Her face was ruined by Shen Lixue, and she hated Shen Lixue to the core, but because Shen Lixue had been living in the War King's Mansion for a long time, she could not find an opportunity to make a move.
Dongfang Heng and Lin Yan left one after another. Su Yuting guessed that Shen Lixue had no experts around her, so she prepared to take a risk and fight. Unexpectedly, Shen Lixue had mastered the whip technique and beat her so badly that she lost face and returned in defeat.
At midnight, Shen Lixue returned to the War King's Mansion, slept until dawn, took a bath, washed and dressed, and went to the dining room for her meal.
Dongfang Heng and Prince Zhan were not present, leaving her alone in the dining room. With a meal laid out, Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow: "Father, did Prince An not return to the manor last night?"
The Emperor smiled and said, "Your Highness, Prince An stayed at the Holy Prince's residence last night. His Majesty summoned the Prince to the palace to discuss important matters, and he will not return to his residence until tonight or tomorrow at the earliest!"
Shen Lixue nodded and lowered her head to eat.
A guard entered with a note: "Your Highness, the day after tomorrow is the Duke of Wen's fortieth birthday. You are invited to attend the banquet at the Duke of Wen's residence!"
Shen Lixue's eyes lit up, and a strange smile appeared on her lips. She was just worried about not finding a reason to go to the Duke of Wen's mansion. The Duke of Wen's fortieth birthday was a good excuse. She must go and see an acquaintance and give him a big gift!
---Aside---
(*^__^*) Hehe... More exciting things to come tomorrow! Thank you all for the flowers, diamonds, tips, votes, and lots of kisses...
Chapter 114: Tearing Off Su's Beautiful Skin
Duke Wen was a high-ranking official of the first rank, and the Su family was a prestigious clan. When he celebrated his birthday, officials and their families came in an endless stream to offer their congratulations, and gifts piled up like mountains at the door.
Shen Lixue handed over the invitation and presented the gift before entering the Duke of Wen's mansion. Led by a maid, she slowly walked towards the flower hall.
The weather was hot, and most of the guests gathered in the living room and flower hall. There were also a few guests sitting by the rockery and in the pavilion talking about things. Shen Lixue casually looked around the scenery of the Duke of Wen's mansion and walked slowly forward.
Walking through the vibrant garden, a group of young women dressed in various colors approached. The one in the lead was beautiful and elegant; it was Su Yuting.
"Sister Lixue!" Su Yuting also saw Shen Lixue and smiled as she led the young ladies over to greet her.
“Miss Su!” Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow at Su Yuting. Her face was clearly injured by her, but in just two days, it had recovered completely without a trace of injury. Did she use a miracle drug, or was she wearing a mask?
She had asked Dongfang Heng about Qingyan's ability to disguise herself. Her facial skin was delicate, and even a small wound would take a long time to heal. It was impossible for Su Yuting to heal her wounds and remove the scars in such a short time. It was highly likely that she had a mask made to cover up her shocking injuries.
"All the sisters are here, except for Sister Lixue. What did you do there that made you late?" Su Yuting covered her mouth with a handkerchief and chuckled reproachfully.
Shen Lixue sighed helplessly, "I didn't want to be late either. Something terrible happened the night before last. I was terrified and I'm still in shock. If it weren't for the Duke of Wen's birthday, I wouldn't dare to leave the manor!"
Su Yuting was taken aback, a glint of something flashing quickly in her eyes, before she smiled and asked, "What happened, sister?"
"Isn't it that heartless, depraved scoundrel who disfigures women?" Shen Lixue frowned deeply, gritting her teeth as she said, "I ran into her on my way back to the Prince's mansion..."
Su Yuting frowned slightly, a cold glint flashing in her eyes, before instantly returning to normal.
"Really?" The young ladies were filled with horror.
The case of the mysterious man disfiguring women caused a sensation in the capital. Many young ladies had heard of his atrocities. He used a sharp dagger to slash the faces of beautiful women one by one, each face being slashed nearly a hundred times, leaving them in a horrific state.
Furthermore, the tip of the dagger was coated with a special medicine, so the wounds it caused could never heal. The method was so cruel that it was appalling. Several of the disfigured women couldn't bear the trauma and secretly committed suicide.
The young and beautiful women in the capital were all in fear and dared not go out at night. The emperor ordered a thorough investigation into the matter, but the murderer was never caught.
Shen Lixue nodded: "He tried to disfigure me and got into a fight with the guards of the War King's Mansion. He was injured by the guards and fled..."
"Is the princess injured?" A noble lady looked at Shen Lixue and asked with concern.
"I'm fine, but a few guards were injured." Shen Lixue lowered her voice mysteriously, "The mysterious person's face was whipped many times by the guards and disfigured. At the time, the black towel on her face was torn, and her black night clothes were also ripped. I clearly saw that she was a woman..."
"What? A woman?" The young ladies of noble families were shocked, shocked, and even more shocked. The cruel villain who had disfigured a beautiful woman was actually a woman: "Your Highness is not mistaken?"
"The guards of the War King's Mansion also saw it. The mysterious disfigured person is indeed a woman, there's no mistake!" Shen Lixue nodded emphatically, her gaze firm.
"Princess, could you draw a portrait of that person? Or, as you say, have someone else draw it so the authorities can post a warrant for her arrest!" The noble ladies were filled with righteous indignation. As women themselves, how could someone be so cruel as to mutilate their appearance? They deserved to be torn to pieces.
Su Yuting's heart skipped a beat, her breathing became rapid, her eyelids drooped slightly, her slender hands clenched into fists, and her delicate body quietly withdrew from the crowd and stood by the garden.
Shen Lixue smiled coldly. The woman in black from the night before was indeed Su Yuting. She had no evidence, so now was not the time to expose her: "That woman was wearing a black mask the whole time. Even after her face was bruised by the whip, the mask did not fall off completely, so I did not see her face!"
"I see!" The young ladies were somewhat disappointed. Without a portrait, they couldn't issue a warrant for her arrest. Without her capture, they would continue to live in fear every day.
“I have told Shuntian Prefecture everything that happened the night before last. They have narrowed down their suspicions. There aren’t many women under the age of twenty who are highly skilled in martial arts.” Shen Lixue smiled slightly and glanced at Su Yuting discreetly.
“That’s true!” The young ladies nodded. With these obvious characteristics, and after careful investigation, it was only a matter of time before the murderer was caught.
Su Yuting's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, instantly relaxed, and she let out a long sigh of relief. Only then did she realize that her back was soaked with cold sweat, and her palms were also full of sweat...
"Sister Su, it's so hot, why aren't you sitting in the flower hall? What are you doing here?" Shen Lixue asked Su Yuting with a puzzled look.
A young lady covered her mouth and chuckled, "Sister Su has painted a few masterpieces and invited us to admire them together."
"Really?" Shen Lixue feigned surprise.
Su Yuting smiled modestly, "It was just a casual piece of work, nothing to mention!"
"Sister Su is the most talented woman in Qingyan, and her works are masterpieces even when she is just writing them..." Su Yuting took the initiative to invite the young ladies to her boudoir, so Shen Lixue no longer needed to find another reason. A dark glint flashed in her cold eyes.
Several middle-aged men walked towards them. The one in the lead had a handsome face, an extraordinary demeanor, and sharp eyes that made him intimidating.
"Father!" Su Yuting called softly, her voice sweet and charming.
The man turned his head and looked at him, his sharp gaze instantly turning into kindness and care: "It's hot, don't stand outside for too long!"
Su Yuting smiled brightly: "We're just about to go to Yuting Garden!"
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow. He was Duke Wen, whose appearance was slightly inferior to that of the War King, and whose sharp aura was also somewhat less imposing. He was no ordinary person. Beneath his ruddy complexion, there was an unnatural pallor, and deep within his sharp eyes, there seemed to be a few bloodshot veins, like someone who had stayed up all night and hadn't rested well, with bloodshot eyes.
"This is Princess Lixue!" Duke Wen looked at Shen Lixue, his sharp gaze like a sword blade, capable of seeing through everything.