Suddenly, a metallic taste rose in his throat without warning, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. His white clothes were instantly stained with blood, like red plum blossoms blooming in winter: "Zimo, get on the carriage!"
"Yes!" Dongfang Heng's command was cold but weak, each word revealing his feeble state. Zi Mo dared not delay, gripped the reins tightly, and prepared to ride away.
"Dongfang Heng!" Shen Lixue grabbed the carriage frame and leaped onto the carriage, her slender body instantly inside. She glared at him fiercely: "You're sick and you won't get treatment? Do you want to die from your illness?"
When her gaze fell upon the bright red spots on Dongfang Heng's white robe, the words of reproach that were on the tip of Shen Lixue's tongue quietly vanished. She held a silver needle in one hand and tried to pull at his shirt with the other, but he grabbed her wrist tightly.
Seeing Dongfang Heng's disapproving look, Shen Lixue explained helplessly, "Using silver needles to promote blood circulation can't be done through clothing..."
"We're on the street now, it's not safe in the carriage!" Dongfang Heng's voice was weak and feeble, but his eyes were like deep pools, gleaming with a mysterious light.
Shen Lixue was taken aback. Although Qingyan Capital was under the emperor's nose, the existence of enemies from other countries could not be ruled out. Dongfang Heng was the God of War of Qingyan, and many people wanted him dead. After the acupuncture treatment, he would fall into a coma, which would indeed give the enemy an opportunity to take advantage of him: "Then let's go to the Holy King's Mansion!"
Dongfang Heng nodded, covered his mouth with his hand and coughed a few times. Blood seeped from between his fingers, meandering down his jade-like fingers, a scene that was both poignant and beautiful…
Why did his illness flare up so badly this time? Shen Lixue frowned deeply: "There's no time to go back to the Holy King's Mansion. Let's go to the Prime Minister's Mansion's Bamboo Garden!" Although the Prime Minister's Mansion is not as heavily guarded as the Holy King's Mansion, ordinary people wouldn't dare to come and cause trouble.
Dongfang Heng was already very weak. Shen Lixue supported his arm and helped him down from the carriage. She turned around and instructed Zi Mo, "Go back to the Holy Prince's Mansion and get the prescription from Prince An, or brew a bowl of medicine for him!" The silver needles could only alleviate his condition; to suppress it, he had to drink medicine!
Zi Mo looked at Dongfang Heng, who was his bodyguard and only obeyed his orders. Dongfang Heng nodded to him, and Zi Mo agreed before quickly flying away.
Dongfang Heng was seriously ill and it was not advisable for him to take a detour. Shen Minghui, Lei Shi, and Shen Yingxue had not yet returned to the manor. Shen Lixue no longer tried to hide anything and directly helped Dongfang Heng through the main gate. The guards at the gate were dumbfounded. The young lady and Prince An were not even married yet, but they were already so intimate...
Concentrating on Shen Lixue, the guards of Prince An did not see a figure swiftly disappear around the corner not far away.
In the Duke of Wen's mansion, Su Yuting sat on the embroidered bed, taking a sip of tea. Her beautiful eyes darkened slightly. Consort Li and Consort Tian's meticulous plan would have been impossible for her to completely escape punishment. Yet Shen Lixue not only escaped but also turned the tables, sending Consort Tian to prison. She was truly remarkable!
"Miss!" A maid rushed over, her expression grave. "Shen Lixue has helped Prince An into the Prime Minister's residence!"
Su Yuting suddenly paused: "Is the information accurate?" Doesn't Prince An dislike contact with others? Why would he let Shen Lixue help him?
"It's absolutely true, a servant saw it with his own eyes!" Hearsay is not to be believed, but if it's something our own people saw with their own eyes, then it must be true.
Su Yuting's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly: "Prepare the carriage, I'm going to the Prime Minister's residence!" She didn't believe what others said; she wanted to verify it herself.
The Prime Minister's residence was quiet. The master was resting, and the servants were doing their work. Shen Lixue helped Dongfang Heng back to the inner room of the bamboo garden without any hindrance.
Dongfang Heng cooperated fully as the needles were inserted into his clothes, though a wariness remained in his deep eyes, though it wasn't directed at Shen Lixue.
After his blood and qi were restored, Dongfang Heng finally stopped vomiting blood, and his complexion gradually improved. He felt sleepy and closed his eyes, falling into a deep sleep.
Shen Lixue breathed a long sigh of relief, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead. Wasn't his illness supposed to flare up once a month? How could it have flared up again in just half a month? Her gaze inadvertently fell on Dongfang Heng's blood-stained coat, and she reached out and picked it up. A faint, almost imperceptible smell wafted through the air.
Shen Lixue frowned slightly, brought the blood to her nose and sniffed it. The blood smelled faint, neither bloody nor pine-scented. Her snowy eyes narrowed instantly: There's something wrong with this blood!
"Young Miss, Miss Su has arrived!" Qiu He's announcement had barely finished when Su Yuting's slender figure entered the living room: "Sister Chen!"
Shen Lixue frowned slightly. Why was she, who lived in the Wen Guogong Mansion in the West City, coming to the Prime Minister's Mansion in the East City?
Quickly tucking Dongfang Heng in, and pulling down the bed curtains, Shen Lixue slowly walked out of the inner room: "Miss Su!"
"I'm relieved that my sister is alright!" Su Yuting walked forward with a smile, her clothes swaying gently, her voice soft and melodious.
Something suddenly flashed through Shen Lixue's mind, so fast that she couldn't grasp it in time: "How did Miss Su know I would be in trouble?"
Su Yuting's smile froze slightly, then she smiled again and said, "There is a misunderstanding between you and Yingxue. The Prime Minister's wife will definitely side with Yingxue. You will definitely suffer some losses. Why don't I help you explain to them?"
"Thank you for your kindness, Miss Su, but family scandals should not be aired in public. It's best if we resolve this ourselves!" Shen Lixue smiled and her eyes narrowed. Su Yuting was acting strangely today, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
"That's right, it was my oversight!" Su Yuting chuckled, her bright eyes subtly scanning the surroundings. At the same time, she couldn't resist teasing, "Prince An's carriage never carries anyone else, yet today he actually invited you, sister, to ride in!"
"Dongfang Heng was going the same way, so he gave me a ride back to my residence!" Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow: Could it be that Su Yuting came to see Dongfang Heng?
Su Yuting's beautiful eyes narrowed, and she smiled, "Sister, the title of Prince An was personally bestowed by the Emperor. It's not appropriate to address him by his given name directly!"
"Really? Dongfang Heng has always told me to call him that!" Shen Lixue smiled gently, her eyes fixed on Su Yuting. She was subtly probing, every word of hers mentioning Dongfang Heng. Was she testing her or had come to see Dongfang Heng?
Su Yuting was taken aback, a glint of something flashing in her beautiful eyes, then she chuckled, "I'm a little tired after sitting in the carriage for so long. May I rest in your inner room for a while, sister?"
055 Su Yuting was humiliated
"My inner room... isn't very convenient." Shen Lixue glanced at the inner room, her face instantly turning slightly red, her dark eyes flashing with cold light.
"Yuting and I are both women, what's inconvenient about that? Does my sister have a man hiding in her room?" Su Yuting asked coquettishly, sounding like she was teasing her.
Shen Lixue smiled without saying a word, a beautiful curve appearing at the corner of her mouth: Su Yuting really came to test her!
Su Yuting peered through the bamboo curtains into the inner room. Through the hazy vision, she could vaguely see a person lying behind the semi-transparent curtains. Her polite smile froze slightly for a moment, then she lowered her voice and chuckled, "I wonder which talented young man has won Sister Chen's favor?"
"Who else could it be but the person I'm already engaged to?" Shen Lixue blinked, hesitant to speak: When it comes to acting, she's no less skilled than Su Yuting.
Su Yuting smiled politely, but her smile seemed somewhat unnatural: Wasn't Prince An supposed to dislike getting close to people? How did he end up sleeping in Shen Lixue's room? Could it be that Shen Lixue was just playing a trick on him?
If Shen Lixue had denied it, he could have jokingly barged in to see what was going on, but since she admitted it without hesitation, he couldn't ask any more questions...
“He’s tired and resting. Let’s go outside to talk!” Shen Lixue smiled brightly, her words carrying a hint of ambiguity. Su Yuting wanted to go into the inner room, so she pulled her outside.
Su Yuting smiled and was about to speak when a sharp female voice pierced the sky and echoed throughout most of the Prime Minister's residence: "Help! Someone help me!"
"What happened?" Shen Lixue was startled. She walked to the door and looked in the direction of the voice. On the wide bluestone road, Shen Caiyun, dressed in a pale yellow dress, was running forward quickly, crying as she ran. Her clothes were disheveled, her hair was messy, and she staggered as if she would fall at any moment. Her soft and weak appearance made people feel sorry for her.
"You slut, you're about to become my concubine, where do you think you're going?" A young man chased after Shen Caiyun closely, his lewd smile and lustful eyes revealing him to be Lei Cong, the grandson of Grand Commandant Lei!
"Sister, save me!" Shen Caiyun rushed into the bamboo garden, as if she had seen a lifeline, and quickly ran to grab Shen Lixue, wanting to hide behind her for protection.
Shen Lixue frowned and subtly avoided Shen Caiyun. Why would she choose to come to the bamboo garden to find someone she had barely met, instead of the many masters and acquaintances in the Prime Minister's residence? Something was not right.
"Shen Lixue, so you live here!" Lei Cong swaggered into the bamboo garden, not even glancing at the pale-faced Shen Caiyun, his lecherous gaze fixed on Shen Lixue: Tsk tsk, this little beauty, the more I look at her, the prettier she gets.