TLDPCRM 38: Mysterious Man (Patreon)

Chapter 38: Mysterious Man

"I'm just bored and have nothing to do. Besides, I don't think the princess was abducted," said Gu Yunru, expressing her opinion. The corners of Rong Zhen's mouth stiffened, and he slowly moved his gaze to her face. "What do you mean by that?"

"Just think about it. The princess must have known what happened to her, which is why she dismissed the palace maids and sat down to have tea with that man after taking a bath. We just don't know what they talked about. Maybe as they chatted..."

If the princess had really run away with a man, it would be a laughing stock for everyone.

Rong Zhen's sword-like eyebrows slightly furrowed, his sharp and serious eyes always gleaming with a serious light.

"Let's leave it at that. I'll take you back to the side hall to rest."

It was already late in the day, and Rong Zhen was already feeling tired.

"Okay."

After arriving at the side hall, Gu Yunru found that Qingxing had already tidied up the bedding in the room. Seeing the prince and the young lady enter the room together, Qingxing greeted them enthusiastically, "Miss, you're finally back!"

"You little girl, no wonder I couldn't see you on the way back. You ran back alone."

Gu Yunru grumpily flicked Qingxing's nose. Qingxing playfully stuck out her tongue and invited Rong Zhen to have a cup of tea, but he left without a word.

"Miss, what happened between you and the prince? Did you have another fight?"

Qingxing sat in the chair and looked at her curiously.

"That weirdo? Just ignore him."

Thinking of Rong Zhen's mocking tone earlier, Gu Yunru couldn't help but feel resentful.

"Miss, you shouldn't talk bad about the prince behind his back. If he finds out, he'll be unhappy."

Qingxing stuck out her tongue, feeling like it wasn't a very upright thing to talk bad about someone behind their back.

"Only you, me, and the heavens know. Who else could know?" Gu Yunru said dismissively and lazily stretched.

"After you retire, Qingxing, I'm going to bed."

"Yes."

After closing the door, Gu Yunru was about to take off her outer garment and go to bed when she heard a noise from the wardrobe.

Is it a bug?
Or is it a mouse?

Gu Yunru's scalp tingled at the thought. She put on her clothes and headed towards the wardrobe.

"Who! Who's in there?" Gu Yunru tentatively shouted, and the noise from the closet stopped.

Gu Yunru's face turned pale for a moment. She couldn't let any strange things scare her at this late hour. But if she didn't open the wardrobe to see what was inside, she wouldn't be able to sleep well tonight.

"Relax, don't speak, don't stretch your strange strength." Gu Yunru took a deep breath and held her breath as she pulled open the closet, only to find a person standing inside.

Before Gu Yunru could even call out, the person pounced on her, covering her mouth and pressing her hard onto the bed.

Gu Yunru was scared out of her wits. Her face turned pale and then blue. She kicked the person in the stomach with her knee and quickly stood up and moved away from the bed.

"Who are you? Why were you hiding in there?"

The person seemed to be in pain from Gu Yunru's knee strike and was writhing on the bed, unable to catch a breath.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Gu Yunru picked up a stool and pretended to threaten the person by their side.

"Who are you? If you don't speak up, I'll call someone."

"Don't..."

Despite the fact that she was wearing the clothes of a eunuch, the voice that spoke was that of a woman.

Gu Yunru walked over to the side, looking at her face, which was white and clear, with beautiful features and graceful manners, she was indeed a woman.

"Who are you? What are you doing sneaking around here?"

"I didn't mean to sneak around. I didn't know there was anyone living here!"

The woman looked at Gu Yunru with a resentful expression, holding her stomach and sitting on the bed with a pale face.

" I want to know why you were hiding in the closet."

Gu Yunru pointed at her and said impatiently.

"Look at you, you seem unfamiliar. You must be from outside the palace, right? No wonder you haven't met this princess."

The woman spoke, but it completely shocked Gu Yunru.

"You're a princess?"

"Shh, keep your voice down. Do you want the whole imperial city to hear?"

Seeing the princess's reaction, Gu Yunru was completely stunned. The princess's face was indeed beautiful enough to be called "a beauty that would bring down a city", and her clear black eyes were as bright and clear as spring water.

"Are you really a princess?" At first, Gu Yunru couldn't believe her ears, but seeing the princess's repeated insistence and noble demeanor, she believed it.

Quickly putting down the stool, she walked up to the princess and carefully examined her.

"You were kidnapped and brought here?" Gu Yunru stared at the princess's face, afraid she would disappear in the next moment.

"What kidnapping? I snuck out by myself. The Emperor sent people to bring me back from Jiang City just to marry me off, but I refuse!" There was a hint of masculinity in the princess's demeanor, which Gu Yunru greatly admired.

"Then how did you end up here?"

Seeing her dressed in eunuch clothes, she must have made a prior agreement with a eunuch, changed into that eunuch's identity, and snuck out of the palace when no one was paying attention, but she didn't expect to end up here.

The princess said, sitting back on the bed with a headache.

"It's that damned Rong Zhen, who messed up my plan."

"What? Rong Zhen?"

Gu Yunru never imagined that Rong Zhen really went to the princess's chamber. Seeing that back view, she thought it was Rong Zhen. No wonder he didn't want her to meddle, he was afraid of getting into trouble.

"That's right, it's him. I had everything planned out, waiting for the right moment to sneak out while everyone was eating and drinking, but he came and disrupted my plan. I could only make him stay for tea, and planned to use a love potion to knock him out, but I didn't expect this little guy to have no reaction."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yunru observed the princess's expression and could tell she had a lot of grievances about this matter, so it seemed to be true.

She also said that she had been in the Royal Palace all along, but had secretly gone to the princess's chamber.

"Princess, what do you plan to do next?" Gu Yunru felt some sympathy for this princess. She seemed to have a friendly temperament, just with a loud voice.

"This princess was thinking of waiting for them to relax their guard and sneaking out before dawn tomorrow."

"Unfortunately, the outside is heavily guarded, and you really don't look like a eunuch dressed like this."

Gu Yunru looked at the princess's attire, and with just a few words, she would be exposed, and she couldn't escape the scrutiny of those shrewd old eunuchs.

"Is it that bad? This princess thinks this attire is still alright. Don't all these eunuchs speak in that sharp and high-pitched voice?"

Gu Yunru smiled wryly. The princess's style was quite cute.

"By the way, don't tell anyone about today's incident, or else this princess won't let you off. I'll personally name you and take you to the frontier, got it?"

Gu Yunru nodded in fear and quickly expressed her position.

"Don't worry, Princess. Today... let's pretend I didn't see anything and that nothing happened."

"You're smart. By the way, who are you? How did you end up here?"