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

Chapter 57 Between Brothers

Although Yin Ru, a palace maid, did not show any unusual reaction to her appearance, she always felt that her presence here at this time was by no means accidental.

It must be someone who arranged for her to be here.

However, this is the imperial palace, and it was Xiahou Ying who proposed the idea of ​​going to the palace to meet the emperor. So, it seems like it was just a coincidence that we would meet at this time.

Holding the teacup, Yin Quan gazed at her reflection in the water, her heart filled with turmoil.

Yin Ru, why is Yin Ru here...?

Suddenly, Gu Lounan's arrogant and unruly face appeared in her mind. She pursed her lips and erased that face from her mind.

Even though he's the imperial advisor, it seems even he couldn't predict things with such accuracy...

Just as she was pondering this, Yin Ru, carrying a teapot, came up to her.

As the slender figure grew larger in front of her, Yin Quan pursed her lips, but her face did not show any unusual emotions.

Suddenly, she noticed that Yin Ru's figure seemed to lean towards her intentionally or unintentionally. Her fingers, which were gripping the rim of the teacup, tightened slightly. Just then, Emperor Tianxi suddenly spoke: "How come I've fallen asleep... Alas, I'm really getting old. Crown Prince, Prince Duan, if there's nothing else, you may take your leave." Emperor Tianxi waved his veined hand and stood up.

Yin Quan paused slightly due to the sudden change in her posture. She noticed that Yin Ru's fingers, which were holding the teapot, were somewhat pale, with a faint bluish tinge seeping from her prominent knuckles. Beneath her pale, almost transparent skin, the bluish-purple capillaries were clearly visible, which looked rather alarming.

It wasn't until she stepped out of Yonghe Hall and stood under the sun that Yin Quan recovered from the inexplicable chill she had felt earlier.

She always felt that Yin Ru's appearance by Emperor Tianxi's side was a deliberate arrangement by someone, but she had no clue who it was.

The relationship between Xiahou Ying, the Crown Prince, and Gu Lounan was already quite delicate, not to mention the other princes and ministers.

Since ancient times, there has been a tradition of princes vying for the throne, not to mention the princes and ministers active in the court. Everyone wants a piece of the pie in this grand feast of the world, and whether the outcome will be a trap or a feast for all depends on their individual abilities.

“Brother, you’ve been busy with state affairs these past few days. We haven’t had a chance to talk since you returned from the northern frontier. Why don’t you take this opportunity to bring your confidante to the Eastern Palace for a visit?” Just as Yin Quan was pondering with his eyes down, Xiahou Jue’s voice suddenly rang in their ears.

"I appreciate Your Majesty's kindness, but it is my first time entering the palace, and there are many inconveniences..."

Before Xiahou Ying could finish speaking, Xiahou Jue waved his hand dismissively, then raised his eyebrows and looked at the vermilion arched doorway to the side, saying, "You two will have more opportunities to enter the palace after you get married than you do now, so you should take advantage of this time to familiarize yourselves with everything in the palace..." As he spoke, he waved his long arm, and immediately a eunuch holding a whisk approached the three of them.

"Eunuch Qi, take the future Princess Consort of Duan around the palace. Do not neglect her." After saying this, he stepped forward and stood between Xiahou Ying and Yin Quan, separating the two.

Seeing this, Xiahou Ying pursed his lips, a barely perceptible wrinkle appearing between his brows before quickly smoothing out.

He cast a fleeting glance at Xiahou Jue, his thin, red lips, which had been pressed into a straight line, suddenly loosened and slowly curved upwards, as he said, "Since Your Majesty insists so, if I were to refuse again, wouldn't I be being too presumptuous..."

Xiahou Ying spoke in a flat tone, with a hint of a half-smile in his words, which seemed rather unfamiliar to Yin Quan.

Upon hearing his voice, Xiahou Jue let out a hearty laugh, then spread his right arm and gestured for him to enter.

Standing still, Yin Quan watched the two figures gradually disappear into the palace corridors and passageways. She then looked away and asked the obedient old eunuch beside her, who was shrouded in a dark blue palace robe, "Eunuch Qi, are you serving the Crown Prince?"

"Indeed, young lady." The old eunuch's voice was somewhat soft, but not as exaggerated as in movies and TV dramas, and it did not cause any discomfort to the ears.

Upon hearing this, Yin Quan glanced subtly at the wide-open vermilion doors of Yonghe Hall, then smiled slightly and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch Qi."

As she spoke, she gave a slight nod to the old eunuch in front of her. The latter's slightly hunched body trembled violently, and his sallow and pale face twitched repeatedly, as if he was shocked by her respectful attitude. His bent and thin body trembled repeatedly, and he uttered a low voice between trembling sounds: "No, no, no!"

Following the old eunuch, they arrived at the Imperial Garden. Before Yin Quan could even enter, they could hear Gu Lounan's distinctive, clear laughter from afar.

With a slight frown and a pout, Yin Quan abruptly abandoned her plan to explore the royal garden. She hadn't been particularly interested in such places, so full of girlish charm anyway; she was more interested in seeing the Ministry of Justice of the Western Liang Kingdom and the files containing numerous unusual cases.

Reading through legal precedents and extraordinary cases from ancient and modern times, both in China and abroad, is the wish of almost every professional lawyer, and this is especially true for Yin Quan, who was once the most renowned female lawyer in S City.

Frowning, she turned around, and just as she took a step forward, Gu Lounan called out from behind her with some surprise: "What are you doing in the palace?"

"It's none of your business. You should keep an eye on your arm and make sure Xiahou Ying doesn't get a chance to take advantage of you." Frowning, Yin Quan looked at the purple-gold figure that had moved in front of her in almost an instant, feeling a mix of confusion and surprise.

"Huh? Little Quan Quan, are you worried about me?" Upon hearing this, Gu Lou Nan's eyes widened slightly, and a hint of undisguised surprise appeared on his charming yet roguish features.

His long, narrow phoenix eyes curved into a smile, and his fair face, which was originally a mix of wickedness and allure, now radiated an unprecedented warmth, like sunlight caressing one's face and peach blossoms reflected in water.

"Pah! Don't call me that so affectionately! I don't know you at all! And..."

"I know you're engaged to His Highness Prince Duan," Gu Lounan replied with a smile, her eyes crinkling, showing no surprise whatsoever.

As he spoke, he raised his sharply defined chin at Eunuch Qi, who was bowing to the side, and instructed, "I will take care of this young lady. You may return to the Eastern Palace to report."

Upon hearing this, Gu Lounan didn't wait for the old eunuch to respond. He grabbed Yin Quan and walked out, disappearing from Eunuch Qi's sight in the blink of an eye.

Suddenly realizing that the two living people who had been standing beside him had vanished in an instant, the elderly eunuch finally understood. He felt a tightness in his chest and shortness of breath, but in the end, he could only sigh and return to the East Palace to report.

The Imperial Preceptor is always like this...

His old bones really can't withstand this kind of torment...

“The Imperial Garden is too boring. I’ll take you somewhere you won’t regret it.” Grabbing Yin Quan’s wrist, Gu Lounan walked forward, his wide robes fluttering behind him, looking like graceful butterflies in the pale golden sunlight, beautiful and alluring.

"Let go, I can walk by myself."

“No, if I let go, you won’t be able to see it anymore…” he said, then suddenly turned to look at her. His long, narrow phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, and there seemed to be a shimmering light in them, dazzling and captivating, like a quiet, shining pearl in the deepest part of a dark pool, mesmerizing and enchanting.

Slightly distracted by Gu Lounan's dazzling eyes, before Yin Quan could react, she suddenly felt her body lighten as he used his lightness skill to carry her to a five-sided tower covered with golden glazed tiles. The tower had seven stories, and each of the five eaves on each story had a golden bell hanging from it.

A gentle breeze stirred, and the bells jingled, sending a soft sound wave through Yin Quan's chest, as if in an instant, all worldly cares were washed away.

Looking into the distance, Yin Quan discovered that the entire palace was laid out in the shape of a regular octagon, with the Hall of State Affairs located in the center of the octagon, while the Hall of Eternal Harmony, where she had just been, was at the top first point of the octagon.

The wind billowed their sleeves, ruffling Yin Quan's black hair that fell between her temples.

She quickly looked away, pursed her lips, squinted at Gu Lounan, and said, "You dragged me up here just to see the scenery?"

"Isn't the scenery in this imperial city beautiful?" Without responding to her gaze, Gu Lounan kept his eyes fixed straight ahead. His tone was not as wicked as before; instead, it contained a profound and intriguing meaning.

“It’s not big enough. I’ve seen palace complexes that are more magnificent than this. That place is called the Forbidden City.” Pouting, Yin Quan followed his gaze into the distance, a hint of nostalgia in her eyes.

"Oh? The Forbidden City? What's that place?" Seemingly intrigued by the place she mentioned, Gu Lounan turned to look at her, only to catch a glimpse of a shadowy shadow in her eyes.

"It's just a place where the emperor of a fallen empire once lived. Hey, you've had enough of standing here in the wind, and I've seen what you wanted me to see. Can you get off now?" Yin Quan replied casually, shaking the wrist that was being held by him impatiently.

"No...you still have to hear me tell a story..." Gu Lounan's phoenix eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Yin Quan's thin cheeks. His pale orange lips moved slowly, and the sunlight shone on his slender and delicate features, revealing a somber beauty that was intense and rich.

Standing by the window with his hands behind his back, Crown Prince Xiahou Jue gazed at the figure atop the Lingji Pagoda, whose purple-gold robes billowed against the wind like the fluttering wings of a butterfly, a slight smile playing on his lips. At the same time, he turned and glanced at Xiahou Ying, who sat in a deep chestnut-colored golden nanmu chair, and slowly spoke: "The ashes of Consort Xiao have been sent back to the Western Liang Kingdom from the Eastern Zhou, and are now placed inside that royal Lingji Pagoda..."

Xiahou Jue's voice was completely flat, devoid of any emotion, as if he were simply stating a fact, a fact that was insignificant to him.

He paused as he spoke, seemingly stopping deliberately to test Xiahou Ying's reaction.

Xiahou Ying's face remained indifferent, as if the person he mentioned was utterly irrelevant to the person before him, like dust or dirt.

Seeing this, Xiahou Jue averted his gaze, looked towards the Lingji Pagoda, and continued, "Ask all the people of the capital to be your witnesses at your wedding with that Miss Yin? This isn't something you would do..."

With a slight twitch of his brow, Xiahou Ying raised his gaze to look at Xiahou Jue's back, his lips moving slightly.

"People change. My brother is changing, and so am I."

"People change..." Xiahou Jue repeated Xiahou Ying's words thoughtfully, then turned to look at him with a smile, his hands behind his back.

Backlit, Xiahou Ying couldn't see the expression on Xiahou Jue's face.

"Have you changed your attitude towards Qin Chang'an too?" After asking this question, Xiahou Jue finally caught a barely perceptible ripple on Xiahou Ying's usually calm and indifferent face.