Shen Minghui's heart was bleeding with pain. He roared, "What are you standing there for? Quickly help Yingxue back to her room, prepare hot water and ginger soup, and call the imperial physician!"
"Yes!" everyone agreed. Shen Caiyun and Xia Jin helped Shen Yingxue back to Xueyuan. The servants went to make ginger soup, prepare water, and invite the imperial physician. The whole scene was in chaos.
"Master, most of the servants have left, there's nothing more to see." Shen Lixue stood up, intending to return to the bamboo garden to take a hot bath to warm herself up, when Shen Minghui coldly stopped her: "Lixue, is Yingxue's drowning related to you?"
031 Shen Minghui was furious
Shen Lixue stared coldly at Shen Minghui, saying each word clearly: "Father, I was the one who fell into the water first. Why don't you suspect that my falling into the water is related to Yingxue?"
Shen Yingxue was unconscious, and he was heartbroken. He made soup and called a doctor, giving her all sorts of instructions. She had been soaking in cold water for so long, and he hadn't said a word of concern. Instead, he made her stand there in her wet clothes to be questioned. His heart was truly biased to the extreme.
“Yingxue is gentle and kind, and would never do anything to hurt others.” Shen Minghui glared at Shen Lixue, his eyes blazing with anger: “On the contrary, you are willful and capricious, and you don’t understand the big picture at all. After scheming against Ya Rong, you’ve now come to plot against Yingxue. You are the daughter of the Prime Minister’s family. The reputation of the Prime Minister’s family is ruined. How can you be any better?” How could he have given birth to such a selfish and self-serving daughter?
Shen Lixue sneered. Shen Yingxue is gentle and kind? Shen Minghui must be blind. In the end, it's all my fault for ruining his and Lei Yarong's reputation: "Father, I haven't been included in the family genealogy yet, so I'm not considered the daughter of the Prime Minister's family!" The Prime Minister's family's reputation is ruined. It's Shen Minghui and Lei Yarong's own fault. They can't blame me.
"Did I say I wouldn't let you be included in the family register?" Shen Minghui was furious. His daughter was truly foolish to ruin the entire Prime Minister's residence's reputation over such a trivial matter. "You saw how Ya Rong arranged things at the Prime Minister's residence these past few days. If you hadn't caused such a scene at the birthday banquet yesterday, and if Ya Rong hadn't collapsed from vomiting blood, today would be the day you're included in the family register..."
"Father, don't think I don't know. This Prime Minister's residence is for Lei Yarong's birthday celebration." Even now, Shen Minghui still wants to treat her like a fool. He's shameless.
Shen Minghui remained unfazed and continued his reprimand: "Ya Rong celebrated her birthday yesterday, and you are being added to the family register today. There's no conflict between the two!"
"If she really wanted me to be included in the family genealogy, she should have done it yesterday, instead of arranging it for today!" Birthday banquet, inclusion in the family genealogy, the Prime Minister's residence hosting banquets for guests from the capital for two consecutive days—just thinking about it makes me feel awkward. Anyone with a bit of etiquette wouldn't do this. Lei is a daughter of a prestigious family, and she certainly wouldn't do such a foolish thing.
Shen Lixue stared coldly at Shen Minghui: "Was it wrong for me to offer incense for my mother's 100th day memorial? My stepmother didn't even tell me that yesterday was her birthday. Her reputation is ruined. Who can she blame?" Shen Minghui, as a husband, didn't even offer incense for his wife's 100th day memorial. Now he has the audacity to blame himself. He is truly shameless.
Shen Minghui's face was so black it could drip ink: "Li Xue, stop trying to argue. Yesterday wasn't Qingzhu's 100th day memorial at all..." Even now, she still wants to deceive me. She's really stubborn!
Shen Lixue's cold eyes narrowed slightly: "How do you know yesterday wasn't my mother's 100th day memorial?" She had carved a fake date of death on Lin Qingzhu's nameplate, so almost everyone thought yesterday was Lin Qingzhu's 100th day memorial. Only someone who knew Lin Qingzhu's real date of death could deduce the correct date of her 100th day memorial...
“You hate Ya Rong and Ying Xue, and the 100-day memorial is just an excuse. Of course it can’t be real.” Shen Minghui explained coldly, “What’s done is done. It’s too late to say anything now. You made Ya Rong vomit blood and made Ying Xue fall into the water. After you change your clothes, go and apologize to them.”
Shen Lixue coldly watched Shen Minghui's every move. Was things really as simple as he said?
"Father, this matter cannot be left like this!"
A sharp female voice suddenly rang out. Shen Lixue looked up and saw a beautiful young woman walking from beside the rockery. She had bright eyes and white teeth, rosy cheeks, wore a pink lotus leaf skirt, and had her hair styled in an exquisite double bun. Her chin was slightly raised, and from a distance, she looked like a proud peacock.
Shen Lixue raised her eyebrows. The third young lady of the Prime Minister's mansion, Shen Caixuan, whose mother, Li, was originally Lei's head maid, is not surprising that she helped Shen Yingxue deal with her.
Dongfang Zhan also appeared in front of the artificial hill. He had changed out of his soaked clothes and was now wearing a crimson outer robe and a purple-gold crown. He was handsome and outstanding, and walked slowly forward as if taking a stroll.
Shen Caixuan glared fiercely at Shen Lixue: "At that time, only the eldest sister and the second sister were by the pool. It must have been that the eldest sister was unwilling to accept that she had fallen into the water and deliberately pulled the second sister into the water. The second sister has always been weak, and now she has been frozen unconscious by the icy water. She will definitely be sick for several days..."
"Li Xue!" Shen Minghui frowned, his voice tinged with anger.
"Does Father also think that I dragged Yingxue into this mess?" Shen Lixue's eyes narrowed slightly, a half-smile on her face.
"Isn't that right?" Shen Minghui was filled with anger. The witness was right there, yet she still wanted to argue.
Shen Lixue's lips curled slightly, revealing a faint smile, as fresh and pure as a lotus emerging from water, but her eyes were extremely deep, with a hint of demonic power, and her aura that captivated everyone's soul made them gasp for breath.
Shen Caixuan felt a sudden jolt, her mind went completely blank, and she stood there dumbfounded, forgetting what she was supposed to say.
Dongfang Zhan stopped in his tracks, a meaningful look lingering in his eyes. Such a powerful aura—this was not something an ordinary noblewoman could possess.
When he first saw Shen Lixue, her eyebrows and eyes were like a painting, her skin was like solidified cream, she was pure and innocent, and she stood coldly beside the rockery. Her beautiful face was like a frost flower in bloom, not dazzling, but eye-catching.
Shen Yingxue, the most beautiful woman in Qingyan, stood next to her, but instead of overshadowing her brilliance, she became her foil...
"Splash!" Water splashed everywhere, startling everyone awake. Shen Caixuan thrashed about in the water, shouting in panic and anger, "Shen Lixue, you bitch, how dare you push me into the water..."
"Li Xue, what are you doing?" Shen Minghui glared at Shen Li Xue, his eyes burning with rage that seemed to want to incinerate her. She actually pushed Cai Xuan into the water right in front of him!
“Father believes I caused your daughter to fall into the water, so of course I have to push someone in to prove my guilt. Otherwise, wouldn’t Father be wronging me?” Shen Lixue was completely disillusioned with Shen Minghui and was not afraid to confront him directly.
As the Prime Minister of Qingyan Kingdom, every action he takes represents the officials of Qingyan. He must not wrong people arbitrarily. Shen Lixue did this to save face for him. If he severely punishes Shen Lixue, he will be contradicting himself.
Shen Lixue glanced at Shen Caixuan, who was bobbing up and down in the water and constantly choking on water, and said calmly, "Father, please call someone to save Third Sister. Otherwise, if she falls ill from the drowning, my sins will be great. I'll go back to the Bamboo Garden to change my clothes and await Father's punishment!"
Shen Lixue snorted and strode past Shen Minghui toward the bamboo garden. Behind her, Shen Minghui roared angrily, "Lixue, go back to your room and face the wall for a month. You are not allowed to leave the bamboo garden without my permission!"
Ignoring Shen Minghui's punishment, Shen Lixue walked straight ahead, followed by Dongfang Zhan, whose sharp eyes gleamed with intense light: "Shen Yingxue, you're the one who dragged her into the water, aren't you?"
032 Help her change her clothes
Shen Lixue seemed oblivious to Dongfang Zhan's wariness, smiling politely: "If Prince Zhan liked Shen Yingxue, he wouldn't have abandoned her to save me after she choked on the water, wouldn't have slowly walked to her side while she was soaking wet and being watched by others, and wouldn't have come here to chat with me while she was unconscious and her life hanging in the balance..."
The dangerous glint in Dongfang Zhan's eyes intensified: "You're quite observant!" She was the first person to see through his dislike for Shen Yingxue.
“Prince Zhan likes Shen Yingxue’s pretense very well, but you have overlooked the details. Although most people only look at the surface, it is possible that someone suddenly noticed the details!” Shen Lixue smiled slightly, her eyes clear as a spring. The surface appearance is just for show, but the details can reveal the truth and essence of things.
Dongfang Zhan gazed intently at Shen Lixue. She stood quietly in front of the artificial hill, her smile as fresh and natural as a lotus emerging from the water. Yet, she seemed to be shrouded in a light mist, hazy and indistinct, impossible to see clearly no matter how sharp one's eyesight was.
"Why did you remind me?" Dongfang Zhan's gaze was deep. She didn't make a big deal out of this matter to blackmail or manipulate him, but instead subtly reminded him to pay attention to details. What was Shen Lixue trying to do?
"I didn't remind Your Highness, I just chatted with you for a few minutes!" Shen Lixue smiled lightly. She didn't care about Dongfang Zhan's purpose in approaching Shen Yingxue. She only felt that once Dongfang Zhan achieved his goal, Shen Yingxue's fate would be tragic. She was happy to see her enemy suffer. She had already done more than enough by not adding fuel to the fire, so why would she want to sabotage it?
Dongfang Zhan raised an eyebrow. Shen Lixue was drawing a line between them. She would neither expose him nor help him. She would pretend she hadn't seen what happened today: "You're quite clever!"
“Sister Yingxue grew up in the capital, she is knowledgeable and smarter than me,” Shen Lixue said calmly. Although Shen Yingxue may not be very bright, she is a woman and has a delicate mind. One cannot be careless when dealing with her.
"Thank you for the reminder, Miss Chen!" The dangerous glint in Dongfang Zhan's eyes vanished without a trace, replaced by a warm smile that was as refreshing as a spring breeze.
Shen Lixue sensed a hint of sternness in his smile: "Prince Zhan, Yingxue should be waking up soon. You should go to Xueyuan to see her. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave first!"
Shen Lixue had been standing for an incense stick's time in her soaked clothes and felt very uncomfortable. A gust of wind blew by, and Shen Lixue wrapped her arms around herself. She had already given all the necessary reminders and had no intention of saying anything more to Dongfang Zhan. She tightened her clothes and walked quickly toward the bamboo garden.
Dongfang Zhan stood quietly, watching Shen Lixue walk away. A faint smile appeared on his lips. He was impatient with Shen Yingxue, which was why he revealed these flaws when saving people. Others didn't notice, but Shen Lixue did. She was a cautious woman, much smarter than Shen Yingxue.