Consort Shu roared hysterically. Without Liu Rumeng, her tall, handsome, and considerate husband and her intelligent son would have been hers. Liu Rumeng's appearance had stolen everything that originally belonged to her. How could she not hate and resent her? Even tearing Liu Rumeng to pieces wouldn't be enough to quell her hatred!
"Even without Meng'er, I would never marry a heartless and wicked woman like you!" The Holy King felt a surge of blood and qi in his chest, and intense grief welled up inside him. He had imagined many possible truths about how Liu Rumeng was murdered, but he never expected that she would be killed and fall off a cliff because of Li Shishi's jealousy.
He brought this trouble upon himself; he shouldn't have gone to the peach blossom grove at Xiangguo Temple, and he shouldn't have had any interaction with Li Shishi.
Consort Shu narrowed her beautiful eyes and chuckled: "There are many trees and rivers at the foot of the cliff of Xiangguo Temple. The Holy Prince didn't die after jumping off the cliff. In fact, Liu Rumeng was caught by a tree after falling off the cliff and was seriously injured, but she didn't die immediately. You two are a loving couple, and Liu Rumeng is very well-maintained. She is even more beautiful than a young girl. She looked at me and kept begging me to save her. I suddenly softened and took pity on her, so I had the black-clad guards who accompanied me rescue her."
Shen Lixue's gaze darkened, and she subconsciously felt that Consort Shu was definitely up to no good by saying that.
"I never do anything that doesn't benefit me. If I save someone, I have to get something in return. Her hair ornament was very beautiful, so I took it off. However, no matter how precious the ornament was, it couldn't compare to the Holy Princess's life. So, I handed Liu Rumeng over to the guards and had them each 'please' Liu Rumeng once, like going to a brothel to see a courtesan. Consider it paying off my debt..."
"Shut up!" The Holy Prince was furious and slapped Consort Shu across the face, interrupting her. Several of her teeth and blood spurted out, her exquisite hair was also shattered, and her dark hair was scattered messily all over her body. She looked extremely disheveled.
"You are not allowed to insult Meng'er again!" The Holy King's icy voice sent chills down everyone's spine.
Consort Shu's face was swollen high, but the light in her beautiful eyes became even more smug and sharp. Not only did she not stop, but she continued to provoke her incessantly: "You didn't see Liu Rumeng being pleasured by the guards, her eyes half-closed, her face flushed, calling your name, it was enough to make one's bones ache..."
Dongfang Yan cared about Liu Rumeng, so she ruthlessly belittled and degraded her, making her feel utterly worthless and base. Was Dongfang Yan heartbroken? Sad? Angry? She wanted to make him sad, upset, and angry. All the suffering she had endured over the years, she wanted to repay Dongfang Yan for. She lived like a walking corpse, worse than dead. How could Dongfang Yan be happy? How could he feel at ease?
"I'll kill you!" The Holy Prince's tall figure instantly appeared in front of Consort Shu, his sharp eyes flashing with raging anger, and his slightly rough hands tightly gripping Consort Shu's neck.
As the Azure Flame Saint King, he has always been calm and composed, and he can remain calm no matter how difficult or dangerous the situation is.
However, Consort Shu mercilessly insulted his most beloved woman, smearing her with the most vicious words. His Meng'er had died tragically enough; how could he allow anyone to slander her like this after her death? He could no longer remain calm and composed in the face of everything. He wanted to kill the mastermind behind Meng'er's death and avenge her.
Dongfang Yan tightened his grip, his knuckles turning slightly white, and the veins on the back of his hand bulging. Shufei's slender neck was like a weak straw in his hands, ready to break at any moment.
Consort Shu was being choked and couldn't breathe. Her chest felt like it was about to explode, a heavy, uncomfortable feeling. Her body was limp, and she couldn't muster any strength. She just stared at the Holy King, tears streaming down her cheeks, mumbling incoherently, "Ha...ha...ha..."
Consort Shu's body was slender and dilapidated, as if she might collapse at any moment, but her eyes were even sharper than before, with a terrifying glint in them.
Shen Lixue's gaze sharpened, and she stepped forward: "Father..."
Dongfang Heng reached out and hugged her small waist, pulling her back: "Consort Shu intended to rebel, she deserves to die. The Emperor of Xiliang will not let her go when he wakes up. She used such a despicable and shameless method to kill my mother. Father killed her, and the Emperor of Xiliang will understand. Don't stop him."
When he heard about his mother's tragic fate, he also wished he could tear Consort Shu to pieces. His father loved his mother very much and wanted to kill Consort Shu himself to avenge her. He would not fight for her and would fulfill his father's wish.
Shen Lixue looked at Dongfang Heng and frowned, saying, "I didn't mean to stop Father. If an ordinary person is choked, their body will lose its vitality and their eyes will dim. But look at Consort Shu, her body is getting weaker and weaker, but her eyes are getting brighter and brighter. Don't you find that strange?"
Dongfang Heng's gaze sharpened as he turned to look at Consort Shu. Her eyes were indeed frighteningly bright, as if something was concentrated within them.
"Princess Consort An is truly insightful!" Consort Shu suddenly burst into laughter, two beams of silver light shooting out from her chest. Her gaze turned cold, and her slender hand struck Dongfang Yan, who was standing right in front of her.
"Father, get out of the way! Consort Shu has broken through my silver needle sealing technique!" Shen Lixue warned urgently, suddenly realizing that Consort Shu was deliberately provoking Dongfang Yan.
Dongfang Yan had no weapon, and she was half-lying and half-sitting on the ground. He couldn't kill her with one blow, but if he provoked her too much, he would definitely strangle her.
With her neck being choked and unable to breathe, her blood and qi churning in her chest, Consort Shu cleverly used the churning blood and qi to gather her inner strength and force out the silver needles from her acupoints.
When Consort Shu made her move, Dongfang Yan sensed something was wrong and hurriedly retreated. Consort Shu's fierce move grazed his arm, leaving most of his arm slightly numb. The current Consort Shu was no longer the beautiful, dignified, and gentle eldest daughter of Prime Minister Li's household, but Consort Shu of Xiliang, a strategist and ambitious woman.
Consort Shu flipped and leaped up, landing steadily on the side of the room. Her cold gaze swept arrogantly over Dongfang Heng, Shen Lixue, Dongfang Yan, Ye Qianlong, and Lu Jiangfeng below: "Trying to kill me won't be that easy!"
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow at Consort Shu: "Consort Shu, please look carefully. There are five of us, and you are only one. Do you want to fight five of us at once?"
"No, it's not one against five." Consort Shu shook her head, her smile eerie and mysterious. She took out a bamboo flute from somewhere, put it to her lips, and began to play. The sharp sound sent chills down one's spine.
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow at Consort Shu: "Consort Shu, please look carefully. There are five of us, and you are only one. Do you want to fight five of us at once?"
"No, it's not one against five." Consort Shu shook her head, her smile eerie and mysterious. She took out a bamboo flute from somewhere, put it to her lips, and began to play. The sharp sound sent chills down one's spine.
Chapter 189: The Demise of the Duke of Mu's Mansion
"Meng'er!" The Holy King looked at the woman in surprise. Her beautiful face, delicate eyebrows and eyes, and jet-black hair, like a fine piece of ink satin, were loosely tied up. Her light purple dress fluttered gently. She completely overlapped with the beautiful woman in his memory.
“Mother!” A faint mist filled Dongfang Hengli’s eyes as he raised his eyebrows to look at the beautiful woman. Five years ago, he buried his mother with his own hands. How could she still be alive?
Shen Lixue was startled and carefully examined the woman. Her face was beautiful and exquisite, and her eyebrows and eyes were so similar to Dongfang Xun's that they were five or six points alike. She was none other than the Holy Princess Liu Rumeng.
"Meng'er, is it really you?" The beloved he had longed for for five years was now so close that the Holy King's arms trembled with excitement, and he walked towards her without realizing it.
"Father." Shen Lixue stepped forward, blocking the Holy King's path: "Mother is acting strangely!"
As a wife and mother, Liu Rumeng had not seen her husband for many years, and her son was right beside her. She did not react at all, but just stared at them quietly, her eyes vacant, without saying a word, like a soulless puppet.
Dongfang Yan suddenly stopped in his tracks, looked up at Liu Rumeng, and saw that her dark eyes were no longer as bright and clear as before, but empty and dull. Her gaze was no longer gentle and affectionate, but cold and icy, as if she were looking at a stranger.
The Holy King's sharp gaze suddenly shot towards Li Shishi: "What did you do to Meng'er?" Liu Rumeng only appeared after hearing Li Shishi's flute music, and her current state was definitely related to Li Shishi.
"I merely gave her some medicine to make her a little stronger." Looking at the Holy King's furious, almost spitting fire gaze, Li Shishi smiled sinisterly and smugly.
"The original Liu Rumeng was weak and frail, easily blown over by a gust of wind. She was weak and useless. But after these years of medicinal supplements and training from me, she has become an unparalleled master. When she jumps off the cliff at Xiangguo Temple again, I won't need to save her, and she won't die from the fall!"
"You've controlled Meng'er!" The Holy Prince glared at Li Shishi, gritting his teeth, utterly despicable and shameless.
“Your Highness, don’t speak so harshly. Liu Rumeng is a weak woman. She fell off a cliff and was seriously injured and on the verge of death. If I hadn’t given her medicine, she would have died from her injuries at the bottom of the cliff. How could you have seen her again and relieved your longing for her for so many years?”
Li Shishi hated Liu Rumeng so much that she pushed Liu Rumeng off a cliff, intending to smash her into a bloody pulp and disfigure her face so that she could see how she would still seduce the man she liked.
Unexpectedly, Dongfang Yan fell deeply in love with Liu Rumeng and jumped off the cliff afterward, disappearing without a trace. As a result, Li Shishi changed her mind and rescued Liu Rumeng, thinking that if Liu Rumeng stayed, Dongfang Yan would surely come.
"Release Meng'er, and I will spare your life!" Dongfang Yan's icy voice carried a hidden, overwhelming rage, sending shivers down the spines of those who heard it.
If she lets Liu Rumeng go, Dongfang Yan won't bother her again. However, with the failed coup and the complete downfall of the Mu family, the emperor will not let her off easily. She will fall into the deepest hell and suffer endless pain, while her enemies will reunite with their families, surrounded by their children, living a carefree and happy life. Haha, a fine line makes all the difference. This is not the outcome she wants.
"I went through so much trouble to pull Liu Rumeng back from the brink of death, and I haven't even received any reward yet. Releasing her is such a loss for me!" Li Shishi looked at Liu Rumeng in front of her, her beautiful eyes flashing with cold light, and she smiled maliciously.
"What do you want?" The Holy King asked, each word distinct and forceful, as if squeezed out from between his teeth, his tone laced with barely suppressed rage.