When the crystal swallow was placed around her neck, she intended to return it to Dongfang Heng, but Dongfang Yu'er pulled her to the War King's Mansion. She hadn't been to the Holy King's Mansion for the past three days, so she hid the crystal swallow between her outer and inner garments, intending to return it today.
The banquet hall was too crowded and inconvenient. She had been in such a hurry to break free from Dongfang Heng that she had forgotten about Crystal Swallow's clothes falling out. She only just remembered, but the Fifth Prince was already so close that she was afraid she wouldn't have time to return them...
"Squeak!" The slightly closed door was pushed open, and the Fifth Prince walked in with a smile: "Miss Chen, how is Prince An?"
Shen Lixue was dressed neatly, her hair styled in an exquisite bun. Crystal Swallow once again hid between her outer and inner garments. On her beautiful face, she wore a faint smile and glanced at Dongfang Heng behind the pink curtain: "Prince An has taken the hangover pill. He'll be fine after a good night's sleep!"
"That's good, thank you for your hard work, Miss Shen!" The Fifth Prince breathed a long sigh of relief, his face fell, and he complained to Shen Lixue without any hesitation: "You have no idea how troublesome that Nangong Xiao is. He was drinking with us, playing rock-paper-scissors, and he even smashed up most of the things in the room..."
Shen Lixue smiled politely: "Fifth Prince, you have quite the capacity for alcohol. You drank with Prince An and the Prince of Yunnan, and they all got drunk, but you are perfectly fine!"
Shen Lixue didn't know Dongfang Heng's alcohol tolerance, but she had a deep understanding of Nangong Xiao's alcohol tolerance on the way back to the capital. He drank a whole jar of strong liquor by himself without changing his expression or getting dizzy. The Fifth Prince was indeed very capable of getting him drunk.
The Fifth Prince chuckled mischievously, looked around, and lowered his voice, saying, "I took an antidote beforehand, so I won't get drunk no matter how much I drink!" He had secretly taken the antidote and finally won against Nangong Xiao. Let's see if Nangong Xiao will dare to challenge him to drinking contests again.
Shen Lixue: "..." Although the Fifth Prince is simple-minded, he is occasionally quite clever.
The sound of Dongfang Heng's even, long breaths echoed from the carved bed. Shen Lixue's gaze sharpened slightly as she smiled and said, "The Fifth Prince, the Prince of An, and the Prince of Yunnan's heir have all gone to sleep. I'm going to report to the Empress Dowager!"
The Fifth Prince is here, and Dongfang Heng is in a bad mood, so the Crystal Swallow won't be returned for now. He can return it himself once he calms down.
"I'm sorry for taking up Miss Shen's time!" The Fifth Prince smiled apologetically, stepped aside, and made way for Shen Lixue.
"Thank you, Fifth Prince!" Shen Lixue glanced at Dongfang Heng through the pink curtains. Dongfang Heng lay motionless, as if he were really asleep. She didn't say anything more and left the room directly.
Shen Lixue left, Dongfang Heng rested, and the Fifth Prince, having nothing to do, left with his maids and eunuchs. Chang Le Palace fell silent instantly, a gentle breeze blew by, and the fragrance of flowers wafted through the air.
Dongfang Heng turned over, opened his eyes, his dark pupils flashing with a sharp light, and called out in a cold voice, "Zi Mo!"
"Your Highness!" Zi Mo appeared instantly at the bedside, bowing his head to obey. Dongfang Heng's sharp gaze was fixed on the top of the bed curtains, and he remained silent.
Zi Mo was taken aback, then understood: "This subordinate obeys!" He turned around and disappeared into the transparent air. A gust of wind swept by quickly, and the direction he went was none other than the banquet hall that Shen Lixue had headed to.
The banquet was more than halfway through, and many officials who had drunk too much and their tired families had already left to rest. Shen Yingxue, with one arm in a sling, walked slowly along the flower-lined path, her beautiful eyes filled with resentment.
That bitch Shen Lixue, besides being born a few months earlier than me, what else does she have that compares to me? She's not as beautiful as me, and her temperament isn't as noble. Why can she get close to Prince An so legitimately, while I can't...?
"Oh dear, be careful! This is food prepared for Prince An and Prince Nangong!" A charming female voice suddenly rang out, and Shen Yingxue stopped abruptly, her heart filled with joy. They had just been talking about Prince An!
Peeping eyes peered through the leaves and branches, and on the path not far away, two palace maids were carrying two large platters of fruit as they walked gracefully.
"I've been very careful, but Chang Le Palace is too far away, and the fruit is too heavy, so my hands are trembling a little..." a younger palace maid explained helplessly.
"Just bear with it a little longer, we'll be at Chang Le Palace soon. Prince An lives in the east wing, which is closer to the west wing than the Prince of Yunnan's west wing. You can go to the east wing to deliver the fruit, and I'll go to the west wing..." The older palace maid comforted her softly.
"Thank you for your understanding, sister!" The young palace maid smiled broadly and thanked her repeatedly.
"Be careful when entering the room. Although Prince An is drunk and unconscious, he is still the master. You must not be impolite..." the older palace maid carefully instructed.
"Don't worry, sister, I'll be very careful when I put the fruit out, and I definitely won't disturb Prince An!" The young palace maids chuckled. Perhaps because they were in a good mood and had plenty of energy, they moved much faster and disappeared from Shen Yingxue's sight in no time.
Shen Yingxue stepped out of the dense foliage and looked in the direction where the palace maid had disappeared. Her gaze was complicated. The Emperor and Prince Zhan's intentions were clear: to abide by the marriage contract and let Shen Lixue marry Prince An.
This arranged marriage was ruined by her own father. Who knows if it won't happen again? They might be able to ruin it once or twice, but they can't ruin it ten or twenty times.
In the Qingyan Kingdom, imperial power is supreme. Whether or not one observes mourning is entirely up to the emperor. No matter how right one's father is, he has no power to directly refute the emperor. Who knows, one day the emperor might suddenly decide to issue an imperial decree for the two to get married.
She wanted to marry Prince An, but that was just to disrupt Shen Lixue's life. Prince An's bestowal of marriage was far from enough. She had to take the initiative to gain Prince An's approval, make him like her, and make him willingly marry her...
Shen Yingxue's eyes darted around, and a perfect plan formed in her mind. She smiled slyly and quickly ran in the direction the palace maid had disappeared. She had already figured out how to become the Princess Consort of Anjun…
After leaving Chang Le Palace, Shen Lixue noticed someone nearby. She assumed it was a palace guard and paid no attention, heading towards the banquet hall.
As she walked, the person in the shadows also walked; as she stopped, the person in the shadows also stopped. Shen Lixue frowned slightly. Was someone watching her? She suddenly looked up and saw that the area was empty, without a single person in sight.
Shen Lixue's eyes flashed, and she darted into the densely foliaged path, running quickly forward.
She ran with all her might, and the person in the shadows ran alongside her. Moreover, the person in the shadows was faster than her and was getting closer and closer, about to catch up.
Shen Lixue's eyes turned cold, and a sly smile appeared on her lips. Just now on the flat ground, the scenery in front of her was boundless, and the person in the shadows could monitor her from afar. This path, with its dense foliage, obscured her view. If he wanted to monitor her again, he would have to follow closely, and she could take the opportunity to expose him.
Shen Lixue suddenly stopped, channeled all her strength into her leg, and kicked the person behind her hard.
"Bang!" Shen Lixue was extremely fast. The person had no time to dodge and was hit hard in the chest. A pale yellow figure was sent flying and crashed to the ground.
The woman in yellow lying on the ground was slender and wore a veil, covering most of her face except for a pair of gleaming eyes. A small, light gray footprint was imprinted on her left chest, which looked particularly mocking against her pale yellow clothes.
"Who are you? Why are you following me?" Shen Lixue stared coldly at the woman in yellow. The one monitoring her was actually a woman, and she had even dodged her vitals the moment she made her move. Her skills were truly impressive.
The woman in yellow didn't speak, but glared at Shen Lixue hatefully before quickly flying away. Shen Lixue's eyes turned cold, and she was about to give chase when a soft footstep suddenly came from not far away.
Shen Lixue glanced to the side and saw Shen Yingxue dressed in a scarlet dress, her arm half-draped over her chest, swaying gracefully in the breeze, charming and beautiful, her pretty face radiating uncontrollable joy as she quickened her pace and walked forward gracefully.
Shen Lixue frowned: Where is Shen Yingxue going in such a hurry and high spirits?
Suddenly, Shen Yingxue turned the corner and walked onto a bluestone path. Shen Lixue's cold eyes narrowed instantly. It was the way to Chang Le Palace.
If Shen Yingxue had simply gone to Chang Le Palace to visit Dongfang Heng, she wouldn't have been alone, much less so happy. The smile on her lips looked strange no matter how you looked at it. Shen Lixue was also a woman, and after a little thought, she guessed Shen Yingxue's true purpose.
With a cold glint in her eyes, Shen Lixue was about to rush out and teach the person a lesson.
A sudden thought flashed through her mind, and Shen Lixue stopped herself from taking another step. If she went to Chang Le Palace now, she could indeed stop Shen Yingxue from carrying out her vicious scheme, but she could not destroy Shen Yingxue's will to become the Princess Consort of Anjun, nor could she stop Shen Minghui and Lei Shi's despicable idea of having their sister marry in place of their elder sister.
When she rushed to the east wing, all she could do was teach Shen Yingxue a lesson and then get scolded by Shen Minghui when she got back. There would be no other outcome. If she wanted to completely extinguish Shen Yingxue's idea of becoming the Princess Consort of Anjun and destroy Shen Minghui's hopes, she had to come up with another plan.
Shen Yingxue's slender figure gradually receded into the distance and soon disappeared. Shen Lixue gazed at the azure sky, and a perfect plan gradually took shape. A faint and eerie smile appeared on her lips. Dongfang Heng was not drunk and would never be outmaneuvered by Shen Yingxue. She could carry out the plan with peace of mind.
The Empress Dowager was in poor health and felt dizzy after sitting in the banquet hall for a long time. The Emperor, being a filial son, personally helped the Empress Dowager walk slowly through the palace. The Empress, Consort Li, the Crown Prince, and the Third Prince followed behind her.