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

Chapter 72 Secret Meeting with Song Chen

Seeing Xiahou Ying's thin lips suddenly curl upwards, Yin Quan's anger turned to surprise. Until he suddenly moved closer to her, the overwhelming scent of pine and bamboo almost instantly enveloped her completely.

Listening to her own heart pounding like a drum, Yin Quan stared wide-eyed as Xiahou Ying's Adam's apple drew ever closer to hers.

She swallowed hard and pushed him away, but he grabbed her sleeve the next second, and she fell backward into his arms.

Yin Quan felt her nose instantly filled with the cool, refreshing scent of morning dew. She froze, staring motionlessly at his handsome features, sharp and angular like a white jade sculpture. For a moment, even breathing became difficult.

Heavens! I am going to die!

Four words flashed through Yin Quan's mind in an instant. With her lips pursed, Yin Quan sat in Xiahou Ying's arms in an extremely strange posture, looking at him with eyes locked. Just as she was in a dilemma, her ears were suddenly filled with his clear and cool voice: "Why did you run away?"

"Huh?" Frowning, Yin Quan was puzzled.

"I ask you, why did you run away just now?"

"I didn't run away!"

Your face is very red.

"It's hot!"

"The Cold Dew season has just passed..."

"I'm so hot-tempered! Is this okay?!"

After several rebuttals, Yin Quan stood up angrily. She took a few steps forward, then suddenly turned and glared at Xiahou Ying as if she had suddenly remembered something, and hissed, "I need to change my clothes, get out..."

With that glare, she suddenly sensed a very subtle expression on his face. Hesitantly, she followed his rather intriguing gaze and turned to look behind her, where she immediately noticed a bright red stain on her dress, like a winter plum blossom.

Almost instinctively, she let out a gasp. Startled and bewildered, Yin Quan whirled around, her face flushed and her words tumbling out incoherently, "What are you looking at! Don't look!"

She actually got her period!

Xiahou Ying actually saw it!

Even a father wouldn't be this cruel...

Feeling like crying but unable to, Yin Quan crumpled her clothes into a ball and stood frozen in place, utterly embarrassed.

Without a word, Xiahou Ying stood up, put his hands behind his back, and walked towards the door. Before crossing the threshold, he gave her a half-smile, then lifted his robe and walked out.

Biting her lip and glaring at the door, Yin Quan took a deep breath, rushed over like a whirlwind, and slammed the door shut.

Xiahou Ying walked out of the west wing and headed straight for the study.

Upon arriving at the study, he did not go straight in, but paused outside the door first.

A straight figure stood with his hands behind his back in front of a painting next to the antique shelf on the east wall, seemingly examining it closely.

Subtly averting his gaze, Xiahou Ying spoke in a deep voice as he took a step forward: "Does Lord Song also have an interest in calligraphy and painting?"

"Just an interest, nothing more." With a light laugh, the old man turned around, flicked his dark blue official robe, and bowed to Xiahou Ying, saying, "This old minister, Song Chen, greets Prince Duan."

"No need for formalities. Outside the palace, such formalities are unnecessary." With a wave of his hand, Xiahou Ying walked towards Song Chen and stopped in front of the calligraphy and painting that Song Chen had been looking at. "What's hanging here are all fakes."

Upon hearing this, Song Chen's eyes widened, clearly not expecting Xiahou Ying to reveal the truth herself.

He was, after all, a prince who had been granted the title of king. If word got out that there were fakes hanging in his study, wouldn't everyone laugh at him?

Seemingly oblivious to the fleeting surprise on Song Chen's face, Xiahou Ying continued, "Lord Song, please speak plainly. You usually beat around the bush in court, but here, it's time to take a break."

Upon hearing this, Song Chen's eyes, which had been slightly wide open, suddenly narrowed, but he quickly returned to normal.

"I wonder why Your Highness has summoned this old minister here?"

Although Song Chen spoke respectfully, he remained upright and did not show any further humility towards Xiahou Ying.

The latter neither pointed it out nor pressed the issue, but merely raised an eyebrow to meet those rather unassuming, sharp black eyes, and smiled slightly: "Although Grand Preceptor Gu Lounan holds the position of Grand Preceptor and wields great power, all decisions regarding government affairs still require the deliberation of the Three Dukes before they can be implemented. As one of the Three Dukes, Your Excellency must be more aware of the situation in the court than I am."

At this point, Xiahou Ying paused and said no more, seemingly intentionally.

After hearing this, Song Chen's eyes flickered slightly. After a moment of silence, he spoke: "Your Highness has his own considerations regarding the Three Dukes, so why ask this old minister again?" As he spoke, the old man shrugged, chuckled, glanced at Xiahou Ying and asked a question in return, and then continued: "If it were not so, Your Highness would not have invited this old minister here at this time."

Xiahou Ying twitched his lips slightly, neither confirming nor denying. He simply lifted his hand behind his back and glanced at the painting that Song Chen had been looking at. After a brief silence, he spoke: "What you say is true, sir. In my opinion, among the three dukes, only Lord Song cares about the people and puts them first. This is precisely why I invited you here."

As he spoke, he walked to the antique shelf, stood in front of the painting with his hands behind his back, and remained silent.

East Palace.

Crown Prince Xiahou Jue was not surprised by Xiahou Ying's return to the capital.

He carefully wiped the gleaming silver sword in his hand, then suddenly flicked his wrist, producing a melodious ringing sound that startled Yin Zhengting, who was kneeling at his feet, into a cold sweat.

"General Yin, I respect you as a veteran minister, but do you know that what you just said is a heinous crime punishable by death?"

With his gaze fixed on the jeweled longsword in his hand, Xiahou Jue spoke very slowly, as if he didn't care about it at all.

"Your Highness, we both know that Prince Duan is ruthless. If we do not take this opportunity to eliminate him, he may become a great scourge to our Western Liang court!"

Upon hearing this, Xiahou Jue paused in his movements, then suddenly raised his sword and thrust it toward Yin Zhengting's face, but stopped abruptly just before it touched the tip of his nose.

"Today, I will take it all as the ramblings of someone heartbroken over the loss of their wife. But if there is a next time..."

"No, I wouldn't dare! This humble subject wouldn't dare!"

Seemingly caught off guard by the Crown Prince's reaction, Yin Zhengting broke out in a cold sweat, crawling on his hands and feet as he practically rolled and scrambled out of the vermilion and gold-inlaid gate of the East Palace, nearly bumping into Gu Lounan who was walking in.

Just as Gu Lounan was about to speak after straightening the trembling body, Yin Zhengting suddenly quickened his pace, as if he didn't want to stay a moment longer, and soon disappeared around the corner of the corridor.

At the Prince Duan's residence, Yin Quan, having changed her clothes, saw Xiahou Ying and an unfamiliar figure emerging from the study as she headed to the laundry room.

She frowned slightly, gestured for Harina to be quiet, and then pulled her behind a latticed window to watch from a distance.

It was just dawn, and the man was dressed in a dark blue official robe. He seemed to be around the same age as Emperor Tianxi. Although his rank was unclear, he was likely to be a high-ranking official since he frequented the Duanwang Mansion.

Quickly averting her gaze, Yin Quan pulled Harina forward until they reached the laundry room.

"Then, you must not mention the person you just saw to anyone, understand?" Yin Quan lowered her voice and said seriously.

After listening, Harina nodded, then seemed to remember something and said, "Master, some strange things have happened in the city while you were away."

Upon hearing this, Yin Quan raised an eyebrow and asked, "Strange thing?"

"Hmm..." Hari nodded in response, a hint of confusion showing on her tender little face.

“It was Hongling who noticed it. I don’t know much about the Central Plains; I mostly learned it from my father. But Hongling is different. She told me that during the time you and the Prince were out of the city, many martial arts practitioners appeared in the city…”

"A martial arts figure?" Yin Quan frowned and pursed her lips.

She had to admit that she was really interested in the江湖人 (jianghu people, referring to people from the martial arts world) that Harina mentioned.

She's a huge fan of Jin Yong!

Looking at Yin Quan's increasingly bright eyes, Harina was somewhat puzzled.

No matter how you look at it, that look seems to be...excitement?

Although she knew that her mistress was never like ordinary women, at this moment, she really couldn't figure out what her mistress was thinking.

"Master?" Harina asked cautiously, his face showing hesitation.

Snapping out of her daze upon hearing this, Yin Quan gave an awkward smile, turned to look at the bewildered little girl, coughed lightly, and regained her composure: "Although people from the martial arts world have always kept to themselves and the imperial court, Zhaoyang is such a large place, and it's just a few people from the martial arts world. Why would Hongling find it strange? Could it be that those people appeared in some place they shouldn't be?"

Upon hearing this, Harina almost immediately gave an affirmative answer: "What you say is correct, Master. At first, Hongling didn't take it to heart. She only discovered the strangeness of it by chance when she followed one of them..."

Looking at the two people huddled together in the laundry room from afar, Xiahou Ying's thin lips twitched almost imperceptibly. He then spoke to Wei Jun behind him, "During the time I was away from Zhaoyang, people from Qifeng Manor appeared around the Imperial Preceptor's residence?"

“Indeed, those people disguised themselves as businessmen to enter the city, and were unusually cautious. This time they are entrenched near the Imperial Preceptor’s residence, so I’m afraid they have ill intentions.” Wei Jun nodded in agreement, his tone low.

After hearing this, Xiahou Ying slightly raised his sharply defined, knife-cut chin, and after a brief silence, slowly said, "Continue to monitor."

After saying that, he glanced expressionlessly at the two figures whispering in the laundry room, then turned around and strode back the way he came.

Inside the laundry room, Yin Quan's brows furrowed slightly, and a faint look of contemplation appeared on her face.

"Then, besides you, Hongling, and me, is there anyone else who knows about what just happened?"

“No, Hongling wasn’t entirely sure either, so she only dared to tell me about it.” Shaking her head, Harina glanced at Yin Quan’s hands and said, “Master, washing clothes is a job I should do…”

Harina had only mentioned it casually, but Yin Quan's expression suddenly stiffened upon hearing it, and she seemed to turn even paler, which made her even more confused.

"No, no, no, I'll do it myself! Go find Hongling and tell her what I just said." As she spoke, she gripped her clothes even tighter, and Yin Quan coaxed and pushed the puzzled girl away.

She didn't turn away until Harina had walked past the corner at the end of the corridor.

Squatting by the well, Yin Quan desperately rubbed the faint red mark, her heart filled with endless sorrow.

This damn period blood!

Ahhh! How did Xiahou Ying have to see it of all people?!

She grumbled angrily as she rubbed the fabric, when a sharp "rip" was heard. Her eyes widened in shock, her foam-covered hands still outstretched in the same position. At the same time, a cold voice suddenly appeared above her: "This is top-quality Hangzhou silk; it can't withstand such abuse."