A Stolen Romance - Chapter

Chapter 11: Escape

The night was deep, the silver mirror of the moon hung high, and its light scattered over the dark blue tiles.

Shi Yuning held her breath, watching as Xie Zhaoran carefully pried open a dirty, dark tile. Immediately, a light from inside shone through.

Shi Yuning let out the breath she was holding, exhaling it all over Xie Zhaoran’s face.

The two were so close that their breaths mingled. After prying off the tile, Xie Zhaoran didn’t have time to wipe her hand and clenched it tightly.

Seeing Shi Yuning’s wide, round eyes, like a little fawn’s, looking at her in surprise, Xie Zhaoran regretted bringing her on this outing.

She felt like this was more of a test for her.

Xie Zhaoran took a deep breath, motioned for Shi Yuning to stay quiet, and gestured for her to look through the newly created hole.

The show was happening down there, not on her face.

Shi Yuning understood and leaned forward to peer into the light below. She squinted her eyes, and what she saw astounded her.

A group of people sat in the brightly lit room. Shi Yuning didn’t recognize any of them, except for Prince Yu in the purple robes sitting at the head of the table.

Xie Zhaoran had taken her to the Prince’s mansion, climbed onto the roof, and was now a peeping tom watching Prince Yu!

She had a belly full of questions and turned to look at Xie Zhaoran. But the latter didn’t seem to want to explain anything. She gently cupped Shi Yuning’s chin and turned her head back toward the hole, as if to tell her to keep watching.

Shi Yuning rubbed her chin. Although Xie Zhaoran hadn’t used much force, her hand was very warm. Shi Yuning felt as if she had been lightly scalded.

While covering her chin, she settled down and squatted on Prince Yu’s roof, her gaze fixed on the room below. She couldn’t understand why the allegedly injured Prince was gathering a room full of people so late at night.

Xie Zhaoran saw that Shi Yuning was focused on the activity below and was no longer looking at her. She let out a shallow breath and unconsciously rubbed her thumb and forefinger together as she looked down with her.

Prince Yu had summoned his personal assassins and strategists tonight to consult with them on what to do next. He had been cooped up in his mansion for a month now, and his patience had worn thin.

Ever since he received that terrifying, mutilated corpse from Xie Zhaoran, Prince Yu had been worried that she had a contingency plan. He also feared that if the Crown Prince found out about his scheme, he would be punished.

His strategists also advised him to stay in the mansion and not go out. The guards were mostly positioned outside the main courtyard, patrols were increased, and night shifts were added.

He had been hiding for a month, and nothing had happened. This made him even more uneasy!

Tonight, Prince Yu gathered everyone to hear their opinions on what to do next. He couldn’t keep hiding forever.

“I say we strike first. Since the Crown Prince already knows about His Highness’s ambitions, why don’t we act first and catch him off guard?”

“I agree with Brother Chen. Once the Crown Prince is dead, the position will surely go to His Highness Prince Yu.”

“Absolutely not! First of all, since the Crown Prince is aware of His Highness’s plan, he must be prepared. If the assassination fails and is exposed, His Highness will not escape death!”

“That’s not necessarily true, Commander Li. If the Crown Prince dies, the Emperor will only have His Highness as a son. Even if the truth is known, the Emperor will likely protect His Highness to ensure there is a successor to the throne.”

For a time, everyone was chattering, and there were all kinds of opinions. They were basically divided into two categories: offensive and defensive.

Gradually, the suggestion to take action against the Crown Prince gained the upper hand. Those who disagreed desperately tried to persuade Prince Yu to think carefully.

“Don’t forget, the Grand Princess has a close relationship with the Crown Prince. If she finds out that His Highness hurt the Crown Prince, she will not let the matter go!”

“Hmph. What’s so scary about a mere woman?”

“Don’t speak so foolishly and mislead His Highness. The Grand Princess holds real command of a hundred thousand soldiers. The Crown Prince and His Highness do not.”

“Exactly. If it weren’t for military power, why would the Crown Prince marry a Xie family woman? It was all for the military power in the Xie family’s hands.”

“Commander Zhang is right. His Highness Prince Yu’s plan to marry Miss Shi was also for the Shi family’s military power. Now that the plan has failed, we must be cautious.”

Prince Yu was extremely frustrated when he heard this. He thought his last plan was perfect!

“It’s outrageous! I sent my top-tier assassins to kill Xie Zhaoran so I could appear at the right time as a hero and save Miss Shi. With that life-saving grace, I assumed the Shi family would not dare to reject my marriage proposal again!”

“I’m so angry! If it weren’t for that wretched Xie Zhaoran who ruined my plan, I would have already won over Shi Yuning!”

“With how much the Shi family dotes on Shi Yuning, they would surely be working for me in the future. I would have command over military power. All of this was ruined by that slut Xie Zhaoran!”

“If Xie Zhaoran ever falls into my hands, I will flay and debone her with three knives and six holes, and make her regret ever opposing me today!”

Shi Yuning’s face grew darker and darker as she listened, her expression grim. She glanced at Xie Zhaoran beside her. As the person being cursed, she seemed completely unfazed.

Shi Yuning took several deep breaths to stop herself from kicking open the hole and jumping down from the ceiling to slap Prince Yu hard across the face.

This bastard, this scumbag with a human face and a beast’s heart! So that was the reason for the assassination at the hunting grounds. She had thought it was an enemy of the Shi family. She never would have guessed it was this scoundrel, Prince Yu, who was behind it.

Now that she knew the truth, Shi Yuning was so angry that her breath was unstable, darting around her chest as if unable to find a way out.

She was so red and breathless with anger.

Shi Yuning took a hard, exasperated breath. In her excitement, she accidentally kicked a loose tile by the hole, making an ear-splitting scraping sound.

Shi Yuning’s flushed face instantly lost all color. Oh no, I’ve messed up. I’m going to get Xie Zhaoran in trouble.

“Who’s up there?”

Inside the room, Prince Yu’s chief guard was the first to notice something was wrong and rushed outside.

“Look out! There’s someone on the roof!”

“Quick, chase them! There are assassins!”

Commander Zhang saw the figures on the roof running away. After reporting to Prince Yu, he quickly led his men in pursuit.

The moment Shi Yuning accidentally made a sound, Xie Zhaoran made a decisive decision and ran away with her.

They flew over the eaves, ran across rooftops, and scaled walls. They weaved through the buildings, hugging the narrow ledges.

Shi Yuning’s heart was a rollercoaster of excitement. She was scared to death. The sound of their pursuers’ footsteps grew closer, and the wind whistled past her ears.

The feeling of weightlessness as they went up and down, and the fear of missing a step on the narrow ledges, made her feel as if her heart was suspended from a watchtower.

The only thing that gave her a sense of calm and security was Xie Zhaoran’s warm and strong hand holding hers.

“The Marquis’s residence is just ahead. Should we take refuge at my place?”

Shi Yuning, with her sharp eyes, saw that her family’s residence was just a street away. She grabbed Xie Zhaoran and asked anxiously.

“No, we’ll be exposed. Follow me.”

Xie Zhaoran finished speaking and led Shi Yuning from one rooftop to a nearby ledge. She slipped through a half-open window and into a building.

Shi Yuning didn’t recognize the building from the outside, but as soon as she entered, she immediately realized it was the Lan Yue Tower, one of the most bustling restaurants in the capital.

The Lan Yue Tower had been doing incredibly well in business in recent years due to its luxurious decor and beautiful singers and dancers. A few years ago, it had expanded its area on both ends.

Now, the entire Lan Yue Tower consisted of five buildings—East, West, North, South, and Central—each with two floors and countless rooms.

The interior decoration wasn’t as empty and simple as a typical restaurant. On the contrary, the owner seemed to have a great sense of style, with small bridges over flowing water, intertwining wisteria, and a rockery placed in layers throughout the building. They even brought in living water to create a pond with koi fish.

It was a beautiful scene of a southern-style town with small bridges and flowing streams.

Without a guide, one would almost certainly get lost inside.

Shi Yuning had only been there once with her father and wasn’t very familiar with the layout. As she was worrying about where to go, Xie Zhaoran pulled her into an elegant room with a fragrant aroma.

Xie Zhaoran walked straight to a pile of chests inside the room. She casually pulled out two sets of clothes, handing a set of dark green robes to Shi Yuning.

She then pushed Shi Yuning behind a folding screen painted with beauties. “Change your clothes.”

After saying that, she went to the other side of the screen and quickly changed her own clothes.

Shi Yuning was completely bewildered, but she knew time was of the essence. She quickly took off her mask, stripped off her night clothes, and put on the robes Xie Zhaoran had found for her.

What was surprising was that the clothes Xie Zhaoran had casually grabbed fit her perfectly.

After she went around the screen, Shi Yuning saw that Xie Zhaoran had also changed, and her clothes fit perfectly as well.

Their sizes were so different, yet two sets of clothes pulled casually from the same chest fit them both.

Shi Yuning guessed that this was probably not a coincidence.

Xie Zhaoran led a newly dressed Shi Yuning right out of the front door of the Lan Yue Tower, just as Prince Yu’s guards, rushing in, passed them by.

When they had walked a good distance away, Shi Yuning asked, “Is the Lan Yue Tower going to be in trouble?”

She didn’t want the owner to suffer because of her mistake.

“Don’t worry. The owner of the Lan Yue Tower is not someone Prince Yu can easily offend.”

Xie Zhaoran thought, Never mind Prince Yu. Even if the Emperor came, he would have to be polite.

Shi Yuning felt a little relieved when she heard this.

“Did you know about Prince Yu all along?”

“Yes.”

Shi Yuning had guessed as much. Otherwise, Xie Zhaoran wouldn’t have deliberately taken her to the Prince’s mansion so late at night.

“What are you going to do about it?”

Before Xie Zhaoran could answer, Shi Yuning thought of all the horrible things Prince Yu had said, especially the way he had cursed Xie Zhaoran. She wished she could rush back right now and teach him a lesson.

But a month had passed, and Xie Zhaoran hadn’t responded. Was she being held back by some concerns?

No matter what the concerns were, Prince Yu had attempted murder. He had to pay the price!

“I’m going to tell my grandfather. I’ll have him tell His Majesty about this. I heard it with my own ears. I can be a witness!”

Xie Zhaoran saw Shi Yuning pouting unhappily, the corners of her eyes a little red.

Xie Zhaoran unconsciously reached out and cupped Shi Yuning’s chin, her fingers pinching her cheeks.

The pouty face immediately deflated with a little poof, and her mouth was squeezed into the shape of an egg.

So endearingly cute.

Support A Stolen Romance