"Copy it twenty times!" Shen Minghui had no intention of wasting any more words with Shen Yelei and coldly gave the order: "For every extra word you say, add ten more times!"
The cry that was about to come out of Shen Yelei's mouth dissipated into the air. His little mouth was slightly pursed, he didn't say a word, his head was lowered, and tears of grievance kept falling.
"It's late, everyone go back!" Shen Minghui glanced at Lei Shi indifferently, flicked his sleeves, and walked out of the bamboo garden. Behind him followed the gloating Aunt Zhao, the pitiful Shen Yingxue, and many maids and nannies.
Shen Yelei glared at Shen Lixue fiercely before being reluctantly dragged away by Lei Shi.
"Thank you so much for saving my life, Miss!" The bamboo garden fell silent. Qiuhe knelt on the ground, her deep kowtows making a loud sound. Her big eyes shone with the joy and gratitude of surviving a disaster. The young lady had actually saved her life. Waaah, the young lady is such a good person.
"Get up!" Shen Lixue's cold gaze swept over Qiu He: "It's late, you should go back and rest!"
"Yes, Miss!" Qiu He didn't say anything more, picked up the things that had fallen to the ground, and quickly retreated, leaving only Shen Lixue and Nangong Xiao in the courtyard.
Shen Lixue looked at Nangong Xiao and smiled sweetly: "How long have you been watching the excitement from the tree, Your Highness?" Before a cup of tea, Shen Lixue noticed someone in the tree and knew that the person had been there for a while, but she did not expect that the person was Nangong Xiao.
"I came following Prime Minister Shen and the others!" Nangong Xiao replied casually, fanning himself, his sexy lips excessively red as he opened and closed his mouth.
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow. The whole affair, from beginning to end, lasted for more than half an hour. Nangong Xiao had been sitting in the tree for that long without moving. His patience was truly remarkable. "Then why didn't you continue watching and instead showed up to interfere in this matter?"
After Nangong Xiao appeared, he didn't say anything, but Shen Lixue knew that Shen Minghui's quick decision to punish Shen Yelei was definitely because of Nangong Xiao.
Nangong Xiao squinted and said lazily, "I'm tired of this show..."
“Is the young master simply tired of the spectacle, rather than eager to return to his boudoir…” Shen Lixue lowered her voice, a half-smile playing on her lips.
Nangong Xiao was taken aback. Following Shen Lixue's teasing gaze, he saw red lipstick marks on his ivory-white clothes. Nangong Xiao's eyes flickered slightly, and he lowered his voice mysteriously, "You noticed. You have a good eye..."
"Since the young master is so fond of the pleasure quarters, why did he come out to watch the commotion?" Shen Lixue turned around and walked towards the room. When she first met Nangong Xiao, he was surrounded by three beautiful women. After returning to the capital, it was not surprising that he spent his nights in the pleasure quarters.
For a fleeting moment, she actually thought the red lipstick mark on Nangong Xiao's clothes was... Shen Lixue smiled self-deprecatingly; she had been overthinking it.
Nangong Xiao walked behind Shen Lixue, explaining his reasons at length: "You can hold a soft, warm body anytime, but this kind of excitement isn't something you can see all the time. Of course, if you watch the excitement for too long, you'll definitely get tired of it..."
"The crowd has dispersed, and there's no more excitement to see. I won't keep you any longer, Your Highness. You can go back to your boudoir and continue to embrace your sweet and soft body!" Shen Lixue slammed the door shut, shutting Nangong Xiao's devilishly handsome face out of the room.
In the garden thirty meters northeast of the bamboo grove, Zhou Wenxuan walked slowly with a furrowed brow. The cool night breeze blew gently, but it couldn't dispel the sorrow in his heart. A slender figure appeared in the octagonal pavilion directly in front of him. Zhou Wenxuan smiled self-deprecatingly, thinking that he was seeing things again.
"Young Master Zhou!" A gentle voice reached his ears. Zhou Wenxuan blinked hard and looked forward again. Inside the pavilion, the stunningly beautiful Shen Yingxue was smiling at him. Zhou Wenxuan suppressed the joy in his heart. It turned out that he was not dreaming.
"It's late at night, why is Miss Shen here alone?" With his beloved so close, Zhou Wenxuan dared not overstep his bounds. He quickly walked into the pavilion and stopped a meter away from Shen Yingxue.
"Does Young Master Zhou think I'm a vain woman who stole my sister's fiancé?" Shen Yingxue bit her lip lightly, her beautiful eyes misting over, making one feel a pang of pity for her.
"Of course... no!" Zhou Wenxuan blushed and turned his eyes away, not daring to look Shen Yingxue in the eye. He was a teacher at the Imperial Academy and came to the Prime Minister's residence under the pretext of tutoring Shen Yelei, just to see Shen Yingxue.
"But Sister Lixue misunderstood me and questioned me in front of everyone in the Prime Minister's residence..." Shen Yingxue shed tears sadly, her slender body trembling slightly.
"It's all Ye Lei's fault, causing Shen Lixue to misunderstand. You are the most innocent..." Zhou Wenxuan was anxious and flustered as his beloved cried. He rushed forward to comfort her, and Shen Yingxue leaned into his arms.
The woman's soft, delicate body pressed tightly against his chest, and Zhou Wenxuan felt a sudden shock, his mind going completely blank. From childhood to adulthood, he had never been so intimate with a woman, especially since the woman in his arms was his beloved...
Zhou Wenxuan was so excited he didn't know what to do, but Shen Yingxue in his arms snorted coldly, her eyes full of disdain: Looking at the entire Qingyan Kingdom, no one could resist her beauty trap. If it weren't for the fact that Zhou Wenxuan was somewhat useful, she wouldn't bother with this stubborn blockhead. Let him take some advantage first, and once she achieved her goal, she would kick him away hard.
"Wenxuan, Shen Lixue mocked me, making me unable to hold my head up in front of others. I hate her..." Her sweet, delicate voice was enough to melt anyone's bones.
"Don't worry, I'll teach Shen Lixue a lesson for you!" With the warm and soft beauty in his arms, Zhou Wenxuan's mind was in a state of utter oblivion. He would agree to whatever Shen Yingxue said.
"Really?" Shen Yingxue's lips curled into a cold smile.
"Of course it's true, why would I lie to you!" Happiness came too suddenly, leaving Zhou Wenxuan dazed and confused, as if he were in a daze. The words that came out of his mouth were naturally without thinking.
"Alright, I've just come up with a plan, you absolutely have to help me make it happen!" Shen Yingxue's lips curled into a cruel smile, her beautiful eyes flashing with cold light. Shen Lixue, your death is just around the corner!
011 Lei's Poisonous Scheme
In the elegant garden, Lei looked at Shen Yingxue with a stern gaze: "Yingxue, did you instigate Ye Lei's matter?" Although Ye Lei was mischievous, he was not an unreasonable person. If no one had instigated him, he would never have gone to the bamboo garden to cause trouble for Shen Lixue.
Shen Yingxue paused slightly in her teacup, then nodded gently.
The teacup in Lei's hand crashed to the ground, shards scattered everywhere, and leftover tea trickled down the grout lines of the polished floor tiles: "He's your own brother..."
Lei was so angry that she gritted her teeth. She never expected that Shen Yingxue would resort to any means to use her closest person in order to deal with Shen Lixue.
The maids and nannies in the outer quarters all lowered their heads, afraid that Madam Lei would vent her anger on them, and dared not even breathe loudly.
Shen Yingxue wasn't as afraid of the Lei family as they were, but her confidence clearly weakened: "How was I supposed to know that Shen Lixue was so eloquent..."
Her original plan was that Shen Lixue would lose her mind after being provoked by Shen Yelei and slap him. Given Shen Minghui and Lei Shi's doting on Shen Yelei, Shen Lixue would be badly injured, if not killed. However, Shen Lixue was one step ahead and not only slapped Shen Yelei for nothing, but also made him suffer.
"You are not allowed to use Ye Lei again!" Lei Shi commanded sternly. Shen Ye Lei was her only son, and she did not want him to suffer any harm.
"I know!" Shen Yingxue replied casually. Shen Yelei was stupid and clumsy, good for nothing but failure. Even if Lei Shi didn't say anything, she didn't intend to use him anymore.
Lei's expression softened: "Don't worry about Shen Lixue anymore, I'll find a way to deal with her."
"Mother, we can't waste any more time with Shen Lixue." Shen Yingxue's beautiful eyes flashed with a rare seriousness: "Prince An has already set off from Subei and is on his way to the capital!"
Lei was taken aback: "How did you know?"
“Zhou Wenxuan said so.” Mentioning Zhou Wenxuan, Shen Yingxue was full of confidence. Men really do admire beauty. Even that blockhead Zhou Wenxuan had fallen for her. “This news just arrived in the capital at sunset. Father should know when he goes to court tomorrow!”
Prince An's return to the capital was not a secret of the court, and the royal family would not deliberately hide it. It was only a matter of time before others found out.
Lei looked at Shen Yingxue. Yingxue's appearance was stunning, slightly better than Shen Lixue's. However, Shen Lixue's fresh and noble temperament, as well as her quiet and elegant yet resilient nature, seemed to have an invisible attraction that made people unconsciously want to get closer to her. In this respect, Yingxue was not even one percent as good as her.
Yingxue and Shen Lixue each have their own strengths, which means that Shen Yingxue only has a 50% chance of becoming the Princess Consort of the County. No, no, no, her daughter must become the Princess Consort of An County.
A fierce glint suddenly flashed in Lei's deep eyes: "I will find a way to get rid of Shen Lixue before Prince An returns to the capital!"