Seeing Shen Yingxue's fluctuating expression, Shen Lixue said calmly, "Shen Yingxue, you lost too much blood. The treatment was too late, and the baby couldn't be saved."
Shen Yingxue then remembered that she had fainted because she had squatted down on the ground, and her stomach was in sharp pain and she had lost a lot of blood. She slowly raised her hand and touched her flat stomach. The baby was indeed gone. She had always hated this child. Well, it was fine if it was gone. It would make things easier for her.
"For the sake of our past sisterhood, I'll give you two choices. One, take this money and leave the capital, go as far away as possible, and never come back." Shen Lixue's fair hands held the teacup lightly, the rising steam obscuring the expression in her eyes.
Yan Yue stepped forward carrying a tray. On the red silk were twenty gleaming silver ingots, each worth fifty taels. Shen Yingxue hadn't seen so much silver in a long time. Her eyes sparkled, and she couldn't wait to reach out and gently stroke the silver ingots. A thousand taels of silver! It was like a pie falling from the sky. At her current rate of spending, she could never finish it in a lifetime.
"Shen Lixue, why are you so good to me?" Back in the Prime Minister's residence, Shen Lixue and she fought fiercely, hating each other. Seeing her downfall, Shen Lixue should have been gloating and mocking her, so why is she helping her? Could it be that she has ulterior motives and wants to make her even more miserable?
"I'm two months pregnant and I want to do some good deeds to pray for my child." Shen Lixue gently stroked her flat belly, her eyes filled with happiness.
"Really?" Shen Yingxue looked at Shen Lixue's slender figure and rosy face in surprise. She was a woman completely immersed in happiness, without any trace of the haggardness or fatigue of a pregnant woman.
"It's all over the capital. If you don't believe me, just stop any passerby and ask them after dawn." Shen Yingxue, having lived in the post station for so long, was out of touch with the news. After gaining her freedom yesterday, she was busy looking for a place to live and hadn't had time to listen to idle gossip. She didn't know that Shen Lixue was pregnant. Shen Lixue wasn't annoyed and said softly:
“Children are a mother’s precious treasure. You must be heartbroken to lose your child. I’m about to become a mother myself. I’ll help you this once because of your loss.”
"Princess Consort, what is the other path?" Shen Lixue was the Princess Consort of Qingyan'an County, and she could not and dared not lie about her pregnancy. Shen Yingxue believed her to some extent, and seeing that Shen Lixue's attitude towards her was good, she also began to address Shen Lixue with respect.
She stroked the glittering silver coins with a beaming smile. With these coins, she could dress up and adorn herself to her heart's content, regain her unparalleled beauty, and marry noblemen.
"The other option is to stay in the capital. I can help you fulfill your deepest desire, but there's a condition: no matter what happens, you must take full responsibility and not reveal that I'm involved." Shen Lixue's increasingly lowered voice indicated that the matter was very mysterious.
Shen Yingxue paused, "Does the Princess Consort know what my deepest wish is?"
"Of course I know." Shen Lixue curled her lips into a cold smile. Lei Taiwei and the Prime Minister's mansion had already been destroyed. Shen Yingxue was a weak woman who loved vanity and had no one to rely on. Her greatest wish was to find a safe haven, enjoy wealth and honor, and live a happy life. "As long as you nod your head in agreement, I can help you achieve that."
Shen Yingxue's joyful smile froze slightly, her eyes flickering with hesitation. Both conditions proposed by Shen Lixue were very tempting, but the man in black had repeatedly told her to enter the Holy King's Mansion. If she just left without a care, he would definitely not let her go.
"Are you worried that your mastermind will cause you trouble?" Shen Lixue asked casually.
"How did you know?" Shen Yingxue was startled, the question blurting out without thinking. She immediately realized she'd let something slip, lightly covering half her mouth with her finger, stammering, "I...I meant to say..."
Shen Lixue lightly touched the tea leaves with the lid of her cup and said calmly, "Don't worry, since I've chosen these two paths for you, I will definitely ensure your safety."
"Really?" Shen Yingxue was a little skeptical. She hadn't seen the man in black's face, but she could sense his icy aura and knew he was not someone to be trifled with. Could Shen Lixue really save her?
“The guards of the Azure Flame War God are few in the capital who can compare to them. It’s not easy to hurt someone under their protection.” Shen Lixue’s cold gaze pierced through the curtain and looked outside the tent: “Whether you leave the capital or stay in the capital, make a decision quickly before dawn so that I can make proper arrangements for the guards.”
Speaking of the Azure Flame War God's guards, Shen Yingxue thought of Zi Mo, who stood expressionless outside the bamboo garden of the Prime Minister's residence a few months ago. That person's aura was also very cold, probably on par with the person who saved her last night. The only one threatening her was a man in black. Shen Lixue sent at least two, three, or even more guards to protect her. She no longer needed to be afraid of that man in black.
"Fine, I promise you!" Shen Yingxue gritted her teeth. Her only copper coins had been taken by Shen Yelei, and she had lost her child. She was weak and needed money to buy medicine to nourish her body. Shen Lixue had already guessed her purpose in coming to the Holy King's Mansion. If she insisted on going her own way and forced her way into the Holy King's Mansion, Shen Lixue would definitely kill her without hesitation.
It would be better to cooperate with Shen Lixue, follow the path she has laid out, and enjoy wealth and honor after the matter is accomplished.
“Princess Consort, I choose the second path.” Taking a thousand taels of silver and leaving the capital is indeed a good option, but silver is limited after all. She needs to be frugal and her life will be just average. In comparison, the second path is much better. Finding that powerful backer is like having a gold mine. She can eat and drink well every day and enjoy endless wealth and luxury.
She knew Shen Yingxue would choose the second path!
Shen Lixue looked up at Shen Yingxue's slightly dark and bloodless face, and her exhausted eyes: "The most important thing right now is to take care of your health." Her body had lost too much blood due to the miscarriage and was very weak, unable to do anything.
With the terms agreed upon, Shen Lixue stepped out of the tent and returned to Fengsong Courtyard under the full moonlight.
She sent Qiuhe and Yanyue back to their rooms to rest, and Shen Lixue went into the inner room alone. The moonlight shone through the room, making it warm and quiet. She didn't see the white-robed master. She frowned. It was almost midnight, and Heng was not in the bedroom. Could he have gone to the study to handle some matters?
"How did the talks go?" A clear, magnetic voice rang out as Dongfang Heng emerged from behind the screen. His white robe was half-open, revealing his strong chest, and he held a large cotton handkerchief in his hand, drying his half-dry hair.
“It’s all settled.” Shen Lixue stepped forward, took the cotton handkerchief from Dongfang Heng’s hand, and gently wiped his jet-black hair.
"What do you want to do?" Dongfang Heng turned around and gently embraced Shen Lixue's small waist. The faint scent of pine resin mixed with the residual warmth of the hot water wafted over, intoxicatingly sweet.
Shen Lixue smiled mysteriously: "Of course, it's about giving them a taste of their own medicine."
Dongfang Heng lowered his head slightly, allowing Shen Lixue to easily wipe his hair: "Do you know who's behind this?"
Shen Yingxue didn't know martial arts, yet she arrived at the Holy King's Mansion before those of them who were traveling by carriage. Clearly, someone was manipulating things behind the scenes. She was pregnant and was bleeding profusely at the entrance of the Holy King's Mansion. If the people of the Holy King's Mansion ignored her and let her bleed to death, the people of the capital would definitely gossip. If the master of the mansion carried her into the mansion for treatment, it would mean that she had fallen into someone else's trap.
“Our enemies are only a few fixed ones. You are the Azure Flame War God, so under normal circumstances, they don’t dare to make a move easily. The most powerful, the most reckless, and the one who least wants us to live a peaceful life is that stubborn Dongfang Zhan.”
At the banquet, he tried every means to find a concubine for Dongfang Heng, but when that failed, he used a roundabout tactic to put Shen Yingxue in the Holy King's Mansion to sow discord between the two of them. He really wouldn't turn back until he hit a brick wall.
"What are you planning to do?" Dongfang Heng picked up Shen Lixue in his arms and strode towards the bed.
“Isn’t Dongfang Zhan going to take a concubine in a few days? Let him take Shen Yingxue as well.” Shen Lixue held a cotton handkerchief in her hand, her cold eyes flashing with an eerie light.
Dongfang Heng's gaze narrowed slightly: "Dongfang Zhan is not simple. Trying to scheme against him won't be so easy."
"We still have three days, enough time for us to set up a plan and refine our strategy." The banquet is crowded, busy, and complicated, making it the perfect place to scheme against someone. Dongfang Zhan schemed against them at the palace banquet, so Shen Lixue can certainly scheme against him on his wedding day.
"Your Highness, Prince Zhan is marrying on the same day. The Crown Prince's residence and Prince Zhan's residence will both hold banquets. How should the ministers attend these banquets?" Shen Lixue asked, full of doubt. Prince Zhan's faction would attend Prince Zhan's wedding banquet, and the Crown Prince's faction would attend the Crown Prince's wedding banquet? What about the centrist ministers? Would they go to Prince Zhan's residence or the Crown Prince's residence?
"His Majesty will not allow such an awkward situation to occur. A wedding banquet should be held in the palace to invite the families of the officials. The ministers only need to go to the Crown Prince's residence and the Prince Zhan's residence to offer their congratulations on the wedding." The Emperor is in good health and handles state affairs with ease. If the ministers were to divide and support the princes now, he would surely be furious.
"Shen Yingxue was your enemy. Will she cooperate with you?"
"She will definitely cooperate for the sake of wealth and status." Shen Yingxue comes from a prestigious family and has the pride of a noble lady in her bones. If Shen Lixue threatens her, she will agree to cooperate with Shen Lixue on the surface, but she will definitely sabotage Shen Lixue in secret and turn the tables on her.
So, Shen Lixue used silver to bribe her, making her choose the second path. She believed that if she made the decision herself, she would definitely cooperate obediently, and only then could the perfect plan proceed smoothly.
"It's late, let's rest first. There are still a few days until the wedding banquet, we can think of something tomorrow." The fresh fragrance of the woman lingered, and Dongfang Heng was momentarily distracted. He held Shen Lixue and lay down on the carved bed, burying his face in her fragrant neck, greedily inhaling the fresh scent that was unique to her.
Shen Lixue's eyes were hazy, and she was starting to feel sleepy. She grabbed Dongfang Heng's collar and pushed him away forcefully, saying, "Get up first, I haven't taken a bath yet." Taking a bath before bed was a habit she had developed over the years.
“You took a bath in the morning, so you don’t need to take one in the evening.” Dongfang Heng’s gentle kiss landed on Shen Lixue’s slender neck, leaving a trail of red petals. His large, jade-like hands were also quite restless, pulling open the ribbon of Shen Lixue’s outer garment and gently unbuttoning her inner garment.
"Heng, what are you doing?" Shen Lixue stared at Dongfang Heng with wide eyes.
“Li Xue, we haven’t been together for a long time…” A hint of resentment flashed in Dongfang Heng’s deep eyes.