"Li Xue, you haven't been back to the Zhenguo Marquis's residence lately. Where are you staying?" Ye Qianlong looked at the bookshelf and asked casually, but in reality, he was listening carefully to Shen Li Xue's answer.
Shen Lixue lowered her head, her cold gaze lingering on the pages of the book: "I'm not too familiar with the people from the Zhenguo Marquis's mansion, and it wouldn't be good for me to just eat and stay there for free, so I rented a courtyard in the capital to live in."
Ye Qianlong blinked: "Can you tell me the exact location?"
Shen Lixue raised her eyes and glanced at the hazy figure reflected in the window, then said loudly, "In the suburbs, at the villa, there are many maple trees planted there. The maple leaves have all turned red, and they are all connected together, one after another. It is very beautiful!"
"Really? Then I'll come to your villa to see the maple leaves another day when I'm free..." Looking at the happiness and warmth shining in Shen Lixue's clear eyes, Ye Qianlong suddenly remembered that Shen Lixue was already married and lived in the villa with Dongfang Heng. His voice paused, and his gaze dimmed: "Dongfang Heng won't kick me out, will he?"
Shen Lixue was taken aback, then smiled and said, "Of course not. You are our good friend. He would welcome you without even trying. Why would he kick you out?"
Ye Qianlong smiled, a bitter smile on his face, and handed a book to Shen Lixue with his long, slender hand: "This is also a travelogue..."
"Thank you!" Shen Lixue took the book, her cool gaze turning to the window. The little palace maid was still standing there, motionless. She smiled slightly. Was she the little palace maid guarding Wenyuan Pavilion?
"Your Highness, the Emperor summons you to the Imperial Study!" A high-pitched voice, characteristic of eunuchs, suddenly rang out outside the Wenyuan Pavilion.
Ye Qianlong frowned slightly: "Did Father say anything?"
"Your Highness, the Emperor didn't give a reason, he only asked you to go to the Imperial Study!" The eunuch's shrill voice rang out again.
Ye Qianlong frowned even more. Why was his father summoning him to the imperial study at this time?
Shen Lixue's cold gaze darkened, and she advised, "Qianlong, the Emperor must have something urgent to discuss with you. You should go to the Imperial Study immediately!"
"Then take your time choosing books, I'll be back soon!" Ye Qianlong knew that important matters were paramount. He looked at Shen Lixue, and when she nodded in agreement, he turned around, left Wenyuan Pavilion, and strode forward. His question, seemingly casual, drifted in the wind: "Besides me, which other ministers did Father Emperor summon to the Imperial Study?"
The eunuch trotted up to Ye Qianlong: "Your Highness... it seems you were the only one summoned..."
The palace maids all stood guard outside, while Shen Lixue wandered around the ridiculously large Wenyuan Pavilion alone, carefully looking at the books on the bookshelves.
The Wenyuan Pavilion was open to princes, princesses, and ministers. Although the books on the shelves were precious, they were not secret. Shen Lixue carefully looked around for most of the time, selected four or five travelogues of various kinds, and flipped through them to take a look. A page fell out of the book.
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow. "The pages are scattered?" She bent down to pick up the pages and carefully examined the book. "From which book did these pages fall out?"
She flipped through all five travelogues. Each one was sturdily bound and there was no sign of them being scattered. She frowned, puzzled. She couldn't find a place for the pages. Could it be that this page wasn't part of the book but was tucked inside?
Her small, pale hand held the book pages up to her face, about to look at the contents, when suddenly a wave of dizziness washed over her. She staggered a few steps, quickly reaching out to grab the bookshelf for support. It was as if all the strength in her body had been instantly drained away; she couldn't muster any internal energy. The scenery before her eyes blurred, and with all her might, she called out, "Someone come here!"
"What are your orders, Young Master Shen?" A slender figure stepped into the room, smiling as she looked at the weak and powerless woman, her beautiful eyes flashing with a cold light.
"Your Highness, Consort Shu!" Shen Lixue was taken aback, but quickly recovered. "Your Highness was punished with six months of confinement, and only a few days have passed. You have already ignored the punishment and left the palace without permission. If Consort De finds out that you have left Chang Le Palace, the punishment will be increased."
Consort Shu looked at Shen Lixue and a mocking smile appeared on her lips: "Shen Lixue, don't try to use Consort De to blackmail me. Today, you were the only one who saw me leave Chang Le Palace. As long as you don't say anything, how would anyone else know?"
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow and looked at Consort Shu: "Does Your Highness think I will keep the secret of your theft from Chang Le Palace?"
"Of course you wouldn't, but..." Consort Shu looked Shen Lixue up and down, her smile eerie: "Shen Lixue, do you feel weak all over, dizzy, and seeing double right now?"
Shen Lixue's gaze sharpened as she coldly stared at Consort Shu: "What tricks did you play?"
Consort Shu smiled gently, regaining her usual dignified and generous demeanor: "I didn't do anything special. I just put some sandalwood in the incense burner in the corner. If you smell it for a long time, it will make you feel weak all over, blur your vision, and eventually make you fall into a coma."
Shen Lixue turned to look at the corner, where a purple-gold incense burner on a round table was slowly emitting wisps of smoke, its delicate fragrance captivating the mind: "You are truly despicable and shameless."
"Likewise." Consort Shu smiled slightly and slowly approached Shen Lixue, each step resounding as if the footsteps of death were approaching: "My confinement is all thanks to you, so it's not unreasonable for me to ask for some interest today."
Shen Lixue smiled coldly: "If you hadn't let Mu Tao forcibly take a palace maid and frame me, how could you have been imprisoned? You lost favor and your status in the harem plummeted. It's all your own fault."
"Say what you will, but you won't escape my grasp today!" Consort Shu smiled gently yet eerily, like a cat that had caught a mouse, watching its prey struggle in its death throes.
Shen Lixue's gaze darkened: "If it's just for revenge, you could have put poison in the incense burner. You used agarwood to make me unconscious, so you must have another purpose, right?"
"Clever." Consort Shu smiled, her beautiful eyes looking at Shen Lixue. She saw through the matter, so she no longer hid it: "You've heard about the fact that Duke Mu was convicted of a serious crime in the first trial, haven't you?"
“If you’re arresting me to coerce the Zhenguo Marquis’s Mansion into letting Duke Mu go, I advise you not to waste your energy.” Shen Lixue glanced at Consort Shu and a mocking smile appeared on her lips: “I’m just a distant relative of the Zhenguo Marquis’s Mansion. How can I be as important as eliminating a long-time rival?”
Consort Shu raised an eyebrow and lowered her voice mysteriously: "The Marquis of Zhenguo's mansion may not value you that much, but Ye Qianlong's relationship with you is not ordinary. For your safety, he will definitely obey and let Duke Mu go."
Shen Lixue snorted coldly: "Ye Qianlong is simple-minded and can't keep secrets. Aren't you afraid that he will expose things to the Emperor and make you lose more than you gain?"
Consort Shu looked at Shen Lixue and sneered, "I watched Ye Qianlong grow up, and I know him better than you. I can guarantee that for your safety, he will not let anyone know about this, and he will use all his connections to protect Duke Mu!"
"Does Ye Qianlong have that much power?" Shen Lixue had been in Xiliang for more than half a month and knew that the Zhenguo Marquis's Mansion was the maternal grandfather's family of the Third Prince, and the Duke of Mu was the maternal grandfather of the Sixth Prince. It seemed that Ye Qianlong, the Crown Prince, did not have a strong family backing him.
"With the Emperor's support, a large number of loyal ministers are loyal to Ye Qianlong. He is fully capable of saving Duke Mu!" Consort Shu's gaze was solemn as she spoke each word with deliberation. The loyal ministers behind the Emperor are all formidable. It's a waste that this idiot Ye Qianlong possesses such unseen and powerful strength.
It seems that Xiliang is not a two-way struggle, but a three-way power struggle. The Zhenguo Marquis's Mansion and the Mu State Duke's Mansion, as subjects, are fighting fiercely, while the dark forces led by the emperor are preserving their strength and watching from the sidelines.
Consort Shu had some knowledge of that underworld force, but didn't know who they were. Capturing her, besides saving Duke Mu, could also draw out those forces: "If I disappear in the Wenyuan Pavilion, His Highness the Crown Prince, who is so capable, will definitely become suspicious. Aren't you afraid that Your Highness will find out the truth and get into trouble?"
Consort Shu gave a cold laugh: "You don't need to worry about that. I have already arranged everything, and I will not reveal a single detail!"
"Your Majesty, someone is heading towards Wenyuan Pavilion!" A young palace maid's anxious voice rang out from outside.
Consort Shu glanced at the listless and dazed Shen Lixue and said coldly, "Tao'er, there's no time to lose, take him back to Chang Le Palace!"
"Yes!" With a deep male voice, Mu Tao strode into Wenyuan Pavilion. Looking at the pretty Shen Lixue, he gritted his teeth in hatred. His gaze lingered on her right hand holding the book, and a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. Shen Lixue had crippled his right hand, and he would cripple Shen Lixue's right hand as well.
Having made up his mind, Mu Tao's eyes turned cold. His left hand, with its five fingers like claws, reached out to grab Shen Lixue's right wrist. He had only one thought in his mind: to break Shen Lixue's right wrist so that he could get his revenge.
A strong gust of wind swept by, but Shen Lixue remained calm and composed. A mocking smile appeared on her lips. She turned her white robes gracefully and sideways to avoid Mu Tao's fierce attack. She then slammed the travelogue in her hand hard against the back of Mu Tao's head.
She used seven or eight tenths of her strength in this strike, leaving Mu Tao dazed and staggering for a while before he could react.
Consort Shu's gaze sharpened as she scrutinized Shen Lixue. Her eyes were clear and cold, her figure handsome and upright, and a slight curve appeared at the corner of her lips. No words were needed; her expression conveyed the utmost disdain and mockery: "You weren't poisoned by the agarwood?"
"Tampering with the incense is such a low-class tactic." Since the Holy King poisoned the Mu State Duke's mansion with smoke, Shen Lixue had been secretly on guard. When she entered the Wenyuan Pavilion, she was constantly paying attention to the atmosphere around her. How could she be so easily tricked?