"Yingxue, although I am a dying man, I am a veteran of both the Qingyan and Lei dynasties and have certain connections in the court. As long as you agree to give birth to a child of the Lei family, I guarantee you will have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of your life!" Unable to persuade Shen Lixue, Lei Taiwei tried to seduce Shen Yingxue. His expression was slightly arrogant and full of confidence. His years of service in the court made him very authoritative, and people unconsciously chose to believe his words.
“This…” Shen Yingxue hesitated. She was beautiful and had a good figure, but she was the family member of a disgraced official. Whether she could find a good family after being released from prison was unknown. Grand Commandant Lei’s promise did not seem to be a lie.
"Yingxue can have children outside, so why must she stay in prison?" Shen Lixue noticed that Yingxue's mind was wavering, and pretended not to know anything and suddenly spoke up.
"Yes, Grandpa, I can have children outside too!" Shen Yingxue felt a slight pain in her body, and the disgusting faces of the two prison guards appeared before her eyes. Her wavering belief instantly hardened. She didn't want to stay in prison; she had to get out.
Lei Taiwei was unaware that Shen Yingxue had been violated by the prison guards. He was furious and gritted his teeth. Once Shen Yingxue was outside, there was no guarantee that she wouldn't be seduced by some man, have an abortion, and elope with someone else. Only in the prison, without a man, could she give birth to her child in peace.
"It's too complicated outside, you're a girl, you can't handle it!" Grand Marshal Lei made up a reason: "There are jailers watching over us in the prison, it's relatively safer."
"I see!" Shen Lixue drawled, glancing furtively at Shen Yingxue. She saw that when Yingxue heard the word "jailer," her face turned pale and her body trembled uncontrollably. "Since Yingxue isn't planning to leave prison, then give me back my money!"
Shen Lixue reached out to take the money pouch, but Shen Yingxue quickly took a step back, clutching the pouch tightly to her chest, and looked at Shen Yingxue warily: "I'm getting out of prison, you can't take this money pouch!"
Shen Lixue feigned resentment as she withdrew her hand and turned to walk out: "It's getting late, I'm going back to the Prince's Mansion. I'm not going to concern myself with the Lei family's affairs anymore, please do as you please!"
"Shen Lixue, wait for me!" Shen Yingxue staggered a few steps, then hurried after Shen Lixue. She didn't want to stay in this disgusting prison for another second. Leaving the prison with Shen Lixue was her only belief at this moment.
"Yingxue, come back, come back quickly! Shen Lixue will kill you!" Behind her, Lei Taiwei shouted angrily, but Shen Yingxue ignored him and hurried forward.
Hearing the approaching footsteps behind her, Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow. She knew that Shen Yingxue would definitely follow her out of the prison. The fact that the two prison guards raped Shen Yingxue indirectly facilitated her goal.
Lei Taiwei will be angry that Shen Lixue forcibly took Shen Yingxue away, but he will not be completely desperate, because the child is in Shen Yingxue's belly, and she may not abort the child.
Shen Yingxue voluntarily left the prison in front of Lei Taiwei because she wanted to pursue a life outside of prison. She did not care about the child in her womb and was willing to abandon the child at any time for a happy life.
Hehe, Shen Lixue had long guessed that Shen Yingxue would come out with her. The reason she let it go was to provoke Grand Marshal Lei, so that he would see with his own eyes that Shen Yingxue walked out of the prison and knew clearly that she did not care about the child and would abort it at any time to make a living elsewhere. He would definitely be sad, disappointed, and then desperate.
Shen Lixue will seek retribution for the pain that Grand Commandant Lei inflicted on Duke Wu.
The footsteps faded into the distance until they disappeared completely, and the corridor returned to silence. Grand Marshal Lei pounded heavily on the sturdy iron bars, his heart chilled to the bone, his eyes filled with despair. He slowly and weakly squatted down on the ground. Yingxue was out of prison and would definitely get married. She would never keep that child. The Lei family was doomed, and their lineage would be completely cut off.
Stepping out of the prison, the warm sunlight bathed her. Shen Yingxue felt as if she had walked out of hell and come back to life. Her beautiful eyes glistened with tears of excitement. It was wonderful; she had finally left that dark, damp, and stinking place.
Throughout the entire ordeal, she never mentioned saving Shen Yelei, showing absolutely no concern for her own younger brother, who shared the same parents.
Shen Lixue walked to the carriage, gently lifted the curtain, and heard Shen Yingxue's heavy footsteps behind her. She frowned and turned around gently: "Miss Shen, my carriage doesn't carry other people. If you have money, you can hire another carriage to go back to the city!"
"Fine!" Shen Yingxue frowned and replied indifferently, a hint of displeasure flashing in her beautiful eyes. Didn't she say she would help someone to the end? She wasn't even willing to give her a ride. Hypocritical.
The carriage was filled with the faint scent of bamboo leaves, which, combined with the chill emanating from the ice bucket, smelled quite pleasant. Dongfang Heng was still asleep, showing no signs of waking up. Shen Lixue checked his forehead, and his temperature was normal.
The carriage set off, moving swiftly along the smooth road. The carriage was stable and without any bumps. Shen Lixue looked at the scenery on both sides of the street through the carriage window, her beautiful eyes darkening. She whispered to the air, "Go and send a message to Qin Ruoyan. Tell her that I will be waiting for her at Xuanyuan Teahouse in half an hour!"
"Yes!" A sound of wind breaking quickly faded into the distance.
A faint scent of bamboo leaves wafted through the air, instantly relaxing Shen Lixue. She lay down on the blanket, ready to rest for a moment, when she glanced sideways and met Dongfang Heng's deep gaze. His obsidian-like pupils were like a deep pool, growing ever deeper, as if they were about to devour her.
"When did you wake up?" Shen Lixue was stunned for a long time before finally coming to her senses. She suddenly realized that she and Dongfang Heng were lying side by side in the carriage in a somewhat ambiguous position. Just as she was about to get up, Dongfang Heng pulled her into his arms: "Just now, when you ordered the guards to go find Qin Ruoyan!"
"Who are you plotting against now?" Dongfang Heng gently touched Shen Lixue's forehead, his deep eyes filled with a faint smile.
"You'll find out when we get to the teahouse!" Shen Lixue's smile was enigmatic, like that of a cunning little fox.
"Are you hungry?" Dongfang Heng's voice was deep and ambiguous, carrying a certain allure that went straight to the heart.
"A little!" Shen Lixue had been busy with the matter of Lei Taiwei's Gu poison, and hadn't slept for a day and a night, nor had she eaten much. She was already hungry.
"I'm a little hungry too!" A sly smile flashed in Dongfang Heng's deep eyes as he pressed his thin lips heavily against her cherry lips.
A warm, smooth touch came from her lips. Shen Lixue blinked and looked at Dongfang Heng's handsome face so close to hers. What he said about being hungry was completely different from what she said: "I'm talking about serious business!"
"I'm talking about serious matters too!" Dongfang Heng's strong arms held Shen Lixue tightly in his embrace, his sexy thin lips lingering on her soft cherry lips, gently parting her teeth and expanding his territory in her mouth.
Shen Lixue struggled to breathe, her beautiful face flushed a rosy hue, and her soft gasps turned into rapid gasps: "Dongfang... Heng..."
"Mmm!" someone responded softly, lost in their own world, without stopping their actions.
"If you continue... I'm going to suffocate..." A layer of alluring haze appeared in Shen Lixue's cold eyes, and her soft, gentle voice was not intimidating at all.
"Mmm!" The delicate body in his arms was soft and boneless, and it was extremely comfortable to hold her. Dongfang Heng loosened his arms a little, but did not let go.
Shen Lixue glared at Dongfang Heng's magnified handsome face, her beautiful eyes burning with anger. She needed to breathe, and simply loosening her grip wouldn't solve the problem.
Just as she was about to free her arm to push Dongfang Heng away, the carriage suddenly lurched, and the two people in the carriage were thrown a little distance apart. Shen Lixue breathed heavily and pushed Dongfang Heng a little distance away.
Dongfang Heng sat up and asked coldly towards the outside of the car, "What happened?"
"Your Highness, there were stones on the road, and I accidentally bumped into one!" the coachman replied respectfully.
Shen Lixue breathed a sigh of relief. Her cool gaze pierced through the half-open carriage curtain as she saw a carriage approaching in the distance. The carriage was very ordinary, without any markings, yet it was moving very fast. The driver also looked serious, as if he had something urgent to attend to.
Shen Lixue blinked, and as the carriage moved alongside hers, she quickly swung her hand, opening the curtain of the other carriage slightly, revealing a familiar profile: "Duke Wen!"
The prison was located in the suburbs, and there was no one around for miles. If the Duke of Wen was traveling by carriage along this road, he must have gone to the prison: "What was he going to the prison for?"
"He probably went to see Su Yuting!" Dongfang Heng took a sip of tea, his dark eyes unfathomable.
“That’s right!” Shen Lixue nodded, thinking to himself that he could just take the carriage from the Duke of Wen’s mansion to see Su Yuting, why did he need to disguise himself?
“You didn’t sleep all night yesterday, and we won’t arrive at Xuanyuan Teahouse for another half hour. Take a rest!” Dongfang Heng put his arm around Shen Lixue and helped her lie back down on the blanket.
Shen Lixue opened her eyes and looked at him: "I'm not sleepy!"
"Don't worry, I won't disturb your rest anymore!" Dongfang Heng lightly kissed Shen Lixue's lips, rested his chin on her hair, and gently closed his eyes. Soon, even breathing could be heard above his head.
Shen Lixue looked up at Dongfang Heng. Martial artists are full of energy. Sometimes, they can sleep for two or three hours a day without feeling tired. But he had just slept for several hours and hadn't slept enough. He fell asleep again so quickly, just like a person who was seriously ill and was very sleepy. Could it be that his illness had worsened again and he was really about to die?