Dongfang Heng stepped forward, his obsidian-like eyes gazing intently at Shen Lixue. His slender body leaned slightly forward, as if he were about to do something. When his dark eyes met Shen Lixue's cold gaze, he paused slightly, a hint of struggle flashing in his eyes.
"Dongfang Heng, what's the matter?" Dongfang Heng's handsome face was so close that Shen Lixue quietly took a step back, creating some distance between them.
Dongfang Heng's eyes darkened, and he quickly straightened up: "I'll have people search for Ye Qianlong as soon as possible. There's nothing else; you can go and rest!"
Shen Lixue looked at him suspiciously for a few moments before slowly walking into the Prime Minister's residence. Even after turning the corner, entering the second gate, and stepping onto the small bridge, she could still sense Dongfang Heng's gaze upon her: Why is Dongfang Heng acting so strangely today?
Suddenly, Granny Ding appeared at the other end of the small bridge with two rough-looking maids, arrogantly blocking Shen Lixue's path and saying haughtily, "Young Miss!"
"Is something the matter?" Shen Lixue stopped and asked casually.
"Master, Madam requests your presence in the main hall!" Granny Ding said with a smile, but a cold glint flashed in her old eyes. She secretly gave a wink to two rough maids, who understood and hurried forward to escort Shen Lixue away.
Shen Lixue suddenly raised her eyelids, and a strong demonic aura burst forth from her cold eyes, which was terrifying. The two rough maids shivered and their arrogant demeanor vanished instantly. They hesitated and dared not step forward again: the young lady's eyes are so scary!
Ding Mama was blocked behind the rough maids and did not see Shen Lixue's gaze. When she saw the rough maids suddenly stop, she felt a surge of displeasure: Useless! They don't even dare to arrest Shen Lixue. What use are you?
"I'll go myself!" Shen Lixue said calmly, walking straight past the rough-looking maid and standing before Granny Ding. A gentle smile graced her beautiful face. "Granny Ding, may I ask what Father and Madam wish to see me about?"
Shen Lixue's smile was radiant, brighter than the sun in the sky. Seeing the cold, sharp glint in Ding Mama's eyes, Ding Mama's eyelids twitched involuntarily: "Reporting...Miss, this servant doesn't know..."
"I see!" Shen Lixue murmured, then suddenly kicked her foot, sending Granny Ding's proud old bones leaping over the railing and plunging straight into the water, splashing countless droplets: "Help...help me..."
Shen Lixue ignored him and walked quickly across the small bridge. The rough maid standing on the bridge looked at Granny Ding in the water, then at Shen Lixue walking away, at a loss.
Shen Lixue's cold voice rang out in the courtyard: "I'll go to the main hall myself, you don't need to follow me!" Shen Minghui, what kind of tricks is the Lei family up to now? Whatever, I'll deal with whatever comes my way, I'm not afraid of them!
Witty Remarks 070: Let the Dogs Out to Punish the Jerk
In the living room, Shen Minghui sat upright in the main seat, his gaze stern and unsmiling.
Lei sat to his right, graceful and virtuous. Shen Yingxue, Shen Caixuan, Aunt Zhao and others sat below him in order of seniority, their eyes filled with a mixture of hesitation and expectation.
Shen Lixue slowly walked into the living room, her gaze sweeping over Shen Minghui and Lei Shi before landing on Shen Yingxue. Her arm was badly injured, bandaged and wrapped in thick white cloth, and her eyes held a hidden anger and resentment as she looked at her.
At Xiangguo Temple, Shen Yingxue falsely accused her of causing her injury, but failed. Could it be that another lawsuit has been filed against Shen Minghui? The male and female masters of the backyard, the legitimate daughter, the illegitimate daughter, and the concubines are all gathered in the living room to judge her.
"Father, Madam!" Shen Lixue stepped forward and gave a slight curtsy.
After returning to the Prime Minister's residence, Shen Lixue always addressed Lei Yarong as Madam, never calling her Mother like Shen Caixuan and Shen Caiyun did. However, she did not correct or pursue the matter, and the two got along peacefully in terms of address.
Shen Minghui gave a casual reply, glancing at Shen Lixue: "Sit down!"
"Yes!" Shen Lixue raised her eyebrows slightly. If the people gathered here not to judge her, then why?
Filled with doubt, Shen Lixue walked to the seat of the eldest daughter in front of Shen Yingxue and sat down, ignoring the angry look in Shen Yingxue's eyes, and directly picked up her teacup to drink tea.
Shen Yingxue did not back down. Instead, she moved closer and mocked, "Sister, you were clearly ahead of me, so how come you arrived at the Prime Minister's residence later than me?"
“My sister rode in a carriage, which was spacious and fast. It was my first time riding a horse, so I wasn’t used to it and had to rest a few times along the way, falling behind my sister!” Shen Lixue smiled slightly, her expression carrying a deeper meaning.
Shen Yingxue gritted her teeth in anger. "You bitch! You clearly delayed things by seducing Prince An, yet you make it sound so high and mighty!"
"Prime Minister Shen!" Accompanied by a clear and elegant call, a man of about fifty years old appeared at the entrance of the living room. He was dressed in a spotless white robe, with his white hair loosely tied up and his white beard flowing. He held a whisk in his hand and looked like an immortal.
"Master, is there anything amiss at the Prime Minister's residence?" Shen Minghui hurried over, a humble smile on his dignified face, but bitterness flickered in his serious eyes.
Shen Lixue was taken aback. Shen Minghui actually invited someone to look at the feng shui layout of the Prime Minister's residence. When did he become so superstitious? She glanced at Shen Yingxue and saw that her gaze was fixed on the Taoist priest, with a faint, cold smile on her lips.
Shen Lixue's eyelids twitched, and a very ominous premonition rose in her heart. She carefully examined the white-robed Taoist priest and saw that he had a kind face, an otherworldly demeanor, and an extraordinary air about him. At first glance, he looked a lot like a legendary immortal...
"The Prime Minister's residence is laid out to bring good fortune and wealth. Prime Minister Shen's career should be smooth sailing. There shouldn't be so many troubles..." The white-robed Taoist stroked his beard and shook his head slightly, looking puzzled: "Has anyone special come to the Prime Minister's residence recently?"
Special people? Shen Minghui's eyes darkened as he reviewed everyone he had recently come into contact with, then gently shook his head: "In court, I only interact with former colleagues. After court, I return to my residence and have hardly seen any special people..."
"That's strange." The white-robed Taoist priest lightly flicked his whisk, brushing a corner of his robe. As he frowned in thought, he noticed Shen Lixue sitting in the seat of the eldest daughter. His gaze darkened, and he asked, "Is this young lady also the daughter of the Prime Minister's family?"
“She is the Prime Minister’s eldest daughter, Shen Lixue, who just returned from Xiangguo Temple!” Shen Minghui glanced at Shen Lixue and explained softly, his brows still furrowed as he pondered the reasons for the Prime Minister’s family’s decline.
The Taoist priest's gaze was fixed on Shen Lixue: "Prime Minister Shen, may I ask what your daughter's birth date and time are?"
"The sixth day of the ninth month of the Bingyin year." Shen Minghui casually recited Shen Lixue's birth date and time. Seeing that the Taoist priest's expression was a bit off, he asked in confusion, "Could there be a problem with these birth dates?"
Shen Lixue sipped her tea, her beautiful face shrouded in the rising steam, exuding an air of mystery. A faint, almost imperceptible smile played at the corners of her lips, a hint of mockery in her expression. She had a hunch about their purpose.
The white-robed Taoist priest remained silent, looking directly at Shen Yingxue: "This young lady is also Prime Minister Shen's legitimate daughter, named Shen Yingxue."
Something flashed through Shen Minghui's mind, and his eyelids twitched suddenly: "Master, could it be that Li Xue and Ying Xue have a problem?"
"Yes and no!" The white-robed Taoist stroked his beard, giving an ambiguous answer.
"I am of dull mind, please enlighten me, Master!" Shen Minghui was eager to know the answer and did not want to beat around the bush any longer, so he bowed to the white-robed Taoist.
The white-robed Taoist priest lightly flicked his whisk, his expression unfathomable: "The reason why the Prime Minister's residence has been plagued by misfortunes one after another is not due to the layout of the residence, nor is it due to any problem with the birth dates and times, but because the names of Miss Lixue and Miss Yingxue are incompatible!"
The crowd gasped in surprise, turning their attention to Shen Lixue and Shen Yingxue. Did the eldest and second young ladies have conflicting names?
Shen Lixue held her teacup, secretly raising her eyebrows. She thought the Taoist priest would say that her birth charts clashed with Shen Minghui's, and that their destinies were incompatible. She never expected that it was her name that clashed with Shen Yingxue's. Is there such a thing as names clashing in this world? What a strange and bizarre thing.
"Li Xue, Ying Xue, these two names are actually incompatible. I would like to hear the details!" Shen Minghui swept his cold gaze across the room, and the whispering living room instantly fell silent. The eyes of the concubine's daughters and aunts all focused on the white-robed Taoist priest, listening to his answer.
"As the saying goes, 'Two tigers cannot share one mountain.' The more prestigious the mansion, the less similar the names of its owners should be. If the two young ladies were named Xue Li and Xue Ying, with different 'masters' in the last character, it would be fine. But they are named Li Xue and Ying Xue, with the same 'snow' in the last character. This is a major taboo, which is why the Prime Minister's mansion has been losing power step by step..." The white-robed Taoist stroked his beard and spoke with great conviction.
"Ever since Sister Lixue came to the Prime Minister's residence, Sister Yingxue has indeed had a lot of bad luck!" Shen Caixuan exclaimed in surprise, as if she had just realized something. "First, she fell into the water for no reason, then she was inexplicably bullied by a man, and today was even more dangerous. She went to the Xiangguo Temple to pray for Buddha and draw lots, but she was actually stabbed by an assassin and almost lost her life..."
Shen Yingxue didn't speak, but instead gently touched her wound wrapped in white cloth, her expression somber. In the shadows, she glanced at Shen Lixue with haughty indifference, a sneer of arrogance and provocation on her lips, as if to say, "Shen Lixue, you're doomed to lose this time."
The crowd looked at Shen Lixue with a strange expression. She was incompatible with Yingxue and had brought disaster to the Prime Minister's residence. Could it be that her misfortune was caused by her?