The list was drawn up by the Empress. If she were to change it, she would be contradicting herself. As the supreme ruler, the Emperor values the dignity of the royal family and would never allow the daughter of a minister to refuse his son. Chu Youran is on the list of concubines for Dongfang Zhan. The Crown Prince and no one else can interfere. Only Dongfang Zhan can change it. As long as he says that he doesn't like her or that she is not suitable, and then carefully talks to the Emperor, he will definitely be able to persuade the Emperor to replace her with another woman as a concubine.
"If You Ran becomes my principal wife, she can marry me without any worries, right?" Dongfang Zhan said softly, successfully seeing Shen Lixue's beautiful face darken. He felt inexplicably relieved, and a hint of a smile appeared in his deep eyes.
Shen Lixue frowned deeply. Dongfang Zhan needed a powerful in-law as a backing. His principal wife had to be a woman from a prestigious noble family in the capital. Chu Youran's father did not hold a particularly high official position and had no influence in the capital, so he did not meet the requirements for the principal wife of the Prince of Zhan.
He promised her the position of principal wife, determined to keep Chu Youran by his side! He doesn't even like Chu Youran, so why is he doing this?
Chu Youran's face was deathly pale. She had come to Dongfang Zhan to decline the position of concubine, not to become the principal wife: "Your Highness Zhan, my status is lowly and I cannot compare with the daughters of noble families. I am not qualified to be the principal wife. I beg Your Highness to rescind your order."
"Miss Chu suffers from a serious illness, yet she is tenacious, fighting against the disease for over a decade without losing heart or despair. I admire women like you the most. You are absolutely qualified to be the Princess Consort of Zhan." Dongfang Zhan glanced at Shen Lixue discreetly, and her gaze indeed darkened further.
When Chu Youran asked Shen Lixue for help last time, she told her that she had someone she liked and didn't want to marry Li Fan. She said that Li Fan was a womanizer and had mediocre talent, so she wouldn't marry him.
As the King of Qingyan, Dongfang Zhan is young, promising, handsome, and admired by many women in Qingyan. It would be a good choice for Chu Youran to marry him.
But she set aside her feminine reserve and pride, and humbled herself to ask Dongfang Zhan to remove her name, surely for the sake of her beloved.
She didn't care that the man's status and position were not as noble or outstanding as Dongfang Zhan's, because she had a heart that loved him.
Shen Lixue also has someone she likes. She knows that being with her beloved is much happier and more fulfilling than enjoying wealth and luxury.
Looking at Chu Youran again, her beautiful eyes were red and brimming with tears, her pupils filled with sadness. Although she didn't say anything, Shen Lixue could feel the despair in her heart: "Youran."
"I'm fine, really fine." Chu Youran blinked hard, forcing a smile at Shen Lixue, but tears streamed down her cheeks. She quickly raised her hand to wipe them away: "Sorry, I got sand in my eyes."
This is a private room at Zuixianlou. It's clean and refreshing, without even a breath of wind, so where would the sand come from?
"Li Xue, it's getting late. Let's not disturb Prince Zhan's meal any longer. Let's go." Chu Youran grabbed Chen Li Xue's wrist and hurried forward. The tears that drifted down her face unintentionally and her disheveled figure made her look like she was fleeing in panic.
She didn't like Dongfang Zhan and didn't want to marry him. She wanted to marry the person she loved and live a happy life. However, such happiness was separated from her by a wall, with many walls blocking her way. Even though it was within reach, she could never have it.
"Prince Zhan, how about we make some terms?" Shen Lixue looked at the despairing Chu Youran, suddenly stopped, and turned to look at Dongfang Zhan. Chu Youran was her good friend, and she couldn't just watch her fall into the bottomless abyss.
Dongfang Zhan is cold-hearted and ruthless to the point of being inhuman, but if she presents a compelling condition, he should be able to let Chu Youran go.
"What are the conditions?" Dongfang Zhan raised an eyebrow at Shen Lixue. He guessed that Shen Lixue would definitely use some tricks to help Chu Youran, but he did not expect her to make a move so quickly. She had already thought of a solution before even leaving this private room.
“Cross out Chu Youran’s name, and I’ll tell you a secret, a big secret about Prince Zhan.” Shen Lixue’s gaze was cold, without a hint of joking.
Dongfang Zhan frowned: "What secrets do I have that I don't know?"
Shen Lixue smiled and said, "Strictly speaking, half of this secret belongs to Prince Zhan, and the other half belongs to Ye Qianmei."
"Ye Qianmei?" Dongfang Zhan's gaze sharpened again, a bad premonition rising in his heart: "If the secret is truly of great importance, I will agree to your conditions. What exactly is this secret?"
Shen Lixue's eyes darkened slightly, and she lowered her voice, enunciating each word clearly: "Besides being the princess of Xiliang, Ye Qianmei has another identity; she is Prince Zhan's half-sister..."
What? His half-sister!
"How is that possible?" Dongfang Zhan exclaimed in surprise, standing up abruptly. His deep, magnetic voice made everyone's eardrums buzz.
His slender figure appeared in front of Shen Lixue in an instant, his large hand gripping her shoulder tightly and shaking her violently. A cold glint flashed in his deep eyes, like a wild beast that had lost its mind: "You're lying to me, you're lying to me, aren't you?"
How could Ye Qianmei, who is so alluring, be his half-sister?
Dongfang Zhan's arms were strong and powerful, and Shen Lixue couldn't break free from him. She was shaken so hard that her head felt dizzy and a wave of nausea rose in her chest.
This was the first time Chu Youran had seen Dongfang Zhan so frantic, and she was utterly shocked. After regaining her senses, she helped Shen Lixue push Dongfang Zhan away forcefully: "Your Highness Zhan, calm down, Lixue will get sick from your scratching..."
"Get out!" With a forceful movement, Dongfang Zhan threw Chu Youran aside. His strong hands gripped Shen Lixue's shoulders tightly, his eyes sharp as knives: "Tell me, you're lying about all of this."
Shen Lixue's gaze turned cold, and her slightly clenched hand suddenly opened, her fair fingertips flashing with silver light. She forcefully stabbed Dongfang Zhan in the chest, causing him to wince in pain and quickly retreat.
Shen Lixue's cold voice rang out in the room: "This is the truth. Why would I lie to you? If you don't believe me, call Ye Qianmei back and do a blood test. Blood between siblings can mix, right?"
---Aside---
(*^__^*) Hehe... Qianmei is getting her lunchbox tomorrow, la la la...
Chapter 198: The Death of Qianmei
The golden sunlight warmly shone on the earth, but Dongfang Zhan's face was gloomy as he galloped through the bustling streets, oblivious to the passersby, his conversation with Shen Lixue echoing in his ears:
"Whether my blood and Ye Qianmei's blood can mix, I don't know. However, back then, my mother was seriously ill and died. I watched her breathe her last and be put into the coffin. How could she come back to life and give birth to Ye Qianmei? Shen Lixue, your huge lie is full of loopholes."
"After your mother was laid to rest, she still had a faint breath. Just then, the Duke of Mu of Xiliang was on a mission to Qingyan. He noticed the abnormality inside the coffin, rescued your mother, and brought her back to Xiliang, where she became the Consort Shu of the Emperor of Xiliang." Shen Lixue looked at him calmly, her clear and cold eyes revealing an unusual seriousness, without the slightest hint of joking.
Dongfang Zhan's gaze sharpened: "Anyone can tell a lie, and stories are easy to make up. Do you have any evidence to prove that Consort Shu of Xiliang is my mother?"
Shen Lixue smiled slightly: "Prince Zhan and the Duke of Mu's Mansion in Xiliang have been secretly in contact all along, haven't they? If I'm not mistaken, they approached you first. They ignored so many princes in Qingyan, but chose you to cooperate with. Haven't you thought about why?"
"When cooperating with others, one should naturally seek out the strongest. Among all the princes of Qingyan, I am the strongest." With the Duke of Mu dead, all evidence of Dongfang Zhan's dealings with the Duke of Mu's mansion has been lost, so he no longer needs to conceal the cooperation.
"Didn't you notice that Ye Qianmei's eyes are very similar to your mother's?" Since this reason didn't convince him, Shen Lixue tried another one.
Dongfang Zhan carefully recalled Ye Qianmei's eyes, ignoring her bewitching gaze; her eyes were exactly the same as Consort Li's.
Looking into Dongfang Zhan's deep gaze, Shen Lixue smiled: "Does Prince Zhan now believe my words?"
"There are millions of people in the world, and many people look exactly alike. Just because their eyes are similar doesn't mean anything." Dongfang Zhan denied it without any mercy, but his heart was in turmoil. The moment he saw Ye Qianmei, he felt inexplicably familiar with her. Occasionally, he could see the shadow of his mother in her gestures. This was no coincidence. She really was his half-sister.
“Your Highness, Consort Shu of Xiliang is dead, and the Mu family has been destroyed. Ye Qianmei is an orphan with no one to rely on. You would better bring her back and have her undergo a blood test to prove her kinship. If she is not your biological sister, I will apologize to you and will never stop you from marrying You Ran. It is not too late for Ye Qianmei to marry into the Southern Frontier.”
Seeing Dongfang Zhan's increasingly gloomy expression, Shen Lixue's eyes flickered: "If Ye Qianmei is truly your own sister, and you do nothing about it, letting her marry into the Southern Frontier... Prince Zhan knows Qin Junhao's temper better than I do; she probably won't have a good life..."
A gust of cold wind blew in, cutting like a knife against his face. Dongfang Zhan's thoughts, which had been wandering in the heavens, instantly returned. He spurred his horse and galloped along the wide official road, his gaze chillingly gloomy.
Consort Shu of Xiliang is Consort Li of Qingyan. Shen Lixue would never lie about such an unbelievable thing. Ye Qianmei is definitely her younger sister. Shen Lixue knew this after returning from Xiliang, but she did not make it public.