His aloof demeanor was somewhat similar to that of Prince An. Could he be Prince An's subordinate? His personal guard must know Prince An very well. Why not try to get some information about Prince An's preferences from him so that I can tailor my approach accordingly in the future?
Thinking of this, a charming smile appeared on Shen Yingxue's beautiful face: "This big brother..."
"No one is allowed in this room, please leave, young lady." Zi Mo interrupted Shen Yingxue coldly, his gaze icy.
When Prince An falls ill, he dislikes others getting close and even more so being disturbed. Not to mention Shen Yingxue, even if Shen Minghui came, he wouldn't let anyone in.
Shen Yingxue lowered herself to ingratiate herself, but Zi Mo didn't give her any face at all. Her strong pride was hurt, and Shen Yingxue's suppressed anger suddenly flared up: "I am the daughter of the Prime Minister's family. I can enter the Prime Minister's house at will. But you, sneaking around to my Prime Minister's bamboo garden, what are you trying to do?"
"Get out of the Prime Minister's residence right now. I can forgive your past mistakes, but if you delay any longer, I'll have the guards throw you out." Shen Yingxue raised her chin slightly, like a proud peacock: a mere guard dared to threaten her in the Prime Minister's residence, he was truly overestimating himself.
"Ah!" Shen Yingxue had barely finished speaking when her collar was suddenly grabbed, and she was thrown into the air. Before she could even feel scared, her slender body was flung out like a rag doll, crashing heavily onto Xia Rou and Xia Jin.
"Ouch, that hurts so much!" Shen Yingxue fell to the ground, screaming sharply. Her whole body ached as if it had been broken apart. She glared angrily at Zi Mo. Now that she was the daughter of the Prime Minister's family, she couldn't offend Prince An. Otherwise, she would definitely leave a bad impression on him. Once she became Prince An's consort, she wouldn't have to worry about that anymore. She would definitely give him a hundred lashes and make him wish he were dead...
Inside the room, Shen Lixue's drowsy state vanished instantly. She frowned slightly. Su Yuting had come to the Bamboo Garden to investigate, but she hadn't found anything and had even been bullied by Lei Cong. Although her innocence hadn't been ruined, her reputation would definitely be damaged. If she didn't care, Su Yuting would surely hold a grudge and instigate Shen Yingxue to cause trouble at the Bamboo Garden. It was not surprising.
Furthermore, Su Yuting's words and actions, though seemingly ordinary, are full of strangeness. Why did she run from the west of the city to the east? Wait, Shen Yingxue came to Zhuyuan for Dongfang Heng, could it be that Su Yuting also came to Zhuyuan for Dongfang Heng?
Shen Lixue glanced to the side and saw Dongfang Heng sleeping soundly with his eyes closed. His handsome features, including his straight eyebrows, high nose, and striking good looks, made the world pale in comparison. His cold facial features were softened by his deep sleep, making him look like a painting, so beautiful that one could not take their eyes off him.
Shen Lixue pouted: "She really does have a face that attracts attention."
"I don't like peach blossoms!" A faint whisper drifted past her ear. Shen Lixue was startled and stared at Dongfang Heng. Her snowy eyes narrowed slightly, a dangerous glint in them. Was Dongfang Heng really asleep, or was he pretending?
In the courtyard, Xia Rou and Xia Jin, despite their pain, stepped forward to help Shen Yingxue up: "Miss, are you alright?"
The two women were Shen Yingxue's head maids, who had always been high and mighty in the mansion. This was the first time they had been so rudely attacked like this. They were even angrier than Shen Yingxue. "Miss, this servant will go and call the Madam, the Prime Minister..." Madam, the Prime Minister is coming. He will not only teach this vulgar guard a lesson, but also teach Shen Lixue a lesson. Then they and Shen Yingxue will be able to vent their anger.
"Slap!" Shen Yingxue slapped Xia Rou and Xia Jin hard across the face, making them see stars and bewildered. "Foolish!" Her father came and saw Shen Lixue with Prince An, so she had to marry Prince An. How could she possibly become the Princess Consort?
"Go to Ya Garden. No one is allowed to spread the news about Bamboo Garden!" Shen Yingxue straightened her clothes and hair, and walked out of Bamboo Garden under Qiu He's surprised gaze.
Zi Mo's gaze was deep and unfathomable, while Shen Lixue was aloof, elegant, gentle, and approachable. Shen Yingxue, on the other hand, was arrogant and useless except for her beautiful appearance. These two really didn't seem like biological sisters.
After finishing her business at the Prime Minister's residence, Madam Lei was about to take a nap when Shen Yingxue rushed in: "Mother, is there any way to tamper with Mu Zhengnan's joint trial?"
Lei Shi gently combed her dark hair and said calmly, "Mu Zhengnan is no longer of much use as a chess piece. It's better to discard him. Why do you keep bringing him up?"
Shen Yingxue bit her lip, pondered for a long time, and then said angrily, "Shen Lixue... slept with Prince An again!"
Lei stopped combing her hair abruptly, her eyes darkening: "Is this true?"
“I saw it with my own eyes. Prince An’s guards were standing at the door, not letting anyone in. I even heard them…the sounds they made at that time…” To prevent Lei from not helping her, Shen Yingxue exaggerated the matter and added some fabricated stories.
"That shameless bitch Shen Lixue has seduced Prince An time and time again. We must use Mu Zhengnan to ruin her reputation and ensure she can never recover..."
Shen Yingxue unleashed a torrent of curses at Shen Lixue, completely oblivious to Lei Shi's slightly pale face: "You didn't tell anyone about this, did you?"
"No, as soon as I learned the truth, I came straight here to my mother!" After being reprimanded by Madam Lei last time, Shen Yingxue has learned her lesson. The fewer people who know about Shen Lixue's relationship with Prince An, the fewer people will speak up for Shen Lixue after she is dumped, and the more unlucky she will be.
"I will try my best to arrange the joint trial. You should go back to Xiangyuan and rest first!" Madam Lei pressed her brows tightly, her voice was faint, and her tone was somewhat tired.
Shen Yingxue was lost in her own thoughts and didn't notice. Thinking that Shen Lixue was about to be in trouble, she happily agreed, "Yes!" Her mother was so smart that she would definitely come up with a good way to deal with Shen Lixue, so she wouldn't bother her.
As Shen Yingxue stepped out of the elegant garden, Lei slumped down, looking up at the roof with a somewhat hazy gaze. The current Shen Lixue, Yingxue, and Prince An really resembled Lin Qingzhu, himself, and Shen Minghui from fifteen years ago...
A cruel smile curled at the corner of his lips. He was the winner fifteen years ago, and the winner fifteen years later would be his daughter. Lin Qingzhu and Shen Lixue would forever only be his and Yingxue's defeated opponents!
In the Duke of Wen's mansion, Su Yuting sat upright in front of a copper basin, repeatedly and vigorously washing her cheeks that Lei Cong had touched. The maids and nannies stood by, holding cotton handkerchiefs, not daring to breathe, secretly wondering, "What's wrong with Miss? She went out for a while, and now she's frantically washing her face and lips, but only that small area..."
"Miss!" The maid Xiaoli hurried into the inner room, glanced at the many servants, and hesitated to speak.
Su Yuting waved away the servants, took a cotton handkerchief and gently wiped her face. After washing it so many times, she finally got rid of that person's disgusting smell. Just thinking about Lei Cong's disgusting mouth kissing her lips made her feel inexplicably nauseous, and her hatred for the culprit grew stronger: "Is there news from the Prime Minister's residence?"
"The Prime Minister's wife sent someone to the Ministry of Justice prison to check on Mu Zhengnan!" Xiao Li reported the matter word for word.
"Really?" Su Yuting's eyes narrowed instantly, and a faint smile appeared on her lips. It seemed that Shen Yingxue had been traumatized in the bamboo garden and was preparing to smear Shen Lixue.
"Miss, what are you going to do? Are you going to help Shen Lixue?" Xiaoli asked cautiously. Shen Lixue was just a legitimate daughter in name only, and she was not favored by Shen Minghui, so she was not a threat. On the contrary, the most beautiful woman, Shen Yingxue, was Shen Minghui's darling, the granddaughter of the Grand Commandant's mansion, and had a beautiful appearance. She was the young lady's biggest enemy.
"No, I want to help Shen Yingxue!" Su Yuting's gaze was deep: Normally, she would have helped Shen Lixue deal with Shen Yingxue, just as Xiao Li thought. But after seeing Shen Lixue's methods and scheming, she suddenly realized that her biggest enemy was not Shen Yingxue, but the powerless Shen Lixue.
In particular, Shen Lixue's ability to use anyone or anything she could to deal with her enemies, and her ability to win the favor of Prince An, made her even more intolerant of Shen Lixue's existence...
In the bamboo garden, Shen Lixue pondered the various events that had recently occurred. She had thought that being held tightly by Dongfang Heng would make her uncomfortable and unable to sleep, but unexpectedly, she fell into a deep sleep without realizing it. When she woke up again, the sun was shining brightly, birds were singing, and flowers were blooming. The space beside her was empty; Dongfang Heng was nowhere to be found.
Glancing out the window, Shen Lixue's hazy thoughts instantly cleared, and she sat up abruptly. She had fallen asleep in the afternoon, but now it was morning; she had slept for a day and a half.
Dongfang Heng was busy, so he naturally left after waking up. However, when did her vigilance become so poor that she didn't even know when Dongfang Heng left?
Furthermore, just how strong is Dongfang Heng's patience? Yesterday, she tried every method to test him, but she couldn't tell whether he was really asleep or pretending...
A wave of hunger washed over Shen Lixue, who then realized she hadn't eaten dinner or breakfast. Just as she was about to call Qiuhe to bring her food, a detached male voice suddenly rang out: "You're awake!"
Shen Lixue was taken aback. Dongfang Heng walked out from behind the screen. His obsidian-like eyes were as deep as a pool. He was dressed in white and was incomparably handsome, making the blazing sun in the sky pale in comparison. Steam rose from behind him, indicating that he had just taken a bath.
"Why are you still here?" Shen Lixue rubbed her forehead. Just how high was Dongfang Heng's martial arts skill? She had been awake for so long and hadn't even noticed that he was still here. He hadn't gone back all night, and the people in the Prince's Mansion didn't even look for him?
Shen Lixue had just woken up, her eyes were a little hazy, and her clothes were somewhat disheveled. Her long, flowing black hair was draped over her body, exuding an indescribable languor and a fatal attraction that made people dizzy. Dongfang Heng gently turned his gaze away and said indifferently, "Today, Mu Zhengnan will conduct a joint trial in three courts!"
"Really?" Why didn't you say so sooner! Shen Lixue's eyes lit up. She quickly threw off the covers and got out of bed. She grabbed a set of clothes and ran behind the screen to wash and change. She was going to be a witness for Mu Zhengnan's three-judge trial and throw him into a death row cell so that he could never turn his life around. She absolutely couldn't be late.
"I happen to be free today, so I can go to the Ministry of Justice to listen to the trial!" Shen Lixue was busy behind the screen, while Dongfang Heng sat at the table in the inner room, sipping his tea, showing no intention of leaving.
"What crime do you think Mu Zhengnan will be convicted of?" Shen Lixue was unfamiliar with ancient laws, so she asked him, the royal family member who made the laws.
"You're still alive, so it's considered attempted murder. The charges shouldn't be too serious; at most, you'll be imprisoned for life!" Dongfang Heng's tone was indifferent, but his gaze gradually darkened.