Prince An planned to drive the carriage in the scorching sun, getting covered in dust, while he himself sat leisurely in the cool carriage, enjoying the company of the beauty. It was so unfair! He let the horse run wild, making the carriage bounce and causing him to feel dizzy and vomit uncontrollably. Let's see how he can please the beauty now.
The carriage jolted violently, the interior decorations swayed wildly, and many small items shifted. Prince An, with his profound inner strength, remained seated firmly, while Shen Lixue, lacking inner strength, clung tightly to the carriage frame to keep herself from sliding around. She felt a pang of regret; if she had known the side road would be so bumpy, she would have taken the longer route on the main road…
Suddenly, the carriage jolted violently, and Shen Lixue lost her grip, her slender body flying out and crashing right into Prince An's arms.
With a soft, boneless body in his arms, and a faint fragrance wafting into his nose, Prince An's slender body trembled suddenly. His heart skipped a beat, his breathing became heavy, and his obsidian-like eyes became unfathomable...
A strong heartbeat reached her ears, and a faint scent of pine resin lingered in her nostrils. Shen Lixue was startled; it was Prince An's chest, and she had bumped into his arms.
A blush crept onto her beautiful face. Shen Lixue quickly took a step back, leaving Prince An's embrace. Using the pretext of scolding Nangong Xiao to cover her embarrassment, she said, "Nangong Xiao, how do you drive? Can't you drive more steadily...?"
Before she could finish speaking, the carriage jolted violently again, and Shen Lixue, who hadn't even settled properly, fell into Prince An's arms once more.
Once again, the warm, soft beauty filled his arms, and Prince An's heart, which had just calmed down, began to pound again. He gently looked down and saw Shen Lixue in his arms. Her pretty face was slightly flushed, and her eyes were clear. Her beautiful and lovely appearance made his heartstrings tremble, and a dark glint flashed in his dark eyes.
The carriage became increasingly bumpy, and small objects were jostled up and down. If this continued, even with Prince An's profound inner strength, he would not be able to sit still.
Looking sideways at the direction of the carriage curtain, Prince An's dark eyes were as deep as a pool: "It's normal for Prince Nangong to be unskilled at driving for the first time. Miss, hold my hand tightly so you won't be jostled around!"
What? Nangong Xiao was shocked. He had made the carriage bump around, but instead of getting back at Prince An, he had given him a legitimate opportunity to get close to the beauty. What a huge loss!
Nangong Xiao flicked the reins, slowing the horse down and bringing peace to the bumpy carriage.
Shen Lixue raised her eyebrows. With just a half-truth from Prince An, Nangong Xiao straightened the carriage. He was truly clever and cunning!
A faint scent of pine resin lingered in her nostrils, and Shen Lixue suddenly remembered that she was still in Prince An's arms.
Her cool gaze flickered slightly, and Shen Lixue quickly stepped out of Prince An's embrace. She sat by the window, pulled back the carriage curtain to let the cool breeze dissipate the blush on her face. She had lived in the modern world for twenty years and had never had intimate contact with a man before. Yet, just now, she had bumped into Prince An's arms twice. How incredibly embarrassing…
Picking up a book from the ground, Shen Lixue pretended to look at it to hide her embarrassment. But when she saw the words, she was suddenly stunned. It was... oracle bone script!
Shen Lixue is the young master of the Shen family and has some knowledge of ancient Chinese characters. She has seen oracle bone script a few times and naturally recognizes it. Fearing that she might be mistaken, Shen Lixue quickly flipped through the pages, from the first page to the last. All of them were pictographs. Her clear and cold eyes narrowed slightly. This really is oracle bone script.
"You can understand this novel?" Prince An looked at Shen Lixue, a dark glint flashing in his obsidian-like eyes. So far, apart from him, no one in the entire Qingyan Kingdom could understand this book!
“I can read it, it’s oracle bone script!” As soon as she finished speaking, Shen Lixue suddenly remembered that after Prince An finished drinking tea, he had been reading a book. Could this be the book he was reading?
"This is the Prince's novel?" Shen Lixue's cold eyes were filled with shock. She never expected that Prince An, the God of War of Azure Flame, could understand oracle bone script in addition to leading troops into battle.
"What are you talking about?" Nangong Xiao came in with a smile, his charming phoenix eyes full of curiosity. Since he couldn't use the bumpy carriage to discipline Prince An, he would come in to supervise and see how Prince An got close to the beauty.
“We’re talking about oracle bone script!” Prince An replied calmly, his gaze towards Shen Lixue unfathomable. She actually understood oracle bone script too!
"This young master prefers romance and nature, and has no interest in studying these antiques!" Nangong Xiao shook his head, turned around, and drove off.
"What is this character?" Prince An's slender fingers lightly tapped a symbol on the page, his dark eyes gleaming with a bright light. Knowing that this was oracle bone script was not difficult; what was difficult was recognizing the characters on it.
“It’s the character for ‘friend’!” Shen Lixue wasn’t an expert in oracle bone script, but she recognized some of the most basic characters. Prince An’s investigation was no challenge for her.
"What about this one?" Prince An then pointed to a pictograph to test Shen Lixue. This was a rather difficult pictograph, and most people wouldn't be able to recognize it.
“It’s the character ‘天’ in ‘weather’…” Shen Lixue gave the answer accurately.
Prince An pointed to many more characters, and Shen Lixue answered them all fluently. Before they knew it, the two of them stood closer and closer like lovers. Looking at Shen Lixue's confident and beautiful face, a strange emotion flashed in Prince An's deep eyes. Looking at the whole world, she was the first woman who could recognize all these oracle bone characters!
"Shen Lixue, you understand oracle bone script, teach me sometime!" Nangong Xiao's devilishly handsome face turned aside from the curtain and leaned in again.
"Don't you dislike studying antiques?" Her thoughts interrupted, Shen Lixue glared at Nangong Xiao with annoyance.
"You all know, I can't fall behind!" With a grin, Nangong Xiao went out to drive the carriage again. He said these words not because he really wanted to learn to recognize oracle bone script, but just as an excuse to supervise Prince An.
"Chen Lixue, the weather is nice today..."
"Shen Lixue, there's a stream over there..."
“Chen Lixue…”
Shen Lixue and Prince An were discussing oracle bone script when Nangong Xiao would always appear at inopportune moments, interrupting them with irrelevant remarks. Shen Lixue found it both amusing and frustrating. When Nangong Xiao called her name again, she couldn't muster any enthusiasm and casually asked, "What is it now?"
"We've arrived at the Prime Minister's residence!" Nangong Xiao's lips curled into a strange smile, his wicked eyes flashing with coldness: The show is about to begin.
"Really!" Shen Lixue's eyes lit up, her dazed mind instantly clearing up as she lifted the curtain and stepped out of the carriage.
Above the main gate of the Prime Minister's residence, the three gilded characters "Prime Minister's Residence" gleamed in the sunlight. Beneath the plaque, ladies and young women from noble families came and went in an endless stream, exchanging polite greetings with beaming smiles. Valuable gifts were piled up like mountains, and the steward, with a broad smile, directed the maids and servants to carry them back and forth.
Shen Lixue smiled slightly, her cold gaze like a thousand-year-old ice, yet as warm as the sun: I'm back alive. Lei family, Shen Yingxue, are you ready for your misfortune?
020 Disrupting the birthday banquet
In the garden of the Prime Minister's residence, Shen Yingxue, dressed in a light blue silk dress, sat gracefully among the noble ladies, chatting and laughing. In terms of clothing, she was not particularly outstanding compared to the other young ladies, but her stunning beauty outshone them all. Every smile and frown was captivating. The elegantly dressed noble ladies in the pavilion not only failed to steal her thunder, but all of them became her foils.
"Yingxue, I heard that Prince An is returning to the capital?" Prince An is the God of War of the Azure Flame, with a noble status and outstanding temperament. He has always been the dream lover of young women. The news of his return to the capital has been widely circulated, and Zhuang Kexin, the daughter of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, has naturally heard about it as well.
"Yes!" Shen Yingxue smiled radiantly, her beauty captivating. In her heart, she sighed. The person she had longed for for three years was finally coming back!
"Yingxue, you're almost of marriageable age. With Prince An returning to the capital this time, are you two preparing for your wedding?" Zhuang Kexin smiled slightly, but her eyes were somewhat dim.
The noble ladies all admired Prince An, a young, promising, and handsome man. However, the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's family was already engaged to Prince An. In front of the other ladies, Shen Yingxue also presented herself as Prince An's fiancée. No matter how much the ladies liked Prince An, they had no chance of becoming his wife, leaving many heartbroken.
"I haven't reached the age of marriage yet, it's too early to talk about such things..." Shen Yingxue lowered her head shyly, her beautiful eyes flashing with a gloom and determination beyond her years: Once Prince An returns to the capital, I will ask my father to request the Emperor to grant us a marriage decree. We must finalize the marriage to avoid any further changes. One time is enough for Shen Lixue's matter...
Thinking of Shen Lixue, Shen Yingxue's gaze darkened, and a cold smile appeared on her lips. She must be on her way to the underworld by now, daring to steal her man. She's asking for death!
The Prime Minister's wife, Lady Lei, stood ten meters away by the garden, her loving gaze fixed on Shen Yingxue in the pavilion. Her words were chillingly somber: "Have they sent any news yet?" For some reason, she had a bad feeling, as if something terrible was about to happen.
Granny Ding lowered her head and gently comforted her, "Madam, there's no need to worry. Shen Lixue is just a weak woman. Even if she has extraordinary abilities, she can't escape the traps you've set. I've already ordered people to guard the city gate. As soon as the Prime Minister's carriage enters the city, he will immediately report..."
Lei closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead vigorously. To deal with Shen Lixue, she had gone to great lengths. All those resources combined were enough to wipe out a small family. It was indeed impossible for Shen Lixue to return to the Prime Minister's residence alive...