CHAPTER 179 — HIS HIGHNESS SHOWS HIS MIGHT
The moment Ye Lanjue stepped past the screen, his entire body went rigid. For a heartbeat, he simply stared, breath caught somewhere between hope and dread. His hand — the same one that had pushed open the door with such force — trembled ever so slightly. He had been so certain she was here. So certain he would finally catch her.
But when he rounded the screen, the figure sitting there was not Tang Kexin.
It was Nangong Yi.
Ye Lanjue's expression darkened instantly. "Nangong Yi? Why are you here?"
The disappointment in his voice was sharp enough to cut stone. His heart, which had leapt in anticipation only moments ago, dropped like a stone into cold water.
The little princess, who had followed him in, gasped loudly. "Ah?! Why is it you? Where's Elder Sister Xin?"
Ye Lanjue didn't look at her. His gaze was fixed on Nangong Yi, black eyes burning with a fury that made the air feel brittle.
Nangong Yi, of course, was delighted.
"Your Highness, are you angry?" he asked, smiling like a fox who had found a henhouse. "You didn't mean to be, did you?"
He was enjoying this far too much. He had known Ye Lanjue for years, but this — this was the first time he had ever seen the Third Prince so visibly shaken, so close to losing control.
To be honest, Nangong Yi had been annoyed about the marriage scam. But Tang Kexin had been the one to propose it, and under those circumstances, even if he had tried to explain, she might not have believed him. He had assumed she would be trapped after the wedding — that once the bridal chamber was done, she would have no choice but to accept her fate.
But she had run away.
On the first day of her marriage.
And the reason?
Oh, Nangong Yi knew the reason was absolutely true. Tang Kexin had wanted a fake marriage — a title without the reality. But Ye Lanjue had clearly been… excessive last night.
It was no wonder she fled.
"Your Highness is looking for Xin'er," Nangong Yi said, swirling his tea lazily. "With our relationship, I thought I should contribute a little."
Ye Lanjue's jaw tightened.
"But you came too late," Nangong Yi continued cheerfully. "She's already gone."
He paused dramatically, eyes sparkling with mischief.
"On account of our friendship, I left that much for you to know."
Ye Lanjue's expression tightened further, the muscles in his jaw ticking. Nangong Yi was practically glowing with delight. He had never seen the Third Prince so rattled.
Before Ye Lanjue could respond, a guard rushed in, breathless.
"Your Highness! We found traces of the Princess Consort by the moat!"
Ye Lanjue froze.
The moat?
Had she already left the city?
Impossible. She had only just escaped the Prime Minister's Estate. He had reached the princess's mansion almost immediately after. But the guard continued:
"We found her clothes floating in the water."
Nangong Yi's smile faltered.
Ye Lanjue's expression changed — slowly, dangerously. A smile curved his lips, but it wasn't a smile. It was cold, sharp, terrifying. Everyone in the room felt a chill crawl down their spine.
Even Nangong Yi.
Ye Lanjue had been furious before — furious at her escape, furious at himself for deceiving her, furious at the hours spent chasing shadows. But now? Now he was beyond fury. He was at breaking point. And Tang Kexin's discarded clothes were the fuse.
His eyes flashed with lethal intensity.
"Search the princess's mansion again," he ordered. "She hasn't left."
He didn't believe for a second that she had escaped the estate so quickly. The clothes were a distraction — a clever one — but still a distraction. She was still here. Somewhere.
He scanned the room again, mind racing. She didn't know qinggong. She couldn't have run far. She was smart — too smart — but she wasn't invincible.
His gaze drifted toward the window. The river. The water.
If she wasn't on land…
"Search the water," he said suddenly.
The steward blinked. "Your Highness… into the water?"
It was the middle of the night. The river was deep, fast, freezing. If Tang Kexin was in there — would she survive?
But no one dared question him. The guards rushed out.
Under the water, Tang Kexin heard everything.
She was submerged beneath the surface, clinging to the shadows of the riverbank, her breath held, her body trembling from the cold. She had planned this carefully — tying stones and wood to her clothes, throwing them into the river to create a false trail, slipping into the water quietly, using the darkness and the sound of the current to mask her movements.
She had almost made it. She was only two metres from the outer wall — two metres from freedom.
Then she heard it:
"Search the water!"
Her heart dropped.
Already?
She had underestimated him. Again.
She pressed herself against the riverbed, moving inch by inch, praying the guards wouldn't see her.
Then — a splash. A heavy one.
Someone else had entered the water.
"Your Highness, the water is too cold—!"
Tang Kexin's eyes widened beneath the surface.
Ye Lanjue had gone into the water.
For her.
Her heart lurched painfully.
That… that was not part of her plan.
Not at all.
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CHAPTER 180 — HIS HIGHNESS HAS SHOWN HIS MIGHT (2)
The river was brutally cold.
Tang Kexin's limbs were numb, her breath tight in her chest, and every second she remained submerged felt like a battle against her own body. She had endured the cold as long as she could, but her strength was fading fast.
And then she heard it — the unmistakable splash of someone else entering the water.
He didn't… he wouldn't…
But he had.
Ye Lanjue had jumped in after her.
For a moment, she forgot the cold entirely. Her heart clenched painfully, a mix of disbelief and something she refused to name.
To catch me… he actually went into the water.
He had no idea she'd already broken the iron fence beneath the wall — a barrier meant to keep intruders out, its bars thick and reinforced. No ordinary person could break it. But she had found a weak point and forced her way through.
Ye Lanjue, unaware of this, believed she was still trapped within the princess's estate. She was only one woman, exhausted, half‑frozen — surely she couldn't have swum far. And with only a handful of guards in the water, he assumed she was still close.
He couldn't wait any longer. He plunged into the river himself, cutting through the water with powerful strokes, diving deep to search the riverbed, only surfacing when he was out of breath.
The steward was stunned speechless. Nangong Yi and the little Princess stood frozen on the bank, both equally shocked. They had never seen Ye Lanjue like this — reckless, desperate, utterly consumed.
The guards in the water were certain that if Tang Kexin was anywhere in the river, she would still be within the estate grounds. They all knew about the iron fences on both sides of the wall — impossible to break, impossible to pass.
So they searched only inside.
A few guards reached the wall, saw nothing, and turned back.
But one guard, just as he was about to return, glanced down — and froze.
The iron fence had a hole.
A clean break, just large enough for a person to slip through.
His heart lurched. This was no small matter. And His Highness was searching in the opposite direction. If he didn't act quickly, Tang Kexin would escape entirely.
He swam through the gap and out of the princess's estate.
Tang Kexin, meanwhile, was already outside, her body trembling violently from the cold. She had been swimming slowly, carefully, terrified of making noise. She was only a few metres from the outer wall when she heard the guard's shout behind her.
She looked back and saw a figure in the water.
Her heart leapt — but it wasn't Ye Lanjue.
Relief washed through her.
She stopped swimming away and instead turned back, heading straight for the guard.
The guard saw a figure approaching and hesitated. If it was her, she would be fleeing, not coming toward him. Could it be another guard?
Before he could decide, Tang Kexin surfaced in front of him, panting, her voice hoarse from the cold.
"Did you find anything?"
Her tone was low, muffled by the water, and she wore men's clothing — her disguise was perfect.
The guard, confused, answered automatically. "Not yet."
"Then keep looking," she said briskly, and dived again.
He blinked. "Oh… yes."
Then something clicked.
Wait.
Who was that?
He surfaced quickly. "What's your name?"
But Tang Kexin was already behind him. She reached out and pressed a point on his neck. His body froze instantly, his words dying in his throat.
She had practised pressure‑point techniques with Dong'er for days. Qinggong was beyond her reach, but pressure points? Those she could manage. Dong'er had been her unwilling practice dummy — if she knew she was using her lessons at this time, she'd probably cough blood.
Tang Kexin surfaced again, standing in front of the immobilised guard. Even in the darkness, she could feel the killing intent radiating from him.
She smirked. "You want to kill me? You'll need the ability first. Right now, you can't even protect yourself. One push, and you'll sink forever."
His eyes burned with fury, but he couldn't move.
Instead of pushing him under, she dragged him to the shore and laid him down. His eyes widened in shock.
She leaned close, her voice soft but laced with arrogance. "Tell your master I'm not that easy to catch."
Then she slipped back into the water and vanished.
The guard could only watch helplessly, unable to shout or move. He had never been so humiliated in his life — defeated by a woman, and a princess at that.
He forced his inner energy to break the pressure point. By the time he regained movement, Ye Lanjue had swum back from the opposite side, drenched, breathless, and furious.
He surfaced beside the guard. "What happened?"
The guard swallowed. "Your Highness… yes. It was her. The Princess Consort."
He quickly explained everything.
Ye Lanjue listened, stunned for a moment — then let out a low, humourless laugh.
"So you underestimated her."
He wasn't angry. Not this time. Instead, a strange, dangerous smile curved his lips.
"She told you to tell me she's not easy to catch?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Good," Ye Lanjue murmured. "Very good."
His eyes gleamed with something sharp and unyielding.
"This king will accompany her to the end."
Even in the darkness, the steward could see the faint smile on his lips — a smile that made his blood run cold.
Ye Lanjue stood, water dripping from his clothes, and issued his next command.
"Send word. Mobilise the imperial guards. Search the entire capital from east to west. Not a single corner is to be missed."
A city‑wide sweep.
A carpet search.
For one woman.
The capital would not sleep tonight.
And neither would he.