Chapter 93 I said you are incompetent.
The door opened again the next morning.
Lou Xueying remained lying on the ground, squinting as she watched the figure walk in against the light.
The prince's subordinates, expressionless, lifted her up like a sack of potatoes, hoisted her onto their shoulders, and strode out.
The sun was shining brightly outside, and Lou Xueying quickly surveyed her surroundings.
Peeling paint on the beams and pillars, collapsed walls, shattered golden statues of Bodhisattvas, and wild grass growing in the cracks of the rocks... This is an abandoned temple.
Lou Xueying remembered that there was indeed a temple in the east of the capital, which was once very popular. However, one night, lightning struck the roof of the temple and damaged the Buddha statues inside. From then on, the worshippers dared not come again, and the temple fell into disrepair.
So that's where they hid her.
Lou Xueying remained silent. The Crown Prince's subordinate walked to the cart, threw her into the already opened coffin, and then bent down to retrieve the wooden planks from the inner lining, preparing to put her in.
At that moment, Lou Xueying suddenly broke free of the ropes binding her hands and feet, jumped out of the coffin, stood on the cart, and kicked the empty wooden coffin off the cart.
The Crown Prince's subordinates were shocked and, before they could even react to how she had broken free, they instinctively reached out to grab her.
But Lou Xueying had already pounced on the horse pulling the carriage, pulled out the copper hairpin from her hair, and plunged it hard into the horse's rump!
The horse neighed in pain and immediately galloped away.
Lou Xueying lay on the horse's back, pulled the gag out of her mouth, and then tightly gripped the horse's mane and bridle, not daring to let go.
She had finally managed to gather her strength, but after just a few movements, it was almost completely depleted.
But she gritted her teeth and tried to hold on a little longer.
—Last night, the Crown Prince instructed his subordinates to feed her medicine, and the subordinates agreed. However, Lou Xueying became suspicious at that time because, according to the time, it was time to feed her medicine last night, but the person did not do so.
Lou Xueying recalled that when the person fed her medicine before, they carried a water pouch with them and poured the medicine from it to feed her. Although she was often drowsy and weak, she could still feel the medicine when it was being fed to her. But the last time they fed her, the water pouch had gone from being slightly tilted to almost being upside down. The person even shook the remaining liquid inside several times before making her close her mouth and swallow it.
Lou Xueying then guessed that the medicine had actually run out due to the delay on the road, but the subordinates were afraid of being punished by the Crown Prince, so they did not dare to report it.
Today was another day of departure, and the subordinate still hadn't come to give her the medicine, confirming her suspicions.
Since her hands and feet were bound anyway, and the effects of the medicine were still lingering, plus her uncle, the Crown Prince, had given her permission to leave, no one would care even if she made a little noise—this was probably the person's wishful thinking.
Fortunately, Lou Xueying never gave up. Last night, whenever she mustered a little strength, she would slowly bite the hemp rope on her wrist with her teeth. When she couldn't bite it anymore, she would put it in her mouth and suck on it until the rope was soft and mushy. In the end, although she didn't completely untie it, she managed to loosen the rope a bit. Her wrist was slender, and she was able to break free.
With their hands freed, they were able to do many more things.
After doing everything she could, she put her hands and feet back into the ropes, clutching the loose ends in her hands and stuffing them into her shoes. The prince's subordinates would not check so carefully. When he took her out of the cage in broad daylight, that would be the best time for her to escape.
She has finally escaped.
Whether it was because the effects of the medicine hadn't worn off yet, or because she hadn't eaten anything proper for the past few days and had only been given liquid food occasionally to keep her from starving, she was just too weak. When she kicked away the empty coffin and pounced on the horse, she was already so weak that she barely had the strength to breathe.
She reluctantly turned her head and saw the figure of the Crown Prince's subordinate chasing after her in a hurry and anger.
The horses pulling the cart wouldn't be as fast as dedicated galloping horses, especially since they were still wearing the cart harness. The prince's subordinate, however, was young and strong. He had been caught off guard earlier, but now he had recovered and chasing a packhorse in a short time was no problem for him.
Lou Xueying's lips were pale, and her face was almost transparently white, with faintly visible bluish veins on her cheeks.
This was actually her first time riding a horse alone. To be more precise, it wasn't riding; she was practically lying on the horse. She was tossed around on the horse's back, feeling dizzy and nauseous, but there was nothing in her stomach to vomit; she only felt waves of acid reflux.
She tried her best to recall the method Li Pan had taught her, gripped the reins tightly, and barely managed to control the horse's direction as it galloped westward.
The packhorses were slowing down, while the people behind them were almost catching up.
Lou Xueying loosened one hand, took out a torn cloth tiger from her sleeve, and stuffed it into the tightly bound bridle.
Then, he took a deep breath, reached for the horse's rump, pulled out the copper hairpin, and plunged it deep into the horse's rump once more!
The horse beneath him neighed in pain again and quickened its pace once more.
However, Lou Xueying was completely exhausted. Her hand slipped, and she rolled off the horse and fell into the thick grass.
The Crown Prince's subordinate almost immediately caught up with her, grabbed her loose hair, and pulled her up, angrily cursing, "You wretch, how dare you..."
"Try touching me again." She looked at him and gave a weak smile. "I'll tell the Crown Prince that you made a fuss over me. Guess what the Crown Prince will do?"
The subordinate's face stiffened.
Everyone knows what the Crown Prince thinks of her. If she really spreads rumors in front of the Crown Prince, no one knows how he will treat her, but he will definitely die very quickly.
He gritted his teeth in anger and knocked Lou Xueying unconscious with a karate chop.
Looking up at the horse again, it had already galloped quite a distance away. He dared not let Lou Xueying out of his sight again, so he gritted his teeth, picked her up again, and turned back towards the dilapidated temple.
-
When Lou Xueying woke up, several maids were surrounding her, serving her a bath.
Lou Xueying, soaking in the water, felt dizzy from the steam and weakly asked, "Where is your master?"
Several maids glanced at her timidly, and Lou Xueying didn't ask any further questions.
After bathing, the maids helped her get dressed, and she left the washroom to rest in her bedroom.
Lou Xueying looked around. It was a small house with ordinary furnishings and furniture that looked old. It must be a private residence in the capital.
She sat on the bed, and a maid came over with an iron chain link, attaching one end to her ankle and the other end to the foot of the bed.
Lou Xueying did not resist. She glanced at the chains and remained completely calm.
The maids said nothing and quickly withdrew.
Lou Xueying waited and waited, and finally, after dark, someone came again.
He was still wearing the armor of the Beijing army, and as soon as he entered the door, he began to remove it.
Lou Xueying looked at him and said calmly, "How come you're still alive?"
Upon hearing this, the crown prince paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not that easy to kill."
Lou Xueying: "How did you manage to deceive your father?"
"Telling you won't hurt," the Crown Prince scoffed. "The old man cleaned out everyone in the imperial garden, thinking they were all at his disposal. Little did he know, there were still my men among them. He wanted me to die in various accidents, but failed. In the end, he sent someone to force-feed me poison and then stage it as if I died in a fire. Unfortunately, he didn't realize that the person lying in bed every night wasn't me, but just a eunuch with a similar build to me. In the dark, those people thought he was me and directly forced-feeded him the poison. After that, they rushed to light the fire, while I had already escaped from the imperial garden under the cover of flames."
Lou Xueying: "Your mother's family did a good job of receiving us."
The Crown Prince: "At least you can say something nice."
Lou Xueying looked at her ankle: "Then why did you lock me up? Did you think I could find a substitute?"
"Of course, I'm afraid you'll run away."
"Can I run away?" she asked back.
The crown prince walked over, stroked her soft, long hair, and said, "Who knows? It's always good to be prepared."
Lou Xueying lowered her eyes.
Judging from the Crown Prince's answer, it didn't seem like he knew she had already escaped once.
Perhaps the subordinate was afraid that he would slander him, so he deliberately kept the matter a secret?
Lou Xueying changed the subject: "I'm hungry."
Crown Prince: "Are you ordering me around?"
Lou Xueying bent her knees and repeated, "I'm hungry."
The prince sat down by the bed, caressing her clean and pristine face, and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Beg me."
"Please," Lou Xueying said obediently, "I haven't eaten for many days."
The crown prince narrowed his eyes, seemingly surprised by how quickly her attitude had changed.
Lou Xueying said again, "Please."
The prince approached her and said, "You're so humble just for a bite to eat?"
Lou Xueying: "I've never been hungry before, so I don't know how painful it is. Anyway, I can't run away, so what's wrong with you giving me some food?"
The Crown Prince laughed: "Susu, you're really something. What trick are you playing on me this time? Are you planning to throw the food in my face when it's brought in?"
"I'm really starving to death." Lou Xueying sighed softly. "If you don't believe me, you can tie me up and feed me."
The crown prince stared at her meaningfully for a long time before finally having someone bring in the food.
The meal was very simple, without even a single piece of meat, yet she sat cross-legged on the bed, holding the food box, burying her head and wolfing it down. Occasionally, a grain of rice would accidentally fall onto the bed, which she would see out of the corner of her eye, pick up, and put into her mouth before continuing to eat.
The prince's brow furrowed more and more deeply.
Lou Xueying finished eating quickly, and holding up the clean food box, she asked him, "I'm still not full, can you give me some more?"
The crown prince stared at her without saying a word.
Lou Xueying said sincerely, "If you're worried that I'll have the energy to cause trouble if I'm full, then give me some more of that medicine. I just want to be full; if I'm not full, my stomach really feels uncomfortable."
The prince stared at her for a long time, then gritted his teeth and had someone come in to add more food to her plate.
Lou Xueying finished eating everything cleanly.
She licked the tips of her chopsticks twice, put down the food box, wiped her mouth with her sleeve, and said, "Thank you, I'm full."
The Crown Prince finally stood up, unable to bear it any longer: "Lou Xueying!"
Lou Xueying looked up at him innocently and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Are you deliberately trying to disgust me?" the crown prince said angrily. "Do you think that by acting so vulgar, you can stop me from touching you?"
"I didn't think that way," Lou Xueying said calmly. "How could I, a weak woman, resist you, nor did I intend to."
She started taking off her clothes: "Come on, isn't this all we're going to do? I'll just go along with you."
"Lou Xueying!" He grabbed her neck and forced her onto the bed, gritting his teeth as he said, "Do you think that by putting on this act, I'll lose interest in you? Let me tell you, you couldn't keep your chastity for that old man in your past life, so don't even think about keeping it for Li Pan in this life!"
Lou Xueying frowned and said, "I didn't intend to keep it for him. Since you want me, then you should have me. Anyway, Li Pan doesn't care about my chastity; he'll only feel sorry for me."
"He was just lying to you, and you actually believed him?" the Crown Prince sneered. "How could anyone truly not care about their wife's chastity? He's just pretending to be a good person. If you really lost your chastity, do you think he would still be as magnanimous as he is now?!"
“That’s true. No one is as magnanimous as you. You’ve lived two lives, and in both of them you insisted on being a married woman. You’re the one who truly doesn’t care about chastity.” A hint of mockery appeared in Lou Xueying’s eyes as she urged, “Hurry up, if you’re going to do it, then do it. I see you’re still busy pretending to be a member of the Imperial Guard. It must have been difficult for you to hide and run around. You only have time to come see me now, so don’t waste your time.”
"Lou Xueying!" He could no longer bear it, grabbed the soft pillow next to him, and pressed it over her mouth and nose.
The force and the heavy fabric suffocated her voice. She instinctively raised her arms, but they were immediately pinned down by his knees, rendering her unable to move.
She kicked her legs in vain, the chains on her ankles clanging and rattling incessantly. She glared at him, tears welling in her eyes. With each breath she tried to take, it felt as if she were inhaling more fine hairs, making her throat itch and burn.
A buzzing auditory hallucination began to appear in her ears, tears streamed down her face, her vision blurred, and tiny black dots spread out, making it impossible for her to see anything in front of her.
She gradually stopped struggling, her pupils almost unfocused.
However, at that moment, the pressure on his face suddenly disappeared.
The fine black dots in front of her eyes began to fade away slowly, and the buzzing in her ears grew weaker and weaker. She lay motionless on the bed, and after a long time in a daze, she finally realized that she was still alive.
She watched numbly as he got out of bed, took the medicine bowl from the table, sat down next to her, and lifted her up.
She leaned on his arm, tilting her head back, as he forced her to drink a large bowl of extremely bitter medicine. Her still burning throat was suddenly hit by the cold liquid, causing her to cough violently. All the medicine she had just drunk sprayed onto him.
The crown prince's face immediately turned extremely ugly.
Lou Xueying curled up, clutching her chest. Brownish remnants of juice dripped down her fair chin, and with each breath she took, her chest ached again.
“You’re so incompetent,” she suddenly said.
The crown prince stared at her: "What did you say?"
"I said you're incompetent." Lou Xueying smiled provocatively, coughing as she spoke, "You were able to succeed in your past life only because your father felt guilty towards you, so he wasn't on guard. In this life, he could have just killed you directly, but he was worried about those ignorant ministers misunderstanding him, so he tried to find a legitimate reason to deal with you. But even so, you still couldn't defeat him and had to fake your death to escape. Not only can you not defeat him, you can't defeat Li Pan either. You couldn't catch Li Pan, so you had to settle for second best and try to catch me—lying in wait for half a year, and in the end, you only managed to catch a weak woman. Your Highness is truly capable."
The Crown Prince was clearly offended by her words; his face darkened instantly, and he was about to lash out, but he forcibly suppressed it. After looking at her for a moment, he sneered, "You really have become quite sharp-tongued. I knew it; you've always been this temperamental. Fine, Susu, I like the way you hate me yet can't do anything about it."
So he gave her no time to adjust, pinched her cheeks open, and poured the rest of the medicine down her throat.
Lou Xueying was forced to drink the bowl of medicine, then collapsed onto the bed, breathing rapidly.
The prince stood up, looked at the stains on his body for a moment, then turned his face away, went to get the armor and helmet from the side, and put them back on neatly.
"I'll come see you again tomorrow." He chuckled softly and left.
Lou Xueying watched the door close and pursed her lips.
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