"No!" Qiu He shook her head: "However, Prince Zhan sent you a potted plant."
"Flowers? What kind of flowers?" Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow. Why did Dongfang Zhan suddenly think of sending her flowers?
"It's a thousand-petaled begonia!" Qiu He carried a flowerpot into the inner room. In the white porcelain flowerpot, there was a pink begonia with bright colors, graceful shapes, and lush green leaves. It was extremely beautiful.
"A thousand-petaled begonia!" Shen Lixue raised the corners of her mouth, unable to figure out Dongfang Zhan's intention in giving her the thousand-petaled begonia: "Has Prince Zhan sent flowers to any of the other daughters of the Prime Minister's residence?"
"I gave the Second Miss a pot of Epiphyllum and the Third Miss a pot of Epiphyllum!" As soon as she finished speaking, Qiu He clearly felt the temperature in the room drop again. She hugged the flowerpot tightly, looked at the ground, and dared not look up.
Shen Lixue nodded in understanding. Dongfang Zhan gave Shen Yingxue a gift and also gave her and Shen Caixuan a pot of flowers. He didn't mean anything by it. She was just overthinking it. "Where is Prince Zhan? Xueyuan?" He came to see Shen Yingxue and should be taking care of her in Xueyuan.
"The Second Miss is seriously ill and needs to rest. Prince Zhan is currently in the pavilion next to the rockery!" The indoor temperature dropped again, and the warm wind blowing in from the window instantly turned into a cold wind, making Qiu He feel cold all over. Her hair almost stood on end, and she quietly tightened her clothes.
Shen Lixue glanced at Dongfang Heng, who was picking up food, put down her chopsticks, and slowly walked out, seemingly talking to herself, or perhaps calling out to someone: "I'm going to the pavilion to see Dongfang Zhan!"
Dongfang Heng remained silent, slowly and methodically consuming his breakfast. Every movement he made was elegant and dignified, making it difficult for anyone to look directly at him.
Qiuhe lowered her head, holding the flowerpot, and followed Shen Lixue out of the inner room. The warm sunlight shone on her, dispelling the chill. She looked up at the sky and let out a long sigh of relief. Finally, she was out. The atmosphere in the room was too oppressive, almost suffocating. Unless there was something special, she would never dare to enter the room again when the Prince came to the inner room.
Beside the artificial hill, the scenery is beautiful, and a cool breeze is blowing. In the octagonal pavilion, a young man dressed in a royal blue brocade robe stands with his hands behind his back in front of the railing, gazing at the shimmering water. A gentle breeze blows, creating ripples, and specks of golden light shimmer, dazzling the eyes.
Light footsteps sounded, and the man in blue turned around, looking at the beautiful woman who was slowly approaching on the bluestone path. He smiled gently with dimples, his expression warm and refined: "Miss Chen!"
"Prince Zhan!" Shen Lixue walked into the pavilion and sat down opposite Dongfang Zhan, her cool eyes calm and unwavering: "I wonder what brings Prince Zhan to see me?"
"Do you like the thousand-petaled crabapple I gave Miss Shen?" Dongfang Zhan stopped the maid and personally poured a cup of tea for Shen Lixue. As the steam rose, his gentle smile seemed somewhat unfathomable!
Shen Lixue smiled politely: "Your Highness has gone to so much trouble. Did Your Highness invite me here just to talk about this?" Dongfang Zhan was a man of deep thoughts. He must have had a purpose in asking to see her. She had no interest in listening to his roundabout nonsense.
"I was planning to offer Miss Shen a few more compliments, but I didn't expect you to see through me." Dongfang Zhan put down his teacup, glanced at Shen Lixue's empty chest, and smiled gently and brightly: "I invited Miss Shen here to ask where she bought her crystal swallow's nest?"
"You mean this crystal swallow?" Shen Lixue reached out her small hand to her chest, but grasped at nothing. She suddenly remembered that she habitually hid the crystal swallow between her outer and inner garments. In front of Dongfang Zhan, a big man, she couldn't open her clothes to take the crystal swallow, so she pretended to have forgotten to bring it and put her hand down.
"That crystal swallow was a gift from Dongfang Heng. I don't know where he bought it. What? Does Prince Zhan also want to give Yingxue one?" Shen Lixue looked at Dongfang Zhan with a playful, amused expression. He was going to great lengths to please a woman he didn't even like. She really didn't understand what he was trying to do.
Dongfang Zhan smiled gently, his gentle eyes filled with solemnity: "Miss Chen's crystal swallow is lifelike and exquisitely carved. It is a rare treasure in the world. There is no second one in the entire Qingyan. Even if you get it and ask a craftsman to make a copy, you will not be able to make it as pure and translucent as this one!"
"Does Prince Zhan know a lot about this Crystal Swallow?" Shen Lixue smiled politely, her gaze deep: The Crystal Swallow is actually a rare treasure, how come I've never heard Dongfang Heng mention it?
"I am of royal birth and have some knowledge of the Azure Flame Treasures, and I also have a hobby of collecting treasures." Dongfang Zhan's gentle smile suddenly turned somewhat disappointed: "The Crystal Swallow was a gift from Prince An to Miss Shen, and Miss Shen would never part with it. I will not force her..."
"Thank you for your understanding, Prince Zhan!" Shen Lixue smiled gently, her eyes clear: How could she give away Dongfang Heng's things to others so easily?
"Please slow down, the Second Miss is injured..." A clear female voice came from behind. Shen Lixue turned her head and saw several maids carrying a sedan chair slowly walking along the bluestone road. The sedan chair was covered with soft and comfortable brocade cushions and a layer of scarlet gauze. The curtains of the sedan chair were hung on both sides. A beautiful woman lay gently in the sedan chair with her eyes half closed. One arm was wrapped in layers of white cloth and hung lightly on her chest. Her face was pale and she looked like a willow in the wind. She was so beautiful that she looked pitiful. It was Shen Yingxue.
The sedan chair landed on the open ground outside the pavilion. Shen Yingxue opened her eyes, her beautiful pupils showing signs of fatigue and exhaustion. Looking at Dongfang Zhan and Shen Lixue, she forced a smile and said, "Prince Zhan, sister!" Her voice was weak and feeble.
Shen Lixue smiled and looked at Shen Yingxue: "Sister, you are injured, why don't you rest properly in Xueyuan?" You are seriously injured and you are still walking around. Don't you want to live?
Shen Yingxue coughed a few times, her lips pale and bloodless: "My internal organs are all damaged, and I must rest carefully. The doctor suggested that I move around more and get more sun!"
Shen Lixue curled her lips into a cold smile. The Snow Garden was a beautiful place with pleasant air and bright sunshine, a perfect place to relax and rejuvenate. Instead of resting in the courtyard, Shen Yingxue went to the artificial hill to sunbathe, her true intentions were not what they seemed.
Everyone in the Prime Minister's residence knew that Dongfang Zhan was in the pavilion. Shen Yingxue had gone to great lengths to come by sedan chair, presumably to see Dongfang Zhan...
"Second Miss has injured her lungs and internal organs, so she should rest more. Even if she wants to sunbathe, she should go somewhere nearby. Although it is refreshing by the rockery, there is a lot of water and dampness, which is not good for healing!" Dongfang Zhan walked slowly to Shen Yingxue, his concerned gaze as gentle as jade.
"Thank you for the reminder, Prince Zhan. I was too careless!" Shen Yingxue coughed a few more times, a hint of worry appearing on her beautiful face. She instructed the maids, "Carry me back to Xueyuan!"
"Second Miss, the injury to your lungs and internal organs is no small matter. Remember not to be too bumpy. You have been traveling all the way from Xueyuan. Even if you want to go back, you must rest for half an hour. You must not leave immediately!" Dongfang Zhan gently looked Shen Yingxue up and down, his gentle eyes full of solemnity.
"Thank you for reminding me, Prince Zhan. I was too hasty!" Shen Yingxue coughed lightly, covering her mouth with a silk handkerchief. She glanced at Shen Lixue with a smug and provocative look. This bitch, does she think all the men in the world revolve around her? Dongfang Heng was so infatuated with her that he ignored her. Dongfang Zhan was infatuated with her. As long as she kept a close eye on him, his heart would always be with her and he would never be seduced by Shen Lixue.
Dongfang Zhan carefully observed Shen Yingxue's complexion: "The injury to the lungs and internal organs requires careful nurturing. The Zhanwang Mansion has some mild and nourishing medicines, which I will have sent over tomorrow!"
"Thank you, Prince Zhan. Yingxue's injury has troubled you!" Shen Yingxue said modestly, her smug gaze frequently sweeping over Shen Lixue. With her around, everyone else was just a foil; trying to seduce Prince Zhan was wishful thinking.
"Miss Yingxue..."
Dongfang Zhan and Shen Yingxue exchanged compliments and greetings. Shen Lixue found it boring and looked up at the azure sky, a mocking smile playing on her lips. Shen Yingxue had come to the rockery despite her illness, forcing herself to talk to him, both to seduce Dongfang Zhan and indirectly to mock herself. With Shen Yingxue around, Dongfang Zhan would never like her. Didn't she realize that Dongfang Zhan didn't like her at all?
As the sun rose higher and higher, it grew hotter. The chatter of a man and a woman drifted into her ears from time to time. Shen Lixue blinked helplessly, just about to find an excuse to leave, when her cold gaze fell on a young woman standing around the corner, holding a tray and looking ahead with a disappointed expression.
Shen Lixue followed her gaze and saw Dongfang Zhan with a gentle smile, raising her eyebrows slightly.
Seeing the woman's gloomy expression, she turned slightly to leave, and Shen Lixue smiled and called out loudly, "What are you doing standing in the sun, Caixuan? Why don't you come and cool off?"
Shen Caixuan has already come; it would be a mistake to go back silently without something happening.
Dongfang Zhan stopped talking, looked up at Shen Caixuan, smiled gently, and said with a warm gaze, "So it's the Third Miss!"
Shen Yingxue glared at Shen Caixuan, inwardly cursing: "You bitch, why did you have to come now of all times to interrupt my good time? You have no sense of propriety at all!" But on the surface, she smiled gently: "Third sister, is there something you need?"
Shen Caixuan paused abruptly, hesitated for a moment, then gently bit her lower lip and said softly, "I've come to deliver some snacks to my eldest sister, second sister, and Prince Zhan!"
Shen Caixuan slowly walked over, carrying a plate of pastries. Her crimson coat fluttered in the sunlight, fiery and flamboyant. Her ruby hairpin shone brightly in the sunlight, and her rosy face glowed with a healthy radiance, forming a stark contrast with Shen Yingxue's sickly paleness.
Shen Yingxue glared at Shen Caixuan as she approached, her eyes burning with anger. "You bitch! Not only did you not know when to leave, you shamelessly came closer. Are you too stupid to understand my hints, or are you deliberately going against me?"
A fragrant aroma wafted through the air. Shen Caixuan, holding the pastries, stood awkwardly in front of the three of them. Shen Lixue glanced at Shen Yingxue's unpleasant expression, then at the indifferent Dongfang Zhan, and smiled, "Third sister, which chef in the kitchen made these pastries? They smell wonderful." Shen Caixuan was very passive in front of Shen Yingxue and dared not make any excessive moves, so she simply helped her out.
"It wasn't made by the cook, it was... I made it..." Shen Caixuan lowered her head shyly, her voice neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for Shen Lixue, Dongfang Zhan, and the other two to hear.
"Third Sister made these pastries herself, no wonder they smell so good. May I have a taste?" Shen Lixue asked, feigning surprise. She glanced at Dongfang Zhan, who was so close to her but remained unmoved because he had nothing to say. She decided to give them something to talk about and stir things up.
"I learned how to make this from the chef, so please don't be offended, elder sister!" Dongfang Zhan and Shen Yingxue ignored her, making Shen Caixuan feel a little embarrassed. Shen Lixue spoke up to help her out, and she was grateful. She quickly handed over the pastries.
Shen Lixue gently picked up a piece of pastry and put it in her mouth. The light sweetness instantly filled her mouth, and she couldn't help but exclaim repeatedly, "It tastes really good."