Prime Minister Li sighed heavily: "Dongfang Heng has already given the order. If I want to pick someone up, I should go directly to him!" He felt utterly humiliated by his unfilial grandson, Fan'er.
Dongfang Zhan lowered his eyelids, clenched his large hands into fists, and his face was terribly gloomy. He could never ask Dongfang Heng for something like this.
Prime Minister Li knew what Dongfang Zhan was thinking, so he didn't say much. He sighed softly and ordered someone to prepare a sedan chair so he could go to the Holy King's Mansion to see Dongfang Heng. No matter how incompetent or troublesome Li Fan was, he was still his grandson. Even if he and the Prime Minister's Mansion lost all face, he couldn't just stand by and watch him die.
Knowing that Prime Minister Li would come, the guards of the Holy King's Mansion did not announce his arrival when they saw him get off the sedan chair. Instead, they led him directly to Dongfang Heng's study. No one knew what they talked about, only that they chatted until midnight. When they came out, Prime Minister Li was full of regret, shaking his head and sighing. The guards could vaguely hear him muttering to himself, scolding Li Fan for disgracing him.
After Prime Minister Li left, Dongfang Heng returned to Fengsong Courtyard. Shen Lixue was lying on the inside of the large bed, already asleep. Her long eyelashes curled up like butterfly wings, casting two deep shadows on her eyelids. The warm light of the luminous pearl shone on her small face, making her look indescribably peaceful and serene.
After taking a bath, Dongfang Heng lay down next to Shen Lixue and pulled her into his arms. His scarlet nightgown was slightly loosened, revealing her slender neck, delicate collarbone, and tender skin on her chest. Perhaps he had been too passionate last night, because even a day later, the hickeys on her body were still clearly visible, testifying to his madness last night.
With her soft, boneless body in his arms, Dongfang Heng felt a little restless, but it was late at night and Shen Lixue was already fast asleep. He couldn't bear to wake her. She looked very tired and in dire need of rest, so they decided to rest for the night and be intimate again the next night.
His sensual, thin lips lightly touched Shen Lixue's soft, fragrant lips, like a dragonfly skimming the water. Dongfang Heng held her tightly, closed his eyes, and the twinkling lights of the pearl warmed the room.
As dawn broke, Shen Lixue slowly woke up. Looking at the sky outside the window, she sighed with emotion. This was the first time she had gotten up so early since getting married.
Looking up at Dongfang Heng's sleeping, handsome face, she smiled. Last night, Dongfang Heng unusually didn't drag her into his crazy antics. Had he changed his ways, or was he intimidated by her threats during the day?
A warm, moist touch suddenly came onto her lips, and the familiar scent of pine resin filled her mouth. Shen Lixue looked up and met Dongfang Heng's deep, obsidian-like eyes: "You're awake!"
"Hmm!" Shen Lixue nodded, glancing out the window: "The court session has already started; you're late!"
"I will not attend court today!" Dongfang Heng gently kissed Shen Lixue's forehead.
Shen Lixue frowned: "Still on leave?" Isn't leave only one day in court?
"No, that's not it." Dongfang Heng's warm breath brushed against Shen Lixue's face. "I have matters to attend to and do not need to attend court!"
"What is it?" Shen Lixue asked curiously. What could be more important than attending court?
Dongfang Heng looked into Shen Lixue's eyes, his deep gaze unusually solemn: "After breakfast, I'll take you somewhere."
As the morning clouds dispersed and the thin mist dissipated, specks of golden light shone through the clouds onto the earth. Dongfang Heng, mysterious and enigmatic, brought Chen Lixue not to a bustling street or a lively restaurant, but to the Imperial Mausoleum, the burial ground for the royal family members of past dynasties.
Standing before a solemn and magnificent tomb, Dongfang Heng tossed strings of paper money into the brazier: "These are the tombs of my father and mother. Today is the anniversary of their death!"
"Father, Mother is buried with you!" Shen Lixue looked at the tombstone, which read: "Tomb of Father Dongfang Yan and Mother Liu Rumeng!" It was clearly a joint burial tomb. She respectfully performed the junior's bow: "They must have been very loving!"
"Yes, we are born together, we die together, we are bound by life and death!" When talking about his parents, a hint of warmth flickered in Dongfang Heng's sharp eyes. He didn't understand that kind of lifelong love before, but he understood after meeting Shen Lixue. The most beautiful love in the world is the love of tying hair into a bun and drawing eyebrows under the lamp. His parents had it, and so did he.
After marrying Shen Lixue, Dongfang Xun came to meet his parents for the first time. Knowing that she would stay there for a while, and seeing that Dongfang Heng also had things to say to his parents, he burned paper money and paid his respects before leaving first, leaving Shen Lixue and Dongfang Heng alone at the cemetery.
"My father and mother passed away together. Over there, they are still devoted to each other, a loving couple, and they must be living a very good life!" Sharing the same clothes in life and the same grave in death, such a deep affection is truly enviable.
Dongfang Heng gently embraced Shen Lixue, looking at the names of the Holy King and Holy Queen side by side on the tombstone: "I also believe that they must have been very happy!" He got married and brought his new wife to visit his parents. If they knew this in the afterlife, they would definitely be happy for him.
"Your Highness, Your Highness's Consort, have come to pay your respects to the Holy Prince and His Consort!" A charming female voice approached from afar, breaking the warm atmosphere.
Shen Lixue frowned deeply. What was she doing here?
A golden robe fluttered past, and Ye Qianmei was already close by. Shen Lixue turned around, her cold gaze calm and unwavering: "I wonder who Princess Qianmei has come to pay respects to?"
There are guards outside the imperial mausoleum, and it's not a place where just anyone can enter. Ye Qianmei would need a suitable reason to come here.
"Of course, we've come to pay our respects to the Holy Prince and Holy Princess!" Ye Qianmei smiled charmingly, her eyes alluring, and pointed to the baskets held by the maids: "I've brought many specialties from the Western Liang Kingdom; the Holy Prince and Holy Princess will surely love them!"
Shen Lixue smiled, but her eyes flashed with a coldness like the snow that never melts on the Tianshan Mountains: "Princess Qianmei, are you dressed like this to pay respects to the dead?" Wearing a gorgeous golden dress, a noble golden headdress, and golden bracelets on her wrists, with her fingernails painted red, she was dressed so extravagantly that she did not look like she was paying respects to the dead. She was clearly here to provoke and show off.
Ye Qianmei sighed, feigning difficulty: "I also wanted to wear a plain white dress like the Princess Consort to pay homage to the Holy King and the Holy Princess Consort, but then I thought again, the Prince Zhan and I have already been betrothed, and the wedding date will be set soon. If I dress too plainly, wouldn't that bring bad luck to the Prince Zhan!"
She didn't actually cause trouble for Dongfang Zhan; instead, she dressed smartly and came to the imperial mausoleum to provoke Shen Lixue and Dongfang Heng. If she were to actually pay homage to the Holy King and Holy Queen, the Holy King's Mansion would lose all face.
Shen Lixue looked at Ye Qianmei calmly: "When paying respects to elders, sincerity is essential. Princess Qianmei, wearing such noble and glamorous clothes here is a great disrespect to the deceased. This imperial mausoleum contains the imperial emperor, empress, imperial concubines, princes, and princesses. If you anger them, and they send a dream to the current emperor, no one can protect the princess!"
"Alright, alright, I won't pay my respects for now!" Ye Qianmei waved her hand dismissively. She was bored at the post station, so she took advantage of the anniversary of the Holy King and Holy Queen's death to cause trouble for Dongfang Heng and Shen Lixue. Since Shen Lixue wouldn't let her pay her respects, she was more than happy to do so: "Princess Consort, do you think my Huasheng hairpin is beautiful?"
The golden Huasheng, noble and gorgeous, was neatly placed on the black hair bun, reflecting a dazzling light in the sunlight. Ye Qianmei lightly touched the Huasheng with her slender fingers, waiting proudly for Shen Lixue's praise.
Shen Lixue said that it was disrespectful for her to wear beautiful clothes and expensive jewelry, but she insisted on showing off in front of the tombstones of the Holy King and Holy Queen in the Qingyan Imperial Mausoleum, to make her furious.
"It is very beautiful!" Shen Lixue guessed Ye Qianmei's intention and glanced at it casually. The Huasheng was very beautiful and dazzling. She was just praising the Huasheng and it had nothing to do with Ye Qianmei.
"This is my mother's favorite Hua Sheng. She gave it to me when I came to Qingyan for the marriage alliance!" Ye Qianmei boasted proudly, implying to Shen Lixue that she was very favored in Xiliang.
Shen Lixue smiled gently: "Judging from the appearance of this Huasheng, there should also be matching earrings, hairpins, and bracelets. Didn't the princess's mother give you the whole set?"
Ye Qianmei's smug little face instantly froze. She had come to Qingyan in such a hurry that she hadn't taken a good look at whether Huasheng had any tricks up its sleeve. She never expected that Shen Lixue would find a loophole and take the opportunity to attack her.
Seeing Ye Qianmei's gloomy face, Shen Lixue knew she had guessed correctly. A faint smile appeared on her lips, as if mocking her: "Your mother's affection for you is nothing more than this. She only gives you one piece of a set of jewelry, and she can't even give you the whole set!"
Ye Qianmei's alluring eyes turned cold and arrogant as she said, "I'm tired, so I won't pay my respects to the Holy Prince and Holy Princess. Farewell!"
As she spoke, she turned around and gracefully walked back along the stone path. After leaving the imperial mausoleum, she took off the Huasheng hair ornament from her hair and threw it into the hands of her maid. She was furious. What was wrong with her mother? She only gave her one piece of the entire set of jewelry. She was so angry.
Watching Ye Qianmei leave, the familiar scent of pine lingered in the air. Dongfang Heng's jade-like hand tightly grasped her small hand, and a coolness seeped into her hand, instantly spreading throughout her arm. Shen Lixue was startled: "Dongfang Heng, why are your hands so cold?"
Previously, Dongfang Heng's hands were always warm, no matter when or where. Just now, when they were paying homage to the Holy King and Holy Queen, his hands were also warm. Why did they suddenly become so cold?
The warmth in Dongfang Heng's dark eyes vanished, replaced by a chilling glint that inspired fear: "Li Xue, let's go back to the manor first!"
"Are you feeling unwell?" Back in the inner room of Fengsong Courtyard, Shen Lixue considerately went to pour tea, but Dongfang Heng reached out and stopped her, his sharp eyes flashing with coldness: "That Huasheng, the one Ye Qianmei showed off to you, is my mother's!"
Shen Lixue felt as if she had been struck by lightning, and was shocked on the spot: "This... how is this possible? Are you sure you're not mistaken?" How could the Holy Princess's Huasheng have fallen into the hands of Ye Qianmei's mother?
"Absolutely not!" Dongfang Heng's gaze was firm, and he spoke with unwavering certainty: "That was a token of love that my father gave to my mother, and it was indeed a complete set!"
As he spoke, he released Shen Lixue, strode to a hidden compartment, opened it, and took out an exquisite box. The box had a pattern of gold crisscrossing on it, which was very similar to the one on the Huasheng. When he opened it, he found hairpins, earrings, bracelets, and everything else, but the Huasheng was missing.