The young women in the seats had slightly flickering eyes. Prince An was the God of War of the Azure Flame, and he always kept his word. He said he would only marry the Princess Consort, and he would definitely only marry her. As for the Holy Prince, everyone had witnessed that he had only married the Holy Princess Consort for more than 20 years.
Are all the men in the Holy King's Mansion so infatuated? Prince An is already married, but his elder brother, the Holy King's Heir Apparent, hasn't even chosen a wife yet. If I hadn't been chosen as the Crown Prince or Prince Zhan's concubine, would I have been able to marry the Holy King's Heir Apparent?
“The Prince of An and his wife have a deep affection for each other and do not wish to take a concubine. There is no need to force them.” The Emperor glanced at Shen Lixue. Her figure was still slender, without any of the bloating or heaviness of pregnancy. Her beauty was unparalleled, and few women in the capital could match her. It was understandable that Dongfang Heng was infatuated with her and refused to take a concubine.
Once Shen Lixue's pregnancy becomes more apparent and her figure is severely out of shape, Dongfang Heng will change his mind. At that time, without them having to persuade him, he will be eager to take a concubine.
Turning to the Empress, the Emperor said in a deep voice, "Select a concubine for Zhan'er as soon as possible. Three days from now is an auspicious day. The Crown Prince and Prince Zhan will marry their principal and concubines together. The Ministry of Rites is already making preparations in full swing. I will hold a grand banquet for my officials."
"Yes." The Empress curtsied gracefully, her beautiful eyes brimming with smiles. She took the booklet and carefully flipped through it, meticulously selecting the concubines of Prince Zhan.
Shen Lixue smiled brightly, clinking glasses with Dongfang Heng as if celebrating a victory. Her gaze, though cool, held deep affection, and the radiant smile on her beautiful face pierced Dongfang Zhan's eyes. He clenched his fist tightly, his gaze turning terrifyingly gloomy: "The two of you working together are indeed formidable. I let them escape this time because I was careless. Next time, I will plan carefully, and they won't be able to escape so easily again."
The Crown Prince's principal wife and concubines have been decided, as have Dongfang Zhan's principal wife and one concubine. The small family banquet was a success, with everyone enjoying themselves.
At three quarters past noon, the ministers, noblewomen, and women had all rested enough and left the palace one after another. Dongfang Heng and Shen Lixue also left the palace. Chu Youran walked towards them, her dark eyes full of grateful smiles: "Prince An, Lixue, thank you for helping me out of this predicament."
Before attending the banquet, they anticipated everything that would happen and devised a plan to outmaneuver Dongfang Zhan. The plan was successful, and she escaped the clutches of the Prince of Zhan.
Shen Lixue's beautiful eyes narrowed: "You Ran, if I'm not mistaken, Dongfang Zhan has his eye on you. If you remain unmarried, you will eventually fall into his hands again. It won't be so easy to get rid of him then."
Dongfang Zhan suffered a crushing defeat, losing both his wife and his army. He was furious and knew that his next plan would be even more elaborate and ruthless, making it much more time-consuming and difficult for them to crack.
"I know, I'm trying to think of a way..." Chu Youran lowered her head, her voice barely audible. The Azure Flame King was incredibly powerful and could crush her with a flick of his wrist. She had been thinking hard, but couldn't come up with a suitable solution.
"You Ran, don't you have someone you love? Quickly confess your feelings to him. Once you're married, Dongfang Zhan will have to be more careful and won't be able to openly attack you anymore." The only way to get rid of Dongfang Zhan is for Chu You Ran to get married.
"Me, confess to him?" Chu Youran looked at Shen Lixue in surprise. Marriages are arranged by parents and matchmakers. She was a reserved daughter of an official. Was it too shocking to confess to a man? What if she was rejected? That would be even more embarrassing.
“Or, you could have your father test the waters with that man. If he likes you too, you should get married quickly.” Chu Youran was a noblewoman from ancient times and was steeped in feudal ideas. For her, a woman expressing her love to a man was indeed a bit shocking and unconventional. She couldn’t accept it for the time being, so Shen Lixue came up with another tactful method.
Chu Youran has reached marriageable age and can get married at any time. No matter what method is used, getting married as soon as possible is the most important thing.
"Then I'll mention it to my father when I get back." Chu Youran's face was flushed red. When talking about her marriage, even noblewomen would blush and their hearts would race. "Prince An, Li Xue, farewell."
After Chu Youran left, Dongfang Heng and Shen Lixue boarded the carriage of the Holy King's Mansion. Sitting in the spacious and comfortable carriage, Shen Lixue rested her head against Dongfang Heng's chest, her brows slightly furrowed.
"Judging from Dongfang Zhan's attitude, he has admitted that Ye Qianmei is his sister. He must have caught up with Ye Qianmei. Ye Qianmei did not return to the city with him. He may have placed her somewhere. Should we send someone to investigate?"
"I have already ordered people to investigate, and we will have results soon." When Dongfang Zhan left Zuixianlou to chase Ye Qianmei out of the city, Dongfang Heng sent his secret guards to follow him, but they were all discovered and shaken off by Dongfang Zhan. By the time the secret guards caught up with the caravan from the Southern Frontier, Dongfang Zhan had already arrived in the capital.
“We captured Duke Mu, and his entire clan was exterminated. Dongfang Zhan knows that Consort Shu was his mother, and that she died at our hands. He must hate us even more now, and his revenge will only become more and more insane.” Shen Lixue sighed softly, looking up at Dongfang Heng: “Should I not have told him the truth?”
"You can't hide the truth forever. Even if you don't tell him, he'll find out sooner or later. You might as well use it to help your friend."
Dongfang Zhan had always thought that it was the Holy King and the Holy King's wife who killed Consort Li because of their love. Now that it's Shen Lixue and Dongfang Heng, they still died at the hands of the Holy King's people. There's not much difference.
"Shen Yelei, what are you doing?" A sharp, familiar female voice rang out.
Shen Lixue was startled. It was her!
With her small, fair hand lifting the car window, she looked out into the long, dilapidated alley. Shen Yingxue was wearing a coarse, light gray dress, her clothes slightly disheveled. Her hair was dry and yellow, fluffy like straw, tied into a simple bun with a bamboo chopstick. With her large pregnant belly, she leaned against the wall with one hand and her lower back with the other, glaring angrily at Shen Yelei five meters away.
Fine beads of sweat glistened on her full forehead, her mouth was slightly open, and she was breathing rapidly, clearly having just gone through a fierce struggle.
Shen Lixue frowned: Qin Ruoyan has already left Qingyan, but she didn't take Shen Yingxue with her? Qin Ruoyan has a strange personality and only has a three-tenths interest in everything. She must have tormented Shen Yingxue enough and is too lazy to deal with her anymore. Before leaving, she let her go and let her fend for herself.
Looking at Shen Yelei again, he was holding a money bag in his hand. He quickly opened it, poured out a handful of copper coins, and curled his lip in disdain: "How come you only have this much money?"
"If you think it's too little, don't try to take it! Give me back my coins!" Shen Yingxue angrily strode forward, trying to retrieve her coins.
Shen Yelei, small but very agile, turned away from Shen Yingxue with a light movement and said confidently, "Sister is several months pregnant and will be giving birth soon. Let me use these copper coins to buy you some good food..."
"Shen Yelei, don't try to fool me. You took my money because you want to gamble it away like those spoiled brats!" Shen Yingxue's shrill shout, coupled with her sun-tanned face, made her look like a shrew on the street.
"Sister, don't put it so harshly. I'm paving the way for our future good life. Think about it, I work hard as a servant every day, and I only earn a few copper coins a month. When will we ever be able to live a good life? I'll go to the casino with those rich kids, build good relationships with them, and eventually get a government position. Then you'll be the sister of an official. How prestigious that will be..." Shen Yelei coaxed gently, painting a picture of a wonderful future.
Shen Lixue smiled. Shen Yelei was so young, yet he had already started scheming. Whether it was real scheming or not, he certainly had the intention. No wonder he was Lei Yarong's son.
Shen Yingxue scoffed disdainfully: "Shen Yelei, we've been demoted to commoners, using slave status. Do you even know what commoners are? They're the lowest class in Qingyan. Become an official? You don't even qualify for the imperial examinations. What are you dreaming about?"
Shen Yelei's small face instantly darkened: "Even if I can't become an official, I can go into business. I don't want to be a servant every day, being ordered around by others."
"With your abilities, you can't even read a proper article, you barely know any characters, and you want to do business? You'll lose everything." Shen Yingxue curled her lip in disdain: "The treatment in the Prince Zhan's mansion is quite good, so you should just stay here and learn some skills before you start talking big."
"You persuaded me to become a servant in the Prince Zhan's residence, is it so you can seduce Prince Zhan?" Shen Yelei glanced at Shen Yingxue's prominently pregnant belly, his eyes full of disdain.
"Do you still think you're the high and mighty daughter of the Prime Minister, Shen Yingxue? Look at yourself in the mirror now. Your face is as black as charcoal, your hair is dry and brittle, your eyes are dull and lifeless, and you're carrying a big belly. You look like an old lady on the street. Any maid you pick out from the Zhan Prince's mansion is prettier than you. How could someone as noble as the Zhan Prince possibly like you again?"
"Shen Yelei, don't look down on me. My face is the most beautiful in Qingyan. It's only because I clean toilets outside every day that I've gotten this tan. After I give birth to this bastard, I'll take good care of myself and I'll definitely be able to go back to my original appearance."
Shen Yingxue gently stroked her face. It was a little rough, no longer as delicate as porcelain as before. However, her face shape hadn't changed. With careful makeup, she could definitely restore her fair and tender, unparalleled beauty.
Even without her noble status as a legitimate daughter, she still possesses beauty; she could surely marry a noble young master as a concubine or mistress, and never have to suffer like this again.
"You should give birth to that bastard in your belly first, get back in shape, and then keep dreaming." Shen Yelei looked at Shen Yingxue's protruding belly with a mocking gaze: "Which noble young master would want to marry a pregnant woman with a barrel waist?"
Shen Yingxue's face instantly darkened. The child was the disgusting product of her rape by Lei Cong. She hated the bastard in her womb. When Qin Ruoyan tormented her at the inn, she had thought of many ways to abort the child, but the child seemed to have a very strong will to live. No matter how she ran or jumped, the child just wouldn't fall out.
When she was released yesterday, she went to see a doctor. The doctor told her that she was about to give birth and that if she took abortion pills again, the baby would die and she would also be in danger. She had no choice but to give up the idea of abortion and give birth to the baby. The boy would be sold to a family that couldn't have a son, and the girl would be sold to a brothel. She could use the money she earned to take care of herself and dress up.
"It's getting late, I have to go back to the Zhan Prince's Mansion to do my work. Sister, please make yourself at home." After counting the copper coins in his hand, Shen Yelei pursed his lips, stuffed them all into his money bag, and turned to leave.
Shen Yingxue rushed forward, grabbed his clothes, her beautiful eyes blazing with anger, and roared, "Give me the copper coins! This is all the money I have left. If you take it all, what am I supposed to eat? What am I supposed to drink? Am I supposed to starve to death?"
"Let go!" Shen Yelei's eyes turned cold, and he turned around impatiently, waving his hand to hit Shen Yingxue.
Taking advantage of the situation, Shen Yingxue grabbed the money pouch and pulled hard through gritted teeth: "Give me back my money! Give it back to me!"