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

Chapter 82 Big Wedding

"I will make an exchange with you," he said, as a semi-transparent, pearly-white mist slowly wafted from his thin, red lips, making it difficult to discern his expression.

Upon hearing this, Yin Quan was taken aback at first, somewhat puzzled, but quickly came to her senses.

"Exchange? What the hell is that?"

Seeing her confused look, Xiahou Ying smiled helplessly, said nothing, and simply hugged her tightly before letting go.

"It's cold outside, let's come inside."

She clearly knows a lot, yet she seems oblivious to things that women should care about... and she cherishes her hair terribly. He really can't understand it.

As if she hadn't heard his voice at all, Yin Quan stood motionless in place, her eyes, brighter than the stars and clearer than crystal, fixed on him without blinking. After a long while, a barely audible "pfft" sound escaped from her light pink lips.

Upon hearing this, a look of confusion appeared on Xiahou Ying's long, slender face. He pursed his lips, turned his body to look at her, and a shallow groove appeared between his brows.

“You’re not always so slow-witted…” Raising an eyebrow and looking at him, Yin Quan smiled as she slowly drew circles on his chest with her finger, her eyes radiating a charming light, as soft and shimmering as water.

With his lips pressed into a straight line, Xiahou Ying felt his body stiffen instantly. He lowered his gaze to her, and saw that her slightly upturned eyes were like a cluster of fresh fish tails, as if they were moistened by spring water, sweeping across his heart again and again, making his chest feel tight, and he couldn't speak for a long time.

Seemingly not intending to wait for him to speak, Yin Quan quickly removed her fingers from his chest, then brushed them against his chest before pausing, glancing back at him with a smile, her lips moving almost imperceptibly as she uttered a whisper as soft as a mosquito's buzz: "Xiahou Ying..."

Upon hearing this, Xiahou Ying noticed that her bright eyes suddenly darkened. Before he could respond, she continued, "This ring is very beautiful."

After saying that, she turned around and quickly walked down the corridor, disappearing a moment later at the end of the winding corridor.

He stood still with his hands behind his back, and only after a long while did Xiahou Ying take a step and walk in the opposite direction from her.

Behind him, at the end of the dark, winding corridor, a touch of rose-red quietly appeared and lingered for a long time.

"Why are you so sure that I will come to see you?"

A clear, cold voice came from behind, like water in a deep valley pool, sending chills down one's spine just by listening to it.

"No, Your Majesty, I am not entirely certain..." With a light laugh, Gu Lounan turned around, raised the corners of his eyes, and smiled as he bowed slightly to Xiahou Ying.

Upon hearing this, Xiahou Ying pursed his lips expressionlessly and fell silent.

"Half a month ago, His Highness the Crown Prince ordered Yin Ru to replace the Jing'an incense that was burned at night in Taiji Palace with the current aconite, which is this." Gu Lounan said as he took out a brass incense burner from his wide sleeves and handed it to Xiahou Ying.

With a blank expression, Xiahou Ying glanced at the incense burner, then looked at Gu Lounan and said, "You gained your current position by currying favor with the Crown Prince, and now you present this to me..." He slowly moved his thin lips, then paused, glancing at those long, narrow phoenix eyes that were always curved like crescent moons, and continued, "In exchange for something?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Lounan was taken aback at first, then smiled slightly, but did not make a sound.

The dim candlelight reflected upwards, making the face that had maintained a perfect smile throughout appear unusually eerie and terrifying.

The snow fell even more fiercely that night, and the north wind blew all night long, continuing until the next morning.

Although it was cold outside, it was bustling with activity inside.

The sky was still shrouded in endless darkness when Yin Quan was already dragged up by Harina and Lian Hongling.

"Ouch..." She felt a sudden, sharp pain in her scalp and cried out softly, becoming more alert. Then she started swaying unsteadily again, making it impossible for Granny Gui to properly comb her hair.

What should have been a one-hour hair and makeup session took a full two hours. Not only Yin Quan, but also the nanny Gui and Chun Ya who were serving her were exhausted.

Looking at her face, which was still somewhat clear in the bronze mirror, Yin Quan pursed her lips, tilted her head left and right, and immediately heard a soft rustling sound like pearls colliding.

The crown is really heavy!

The dress is so heavy!

And these wedding boots...

It's really hard!

Why did she have to come to a place like this to suffer like this? They won't even let her get a proper night's sleep...

This is no wedding, it's torture!

Thinking this, Yin Quan turned to look at Granny Gui and asked, "When does it start?"

"Replying to Miss Yin, we will be entering the wedding carriage in a quarter of an hour."

She gave a dry "oh" and glanced towards the door.

The mansion was no different from usual. Although bright red lanterns were hung and matching wedding paper was pasted up, a strange sense of oppression arose in people's hearts.

Slowly raising her arm, Yin Quan patted her chest.

Noticing this unintentional movement, the observant Granny Gui asked in a low voice, "Miss Yin, are you feeling nervous?"

"Nervous?" With a blank look in her eyes, Yin Quan leaned slightly towards the old palace maid, but quickly looked away, her hands on her chest suddenly tightening around the bright red robe.

It turned out she was nervous.

She was a little nervous, but not because of the wedding...

Although she had absolute confidence in Xiahou Ying, she was also well aware that the Crown Prince was not an enemy that could be easily dealt with.

Yin Quan was no stranger to the wedding ceremony. After the parade through the streets came the Phoenix Terrace sacrificial ceremony, followed by a tea ceremony at the palace, and then the wedding night was completed.

The Crown Prince will surely make his move at some point in this lengthy process.

Thinking of this, she suddenly recalled Xiahou Ying's unusual behavior last night, and her brows furrowed slightly.

As the eastern sky gradually turned a pale white, a few rays of light shone straight down, piercing several holes in the gray and white clouds of varying thickness.

Sitting side by side with Xiahou Ying in the bridal carriage, the entire street was made exceptionally bright by the pure white snow that had fallen the night before.

Although it was winter and snow had just fallen, the people's enthusiasm did not cool down; on the contrary, it rose even higher.

The wide road, where four carriages rode side by side, was crowded with onlookers. The people craned their necks, their bright, dark eyes darting around, eager to see what the people sitting on the bridal carriage looked like.

With a smile, she waved to the surging crowd, but before Yin Quan could look away, her left hand was gripped tightly by someone beside her.

"The Crown Prince will probably make his move at Phoenix Terrace."

"I'll take care of hiding." Yin Quan, whose smile remained unchanged and whose gaze was fixed on the people, barely moved his lips.

"Wei Jun will protect you." Xiahou Ying said in a flat voice, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

"Perhaps his target is Emperor Tianxi."

Upon hearing this, Xiahou Ying's eyes flickered slightly, and he did not respond. He only slightly increased the pressure on her fingers, and did not let go of her hand until the chariot arrived at the foot of Phoenix Terrace.

The two were helped down from the carriage by palace maids and stood together in front of the Phoenix Terrace, which was more than ten feet high.

The Phoenix Terrace was entirely constructed of massive, dark blue-green stone bricks, perfectly square and devoid of any ostentatious embellishments. Only in the very center of the pure black stone steps was a phoenix wall, composed of nine pieces of white marble. Although the phoenix wall was made of nine pieces of white marble, it was carved from a single, enormous jade disc, appearing lifelike and exquisitely realistic. The pieces were joined together without the slightest gap, a testament to the craftsman's unparalleled skill and artistry, a feat that could amaze heaven and earth and move even the gods to tears.

The phoenix wall carved from white marble seemed to be covered with a layer of lustrous, moon-like radiance, making it exceptionally dazzling against the dark stone steps. The stone steps, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, made the phoenix wall embedded in them even more lifelike, as if at any moment, the phoenix carved on the white marble would sing a clear song and soar into the sky, bringing down a shower of light.

Standing at the very bottom of the stone steps, Yin Quan tilted her head slightly and looked at the seemingly endless black stone steps. She then took a deep breath of the cold air, letting the winter chill seep into her lungs.

At each of the four corners of Phoenix Terrace stood a bright yellow banner, but because it was too high, she couldn't see the patterns fluttering in the wind.

The palace maids who had been following her had left at some point, leaving only Xiahou Ying by her side.

Standing far behind the two, Gu Lounan's radiant eyes lingered on their clasped hands before quickly leaving.

He tucked his hands inside his magnificent crimson brocade robe, his dark eyes, tinged with a hint of emerald green, darkened slightly, revealing a subtle pain. But he quickly regained his usual sinister charm, as if nothing had happened.

Holding Xiahou Ying's hand tightly, Yin Quan was led up to Phoenix Terrace. As soon as she stepped onto the top platform, she saw the priest and Emperor Tianxi who were already waiting there.

Today, Emperor Tianxi wore a layered and elaborate black dragon robe. Nine divine dragons were embroidered on the robe with five colors of silk: gold, silver, blue, white, and red. The dragons' eyes were inlaid with dark red gemstones. From a distance, Yin Quan could not see what the dark red gemstones were made of.

Gazing at the face that bore a slight resemblance to Xiahou Ying's from afar, Yin Quan felt a sense of unease.

Although Emperor Tianxi looked no different from before, his skin tone had a faint bluish tinge, unlike the waxy bluish complexion that older people often have.

Looking in the same direction as her, Xiahou Ying pursed his lips.

The north wind on Phoenix Terrace was fierce, making the phoenix crown on Yin Quan's head rattle. The metal and pearls collided, creating a unique and interesting sound.

However, at this moment, she had little interest in feeling or experiencing anything. She saw Yin Ru, who was holding a canopy behind Emperor Tianxi, as well as several princesses and Crown Prince Xiahou Jue standing opposite several concubines in the palace.

With a slight glint in her eyes, Yin Quan showed no sign of anything amiss. She simply followed Xiahou Ying to the altar and knelt down on the bright yellow prayer mats.

She heard the priest's voice, which sounded somewhat like that of a charlatan. She raised her hands to her forehead and looked through the wide, heavy sleeves of her wedding robe. She could only see the bright yellow hem of Xiahou Jue's robe billowing fiercely in the cold wind.

The priest's voice was long and hoarse, and seemed to go on for a long time.

Even kneeling on the prayer mat, she was gradually losing her balance.

She peeked through the gap in her sleeves at the concubines, who were wrapped in various colored cloaks and shivering in light clothing, and pouted.

It turns out that even in ancient times, there were still plenty of beauties who valued style over warmth...

They're really being too hard on themselves.

The priest's voice continued, and Yin Quan began to drift off into thought.

When the words "bowing to heaven and earth" finally rang in his ears, the once upright Emperor Tianxi suddenly collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness before he could even utter a sound.