After Spending a Passionate Night with the Eldest Princess - Chapter 25

“It’s late at night. What is so important that you can’t talk about it tomorrow?” the old woman said while picking up a lantern. “Ever since Dalang became village chief, he’s been busy all day long. Don’t go adding trouble for him.”

The innkeeper hurriedly covered her mouth. “Keep your voice down. When you speak later, be careful. Don’t let that young lady know I went out, and don’t mention that Dalang is the village chief. I’m looking for Dalang because there’s something important. I’ll explain it to you properly later.”

That was right. Their eldest son was the village chief of Hulu Village.

The old woman pulled his hand away. “Are you trying to suffocate this old woman? Take the lantern. Don’t go falling to your death outside.”

She lowered her voice. Although her words sounded unpleasant, the concern in them was hard to hide.

The innkeeper smiled, took the lantern, and left.

The old woman watched him leave the courtyard before boiling a pot of hot water, pouring it into a wooden bucket, and carrying it to Xin Yuan’s room.

Xin Yuan thanked her, borrowed a pair of scissors, and after bathing, sat down before the bronze mirror.

Under the candlelight, she looked at the familiar face in the mirror. After eating properly for five or six days, her complexion looked much better, and she was also becoming more and more like her modern self.

She sighed softly, picked up the scissors, and cut her hair close to the back of her head. Before long, the young girl whose hair had once reached her waist had become an androgynous-looking young boy.

Looking at her new appearance in the mirror, Xin Yuan could not help twitching the corner of her mouth, somewhat unable to bear looking directly at herself.

Although this hairstyle looked as if it had been gnawed by a dog, it gave her a little more sense of security.

Tomorrow, she would find a ready-made clothing shop and buy a monk’s robe to wear. That would be even safer.

That woman had indeed begun searching for her everywhere. She might even post portraits of Xin Yuan all over the place. Changing her appearance was very necessary. A young girl and a Daoist nun should not be easy to connect together.

As for Guo Xiaowu and the original owner’s parents, Xin Yuan was not worried.

She was not the original owner, and she felt that even if it had been the original owner, she would not have sacrificed her own freedom, or even her life, for parents like that.

In the original owner’s memories, the Xin couple treated their son like a treasure, pampering and spoiling him in every possible way.

But they treated their daughter like weeds, beating and scolding her at every turn. Parents like that were not worth saving.

As for Guo Xiaowu, her background was not ordinary. She was very likely a close relative of Prince Chang Guo. That woman was clever almost to the point of being demonic, and she definitely would not openly offend a vassal prince who commanded heavy troops.

Rumor also said that the current dynasty’s Eldest Princess loved the people like her own children and never killed the innocent indiscriminately. Whether the rumor was true or false, at the very least, that woman cherished her reputation.

Taking all of this into account, Xin Yuan felt that this threat was most likely all thunder and little rain. There was no need to take it to heart.

After thinking it through, Xin Yuan blew out the candle and quietly pushed the door open to leave.

She had to sleep during the day, so naturally, she could only travel at night.

Fortunately, summer was approaching. At night, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse. As long as she watched the road carefully, it did not affect walking.

She arrived at the main hall. Seeing that the innkeeper was not there, she thought this was perfect and reached out to push the door, only to find that she could not open it.

The door had been locked from the outside!

Just then, the sound of chaotic footsteps came from outside, growing closer and closer. From the sound, there were at least seven or eight people.

In her panic, Xin Yuan hurriedly hid behind the counter, bending down and crouching low.

As soon as the door opened, the innkeeper’s voice rang out. “Officers, please follow me.”

A group of more than ten people followed him and hurried inside.

Xin Yuan nervously stared at those people’s feet, not even daring to raise her head and look up.

Just as those people were about to turn the corner, the person walking at the very back suddenly stopped and turned around.

Xin Yuan immediately held her breath, her body seeming to stiffen completely.

That person walked back and stood directly at the entrance, guarding it.

A feeling of helplessness and despair rose in Xin Yuan’s heart. There were only two words in her mind: It’s over, it’s over…

“The person ran. Search!”

At the angry shout, the person guarding the door immediately closed it and walked toward the counter, the only place in the main hall where someone could hide.

Xin Yuan slowly exhaled. The instant that person rounded the counter, she stood up unhurriedly.

“Hi. Are you looking for me?”

The officer-dressed man froze for a moment, then drew his blade and placed it against Xin Yuan’s neck. After that, he shouted at the top of his voice, “Chief, we caught her! She’s with me!”

After a burst of chaos, Xin Yuan was tied up tightly and thrown into a carriage.

Unlike the notice sent out to the common people to help find someone, the order received by the local government offices was this: once the person was seen, arrest her immediately and send her to the Eldest Princess’s residence in the capital at full speed.

Xin Yuan lay crookedly in the carriage, feeling utterly hopeless. She sighed and sighed again. In the end, as if giving up completely, she closed her eyes.

Now she truly could not escape. In the future, she could forget about closing her eyes at night. So what was the point of holding on? She might as well sleep.

In the dream, the woman wore a red dress that was bold and striking, staring at her in a daze.

With the thought that this was the last time she could hold the initiative, Xin Yuan sat down openly by the bed. “Come here. Let’s have a good, proper chat.”

She emphasized each word, her gaze meaningful.

The woman reached out in a daze, hooked her fingers around Xin Yuan’s collar, and slowly drew closer.

Her face was flushed, and her movements were gentle as she wrapped her arms around the back of Xin Yuan’s neck. Yet those beautiful eyes were icy cold, as if shrouded in frost and snow.

There was a solemn yet tempting sense of taboo about her…

Xin Yuan’s breath hitched. Before she could even decide how to begin this “chat,” the scene before her eyes rapidly receded. A sudden feeling of weightlessness came over her body as she was lifted down from the carriage.