Amidst the envious and jealous gazes of the crowd, Shen Lixue walked out of the banquet hall and followed the palace maid to Yongning Palace. Shen Yingxue was furious, her eyes blazing with anger, gritting her teeth. How dare she embarrass her in front of so many people! Bitch, bitch, bitch! When she gets the chance, she will definitely tear her to pieces.
The Empress Dowager returned to Yongning Palace and was about to rest when she heard that Su Yuting was requesting an audience. Her gaze darkened, and she summoned Su Yuting in.
Su Yuting entered the hall and knelt down: "This humble woman's medical skills are lacking, and I have offended the Empress Dowager. I have come to apologize to the Empress Dowager!" The deep fingernail marks are difficult to remove, and the Empress Dowager must have seen them when she looked in the mirror, and must have felt disgusted with her. If she takes the initiative to apologize, the Empress Dowager might change her opinion of her...
The Empress Dowager smiled slightly: "Yuting meant well, there's no need to blame yourself..."
"But this humble woman has harmed the Empress Dowager..." Su Yuting wanted to explain further, but the Empress Dowager waved her hand to interrupt her, closed her eyes slightly, and said indifferently, "I am tired!"
Su Yuting's beautiful face stiffened slightly, and she said in a deep voice, "This subject takes her leave!"
Walking on the bluestone path of the palace, Su Yuting's mind was in turmoil. Although the Empress Dowager smiled when she summoned her, her smile revealed indifference and estrangement. She didn't want to talk about the fingernail mark anymore, and she had driven her out of Yongning Palace without letting her finish her explanation. Did she hate her...
"Consort Li..."
"Beauty Tian..."
Faint whispers drifted on the breeze, instantly snapping Su Yuting back to reality. Her eyes flickered, and she tiptoed to a small house, gently pressing her ear to the window to listen to the conversation inside. Her expression subtly changed, and as she listened more, she grew increasingly alarmed. Her pupils narrowed instantly, her body trembled slightly, and a soft thud sounded under her feet…
"Who goes there?" With a sharp shout, the tightly closed window was suddenly pushed open, and two elegant and noble women appeared before them. They were none other than the emperor's concubines, Consort Li and Consort Tian.
"Sister Lixue!" Su Yuting's smiling gaze passed over Consort Li and Lady Tian, looking directly into the room without any hesitation: "Don't hide, I know you're here!"
There was no movement inside. Consort Li and Consort Tian remained standing still. Su Yuting looked up and met their cold gazes. Su Yuting seemed oblivious, her charming smile tinged with helplessness: "Consort Li, Consort Tian, please let Sister Lixue come out. I admit defeat..."
"Chen Lixue is not here!" Consort Li replied calmly, her eyes secretly watching Su Yuting's every move.
"Really?" Su Yuting was a little disappointed, looking around for Shen Lixue: "But I clearly saw her standing here just now, could I have seen wrong?"
Consort Li and Lady Tian exchanged a glance but said nothing.
"Your Highness Consort Li, Lady Tian, I apologize for disturbing you. This humble woman will take her leave!" Su Yuting curtsied and slowly retreated. The moment she turned around, Lady Tian's eyes turned cold, and she suddenly raised her hand, but Consort Li grabbed it and shook her head at her.
Su Yuting walked slowly, glancing back at the small house every now and then, as if she suspected that Shen Lixue was inside.
"Why did Your Majesty stop me from killing Su Yuting? She overheard our secret and cannot be allowed to live!" After Su Yuting disappeared, Consort Tian couldn't help but ask.
"It's possible that Shen Lixue overheard the secret!" Consort Li's gaze sharpened, her tone low: Su Yuting is the eldest daughter of the Duke of Wen. If she dies mysteriously in the palace, the Duke of Wen will certainly not let it go...
"But what if she overheard the secret?" For their plan to proceed smoothly, they must kill all those who know the truth.
"Xiao Wu, quietly follow Su Yuting!" Seeing Tian Meiren's puzzled look, Consort Li smiled slightly: "We'll soon find out who overheard our conversation!"
Away from the hut, Su Yuting hurried forward. Thinking of the secret she had overheard, her calm heart began to pound wildly again. Fortunately, she had acted quickly and cleverly shifted the blame to Shen Lixue; otherwise, she feared she might not have left the palace alive…
Su Yuting turned the corner and ran towards the banquet hall. Crown Prince Dongfang Hong appeared at the corner, watching her flee in a hurry, a thoughtful look flashing in his deep eyes...
"Your Highness!" a young eunuch called softly beside him. Dongfang Hong suddenly snapped back to reality: "To Yongning Palace!"
After leaving the banquet hall with the palace maid, Shen Lixue headed towards Yongning Palace. However, the further they walked, the more remote and desolate the place became. It was quiet all around, and there wasn't a single person in sight. Sensing something was wrong, Shen Lixue stopped and said coldly, "Sister, this isn't the way to Yongning Palace, is it?"
"Li Xue, you've finally come to see me!" Before the little palace maid could speak, a man walked out from behind the artificial hill. With a handsome face, refined demeanor, and a fake smile, he was none other than Mu Zhengnan.
048 Punishing Scumbag Men and Women
"How did you end up here?" Shen Lixue frowned. Shouldn't he have been imprisoned? Why was he still in the palace?
"The guards brought me here to await the joint trial of the three courts!" Mu Zhengnan smiled as he gazed at Shen Lixue. She stood quietly, her blue robes fluttering gently, her ink-black hair held back by a single glass hairpin. Her features were exquisite, and the cold glint in her dark eyes seemed to possess a fatal attraction, drawing people closer without them even realizing it!
Shen Lixue looked up and saw a small house directly in front of her, presumably where Mu Zhengnan was imprisoned. The little palace maid was nowhere to be seen, leaving only her and him nearby: "The Crown Prince locked you in the house, but you ran out. If this gets out, it's a serious crime of escaping from prison!"
“Inside and outside the prison, right inside and outside the gate, the guards are all out having their meals, they won’t find out. I escaped to tell you, I love you!” Mu Zhengnan smiled gently, his eyes filled with affection, as he slowly approached Shen Lixue step by step.
Now, she is like a plum blossom blooming in winter, fresh and proud. He became curious about her, and his sweet words came from the heart. Even without that person's deliberate instruction, he would not show any disgust.
"Love? You don't deserve it!" Shen Lixue sneered disdainfully, her eyes full of mockery. Mu Zhengnan's love was to strangle his beloved with his own hands. She dared not touch such love.
Mu Zhengnan's slightly open hand quietly clenched into a fist, and a sharp glint flashed in his smiling eyes. Was he not worthy of saying "I love you"?
"I have other matters to attend to, so I cannot keep you company any longer!" Shen Lixue said coldly as she took her leave. Mu Zhengnan had just arrived in the capital and could not possibly bribe the palace maids. There must be someone manipulating this matter behind the scenes, so she could not stay any longer.
Shen Lixue turned to leave, but Mu Zhengnan, who was only a few meters away, suddenly appeared behind her, grabbed her shoulder, and said in a deep voice that sent chills down her spine: "Shen Lixue, you can't leave without my permission!"
"Is that so!" Shen Lixue sneered, her silver needle stabbing fiercely at Mu Zhengnan. He thought he could outmaneuver her? Not so easy...
Mu Zhengnan's tall stature completely obscured Shen Lixue. In addition, the two were extremely fast, and their exchanges were not very large. From the perspective of the onlooker Shen Yingxue, the two were being affectionate and lovey-dovey. She sneered inwardly. In front of others, she still acted like a saint, but when she was alone and met her old lover, she fell deeply in love and couldn't extricate herself. She was really shameless.
Hurried footsteps sounded. Shen Yingxue glared at Shen Lixue resentfully, feeling even more smug. "Be more intimate, even more intimate! Once others see you and Mu Zhengnan so 'inseparable, inseparable,' let's see how you'll have the face to explain yourself..."
The footsteps grew closer and closer, almost touching her face. Shen Lixue frantically searched for a way to escape, but her movements were a beat too slow. Mu Zhengnan grabbed her wrist, his eyes turning cold. Just as he was about to stab him with a silver needle, a large hand suddenly reached out. With a "crack!" sound, Mu Zhengnan's wrist went limp, and he was sent flying.
Shen Lixue was taken aback, and looked up at the person who had just arrived. His handsome face and deep eyes gave people a sense of security for no reason: "Prince An!"
A faint scent of pine resin lingered in the air. Shen Lixue felt a sudden tightening around her waist, and the scenery before her eyes instantly changed. She and Dongfang Heng had arrived behind the artificial hill.
A piercing scream pierced the clouds and echoed through the sky. Shen Lixue looked through the artificial hill and saw that Mu Zhengnan had landed squarely on Shen Yingxue, who was smugly waiting to watch the show. The two were now face to face, body to body, pressed tightly together. The position was incredibly intimate, which shocked the people who had just arrived: "What's going on?"
"It's not my fault, it was Mu Zhengnan who threw it!" Mu Zhengnan was tall and imposing, pressing down on the petite Shen Yingxue. She tried her best but couldn't stand up. Her pretty face turned red with anger, and her hair was disheveled from the struggle. Enduring the pain in her back, she slapped Mu Zhengnan repeatedly: "Get away from me, get away from me now!"
"Slap slap slap!" Mu Zhengnan's handsome face was instantly slapped until it was red and swollen. His lips moved, but he didn't say anything. His eyes flashed with cold light, and he was completely unmoved, lying softly on Shen Yingxue's body without moving.
Shen Lixue raised her eyebrows, a cold smile playing on her lips. The delicate daughter of the Prime Minister publicly beat her lover—a spectacular show not to be missed!
The crowd exchanged bewildered glances. Even if this young lady from the Prime Minister's mansion wanted to sever ties with her lover, there was no need to be so ruthless. She really had a fiery temper.
"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!" Shen Yingxue's blows were too forceful, tearing open her clothes and revealing a large expanse of her fair skin. Many male guests turned their lecherous gazes towards her. The most beautiful woman's beauty was exposed—a rare sight indeed! If they didn't see it now, when would they?
"Help! Help!" Shen Yingxue's clothes were tattered, and she couldn't push Mu Zhengnan away. A large part of her body was exposed, but no one came to help her. She was heartbroken and cried with tears streaming down her face.