“Prince An and I have been betrothed since childhood, and marriage is only a matter of time. It doesn’t matter whether it happens sooner or later. On the contrary, you, as the younger sister, have been coveting your brother-in-law for more than ten years. Tell me, who is more shameless?” Shen Lixue said calmly, her tone full of sarcasm.
"You two aren't married yet, so I have the right to admire Prince An!" Shen Yingxue said arrogantly. It's just an engagement, not a marriage. Even if you lose your virginity to Prince An, you can forget about becoming his wife.
She lost her virginity to Prince An! Shen Yingxue suddenly realized the key point, and her eyes narrowed slightly. Shen Lixue lost her virginity to Prince An, and Prince An treated her with great care. If she also had this relationship with Prince An, would he abandon Shen Lixue and marry her?
Shen Yingxue's eyelids were heavy, her expression shifting between light and shadow, as if she were pondering some important matter. Shen Lixue gave a cold smile and casually dismissed her: "It's late, and I'm a little sleepy. If there's nothing else, please leave!"
Turning around, Shen Lixue went back to her room without looking back. She was really tired after being busy for most of the day.
"Young Miss, are you sending the Second Miss to seduce Prince An?" Shen Yingxue stormed into the bamboo garden, waking Qiuhe, who witnessed the whole thing. She stared at Shen Lixue in surprise, for Prince An was the young lady's fiancé.
Shen Lixue waved her hand dismissively: "If Shen Yingxue really dares to seduce Prince An, then she's doomed!" Dongfang Heng was indifferent, calm, and unpredictable. If anyone dared to force something he didn't like onto him, then they were in for a world of trouble.
However, on the other hand, does Shen Yingxue really have the guts to seduce Prince An?
"Young Miss, aren't you afraid that the Second Miss will ruin your reputation?" Looking at Shen Lixue's indifferent appearance, Qiu He was very anxious. Losing one's virginity before marriage is unchaste and will be condemned by people. Why isn't the Young Miss worried at all?
Shen Lixue smiled slightly, a smile that was unsettling: "Shen Yingxue is smart enough not to spread the word!" If she did, she would be incredibly foolish!
Shen Yingxue came with an air of arrogance and left quietly. After leaving the bamboo garden, she didn't say a word or go back to her residence. Instead, she went straight to the elegant garden where the Lei family lived.
After Lei woke up and took the medicine, he was troubled by the events of the day and could not fall asleep again. In all these years, this was the first time he had been defeated. Shen Lixue was really not simple. To deal with her, he had to plan carefully and make meticulous arrangements. He could not be careless!
"Mother!" Shen Yingxue lifted the curtain and entered the inner room, throwing herself into Lei Shi's arms and crying miserably.
"What happened?" Lei was weak and dizzy from being bumped by Shen Yingxue, and her voice was weak and feeble.
Shen Yingxue raised her head, her beautiful eyes filled with tears: "I just went to the Bamboo Garden and saw Shen Lixue and Prince An together..." Her delicate voice was full of grievance.
In the dead of night, a man and a woman, both disheveled, stood together; it's easy to guess what had happened.
"You mean, they have already..." Lei was startled and narrowed her eyes slightly. Shen Lixue was really smart; she actually found Prince An as her backer.
"Mother, let's immediately send someone to spread the word, so that Shen Lixue will be too ashamed to face anyone..." Shen Yingxue's eyes were filled with resentment and venom. As long as Shen Lixue was disgraced, she would no longer be qualified to compete with her for the title of Prince An.
"Foolish!" Lei glared at Shen Yingxue and scolded, "Shen Lixue and Dongfang Heng are engaged. Even if something like this happens, people will talk about it, but they won't investigate it. If the matter becomes widely known, Shen Lixue will be branded as Prince An, and she will be the Princess Consort of Prince An. What we are doing is not harming her, but helping her!"
Shen Yingxue suddenly realized why Shen Lixue didn't shy away from this matter at all; she was trying to use her. "Mother, what should we do now?" Shen Lixue was about to come of age, and if she pestered Prince An to marry her, she would have no chance to become the princess.
"Find a way to keep Prince An away from Shen Lixue. When she becomes all alone and surrounded by enemies, let's see how arrogant she can still be..." A sinister glint flashed in Lei's dark eyes. If she delayed Shen Lixue's inclusion in the family register for a while, and her name wasn't on the register, she wouldn't be considered the Prime Minister's daughter. If something happened to her, it wouldn't be the Prime Minister's family's business.
"So what should we do?" Shen Yingxue narrowed her eyes slightly. First, she would scheme to make Prince An abandon Shen Lixue, and then severely punish this fallen flower, making her wish she were dead, to see how she could still be arrogant in front of her.
Lei smiled faintly, her expression unfathomable: "In a while, it will be the Empress Dowager's sixtieth birthday. I will arrange a good show to ensure that Shen Lixue is utterly disgraced!"
029 Together we fell into cold water
In the octagonal pavilion, Shen Yingxue was dressed in a light red silk dress. Her face was a little pale, and her dark hair was tied up with a jade hairpin. Her cherry lips were also pale, showing a bit of illness, but it did not diminish her beauty in the slightest. She held a teacup in her jade hand and tapped the lid lightly. She would look up at the sky from time to time. It was getting late. He should be here soon.
Shen Yingxue remained silent, as did her half-sister Shen Caixuan and Shen Caiyun. They sat quietly, heads bowed, sipping their tea, creating an awkward silence.
Not far away, the maid Xia Jin rushed over and excitedly reported, "Miss, Miss... Prince Zhan has arrived!"
Shen Yingxue's eyes lit up, a knowing smile flashing in them. "They've finally arrived!" she said.
The name of Prince Zhan is Dongfang Zhan. He is the third prince of Qingyan Kingdom. He is young and promising and is highly regarded by the emperor. He has never told Shen Yingxue that he likes her, but for the past three years, he has been paying close attention to her every move. Whenever she has a minor illness or injury, no matter if it is windy or rainy, Prince Zhan will bring a lot of precious medicines to the Prime Minister's residence to see her the next day. This time was no exception.
"Miss Shen!" With a gentle call, a handsome man appeared in everyone's sight. He wore a sea-blue robe, which was well-tailored and outlined his tall figure. The collar and cuffs were embroidered with exquisite cloud and sea patterns in fine silver thread. He wore a gold-threaded sash around his waist and a jade pendant in the shape of a cloud with a green color on his right. He was elegant and outstanding.
"Greetings, Prince Zhan!" Shen Yingxue gave a slight curtsy and bowed to Dongfang Zhan Yingying. Prince Zhan was outstanding and treated her very well. However, she still preferred Prince An. If it weren't for Prince An, she would definitely have fallen for Prince Zhan.
"Miss Shen, there's no need for such formalities!" Dongfang Zhan smiled and raised his hand in a gesture of support. The fleeting look of amazement in his eyes did not escape Shen Yingxue's notice. Shen Yingxue smiled inwardly. As the most beautiful woman in Qingyan, there was no man in this world who wouldn't be moved upon seeing her, except…
The image of Prince An showing such care for Shen Lixue without even glancing at her flashed through Shen Yingxue's mind, and her smug thoughts instantly became chaotic. Prince An must have been bewitched by Shen Lixue to ignore her like that. It must be so, it absolutely is so!
Dongfang Zhan smiled slightly, captivating all who saw him: "Miss Chen, why do you look so haggard after just a few days?"
Shen Yingxue coughed lightly, covering her mouth, and a faint smile appeared on her lips. She looked gentle and weak, which was very endearing: "Thank you for your concern, Prince Zhan. I just caught a cold. It's nothing serious!"
"Sister Yingxue didn't just catch a cold, she was angered by someone!" Shen Caixuan angrily spoke up for Shen Yingxue. The Prime Minister's Mansion was controlled by the Lei family, and Shen Yingxue was the Lei family's daughter. She helped Shen Yingxue put on this act well, and the Lei family would definitely not treat her unfairly.
"Cough cough cough..." Shen Yingxue coughed even more violently, weakly scolding, "Caixuan, don't talk nonsense!"
"I'm not making this up, I'm telling the truth!" Shen Caixuan retorted defiantly.
Dongfang Zhan frowned slightly: "What exactly happened?" He knew some things about the Prime Minister's residence from hearsay, but he didn't know the specifics.
"It's all because of our eldest sister who came from the countryside!" Mentioning Shen Lixue, a hint of disdain flashed in Shen Caixuan's beautiful eyes: "She grew up in Qingzhou and is no different from a country bumpkin. After coming to the Prime Minister's residence, she made a lot of mistakes. My mother said a few words to her, and she actually held a grudge, concealing the hundred-day memorial service for Madam Qingzhu and deliberately making the Madam look bad in public..."
Shen Lixue is just a wild girl from the countryside. Why should she become a noble legitimate daughter as soon as she arrives at the Prime Minister's Mansion, and even become the fiancée of Prince An? Her status and position far surpass mine. Even if Lei Shi doesn't give me any benefits, I will still slander her fiercely.
“Caixuan, Lixue didn’t mean to ruin Mother’s reputation. She has already realized her mistake, so please stop criticizing her…” Shen Yingxue sighed softly, as if she was helpless about Shen Lixue’s terrible mistake.
"Sister Yingxue, you're so nice to Shen Lixue, but she doesn't appreciate it at all. Have you forgotten how she treated you last night?" Shen Caixuan was completely immersed in her role, fabricating lies and targeting Shen Lixue with every word.
Shen Yingxue touched her cheek, lowered her eyelids, her expression dimmed, and her long eyelashes trembled slightly, as if she had suffered a great injustice.
Dongfang Zhan's gaze was deep as he said calmly, "Did Shen Lixue hit you?"
“Yes, and the beating was quite severe!” Shen Caixuan quickly answered for Shen Yingxue.
Shen Yingxue's slap was delivered by Shen Minghui under pressure from Shen Lixue, so it could be considered that Shen Lixue hit her, and she wasn't lying. Shen Caixuan nudged Shen Caiyun, who was standing silently to the side, and said, "Caiyun, you also saw Shen Lixue hit Sister Yingxue, right?"
“I…” Shen Caiyun glanced at Dongfang Zhan, Shen Yingxue, and then at Shen Caixuan, who was winking at her. She was thinking hard about how to answer when she saw a woman walking by the rockery. She was noble and elegant, fresh and natural. Her blue Xiang dress fluttered in the wind. She was so beautiful that she was beyond compare. Shen Caixuan’s eyes lit up: “Look over there, Shen Lixue is here!”
All eyes immediately focused on Shen Lixue. Dongfang Zhan narrowed his eyes slightly. She was Shen Lixue, Dongfang Heng's real fiancée!
Shen Lixue stopped by the pool, glanced at the crowd in the pavilion, and sneered. She had just rested enough and came out for a walk to clear her head, but she had run into them. What a small world! "I have something to attend to, so I'll take my leave first. Please make yourselves at home!"