"What is his title?" Although they are all princes of the royal family, their titles are not as good as each other. For example, Dongfang Zhan is the Prince Zhan, and Dongfang Heng is the Prince An!
"War Prince!" Dongfang Yu'er exclaimed with admiration, "Before the imperial uncle went to war, he was a prince. After the great victory at the border, the emperor decreed that he be made the War Prince!"
Dongfang Yu'er paused, then said, "Speaking of which, my cousin Heng and my imperial uncle had similar experiences. They went to the border without any title, defeated the enemy army, made great achievements, and were granted the title of Prince An!"
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow: "Is Dongfang Heng also very capable at the border?"
"Yes!" Dongfang Yu'er nodded emphatically, her eyes filled with solemnity: "I've only heard about what happened to my royal uncle. I've witnessed my cousin Heng's troop deployment and battles several times, and they are truly admirable. When I told my father about it, he said that he was no less capable than my royal uncle!"
Shen Lixue glanced at the busy Dongfang Heng, blinked. The War Prince was handsome and outstanding, with an extraordinary aura. In his youth, he had captivated many young girls. Dongfang Heng, the new generation of Qingyan War God, was no less impressive than the War Prince. Wherever he went, he attracted a lot of attention from women...
A guard dragged the corpse of a man in black past. Suddenly, with a "rip," the man's clothes were torn, revealing his bare back. The guard cursed under his breath and grabbed the man's arm again, ready to drag him away.
The moment Shen Lixue glanced to the side, she saw the naked man in black and exclaimed urgently, "Wait!"
"Dongfang Heng, come and take a look at this person's waist!" Shen Lixue's cold eyes narrowed slightly.
"The marks on their waists are from not being washed off properly!" Dongfang Heng's dark eyes were unfathomable. He then ordered his men to examine the bodies of several men in black more closely. They discovered that most of the men in black had only one mark on their bodies, but a few of them had a second mark on their waists. However, the marks were so faint that they were barely noticeable without close inspection.
"Someone is impersonating a Xiliang secret guard!" Dongfang Heng's gaze sharpened: It's impossible for one person to have two marks at the same time.
“The secret guards are always careful and cautious. If they were to impersonate someone, they would definitely wash off all the marks on their waists so that no one could find any flaws. Why didn’t they wash them off?” Shen Lixue frowned slightly.
“One possibility is that they deliberately left clues, and the other is that they were in a hurry to go on a mission and didn’t have time to confirm that the items were completely washed away!” Dongfang Heng said indifferently, his eyes sharp.
"The guards have examined it carefully. The mark on the waist is several years older than the one on the shoulder. Furthermore, although the mark on the shoulder has been treated, it is still very bright, indicating that it was recently applied!"
"What pattern is printed on his waist?" The marks on the guards are different depending on their master. Based on the pattern, we should be able to identify their master.
"The pattern has been washed so much that it's completely blurry and unrecognizable!" Dongfang Heng shook his head slightly, his dark eyes unfathomable. Besides the royal family, who else knew that the Crown Prince of Xiliang had arrived in Qingyan Capital? "Could someone be trying to lure the Crown Prince of Xiliang out?"
"Why would the Crown Prince of Xiliang come to Qingyan's capital in secret?" If it were for the sake of diplomatic relations between the two countries, he could have openly traveled to Qingyan as an envoy. There was no need to be so secretive. Now, he has even sent someone to infiltrate Confucius's inner circle, impersonating a Xiliang secret guard to kill people. Is he trying to provoke a war between Qingyan and Xiliang?
"Ye Qianlong has always been unique among the many princes of Xiliang. No one understands his thoughts and actions!" Dongfang Heng said calmly, his gaze unfathomable.
Shen Lixue was taken aback: "You just mentioned Ye Qianlong?"
Dongfang Heng nodded: "The Crown Prince of Xiliang will be named Ye Qianlong!"
Shen Lixue was startled and couldn't catch her breath properly, choking and coughing repeatedly, her beautiful cheeks turning red.
"What's wrong?" Dongfang Heng gently patted Shen Lixue's back to ease her cough, his obsidian-like eyes gazing at her slightly shimmering, cool gaze: "Have you seen Ye Qianlong?"
"I have met a man named Qianlong, but I don't know if he is the Crown Prince of Xiliang, Ye Qianlong."
Dongfang Heng was an upright and honorable man who disdained the shameless behavior of those despicable people. Shen Lixue then recounted what happened after she met Ye Qianlong: "He got separated from the guards, which is why he was sitting on the street. I believe that he did not order the guards who committed the murders!"
As Ye Qianlong's clear, spring-like eyes appeared before her, Shen Lixue became even more certain of her thoughts. He was so pure and innocent, how could he possibly give such a cruel order to kill someone!
"Ye Qianlong is the Crown Prince of Xiliang. He must have brought many guards with him when he came to Qingyan. The person you met was alone and got separated from his group. If he is really Ye Qianlong, it can only mean one thing: all his guards were killed, and he is the only one left!"
A cold glint flashed in Dongfang Heng's deep eyes. How could the dignified Xiliang Dark Guards possibly lose their master, unless they were killed and could no longer take care of their master!
Shen Lixue's eyes narrowed slightly. All the guards were dead, and someone was chasing after him: "Then isn't he in great danger now!"
"Being in such a perilous situation, surrounded by enemies on all sides, is certainly dangerous!" Dongfang Heng asked with a deep gaze, "When was the last time you saw him?"
"The day the porridge was distributed," Shen Lixue replied, several days ago now.
"We must not rest until the matter is resolved. Let's return to the capital immediately to find the person!" Dongfang Hong and Dongfang Zhan were both here, so Dongfang Heng was not worried about Xiangguo Temple. He pulled Shen Lixue and hurried outside. Once they found Ye Qianlong, the truth about the assassin would come to light.
Many daughters of prominent families had already left, leaving only a few dilapidated carriages outside Xiangguo Temple. To call them dilapidated was an understatement, as the carriages had been completely dismantled piece by piece and scattered all over the ground, with the carriages completely gone, leaving only empty spaces underneath, a truly pitiful sight.
Zhuang Kexin, Su Yuting, and Shen Yingxue were all in the front hall looking after the injuries, paying no attention to the destroyed carriage. On the contrary, Dongfang Yu'er was unharmed. Standing in front of the wrecked carriage, she gritted her teeth and said, "What are they looking for? They even dismantled the carriage. Even if they were looking for tiny pearls, there was no need to dismantle it so thoroughly!"
Shen Lixue raised her eyebrows, looking at the extent to which the carriage panels had been dismantled. They must be looking for something extremely small and minute, and they had locked onto Zhuang Kexin, Su Yuting, and Dongfang Yu'er's carriages. What did these three carriages have in common?
"Your Highness!" Zi Mo led over a white horse with large, bright eyes and a strong, imposing physique; it was clearly a fine horse.
Shen Lixue was taken aback: "Riding back to the capital?"
“Riding a horse is faster than taking a carriage!” Without further ado, Dongfang Heng grabbed Shen Lixue’s arm and helped her onto the horse, then sat down himself.
A warm chest pressed against her back. Before Shen Lixue could even distance herself from him, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her body, and a large, jade-like hand gripped the reins.
“If two people ride the same horse, the horse will slow down as it runs. It would be better if each of you rode your own horse so you can reach the capital faster,” Shen Lixue suggested softly. She was held tightly in Dongfang Heng’s arms, and she could see him whether she looked up or down. As the horse ran, they would be even closer, and she was not used to such intimate contact with people.
“This is a thoroughbred. Even with two people on board, it will still be very fast. Xiangguo Temple doesn’t have another thoroughbred. If each person rides one, the speed will be completely different!” Dongfang Heng replied, gently pulling the reins. The white horse spread its hooves and galloped away like an arrow.
The white horse carried Dongfang Heng and Shen Lixue away quickly. Shen Lixue's light blue skirt fluttered slowly through Dongfang Heng, and her black hair swayed gently. Paired with Dongfang Heng's white figure, it was like a beautiful painting.
Dongfang Yu'er blinked, a mischievous smile creeping onto her lips. They were already this intimate before even getting married; once they were, wouldn't everyone be envious? What did her fortune teller say? It said her destined partner had arrived, and she should wait patiently. Who was that guy, and why hadn't he shown up yet? If he still didn't appear when her cousin Heng got married to Shen Lixue, she'd dump him and marry someone else!
Su Yuting, Zhuang Kexin, and Shen Yingxue finished bandaging their wounds and walked out of Xiangguo Temple. They saw Dongfang Heng riding away on a fast horse with Shen Lixue. Su Yuting remained silent, her eyes lowered and her gaze dim. Zhuang Kexin pursed her lips and said nothing.
Shen Yingxue gritted her teeth in anger. "That bitch! She's already seduced him on horseback! If she goes any further, won't she really end up in bed with him? I have to come up with a plan and strike hard, otherwise, Prince An will really become Shen Lixue's!"
Although Dongfang Yu'er was angry about the destroyed carriage, she was not entirely at a loss, because she knew how to ride a horse. She quickly cut the ropes connecting the horse and the carriage, mounted the horse, and happily rode the pony down the mountain.
Shen Yingxue was only thinking about dealing with Shen Lixue, completely forgetting that Su Yuting and Zhuang Kexin were still by her side, and went straight back to the Prime Minister's residence by carriage.
Looking at the sun, which was setting further and further west, Zhuang Kexin looked helplessly at Su Yuting: "Yuting, what do we do now?" All the other daughters and sons of noble families had left, and they couldn't get a ride with them.
"The news about Xiangguo Temple will soon spread throughout Qingyan Capital. The Duke of Wen's mansion will send someone to pick us up!" Su Yuting said calmly, her eyelids slightly lowered. Taking a carriage back to the mansion was a small matter, not worth mentioning. What made her feel troubled was that extremely intelligent and cunning rival in love!
Dongfang Heng was an excellent horseman, and the white horse galloped all the way. Shen Lixue did not feel much of a bump. The faint scent of pine resin surrounded her, the wind whistled past her ears, and the scenery in front of her rushed by. It was somewhat similar to riding in a car, but far less interesting than riding a horse!
"Is this your first time riding a horse?" Dongfang Heng asked. Shen Lixue was quiet in his arms, but she kept looking around, as if she was curious!