Shen Yingxue glanced at Shen Lixue with disdain, her beautiful eyes filled with smugness and provocation. So what if she was the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's family? Her looks were not even half as good as hers. After Prince An had seen her, how could he still like her? Even if she regained her status as the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's family, the person Prince An would marry would still be her...
After straightening her clothes and tidying her hair, Shen Yingxue's beautiful face was filled with a shy yet proud smile as she walked towards Prince An. Her beautiful eyes reflected Prince An's handsome and extraordinary face, and Shen Yingxue was filled with emotion. He had been gone for three years, and she had missed him for three years. Had he missed her while he was at the border for so long?
A faint scent of pine resin drifted in the breeze. Shen Yingxue was only two steps away from Prince An. A charming smile played on her lips as she gave a slight curtsy and said shyly, "Prince..."
A faint scent of pine lingered in the air, and a glimpse of white robes drifted past. Without even glancing at Shen Yingxue, Prince An's tall figure passed right past her and instantly appeared before Shen Lixue.
Shen Yingxue's words caught in her throat, and she awkwardly squatted in the pavilion, unsure whether to stand or sit.
"Has the gift I sent to Lei Yarong arrived?" Shen Lixue asked softly, in a voice only she and Prince An could hear.
The matter of the gift was handled by General Lin. Nangong Xiao drove extremely fast, and when the carriage arrived at the Prime Minister's residence, General Lin had not yet arrived. Fearing that something might go wrong, Shen Lixue went into the residence first to test Lei Shi and buy time.
"I'll be there soon!" Prince An's voice was very soft, so others couldn't hear what he was saying, but they could see him talking to Shen Lixue!
Even someone as noble as Prince An ignored everyone else upon entering the garden, but spoke to Shen Lixue. Just who is she?
Under the sunlight, Shen Lixue and Prince An stood together, so harmonious, so well-matched. Shen Yingxue's almond-shaped eyes widened with jealousy, her eyes blazing with anger. Prince An ignored her, yet chatted intimately with Shen Lixue. How could this be? How could this be?
She was far more beautiful than Shen Lixue; there was no way Prince An couldn't have missed that. Under normal circumstances, no one would abandon their dignified and beautiful self to like the lowly Shen Lixue. It must be that Shen Lixue used some underhanded means to seduce Prince An, which is why he fell for her trick...
That must be it, absolutely!
Consoling herself, Shen Yingxue strode towards Prince An. She wanted to tell him that Shen Lixue had used despicable methods against him, and that he could no longer approach the shameless Shen Lixue...
Just as Shen Yingxue was about to rush to Prince An, several guards appeared out of thin air and threw corpses at Shen Yingxue and Lei Shi.
"Thump, thump!" Amidst the billowing dust, a faint smell of blood wafted through the air. Lei Shi and Shen Yingxue were startled and retreated in shock. The noble ladies turned pale instantly, screaming and creating chaos: "There's a dead person! There's a dead person!"
As the smoke and dust dissipated, the bodies of eight men in black and two bandits lay scattered on the ground. Shen Yingxue, who had lived in the inner courtyard for a long time, had never seen such a bloody scene before. Her body went limp and she collapsed to the ground, her eyes glazed over, at a loss for what to do.
"What's going on?" Lei Shi remained relatively calm, but her face was extremely grim. They actually threw a corpse in front of her. They must have a lot of nerve. The man in black, the bandits, looked very much like the people she had sent to kill Shen Lixue...
"These are the assassins and bandits who tried to kill me. Do they look familiar, Madam?" Shen Lixue smiled faintly, her dark eyes flashing with deep mockery. These corpses were her birthday gift to the Lei family!
"I am the Prime Minister's wife, in charge of the inner courtyard. I never leave the inner courtyard, how could I possibly know these villains!" Lei Shi said, her dark eyes blazing with anger. Shen Lixue had killed these assassins and thrown their bodies in front of her; she should have guessed the truth.
First came the hundred-day memorial, then the corpse. On her own birthday, Shen Lixue kept finding bad luck for herself, even cursing herself to die. I'm so angry, so angry...
"Madam is kind-hearted and gentle, of course she wouldn't recognize these villains!" Shen Lixue smiled slightly, her cold gaze like ice in the dead of winter, instantly freezing anyone who looked at her: "As soon as I left Luoye Temple, these assassins, armed with sharp weapons, swarmed at me, howling, as if they had been lying in wait in Luoye Temple all along, just waiting for me to come out and kill me..."
The ladies present were all shrewd and calculating. Previously, Lei Shi and Shen Yingxue had vehemently denied Shen Lixue's identity, but now these assassins were likely connected to them...
"Since they are assassins and bandits, their bodies can be sent to Shuntian Prefecture. Why did you bring them to the Prime Minister's residence?" Lei's face was terribly pale. Her slender hands clenched tightly, her nails digging deep into her flesh. She felt a tightness in her chest. She could not admit that she had sent these people, nor could she show any sympathy for them. Otherwise, Shen Lixue would use this as an excuse to put her to death!
The person Lei wanted to kill stood before her, boasting and showing off. Unable to avenge her own people, she had to force a smile at the murderer. Lei was so frustrated she felt like she was going to vomit blood, but in front of the guests, she had to maintain the dignity of the Prime Minister's wife and not lose her composure, making her chest feel even more suffocated.
"We originally planned to go to Shuntian Prefecture, but seeing that the Shuntian family was with their wives and children at the Prime Minister's residence, we decided not to make any more trips. It's the same to hand over the body to Shuntian Prefecture here..." Shen Lixue smiled brightly, her eyes were clear, and a coldness flowed deep in her dark pupils. Lei Shi, you can't stand this? There's something even more to make you vomit blood.
Shen Lixue waved her hand lightly, and the two women's corpses were thrown in front of Lei Shi, raising clouds of dust.
"Hey, aren't those Chunhua and Qiuyue?" Chunhua and Qiuyue were people around Lei Shi, and they often accompanied Lei Shi to banquets. Among the noble ladies and young ladies, some people recognized them.
"They are Chunhua and Qiuyue!" Shen Lixue confirmed the two women's identities, lowered her eyelids, and sighed heavily, feigning helplessness: "When those assassins rushed up, they pushed me to block their swords. Fortunately, Prince An happened to be passing by with his men and saved my life. The assassins and bandits resisted stubbornly, but they were all brought to justice on the spot. However, Chunhua and Qiuyue ran too far, and Prince An's men couldn't reach them in time..."
The noble ladies and young women initially felt sorry for Chunhua and Qiuyue, who were covered in blood, riddled with holes, their almond-shaped eyes wide open, dying with unfinished business. However, upon learning that they had actually pushed their master to shield him from a sword and fled for their own lives, they lost all sympathy for them.
That cowardly, cowardly, shameless servant who betrayed his master and fled for his life deserved to die. His body doesn't even need a proper burial; just throw it into a mass grave to feed the wild animals…
“Madam, when you choose maids again, you must be careful. It’s best not to choose maids like Chunhua and Qiuyue…” A layer of mist appeared in Shen Lixue’s dark eyes, as if she regretted that Lei had chosen the wrong people.
The gazes of the crowd toward Lady Lei were filled with contempt and disdain. As expected of a second wife, she was poorly disciplined, had poor judgment of character, and extremely inept. It was truly incomprehensible how she could be the wife of the Prime Minister…
With just a few words, Shen Lixue transformed Lady Lei from the high and mighty wife of the Prime Minister into a worthless and lowly second wife. Lady Lei had countless grievances but could not utter them. The anger churning in her chest could no longer be suppressed and rushed straight to her mind. Lady Lei's vision went black, and a metallic taste rose in her throat...
022 The General is My Cousin
"Shen Lixue, you said Chunhua and Qiuyue were cowards who feared death and that the master fled for his life. Is there any witness?" The crowd looked at her with disdain and contempt. Shen Yingxue suddenly realized that Shen Lixue wanted to ruin their reputation. She could not let Shen Lixue have her way.
Chunhua and Qiuyue accompanied Shen Lixue to offer incense, but they encountered assassins and bandits on the way. Only Shen Lixue survived. Of course, the truth was fabricated by her. She said that Chunhua and Qiuyue were cowards who were afraid of death, and that's what they were.
What if Shen Lixue was just being cowardly and deliberately pushed Chunhua and Qiuyue out to take the sword? Although servants have an obligation to sacrifice themselves to save their mistress, if servants die for her and she slanders them for her own reputation, then she is of despicable character and shameless!
"Is Prince An a witness?" Shen Lixue's dark eyes were as clear as spring water: "He saw the whole process of me being ambushed and chased by assassins!"
Prince An did not speak. His obsidian eyes were as deep as a pool, exuding a noble and chilling aura that was impossible to ignore!
Everyone looked at Shen Yingxue with mockery and disdain: Shen Lixue was saved by Prince An, and when she recounted what happened, Prince An didn't utter a single word of rebuttal, which shows that what she said was true. Shen Yingxue's suspicion that Shen Lixue was lying was tantamount to suspecting Prince An! How foolish!
Shen Yingxue's pretty face changed dozens of colors in an instant. Her neat pearly teeth bit her cherry-red lower lip tightly, and anger burned in her eyes. Just now, she was so focused on scheming against Shen Lixue that she forgot that she was saved by Prince An!
That bitch really knows how to flatter people; no wonder Prince An was captivated by her. However, my own ability to flatter is no less than hers.
“I don’t mean to doubt you, but when Chunhua and Qiuyue were with my mother, they were always obedient and well-behaved. Why did they become so afraid of death after following you…” Shen Yingxue looked at Shen Lixue, her bewildered gaze carrying a sharp edge: “One is influenced by one’s company. Even if Chunhua and Qiuyue have become bad, it’s because they learned it from Shen Lixue, and it has nothing to do with the mother and daughter.”
"Chunhua and Qiuyue have been by Madam's side for several years, but they've only been with me for half a month. Could it be that Madam's years of training for them are no match for my influence on them in just half a month?" Shen Lixue's eyes were clear and bright, her smile seemingly half-smile. Her temperament was so easily changed, which showed that Madam's judgment was extremely poor, actually choosing such two people as her head maids.
"You..." Shen Yingxue was so angry that she choked. She pointed at Shen Lixue, her lips trembling, but she couldn't utter a complete sentence. She was so sharp-tongued and eloquent. What a slut!
So what if she regained her status as the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's family? She had no father's love, no mother's affection, and no powerful relatives to help her. Even someone as noble as Prince An would never marry a lowly woman with no background as his concubine...
Lei suppressed the metallic taste in her throat and glared fiercely at Shen Yingxue. Foolish! Shen Lixue came prepared. If she got entangled with her in this matter, she would be the one to suffer.
"Cousin Lixue, is today the 100th day memorial for your aunt?" The bodies of the assassins and bandits were carried away by people from Shuntian Prefecture. General Lin, dressed in blue, pushed through the crowd and walked to Shen Lixue with a warm smile that was like a spring breeze.
Cousin? Aunt? Shen Lixue was taken aback, vaguely guessing the identity of the man in blue: "Who are you?"
"My name is Lin Yan. My father and your mother are siblings from the same mother!" Lin Yan answered softly, a hint of pity appearing in his gentle gaze as he looked at Chen Lixue: "You really look like your aunt!"