CHAPTER 175 — HIS HIGHNESS WAS FURIOUS
Tang Kexin sat in the hidden room of her old courtyard in the Prime Minister's Estate, her breath still uneven, her body aching in ways she refused to think about.
The maids outside were exhausted from yesterday's wedding festivities. They had been running about since dawn, and now, bleary‑eyed and sluggish, none of them noticed that their young mistress had slipped back into the estate like a ghost.
Good.
She needed the secrecy.
This hidden room had been her sanctuary long before she ever married Ye Lanjue — a small, private space she'd designed herself, a place untouched by servants, untouched by the palace, untouched by him. Even Dong'er didn't know about it.
And now, it was her temporary refuge.
The most dangerous place is often the safest, she reminded herself.
Ye Lanjue would never imagine she'd return here. Not after running away from him on the first morning of their marriage.
But she knew this safety wouldn't last.
Once he realised she hadn't left the city, he would turn the capital upside down to find her.
She had to move quickly.
---
The Anger She Couldn't Shake
Tang Kexin pressed a hand to her burning face, remembering flashes of last night — the heat, the chaos, the way he had looked at her, touched her, taken her apart piece by piece.
Her cheeks flamed.
Damn him.
She had been the one to propose the marriage.
She had been the one who thought she could control the situation.
She had been the one who believed the marriage would remain fake.
But last night…
Last night had been anything but fake.
Ye Lanjue had been relentless — a cunning, shameless fox who had clearly planned everything. He had let her misunderstand him, let her believe he liked Nangong Yi, let her walk straight into his trap.
And she — a trained psychologist from the 21st century — had fallen for it.
Her anger flared again.
How could I be so stupid?
She had trusted him.
Despite knowing he was dangerous.
Despite knowing he was manipulative.
Despite knowing he was the Third Prince — a man raised in power, surrounded by schemes, capable of anything.
She had trusted him anyway.
And he had used that trust to pull her into his arms, into his bed, into a night she couldn't forget even if she tried.
She clenched her fists.
No. I won't let him get away with this.
---
Why She Had to Run
People had asked her before if she liked the Third Prince.
She had always dismissed the idea.
How could she like a man she believed preferred men?
How could she like someone so dangerous, so unpredictable?
How could she like a prince who might one day become emperor, surrounded by concubines and political marriages?
And more importantly —
how could she like someone in a world she didn't belong to?
She wasn't from here.
She didn't intend to stay here forever.
She wanted freedom, not a gilded cage.
And now, after last night, she knew one thing with absolute certainty:
If Ye Lanjue found her, he would never let her go.
She had to disappear before he realised she was gone.
---
Outside the Prime Minister's Estate
At the gates, the steward stood beside Ye Lanjue, trembling internally. The prince's expression was icy — dangerously so.
Princess, please come back, the steward prayed silently.
His Highness's anger is too much for me to handle.
"Your Highness," he whispered, "shall we go in?"
Ye Lanjue opened his mouth to answer — but the Prime Minister's wife appeared at the entrance.
"Your Highness?" she said, startled. "Why are you here? Where is Xin'er?"
Her eyes darted around, confused.
The Third Prince should have been at the palace with her daughter.
Why was he standing here alone?
And why did he look like a storm about to break?
Ye Lanjue's jaw tightened.
So.
Tang Kexin hadn't told her family anything.
She had run away from him — her husband — without a word.
Good.
Very good.
His eyes darkened, a cold, dangerous fury simmering beneath the surface.
Tang Kexin had no idea what she had just started.
—————————————
CHAPTER 176 — HIS HIGHNESS WAS FURIOUS (2)
Ye Lanjue's expression didn't shift, but his voice was smooth as silk when he answered the Prime Minister's wife.
"My dear mother‑in‑law, Xin'er is still asleep. She didn't rest well last night — the bed was comfortable, but she wasn't. I've come to fetch her jade pillow. Perhaps she'll sleep better with it."
His tone was polite, respectful… and utterly deceptive.
Behind that calm façade, fury simmered like a storm held barely in check.
He had expected her to run — but not like this.
Not so quickly.
Not so boldly.
He had assumed she wouldn't dare return to the Prime Minister's Estate.
But then he remembered something she once said: the safest place is often the most obvious one.
And this estate — her childhood home, her familiar territory — was exactly where she would hide.
The Prime Minister's wife, oblivious to the tension beneath his words, let out a relieved breath.
So she had worried for nothing.
The Third Prince might be cold and aloof, but he clearly adored Xin'er. Why else would he personally come to fetch a pillow for her comfort?
"In that case, Your Highness, please go to her room," she said warmly.
Ye Lanjue bowed slightly and followed a maid inside.
---
Meanwhile, in the Northern Kingdom
"Master… the Princess is missing."
Yie Ling spoke cautiously, choosing his words with care.
"Missing?"
The Northern King frowned.
Xin'er was married now. With Ye Lanjue's strength, she should be safe. And he himself was in Dayuan — his own power was enough to protect her from the shadows.
The fierce guard cleared his throat.
"To be precise… the Princess escaped."
The Northern King's eyes narrowed.
"Escaped? Why?"
Had he been wrong to allow the marriage?
Had Ye Lanjue mistreated her?
"Because she discovered she'd been tricked," Yi Ling said, unable to hide the faint admiration in his voice. "She left a message and ran."
A slow smile spread across the Northern King's face.
"Good. As expected of my daughter."
He had worried the marriage was a farce, but it had been her choice. He had respected that.
Now that she'd discovered the truth, she hadn't bowed her head like a docile palace girl.
She had chosen her own path — boldly, fiercely, without hesitation.
That was his daughter.
That was the blood of the Northern Kingdom.
"Send word," he ordered. "Find her. Protect her from the shadows."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Yie Ling bowed, though a flicker of irritation crossed his face.
Now the King remembered she was his daughter?
Still — better late than never.
---
Back in the Secret Room
Tang Kexin lay sprawled on the floor of her hidden chamber, every muscle aching, muttering curses under her breath.
"Ye Lanjue… bastard… shameless… despicable…"
Her entire body felt like it had been dismantled and put back together incorrectly.
Last night had been…
No. She refused to think about it.
Then she heard footsteps.
"Your Highness, after you," a maid said outside.
Tang Kexin froze.
He's here.
Already?
Her pulse spiked.
She hadn't expected him to come so quickly.
He must have understood her too well — too frighteningly well.
But how had he found her so fast?
Had she slipped up?
Had someone seen her?
No — she had been careful.
The hidden room was sealed, the mechanism disguised.
No one should be able to find it.
"Your Highness, please wait. I'll fetch the jade pillow Miss usually uses."
Jade pillow?
Tang Kexin nearly choked.
Ye Lanjue, you shameless liar. Why not say you came to fetch my favourite embroidered shoes while you're at it?
She rolled her eyes so hard it hurt.
---
Ye Lanjue Enters the Room
"All of you leave," Ye Lanjue ordered.
The maids fled instantly — the chill radiating from him was enough to freeze blood.
Tang Kexin watched through the tiny slit in the hidden wall.
Ye Lanjue stood in the centre of her room, eyes narrowed, expression dark.
He scanned every corner, every shadow, every inch of space.
He didn't know where she was — but he knew she was here.
"Your Highness," the steward whispered nervously, "why are we only checking the princess's room? There are many courtyards—"
"She isn't close to anyone else here," Ye Lanjue said coldly. "She wouldn't risk hiding with them. And she wouldn't go to the Prime Minister's wife — she'd worry her."
He paused, eyes sharpening.
"And this room… feels wrong."
Tang Kexin's heart stopped.
Wrong?
How could he possibly—
"The air flows differently here," he said quietly. "Too smooth. Too clean. Something is hidden."
Tang Kexin nearly fainted.
I installed a fan. A FAN. And he noticed?
Ye Lanjue moved slowly, methodically, checking every corner.
Every step he took felt like a hammer striking her chest.
He approached the bed.
Tang Kexin's breath hitched.
He crouched down.
His hand reached toward the wooden panel — the exact spot where the hidden switch lay.
Tang Kexin held her breath.
Her heart pounded so loudly she was certain he could hear it.
He tapped the wood.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Each knock echoed through her bones.
He was one touch away from finding her.
Tang Kexin closed her eyes, inhaled sharply, and steeled herself.
If he opened that door—
She would have to run.
Or fight.
Or both.
And just as his fingers brushed the final panel—
The room door burst open.