Beside Dongfang Heng was a small table with a wine pot and several wine cups on it. Petals of magnolia flowers fell softly around him, creating a beautiful scene that was so captivating that one could not look away.
The guards quietly withdrew, and Shen Lixue walked over alone. Light footsteps sounded, and Dongfang Heng snapped out of his reverie, glanced at Shen Lixue, picked up the white jade wine pot on the table, and poured himself a cup of wine: "Did you need something?"
The wine glass had just touched his lips, and before he could even taste the fragrant wine, Shen Lixue strode over with a sword step, snatched the glass from his hand, and a hint of anger burned in her dark eyes: "You're injured, how can you drink?"
"Wine can drown sorrows!" Dongfang Heng said, reaching for the wine pot. His fingers had just touched the handle when Shen Lixue snatched it away, saying seriously, "Drinking to drown sorrows only makes them worse. Are you worried about your injuries?"
The guards standing nearby couldn't hear what the two were saying and were dumbfounded. Someone actually dared to snatch the prince's wine pot, and the prince hadn't even lost his temper yet...
"It's just a physical appearance, nothing worth clinging to!" Dongfang Heng's voice was indifferent, as if he were talking about something trivial. He gently lifted the hem of his robe, gracefully sat down in the round chair, his deep eyes utterly calm: "Someone, bring tea!"
"Who have you been in contact with since you returned to the capital?" Shen Lixue sat down opposite Dongfang Heng, her gaze grave. According to Lin Yan, Dongfang Heng was fine at the border, but his condition suddenly worsened after only half a month back in the capital. There must be something else going on.
Dongfang Heng was already severely injured, suffering excruciating pain for one day every month, and was highly likely to die young. Yet, they still secretly attacked him.
“I’ve had contact with almost all of my relatives, friends, and high-ranking officials!” Dongfang Heng replied, his gaze deep and unfathomable. It wouldn’t be easy to find a suspect among a hundred people.
"Have you eaten anything unusual recently?" Shen Lixue continued to press, for harmful substances are most likely to enter through the mouth!
Dongfang Heng shook his head, his obsidian-like eyes unfathomable: "Besides daily meals, in my spare time I like to drink, and I test everything I eat with silver needles!" After that incident three years ago, he dared not easily trust anyone again. During his three years at the border, he had developed a habit of caution.
Shen Lixue frowned. She had tested the food with a silver needle, which meant it wasn't poisonous. So what went wrong? "Do you still have the clothes you wore yesterday that were stained with blood?"
She could clearly smell a strange odor from the blood on the clothes. She wanted to examine it carefully, but then Su Yuting suddenly visited, Dongfang Heng pulled her into bed, and a series of things happened in quick succession, leaving her no time to think about it.
"My clothes are stained with blood, I can't wear them anymore, I'll throw them away!" A few petals of jade fell onto Dongfang Heng's sleeve, creating an indescribable beauty against the white clothes.
Shen Lixue glanced at Dongfang Heng, then lowered her voice mysteriously and asked, "Do you have a dagger?"
"What are you doing?" Dongfang Heng looked puzzled, but still took out a dagger and handed it over.
The dagger's hilt is inlaid with red gemstones, and its scabbard is engraved with ancient patterns, exuding nobility and elegance. The blade is made of black iron and is extremely sharp.
"What a fine dagger!" Shen Lixue praised softly. Taking advantage of Dongfang Heng's momentary distraction, she suddenly grabbed his finger, swiftly made a small cut, and dripped a few drops of blood into the empty wine glass. A sly smile played on her lips as she said, "Lend me some blood, and I can figure out if you've been poisoned!"
Dongfang Heng did not speak, nor did he withdraw his hand. His clear, sharp eyes gazed intently at Chen Lixue.
Shen Lixue had never been looked at so closely by a man before, and for a moment she was caught off guard. Her face flushed slightly, and she quickly released Dongfang Heng's fingers, putting distance between them: "Enough blood!"
Zi Mo brought over the tea, glanced at the scratch on Dongfang Heng's finger, and his lips twitched. The Prince had always disliked others getting close and hated being hurt. Now, Miss Shen had scratched the Prince, yet the Prince was so calm and not angry at all...
"Zimo!" Dongfang Heng said in a flat tone, clearly displeased.
"Yes, Your Highness!" Zi Mo suddenly woke up, a layer of cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. He served teapot, teacups, snacks, and fruit, and quickly retreated.
"Dongfang Heng, doesn't the Holy King's Mansion have any maids?" Along the way, apart from the guards and servants, Shen Lixue really didn't see any nannies or maids. It would be more appropriate for women to do things like serving tea and water. It's surprising that the Holy King's Mansion only has guards.
“Other masters in the Prince’s mansion have nannies and maids, but there are no maids in the army. I am used to having my guards serve me tea!” Dongfang Heng said calmly, holding the teapot and pouring tea for himself.
It was strange, but also a perfectly reasonable habit! Shen Lixue raised her eyebrows, said nothing more, and focused on studying the blood: the blood was bright red, with a faint bloody smell, reflecting against the pure white cup wall, blooming with an indescribable bewitching beauty.
Taking a closer sniff, Shen Lixue frowned slightly: The smell was normal, completely different from yesterday's. What was going on...?
A faint aroma of tea wafted through the air, but Shen Lixue's mind was somewhat agitated. She closed her eyes slightly, calmed herself, and carefully pondered the differences in the blood. Casually, she picked up the teacup and took a large gulp.
The spicy liquid flowed from her mouth into her throat and then into her stomach, burning wherever it went. Shen Lixue suddenly opened her eyes, coughing repeatedly as she choked: "How could it be wine?" In ancient times, wine was mostly brewed by men, fragrant and spicy, and she couldn't stand that kind of taste.
"You've picked up the wrong cup!" Dongfang Heng handed her a piece of fruit. Shen Lixue quickly took a few bites to balance the spiciness in her mouth. She looked at the teacup and wine glass that were far apart on the table and wondered to herself how she could have picked up the wrong cup when she had clearly placed the wine glass far away and the teacup close by.
A sweet aroma filled her mouth, and Shen Lixue was taken aback. What kind of fruit was this? The taste was truly unique. She lowered her eyes slightly, and her gaze fell on another part of the fruit, where there were bite marks that clearly did not belong to him. Shen Lixue's movements suddenly stopped, and she glared fiercely at Dongfang Heng: "Is this fruit yours?"
"You choked quite a bit, so I'll just give you my fruit..." Dongfang Heng said casually, as if he didn't care.
"Dongfang Heng!" Shen Lixue's beautiful eyes were practically spitting fire with anger: First, she drank the wrong wine, then she ate the wrong fruit; these couldn't all be coincidences, he must be involved...
Dongfang Heng sipped his tea, seemingly oblivious to Shen Lixue's anger, a faint glint of darkness flashing in his dark eyes!
"So there's fine wine here!" Accompanied by a clear, teasing voice, Nangong Xiao appeared at the door, his charming eyes flashing with a wicked light. Just as he was about to step forward, four guards appeared out of thin air, their sharp longswords gleaming coldly, pointing directly at the vital points on Nangong Xiao's body.
Nangong Xiao remained calm and composed, waving his folding fan to deal with the four guards. In an instant, the sounds of weapons clashing filled the air, leaves fluttered, and weeds flew everywhere. The fight was fierce, and it was difficult to determine a winner in a short time.
Shen Lixue's cold eyes narrowed slightly. The Holy King's Mansion had very few guards on the surface, but there were quite a few hidden guards in the courtyard. Judging from the almost inaudible breathing, there should be ten hidden guards in this small courtyard, but only four have come out now...
"Dongfang Heng, guests are guests. Does your Holy King's Mansion like to entertain guests with swords?" Nangong Xiao waved away a guard, glared at Dongfang Heng, and his charming eyes were full of questioning.
"You entered the Holy King's Mansion without prior notice; you are not a guest, but an assassin!" Dongfang Heng said calmly. He had clearly seen that Nangong Xiao did not walk in, but flew in using his lightness skill, landing directly at the entrance...
"I have urgent business with you and can't wait to inform you!" Nangong Xiao was surrounded by four guards, both defending and attacking. His speed was so fast that it was impossible to see how he made his moves. He fought against four opponents for a long time without being at a disadvantage.
"Shen Lixue, why don't you put in a good word for me?" Unable to get through to Dongfang Heng, Nangong Xiao turned his attention to Shen Lixue. Just now on the street, he originally wanted to follow Shen Lixue to the Holy King's Mansion, but Lin Yan pulled him aside and said a lot of irrelevant things, causing him to arrive so late and being treated like an assassin.
"Your martial arts are extremely high, defeating these four guards shouldn't be a problem!" Shen Lixue was very curious about ancient martial arts. It was rare to see peerless masters sparring, and she wanted to watch it. Why would she stop them? Besides, the one who started the trouble was Dongfang Heng. Although he was cold, he was sensible and wouldn't let anyone injure Nangong Xiao.
"That's true, my martial arts are superior to yours!" A cunning glint flashed in Nangong Xiao's wicked eyes, and his slender figure suddenly soared into the air: "Clap clap clap!" The folding fan in his hand struck the guards and their shoulders like lightning, knocking them aside.
The guards were so shocked that they retreated repeatedly. Nangong Xiao seized the opportunity and his slender figure instantly appeared in front of the small table. Without any hesitation, he picked up the wine pot and poured it directly into his mouth. A strange light flashed in his eyes as he repeatedly praised, "The fine wine is indeed worthy of its reputation!"
Dongfang Heng waved his hand, and the four guards who had caught up withdrew their attack and disappeared into thin air. Nangong Xiao sat down between Shen Lixue and Dongfang Heng, a satisfied smile on his devilish face, as if he were savoring a fine wine: "If I had known that the Holy King's Mansion had such fine wine, I would have come sooner!"
"What kind of fruit is this?" Nangong Xiao grabbed a fruit from the plate and took a big bite, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes. "It's quite sweet. If I'm not mistaken, this is a ginseng fruit from the snow mountain!"
Snow Mountain Ginseng Fruit! Shen Lixue was taken aback: Legend has it that it blooms once every ten years and bears fruit once every ten years, producing only ten fruits each time. It can be eaten directly and can cure serious illnesses. It should be that Dongfang Heng picked it to slow down his heart disease. But now, there are two fruits on the plate, one in her hand and one in Nangong Xiao's hand...
Shen Lixue and Nangong Xiao are ordinary people, so it doesn't matter whether they eat ginseng fruit or not. However, Dongfang Heng is seriously ill and is waiting for it to save his life.
Nangong Xiao was happily eating the fruit. Shen Lixue wanted to stop him, but then she thought of Dongfang Heng's noble and aloof nature; he certainly wouldn't touch any fruit that others had eaten. The words she was about to say circled back and disappeared into thin air...
Dongfang Heng was always indifferent and never took anyone or anything seriously. Now that he had eaten Dongfang Heng's life-saving ginseng fruit, he was still unmoved. His patience was truly strong. However, he didn't believe that he couldn't be provoked: "Dongfang Heng, it's rare for me and Shen Lixue to be guests. How many good things does the Holy King's Mansion have left? Bring them out to entertain us!"