"Of course... no!" Nangong Xiao replied insincerely, gently wiping the hot sweat that kept dripping from his forehead.
"Then why are you eating so slowly?" Shen Lixue asked in confusion.
Nangong Xiao: "..."
Taking a few deep breaths, Nangong Xiao, with a look of grim determination, picked up some chili peppers and vegetables and quickly stuffed them into his mouth: "Shen Lixue, use all your tricks, I won't lose to you!"
"Young Master, there's still soup!" Shen Lixue 'thoughtfully' pushed a bowl of soup in front of Nangong Xiao. On the surface of the soup floated flakes of egg flowers, and around the yellow egg flowers was a layer of red chili flakes...
Nangong Xiao's eyelids twitched, and a bead of sweat dripped from his forehead, hot and seemingly radiating endless spiciness: "I'm full, enjoy your meal!"
Putting down his chopsticks, Nangong Xiao ran out of the bamboo garden as fast as the wind. If he drank that bowl of soup, he would die from the spiciness. Shen Lixue, you're ruthless!
Shen Lixue walked out of the room, watching Nangong Xiao's fleeing figure, and chuckled. She believed that this meal would be the most unforgettable meal in Nangong Xiao's life, and he would never let her treat him to a meal again.
However, judging from Nangong Xiao's appearance, he was quite burned by the spiciness. Had I gone too far?
008 Beat up Shen Yelei
"The daughter of a high-ranking official, how dare she openly meet a man at night! She truly has no sense of propriety or shame!" Outside the bamboo garden, a man stood gracefully, dressed in a brocade blue robe and wearing a headband inlaid with jewels. He exuded a scholarly air and was clearly a well-read person. However, his gaze towards Shen Lixue was filled with anger and disgust.
"Young master, you are a grown man, sneaking out to spy on a weak woman like me in the dead of night. Do you know any sense of propriety and shame?" Shen Lixue retorted. This man was deliberately causing her trouble, so of course she wouldn't be polite to him.
The man's face flushed instantly with anger, and he hurriedly explained, "I am Ye Lei's husband, a guest of the Prime Minister's residence. I came here unintentionally while wandering around, and I was not spying on the young lady..."
Ye Lei? Shen Lixue suddenly remembered that Nangong Xiao had said that Shen Minghui and Lei Shi had a young son named Shen Ye Lei, who was studying at the Imperial Academy.
"Sir, you misunderstood my spying on me, but how do you know that my rendezvous with a man wasn't a misunderstanding?" The man teaches at the Imperial Academy, so his status must be extraordinary, but he mocked Shen Lixue without any explanation first. She wouldn't be afraid of him just because of his noble status: "Sir, to conclude that I was having a secret rendezvous with a man simply because you saw him leave my courtyard is far too arbitrary..."
“According to the rules of etiquette, men and women should not touch each other. It is already late, and no matter what the reason, a young lady should not leave a man in the room…” The man argued seriously.
The man was rigid and inflexible, completely lacking any sense of adaptability, like a reincarnation of a wooden block!
Shen Lixue lowered her voice with a half-smile: "Then should I thank you for your leniency, sir, for not making a big fuss about it? Otherwise, my innocent reputation would have been completely ruined by your misunderstanding..."
"I..." The man's face flushed red and then turned pale. He stammered for a long time but couldn't think of a suitable way to refute Shen Lixue. His face was very embarrassed. A crisp voice came out of his predicament: "Brother Wenxuan!"
Shen Lixue looked in the direction of the sound and saw a little boy emerge from the shadows of the house. He was about eight or nine years old, dressed in a sandalwood-colored Shu embroidered brocade robe and wearing expensive boots. His expression was arrogant and haughty, like a little adult. He walked slowly and deliberately towards the man in blue: "So that's why Brother Wenxuan wasn't in his room, he came here..."
The moment Zhou Wenxuan saw Shen Yelei, the seriousness in his eyes vanished, replaced by a broad smile: "Yelei, is there something you need to see me so late?"
"Nothing much, I just wanted to..." Shen Yelei's embarrassed reply stopped abruptly when he saw Shen Lixue inside the door. He shouted angrily, "Who are you? What are you doing in my house?"
The arrogant words conveyed intense dislike and hostility; they were not a question, but an interrogation.
"Shen Lixue!" Shen Lixue answered coldly. Shen Yelei's attitude towards her was extremely bad, so of course she wouldn't try to win him over.
"You're that country bumpkin!" Shen Yelei exclaimed sharply as if suddenly realizing something, squinting arrogantly at Shen Lixue.
Shen Lixue wore a light gauze dress that outlined her exquisite figure. Her delicate hair was styled without any ornaments, giving her a fresh and natural look. Her long eyelashes were slightly upturned, and her beautiful eyes were clear and bright, making her unforgettable at first sight.
Shen Yelei blinked awkwardly. He absolutely could not admit that Shen Lixue's temperament was more refined and noble than his celestial sister Yingxue. He had to make her feel utterly ashamed: "You reek of poverty, at best you're just a black sparrow. Even if you wear fancy clothes, you won't become a phoenix. You're not even as good as one of my sister's toes. And you dare to overestimate yourself and try to steal my sister's fiancé? You don't know your place..."
“Go back and tell your sister that I am not interested in Prince An. Instead of spending her time causing trouble for me, she should think about how to win Prince An’s heart…” Shen Lixue’s clear voice was full of disdain, echoing in the quiet courtyard.
Prince An is the God of War of the Azure Flame, and Sister Yingxue has always cherished him like a treasure. Yet Shen Lixue actually said she didn't care for him. Was she deliberately mocking Sister Yingxue? How despicable!
Shen Yelei clenched his small fists and glared fiercely at Shen Lixue: "Do you think everyone is as despicable as you, using those shameful tricks to seduce other people's fiancés every day..."
Shen Lixue's eyes were filled with coldness: Shen Yelei was just a child and couldn't possibly say such sarcastic and mean words. Someone must have taught him. It wasn't hard to guess who was behind it all. It was either Shen Yingxue or the Lei family. They had ulterior motives for instigating Shen Yelei to mock her. If she taught Shen Yelei a lesson, she would be falling into their trap.
"Sir, is this the student you taught? Not only did he not greet his elder sister, but he also mocked her wantonly. How utterly lacking in manners!" Just because Shen Lixue couldn't teach Shen Yelei a lesson doesn't mean others can't. Zhou Lixuan is always talking about etiquette and shame, so let him teach this impolite fool Shen Yelei a lesson.
Zhou Wenxuan blushed with embarrassment. He always respected etiquette and rules when disciplining others, and he was ashamed that his student was so arrogant and domineering. But what he couldn't understand was why Ye Lei, who was usually a bit arrogant, knew how to respect others. Why was he now mocking his own sister so mercilessly: "Ye Lei!"
"Brother Wenxuan, don't stop me! Let me teach this arrogant brat a lesson!" Shen Lixue, this uncouth country bumpkin, dared to say he didn't understand manners. Shen Yelei gritted his teeth in anger, his dark pupils blazing with fury: "Get out of the Prime Minister's residence!"
“Shen Minghui is my father, and the Prime Minister’s residence is my home. You have no right to drive me away…” Shen Lixue lowered her eyelids, her slender hands clenching quietly. Her patience had its limits…
Seeing the lack of confidence in Shen Yelei's eyes, Shen Lixue felt a surge of smugness: "As the future master of the Prime Minister's residence, I order you to get out. Our Prime Minister's residence is a noble official's mansion. You, a filthy, vulgar, lowly woman, are not worthy to live here..."
"Slap! Slap!" Two loud slaps landed hard on Shen Yelei's face, and two bright red five-fingered mountains instantly appeared on his chubby, fair face.
Shen Lixue looked at the stunned green-clad maid: She had actually hit Shen Yelei before she could.
Shen Yelei slowly turned his head, which had been knocked to the side, and stared blankly at Shen Lixue and Zhou Wenxuan. He pouted and burst into tears.
Shen Yelei was the only son of the Prime Minister's family and was pampered by everyone. He was always the one who hit others, and no one else had the right to hit him: "Shen Lixue, how dare you let your servants hit me? You just wait, just wait!"
After throwing down those words fiercely, Shen Yelei ran forward crying, ignoring Zhou Wenxuan's calls from behind.
Shen Lixue coldly stared at the little maid: "What's your name?"
"This servant... Qiuhe..." Qiuhe sat on the ground, head bowed, her petite body trembling.
"Why did you hit Chen Yelei?" Qiu He's two slaps were indeed to vent her anger, but if it was a scheme to frame her, she would never let it go easily.
“Miss… I didn’t mean to hit the young master…” Qiuhe seemed frightened, her words stammering: “It was dark and the road was hard to walk on… I was carrying too many things… I lost my balance and accidentally hit the young master…”
If Qiuhe were to righteously declare that she beat up Shen Yelei to avenge Shen Lixue, Shen Lixue would be 100% certain that Qiuhe was sent by the Lei family to frame her. Qiuhe was a member of the Lei family, and they had only given her half a day; how could she be so genuinely concerned for her?
There were objects of varying lengths scattered on the ground in front of Qiu He. If it was because it was dark and she was staggering, it was not impossible that she accidentally hit someone. If that were the case, then the two slaps that Shen Yelei received were truly dramatic.
“You are just a third-class maid. Slapping the eldest son of the Prime Minister’s family is a capital offense…” Shen Lixue said calmly, her lowered eyelids concealing the expression in her eyes.
Qiuhe's frail body trembled even more violently, and her voice was choked with sobs: "Please have mercy, Miss... I really didn't mean to..."
"Sixth Brother is the apple of the Prime Minister and his wife's eye. If anyone hurts him, they will not let it go. Let alone help you, I will be in trouble myself..." Qiuhe is Shen Lixue's maid. She hit Shen Yelei in the bamboo garden. Even if it wasn't Shen Lixue's order, Shen Minghui would blame it on Shen Lixue.