CHAPTER 177 — THIS IS THE TRUTH, YOUR HIGHNESS
The door swung open with a sharp creak.
A palace eunuch stood at the threshold, flanked by the Prime Minister and his wife. The eunuch bowed deeply, voice crisp and formal.
"Your Highness, the palace requests your presence. The Emperor is hosting a banquet for the Crown Prince of the Northern Kingdom and has summoned both you and the Princess Consort."
The room fell into a heavy silence.
Ye Lanjue didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Didn't even acknowledge the eunuch.
He stood in the centre of Tang Kexin's room like a storm contained in human form — cold, coiled, dangerous. The air around him felt brittle, as if one wrong word might shatter it.
"Your Highness?" the eunuch ventured again, voice trembling despite his attempt at composure.
Ye Lanjue finally lifted his head.
His eyes were sharp enough to cut stone, but the smile that curved his lips was colder than winter.
So the news reached the palace this quickly.
Whoever was pulling strings behind the scenes was no ordinary opponent. They had influence, reach, and impeccable timing. They had waited for the perfect moment — the morning after his wedding — to stir chaos.
"Send guards to protect the Prime Minister's Estate," Ye Lanjue said quietly.
The Prime Minister stiffened.
The Prime Minister's wife paled.
Someone was using this situation.
Someone wanted to force their hand.
Ye Lanjue's gaze swept the room one last time.
He still hadn't found the hidden mechanism.
He had been close — painfully close — but the interruption had forced him to stop.
He picked up Tang Kexin's pillow from the bed, the excuse he had used to enter the estate in the first place, and turned to leave.
Behind the wall, Tang Kexin exhaled shakily.
She had escaped by seconds.
But she knew this hiding place was no longer safe.
If he had been given one more minute, he would have found her.
---
At the Imperial Palace
By the time Ye Lanjue arrived, the hall was already full.
The Emperor.
The Empress.
The Crown Prince of the Northern Kingdom.
Imperial Concubine Ming.
Court officials.
Everyone who shouldn't have been there — was.
Ye Lanjue's jaw tightened.
Someone orchestrated this.
"Third Brother," Ye Chonglou called out, "where is Xin'er?"
The question sliced through the hall like a blade.
Ye Lanjue stepped forward and bowed.
"This son greets Father and Mother."
The Empress's eyes darted behind him, searching.
"Where is Xin'er? Why have you come alone?"
Her voice trembled.
She had been uneasy since morning.
Now her worry sharpened into fear.
Ye Lanjue clenched his fists behind his back.
"Xin'er is safe," he said.
It was the truth — she wasn't in danger.
Just… running from him.
Imperial Concubine Ming let out a soft, mocking laugh.
"Safe? Then why has she not answered the Emperor's summons? Has she become so bold after one night as the imperial daughter‑in‑law?"
The Empress shot her a cold glare, but her own anxiety deepened.
"Where is she, Jue'er?" she pressed. "Why did she leave?"
Ye Lanjue inhaled slowly.
He could lie.
He could deflect.
He could blame anyone else.
But the truth — or a version of it — was the only way to contain the situation.
"Last night," he said, voice steady, "this son did not control himself and angered her."
The hall fell silent.
A few officials choked on their breath.
Even the Emperor raised an eyebrow.
The Third Prince — cold, aloof, untouchable — admitting something like that in public?
But beneath the words, everyone heard it:
She was angry.
He was frustrated.
He was… indulgent.
The Crown Prince of the Northern Kingdom smiled faintly, amusement flickering in his eyes.
So this is the man who dares to marry her.
Imperial Concubine Ming's expression twisted.
This wasn't the reaction she wanted.
She wanted scandal, disgrace — not a prince defending his runaway bride.
The Empress, however, froze.
If Xin'er had run away because of something that happened last night…
If she had been forced…
If she had been unwilling from the start…
The Empress's heart clenched painfully.
"Father," Ye Lanjue said suddenly, dropping to one knee, "I request an imperial decree to search the city for Xin'er."
The Emperor's eyes narrowed.
He understood the implications.
He understood the danger.
He understood the urgency.
He nodded.
"Granted."
---
Back at the Prime Minister's Estate
Tang Kexin could feel it — the shift in the air, the tightening of the perimeter, the presence of guards surrounding her courtyard.
Her lips twitched.
So he knows.
Her escape was no longer a secret.
Ye Lanjue had stopped pretending.
She pressed her back against the wall, thinking quickly.
She couldn't stay here.
Not with guards outside.
Not with Ye Lanjue's instincts closing in on her.
She needed to move.
She leaned against the wall — and froze.
The wall… moved.
A faint click.
A shift of weight.
A hidden mechanism she had never noticed before.
Her eyes widened.
What on earth…?
And just like that —
a new escape route revealed itself.
——————————————
CHAPTER 177 — THIS IS THE TRUTH, YOUR HIGHNESS (2)
The door swung open with a soft thud, and the little princess froze mid‑step.
Standing in the middle of her private sitting room — dusty from travel, breathless from running, eyes sharp with determination — was Tang Kexin.
"Elder Sister Xin…?"
The princess blinked rapidly, as if afraid her eyes were deceiving her.
Then she gasped. "It is you!"
She rushed forward, skirts swishing, her expression a mixture of delight and shock.
"Why are you here? Third Brother said you ran away because he—" she lowered her voice dramatically, "—didn't control himself last night, and you couldn't take it!"
Tang Kexin stared at her.
Then she rolled her eyes so hard she nearly saw the back of her skull.
"He really said that?"
The princess nodded vigorously. "In front of everyone in the main hall."
Tang Kexin's lips twitched.
So that was the story he'd gone with.
Unrestrained?
He had the audacity to call that unrestrained?
If only the court knew the truth.
The Third Prince… did he truly believe that was the truth?
---
A Princess Who Forgot Her Question
"Elder Sister Xin," the princess whispered, leaning in conspiratorially, "is what he said true?"
Tang Kexin inhaled sharply.
She was not about to discuss last night with an eleven‑year‑old.
"Princess," she said sweetly, "would you like to learn mind‑reading?"
The princess's eyes lit up like lanterns.
"Yes!"
Her earlier curiosity vanished instantly. She stared at Tang Kexin with such open adoration that Tang Kexin couldn't help but reach out and pat her cheek.
The princess froze, stunned — then melted into the touch.
"Your hand is so warm," she murmured. "And when you smile like that, you look like a fairy."
Tang Kexin coughed lightly. "Princess?"
"Oh— what did you say earlier?" the princess asked sheepishly.
"I said I'll teach you mind‑reading."
The princess squealed and threw her arms around her.
"Thank you, Sister!"
Tang Kexin smiled faintly.
This little girl truly saw her as family — and that alone softened something in her chest.
---
The Third Prince's Shadow
"Sister," the princess said suddenly, "Third Brother must be looking for you everywhere. You really don't want to see him?"
Tang Kexin patted her head gently.
"Children don't need to understand adult matters. I simply don't want to see him right now."
The princess nodded solemnly.
"Alright. I'll help you. Whatever you want me to do, I'll do it."
Her loyalty was touching — and a little amusing.
She clearly adored her Third Brother, but she adored Tang Kexin more.
Before Tang Kexin could reply, a servant's voice echoed from outside:
"Reporting to the princess — His Highness the Third Prince has been ordered to search the estate for the Princess Consort!"
Tang Kexin and the princess exchanged a look.
He's here already?
Impossible.
He had only just received the Emperor's permission.
How had he reached the princess's mansion so quickly?
Unless…
Unless he knew her too well.
Just like earlier, when he had gone straight to her boudoir in the Prime Minister's Estate without checking anywhere else.
He was a fox — a terrifyingly perceptive one.
---
The Princess's Panic
"Elder Sister Xin, were you followed?" the princess whispered urgently.
Tang Kexin shook her head.
She had slipped out through a secret passage in the Prime Minister's Estate, timing her escape perfectly between Ye Lanjue's departure and the steward's return.
But Ye Lanjue must have realised she was no longer there.
And if he had guessed she would come here…
The princess bit her lip. "Big Sister, what do we do? Should you meet him?"
Tang Kexin gave her a flat look.
The princess wilted.
"Right. Silly question."
Then she straightened, determination flashing in her eyes.
"Big Sister, wait here. I'll stop him. I won't let him in."
Tang Kexin's lips curved.
This child was too adorable.
"No need," she said softly. "I have a plan."
The princess leaned in eagerly. "What plan?"
Tang Kexin whispered into her ear.
The princess's eyes widened — then sparkled with mischief.
She nodded quickly and dashed out of the room.
---
The Search Begins
"Search!"
Ye Lanjue's voice thundered through the courtyard.
He was furious — visibly, palpably furious.
He had found the hidden room in her boudoir.
He had been one wall away from her.
And she had slipped through his fingers.
Again.
The princess darted forward. "Wait!"
Ye Lanjue paused, eyes narrowing.
"Third Brother ordered me to help search for Sister Xin," she said sweetly. "I can't disobey the Emperor's decree… but I can still speak, can't I?"
The guards hesitated, glancing at Ye Lanjue.
"Speak," he said coldly.
"Please tell the guards to be careful," she said brightly. "Even if they don't injure anyone, damaging the flowers and plants would be terrible."
Ye Lanjue frowned.
Anyone?
Why emphasise that word?
The princess smiled innocently.
The guards exchanged confused looks.
The princess silently prayed, Sister Xin, please escape quickly…
Ye Lanjue's eyes narrowed.
He remembered something Tang Kexin once said —
that when someone was anxious, they pressed their lips together.
And when someone wanted to leave, their feet pointed outward.
The princess had done both.
She was hiding something.
And that something… was Tang Kexin.
"Search," he ordered again.
The guards scattered.
Room after room.
Courtyard after courtyard.
Nothing.
"Your Highness, we've searched the east wing — no sign of her."
"The west wing is clear."
"The southern courtyard as well."
"Nothing in the main hall."
Ye Lanjue's jaw tightened.
Had he miscalculated?
"Your Highness," the steward said quietly, "there is still one place."
"Speak," Ye Lanjue snapped.
"The princess's boudoir."
"No!" the princess blurted out. "Absolutely not!"
Her panic was instant — and obvious.
Ye Lanjue's eyes sharpened.
"In that case," he said, straightening his robes, "I will go personally."
The princess followed helplessly.
---
The Door
They stopped before the princess's private chamber.
The princess swallowed hard.
"Big Sister… may Buddha bless you."
Ye Lanjue placed his hand on the door.
His fingers tightened.
For the first time, the steward noticed something strange.
The Third Prince — the man who commanded armies, who never flinched on the battlefield — looked… tense.
As if he were afraid of what he might find.
Or afraid of what he might not find.
He pressed the door again.
This time, he pushed it open.
The room was quiet.
Calm.
And behind a delicate screen, a graceful figure sat sipping tea — serene, composed, utterly unbothered.
Tang Kexin.