Shen Lixue's gaze sharpened: "How many residences does the Grand Commandant's mansion have?"
Commander Lei pondered for a moment: "Not many, five or six places, how about twelve hours?"
Shen Lixue looked up at the sky. The sun was shining brightly, and it was still early. The twelve two-hour periods in ancient times were equivalent to twenty-four hours in modern times, which is a day and a night. Commander Lei had given her plenty of time.
"It won't take twelve hours; by dawn tomorrow, I'll have the answer for you!"
"It's a deal!"
With the emperor and many ministers present as witnesses, Shen Lixue and Grand Commandant Lei did not need to sign or affix their seals; the military order was thus established.
Shen Minghui glanced at Shen Lixue but didn't say anything. Commander Lei was very smart, and his daughter was no simple character either. Even if she didn't listen to his reminder, she knew what to do.
Minister Qian and other ministers anxiously focused their expectant gazes on Grand Commandant Lei, determined not to let Shen Lixue discover the Gu poison, or they would all be doomed.
"Father!" Accompanied by a familiar voice, a blue figure entered the imperial study. His gentle smile was warmer than the sunlight outside, and his handsome face was so striking that one dared not look directly at him. It was Dongfang Zhan.
The emperor agreed and said calmly, "Take men and assist Li Xue in searching the Grand Commandant's residence!"
Dongfang Zhan was taken aback and looked at Shen Lixue, seemingly only just noticing her presence. He was puzzled but did not ask any further questions: "Your subject obeys!"
The emperor decreed that the officials were involved in the poisoning of the Prince of Liang and that no one was allowed to leave the palace until the matter was clarified. He also ordered a search of the Grand Commandant's residence, requiring both Lei Hong and Grand Commandant Lei to be present. The emperor granted them special permission to return to their residences.
Dongfang Zhan ordered the head guard to lead the guards to the Grand Commandant's residence. He and Shen Lixue boarded the same carriage, sat on the soft carpet, and gently inhaled the faint fragrance of bamboo leaves. He took a sip of tea and suddenly spoke: "Lixue suspects that Grand Commandant Lei is raising Gu poison?"
Shen Lixue shook her head: "It's not a doubt, I'm quite certain he's raising Gu poison, and that he's using Gu to poison Prince Liang. Lei Hong himself said so, and..."
"And what?" Dongfang Zhan smiled gently, her dimples revealing a warm and refined demeanor.
"The poison that afflicted Lei Hong and Shen Minghui was administered by Lei Hong!" Shen Lixue said coldly, enunciating each word clearly.
"Really?" Dongfang Zhan raised his handsome eyebrows slightly.
"Absolutely true!" The emperor had already become suspicious of Grand Commandant Lei; otherwise, he could have easily sent any guard commander to help her, and there would have been no need for Prince Zhan to accompany her to search the Grand Commandant's residence.
Dongfang Zhan frowned, his lips moved, but before he could speak, the carriage stopped, and the driver announced, "Your Highness, Princess, we have arrived at the Grand Commandant's residence!"
Dongfang Zhan was the first to lift the curtain and get off the carriage, and very gentlemanly reached out to help Chen Lixue.
Shen Lixue subtly avoided Dongfang Zhan's hand and jumped off the carriage herself: "Excuse me, I'm used to getting off the carriage by myself!"
"It's alright!" Dongfang Zhan smiled slightly, not minding at all, and walked into the Grand Commandant's mansion side by side with Shen Lixue.
The head guard had already received Dongfang Zhan's orders, and the guards dispersed to conduct a thorough and rapid search of the entire mansion.
The maids, nannies, and servants all gathered together, watching in alarm as the guards walked back and forth, scrutinizing them closely.
Madam Lei sat in the living room, frowning as she watched the guards rummage through the items, occasionally scolding them to be careful and handle them gently.
Lei Cong became a eunuch, losing his most basic ability as a man. He could no longer enjoy the pleasures of beautiful women every day. His gaze frequently fell on Shen Yingxue, but he could only look and do nothing. He was extremely depressed, with his eyes half-closed, unable to muster any energy.
Shen Yingxue wore a pink dress, her pregnancy not yet showing, her figure slender, her originally smooth black hair, though styled with a hairpin, looked somewhat frizzy, and her beautiful face was covered with a thick layer of powder, but it could not hide her haggard appearance.
Shen Yelei was wearing a small brocade robe that hadn't been washed for several days, with mud stains on the hem. He leaned carefully against the chair, his face full of sorrow, his arrogance hidden beneath his grief.
Lei Taiwei and Lei Hong were the most relaxed. They set up a table on one side of the hall and played chess leisurely, one holding white pieces and the other holding black pieces.
Shen Lixue, dressed in a fragrant pink Ruan Yanluo, walked slowly along the bluestone path. Dongfang Zhan, in a royal blue brocade robe, walked beside Shen Lixue with light steps, handsome face, and gentle smile. He would say something to her from time to time. Their gentle appearance made them look like a very well-matched couple, which made many people's eyes widen.
Shen Yingxue's clothes were last year's style, and although her hairpin was the latest, it was of poor quality. In contrast, Shen Lixue's beautiful floor-length dress was made of expensive fabric with exquisite workmanship. Although she only had one hairpin, its value exceeded that of other people's entire headdress.
Anger flared up in her chest. Shen Lixue was neither as beautiful nor as elegant as herself. Why was she allowed to become a princess while she was just a commoner? "Shen Lixue, you are engaged. It is unbecoming of a woman to be intimate with other men!" She had seduced Prince An and was now trying to seduce Prince Zhan. Shameless slut.
"I know how to do things properly, I don't need anyone to remind me!" Shen Lixue glanced at Shen Yingxue and retorted coldly, but subtly distanced herself from Dongfang Zhan.
She was so focused on talking to him about Gu poison that she unknowingly got closer to him. She was a modern person and didn't care about the differences between men and women or the traditional customs of staying away from them, but she would still keep a certain distance to avoid any misunderstandings.
Dongfang Zhan noticed Shen Lixue's deliberate distancing, his smiling gaze faltered, but he didn't point it out: "Lixue, the sun is already high in the sky, it's hot in the courtyard, let's go to the pavilion!"
"Alright!" Shen Lixue only wanted to find the Gu poison and was not interested in the people from the Grand Commandant's mansion. She was prepared to follow Dongfang Zhan's suggestion and go to the pavilion to escape the summer heat.
Shen Yingxue gritted her teeth, her beautiful eyes burning with anger. "You shameless wretch! In front of so many people, you're still being all lovey-dovey with Prince Zhan! You have no shame!"
Looking sideways at Prince Zhan, Shen Yingxue's beautiful eyes were filled with tears. He used to love her so much, he listened to her every word and granted her every request. She was his everything, his only one. It was all because of Shen Lixue who schemed against her and made her pregnant that Prince Zhan grew tired of her. She was now so destitute and living under someone else's roof because of Shen Lixue. Bitch, bitch, bitch!
"Shen Lixue, you vile woman! It's all your fault that my family is ruined!" Shen Yelei jumped off his chair and ran over, angrily scolding Shen Lixue. If it weren't for her, he would still be the high and mighty young master of the Prime Minister's mansion, instead of living under someone else's roof and being ridiculed by others.
"Slap!" A slap landed hard on Shen Yelei's face. His chubby little face was turned to the side, his head was spinning, he saw stars, and his ears were ringing.
"Who is it? Who hit me?" Shen Yelei calmed himself down and felt a burning pain on his face. Without looking in a mirror, he knew that his face was badly swollen. He roared angrily at the void.
Although he was living under someone else's roof, he was still a cousin of the Grand Commandant's family. How dare someone lay a hand on him? They must be tired of living.
"The War King has decreed that anyone who insults Princess Li Xue, regardless of age or gender, shall be slapped ten times!" A cold voice echoed from the void, followed by a series of crisp slaps. Everyone saw Shen Ye's chubby little face turn to the side, then to the side again, and then to the side once more.
A moment later, the loud slapping stopped. Shen Yelei pouted and burst into tears. His pitiful cries were shocking. Only then did everyone come back to their senses. They saw that his chubby little face was swollen high, and the bright red handprint was particularly conspicuous.
"Shen Lixue, don't push your luck!" Grand Commandant Lei slammed his hand on the table and stood up, his face terribly gloomy. He had already lowered his stance by allowing her to enter the mansion to search, yet she had gone too far and beat his nephew.
Shen Lixue sneered: "Grand Commandant Lei, you see clearly. It was Shen Yelei who mocked me, which is why he was taught a lesson by the guards. He deserved to be beaten." He had already been taught a lesson once by Dongfang Heng's guards when he was in the Prime Minister's residence, but he still didn't learn his lesson.
"You're here to search for poisonous insects, so please do your job properly and stop causing trouble and beating the people in the mansion!" Grand Commandant Lei said each word slowly and deliberately, his eyes burning with rage.
Shen Lixue curled her lips into a cold smile: "As long as they don't cause me trouble, I won't bother teaching them a lesson!"
"You..." Grand Commandant Lei was furious, pointing his finger at Shen Lixue, too angry to speak. He was truly sharp-tongued and capable of twisting the truth.
A guard hurried up to Shen Lixue and Dongfang Zhan, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Your Highness, Princess, the search of the South City Villa has been completed, and no Gu poison was found!"