"Shen Lixue, where is Lady Qingzhu's memorial tablet?" Prince An, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke, his tone indifferent and his face unnaturally pale!
“In my room!” Shen Lixue raised her eyebrows. Why was Prince An asking this? On her first day at the Prime Minister’s residence, she had already set up an altar for Lin Qingzhu. Lin Qingzhu was a qualified mother and deserved her respect.
"On my aunt's 100th-day memorial, I want to offer incense for her!" Lin Yan smiled as he looked at Shen Lixue, his eyes filled with sorrow.
Shen Lixue instantly understood Prince An's intention, straightened up, and gestured to the two of them: "Prince An, Cousin Yan, this way please!"
"I'll also go offer incense!" Nangong Xiao put down his teacup and quickly followed. How could he, Nangong Xiao, miss out on something as mundane as offering incense and joining in the fun?
The noble ladies and young ladies exchanged glances before following Nangong Xiao. The former Duke Wu was a legendary figure, and although his grandson Lin Yan was young, he already showed signs of inheriting the Duke's demeanor. Prince An was a royal prince, and his close association with Lin Yan strongly suggested that the Emperor might be hinting at promoting Lin Yan. It was always wise for them to curry favor beforehand.
"Let's also offer incense to Sister Qingzhu!"
"Fifteen years have passed since we parted. I never expected that when we meet again, Sister Qingzhu would already be...sigh..."
The guests went to the bamboo garden in a grand procession, leaving only Shen Minghui, Shen Yingxue, Lei Shi, and the maids and nannies of the Prime Minister's residence in the huge garden.
Lei's joyous birthday banquet truly became Lin Qingzhu's sorrowful and solemn hundred-day memorial. She went from being the high-ranking wife of the prime minister to a lowly second wife, and was disgraced, becoming the biggest laughing stock in the capital!
After scheming for over twenty years, she failed miserably in one fell swoop, losing to the fifteen-year-old Shen Lixue! The metallic taste in her chest could no longer be suppressed; Lei Shi coughed up a mouthful of blood, her vision went black, and her body slumped to the ground…
024 Prince An falls ill
In the bamboo garden, Qiuhe was carefully tending to the precious orchids when a series of chaotic and heavy footsteps approached. Qiuhe looked up in confusion, and the slightly closed bamboo garden gate was pushed open. Shen Lixue walked in accompanied by two handsome men, followed by a large group of noblewomen and young ladies, a magnificent sight indeed.
"Young Miss!" Qiu He was originally a third-class maid who did rough work. She had never seen such a scene before. Looking at the noble Prince An, a lady from a prestigious family, and a young lady of great wealth, she was flustered and at a loss.
"Qiuhe, today is the 100th day since Mother's passing. Prince An, Cousin Yan, and the guests are all here to offer incense to Mother. Go and prepare quickly!" The guests had stopped the Lei family's birthday banquet to offer incense to Lin Qingzhu, which was within Shen Lixue's expectations. However, she could not prepare the incense in advance, otherwise, wouldn't people suspect that she had planned this all along?
"Yes!" Today is Madam Qingzhu's 100th day memorial, why haven't I heard Miss mention it? Qiuhe was puzzled, but she didn't say anything and quickly ran to the storeroom to get incense.
Chunhua and Qiuyue are dead, and the other maids have been transferred by Lei to prepare for her birthday banquet. The entire bamboo garden is empty, cold and desolate, without even a maid to entertain guests. Everyone sighed inwardly: Shen Lixue's days in the Prime Minister's mansion are really not easy!
While feeling more sympathy for Shen Lixue, I felt more disgust for Lei Shi. A second wife is a second wife; she has no sense of propriety whatsoever. Not only is she harsh on the daughter of the first wife, but she also doesn't even bother to put on a show of politeness. She is truly foolish!
The bamboo garden is located in a remote area, with a large bamboo grove behind the house. The bamboo leaves block out the light, making the living room and bedroom very cool.
Prince An stood with his back to the light, his white robe making his face appear cold and solemn, his dark eyes as deep as pools. He slowly walked to Lin Qingzhu's memorial tablet, bowed three times, and gently placed three incense sticks into the incense burner.
Prince An was arrogant and aloof, not even taking Prime Minister Shen Minghui seriously. Shen Lixue never expected that he would come to offer incense to her frail mother, Lin Qingzhu.
"The deceased is gone, don't be too sad!"
A faint scent of pine resin lingered in the air. It was Prince An who had arrived before Shen Lixue. Shen Lixue was taken aback. Prince An was concerned about her? Had she heard correctly?
"Cousin Lixue!" After offering incense, Lin Yan also came over. Shen Lixue instantly understood that Prince An and Lin Yan had returned from Subei together. His words of concern for her were probably just polite remarks made out of consideration for Lin Yan.
"Thank you for your concern, Prince An and Cousin Yan. I will take good care of myself..." Lei Shi and Shen Yingxue's cunning were nothing in Shen Lixue's eyes. As for Shen Minghui, if he dared to have any evil intentions, she would never let him go!
Prince An looked at Shen Lixue and felt as if her whole body was frozen by frost. That coldness and arrogance emanated from her very bones. When he spoke to her, she seemed not to take his words to heart, treating them as a gust of wind that would blow by and dissipate.
"Shen Lixue, don't be sad, there are still many people in this world who care about you!" After offering incense, Nangong Xiao walked over with a smile. Behind him, one after another, the noblewomen walked to Lin Qingzhu's memorial tablet, holding burning incense and chanting:
"Sister Qingzhu, fifteen years have passed since we parted. I never imagined that when we met again, we would be separated by death..."
"Qingzhu, may you rest in peace. Your sisters will help take care of Lixue..."
The ladies were numerous, and after offering incense, it was well past lunchtime. Since the Bamboo Garden had not prepared any food, and with Prince An, Lin Yan, and Nangong Xiao present, they naturally could not stay any longer. After exchanging a few polite words with Shen Lixue, they left the Bamboo Garden and returned to their respective residences.
Lei Shi was in charge of the inner courtyard of the Prime Minister's residence. The noble ladies prepared grand gifts and, after spending most of the day there, left hungry, feeling indignant: "For Lin Qingzhu's 100th day memorial, we can't have the birthday banquet, but we can have the 100th day memorial banquet! But Lei Shi didn't arrange anything and made us leave on empty stomachs. It's infuriating!"
The second wife is poorly behaved, petty, and doesn't know how to consider the bigger picture; she's not fit for a respectable position!
"Li Xue, what are your plans?" With all the guests gone, only Shen Li Xue, Prince An, Lin Yan, and Nangong Xiao remained in the bamboo garden. Lin Yan, no longer concerned about formalities, went straight to the point.
Shen Minghui's bias towards Shen Lixue was obvious to him. What was even more outrageous was that Shen Minghui didn't even come to offer incense at Lin Qingzhu's 100th-day memorial. He was better off without a family like that.
"Shen Minghui is my father, and the Prime Minister's residence is my home!" After transmigrating to the Qingyan Kingdom, Shen Lixue stayed in the Prime Minister's residence the longest and was the most familiar with it. She did not plan to go anywhere else for the time being. Moreover, Lei Shi and Shen Yingxue wished she would disappear. If she really left the Prime Minister's residence, wouldn't that be fulfilling their wishes?
"Cousin Yan, you haven't gone to the palace to meet the Emperor since you returned to the capital, have you?" Shen Lixue didn't want to talk about Shen Minghui anymore, so she cleverly changed the subject.
Shen Lixue was determined, and Lin Yan knew he couldn't persuade her in a short time, so he sighed inwardly: "I will go to the palace with Prince An to meet the Emperor first, and I will come to see you when I have time!" He was not a member of the Prime Minister's residence and could not stay here. If something happened to Shen Lixue, he would be unable to help her from afar, but he would do his best to protect her from harm.
Lin Yan turned and walked towards the door. Shen Lixue watched him leave. Suddenly, a shadow fell over her, and a weight pressed down on her shoulder. Before Shen Lixue could react, she was knocked down heavily...
With a muffled thud, Lin Yan subconsciously turned around and saw Shen Lixue being pinned to the ground by Prince An. A hint of surprise flashed in his sharp eyes. What was going on?
"Prince An, what are you doing?" Shen Lixue was furious and pushed Prince An away forcefully. How dare a prince of the royal family bully a weak woman like her in public...
Prince An lay on his back on the ground, his handsome face pale and bloodless, his eyes closed, his pale lips pressed together, his breathing heavy and rapid, his large hands clutching his chest, his brows furrowed as if he were enduring immense pain.
Shen Lixue was stunned. What was he doing...?
"Prince An has had a relapse!" Lin Yan exclaimed in shock, quickly reaching out to pull Chen Lixue, his tone unusually grave and anxious: "Lixue, let's go!"
The moment Lin Yan's hand touched Shen Lixue's shoulder, a sharp palm wind struck Lin Yan. Although Lin Yan dodged it as fast as he could, the palm wind still hit his shoulder, knocking him several meters away. Most of his body was numb, and he couldn't use any strength.
What's going on? Shen Lixue stared at Prince An in surprise, only to find that he had opened his eyes at some point. His obsidian-like pupils were like a deep pool, growing deeper and deeper. Deep within his eyes was a strong sense of violence and vigilance. His sharp gaze coldly stared at everyone in the room, sending chills down their spines and making them feel terrified.
"Li Xue, hurry! When Prince An has an attack, there won't be any living creatures within 30 meters of him!" Lin Yan shuddered at the thought of what happened to those who accidentally wandered within 30 meters of Prince An when he had an attack in Subei. He wanted to save Shen Li Xue, but he couldn't muster any strength.
"General Lin is injured, I, the young master, will go to save him!" Nangong Xiao walked hurriedly towards Shen Lixue as if he didn't care. The Prince of An is so sick, how powerful can he be?
"Don't go over there!" Lin Yan exclaimed in surprise, and hurriedly grabbed Nangong Xiao's arm, pulling him to the side. In the instant they turned the corner, a sharp palm wind whistled past his clothes and smashed the living room door to pieces.
Nangong Xiao's charming eyes narrowed slightly. It seemed that Prince An's martial arts were even more powerful when he fell ill!
“Prince An has already fallen ill. If you approach Li Xue now, you will not save her, but harm her!” Shen Li Xue is sitting right next to Prince An. He could kill her with a flick of his wrist.