Reaching out and grabbing Shen Yingxue's ankle, Zi Mo leaped into the air, dragging Shen Yingxue like a corpse, and flew quickly towards the Zhan Prince's Mansion.
Shen Yingxue was upside down, her head was throbbing with blood, she felt dizzy and lightheaded, the wind was whistling past her ears, and the scenery in front of her was rushing past her. She was stunned and speechless. What was going on? Was she in mid-air?
Who was grabbing her ankle and dragging her forward? Judging from the force coming from her ankle, it was a man. She was, after all, the most beautiful woman in Qingyan. Couldn't that man have shown her some tenderness and carried her or carried her on his back? I'm so angry, so angry!
From afar, Zi Mo saw the Zhan Prince's Mansion. A carriage was parked at the gate, and Li Youlan, dressed in her finest attire and smiling, walked gracefully out along the bluestone path, surrounded by her maids.
Zi Mo's gaze sharpened, a mischievous thought popped into his head, and he swung the lifeless Shen Yingxue around before forcefully throwing her at the smiling Li Youlan.
Li Youlan was walking slowly forward when she suddenly felt a strong gust of wind blowing from directly in front of her. Looking up, she saw a large, unidentified object hurtling towards her.
What was that? Li Youlan's gaze sharpened, and her body reacted before her thoughts, quickly turning to the side and barely avoiding the unknown object.
An unidentified object grazed past her clothes and struck the maids beside her. The dull thud of them falling to the ground, accompanied by the woman's piercing screams, echoed throughout the Zhan Prince's mansion: "Ahhh...it hurts...it hurts so much...what the hell is that...!"
Li Youlan stood aside, ignoring the maids who were squatting on the ground groaning in pain. She stepped forward and picked up the unidentified object that had fallen. She had fallen from a great height and collided with the maids. Her beautiful hairpin fell to the side, and her delicate hair was scattered messily, covering most of her face.
Li Youlan brushed aside her disheveled hair, looked at that familiar face, and her beautiful eyes suddenly blazed with anger: "Shen Yingxue, what are you up to?"
She saw it all clearly; Shen Yingxue was aiming straight for her. If she hadn't dodged quickly, she would have been the one knocked to the ground and seriously injured.
Shen Yingxue floated in mid-air for a long time, feeling dizzy from the wind. When she fell, she crashed hard into the maids. She was completely disoriented, seeing stars, and her hearing was impaired. Li Youlan's words seemed to drift near and far, sometimes loud and sometimes soft, and she couldn't hear them clearly at all. She shook her head vigorously, trying to clear her mind.
Li Youlan's beautiful eyes narrowed instantly. She shook her head, her gaze blank. Was she pretending to be stupid?
A small, pale hand rose, and a slap landed hard on Shen Yingxue's face: "Shen Yingxue, I'm asking you a question, what are you pretending to be stupid for?" The crisp sound abruptly stopped the maids' wails. Their eyes widened in fear as they exchanged glances, looking at each other in dismay. The Princess Consort Zhan was furious. Silence, silence.
Shen Yingxue's hazy thoughts instantly cleared. A burning pain shot through her face, and her mouth was filled with the strong taste of rust. Looking at Li Youlan, who stood high above her, arrogant and haughty, her anger surged. "You bitch, how dare you hit me!"
Her small hand clenched, ready to strike Li Youlan, but her angry gaze suddenly fell on Li Youlan's clothes. The deep purple silk skirt was printed with the secret mark symbolizing the Zhan Prince's Mansion. Auspicious patterns were outlined with golden threads. It was an incomparably beautiful and gorgeous dress, which only the Zhan Prince's principal wife was worthy of wearing.
She paused, her anger instantly dissipating. Li Youlan was the principal wife of the Prince of Zhan, while she was merely a concubine. Their statuses were vastly different. Since the Prince of Zhan was not in the palace, Li Youlan could sell her off in a fit of anger. She was weak and alone, and it was not advisable to disobey Li Youlan for the time being. Once she gained the Prince of Zhan's favor and became the Princess Consort, she would then tear Li Youlan to pieces and dismember her.
Thinking of this, Shen Yingxue's lips curled into a barely perceptible cold smile, her anger completely subsided, her nose stung, and two crystal tears slid down her cheeks: "Your Highness, it was Shen Lixue who threw me down."
Li Youlan's beautiful eyes narrowed, and she turned to look outside. The sun was shining brightly, the sky was azure, and a gentle breeze brought warmth. Apart from that, there was not a sound.
Her small, pale hand suddenly tightened its grip on Shen Yingxue's clothes, her beautiful eyes flashing with cold light: "Don't try to fool me. The area is deserted, there's not a soul in sight. Where did Shen Lixue come from?"
The collar was too tight, making it difficult for Shen Yingxue to breathe. Her face flushed red, and she coughed repeatedly, still unwilling to give up, she falsely accused, "Your Highness knows... I don't know martial arts... It's impossible for me to have fallen from mid-air on my own... It really was Shen Lixue who threw me down... to hit Your Highness..."
She was being dragged backwards in mid-air, and she didn't see the person's face clearly. She only knew that it was a man who threw her down. If she told the truth, Li Youlan would definitely think that she was bluffing or lying, and would definitely slap her a few more times.
Her outing at the Holy King's Mansion was definitely related to Shen Lixue. By pinning the blame on Shen Lixue, Li Youlan could be given a perfect explanation, killing two birds with one stone.
"Is it really Shen Lixue?" Li Youlan knew that Shen Lixue knew martial arts, and she and Shen Lixue were sworn enemies. If Shen Lixue threw Shen Yingxue at her, it would make sense. However, "How did you meet Shen Lixue?"
Shen Lixue is pregnant and sleeps for a long time every day. Except for attending banquets in the palace, she spends most of her time at the Holy King's Mansion. How did Shen Yingxue get involved with her?
Could it be that Shen Yingxue went to the Holy King's Mansion?
"Your Highness, please investigate thoroughly. I was in a state of mental and physical turmoil, so I went out for a walk. I didn't expect to run into Shen Lixue. I couldn't dodge in time and was caught by her guards, thrown into the air, and crashed into the Zhan Prince's residence." Shen Yingxue wiped away her tears, speaking meekly, but inwardly she sneered. The person in the air had long since escaped. No matter how capable Li Youlan was, she couldn't find out who it was. She could frame her however she wanted.
"As a concubine of the Zhan Prince's mansion, how dare you leave the mansion without my permission!" Li Youlan, unaware of anyone nearby, was skeptical of Shen Yingxue's words. Regardless of whether Shen Yingxue was thrown down by Shen Lixue, the fact remained that she nearly hit her. She wasn't going to let Shen Yingxue off easily. Having caught her red-handed, she was ready to teach her a lesson: "Do you think the Zhan Prince's mansion's rules don't exist? Or do you think I, the Princess Consort, am invisible?"
Shen Yingxue's slender body trembled suddenly, and she hurriedly bowed her head to admit her guilt: "Your Highness, please forgive me, I will never dare to do it again." She was secretly annoyed. She had been in a hurry and forgot the rules of the Zhan Prince's Mansion. Leaving the mansion without permission was a serious crime. How could she have walked right into the line of fire?
Li Youlan looked down at Shen Yingxue with disdain: "Considering this is your first offense, I will not punish you severely. Go to the punishment room to receive ten strokes of the cane, return to your room and reflect on your mistakes for half a month, and copy Buddhist scriptures three thousand times as a warning to others."
"Thank you for your mercy, Your Highness." Shen Yingxue secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She could bear the ten strokes of the cane. Thank goodness.
There was already a conflict between Li Youlan and Shen Lixue. With her stirring things up, their hatred will intensify, and they will definitely fight each other fiercely. At that time, she can sit back and reap the benefits. Hahaha!
"What are you standing here for? Hurry up and go receive your punishment." Li Youlan glared at Shen Yingxue impatiently. She found Shen Yingxue's face covered in thick makeup disgusting. If she hadn't been in a hurry to go to the palace, she would never have let Shen Yingxue off so easily.
"Yes, yes, yes, I will return to the manor immediately to receive my punishment." Shen Yingxue snapped out of her reverie, quickly stood up, and hurriedly ran into the manor. Li Youlan seemed to be in a bad mood, grabbing someone and preparing to vent her anger. It was better for her to leave as soon as possible and keep quiet.
Li Youlan's cold gaze swept over the maids at the door, her brows furrowing tightly: "What are you all standing there for? Pack your things and prepare to go to the palace."
"Yes, yes, yes!" Learning from Shen Yingxue's experience, the maids dared not be negligent and agreed repeatedly. They hurriedly lifted the curtain and carefully helped Li Youlan into the carriage.
Once everyone in the carriage was seated, the driver raised his whip, the horse neighed loudly, and galloped off towards the palace.
After lunch, it was time for a midday rest. The emperor, empress dowager, empress, and concubines in the palace were all resting. The palace was quiet, and the bright sunlight shone gently, creating a peaceful atmosphere.
A commotion erupted from Yonghua Palace, where Consort Li resided: "Get out! All of you, get out of here!"
With a series of clattering sounds, bronze mirrors, bronze basins, and everything else that could reflect a person's image were thrown out. The palace maids stood outside the door, looking at the mess of scattered objects, too frightened to even breathe, their heads bowed, secretly lamenting that since waking up from the poison, Consort Li's temper had become increasingly volatile.
Unlike the bright and cheerful atmosphere of other palaces, the interior of Yonghua Palace was shrouded in thick curtains, blocking out all sunlight. Consort Li sat on the edge of the bed, her clothes half-open, and through the dim light, one could vaguely see the crisscrossing dark brown scars on her delicate skin, which looked quite ferocious.
The little hand slowly rose, gently stroking the scars. The scars on the back of the hand and the skin complemented each other, creating a chilling effect.
Consort Li felt the sharp, protruding marks under her fingertips, her beautiful eyes filled with resentment. The emperor favored her and gave her the title of consort because she was young, beautiful, and had skin as smooth as jade, as tender as autumn water, and could melt in a handful.
He loved her and was close to her because of her slender figure and understanding nature. He enjoyed the pleasure of her young, beautiful, and porcelain-like body.
But now, her beautiful face is still there, but her once-proud skin is ruined, pitted and uneven, with not a single good spot. How can such a body and such skin seduce the emperor and keep his heart?
"Squeak." The tightly closed door was pushed open. Consort Li was in a fit of anger. Without thinking, she grabbed the teacup beside her and threw it forcefully: "I said that no one is allowed to come in and disturb me. Get out."
The teacup flew to the doorway, neither hitting it nor falling to the ground, but was caught steadily. A clear, melodious voice slowly echoed in the room: "Consort Li, why are you so angry all of a sudden?"
Consort Li quickly gathered her clothes together, looked up, and saw the beautiful face of the young woman. Her delicate skin was hidden under her purple dress, as smooth as snow and as delicate as porcelain. Especially her small hands, which were as slender as jade. She was just quietly holding a teacup, without making any movement, but they were beautiful enough to make people unable to look away.
Did you deliberately provoke her because her skin was ruined?
Consort Li's beautiful eyes instantly blazed with anger: "Li Youlan, how did you get in?"