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

Chapter 42 Unsettled Mind

If someone gets into trouble at the county government office, it's considered a failure on the part of the county magistrate to protect him; at best, he'll lose his position, at worst, his life. In other places, however, he'd be out of the picture. Recently, Danqu County hasn't been peaceful at all, a fact known throughout the imperial court. Floods, famine, and plague plague the Xiangxi region, and bandits are surging. If two groups of people unfortunately run into each other, it's fate, something that can't be helped.

While pondering, Magistrate Li gave an order to the clerk beside him. He put his slightly withered old hands behind his back, then turned and walked back the way he came. As he walked, he said to the clerk, "I'm getting old, and my body isn't strong enough anymore. Shall we go have a couple of drinks tonight?"

"Where are Wei Jun and Pang Ban?" Looking through the crack in the window at Li Wan and the advisor walking away, Yin Quan turned to Xiahou Ying and asked.

"You don't need to know," Xiahou Ying replied without looking up, his gaze fixed intently on a silk scroll.

Upon hearing this, Yin Quan pouted.

Why is this person so hot and cold...? I clearly wanted to kiss her yesterday...

Thinking of this, she suddenly paused.

He wanted to kiss her?

How could he possibly want to kiss her?!

If you really want to, it's because she wants to kiss him...

Thinking back carefully, Xiahou Ying has indeed been acting strangely these past few days...

Sitting down at the round table, Yin Quan rested her chin on her hand, staring intently at the figure bathed in the orange candlelight, which seemed to be coated with a thin layer of gold. Her expression suddenly became somewhat focused.

She felt it had been a long time since she had observed his features so closely: his slanted eyebrows, his long, clear eyes, his thin, rosy lips, and his sharply defined nose. She wondered what it would feel like to touch him…

Thinking this, Yin Quan subconsciously reached out her hand, her smooth, pearly fingertips gleaming in the candlelight, but she was suddenly noticed by the person in front of her when she touched them.

"Your bangs have fallen down, let me help you straighten them." Yin Quan grinned as she was met with Xiahou Ying's clear gaze. She turned her wrist and swept the long, black hair that was hanging down beside his ear.

Xiahou Ying frowned and then smoothed his brow, pursing his red lips and looking at her without saying a word.

He could almost feel the warmth emanating from her body, like the spring sunshine.

The warmth and smoothness of her fingertips lingered near his ear, occasionally brushing against it lightly, touching his heart with a teasing touch. It stirred his inner turmoil and made him restless.

Twisting a lock of her long, black hair, Yin Quan's forehead began to bead with sweat.

She knew Xiahou Ying liked to find all sorts of ways to torment her, but why did he even find fault with a tuft of hair on his body?! Were they incompatible?!

No matter how you try to avoid it, it won't be good; no matter how you try to avoid it, it will immediately pop up!

Holy crap! Is this hair alive or something?!

Yin Quan was furious, but as she got more and more angry, she suddenly froze.

Why... Xiahou Ying's ears turned red...?

The sun has already set... it definitely wasn't the setting sun...

He... he gets shy about this?!

Suddenly, at that moment, her hand, which was resting near his ear, was enveloped by a cool, gentle hand. Then, she met a pair of deep, dark eyes, as unfathomable as the raging waves of the deep sea.

Looking at Yin Quan, Xiahou Ying pulled her close and kissed her deeply.

This kiss was like a thunderbolt striking the earth, like a thousand fireworks exploding overhead, scattering and illuminating the dark night sky with dazzling colors.

The kiss shocked her. Yin Quan had never imagined that such an ordinary act of hers would provoke such a whirlwind of reactions from him.

She had actually fantasized about many scenarios, such as the heavy rain and snow that are common in melodramatic soap operas, or being pinned down and kissed passionately by him after a big fight, or a very romantic beach.

Wouldn't these be more exciting than what we have now?

She simply couldn't fathom the thoughts of these ancient people.

In a moment of distraction, he bumped her lips, causing her to make a "uh" sound.

With a furrowed brow, Xiahou Ying suddenly shoved Yin Quan away, a strange blue tinge appearing in his dark eyes. He stared at her without a word, his lips as red as blood, like a wild beast struggling to contain itself.

"I have lost my composure." After a long while, his low, hoarse voice came, seemingly tinged with a hint of helplessness.

Losing composure?!

Damn it! You've been kissing her for so long and you're just going to brush it off with a simple "lost control"?!

Yin Quan was somewhat annoyed by Xiahou Ying's reaction.

"Losing my composure, my foot! Do you think I can just kiss you whenever I want and not kiss you whenever I want?! Why should you get to decide this?! Do you think this is grocery shopping?!" Roaring, she grabbed his collar, jumped onto a round stool, and forcefully pulled him down, raising her chin to bite his lips hard. She quickly released him, her starry eyes blazing with visible anger. She glared at him and hissed, "Xiahou Ying, I lost my composure too! I lost my composure too, okay?!"

"Let go first." He looked down at her, his tone low, but no longer as indifferent as usual, it contained a hint of softness and helplessness.

"I won't let you go! You need to explain yourself clearly!" Yin Quan's attitude was firm.

Looking into her bright, sparkling eyes, Xiahou Ying said nothing more, but simply held her waist and lifted her down from the round stool.

Suddenly, she felt her gaze drop significantly. She didn't even care whether she and Xiahou Ying had the legendary "cutest height difference." All she wanted to know was whether he liked her!

Suddenly, at that moment, Xiahou Ying's slender fingers brushed against her long hair that fell to her temples. Yin Quan stared at him, momentarily stunned.

He took out a jet-black wooden comb from his robes. The handle of the comb appeared to have some burn marks, and beneath those marks, a dazzling red character was barely visible. Only three indistinguishable bright red dots remained, like red beans or beads of blood.

The comb looked like something a woman would use. Staring at the wooden comb, Yin Quan frowned and pursed her lips, feeling a sudden inner turmoil.

Why does Xiahou Ying always carry a woman's comb with him?!

Could it be a love token from his ex-girlfriend?!

Holy crap! Using his ex-girlfriend's keepsake to comb her hair... This... feels a bit like a scene from a horror movie...

Yin Quan felt like crying.

Your hair is messy.

Just as he was pondering this, Xiahou Ying's straightforward voice suddenly rang in his ears, low and deep, like smooth and lustrous ancient jade, exuding a gentle warmth like the spring sun.

Feeling the faint warmth emanating from his slender fingers, Yin Quan suddenly blushed.

Her heart was pounding uncontrollably, like a tidal wave or a stampede of horses; her face was burning hot, almost scalding.

What, what should we do?!

Suddenly, just as she was about to cry and wail in silence, her chin was suddenly pinched by his fair, jade-like fingers. She was startled, her eyes widened, and her heart pounded even faster and more fiercely than before, almost leaping out of her throat.

His gaze was like water, clear and cold, his transparent eyes seemed to hold a sliver of the crescent moon, swaying and flickering in the candlelight, indistinct and hazy, then shattering in an instant into a sky full of stars, shining brightly.

Yin Quan looked at him, her lips twitching slightly, but she heard him whisper a complex mix of sorrow, bitterness, and helplessness: "What am I supposed to do with you..."

The voice, which sounded like a soliloquy, was like a curse, penetrating her eardrums and entering her internal organs like iron chains, binding her heart tightly and rendering her unable to move.

Even the slightest movement caused her excruciating pain from the tightness.

Xiahou Ying did indeed lose his composure...

He was clearly a man so aloof and untouched by worldly affairs, like a god, yet now, why did he appear so wounded and grief-stricken...?

The candlelight shone on his pristine white robe, which should have softened his cold and indifferent expression, but the heartwarming color seemed utterly out of place at this moment.

"I..." Yin Quan leaned towards him, about to speak, but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Hearing the sound, Xiahou Ying looked away and walked towards the door. He opened the door and saw a familiar figure standing there.

His eyes widened slightly, but he quickly regained his indifferent expression and said calmly, "Why are you here?"

"A surprise, aren't you happy to see it?" The man raised an eyebrow and, without caring whether it was convenient for the other person, stepped inside.

"So you have a guest. No wonder you looked like that earlier..." The man said, glancing at him with a gentle, spring-like smile on his face.

As Qin Chang'an spoke, he peeked into the house. At the same time, Yin Quan was also looking out. Their eyes met, but they quickly looked away.

A strange woman in a moon-white dress with waist-length black hair stood with Xiahou Ying. The two wore simple robes of similar colors and were quite well-matched in terms of temperament and appearance. At least compared to Xiahou Ying, the strange woman looked much more knowledgeable, gentle and virtuous.

Ex-girlfriend?

or……

Is it the one you "loved"?

Yin Quan was not interested in either of them.

What interested her was whether Xiahou Ying would be interested in her.

Thinking this, Yin Quan looked at the tall figure, only to see that his expression remained indifferent, but there seemed to be a hint of emotion she had never seen before in that indifference.

It is confusion, helplessness, hesitation, and... sadness.

It really was an old flame.

Damn it, why are you still clinging to an ex?!

Don't you think you've done enough bad things?

"Excuse me, this guy is my man now. Miss, who are you?" Yin Quan walked quickly to the door, looked directly at the woman in front of her who was taller, fairer, and slightly more elegant than herself, and raised her chin slightly.

"This humble woman is Qin Chang'an," the woman in the moon-white robe replied with a slight smile, a shallow dimple appearing on each side of her lips. Her slender eyes resembled the corners of peach blossom petals, pure and untouched by worldly dust. Her dark eyes were bright, like a silvery full moon reflected on a calm lake, composed and reserved. Her long, black hair, reaching her waist, cascaded down her back, held only by a single, flawless white jade hairpin, without any other adornment.

Hearing her say that, Yin Quan suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

A commoner woman?

So she was already married?!

No wonder Xiahou Ying kept thinking about her. What you can't have is always the best. Now that I think about it, was I too proactive?

"You didn't tell me you'd already taken a concubine." Turning his gaze to Xiahou Ying, Qin Chang'an still had a smile on his lips, but weariness and bitterness were slowly seeping into his eyes.

"You didn't even tell me that he was already dead." Xiahou Ying said calmly, without answering her question.

Upon hearing this, Qin Chang'an's eyes flickered, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he chose to remain silent.

Her gaze shifted back and forth between the two people in the ambiguous atmosphere. Yin Quan pursed her lips, a fire rising in her heart.