"Madam, Madam, something terrible has happened..." A servant rushed over in a panic, covered in sweat and looking extremely anxious.
Lei frowned slightly: "What's the matter? Why are you in such a panic? Don't you see there are guests here? What kind of behavior is this, shouting and yelling like this?"
Having run so fast, the servant stopped, panting heavily, and anxiously reported, "Madam... Shen... Shen Lixue... is back..."
What? Shen Lixue is back? How is that possible?
Lei suddenly opened her eyes. To her disbelief, Shen Lixue appeared in the sunlight, wearing a light blue Xiang dress, looking fresh and natural. Her beautiful face was filled with a bright smile, but her cold eyes were filled with a strong chill. One glance could freeze a person!
Lei's eyelids twitched uncontrollably, his mind in turmoil, utterly bewildered and at a loss. Shen Lixue was back! She had actually returned alive! How could this be? How could this be? The assassins and bandits had both failed, so why hadn't any news come? Shen Lixue had entered the city in a carriage; why hadn't anyone come to report at the city gate? Such a large carriage—they couldn't possibly have missed it…
Shen Lixue walked into the garden, glanced at the shocked Lei Shi, and a strange smile appeared on her lips. She gently stepped into the pavilion where the young ladies and noblewomen were. Lei Yarong had already used her trump card, and now it was her turn to make her move: "Thank you all very much for attending my mother's 100th day memorial!" Her clear and cold voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for all the guests in the garden to hear.
Instantly, the entire room erupted in uproar. The noble ladies and young misses exchanged bewildered glances: Wasn't today the Prime Minister's wife's birthday? How had it turned into a hundred-day memorial for a dead person?
On the small bridge, Nangong Xiao's lips twitched uncontrollably. This was a joyous birthday banquet, where was there even a trace of the sadness and solemnity of a hundred-day memorial? Shen Lixue really knew how to twist the truth...
Lei's face instantly turned horribly gloomy. Today was her birthday, but Shen Lixue called it Lin Qingzhu's 100th day memorial. Was she clearly trying to bring her bad luck and curse her to die sooner? Shen Lixue, you're ruthless!
Shen Lixue stepped down the stairs and walked towards Lei Shi's cold, sharp gaze. Her beautiful face was filled with a grateful smile: "Madam, you sent me to Luoye Temple to pray to Buddha just to give me this surprise. Thank you so much. If my mother knew that you had held such a grand hundred-day memorial for her, her spirit in heaven would be extremely grateful to you..."
Shen Lixue opened her clear, large eyes, as innocent as a fawn, but the words she uttered made Lei Shi so frustrated she almost vomited blood. Shen Lixue knew that today was her birthday, yet she kept mentioning those three unlucky words, clearly mocking and cursing her, calling her a bitch!
Lei was very uneasy, her hands trembling slightly in her sleeves. She clearly sensed that Shen Lixue had come prepared!
"Miss, may I ask who you are?" Shen Lixue was beautiful, and her clothes and temperament were extraordinary. Even noble ladies could tell that she was not an ordinary person, but they did not know her true identity.
Shen Lixue looked at Zhuang Kexin with a cunning smile: "I am the daughter of Prime Minister Shen and his first wife. My name is Shen Lixue!" Lei Shi hates being a second wife, so Shen Lixue will make her live up to that title. Moreover, for the past half month, Lei Shi has been keeping her return a secret. Few people in the capital know about her. She will use this banquet to let everyone know that she exists!
Shen Lixue, the daughter of the first wife? Everyone grasped the key words in Shen Lixue's words, and looked at Lei Shi with surprise and disdain.
Some people in the capital knew about Shen Minghui's first wife, while others did not. In addition, since Lin Qingzhu was dead, they had always regarded Lei Shi as the first wife. However, now that Shen Lixue has appeared, she is the daughter of the first wife, so Lei Shi is naturally the second wife. Her status and position are far inferior to those of the first wives!
Shen Yingxue gritted her teeth, her slender hands clenched into fists, her nails digging deep into her flesh. A cold glint flashed in her beautiful eyes; she wished she could tear Shen Lixue to pieces immediately. She had actually returned alive, and even dared to slander her mother and herself! Bitch! Bitch! Bitch! She absolutely could not publicly acknowledge Shen Lixue's status as the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's family, otherwise, Prince An would be snatched away by her!
Amidst her surging anger, Shen Yingxue's eyes lit up, a brilliant plan forming in her mind. She sighed heavily and said regretfully, "Cousin Li'er, it's time for you to take your medicine!"
Ha! Medicine?! The guests were shocked again. What was going on this time?
"Yingxue, are you confused? I am your half-sister Shen Lixue, not some cousin Li'er!" Looking at Shen Yingxue's hypocritical sympathetic gaze, Shen Lixue sneered. Shen Yingxue was quite clever; a casual remark almost ruined all her efforts. No matter, she hadn't delivered her gift yet, so she would just have to exchange a few blows with her first!
Shen Yingxue sighed, gently wiping away the unfounded tears from the corners of her eyes, and said softly, "Cousin Li'er, your aunt passed away, and you are overwhelmed with grief and depressed. How can you get better if you don't take your medicine..." People from noble families would never believe the words of a madman, who would falsely accuse Shen Lixue of madness and try to kill her.
Shen Lixue's smiling eyes instantly became misty, bright and charming, yet pitiful: "Sister Yingxue, if you and Madam don't like me, you can just say so. Why lie and frame me..." The implication was that Lei Shi, the second wife, couldn't tolerate the daughter born to the first wife and was trying to scheme against her!
The gazes of the crowd toward Madam Lei became more thoughtful. Children born to concubines are of low status and can be dealt with if one dislikes them. However, Shen Lixue was born to the first wife, while Madam Lei was the second wife. It was obvious that Madam Lei had no good intentions in scheming against the eldest daughter of a noble family.
Shen Yingxue sighed again, her pitiful appearance making her all the more endearing: "Cousin Li'er, Aunt entrusted you to us before she died, so of course we have to take good care of you. I'm not trying to wrong you, but you're sick and you have to take your medicine..." Shen Lixue actually dared to fight with her, she was asking for it!
Zhuang Kexin quietly tugged at Shen Yingxue's sleeve and whispered, "What's going on?"
Shen Yingxue pointed to her head and sighed heavily with helplessness: "Something's not right with her here. Now she says she's my older sister, but before she even said she was the Empress, or a princess..."
Zhuang Kexin quietly took a few steps back, distancing herself from Shen Lixue, a hint of disgust flashing in her beautiful eyes: "Looks like she's quite ill..."
Shen Yingxue sneered inwardly, knowing that with her ingenious plan, Shen Lixue would fall seriously ill and die a tragic death.
Shen Yingxue secretly gave the servants a look and coldly ordered, "What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and help Miss Li'er to drink her medicine!"
"Yes!" Several rough-looking maids stepped forward and reached out to drag Chen Lixue away.
Shen Lixue smiled coldly, neither dodging nor avoiding, kicking them one after another to the ground. Amidst the shocked gazes of the crowd, she lowered a jade pendant: "This is the Shen family jade pendant, passed down only to legitimate sons, not illegitimate ones. If you do not believe me, you can verify its authenticity. If you think the pendant can be faked, you can summon Prime Minister Shen. My stepmother and stepsister might mistake my identity, but my biological father would never make a mistake..." Shen Yingxue actually used the same trick a second time—how foolish...
The servants rushed off to fetch Shen Minghui, while the maids and servants collapsed to the ground groaning in pain. Shen Yingxue was furious and deeply worried. What if her father arrived and acknowledged Shen Lixue's identity? Wouldn't she and her mother be utterly humiliated? What should she do? What should she do...?
In the midst of their anxiety, the servant who had summoned them ran back, urgently reporting, "Madam, Miss, the Prime Minister just went to the palace on business and is not in the residence..."
Shen Yingxue was taken aback at first, then immediately let go of the person who had been hanging in the air. She sighed heavily and pretended to be serious: "Alas, Cousin Li'er, my father left the manor because he didn't want to hurt your self-esteem..." She was secretly overjoyed. Haha, even the heavens were on her side. She arrested Shen Lixue under the pretense of being seriously ill and tortured her to death!
Shen Lixue laughed coldly, her eyes icy. Ha, how could she forget that when the incident happened in the Prime Minister's residence, Shen Minghui had sided with Shen Yingxue? Now, in front of the nobles of the capital, how could he possibly embarrass Shen Yingxue? It was already quite generous of him not to help her slander herself...
"Madam, Miss Yingxue, Miss Lixue was sent back to the Prime Minister's residence from Qingzhou by this young master, and she was recognized by Prime Minister Shen through a blood test. You have also confirmed her identity, so why don't you recognize her now?" Nangong Xiao walked over the small bridge, gently waving his folding fan. His charming face was adorned with a captivating smile, while his wicked eyes were filled with icy coldness!
The noble ladies and young women didn't recognize Shen Lixue, and they dared not easily believe what she said. But Nangong Xiao was the heir apparent, and what he said was absolutely true. The silent crowd erupted in commotion again: What? Shen Lixue was sent to the Prime Minister's residence by Nangong Xiao? She really is the eldest legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's residence, born to Shen Minghui's first wife?
Amidst the whispers of the crowd, a servant's loud announcement rang out from outside the door: "Prince An has arrived!"
021 A huge gift that will make you furious
Prince An has arrived!
The noble ladies were stunned for a moment, then their beautiful eyes instantly filled with intense joy as they quickly straightened their clothes.
Women adorn themselves for those who appreciate them. Prince An is their dream lover, so of course they want to show their most perfect side to him. Moreover, Prince An has only appointed his principal wife, and the position of concubine is still vacant.
The partition, carved with beautiful patterns, was simple and elegant. A young man stepped through the partition and into the garden. He wore a white robe that outlined his tall and slender figure. The edges were embroidered with delicate dark patterns, giving him a grand and imposing presence. His long, dark hair was loosely tied back with a white ribbon. He was refined and noble. His face, sculpted from white jade, was so fair that it made the sun pale in comparison. His obsidian-black eyes were unfathomable. Every gesture he made exuded the unique nobility and coldness of a superior, making him seem like a god, someone one dared not look directly at!
Prince An! It really is Prince An!
The noble ladies' hearts pounded like deer's, and they covered their mouths tightly to keep from exclaiming in surprise. Prince An was even more handsome, dashing, and charming than he had been three years ago!
Shen Lixue blinked helplessly. The number one handsome man in Qingyan was indeed worthy of his reputation. As soon as he appeared, he caused so many reserved young ladies from noble families to lose their composure!
Ignoring the dignified and beautiful young ladies from noble families, Prince An walked gracefully straight to the pavilion!
In the center of the pavilion, Shen Yingxue's face was flushed, her heart pounding wildly. The joy in her heart was indescribable. Prince An was walking towards her. He actually walked past all the beauties and came to her.
Thinking about it carefully, it's not surprising. Who is she? The most beautiful woman in Qingyan. From the Empress and princesses to the common people, no one can match her beauty. With such a stunningly beautiful fiancée, why would Prince An even look at those ordinary women who are not even a tenth as beautiful as her...