Dongfang Zhan nodded and waved for the guards to leave.
Commander Lei's anger subsided instantly. He sat back in his chair and picked up a chess piece to play: "The sun is already setting. Princess, you have one more night to search!"
"Thank you for the reminder, Commander Lei. I understand." Shen Lixue looked up at the sky. The sun was about to set, and a third of the search time had passed.
"Your Highness, Princess, the residence in the west of the city is free of Gu poison..."
"Your Highness, Princess, the residence in the north of the city is free of Gu poison..."
"Your Highness, Princess, the residence in the east of the city is free of Gu poison..."
The guards sent out returned one after another, but none of them found any poison in the villa.
Li Xue frowned, her cool gaze sweeping over the elegant mansion: "It seems the Gu poison is in the Grand Commandant's residence!"
"Watch out!" With a clear warning, Shen Lixue felt a tightness around her waist as her back bumped against a strong chest. A faint scent of ambergris lingered in her nostrils—the scent of Dongfang Zhan.
"What happened?" Shen Lixue was not used to being so intimate with other men, so she tried to pry Dongfang Zhan's hand away, but he not only didn't let go, but hugged her even tighter: "Look there!"
Shen Lixue looked in the direction Dongfang Zhan was pointing, and a small green snake quickly darted into the grass and disappeared: "That is..."
“A poisonous snake!” Dongfang Zhan said calmly.
Shen Lixue's expression changed slightly. It was summer, a time when poisonous insects and snakes were rampant. The two of them were standing in the grass, so they were bound to encounter elusive snakes. The snake had crawled right where she was standing. If Dongfang Zhan hadn't saved her, she might have been bitten by the snake. "Thank you!"
"No need to be so polite!" Dongfang Zhan smiled gently, his gaze fixed straight ahead, then his smile suddenly froze: "Prince An!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Lixue froze and turned her head sharply. She saw a figure standing in the shadow of a magnolia tree more than ten meters away. The figure was dressed in a snow-white brocade robe, with an elegant posture and a beautiful face. The fragrance of flowers filled the courtyard, masking the faint scent of pine resin.
"Dongfang Heng!" The pale moonlight cast deep and shallow shadows on his face, making his appearance even more like a painting. Shen Lixue pried open Dongfang Zhan's arm that was around her waist and walked over quickly.
Dongfang Zhan lowered his eyelids, his smile stiffened slightly, and he remained silent.
Dongfang Heng's face remained expressionless as he looked at Shen Lixue calmly without saying a word.
When Shen Lixue was three meters away from Dongfang Heng, she suddenly felt his cold aura, even his clothes seemed to carry a chill, as if rejecting anyone's approach. She stopped and tentatively called out, "Dongfang Heng!"
Dongfang Heng's usually indifferent expression suddenly became somewhat nonchalant: "It's me!"
"When did you arrive?" Dongfang Heng asked, and Shen Lixue felt a little relieved.
"When he hugged you." Dongfang Heng's sharp gaze passed over Shen Lixue and looked at Dongfang Zhan.
"There was a snake under my feet at the time, and Zhan Wang only wanted to save me!" Shen Lixue hurriedly explained, adding that she had no other relationship with Dongfang Zhan.
"Is that really all?" Dongfang Heng's sharp eyes narrowed slightly.
"Do I look like I'm lying?" Shen Lixue frowned as she looked at Dongfang Heng.
"Why did His Majesty order Prince Zhan to assist you in investigating the Gu poison?" Dongfang Heng frowned slightly.
"I don't know." Shen Lixue narrowed her eyes and shook her head: "I can't fathom the Emperor's thoughts!"
Dongfang Heng's voice gradually softened: "Have you found the Gu poison?"
"Not yet." Shen Lixue shook her head, her usually cold eyes dimming slightly. "Dongfang Heng, did you come to see me because you need something?"
Dongfang Heng stared intently, picked up a food box and handed it to Shen Lixue. Afraid that she wouldn't be used to the food outside, he specially ordered someone to make the most delicious food and send it to her. He didn't expect to see her and Dongfang Zhan so intimate.
"Midnight snack!" Shen Lixue's eyes lit up: "Thank you!" In order to search for the Gu poison, she only had a few bites of dinner, and she was hungry as night fell.
"Have some late-night snacks too, it's good for your health!" Shen Lixue pulled Dongfang Heng with one hand and carried the food box with the other as they walked towards the pavilion.
Dongfang Heng felt the gentle, boneless small hand in his large hand, the faint warmth seeping through the skin into his palm, and the displeasure in his heart gradually dissipated.
Shen Lixue opened the food box and placed the dishes one by one on the table, preparing to invite Dongfang Heng to eat.
A guard hurried over: "Your Highness, Princess, Prince An, the Grand Commandant's mansion has been searched for the sixth time, but we still haven't found the Gu poison!"
Shen Lixue looked up at the sky and frowned slightly. It was midnight, and dawn would break in two or three hours. If the poison was not found by daybreak, she would be at the mercy of Commander Lei: "Have you searched all the hidden places?"
"Your Highness, we have thoroughly searched the living room, bedroom, guest room, woodshed, kitchen, and purification room, but found no trace of Gu poison!"
Shen Lixue's gaze sharpened. Lei Hong could apply Gu poison to a dagger, so the Gu must have been raised by them and was in the Grand Commandant's mansion. But where did he put the Gu? The guards searched five or six times but couldn't find it.
"Hey you three, don't just focus on the rooms and open spaces, look for people too! Maybe the Gu is hiding on someone!" With a mocking laugh, Nangong Xiao floated down from the tree, lightly waving his folding fan, a smug smile on his devilish face.
Shen Lixue glared at him: "Gu is used to harm people. If it is hidden on a person, it can kill them if you're not careful!"
Nangong Xiao waved his hand, strongly disagreeing with Shen Lixue's opinion: "You said it yourself that he died by accident. If you were careful, nothing would have happened!"
“The Gu poison isn’t on the person!” Shen Lixue shook her head, then her eyes suddenly lit up. The Gu poison might be there. She turned around and slowly walked forward.
"Chen Lixue, where are you going?" Nangong Xiao waved his folding fan and quickly followed after her.
"Go find Commander Lei!" Shen Lixue replied, lightly touching the ground with her toes, her slender figure instantly appearing dozens of meters away.
"Your lightness skill has improved quite a bit in just a few days!" Nangong Xiao said jokingly as he slowly walked over.
Shen Lixue landed gently in the courtyard and walked slowly into the hall. It was already late, and Madam Lei, Old Madam Lei, Lei Cong and the others couldn't resist their sleepiness and went back to their rooms to rest.
Grand Commandant Lei Hong was still playing chess in the hall. When Shen Lixue walked in, Grand Commandant Lei didn't even look up and said coldly, "It will be dawn in three hours!"
“I know the time, there’s no need for Grand Commandant Lei to remind me.” Shen Lixue said coldly, her slender figure instantly appearing before the chessboard: “The Grand Commandant’s mansion has a secret room for storing ice, right?” This was a statement of certainty, not a question.
Commander Lei raised an eyebrow and calmly placed a piece on the chessboard: "Does the princess suspect that I put poison into the ice chamber?"
Shen Lixue smiled slightly, but her gaze was as cold as ice in the twelfth lunar month, instantly freezing people: "Does Grand Commandant Lei dare to have his guards search the ice chamber?"