"A prison break?" Ye Qianlong looked at Shen Lixue and frowned slightly, as if he did not understand what a prison break meant.
“It’s about saving Mu Zhengnan…” Shen Lixue added in her explanation.
“It’s her!” Ye Qianlong pointed in a direction, her eyes clear as a spring.
Shen Lixue looked up and saw only darkness: "Is there anyone there?" She had been observing for a long time but had not noticed anyone nearby. Ye Qianlong was simple-minded and would not lie to her. It seemed that the person was either far away, beyond her range of perception, or was highly skilled in martial arts and she had not noticed them.
"Can't you see her?" With that, Ye Qianlong reached out and grabbed at the air, and a slender figure instantly flew over, crashing heavily in front of Shen Lixue.
"Zhuang Kexin!" The woman in front of her was lying face down on the ground, her beautiful clothes were covered with a layer of dust, and her hair ornaments had fallen to the ground, leaving only her still delicate hair bun. Although her small face was also covered with a layer of dust, Shen Lixue could still recognize that she was Zhuang Kexin.
"She's the one who sent me to the jail to rescue people!" Ye Qianlong pointed at Zhuang Kexin, speaking each word clearly.
Zhuang Kexin's leg injury hadn't fully healed yet, and the fall she had just taken made the wound ache again. She gritted her teeth and glared at Ye Qianlong, scolding him, "Who are you? I don't know you. If you get hurt, take responsibility for it yourself. Don't make false accusations against others!"
Her original plan was to secretly shoot Shen Lixue to death while the Shuntian Prefecture was in chaos from firing arrows. In this way, everyone would think that she died from a stray arrow from the Shuntian Prefecture, and even if someone investigated, they would not be able to find her. Who knew that Prince An would suddenly appear and ruin her entire plan.
Shen Yingxue is such an idiot. She was asked to lure Shen Lixue, but she actually brought Prince An here as well. She's more trouble than she's worth.
Fortunately, she had been hiding Ye Qianlong all along. Only Shen Yingxue knew that she had used him. As long as Shen Yingxue didn't interfere and she refused to admit it, Shen Lixue couldn't do anything to her.
"Qianlong, what exactly happened?" Based on the numerous contradictions created by Zhuang Kexin, Shen Lixue had already guessed her plan, but she still wanted to ask her and obtain concrete evidence.
"She told me that as long as I went to jail and rescued that man, he would take me to you!" Ye Qianlong explained the matter clearly in a few simple words. It was Zhuang Kexin who instigated him to break out of the jail.
Shen Lixue looked coldly at Zhuang Kexin: "Zhuang Kexin, I have no grudge against you, why did you use Qianlong to frame me?" Zhuang Kexin is really clever to devise such a vicious plan and kill her without her knowledge.
Zhuang Kexin scoffed disdainfully: "Shen Lixue, you're not young anymore, how could you believe the words of a fool? Or did you conspire with him to frame me in order to escape punishment?" She was a normal person, while Ye Qianlong was a fool. Anyone with a brain would choose to believe her, not Ye Qianlong, in the trial.
Shen Lixue raised her eyebrows slightly, a strange smile playing on her lips: "Lord Yang, do you think Qianlong is stupid?"
Lord Yang shook his head at Ye Qianlong, his gaze grave: "Not stupid! Could a fool break through the numerous checkpoints in the prison and abduct a serious criminal? Could a fool injure more than ten guards with a single palm strike? Could a fool reach out and grab Zhuang Kexin, who was hiding in the shadows?"
Shen Lixue looked at the soldiers, who hurriedly shook their heads. They secretly glanced at Ye Qianlong. The man in black didn't talk much, but his martial arts were extremely high. He had seriously injured many of their brothers with a single palm strike. How could he be a fool?
A hint of panic flashed across Zhuang Kexin's beautiful face as she glared at Shen Lixue. Oh no, she had let something slip in her haste!
"Qianlong is simple-minded. You'll only know that once you get to know him. Lord Yang and the other officials have been here for so long, and they haven't seen any signs of his pure nature. You've only been here for a few breaths, and Qianlong hasn't even said a few words. How do you know he's simple-minded?"
Shen Lixue's lips curled into a half-smile, a smile that carried an undercurrent of sarcasm: "Qianlong doesn't look innocent at all right now, does he?"
Zhuang Kexin looked up at Ye Qianlong. In the firelight of the dark night, he stood quietly in a black robe, noble and extraordinary, mysterious and unpredictable. His clear eyes shone like stars, and he did not look foolish at all.
A cold light flickered in Shen Lixue's clear eyes: "Zhuang Kexin, do you still dare to say you've never met Qianlong before?"
"I..." Zhuang Kexin's eyes flickered, not daring to meet Shen Lixue's gaze. Breaking someone out of prison was a serious crime, and she absolutely could not admit to it. Otherwise, she would truly be doomed. She had to find a way to get away with it...
Zhuang Kexin remained silent. Shen Lixue's eyes flashed, and she gave the officials a look. The officials understood and quickly disappeared. A moment later, the woman's angry cry rang out: "I am the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's mansion! How dare you be so disrespectful to me! Let go..."
Zhuang Kexin's body trembled suddenly, but she did not look up.
Shen Lixue sneered and glanced to the side. A beautiful woman was being dragged over by two guards, her arms held by her. A thoughtful look flashed in her eyes. It was Shen Yingxue, not Su Yuting.
She was furious that someone had framed her, and she needed to witness her tragic end to feel satisfied. Therefore, she knew that the person who orchestrated the scheme must be nearby. Just now, after a careful search, she discovered someone in the woods and ordered the officers to go and arrest them...
"You vulgar officials, don't you know how to treat a lady with tenderness? I am the daughter of the Prime Minister, so please be gentle with me..."
While using her status as the daughter of the Prime Minister to intimidate others, Shen Yingxue struggled desperately without giving up. She inadvertently saw Shen Lixue, and her beautiful eyes were so angry that they almost spit fire: "Shen Lixue, it's you again. It's not enough that you made Father seriously ill at home, now you want to scheme against me?" How did this bitch know that she was hiding in the woods?
"Shen Yingxue, you don't need to make such blatant and fabricated accusations. What are you doing in the woods in the middle of the night instead of resting at the Prime Minister's residence?" Shen Lixue's lips curled into a cold smile. To scheme against her, Shen Yingxue actually cooperated with Zhuang Kexin, plotting against a tiger for its skin. How utterly foolish...
"You're also a daughter of the Prime Minister's family, yet you haven't rested either, standing here in this empty space!" Shen Yingxue retorted arrogantly, her beautiful eyes full of mockery. She herself didn't follow the rules of etiquette, yet she dared to take responsibility for herself; how ironic.
An overwhelming chill spread out. Shen Yingxue looked up and was immediately stunned. Prince An, what was he doing here? Shen Lixue, it must be Shen Lixue who seduced him!
"Shen Yingxue, you know perfectly well why you were brought here. There's no need for me to frame you." Shen Lixue's voice was icy and devoid of emotion.
"Shen Lixue, what do you mean?" Shen Yingxue felt uneasy, but refused to show weakness. She remained arrogant and haughty. She could not admit defeat in front of the Prince. Otherwise, wouldn't it be a sign that she was inferior to Shen Lixue? Her eyes flickered slightly. Did Shen Lixue know something?
Shen Lixue didn't speak, her gaze shifting to the side. Shen Yingxue also looked over in confusion, and Zhuang Kexin's disheveled face came into view. She couldn't help but exclaim, "Kexin!"
"Yingxue, you must have accidentally wandered into the woods while taking a walk!" Zhuang Kexin led the way, secretly winking at Shen Yingxue. The man in black named Qianlong was one of Shen Lixue's men, and he couldn't testify as a witness. As long as she and Shen Yingxue didn't admit it, they couldn't do anything to them.
Shen Lixue smiled, not bright and dazzling, but mysterious and unpredictable, full of eeriness: "Sister Yingxue and Kexin are really in sync. She said you would go for a walk in the woods, and you actually went!"
"Shen Lixue, don't mislead Yingxue!" Zhuang Kexin instantly became extremely alert, her clear eyes narrowing slightly. Shen Lixue wanted to sow discord between them, making Shen Yingxue believe that she was the one who reported Shen Yingxue for being in the woods.
"Alright, I won't say anything more. You can explain it to Lord Yang yourselves. There's only one mastermind!" Shen Lixue smiled and looked at Zhuang Kexin: "If Kexin is innocent, then..."
"Sister, Lord Yang, it's not my fault! It was Zhuang Kexin who tricked that man in black into harming you!" Shen Yingxue could no longer maintain her ladylike image. She sobbed softly, her eyes flashing with a fierce light. No wonder the officials ran into the woods to arrest her. It turned out that after Zhuang Kexin was caught, she confessed everything and pushed all the blame onto her. That bitch was clever. She was not someone to be trifled with. Why should she take the blame for what Zhuang Kexin orchestrated?
"Shen Lixue!" Zhuang Kexin gritted her teeth and glared fiercely at Shen Lixue. In just a few words, she devised a scheme to sow discord. In the rush, the plan had flaws. If you think about it carefully, you can see that something is wrong. But Shen Yingxue, that fool, didn't think before she acted and fell for Shen Lixue's trick, confessing everything.
"Kexin, just admit it! We'll plead with Lord Yang for leniency!" Shen Yingxue pleaded pitifully, her eyes brimming with tears. Letting someone break out of prison is a serious crime. At best, one could be imprisoned for a few years; at worst, one could be imprisoned for life. She was the daughter of a high-ranking official, and her conduct was impeccable. She couldn't afford to be tainted, much less suffer in a filthy place like prison.
As for Zhuang Kexin, she is heartless and betrayed me. Don't blame me for being unjust and kicking you when you're down!
"Shen Yingxue, it was clearly you who wanted to deal with your sister, which is why you set up this vicious scheme today. Now that the truth has come out, how can you make me take the blame?"
Shen Yingxue, thinking herself clever, exposed everything and pinned all the blame on Zhuang Kexin. Even with Zhuang Kexin's strong willpower, she couldn't hold back any longer.
Ye Qianlong testified from the side that she could not put all the blame on Shen Yingxue. She had taken the blame for devising the plan, but since the matter started because of Shen Yingxue, she should naturally bear the blame for being the mastermind. She was just a middleman, so why should she take the blame for her?
Shuntianfu's expression instantly turned extremely ugly. He originally thought Shen Lixue was the mastermind, but he didn't expect her to be framed. He then thought Zhuang Kexin was the mastermind, but he didn't expect her to be the middleman, and she even implicated the bigger mastermind, Shen Yingxue. The matter wasn't complicated, but they were using him and making a fool of him...
"Zhuang Kexin, you were the one who came up with the idea to scheme against Sister Lixue, and you also sent the people. You are the mastermind. Do you want me to take the blame for you instead of admitting your guilt?" Shen Yingxue retorted arrogantly, her eyes haughty. Fortunately, she had turned the tables and shifted the blame onto Zhuang Kexin; otherwise, she would have been hard-pressed to escape imprisonment.
"You idiot, do you know you've been set up?" Zhuang Kexin suppressed her anger and whispered to Shen Yingxue, "Shen Lixue wants to wipe us both out. If we implicate each other, we'll fall into her trap. Although the current situation is very unfavorable for us, they don't have concrete evidence. As long as we coordinate our testimonies and unite against her, we still have a chance to turn the tables..."