The inner room fell silent. Consort Shu lay back on the soft couch, her eyes narrowing slightly as she thought of the bright, beautiful face that had appeared before Consort De's bedside. Could it be her? If it really was her, she must have come to the capital of Xiliang with a purpose. Was it for that person?
Here, Consort De soaked in hot water and drank ginger soup. After confirming that she was alright, Lady Hou carefully instructed Bingmei to take good care of her before leaving Changxin Palace.
Night had fallen, and the palace was quiet, with squads of guards patrolling back and forth along the palace roads.
As Shen Lixue walked along the bluestone path, she glanced at the Chang Le Palace where Consort Shu was located. The lights were dim, and the owner inside must be asleep.
"Your Highness!" The Lady Hou's voice rang in her ears. She and Lu Jiangfeng both bowed in greeting. Shen Lixue was startled and quickly followed them in bowing, secretly looking up:
In the dim light, Ye Qianlong walked towards us, dressed in a black brocade robe, noble and mysterious. His jet-black hair was gently tied up with a purple-gold hair crown, revealing his smooth forehead. Between his brows, the clear flame pattern seemed to be burning fiercely, and his clear eyes were tinged with a faint sadness.
He was preoccupied with his own thoughts and didn't say much. He glanced at the Lady Hou and the others, placed one hand in front of him and the other behind his back, and walked forward gracefully.
As he walked past Shen Lixue, a faint fragrance wafted into his nose. Startled, he stopped abruptly and turned around, quickly searching for the source of the scent. The fragrance was as elegant as plum blossoms and as sweet as magnolia blossoms, deeply etched in his memory, never to be forgotten.
Li Xue, Li Xue!
Ye Qianlong's eager gaze passed over Madam Hou and Lu Jiangfeng, landing on Shen Lixue. She stood there quietly, her head slightly lowered, yet she was like a plum blossom blooming in winter, a unique sight amidst thousands of miles, impossible to ignore.
Shen Lixue quietly raised her eyes, watching Ye Qianlong's figure getting closer and closer. Her eyebrows furrowed tightly. She had been praying that Ye Qianlong would leave quickly, but she didn't expect that he would still discover her secret. She came to Xiliang to investigate things, which was fraught with danger. She didn't want Ye Qianlong to get involved in these troubles, so she couldn't admit her identity.
Ye Qianlong was already close at hand. He knew her very well, and even her disguise couldn't fool him. What should she do? She really didn't want to disturb his peaceful life anymore.
Her pale fingers clenched tightly, and a dull pain shot through her palm—it was from the small bottle that had burned her!
Medicine! Shen Lixue's eyes lit up. How could she have forgotten something so important?
Shen Lixue gently covered her mouth with her small, white hand and coughed softly a few times.
A faint fragrance wafted through the air, and a familiar soft cough sounded in his ear. A bright light flickered in Ye Qianlong's clear eyes. He stepped forward and tugged at her sleeve: "Li Xue, is that you? You've come to see me!"
"Is His Highness the Crown Prince calling me?" Shen Lixue looked up at Ye Qianlong. Her fair face was covered in red and purple marks, as if she had been injured in a fight. Her eyes were also swollen. She was no longer the beautiful and gentle Shen Lixue. If you smelled her closely, her nasal cavity was filled with a faint sour smell. There was no trace of her feminine fragrance.
"Who are you?" Ye Qianlong was startled and quickly let go. Only then did he realize that the man was dressed in men's brocade robes and had a jade belt around his head.
Shen Lixue smiled slightly: "A distant nephew of the Marquis of Zhenguo!" She had 'injuries' on her face, and her smile in the dim light made her look somewhat ferocious and particularly frightening.
"I've mistaken you for someone else!" Ye Qianlong's clear eyes dimmed instantly, and a bitter smile appeared on his lips. Li Xue had already married Dongfang Heng and was living happily in the Qingyan Holy King's Mansion, so why would she be here? He was overthinking things.
Shaking his head in disappointment, Ye Qianlong turned around and strode forward without looking back.
"What happened?" Shen Lixue had her back to the Lady Hou, so she didn't see the disguise on Shen Lixue's face. She only heard Ye Qianlong call someone's name, then grab Shen Lixue, and then leave in a disappointed hurry.
"Your Highness has mistaken me for someone else!" Shen Lixue smiled and quickly wiped the disguise off her face.
Glancing to the side, she saw Lu Jiangfeng looking at her thoughtfully. Gazing into his unmistakable eyes, Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow and continued wiping away her disguise as if no one else was around. Lu Jiangfeng couldn't see anything; she was making no noise wiping her face with the silk handkerchief. He couldn't guess the truth of the matter.
The matter of Consort De had been a commotion for most of the night. When Shen Lixue, along with the Marquis's wife and Lu Jiangfeng, returned to the Zhenguo Marquis's residence, it was already broad daylight. As soon as they entered, a maidservant ran over to invite them to the old lady's room.
The old lady was suffering from headaches and was also worried about Consort De, so she hardly slept. Only after hearing the news that Consort De was safe and sound did she feel relieved.
Shen Lixue performed gua sha on the old lady, and the maid brought over the prepared medicine. After drinking the medicine, the old lady fell asleep peacefully.
The people in the Hou residence were also exhausted and went back to their rooms to rest.
Lu Jiangfeng saw Shen Lixue off at the mansion.
In the distance, maids and nannies were busy going back and forth when Lu Jiangfeng suddenly said, "Brother Chen, thank you!"
Shen Lixue smiled and said, "I accepted the proclamation. It is only right and proper for me to treat the old lady's illness. There is no need for you to thank me, Third Young Master!"
"That's not what I meant!" Lu Jiangfeng suddenly stopped and turned to look at Shen Lixue, his eyes as black as night: "You saved Consort De!"
Shen Lixue was taken aback, then smiled and said, "As a doctor, I cannot stand by and watch someone die. Young Master, you don't need to take it to heart!"
"Consort Shu is the daughter of the Duke of Mu's family. You ruined her plans, and she won't let you off the hook. Brother Shen, it would be safer for you to move to the Marquis of Zhenguo's residence!" If his attempt to persuade Shen Lixue to stay at dinner last night was to appease his grandmother and mother, Lu Jiangfeng now genuinely wanted Shen Lixue to move to the Marquis's residence.
Shen Lixue's gaze sharpened, and she said indignantly, "It's simply outrageous for the dignified Duke Mu's mansion to make things difficult for a down-on-his-luck doctor like me..."
“You don’t understand Duke Mu’s character.” Lu Jiangfeng’s tone was low and solemn: “Anyone who offends them, without a powerful background to back them up, will be lying dead in the wilderness within three days!”
"So tragic?" Shen Lixue frowned slightly. The Duke of Mu's mansion was indeed arrogant and domineering. She looked at Lu Jiangfeng's dark eyes and her gaze flickered: "This is the capital city under the emperor's nose. How dare a mere Duke of Mu be so arrogant and domineering? It's too lawless. Doesn't the emperor care?"
"The Duke of Mu is a master of his craft; he killed someone and then left no evidence." Lu Jiangfeng paused, then said in a deep voice, "Young Master Shen, you'd better move to the Zhenguo Marquis's residence as soon as possible. If you live here, the Duke of Mu won't dare to cause you any trouble!"
Shen Lixue was listening with great interest when Lu Jiangfeng suddenly changed the subject. She glared at him fiercely and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Third Young Master. I will think about it and give you an answer later. The old lady has finished her acupuncture today. I will come to see her again tomorrow morning."
Looking at the bright red eastern sky, Shen Lixue said calmly, "The sun is about to rise. I'm going back to the inn for a nap. See you tomorrow!" She turned around and strode forward.
"Young Master Shen!" Lu Jiangfeng wanted to say a few more words of persuasion, but a gust of wind brought a woman's fragrance that wafted straight into his nose. He was slightly taken aback. There was no one else around except Shen Lixue and himself. Even if a man had applied rouge and powder, it was impossible for him to have a woman's fragrance on him. Suddenly, Ye Qianlong's voice rang in his ears: Lixue!
His expression darkened slightly: Shen Li! Li Xue!
After leaving the Zhenguo Marquis's residence, Shen Lixue hurried towards the outskirts of the villa. Last night, when she went to the palace, she asked Zimo to go back and inform Dongfang Heng that he would no longer worry about her. She was in a hurry to go back because she wanted to tell him about Consort Shu.
A large hand suddenly reached out, grabbed her waist, pulled her against a wall, and pressed its sexy, thin lips heavily against her soft, fragrant lips.
A faint scent of pine lingered in the air, startling Shen Lixue. Her heart, which had been pounding in her chest, instantly calmed down. Her slender arm, which had been raised high as if to strike, landed on Dongfang Heng's neck. Her pale hand gently stroked his tired eyes: "Didn't you sleep well last night?"
"How can I sleep well without you by my side?" Dongfang Heng hugged Shen Lixue tightly. He was used to sleeping with her in his arms. Of course, he couldn't sleep without her.
Shen Lixue faced numerous dangers when she entered the palace. There was also Ye Qianlong in the palace who knew her, and he was very worried. So he sneaked into the palace and saw her meet Ye Qianlong, but they did not recognize each other. He was overjoyed: in her heart, there was only him left.
At the end of the street, footsteps could be heard. Dongfang Heng bent down, picked up Shen Lixue, and leaped onto the carriage. Zi Mo flicked the reins, and the carriage passed Lu Jiangfeng, who was walking ahead, and slowly drove onto the bustling avenue. In the instant they passed each other, the wind lifted the carriage curtain, revealing Shen Lixue's beautiful face. Lu Jiangfeng was blind and did not see her.
“He is the third young master of the Zhenguo Marquis’s mansion. He is blind, but he is very capable!” Shen Lixue pointed at Lu Jiangfeng who had just passed by, her beautiful eyes full of regret. If his eyes were intact, he would definitely be famous throughout Xiliang and Qingyan Kingdom.
"I know!" Dongfang Heng's secret guards had investigated all the famous figures in Xiliang Capital. Everyone in Xiliang Capital knew that the third young master of the Zhenguo Marquis's Mansion was a blind prodigy, so the secret guards naturally found out as well. Dongfang Heng did not expect to be involved with the Zhenguo Marquis's Mansion, so he did not tell Shen Lixue.