With a crisp slap, his small body spun around two or three times before coming to a stop. His ears were ringing, his vision was blurry, and he saw double. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he mumbled, "I really didn't mean to..."
It's all that bitch Shen Lixue's fault that he mistook her for someone else and got seriously injured by that crazy woman Li Youlan. If he ever sees Shen Lixue again, he'll definitely curse her to death.
The onlookers' mouths twitched. This woman was really tough; she showed no mercy when hitting people. Whoever married her was doomed.
He didn't mean to be so harsh on her; if he did it on purpose, she would have been verbally abused to death!
Li Youlan was consumed by anger and her thoughts were too narrow to consider anything else. She only thought that Shen Yelei was trying to embarrass her, so she slapped Shen Yelei again with a sharp slap.
Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her arm, as if an invisible, powerful force had struck her elbow. Her hand, pulled by that force, was uncontrollably thrown at Shen Yelei. His small body was sent flying four or five meters away, crashing heavily into the wall of a shop. Instantly, blood streamed from his head, his angry eyes blazing with fury as he glared hatefully at Li Youlan before collapsing limply to the ground.
The crowd of onlookers fell silent instantly, and dozens of eyes focused on Shen Yelei, who was lying there motionless. They wondered to themselves: was he alive or dead?
Li Youlan paused for a moment, then shouted, "Stop pretending to be dead, get up now!"
Shen Yelei was injured and quiet, and most of her anger subsided. She was the noble Princess Consort of Zhan, and she couldn't stoop to the level of this lowly commoner. She had really been confused by anger just now.
Is that child faking death?
A young man boldly walked over and carefully wiped Shen Yelei's breath. His expression changed drastically in an instant: "He's dead! He killed someone!"
"Ahhh... Someone's dead! Someone's dead..." After a brief silence, the crowd erupted in chaos, screaming and backing away, their eyes filled with terror as they looked at Li Youlan: "She killed someone! She killed someone..."
Shen Yelei lay in a pool of blood, his eyes wide open, dying with his head still slowly bleeding, staining his coarse cloth clothes red. Li Youlan looked on, her eyes filled with shock. She hadn't used much force just now, how could he have been hit and killed? How could it be?
"Young lady, you have killed someone. Please come with us back to Shuntian Prefecture." A cold, mechanical voice rang in her ears. Li Youlan was startled and turned to look at the person who had come. He was tall and imposing, with a heroic face, wearing an official hat and military uniform. He was a constable from Shuntian Prefecture.
"He died from his own accident; it has nothing to do with me."
"The onlookers saw you kill someone with their own eyes, how could it be a lie?" The constable was impartial and ruthless. He took out an iron chain and said coldly, "Will the young lady walk away on her own, or should we take her back?"
"I didn't kill anyone, he really did run himself over..." Li Youlan explained hurriedly, her heart pounding, desperately trying to think of a way to escape:
In full view of everyone, Shen Yelei died at her hands. If she revealed her identity as the Princess Consort of Zhan, the constables would indeed not make things too difficult for her. However, the people would know that the Princess Consort of Zhan had killed someone in the street, which would definitely cause criticism of the Zhan Prince's Mansion. As a result, the reputation of the Prime Minister's Mansion and even the entire Qingyan Royal Family would be damaged.
Dongfang Zhan risked his life to build up his reputation, only to have it ruthlessly ruined by her. He will definitely hate her to death.
Instead, she should go back to Shuntian Prefecture with the constables, and the coachman should go back to Zhanwang Mansion to report the news. Dongfang Zhan will definitely rescue her secretly. In this way, although she will suffer some hardship, she can preserve the reputation of Zhanwang Mansion.
Thinking of this, Li Youlan's attitude softened: "I didn't kill the person, but I'm willing to go back with you..."
"Princess Consort Zhan." A clear, melodious female voice suddenly rang out, interrupting Li Youlan's words. Startled, she turned her head to look. Shen Lixue slowly walked out from the crowd. Her exquisite hair, bright face, and beautiful light blue Xiang dress made her look like a fairy, ethereal and otherworldly, attracting the attention of the people.
She parted her cherry-like lips slightly and uttered the words she hated most: "Princess Zhan, what happened?"
Everyone's surprised gazes instantly fell on Li Youlan. She was the Princess Consort of Zhan? The one who was seen naked in the bridal chamber on her wedding day?
Her boldness and blatantness were shocking and unconventional, leaving the people in awe. More than ten days later, the lingering heat gradually faded. Unexpectedly, she did something even more horrifying: she killed someone in public. She was truly ruthless and unlike anyone else.
Li Youlan's face turned ashen instantly. It was all over. Her identity had been exposed. She could no longer save the Zhan Prince's Mansion by sacrificing herself. Her cousin would definitely be implicated, and the Zhan Prince's Mansion's newly restored reputation would be completely destroyed again. It was all that bitch's fault. She had ruined her life and the entire Zhan Prince's Mansion.
His angry gaze suddenly shot towards Shen Lixue, and he gritted his teeth: "Shen Lixue, stop pretending to be a good person!"
Shen Lixue was completely confused: "Princess Zhan, what are you talking about? I don't understand what you mean."
"Shen Lixue, stop pretending! This was all a scheme you orchestrated..." Li Youlan glared at Shen Lixue, her beautiful eyes blazing with fury. If she hadn't appeared, she would have already gone to Shuntian Prefecture, Shen Yelei's body would have been taken away, and the matter would have been settled. There wouldn't be so many people watching and gossiping about the past scandals of the Zhan Prince's Mansion. It was all her fault for ruining her plan to compromise. How despicable!
"Princess Zhan has committed murder, and we need to take her back to Shuntian Prefecture. Please make way, young lady." The constable's voice was cold, displaying an air of fearlessness and official business.
Shen Lixue looked at Li Youlan, feigning surprise as she widened her eyes: "She killed someone? How is that possible? Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
“The onlookers all saw it, how could there be any mistake?” With that, the constable turned to leave, escorting Li Youlan away.
"Wait!" Shen Lixue stepped forward, blocking their path. "Brother, Youlan is the noble Princess Consort of Zhan. It's not appropriate to arrest her so easily. She committed murder... perhaps there's some misunderstanding. Why don't we ask Prince Zhan and the Shuntian Prefecture to investigate together and decide on this matter?"
Li Youlan was startled and hurriedly refused: "No need, I am willing to go to the Shuntian Prefecture prison and let the magistrate interrogate me..." The Shuntian Prefecture is here to conduct a trial in the street. All the evidence will be presented, and her crimes will have nowhere to hide. As the dignified Princess Zhan, she committed murder in the street. She has completely disgraced the Qingyan royal family. Dongfang Zhan will definitely hate her to death. How can she have a good life in the Zhan Prince's Mansion?
The cold-faced constable lowered his eyelids. Princess Zhan's identity was indeed very special. The criminal was brought to Shuntian Prefecture and handed over to Lord Yang for handling. The witnesses who saw her commit murder were all on the street. He asked Lord Yang to come here to try the case. With witnesses at the scene, the case could be resolved quickly: "Very well."
Ignoring Li Youlan's heart-wrenching cries, he turned to the other two officers and said coldly, "Go to the Zhan Prince's residence to invite Prince Zhan, and go to the Shuntian Prefecture to invite the magistrate."
"Yes!" The officers accepted the order and quickly dispersed, heading towards the Zhan Prince's Mansion and Shuntian Prefecture.
Shen Lixue smiled and looked in the direction of Zhanwang Mansion. Li Youlan killed someone in the street, and the reputation of Zhanwang Mansion, which had just been restored, was tarnished again. She wondered what Dongfang Zhan's reaction would be when he found out.
Guests came and went at the Prince Zhan's mansion in an endless stream. By noon, the number of guests had decreased, and Dongfang Zhan relaxed. He entered the heavily guarded study, dismissed his attendants, and left only himself and Prime Minister Li.
Prime Minister Li looked at Dongfang Zhan with admiration: "Your idea of a landslide is truly ingenious. It not only covered up the original scandal but also enhanced your reputation. Your popularity among the civil and military officials has gradually surpassed that of the Crown Prince."
"It is indeed something to celebrate that my reputation has been restored. It's a pity that all the assassins I planted among the soldiers have been killed by Dongfang Heng!" Dongfang Zhan looked somewhat frustrated.
Fifty miles outside the city, a village with several hundred people was struck by a sudden mudslide, killing most of them. The other half, who were seriously injured, were left homeless. The emperor took this matter very seriously and ordered that the dead be properly buried. He also assigned special personnel to help them rebuild their homes.
As for Dongfang Zhan and the soldiers who saved these people and made great contributions, they were all rewarded according to their merits. Dongfang Zhan was already a prince and could not be promoted further, so he was rewarded with gold, silver, rare antiques, and the guards who made contributions were all rewarded with official positions.
He sent assassins to infiltrate the soldiers, hoping they would gain merit by taking advantage of the landslide and become minor officials. They were to be scattered throughout the various camps to secretly learn secrets or win over the soldiers below. Little did he expect that Dongfang Heng would discover the scheme and kill them all without mercy.
The secret guards he had painstakingly trained died before they could even be put to use; it was truly hateful.
"The emperor is still in good health and will not abdicate anytime soon. You can slowly build up your own power. There is no need to rush. You can also place assassins in the military camp whenever possible. The most important thing is to do more meritorious deeds so that the emperor and the ministers will recognize your abilities..." Prime Minister Li's gaze was solemn, and he was earnest and persuasive.
"Grandpa, don't worry, I already have a plan." Dongfang Zhan smiled confidently. The landslide was just the beginning of his great contribution.
"That's good." Prime Minister Li stroked his beard, beaming with joy. His grandson was indeed a rare dragon among men, and he had not been wrong about him. Then, a hint of seriousness appeared in his eyes. He paused for a moment and said, "The truth about the landslide won't get out, will it?"
"Grandpa, rest assured, the one who caused the landslide was my loyal bodyguard. They would rather die than reveal a single secret." Those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles. Sacrificing hundreds of people from a small village to enable him to ascend the throne shows that he is ruthless, cold-blooded, and hard-hearted enough to be an emperor.
Prime Minister Li felt a little relieved: "Judging from Dongfang Heng's actions, he is preparing to confront you head-on. Besides the Holy King's Mansion, he also has the War King's Mansion behind him. You must be very careful and not act rashly!"