"Nangong Xiao!" As the horse galloped closer, Shen Lixue recognized the rider. Nangong Xiao, dressed in brocade robes and looking travel-worn, had a hint of worry in his captivating eyes. He dismounted, ignoring his surroundings, and strode up to Shen Lixue, looking her up and down: "Are you alright?"
"It's nothing, why are you here?" At this time, Nangong Xiao should be attending Lei's birthday banquet at the Prime Minister's residence.
With Shen Lixue unharmed, Nangong Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, his heart instantly calming down. He casually said, "I was bored in the capital, so I came out for a walk!"
When Nangong Xiao's gaze fell upon the white-clad man beside Shen Lixue, he was suddenly taken aback...
017 Who will drive her back to Beijing?
"Prince An, it's been three years. How have you been?" Looking at the corpses scattered on the ground, Nangong Xiao's charming eyes flashed with coldness. He had arrived too late; it was Prince An who had saved Shen Lixue.
"Judging from Prince Nangong's expression, he's doing quite well in the capital!" Prince An, Qinghua, was noble and godlike, with dark eyes as deep as a pool!
Prince An and Nangong Xiao were exchanging polite greetings, yet they were locked in a fierce battle, neither willing to yield, like a war without gunpowder. On the surface, it seemed calm, but beneath, undercurrents were surging...
Shen Lixue looked at the man in white. So he was Prince An. Cold, domineering, refined, and noble, he was a rare dragon among men. No wonder Shen Yingxue was so infatuated with him and set up many traps to scheme against her.
"Nangong Xiao, did you come alone?" Shen Lixue had just met Prince An and didn't know much about him. In comparison, she trusted Nangong Xiao more.
“That’s right!” Upon learning that Shen Lixue had come to Luoye Temple, Nangong Xiao rushed over as fast as he could. He didn’t have time to gather manpower, and besides, with his martial arts skills, rescuing Shen Lixue from the heavy encirclement of assassins would be easy, and he wouldn’t need anyone else’s help.
"I need your help with something, but you alone aren't enough..." Shen Lixue sighed softly. Her plan required the cooperation of multiple people to achieve the best results!
"What is it?" Shen Lixue abandoned Prince An and turned to him for help. Nangong Xiao was in a good mood and frequently looked at Prince An with a provocative gaze!
Prince An's gaze was deep and unfathomable, fixed on some unknown distance, as if he were lost in thought.
"Today is my stepmother's birthday, and I want to give her a big gift!" Shen Lixue smiled gently, but there was an indescribable eeriness in her smile: Since it was the first time she had encountered her stepmother's birthday, as her daughter, she naturally had to give her a big gift to express her feelings!
"Are you the daughter of the Prime Minister's family?" Prince An suddenly spoke, his gaze deep. In the capital, noble families always travel by carriage, with the insignia of their respective families hanging on the carriages. Five meters away, the carriage was displaying the insignia of the Prime Minister's family.
"Yes!" Shen Lixue nodded; she had no intention of hiding this matter.
"How come I've never heard of your name before?" Prince An left the capital for the border three years ago and was fairly familiar with some people and things in the Prime Minister's residence. This was the first time he had ever heard the name Shen Lixue.
“I am the daughter of the first wife, Lin Qingzhu. I grew up in Qingzhou and am new to the capital. Naturally, Prince An has never heard of me…” Shen Lixue smiled gently. She had been back at the Prime Minister’s residence for half a month. Lei Shi had issued a decree to keep it a secret from the outside world. Few people in the capital knew of her existence, let alone Prince An, who was far away on the border.
Lin Qingzhu's daughter! A strange emotion flashed in Prince An's deep eyes. Everyone in the capital believed that Lin Qingzhu and her daughter died in a fire fifteen years ago.
The woman in red stared at Shen Lixue, speechless with shock: "You...you're still alive...Cousin...she...she's your fiancée..."
Prince An remained silent, his sharp, deep gaze fixed on the horizon. A dark glint flashed in his obsidian-like eyes, and the surrounding temperature seemed to drop instantly!
Shen Lixue remained indifferent, showing no interest whatsoever!
The woman in red was secretly surprised. Her fiancé (or fiancé) was right in front of her, yet her cousin and Shen Lixue seemed to ignore her. What were they thinking?
Looking up at the sky, Nangong Xiao was about to remind Shen Lixue that it was getting late when Prince An spoke up first: "What gift are you planning to give to the Prime Minister's wife?"
As a member of the royal family, Prince An was well aware of the power struggles among his wife, concubines, and legitimate and illegitimate children. He knew that Shen Lixue's relationship with her stepmother was not good, given that she had only come out to seek Buddhist guidance.
Besides the corpses, only Prince An, Nangong Xiao, Shen Lixue, Dongfang Yu'er, and the man in blue were present on the open ground. Unfazed by the possibility of their plan being exposed, Shen Lixue smiled and recounted her scheme. Shangguan Yu'er listened, dumbfounded. Nangong Xiao and the man in blue twitched at the corners of their mouths. Prince An's obsidian-like eyes remained unfathomable. He lowered his eyelids and ordered in a deep voice, "General Lin, the matter of delivering the gifts is entrusted to you!"
"Your subordinate obeys!" The man in blue gave Shen Lixue a deep look, answered respectfully, and quickly left to carry out his orders.
"Thank you, Prince An!" Shen Lixue said politely. Prince An's help was beyond her expectations.
The matter of Shen Lixue asking Nangong Xiao for help was handled by Prince An's men. Nangong Xiao felt very uncomfortable. His lips moved, but he didn't say a word. He was secretly annoyed. Why didn't he bring more people with him? And Prince An? He could have just returned to the capital. Why did he bring so many people?
The sky was azure, the sun blazing. It was getting late, and there was no time to waste. Shen Lixue strode towards the fast horse of the Prime Minister's residence. The rope connecting the horse and the carriage had long been cut by Shen Lixue, but the horse did not run away. Instead, it stood on the ground grazing on the grass.
"Shen Lixue, you can ride a horse?" Nangong Xiao was somewhat surprised. From Qingzhou to the capital, Shen Lixue had always traveled by carriage, and he had never seen her ride a horse before.
"I learned to ride horses before, but it's been a long time since I've ridden one!" Shen Lixue's horsemanship was learned in modern times, and she wasn't very skilled, but in order to return to the Prime Minister's residence as soon as possible, she couldn't care less.
Leading the fast horse, Shen Lixue took out the Buddha statue she had obtained from Luoye Temple from the carriage. The statue had been smashed beyond recognition by Chunhua and was no longer usable. Shen Lixue sighed inwardly, deciding to seek another one at Xiangguo Temple...
Just as she was about to mount her horse, the horse that Shen Lixue was leading suddenly raised its long hooves, let out a long neigh, broke free from Shen Lixue, and sped away, kicking up clouds of dust.
The event happened too fast and too suddenly. By the time everyone reacted, the fast horse had already disappeared into a small black dot.
Shen Lixue gently rubbed her small, reddened hands, both angry and anxious: What happened? Why was the horse suddenly startled? It was perfectly fine just now!
"Shen Lixue, I'll take you back to the capital!" Nangong Xiao led his horse to Shen Lixue. His horse was a fine steed, capable of traveling a thousand miles a day, and could quickly reach the capital with the two of them on board.
“Your Highness, men and women should not touch each other!” Prince An’s dark eyes were as deep as a pool as he said indifferently, “If someone sees you riding a horse with Miss Shen, Miss Shen’s reputation will be ruined. Miss Shen’s stepmother would be very happy to see her disgraced…” Nangong Xiao’s decision to bring Shen Lixue to the capital was not to help her, but to harm her.
“Prince An, you are a man too. If you take Shen Lixue back to the capital, she will be ruined as well…” Nangong Xiao’s devilish face was filled with an annoying smile. He wanted to use these rules of etiquette to suppress him and make him give up Shen Lixue. Prince An was indeed smart, but he was not stupid. He would not be easily fooled!
"I am traveling by carriage, and the carriage is covered by side panels so that no one can see who is inside!" Prince An was injured and not suited for long-distance travel, so he was traveling back to the capital by carriage.
"A carriage? I, the young master, can have one sent over!" Nangong Xiao is the young master; he can summon not only one carriage, but ten or even a hundred.
"It's getting late. By the time your men bring the carriage, the banquet at the Prime Minister's residence will have ended!" Prince An's gaze was calm, and his voice was even, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.
"It's alright." Nangong Xiao waved his hand dismissively. "You have someone send the gifts to the Prime Minister's wife first. I'll take Shen Lixue to see the scenery. We haven't been out together since we returned to the capital..."
018 The Three Demons
“Shen Lixue has just returned to the Prime Minister’s residence. In addition to bringing gifts, she also needs to use this banquet to announce her existence to the world!” As clever as Prince An is, he can naturally guess that the Lei family has blocked the news of Shen Lixue’s return: if she wants to deal with the Lei family, she must return to the Prime Minister’s residence before the banquet ends.
"A banquet? I'll host one tomorrow too, inviting all the officials and their families, so Li Xue can reveal her identity in public." Nangong Xiao's devilishly handsome face was filled with an irritating smile. Prince An wanted to snatch Shen Li Xue away from him? Not so easy!
"The banquet you've organized can only help Shen Lixue announce her identity. She has more important things to do when she returns to the Prime Minister's residence today, besides bringing gifts and showing her identity. Your banquet cannot help her achieve her goal." Prince An calmly refuted Nangong Xiao's words, but his deep gaze was fixed on Shen Lixue.
"How did you know I had other motives?" Shen Lixue was shocked. She had only thought about that matter in her heart and had never told anyone. How could Prince An know?
Prince An said nothing more, a slight smile playing on his lips, his dark eyes unfathomable. He turned and gracefully boarded the carriage.