoenix eyes suddenly narrowed slightly, and he said in a slightly mocking tone, "Am I really that untrustworthy in your heart?"

“It’s not worth it, I’m not familiar with you.” Yin Quan shook her head and answered honestly.

"Oh, those words really hurt me." Gu Lounan clutched his chest, frowning and feigning pain. "So fake!" Yin Quan, resting her chin on her hand, didn't even bother to look at him anymore.

"What do you consider to be true, and what do you consider to be false?"

"I think you talk too much and are too long-winded."

Inside the carriage, the conversation stalled.

Sitting inside the carriage, Xiahou Ying looked at the map in his hand, his brow furrowed.

The Ministry of War received an urgent message: a rebellion has broken out among the Mongol tribes in the north. They are now leading 80,000 Mongol cavalry to invade southward. The northern border has already lost two passes, Tiantong Pass and Yuxia Pass. Once those 80,000 cavalry cross Luming Mountain and break through Luming Pass, the Central Plains will undoubtedly be completely exposed to the jaws of wolves.

According to Lu Xun, both Tiantong Pass and Yuxia Pass were built on natural defenses, making them easy to defend and difficult to attack. However, if soldiers were trapped inside the passes, the enemy could easily capture them without losing a single soldier if they cut off all external supplies. The Mongol cavalry, advancing south, broke through the two passes using this method, and marched their army straight into Luming Mountain.

If the map hadn't been stolen, the situation would never have spiraled out of control like this.

Xiahou Ying gently stroked the edge of the map with her long, slender fingers, her thin red lips pressed into a straight line.

There are spies in the court...

Thinking of this, he thought of Gu Lounan, but then immediately erased him from his mind.

It has never been a secret that the Imperial Preceptor belongs to the Crown Prince's faction.

There are three main factions among the court officials. Although there are some neutral forces, they are ultimately just civil officials who do not hold real power. The rest are mostly sycophants who are opportunistic and opportunistic. They are not much of a threat, but they should not be underestimated.

Just then, Xiahou Ying heard the wheels suddenly slow down. He frowned, lifted the curtain of the carriage, which was only a few inches wide, and looked out. He saw a completely black carriage coming towards him.

The carriage gleamed with a dark, shiny light, its surface shimmering with a dark, bluish hue under the sunlight, which was rather unsettling. Just then, the coachman pulled on the reins, bringing the horse to a halt. Immediately afterward, a figure, shrouded in a pale purple halo like a pearl, leaped down from the carriage.