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

Chapter 81 The Night Before the Wedding

The night was deep, and thin clouds obscured the moon.

Yin Quan, wearing a thick, silver-white fox fur coat, sat at the stone table in the courtyard, resting her chin on her hand and gazing at the sky.

Suddenly, a faint orange-red light drifted into her peripheral vision. Following the light, she tilted her head and frowned.

"It is said that the groom must not see the bride on the eve of the wedding, otherwise it will be bad luck."

"You care about these things?" Xiahou Ying raised an eyebrow imperceptibly as he spoke, walking down the steps and arriving beside her in a few steps.

Turning her head, Yin Quan spoke slowly and deliberately, mentioning a name that had almost been forgotten: "How is Yin Ru in the palace?"

"Why are you suddenly concerned about her?" Xiahou Ying's eyes darkened, and his thin lips moved slightly, making his already expressionless face seem even more indifferent.

“They were born of the same father, after all. Besides, shouldn’t you care about this person more than I do?” As she spoke, Yin Quan raised her eyes to look at Xiahou Ying, who stood by her side with his hands behind his back, and continued, “Her appearance at Taiji Palace must be related to the Crown Prince. You and the Crown Prince have a long-standing grudge. If he wants to seize the throne, tomorrow will be the best opportunity.”

Gazing into her shimmering, starry eyes, Xiahou Ying pursed his lips, offering no reply, remaining silent. Only after a long silence did he finally speak: "You..."

"You really never had any doubts?" she interrupted him, winking at him and smiling playfully.

Xiahou Ying closed his lips, feeling helpless, and subtly lowered his chin.

She was intelligent, carefree, and insightful. The more insightful she was, the more worried he became.

The more valuable something is, the more likely it is to cause unnecessary disputes, whether it is an object or a person.

The result is either mutual destruction or mutual support.

The concerns he had raised were all those she had just mentioned, but now he was unwilling to point them out.

The message that Song Chen sent was still lingering in his mind, and he couldn't shake it off. He realized that although he knew very well that Yin Quan was an extremely intelligent woman, he had underestimated her after today's events.

His thoughts drifted far away until Yin Quan waved her hand in front of his eyes, bringing him back to his senses.

"You just come here and stare at me like that..."

"I have something for you," he said, glancing at Pang Ban, who quickly came up to him.

Taking the brocade box from his hands, Xiahou Ying opened the ivory-white clasp, revealing a pure silver-white vest lining the black velvet inside.

"A vest? Or a metal vest?" Upon seeing this, Yin Quan frowned, looked up at him in a daze, and asked with a puzzled expression.

His dark eyes swept over her almost imperceptibly, and Xiahou Ying raised an eyebrow, a playful smile appearing on his usually cold and aloof face.

"This is the Golden Silkworm Armor, impervious to swords and spears, and immune to water and fire."

"Give it to me? Then you..."

"I know martial arts."

Hearing his matter-of-fact and emotionless response, Yin Quan immediately felt a tightness in her chest and shortness of breath.

What he said was true, but it just sounded so frustrating...

So what if I don't know martial arts...

Her wedding is tomorrow, and now they're trying to crush her hopes...

It's blatant disdain.

Frustrated, Yin Quan poked the gleaming silver vest with her finger. To her surprise, although the vest was made of metal, it did not feel cold to the touch. On the contrary, it exuded a warm and cozy feeling, like the warm spring sun in March, soft as water.

She looked at him with undisguised surprise, licked her lips, and her previously somewhat depressed mood suddenly turned into excitement: "It's warm!"

"This is a breastplate woven from golden silkworm silk. It is warm in winter and cool in summer, and it can adjust its own temperature according to the weather."

"It's simply high-tech!" Yin Quan took the golden silkworm armor out of the brocade box, stretched out her arms, and looked at it through the sunlight. Her expression of surprise and a little excitement was like that of a young girl who was leaving home for the first time to enter the world of martial arts, feeling that everything in the outside world was new and exciting.

Hearing the strange words that kept popping out of Yin Quan's mouth, Xiahou Ying only frowned slightly, but quickly smoothed out the slight furrow in his brows.

He stared at her for a long while, then stood up. His lips, which had been pressed into a straight line, twitched slightly before he finally spoke softly, "The wedding ceremony is exhausting; you should rest early today..."

Upon hearing this, Yin Quan put down the golden silk armor in her hand and stood up as well. She quickly leaned in and kissed him on the lips, then grinned, revealing two canine teeth.

"It's you who needs to conserve your energy..."

Her tone was extremely low and her speech was extremely slow, like a feather gently brushing against Xiahou Ying's heart, stirring up the long-suppressed ambition in his heart, like a burning flame that instantly spread throughout his entire being.

With their eyes lowered, Wei Jun and Pang Ban began to struggle with their dilemma again.

Miss Yin just doesn't treat them like family... She always has to say things that are easy for people to misunderstand in front of them...

Standing with his hands behind his back at the back gate of the Prince Duan's mansion, Gu Lounan gazed at the dark chestnut-colored door panel, his sharp, clean jawline tilting upwards in a rather alluring arc.

Tomorrow, she will marry Xiahou Ying.

As for why he came here at this time, even he himself was not quite sure.

Is there a bit of resentment...?

Just as he was pondering this, the back door was suddenly opened, and Yin Quan leaned out, causing Gu Lounan to widen his narrow phoenix eyes in surprise.

"Aren't you tired after standing for an hour?" she said impatiently, leaning against the doorway with her arms crossed and her brows furrowed.

The rose-red jacket trimmed with snow-white fox fur made her already fair and tender skin appear even whiter, revealing a delicate charm that could eclipse the world and dim the sun and moon.

After hearing this, Gu Lounan shrugged and chuckled softly. A faint, pearly white breath escaped from his pale orange lips, dissipating between the two at a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

"Is Xiao Quan Quan concerned about me?"

"Don't think too much about it. It's bad luck if you freeze to death here in a moment of despair."

Hearing her say that, he was speechless, and then quickly lowered his gaze: "Don't be so heartless, it will hurt me."

"Screw you, what do you want?" Yin Quan retorted without any politeness, blowing on her nails.

"Look at you."

She raised an eyebrow and straightened her slightly tilted body.

"Look at me?" She almost let out a soft hum, her lips curling into a slight smile as she looked at Gu Lounan, her expression suddenly becoming subtly aloof.

"I don't think so. Compared to me, the person you probably want to see more is him..."

Without explicitly naming Xiahou Ying, Yin Quan lazily crossed her arms, appearing relaxed and carefree, but her beautiful eyes shone brightly, like icicles hanging from the eaves in winter—beautiful yet deadly.

With his hands tucked into his sleeves, Gu Lounan looked at her, first chuckling softly, then raising his eyebrows.

"Xiao Quan Quan, are you really not going to consider me?" As if he hadn't heard her voice at all, a glint of light appeared in his alluring phoenix eyes.

"If I never intend to consider you, are you going to stay single for the rest of your life?"

“Yes… I’ll never marry…” Gu Lounan repeated her words, shrugged, and didn’t even hesitate.

Upon hearing this, Yin Quan was bewildered.

Uh...did she say something she shouldn't have...?

Suddenly, a soft laugh drifted into my ears: "Of course not."

After saying that, he stepped forward and was about to reach out to her when, with a "whoosh," an arrow pierced his dark brocade boot, missing him by only a hair's breadth.

"He's here to welcome you." Glancing in the direction from which the cold arrow had come, Yin Quan looked away and gazed at those long, narrow phoenix eyes, her lips moving slightly.

Before she could finish speaking, he suddenly stretched out his arm and brushed her long, black hair that fell beside her cheek. When she came to her senses, she saw his smiling, charmingly wicked face.

"I'll keep your hair."

With that, he turned around with his hands behind his back and walked towards the alley entrance. In the gloomy, dark sky, his crimson robes quickly blended into the deepening night.

Frowning, after a long while, Yin Quan suddenly shuddered.

They actually cut off her hair!

Is that bastard a perverted fetishist?!

After a moment of internal grumbling, a dark look appeared in her dark eyes as she gazed at his retreating figure.

Following the direction Gu Lounan had left, Yin Quan quickly looked away, then glanced at the wall where the cold arrow had been fired. She closed the door and turned around, only to be startled to find Xiahou Ying standing behind her.

"Didn't you just leave! You bastard!" Yin Quan snapped angrily, raising her fist at him, but then remembered his internal injuries. She straightened her curled fingers and drew a circle on his chest, chuckling, "Remember next time, don't just stand behind someone without saying a word, it's scary."

Seeing that Xiahou Ying neither spoke nor responded, a pearly luster slowly floated in his deep black eyes, which were as clear as the cold moonlight, exuding a bit of coldness.

Looking up at him intently, Yin Quan's slightly upturned lips stiffened, and the fingers that had been resting on his chest also stiffened, leaving her feeling conflicted.

Should we remove our hands?

Oh no, my hands are so stiff, I can't move them! What should I do?!

Damn it, Xiahou Ying, at least show some normal human reaction!

A wave of grief washed over Yin Quan, and she was on the verge of tears.

Suddenly, just as she was about to look away from his unfathomable dark eyes, his long, jade-like fingers reached out and gently pinched a stray lock of hair left behind by Gu Lounan's cut hair on her cheek.

A sudden tightness gripped her heart, and a chill ran down her spine. Yin Quan immediately opened her eyes wide, thinking: Damn it, you wouldn't be thinking about this too...

Her mind raced, and she suddenly took a step back, growling at him nervously, "You don't want my hair too, do you?! What's wrong with all of you?! He cuts a lock, you cut a lock, and this stuff doesn't ward off evil spirits! What if I cut you all bald? You'll have to pay for it!"

Seeing the look of fear mixed with resentment in her eyes, Xiahou Ying frowned, a thought suddenly crossed his mind, and a smile appeared on his face.

She hadn't even flinched when she was swept against sharp rocks in the rapids, but now that someone had cut a lock of her hair, she looked terrified.

He really didn't understand her anymore.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Yin Quan pursed her lips, feeling endless melancholy.

Looking down at the long hair on her right cheek, she gritted her teeth, steeled her resolve, and after much agonizing thought, drew a delicate little dagger from her waist. With a "whoosh," she cut off the lock of hair and handed it to Xiahou Ying, saying, "I did it for symmetry..."

Before she could finish speaking, her fingers were gently grasped by the man before her, whose presence was as warm and gentle as moonlight.

With her lips slightly parted, Yin Quan was momentarily stunned by Xiahou Ying's exquisitely handsome face, which shone like moonlight and pearls.

Suddenly, a pure white snowflake drifted down into their gaze, swirling gracefully like a butterfly that had just broken free of its cocoon and was still unfamiliar with flight.

Taking the extremely short and exquisite dagger from her hand, Xiahou Ying also cut off a lock of black hair, placed it in her palm, and then held her fingers and curled them into a fist.