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

Chapter 75 Conflict Erupts

"I'm old and can't remember many things anymore." With her eyes lowered, Granny Gui neither denied nor confirmed her guess, only giving a vague reply.

"Chun Ya, what about you?" Suddenly turning her gaze to the younger palace maid, Yin Quan curled her lips, seemingly very interested in her.

"In reply to Miss Yin, I was sold into the palace as a slave by my father when I was a child, and it has been ten years."

"Ten years... How many decades does a woman have? This is a rare opportunity to leave the palace, so you two shouldn't be so reserved." With a sigh, she stood up and patted the two of them on the shoulder.

The two were stunned by her photo and couldn't come to their senses for a long time.

"Well, Hongling, I wasn't home for a while, and she was also recovering from her injuries, so we haven't gone out for quite some time. How about we go out for a stroll today?"

“Miss Yin, you still have…” Granny Gui said hurriedly, looking very troubled.

“Granny Gui, it’s rare for you to leave the palace. This freedom is hard-won, so you should enjoy it while you can.” With a smile, Yin Quan pushed the old nanny and the young palace maid in front of Lian Hongling and Harina, and said with a smile, “You two, tidy them up properly. You can’t let anyone see it when you’re outside.”

"Miss Yin, you mustn't, you mustn't!..." While being pushed forward by Harina, Granny Gui shook her head desperately and pleaded. She was very panicked.

"There's nothing wrong with it. Well, just be gentle with me later."

Just then, Yin Quan's voice came from behind her. Gui Mama was puzzled, and then she felt a numbness in her throat and could no longer make a sound.

The five walked along Zhuque Street. The old woman kept sighing, while the others were in high spirits.

At first, Chun Ya was a little reserved, but her strong adaptability allowed her to quickly integrate into Yin Quan's team.

"Granny, you're out now, so don't worry," Chun Ya whispered as she approached Granny Gui.

Upon hearing this, the old woman only gave a wry smile and did not reply.

Although Chun Ya was more mature than girls her age, she was still just a girl who had lived in the deep palace for a long time, so naturally she couldn't see things as clearly as Chun Ya.

She just hopes now that she's overthinking things...

Yin Quan pursed her lips as her gaze swept over Granny Gui's thoughtful expression.

You can know most things without asking, you just need to know a little bit about them, you might just be missing some details.

Since they were invited by Xiahou Ying, they must be trustworthy.

Furthermore, considering the expression on the old woman's face when she first met her and saw the ring, she was almost certain that this old woman must know a lot about Xiahou Ying.

Thinking of this, she suddenly recalled the old story between Xiahou Ying and Qin Chang'an that Gu Lounan had mentioned to her earlier.

She frowned slightly and unconsciously stroked the lustrous black pearl on the antique silver ring.

He said he had never given it to anyone, and that's exactly what he meant.

Furthermore, the way Granny Gui looked at the ring was filled with a sense of remembrance and mourning. Judging from all these signs, this person likely had a deep relationship with Xiahou Ying's mother.

Unbeknownst to her, the slender tips of her fingers were covered with a thin layer of damp sweat. She pursed her lips and brushed away the thoughts in her mind.

Thinking this, Yin Quan did not linger her gaze on the old palace maid for long, but quickly looked away and looked at the steamed bun stalls on the roadside. At the same time, her stomach was also playing along with the empty city strategy.

Suddenly, almost simultaneously, the previously noisy environment fell silent, replaced by a series of rapid footsteps.

Frowning, she sighed helplessly, a wave of emotions washing over her: What's going on now? Can't I just enjoy my steamed buns?!

Lazily lifting her eyelashes, she saw that several burly men in black robes had already surrounded the five of them. They seemed somewhat familiar, but before Yin Quan could recall, a cold and sharp voice suddenly rang out, shrill and piercing: "Surround them!"

"Surround my sister, who do you think you are, surrounding me like this?!" Raising an eyebrow, Yin Quan smiled, her beautiful eyes as bright as rosy clouds, and slowly turned around, tilting her chin to glance at the middle-aged woman in purplish-red behind the thick shadows.

Compared to that shrill growl, her voice sounded quite peaceful, creating a stark contrast.

"This girl has a bad memory. Fine, Mama Li, I'll teach you a lesson! All of you, get them! Capture them alive!"

Upon hearing the words "Mother Li," she suddenly realized what was happening.

It turned out to be the madam she had previously punished...

She claims to have a good memory, but apparently she doesn't remember anything from last time! This madam's memory has been eaten by dogs!

"Then, Hongling, swords have no eyes, beat them to death."

As she spoke, she pulled Granny Gui and Chun Ya to sit on the bench in front of the steamed bun stall. Yin Quan remained calm and composed, as if she had not heard the threat from Madam Li at all, and did not even glance at her.

Upon hearing her calm and collected command, Madam Li felt a sudden chill run down her spine.

Originally, she had absolutely no intention of getting involved in this mess, but due to the intimidation of Tinghailou, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and go through with it.

After the last incident, she already knew that although this girl appeared refined and elegant on the surface, she was actually ruthless and vicious at heart. Moreover, with Prince Duan, Xiahou Ying, as her powerful backer, even if she had lost her mind, she would never provoke her again.

Sitting silently on either side of Yin Quan, Granny Gui and Chun Ya, who had never seen such a scene before, were quite nervous. They both hid their hands in their sleeves and trembled slightly.

Without leaving a trace, Yin Quan reached out and pressed down on the two trembling arms. Her face was calm, her lips were smiling, and her eyes were upturned, like a phoenix tail kite in full bloom in July, bright and dazzling, calm and composed.

The two turned to look at Yin Quan, who was sitting in the center. They were slightly taken aback at first, then exchanged glances, and quickly returned to normal.

Yin Quan felt the two people beneath her palms stop trembling. She pursed her lips, waved to the steamed bun stall owner who was still stunned by the fight, and said, "Boss, give me two baskets of steamed buns, the three-delicacy kind."

The boss looked distressed and didn't hear her voice at first. He only came to his senses after she called him three times.

While leisurely watching from the sidelines, Yin Quan appeared calm on the surface, but her mind was in complete turmoil.

With Harina and Lian Hongling's skills, dealing with these street thugs would be more than enough, but from the sidelines, it didn't seem like that at all.

Doubts, like countless wisps of smoke rising continuously, swirled in her heart, climbing and spreading until they engulfed her, giving her quite a headache.

The appearance of Madam Li here was indeed rather strange. Although she had helped a poor scholar snatch the girl from the Red Moon Pavilion, this feud had been brewing for quite some time. Why did she choose this moment to seek revenge? It seemed rather far-fetched.

Not to mention her, after their exchange, even Harina and Lian Hongling vaguely felt something was off.

Although the two could not be considered to have unparalleled martial arts skills, ordinary martial arts practitioners would be no match for them, let alone thugs who were kept in brothels to fill the seats.

They exchanged glances without leaving a trace. Suddenly, Lian Hongling rushed forward, blocking Harina behind her. The latter quickly pulled off the red tassel of the gourd on his back, and a buzzing sound was heard. Madam Li and her thugs were all stunned.

"run!"

With a low growl, Yin Quan grabbed the arms of Granny Gui and Chun Ya and ran away.

Upon hearing Yin Quan's roar, Granny Gui and Chun Ya didn't hesitate and followed her in a frantic run.

The sound of black boots stomping on the ground kept coming from behind, making Yin Quan's ears go cold and his scalp tingle.

As she ran past one alley after another, clinging to Granny Gui's wrist, she felt her legs grow heavier and her breathing become labored. Fortunately, Chun Ya was young, and although she was momentarily startled and frightened, she quickly regained her composure and joined her in running forward, clinging to Granny Gui's arm, so as not to become a burden.

The incident happened suddenly, and in her panic, Yin Quan ran towards the main road where there were many people. As she ran, her doubts only increased.

Not a single person on the entire Suzaku Avenue dared to step forward and offer assistance; they looked as if they were being threatened!

Yin Quan gritted her teeth as her gaze swept over the wavering, hesitant faces.

No madam could possibly have accomplished this alone!

That madam was probably being threatened!

unless……

The name had just popped into her mind when, before she could even react, several muffled thuds rang in her ears. Then, one after another, the burly men chasing after her collapsed, completely unresponsive without even uttering a sound.

Almost unconsciously, a barely audible "Gu" escaped from her lips. Before Yin Quan could utter the words "Gu Lounan," Xiahou Ying, shrouded in a snow-white robe like a god, appeared before her at almost the same time.

"Xiahou Ying!"

As she blurted out his name, Yin Quan tightened her grip on Granny Gui's hand. In an instant, her legs stopped aching, her breath stopped ragged, and all the fatigue that had been building up in her chest from the run vanished almost immediately. At this moment, there was only one person in her eyes—Xiahou Ying.

Following Yin Quan's startled yet excited gaze, Granny Gui and Chun Ya also let out a long sigh. Unexpectedly, just as the two had put down the huge weight on their hearts, the Imperial Preceptor, dressed in a crimson robe, appeared in front of them at the same time.

The two looked at each other and frowned almost simultaneously.

The inner palace is always a perfect breeding ground for rumors, and there are even more rumors about this imperial advisor.

Especially regarding these three people in front of me.

Before the two could react, Xiahou Ying and Gu Lounan had already walked up to Yin Quan and simultaneously extended their arms to her.

Upon seeing this, Yin Quan was taken aback.

What rice?

What's going on here?!

"You're so cold to your savior..."

For a moment, Gu Lounan smiled and spoke in a lazy tone, slowly and deliberately.

Suddenly, before he could finish speaking, Xiahou Ying had already pulled Yin Quan away from him.

Everything happened too fast. Before Yin Quan could recover from her shock, Xiahou Ying had already dragged her a long way away.

"Granny Gui and Chun Ya..." she muttered as she glanced back.

Xiahou Ying strode forward, his face ashen, and did not respond.

In the blink of an eye, Yin Quan was stunned again.

Ignore her?

Xiahou Ying ignored her?

What... what's with this domineering CEO vibe...?

Did she...do something to upset him again?

He remained motionless in that position for a long time until Wei Jun took the two palace maids away. Only then did Gu Lounan lower his arms and put them behind his back. However, he did not turn towards the direction the two women had left. Instead, he walked towards the several burly men in black robes who were lying on the ground. The seductive look in his phoenix eyes, which were once as bright as the sea, was gone, replaced by a boundless, deep gloom.

"Take one away, kill the rest."

With a light, airy utterance, Gu Lounan tossed a sentence into the deserted back alley. His brocade robe billowed out, drawing a sharp, cold arc in the pale golden sunlight, like a gleaming blade, slicing through the air with a menacing aura.