"Cousin!" Li Youlan frowned in displeasure. The poison was administered by Shen Lixue, who was trying to frame her. She didn't want to take the blame.
"Hmm!" Dongfang Zhan's sharp gaze shot towards Li Youlan like an arrow.
Li Youlan was startled and shivered. The words of explanation that were on the tip of her tongue could no longer be uttered.
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow. As expected, Dongfang Zhan didn't want to reveal the trap, which saved her time explaining.
Dongfang Heng glanced at Dongfang Zhan: "Using poison to catch prey was not Zhan Wang's original intention. Remove the poisoned prey, do not count them, and let this matter be considered in the past. Let's not mention it again!" Dongfang Zhan's words to help Dongfang Heng were turned on him by Dongfang Heng, which was full of boundless sarcasm.
Dongfang Heng's gaze darkened, his large hands clenched tightly, and he looked coldly at Dongfang Heng: "Thank you for your kindness, Prince An. I failed to keep a close watch on my cousin, and she has done something wrong. She is willing to accept punishment!"
Li Youlan's face turned deathly pale instantly, her slender body staggered, and she almost fell to the ground. Dongfang Zhan had really pinned the blame on her for poisoning the prey!
The gazes of the crowd toward Dongfang Zhan were a mixture of reproach and sympathy. The dignified King Qingyan Zhan, gentle and refined, had his reputation tarnished by the willful and reckless Li Youlan.
Reproachful gazes were directed at her. As the legitimate daughter of the Li family, even if she knew about poisons and wanted to demonstrate her talent, she couldn't just use them recklessly. She had only made things worse and caused great harm to others; her good deeds did not outweigh her bad ones.
Li Youlan lowered her head as she watched the crowd, her beautiful eyes filled with tears. She hadn't been the one who poisoned her; it was all Shen Lixue who had framed her. Her cousin was shifting the blame onto her, and no one believed her.
"Your Majesty, what do you think of this..." The position of Commander of the Imperial Guards is no small matter, and the old minister dared not make a decision on his own, so he asked for the emperor's opinion.
Having watched the spectacle to his heart's content, the Emperor put down his teacup and cast a sharp, majestic glance over Dongfang Heng and the lively, almost unharmed prey beside him. As expected of the Azure Flame War God, his mind was extraordinary, and his hunting and catching skills were superior to others.
Looking at Dongfang Zhan, he killed, injured, and poisoned some of the animals he had beaten. Despite trying every possible method, he was still defeated by Dongfang Heng.
"The next commander of the Imperial Guards, Dongfang Heng!" The emperor's majestic voice echoed in everyone's ears.
The crown prince picked up his teacup and sipped his tea, his expression calm and unresponsive.
Dongfang Zhan's face was gloomy, and his large hands clenched tightly. He had actually lost to Dongfang Heng again, and lost so badly that there was no hope of turning the tide!
Nangong Xiao stood aside, casually waving his fan, a smirk playing on his lips, his wicked eyes gleaming. He knew it; the commander of the Imperial Guards would be Dongfang Heng. Qingyan, the cunning god, there was nothing in this world he couldn't calculate.
Looking at Shen Lixue's bright face and gentle gaze, a hint of sadness flashed in Nangong Xiao's eyes. With such a good helper by his side, it would be strange if he didn't win!
"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty." Dongfang Heng bowed, his handsome face sharply defined, his lines resolute, his gaze deep and calm, showing no joy.
"Congratulations, Prince An!" Many ministers, all smiles, stepped forward to offer their congratulations.
Dongfang Heng gave a nonchalant reply, responding casually.
Dongfang Zhan's cold gaze passed over Dongfang Heng and landed on Shen Lixue. It didn't matter that she had only taken away the position of commander of the Imperial Guards; he had better ways to deal with Dongfang Heng!
As night fell, the emperor returned to the palace, escorted by the crown prince, Dongfang Zhan, and others. The concubines and ministers also returned to their respective palaces and residences.
Li Youlan glared at Shen Lixue with tears in her eyes, saying hatefully, "You're really something! I really underestimated you!"
Shen Lixue coldly stared at Li Youlan: "Likewise, I never expected that the legitimate daughter of the Li family would be so ruthless as to poison a defenseless rabbit!"
Li Youlan gritted her teeth and sneered, "It was because of you that it lost its life. Li Xue, you ruined my reputation, I will not let you get away with this!"
Shen Lixue curled her lips into a cold smile, her clear eyes flashing with a strong demonic aura: "If Miss Li has the ability, then please use it. I will definitely accompany you to the end!"
"Return to the manor!" Li Youlan glared at Shen Lixue again, turned around, and strode towards the carriage not far away, escorted by the guards.
"What did you say?" Dongfang Heng walked over, wearing a new outfit. It was still a white brocade robe, but the style, fabric, and pattern were different from the one he had just worn.
"It's nothing. Li Youlan was trying to cause me trouble, so I just gave her a warning!" Shen Lixue looked at the darkening sky and leaned her slender body against Dongfang Heng's arm. "It's getting late, let's go have some food!" She was starving after running around in the forest all afternoon.
"Okay!" Dongfang Heng nodded in agreement, put his arm around Shen Lixue's shoulder, and was about to leave the hunting ground when an angry female voice came: "Nangong Xiao, what kind of gift did you give me?"
"A hand bead!" Nangong Xiao waved his fan, glancing casually at Dongfang Yu'er who was flying towards him.
Dressed in red, Dongfang Yu'er was as passionate and unrestrained as fire. She landed in front of Nangong Xiao in an instant, pressing the string of light green beads in her hand in front of him with gritted teeth: "These beads are just a few jade beads, too ordinary, without any appeal!"
Nangong Xiao glanced at Yuzhu and said, "My father asked me to send this. Take it or leave it!"
"Haha, I happen to have something to give you too!" Dongfang Yu'er laughed angrily, took out a pink purse from her sleeve, and threw it hard at Nangong Xiao's face: "I bought it at a street stall, it cost two coins, it's yours!"
Shen Lixue looked at him with suspicion: "Didn't they hate each other? Why are they exchanging gifts?"
Dongfang Heng glared at Shen Lixue: "Today is the Qixi Festival, and lovers should exchange gifts!" Nangong Xiao and Dongfang Yu'er are engaged. Even if they dislike each other, they will still follow the wishes of their elders and exchange gifts.
Uh! Shen Lixue was taken aback. A few days ago, Qiuhe and Yanyue had indeed reminded her that the Qixi Festival was coming up, and she had already prepared a gift. However, she was busy and hadn't paid attention to the date, so she forgot the gift at the Zhanwang Mansion.
"You didn't prepare a gift?" Dongfang Heng squinted at Shen Lixue.
"Um, the gift is at the War King's residence. I should be able to go back and get it in time." She didn't forget on purpose; she was just too busy with too many things to do.
"It's getting late, so don't run back and forth. There's no rush for the gift!" Dongfang Heng's voice was gentle, and a string of jade beads appeared in his jade-like hand, radiating a soft glow in the darkness.
"Wow, so beautiful! What kind of bead is that?" The brilliance of the jade bead successfully attracted Dongfang Yu'er's attention, and she exclaimed in amazement.
Nangong Xiao shook his folding fan and examined the string of jade beads carefully: "These are small Snow Soul Beads. Wearing them year-round can ward off evil spirits, strengthen the body, and are very rare and precious!"
"You stingy bastard! You only gave me a string of ordinary jade beads. Look how thoughtful my cousin Heng is!" Dongfang Yu'er glared at Nangong Xiao, gritting her teeth.
Nangong Xiao shook his fan vigorously a few times and snorted coldly: "He's so thoughtful because he likes Shen Lixue. I, the young master, don't like you, so why is he putting in so much effort?"
"Nangong Xiao!" Dongfang Yu'er was furious. With a flick of her wrist, she lashed her long whip down at Nangong Xiao: "Even if you don't like it, you have to give me a decent gift. Taking this string of jade beads out will be incredibly embarrassing!"
Ignoring the figures darting around her, the whistling of whips, and the continuous shouts, Dongfang Heng gently slipped the jade bead onto Shen Lixue's wrist. Against her skin, it appeared even whiter and more radiant, and her beautiful face became even more charming.
He leaned down and gently kissed her forehead, watching as a rosy blush rose on her cheeks, a sight that captivated the heart. A faint smile played on Dongfang Heng's lips as he softly said, "Let's go have our meal!"
The Qixi Festival is a festival for young men and women in Qingyan. The streets are brightly lit, and young couples come and go. The women wear beautiful beads on their wrists, and the men wear exquisite purses at their waists. They are so happy and sweet that they almost block the road.
The carriage couldn't enter the street, so Shen Lixue and Dongfang Heng got off the carriage, held hands, and walked slowly through the crowd towards Zuixianlou.