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

Chapter 86 Block the knife with bare hands

With his eyes wide open, Song Chen was shocked. Before he could react, he saw Yin Quan firmly grasp the dagger that had struck him like a bolt of lightning with her bare hands.

Seemingly caught off guard, Yin Ru stared wide-eyed, panting heavily, trying to pull out the dagger. However, no matter how hard she tried, the dagger remained firmly embedded in Yin Quan's hand bones, as if it were deeply embedded there.

"Quick! Someone come here!" After only a moment of stunned silence, Song Chen quickly regained his composure and shouted. Two female prison guards rushed in and subdued the suddenly berserk Yin Ru with lightning speed.

“Princess Consort Duan…your hand…” Looking down at Yin Quan’s blood-covered right hand, Song Chen’s tone was slightly stiff, but no longer as cold as before.

"Just a minor injury..." Turning her head to glance at the old man behind her, Yin Quan shrugged indifferently, but a barely perceptible furrow appeared between her brows. As if talking to herself, she said, "This prison is heavily guarded. Even visitors must hand over all their belongings to the jailers for safekeeping. How did Yin Ru manage to bring that dagger in without being discovered..."

Upon hearing this, Song Chen was also startled and immediately blurted out, "What does the Princess Consort of Duan mean...?"

"Lord Song, I am Yin Ru's mother's killer. It is understandable that she was aimed at me when she stabbed me just now, but her target was you. Don't you think there is something strange about this?"

Upon hearing this, the already stiff-faced old man became even more astonished.

Yin Quan's gaze lingered on Song Chen for a brief moment before she pursed her lips, turned, and walked out of the cell.

Even Song Chen, the Imperial Censor, couldn't pinpoint the target in such a short time...?

As she pondered, she walked slowly forward until she left the prison, her slightly raised eyebrows still not smoothing out.

Although she didn't retain much memory of the previous owner of this body, she still clearly remembered the many times she was poisoned, stabbed, and fell into the water.

It was as if someone was deliberately trying to kill her, repeatedly and relentlessly.

Although Liu Ruyue treated her like an ant, she mostly just let her be and ignored her, and never intended to harm her.

Although she had noticed the strangeness of the memories within this body from the beginning, she hadn't paid much attention to it at the time. But now, she had no choice but to be on guard.

Yin Ru's actions just now have confirmed her suspicions over the past few days: someone wants her dead, and this person is no ordinary individual and should not be underestimated.

Thinking of this, Yin Quan rubbed her forehead, a hint of mockery welling up in her heart.

Yin Quan, oh Yin Quan, what did you know... that led to your demise...?

Lost in thought, Yin Quan gradually strayed from the main palace path. When she came to her senses, she found herself in an extremely unfamiliar place.

The garden here is filled with artificial hills, pavilions and terraces, and large red spherical lanterns hanging everywhere.

The orange-yellow color of the candlelight wafted through the bright red paper edges, like a layer of warm orange mist, making the strange rocks and artificial mountains in the cold night seem less ferocious and terrifying.

Standing still, Yin Quan turned her head to look around, but did not see Song Chen's figure. Suddenly, she felt extremely melancholy.

Was she lost...?

This was her and Xiahou Ying's first day of marriage...

Getting lost in the imperial palace... What a rip-off!

Thinking this, she looked around, but she couldn't see a single person, or even a ghost. It was as if this place was some other dimension that had appeared out of nowhere, leaving her quite bewildered.

Just as she was feeling confused and sighing, a dark shadow suddenly separated from the artificial hill, flashing like lightning and appearing before her in an instant!

Almost instinctively, Yin Quan turned around, holding her breath as she reached for her belt, only to find a long, narrow, jet-black sword pressed against her throat from behind.

"do not move!"

A voice like that of a raven in a stream rang in her ears, hoarse and deep, devoid of any emotion, almost inhuman, sending chills down her spine and making her heart ache.

Taking a sharp breath, Yin Quan raised her chin and remained silent for a long while before her lips moved slightly, and she said in a cold voice, "Who goes there? This is the forbidden garden of the imperial palace. Aren't you afraid that you will come here but not leave alive?"

The shadowy figure didn't respond, only chuckled softly. Immediately afterward, she felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck and lost consciousness.

After leaving Taiji Palace, Xiahou Ying did not linger in the imperial palace, but went directly back to the Duan Prince's residence.

With the Crown Prince's attempt to force the emperor to abdicate exposed, the court was in chaos. The ministers had no time to attend to the Prince Duan's wedding and were all busy with their own calculations.

As soon as he stepped out of the sedan chair, Xiahou Ying raised an eyebrow.

"Congratulations, Your Highness!" Gu Lounan said, his narrow phoenix eyes crinkling with laughter. He slowly approached him, but stopped when he was still a hair's breadth away from him.

"What's there to be happy about?" Xiahou Ying moved his thin lips slightly, expressionless, and raised his angular jaw. His cold, night-like eyes swept over the slightly hunched, purplish-red figure in front of him, seemingly showing no interest whatsoever in what the man was saying.

As if completely oblivious to Xiahou Ying's lukewarm attitude, Gu Lounan maintained his usual smile and was about to speak when he suddenly noticed Song Chen, looking anxious, riding his horse closer.

Noticing the unusual expression on his face, Xiahou Ying followed his gaze and was surprised to see an old man on horseback with an anxious expression.

"What is the matter that Lord Song is in such a hurry?" He stepped forward and slightly raised his eyes.

"Your Highness, the Princess Consort is in trouble!" With a low growl, Song Chen dismounted. Whether it was due to his advanced age or the haste of his movements, Song Chen stumbled and nearly fell to the ground.

Yin Quan...?!

Xiahou Ying's eyes widened suddenly, and although he remained standing still, his heart nearly skipped a beat.

"She didn't return to the manor?" He quickly averted his gaze from the old man in front of him, glanced at the guards at the gate, and asked directly and concisely, but he quickly received a negative answer from both guards.

"Lord Song, tell me what exactly happened." Xiahou Ying turned his gaze to Song Chen. Although his voice remained clear and cold, his brows seemed to be covered with frost in an instant, making him so cold and stern that it was impossible to look directly at him.

After speaking, he walked straight up the gray stone steps in front of the vermilion and gold gate. When he was halfway up, he suddenly stopped as if he remembered something.

"Grand Preceptor, please come in as well."

Looking down at Gu Lounan, who remained standing still, Xiahou Ying moved her thin, cicada-wing-like red lips slightly. Her voice was as light as a feather, yet it was chilling. Just listening to it could penetrate from the eardrums into the internal organs and freeze the whole body.

Upon hearing this, Gu Lounan was taken aback for a moment, then quickly straightened up and walked up the steps.

Yin Quan woke up very early, but with a black cloth covering her head, the only color she could perceive at this moment was endless black.

Her hands and feet were bound by iron chains as thick as a baby's forearm. She frowned, her confusion only growing.

Compared to her current baffling situation, she was more worried about the mastermind behind all this.

The wedding night was ruined just like that...

Who knows what Xiahou Ying might do... something utterly inhuman...

Just as she was pondering this, she suddenly felt a sudden stop beneath her, as if she had bumped into something hard. Immediately afterwards, several metallic clanging sounds came from all directions, and a strong, pungent smell of blood wafted into Yin Quan's nostrils.

Shocked, Yin Quan was paralyzed by the darkness before her eyes and unable to move. Her heart nearly leaped out of her throat.

She took several deep breaths to force herself to calm down, remaining motionless until, much later, the cacophony of sounds that sent chills down her spine finally ceased.

She felt the surroundings suddenly go from chaotic to quiet, and she involuntarily swallowed.

She strained her ears to listen, but apart from the babbling brook, she couldn't hear anything at all. No one spoke, no one moved; it was as if everything that had just happened was merely a hallucination lingering in her consciousness, and didn't exist in reality at all.

Damn it, where did everyone go?!

Where are they?! Where are they?!

They were fighting so fiercely just now, where have they all gone?!

Despite cursing under his breath, Yin Quan didn't dare to move.

Despite her thoughts, she wasn't someone who would act rashly.

From the attack on the imperial palace to now, everything seems utterly unbelievable.

Imagine how heavily guarded the royal palace was, especially after such a serious incident as the crown prince's attempt to seize power...

The more she thought about it, the more her head ached. All she could hope for now was that God would be kind to her and not let her die and transmigrate again so hastily. At the very least, she wanted to live until Xiahou Ying came to save her.

As soon as these random thoughts popped into her mind, Yin Quan suddenly heard a series of soft rustling sounds, which sounded exactly like the sound of clothes scraping against grass.

Thinking this, she felt another jolt beneath her, and she lost her balance, crashing hard into some hard, flat surface. The pain brought tears to her eyes.

Gritting her teeth and forcing herself not to utter a sound, Yin Quan cursed each and every person outside.

Suddenly, at that moment, she heard a rather nonchalant female voice coming from above. Although the voice was very soft and faint, it was very clear, as if it were right next to her.

"No movement... Never mind, the people from Fengyun Manor never know their own strength. Take them back."

Upon hearing this, Yin Quan opened her eyes.

Fengyun Manor?!

Are they from one of the four major mountain villas?!

But... she doesn't remember when she got involved with these people...

Just as she was feeling quite confused, she suddenly felt a jolt beneath her, which instantly brought the face of Madam Li into her mind, startling her.

Could it be that Madam Li... was acting under the orders of the four major manors, which is why she deliberately made things difficult for me at that time?

Thinking of this, Yin Quan pursed her lips.

Trapped in the darkness for an unknown amount of time, I suddenly felt a faint scent of grass and trees lingering in my nostrils, mixed with the refreshing aroma of flowing water, which made me feel incredibly relaxed and happy.

Although she could see nothing, her other senses, besides sight, became much more acute.

After making a slight move, Yin Quan felt a deep sense of regret.

If this matter is related to the four major manors, then the fact that these people captured her might also be related to Gu Lounan.

Suddenly, she felt a jolt, and she was put down.

A hint of doubt arose in his mind, and then he heard a deep male voice in his ear: "Don't make a sound."

Upon hearing this, Yin Quan pursed her lips, remaining silent and not uttering a sound.

The man grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the tub; his action was neither gentle nor rough.

Led by the man, Yin Quan moved forward. She followed him for a long time, and the path beneath her feet changed from sandy soil to rocky ground. Not only that, the environment around her was constantly changing. At first, she could hear the gentle murmur of a stream, but the further she went, the quieter it became, and even the temperature began to drop.

With a slight frown, she realized that although she couldn't see anything, the environment she had passed through along the way reminded her of a natural landscape.

As she was pondering this, the person who had been leading her forward suddenly stopped, and at the same time, the black cloth covering her head was suddenly removed, causing her to feel dizzy.

"Is it her?" A cold, sharp middle-aged woman's voice rang in my ears, tinged with disdain and contempt.