Lei originally intended to give Wan Mama a minor punishment as a show to appease Shen Lixue, but she never expected that Shen Lixue and Nangong Xiao would work together so skillfully, pressing her step by step. If she did not severely punish Wan Mama, she would find it difficult to convince the public.
"Guards, drag Granny Wan away and beat her to death!" Madam Lei closed her eyes and coldly gave the order: Nangong Xiao was right next to her, and to resolve the matter perfectly, Granny Wan had to be sacrificed.
"Madam, I have served you for many years... Please have mercy..." Granny Wan cried out hoarsely: She was only in her forties, she didn't want to die, she really didn't want to die!
Lei Shi was annoyed by her nagging: "Although you are an elder of the Prime Minister's mansion, your mistakes are too great, and your merits do not outweigh your faults. You are the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's mansion, how dare you, a lowly servant, belittle her at will..."
The maidservant entered the inner room and quickly dragged the crying Granny Wan away. The sounds of beatings and Granny Wan's painful wails echoed outside. Nangong Xiao gave Shen Lixue a smug look, but Shen Lixue turned her head away, pretending not to see.
Lei saw the interaction between the two, and his expression, hidden in the shadows, was unsettling: What exactly is going on between Nangong Xiao and Shen Lixue?
Half an hour later, Granny Wan was beaten to death. Shen Lixue 'comforted' Lei Shi for a few words and left Ya Garden. Even after walking a long distance, she could still feel Lei Shi's cold gaze directed at her: the struggle between her and Lei Shi had only just begun.
Walking on the bluestone path of the Prime Minister's residence, a gentle breeze blew, carrying a refreshing fragrance. Shen Lixue stopped and looked back at Nangong Xiao: "Don't you just like watching plays?" He had helped her scheme against the Lei family, which was beyond her expectations.
Nangong Xiao snapped open his folding fan with a 'whoosh,' and a bewitching smile appeared on his handsome, devilish face: "That old nanny has a face as big as a basin and a body as fat as a pig. She's always hanging around in front of me with that fawning smile, polluting my vision. I hate looking at her..."
Shen Lixue was speechless. Granny Wan was a bit chubby, but she wasn't as bad as he made her out to be. Besides, Granny Wan was a servant of the Prime Minister's residence, and her activities were mostly limited to the residence. If Nangong Xiao didn't come to the residence, how could she possibly pollute his view? It was a completely flimsy excuse.
Just then, Nangong Xiao's deliberately lowered voice rang in his ear: "Shen Lixue, I've done you a huge favor. How are you going to thank me?"
007 Spicy Vegetables Nangong Xiao
Shen Lixue looked at Nangong Xiao and said slowly and deliberately, "Your Highness, I cannot express my gratitude in words!" Nangong Xiao's kindness to Shen Lixue was too great for her to repay, so she could only keep it in her heart. Words of gratitude seemed inadequate in the face of such a great favor, so she didn't say anything more.
"It was just a small favor, nothing much. A simple thank you will suffice!" Nangong Xiao lightly waved his folding fan, looking smug and nonchalant. He wanted Shen Lixue's gratitude, and he wasn't going to let her just brush him off with a simple sentence.
"Then thank you very much, Your Highness!" Shen Lixue's bright eyes flashed with a triumphant smile as she turned and walked forward. This was exactly what Nangong Xiao wanted to hear.
"Ah!" Nangong Xiao realized what was happening and quickly chased after him: "Don't just say thank you and that's it, show some real action!"
"I have no gold or silver jewelry!" Shen Lixue said pitifully.
“I don’t like those vulgar things either.” Nangong Xiao’s eyes were gloomy as he vigorously shook his folding fan. Did he look like a greedy person?
Shen Lixue glanced at the valuable fan in Nangong Xiao's hand: "I don't have any priceless pearls, swords, or antique fans..." As the heir of the Yun King, Nangong Xiao has the best of everything, and ordinary items are hard to catch his eye.
Nangong Xiao sighed heavily. He finally understood that Shen Lixue was trying to avoid his gratitude. This was the first time he had helped someone, so he had to get something in return. He couldn't help for nothing: "Alright, alright, I won't make things difficult for you. Treat me to a meal as a thank you. That's not too much to ask, is it?"
"I have no money to invite the young master to a restaurant." Shen Lixue continued to decline. During her fifteen years in Qingzhou, Lin Qingzhu and her daughter relied on Lin Qingzhu selling embroidery to make a meager living. When Shen Lixue transmigrated, she had nothing but the Shen family heirloom jade.
"Then let's have a simple meal in your bamboo garden, is that alright?" Nangong Xiao said irritably, walking past Shen Lixue and heading straight for the bamboo garden. His few words in exchange for a meal from Shen Lixue weren't too bad.
As the sun set, six dishes were laid out on the mahogany table in the bamboo garden. Nangong Xiao washed his hands and, as if he were at home, sat down at the table without any hesitation: "I've been busy all day, and I'm really hungry. Let's eat!"
Shen Lixue's dark eyes darted around: "Your Highness is an honored guest and cannot be neglected. These dishes were prepared according to my taste, and I'm afraid they are not suitable for Your Highness. How about I instruct the kitchen to prepare some more refined dishes that will suit Your Highness's palate? Is there any dish Your Highness would like to eat?"
None of the dishes on the table were anything Nangong Xiao particularly liked, so he didn't refuse Shen Lixue's suggestion: "Just ordinary home-style dishes are fine, just remember not to put half a bug in the dishes again..."
Shen Lixue was shocked: How did Nangong Xiao know that he had deliberately placed that half-insect there...?
Nangong Xiao stretched out his hand, and lying in his palm was the half-eaten green worm that Shen Lixue had taken: "This was found in the wastebasket. Next time you scheme against someone, remember to destroy the evidence..."
Looking at Nangong Xiao's captivating face and playful gaze, Shen Lixue felt inexplicably guilty. She turned around and hurried outside, saying, "Please wait a moment, Your Highness. I'll have someone prepare the dishes immediately!"
Watching Shen Lixue's figure disappear into the distance as if fleeing in panic, Nangong Xiao's lips curled up, and an indescribable emotion flickered in his charming eyes...
After Shen Lixue left, Chunhua and Qiuyue cleared away the food. Nangong Xiao, having nothing to do, leisurely toured Shen Lixue's room. Everything in the inner room was new, but all of it was second-rate. Nangong Xiao quietly stared at the sparse beaded curtain and the fake paintings hanging on the wall, his gaze gloomy, and he remained silent.
Half an hour later, the slightly closed gate of the bamboo garden was pushed open, and Shen Lixue walked in, her beautiful face beaming with a gentle and apologetic smile: "I'm sorry to have kept the young master waiting!"
The maid Qiuyue stepped forward and took out the prepared dishes from the food box, placing them one by one on the table: spicy chicken, Mapo tofu, chopped chili fish head, tiger skin peppers, spicy shrimp, and chili beef.
The six dishes were all different, but what they had in common was that each dish was spicy. Long red chilies were piled up around the edge of the plate, surrounding the green and yellow vegetables, making them a colorful and visually appealing dish.
Looking at the six large plates of chili peppers, Nangong Xiao broke out in a cold sweat. There were so many chilies that they almost covered the vegetables. Was this a dish of vegetables or chilies?
"Your Highness, it's time to eat!" Shen Lixue smiled gently, her cool eyes flashing with a strong sense of mockery: This time, instead of insects, she put out chili peppers.
On the way back to the capital, Shen Lixue had dined with Nangong Xiao and knew that he did not like spicy food. Therefore, she specially ordered the kitchen to prepare a chili feast to entertain Nangong Xiao.
Looking at the plate full of chili peppers, Nangong Xiao's lips twitched slightly. How was he supposed to eat a dish with so many chili peppers...?
Nangong Xiao stared at the food, refusing to touch his chopsticks. Shen Lixue asked knowingly, "Does the young master not like these dishes?"
"Of course...no..." Nangong Xiao was speechless. If he said he didn't like the dishes, he wouldn't have to suffer anymore, but Shen Lixue would use his difficult nature as an excuse to torment him. He didn't want to fall for Shen Lixue's tricks again...
"If the young master likes it, then hurry up and eat, or the food will get cold!" Shen Lixue smiled sweetly, which was as refreshing as a spring breeze, but when Nangong Xiao saw her smile, it was full of smugness and provocation.
Shen Lixue, don't be so smug. It's just a few plates of spicy dishes. It's no problem for him.
Nangong Xiao gritted his teeth, steeled his resolve, grabbed his chopsticks, pushed the chili peppers aside, and picked up a piece of tender Mapo Tofu.
The chili peppers on the surface of the Mapo Tofu were rinsed off, but the spiciness had already seeped into the tofu. As soon as it entered his mouth, the spiciness spread wildly. After swallowing it hastily, Nangong Xiao not only felt his nose and throat burning, spicy, and dry, but his stomach also felt like it was filled with spiciness. Even his charming eyes were misty with tears from the spiciness. He was truly pitiful.
"Young Master, how does it taste?" Shen Lixue asked with a bright smile, her beautiful eyes full of teasing.
"Very good!" Nangong Xiao's mouth, throat, and nasal cavity were filled with a strong spicy smell, and even his breath was spicy, but he gritted his teeth and refused to show weakness.
"Shen Lixue, don't just look at me, you eat too!" Nangong Xiao picked up a piece of tiger-skin pepper with his chopsticks and gave it to Shen Lixue. She made so many spicy dishes, clearly wanting to teach him a lesson. Of course, he would let her share some of it, so that she could also taste the feeling of the spiciness running around in her mouth.
Shen Lixue skillfully deflected the spicy dishes that Nangong Xiao offered: "I've already eaten in the kitchen. These dishes are specially prepared for the young master. If the young master likes them, please eat more!"
Shen Lixue pretended not to hear the anger in Nangong Xiao's words, and picked up one spicy dish after another with her chopsticks and put it into Nangong Xiao's bowl: Nangong Xiao eats dishes with the chili peppers rinsed off, this won't do.
The dish Shen Lixue picked up consisted of four or five red chilies wrapped around a piece of green vegetable. Nangong Xiao was furious, but he didn't lash out. He ate the spicy dish slowly and deliberately.
"Young Master, is the food not to your liking?" Shen Lixue asked, 'puzzled'.