The intriguing look in Consort Tian's eyes as she gazed at the princes flashed through Shen Lixue's mind. "Find a suitable opportunity to see Consort Tian as soon as possible!" She had only just returned to the capital; what harm could she possibly do to their interests? What was their purpose in scheming against her?
"Okay!" Dongfang Heng nodded gently.
Drunken chicken is the signature dish of Zuixianlou. I don't know how it's made, but the chicken is tender and flavorful. Shen Lixue kept picking at it with her chopsticks, enjoying it immensely.
"You like to eat drunken chicken?" Dongfang Heng asked softly.
"It's a signature dish, so the flavor is unique!" Shen Lixue glanced at Dongfang Heng and noticed that his bowl was full, and he hadn't eaten much at all: "Why aren't you eating?"
"I'm not hungry!" Dongfang Heng explained, his eyes slightly darkening.
"You're sick, so even if you're not hungry, you should eat something when it's mealtime!" Shen Lixue put some vegetables into Dongfang Heng's bowl: "If you can't eat greasy meat, you can eat more vegetables!"
Dongfang Heng smiled slightly, picked up his chopsticks, and slowly began to eat.
Zi Mo knocked on the door and came in. He was so surprised to see Dongfang Heng and Shen Lixue having a meal that he was stunned for a long time: The young master never ate at the same table with others, so why was he doing so today...?
"Zimo, is something the matter?" Dongfang Heng asked in a low voice, sounding somewhat displeased.
"Yes!" Zi Mo snapped back to reality, quickly lowered his head, and said respectfully, "Your Highness, our subordinates found several corpses on a hillside thirty miles outside the city. Upon investigation, they were identified as guards from the Western Liang Kingdom..."
"The Crown Prince of Xiliang has indeed arrived in the capital!" Dongfang Heng put down his chopsticks, his dark eyes unfathomable: "Have you been able to track him down?"
Zi Mo shook his head: "I only saw the body of the guard, not the Crown Prince of Xiliang..."
"You two chat, I'm full, I'll take my leave first!" The matter of the Crown Prince of Xiliang Kingdom is a secret and cannot be known to outsiders. Shen Lixue had no interest in listening, so she tactfully got up to take her leave while they were talking.
"I will make arrangements for Consort Tian as soon as possible!" Dongfang Heng said calmly, his eyes clear.
"Then I'll wait for your news!" Shen Lixue was all alone in Qingyan and couldn't be in two places at once. It wouldn't be bad to use Dongfang Heng's influence to investigate and resolve some matters.
"Li Xue..." Dongfang Heng called softly.
"What is it?" Shen Lixue asked, puzzled, and turned around.
"Let Zimo escort you back to the Prime Minister's residence..." Dongfang Heng said calmly.
"No need, the Prime Minister's residence isn't far from here, I can walk back myself..." Zi Mo and Dongfang Heng had important matters to discuss, and if he were to take her back, how could they discuss things?
As they left Zuixianlou, the sun was high in the sky. During her stay in Qingyan, Shen Lixue had developed the habit of taking a midday nap. Walking down the street, she felt a little sleepy. Looking at the courtyards in the distance, a glint of light flashed in her beautiful eyes: Shen Minghui and Shen Yingxue's anger should have subsided somewhat. Let's go back to the Prime Minister's residence and see what tricks they can pull.
Speaking of Lei Shi, when Shen Yingxue returned to the Prime Minister's residence by carriage, the first thing she did was to instruct the maids to prepare water for a bath. She had been repeatedly thrown into a porridge bucket, and her body was covered in white porridge. By the time she had walked, the porridge had dried and was still sticking to her body, which was very uncomfortable. When the wind blew, a strange smell wafted over, making her extremely unpleasant.
Shen Yingxue rushed back to Xueyuan Garden, frowned, walked behind the screen, quickly took off her dirty clothes, and stepped into the bathtub filled with flower petals. The fragrance wafted around her, and Shen Yingxue breathed a sigh of relief, quickly washing her delicate body.
She was a noble lady from a prestigious family, and those lowly beggars dared to take advantage of the chaos to grope her. They were overestimating themselves and courting death. Once they were caught, she would tear them to pieces.
"Sister Yingxue, I've finished scenting your clothes!" Accompanied by a pleasant female voice, Shen Caixuan walked behind the screen with a set of clothes in her hand, her beautiful face beaming with a flattering smile: "It's your favorite jasmine scent."
Thinking of what happened on the street, Shen Caixuan's gentle smile turned into a burning anger when she saw the deep mockery and ridicule in Shen Yingxue's eyes: "Are you gloating over my being bullied?"
Shen Caixuan was startled and shook her head frantically: "When my sister was being bullied, I tried my best to help her, but there were too many beggars and I couldn't squeeze through..."
“We’re both human, but the beggar was able to squeeze forward while you couldn’t. You clearly didn’t try your best. You tried your best to save me, who are you trying to fool!” Shen Yingxue’s beautiful eyes widened, her tone aggressive.
"I've always followed your lead, you should know that, sister..." Shen Caixuan explained urgently, her eyes filled with tears, clearly on the verge of crying.
"Guards, drag Shen Caixuan away and give her twenty lashes..." Shen Yingxue gave the order angrily. She was a noble legitimate daughter who had been taken advantage of, while Shen Caixuan, a lowly concubine, was innocent and unharmed. This was too unfair.
"Sister, I am also a daughter of the Prime Minister's family. If there is a conflict between you sisters, how can you use a board!" Shen Caixuan was a little scared and secretly hated herself for trying to please Shen Yingxue. If she had just stayed in her room, she would have been beaten for no reason.
"Shen Caixuan, how dare you talk back to me? You've really grown bold!" Shen Yingxue's smile was sinister and vicious: "Guards, drag her out and beat her again!"
Two old women walked forward expressionlessly, grabbed Shen Caixuan's arms, and dragged her away forcefully. Shen Caixuan struggled but couldn't break free and begged loudly, "Sister, please forgive me, I'll never dare to do it again..."
Shen Yingxue sneered disdainfully: "If you had known this would happen, why did you do it in the first place? These twenty lashes are just to teach you a lesson..." Let's see if she dares to talk back to her again.
"Ahhh..." The sound of the board hitting her body was accompanied by Shen Yingxue's miserable cries of pain. Shen Yingxue's anger subsided a lot. She slowly stepped out of the bath and let the maids take cotton cloths to wipe the water droplets off her body.
Changing into clean clothes and styling her hair in an exquisite updo, Shen Yingxue, who was as beautiful as a fairy and whose beauty surpassed that of the capital, appeared in front of the mirror. She smiled gently at her reflection. Shen Yingxue narrowed her eyes. Shen Lixue was always scheming and ruining her plans. She could no longer sit idly by and wait for her fate. She had to take the initiative.
"Stop! What are you all doing?" Shen Minghui roared, and the beating of the wooden paddle in the courtyard stopped. Shen Caixuan's soft sobs could be heard: "Father, save me..."
"Yingxue!" Shen Minghui roared at the room. Shen Yingxue pouted and slowly walked out.
Under the sunlight, Shen Yingxue walked gracefully in a pink dress. The jade hairpin in her hair and the light-colored earrings complemented each other perfectly. Her clothes fluttered in the wind, making her look as graceful as a willow and charming.
Looking at his stunningly beautiful daughter, Shen Minghui's anger inexplicably subsided by more than half: "Caixuan is your sister, why did you have the servants beat her so severely?"
“Caixuan made a mistake, and I just wanted the servants to give her a small lesson…” Shen Yingxue’s attitude was respectful, but her tone was somewhat nonchalant, clearly not taking the matter to heart.
“You are sisters, you can resolve your conflicts peacefully, there’s no need to punish each other…” Thinking of what happened on Buzhou Street, Shen Minghui became agitated again. The reputation of the Prime Minister’s residence had been completely ruined by them…
"Prime Minister Shen, you also know that conflicts between relatives should be resolved peacefully!" Grand Commandant Lei strode into Xueyuan Garden, his face gloomy and his eyes sharp, looking like he was there to interrogate someone. Behind him, Lei Shi, dressed in elegant and luxurious attire, hurried in, glancing at Shen Minghui and Grand Commandant Lei, hesitant to speak.
Shen Minghui frowned deeply, his eyes flashing with a coldness that was no less intense than that of Grand Commandant Lei: "What does Grand Commandant Lei mean?" He barged into Xueyuan without prior notice, did he think this was the Grand Commandant's residence?
"Lei Cong is your nephew! How could you beat him so badly without even asking what happened? Do you even consider him your family?" Grand Commandant Lei stared at Shen Minghui, his eyes blazing with anger. He remembered Lei Cong being carried back to the Grand Commandant's mansion, unconscious and covered in blood. Grand Commandant Lei gritted his teeth in hatred. If he hadn't been worried about Lei Cong's injuries and hadn't stayed by his side, Shen Minghui wouldn't have been able to live so peacefully until now.
Shen Minghui snorted lightly, his tone quite disdainful: "Lei Cong flirted with Caiyun and Su Yuting. I gave him a beating to teach him a lesson. With his lecherous nature, if he isn't disciplined strictly, he'll die among women sooner or later!"
"Are you blaming me for not teaching my grandson properly?" Grand Commandant Lei's eyes narrowed slightly, and an invisible aura of tyranny instantly spread throughout most of the Snow Garden. The dangerous light flashing in his eyes made the servants tremble, fall silent as cicadas in winter, lower their heads, and stand quietly, not daring to even breathe.
"I cannot comment on Grand Commandant Lei's behavior, but Duke Wen, as an important minister of the state, is not someone to be trifled with. Lei Cong has disrespected his most beloved daughter, and I must give him an explanation. Otherwise, if Duke Wen files a complaint with the Emperor, Lei Cong will not only receive a light beating!" Shen Minghui's words were sharp and his tone slightly arrogant, every word sarcastic, clearly showing that he did not take Grand Commandant Lei seriously.
"You say Lei Cong made a lewd advance towards Caiyun, does Su Yuting have any evidence?" Grand Commandant Lei asked angrily, his furious gaze burning like flames.
Shen Minghui sneered: "Li Xue and Cai Yun are both here..."