Lei Hong was holding the armor, and he was the nobleman who was entitled to wear it. Lin Yan had fought on the battlefield and was also a minister appointed by the emperor. His experience was similar to Lei Hong's, and he was the most suitable person to hold the armor. Lei Hong could lift the armor. If he couldn't lift it, he was not worthy of his current position as minister.
"General Lin, please!" The surroundings quieted down. Lei Hong made a gesture of stepping forward, as if to give the armor to Lin Yan. The strange curve of his lips betrayed his true thoughts.
Shen Lixue walked to Nangong Xiao's side and lowered her voice mysteriously: "Do you want to turn the tables on us?"
"You have a way?" Nangong Xiao looked at Shen Lixue, his charming eyes flashing with suspicion. He had racked his brains but still couldn't lift the armor. Did she have a way to lift it?
Shen Lixue smiled gently, her expression enigmatic: "As long as you do as I say, I guarantee you can show off the armor!"
"Really?" Nangong Xiao's eyes lit up, and his attitude became enthusiastic: "Tell me quickly, what's the method?"
Shen Lixue whispered a few words to Nangong Xiao, who nodded slightly and left quickly. Dongfang Zhan glanced at the two of them with a gentle gaze, seemingly unintentionally, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
Turning to the center of the arena, they saw Lin Yan, his eyelids drooping, slowly walking forward step by step. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he reached out to take the suit of armor. The armor was icy cold to the touch, and an invisible chill instantly spread through his fingers to his limbs, chilling him to the bone.
The armor felt heavy in his hands, like a rock half-buried in the ground, unyielding. No matter how Lin Yan tried to lift it, the armor remained completely still!
Lei Hong raised a slight smile, looking at Lin Yan, whose forehead was covered in cold sweat. His eyes flashed with mockery. No one but him could lift this suit of armor.
"Make way, make way, make way quickly!" A startled shout suddenly rang out. Everyone turned to look and saw that Nangong Xiao's fan had slipped from his hand and was flying towards the crowd with lightning speed.
The crowd gasped and scattered quickly. Lin Yan, not even bothering to grab his armor, swiftly dodged to the side. Lei Hong, clutching his heavy armor, was a beat slower, watching in shock as the fan struck him heavily in the chest.
His tall frame staggered backward uncontrollably, his chest heaving with blood and qi. He coughed up a mouthful of blood with a "pfft," and then, with a clattering sound, a pile of black, unidentified matter fell from his clothes and scattered on the ground.
"Excuse me, Minister Lei, I was in a bad mood just now, and while I was practicing martial arts to vent my anger, the fan accidentally slipped from my hand!" Nangong Xiao's slender figure instantly appeared in front of Lei Hong. The moment the fan hit the ground, he reached out and caught it, gently shaking it twice. He was elegant and charming, with a smile playing on his lips, and a cold glint in his captivating eyes.
"It's...it's alright, Your Highness, don't worry about it!" Lei Hong wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and forced a smile. He hated Nangong Xiao to death. He had vented his anger outside, but the fan had flown here and seriously injured him.
"Huh, what's this?" Lei Hong's robe was very long, hanging down to the ground. The scene was chaotic just now, and things fell down without anyone noticing. Nangong Xiao was nearby and had sharp eyes. He reached out and pushed Lei Hong aside, and then grabbed the armor in his arms. With a sudden tug, the armor was easily in his hand.
Staring at the armor in his hand, Nangong Xiao was momentarily stunned. Shen Lixue was right after all. She could lift the armor with just one palm strike against Lei Hong. However, the way she lifted it was too special: "Oh, this young master can lift armor. He is indeed a noble person who can go to the battlefield!"
Everyone's shocked gazes instantly focused on Nangong Xiao. How could this be? Just now, Prince Nangong clearly couldn't lift the armor, so how could he suddenly be able to lift it again?
And what are those unidentified objects on the ground? They're black, like blocks of iron, but not quite. What are they?
Upon seeing the pile of black objects, Lei Hong's face turned deathly pale, his eyes flashing with an uncertain expression.
"This is a magnet. It's very strong and will firmly attract iron objects. The larger the magnet, the stronger the attraction. If you put a magnet several meters long here, all iron weapons will be attracted away!"
Shen Lixue stepped forward, picked up a few small black objects, and placed them on the armor with a smile. The magnet touched the armor and was firmly attracted to it. Nangong Xiao shook it and shook it vigorously, but the magnet stuck firmly to the armor plate and did not move.
This was the first time anyone had ever heard of a magnet, nor the first time they had learned about its function. However, Shen Lixue's experiment had already shown them that the armor was made of iron, and Lei Hong had concealed a large magnet on his body, which held the armor firmly in place. Therefore, no one could take it from him.
He wanted to use this method to give the newly appointed Minister Lin a hard time. They originally thought that Lei Hong was a middle-aged man with good abilities, and it was a bit unfair for him to take orders from a twenty-year-old.
The armor incident completely extinguished everyone's sympathy for him. If they were dissatisfied with Lin Yan, they could have said it openly or challenged him to a one-on-one duel to vent their dissatisfaction in a fair and square manner. Instead, he actually came up with such a despicable means to deal with others. He was truly wicked!
Lei Hong's face flushed red and then turned pale, changing dozens of colors in an instant. He glanced at Shen Lixue secretly, his eyes filled with a terrifyingly gloomy look: He had accidentally discovered the property of magnets attracting iron while training his troops, and he had never told anyone about it. How did Shen Lixue know about it?
The intense emotions aggravated his injuries, causing a surge of blood in his chest, and Lei Hong couldn't help but cough up another mouthful of blood.
"Minister Lei is injured, and it looks like he's quite badly hurt. Should we call a doctor?" Nangong Xiao blinked his charming eyes and asked with concern, completely forgetting that the other man's injury was thanks to him.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave first!" Having lost face, Lei Hong had no intention of staying any longer. He coughed a few times and turned to leave. In the instant he turned to leave, he glanced at Shen Lixue, his eyes as cold and icy as thousand-year-old ice, filled with a deep-seated hatred. It was all her fault that he had ruined his plans.
Shen Lixue smiled coldly, meeting Lei Hong's gaze. Her smile was fresh and natural, but her eyes were shrouded in a dark and bewitching aura, radiating outwards through her pupils. Lei Hong's breath caught in his throat, his body trembled violently, and he quickly walked away without looking back. Her eyes were so sharp.
"Minister Lei, your armor!" Nangong Xiao lightly flicked his fan at the silver armor, swaying it slightly, a hint of sarcasm playing on his lips.
"A gift given away should not be taken back!" Lei Hong strode forward without looking back. If one looked closely, one would notice that his body was trembling slightly, whether from anger or from his serious injury.
"Minister Lin, catch!" Nangong Xiao raised an eyebrow and tossed the armor to Lin Yan. He wasn't a general and didn't go to the battlefield, so he didn't need this shiny, heavy armor.
Lin Yan took the armor and handed it to the servant beside him, smiling as he said, "It's noon, and lunch is about to begin. Please move to the banquet hall!"
Shen Yingxue stood up and slowly walked out of the pavilion. Looking at Lei Hong's lonely figure in the distance, she gritted her teeth in hatred. How could her uncle be so stupid and be defeated so easily!
"Young Master Nangong, thank you!" Lin Yan, who was standing to the side, saw it clearly. It was Nangong Xiao's fan that struck Lei Hong, shattering the hidden magnet, which allowed him to lift the armor.
"The idea came from Shen Lixue!" Nangong Xiao casually waved his fan, occasionally stealing glances at Shen Lixue. How did she know that Lei Hong had a hidden magnet on him?
"Li Xue, how do you know the solution?" Lin Yan looked at Shen Li Xue in surprise. This cousin of his was surprising him more and more.
"I accidentally read in a book that there are magnets that can attract iron. I just observed it carefully and found that the armor is made of iron, which made me suspicious. That's why I asked Prince Nangong for help!" Shen Lixue smiled slightly. In ancient times, people didn't know about magnets. She could use what she read in the book to explain, and it shouldn't be a problem.
"What book records this? I'll go buy a copy too." Nangong Xiao raised an eyebrow, still somewhat skeptical of Shen Lixue's words.
"I've been reading for too long and forgot the title!" Shen Lixue said casually, gently rubbing her forehead. Nangong Xiao was smart; if she let him ask any more questions, he would definitely give himself away. "I'm a little hungry; let's go get some food!"
"Let's go!" Seeing that Shen Lixue was unwilling to say more, Lin Yan didn't ask any more questions. He turned around and walked towards the banquet hall. Shen Lixue walked in the middle, while Nangong Xiao walked slowly at the back. His gaze towards Shen Lixue was full of doubt and confusion, and faintly, there was also a bit of curiosity.
After the meal, the nobles went to the guest rooms of the Minister's residence for a midday rest. Lin Yan ordered that Shen Lixue be given a separate, exquisite courtyard, so that she would not stay with the nobles.
Summer had arrived, and the weather was hot. Shen Lixue dismissed the maids and lay down on the bed to rest alone. Waves of heat drifted into the room through the window. Shen Lixue frowned, got out of bed, closed the window, took off her outer and inner garments, changed into a cool outfit, lay down on the comfortable bed, and quickly fell asleep.
The guest room was relatively warm, so Su Yuting didn't take a nap. Instead, she sat in the pavilion by the pool, elegantly drinking tea. A gentle breeze blew by, bringing a touch of moisture, which, combined with the fragrant hot tea, created a unique atmosphere.
Su Yuting's beautiful face was hidden behind the wisps of steam, her eyes revealing an unpredictable expression.
Suddenly, a white robe flashed past the corner of her eye. Su Yuting was startled and turned to look at the bluestone path below. The person who came was handsome, with a refined and noble temperament, sharp eyes, and deep pupils. It was Dongfang Heng.
The pavilion was built next to the artificial hill, on higher ground. As Dongfang Heng walked along the bluestone path, Su Yuting looked down at him. His handsome face and sharp aura made her unable to look away for a moment. She slowly stood up and unconsciously walked to the railing, gazing sadly at the handsome face that had appeared in her dreams a thousand times.
Lost in thought, a sudden pain shot through her ankle, and Su Yuting's slender body tumbled straight off the railing, rolling into the middle of the bluestone path. Her hairpin flew off with a clang, blocking Dongfang Heng's path.
After rolling around, Su Yuting's clothes were in disarray, revealing a large expanse of her chest. Her hair was also loose, hanging askew on her head, making her look quite disheveled. A pair of white boots embroidered with gold cloud patterns appeared on the ground in front of her. It was Dongfang Heng who had walked up to her. Su Yuting blushed and dared not look up at him, but she was somewhat expectant. Would he help her up?