Su Lie sighed again: "No matter how good the plan was, you saw through it!"
"Why are you helping Dongfang Zhan?" Judging from Duke Wen's tone, he and Dongfang Zhan had only recently started cooperating. He used to help the Crown Prince, so why did he suddenly switch to Dongfang Zhan?
Su Lie chuckled bitterly: "Dongfang Zhan and I are only temporarily cooperating, each getting what we need. I help him get what he wants, and he gives me what I want!"
"What do you want?" The Su family is a prestigious family, and Su Lie is the Duke of Wen, respected by all. He has status, position, gold and silver, and women. Shen Lixue couldn't think of anything else he might lack.
"You don't understand!" Duke Wen looked at Shen Lixue, shook his head, and sighed heavily: "It was indeed Dongfang Zhan who planned this, and he also killed Dongfang Xun, but I will not go back with you to accuse him!"
Shen Lixue narrowed her eyes slightly: "Aren't you afraid of death!"
"I've been poisoned, and I don't have many days left to live!" Su Lie slightly raised his lips, a strand of black liquid flowing down the corner of his mouth, his aged eyes flashing with intense pain.
"You've taken poison!" Shen Lixue exclaimed in surprise, her small hand quickly reaching into her sleeve to retrieve a silver needle.
"This is arsenic, the most poisonous substance in the world. You can't save me!" Su Lie shook his head, a bitter smile on his face. More and more black blood flowed from the corner of his mouth. In the end, his life was not as good as that of the War King!
As Dongfang Hong and Dongfang Zhan approached rapidly, the smile on his lips suddenly widened, his dazed eyes gradually turned ashen, and his tall body collapsed to the ground with a thud, lifeless.
When Dongfang Zhan arrived, he saw Su Lie's body growing cold, and his sharp eyes were filled with anger: he had gone to great lengths to save Su Lie, even at the cost of seriously injuring himself and ending up being slaughtered, but Su Lie had just escaped and hadn't even had a chance to do anything for him before Dongfang Heng found him.
Everything he did was in vain, all his sacrifices were in vain, he hated it, he hated it so much!
His eyes were bloodshot, his large hands clenched tightly, and the blood in his chest surged upwards like sharp arrows, instantly rushing to his throat, breaking through the silk handkerchief, and spurting out bright red blood droplets!
---Aside---
(⊙o⊙)... If nothing unexpected happens, I'm getting married tomorrow! La la la, here's a little reward for you...
Chapter 161 The Grand Wedding (Part 1)
Dongfang Heng and Dongfang Hong made great contributions by wiping out the rebels' arrow-making workshop and killing the rebel leader Su Lie, thus eliminating the hidden dangers for Qingyan. The emperor praised them highly and rewarded them with ten thousand taels of gold and a thousand bolts of silk.
Under the azure sky and warm sunshine, a luxurious carriage stopped in front of the Holy King's Mansion. Dongfang Heng stepped down first, his handsome face radiating confidence. He turned to look at Shen Lixue, who followed him out of the carriage. Dressed in a light blue Ruan Yanluo dress, her bright face was like a beautiful flower carved from ice crystal, pure and refined, captivating all who looked at her. Her deep eyes sparkled with an indescribable tenderness.
Are you tired?
"It's alright!" Shen Lixue is a martial artist with internal energy. Although she had some back pain from sitting in the carriage for a long time, it was nothing serious.
Seeing Shen Lixue's fair hand tightly enveloped by his large hand, Dongfang Zhan in the carriage behind felt a heavy tightness in his chest and frowned deeply: "With the passing of Prince Xun, the Holy Prince's Mansion will have to hang mourning clothes and hold a funeral. It seems that the wedding date of Prince An and Lixue will have to be postponed indefinitely. What a pity!"
It was clearly a statement of regret, yet it carried an unspeakable air of schadenfreude.
"We will arrange our own wedding date. Prince Zhan should think more about his own affairs." Dongfang Heng glanced at Dongfang Zhan, his tone indifferent.
Dongfang Zhan's expression instantly darkened. Although he had distanced himself from Su Lie by claiming that Su Lie had killed his bodyguard and impersonated him, and that he was completely unaware of the incident, he had also cleared himself of suspicion.
However, when he went to Huoyin Mountain, he only watched the excitement from the sidelines and did not help at all. The ministers had many complaints about him, and the emperor's attitude was also somewhat indifferent. The trust in him was beginning to crack.
"His Majesty has been misled by slanderous words and has temporarily misunderstood me. I am not discouraged, for we are father and son by blood, and even the deepest misunderstanding will soon be resolved. The Duke of Fan is Prince Xun, who has already been killed by a hail of arrows and has no chance of survival. The marriage between Prince An and Li Xue will definitely have to be postponed. September 16th was an auspicious day that the Imperial Astronomical Bureau calculated for a long time and finally determined. It's such a pity..."
Dongfang Heng could openly hold Shen Lixue's hand, but he could only watch silently in the dark, his heart burning with jealousy. He couldn't bear it, and he wouldn't let Dongfang Heng be comfortable either.
Dongfang Heng's brows furrowed slightly, his voice turning cold: "Prince Zhan is truly concerned about my relationship with Li Xue!"
"We are cousins, sharing the same surname Dongfang and being of similar age. It's always good to care for and look after each other. The wedding invitations from the Holy King's Mansion have already been sent out, and the entire Qingyan region is about to know about them. Suddenly postponing the wedding date would be going back on our word, losing face for our royal family, and also embarrassing Li Xue."
Seeing Dongfang Heng's increasingly gloomy expression, Dongfang Zhan felt extremely pleased. Dongfang Xun was shot to death by arrow because Dongfang Heng was bothered by that piece of clothing, which allowed him to find a flaw. Dongfang Heng knew the truth of the matter and had always felt guilty. He would take advantage of this guilt to strike Dongfang Heng hard.
"It's all because Prince Xun passed away at the wrong time. The wedding date was changed, and Li Xue suffered injustice. You can't blame Prince An for breaking his promise. I'm magnanimous and won't mind these trivial matters. I just wonder what the common people of Qingyan will think..."
Dongfang Heng's gaze, sharp as a blade, suddenly shot towards Dongfang Zhan: "Your Highness seems quite pleased that my wedding with Li Xue cannot proceed as scheduled!"
"Not at all, not at all. I am just feeling sorry for Prince An and Li Xue. They were a perfect match made in heaven, in love with each other, and of marriageable age. But because of the death of an outsider, they can only look at each other from afar and cannot be together. It is truly heartbreaking!" Dongfang Zhan shook his head and sighed. At first glance, it seemed that he was really thinking of Dongfang Heng and Shen Li Xue.
"I will not allow Li Xue to suffer any injustice. The wedding will proceed as scheduled." Dongfang Heng raised an eyebrow at Dongfang Zhan, his words ringing with conviction.
"Su Lie's execution and Dongfang Xun's revenge are indeed great joys. However, his mourning period is not over yet. Your marriage to Li Xue is against etiquette and disrespect for the dead. If this gets out, it will disgrace the entire Dongfang royal family. When Father Emperor is furious, no one can save you!"
Watching the passersby, Dongfang Zhan narrowed his eyes, his deliberately raised voice carrying a threatening chill. Dongfang Heng actually dared to disregard Dongfang Xun's mourning period and marry Shen Lixue; wasn't that provoking him enough?
"Of course, if Prince Xun hadn't died, your wedding would have taken place as scheduled, and no one would have said anything. It's a pity that such a talented person was killed by fate. Prince Xun died young, which also prevented you and Li Xue from being together despite your love..."
Dongfang Heng was exceptionally capable, and ordinary matters were no challenge for him. In order to prevent him from marrying Shen Lixue, Dongfang Zhan carefully considered many methods. Shooting Dongfang Xun to death was the wisest decision. No matter how powerful Dongfang Heng was, he could never bring the dead back to life.
Pedestrians stopped in their tracks, looking at Dongfang Heng and Shen Lixue at the entrance of the Prince's Mansion, whispering among themselves: "What's going on?"
"The Crown Prince of the Holy King has just passed away, and the mourning period has not yet ended, yet Prince An wants to marry Princess Li Xue..."
"This is incredibly disrespectful to the deceased!"
"Who can disagree? Respect for the dead is paramount..."
Hearing the murmurs, Shen Lixue glanced coldly at Dongfang Zhan, her eyebrows furrowed. Dongfang Zhan was deliberately provoking Dongfang Heng, every word he uttered was meant to steer things in a negative direction, going to great lengths to break them up. It was truly outrageous.
Her cherry lips parted slightly, about to refute Dongfang Zhan, when a voice rang out first: "Second brother!"
The gentle voice was ethereal and weak, yet strangely familiar. Shen Lixue was startled and turned around abruptly. A man in a light blue robe walked slowly towards her, supported by Zi Mo. His handsome face and ethereal temperament were none other than Dongfang Xun.
He walked slowly, step by step, just like a normal person. But if you looked closely, you would see that his handsome face was pale and bloodless, his eyes were tired, and he was leaning close to Zi Mo, with most of his weight on Zi Mo.
Dongfang Zhan was utterly shocked as he looked at the immortal man walking in the sunlight. That day, he had clearly shot Dongfang Xun to death with his own hands and watched Dongfang Xun breathe his last before leaving. How could Dongfang Xun still be alive?
"Big Brother!" Dongfang Heng pulled Shen Lixue along and hurried over, a faint smile flickering in the depths of his eyes. He was usually very reserved and never showed his emotions, so the smile in his eyes showed that he was very happy.
"Young Master Xun, you are injured!" After a brief moment of surprise, Shen Lixue returned to normal. It was not surprising that Su Lie was able to escape from the fire and thunder explosion, and Dongfang Xun was able to escape from the rain of arrows.
Dongfang Xun's complexion, expression, and gait were completely different from usual. He did not try to hide it, and Shen Lixue could easily tell that he was seriously injured. However, being able to survive from a pile of dead bodies is a great blessing in life, and no matter how serious the injury is, it does not matter.