"Why are you yelling at me?" Ye Qianlong asked Dongfang Heng with a straight face, her clear eyes pure and without a trace of impurity.
"We're almost at the Prime Minister's residence. Li Xue needs to go back to rest, so don't bother her anymore!" Dongfang Heng said in a low voice, his tone icy and tinged with resentment.
Ye Qianlong looked up and saw a magnificent mansion in front of him. Two lanterns hung on either side, and the three characters "Prime Minister's Residence" on the plaque above the gate were very conspicuous in the dim candlelight.
"Li Xue lives here!" Ye Qianlong looked at the majestic Prime Minister's residence and nodded gently, "It's alright!"
Shen Lixue pulled down Dongfang Heng and Ye Qianlong's hands and said softly, "I'm home. You should go back to your residence and rest soon!"
"We'll leave after you go inside!" Ye Qianlong said with a smile as he looked at Chen Lixue.
Dongfang Heng frowned again, his gaze as cold as a sharp blade, as if Ye Qianlong had stolen something from him.
Shen Lixue glanced at Dongfang Heng, then at Ye Qianlong, and secretly shook her head. The two of them appeared calm on the surface, but were secretly at odds. Dongfang Heng was a calm and measured person, and she thought that the two of them would not fight after she entered the manor.
"Go if you want!" Shen Lixue smiled gently, turned around and walked towards the gate of the Prime Minister's residence.
"Li Xue!" After taking only two steps, Dongfang Heng called out from behind.
"What is it?" Shen Lixue turned around and looked at Dongfang Heng's tall figure, who was already close at hand. The faint scent of pine resin lingered in her nose, and Shen Lixue felt inexplicably flustered.
A warm touch came from her forehead, and Shen Lixue was suddenly startled. She looked up and met Dongfang Heng's obsidian-like eyes, which clearly reflected her image: Dongfang Heng had just kissed her forehead? Wasn't that a bit too... intimate?
“Go if you want!” Dongfang Heng said softly, a hint of tenderness flickering deep in his usually sharp eyes.
Shen Lixue was taken aback: Could it be that Dongfang Heng is...?
"Li Xue!" Ye Qianlong suddenly stepped forward and bent down to kiss Li Xue like Dongfang Heng had done.
"Ye Qianlong, what are you doing?" Before Shen Lixue could refuse, Dongfang Heng had already pushed Ye Qianlong away, his sharp eyes filled with cold light.
“You said goodbye to Li Xue, didn’t you just do that?” Ye Qianlong retorted to Dongfang Heng with a straight face.
"Ye Qianlong, remember this: you and Li Xue have absolutely no relationship, and you cannot have any intimate contact with her!" Dongfang Heng's gaze was sharp, and his face was icy: "If you want to experiment with that farewell earlier, go find another woman!"
"I don't like other women!" Ye Qianlong muttered to himself, glancing frequently at Shen Lixue.
"It's late, I'm going in to rest. You should all go back to your residences early too!" With that, Shen Lixue turned around and strode into the Prime Minister's residence. Dongfang Heng and Ye Qianlong were having a fight because of her. Now that she's gone, they should calm down.
Shen Lixue's slender figure moved quickly along the bluestone path and soon disappeared from sight. Dongfang Heng withdrew his gaze, not even glancing at Ye Qianlong beside him, turned around, and walked straight ahead.
Ye Qianlong reluctantly withdrew his gaze and followed Dongfang Heng quickly forward. Occasionally, he would look up at Dongfang Heng ahead. It wasn't that he insisted on going back with Dongfang Heng, but that he wanted to see Shen Lixue and had to stay at the Holy King's Mansion.
As midnight approached, the Prime Minister's residence was quiet, with patrols of guards moving back and forth within the compound.
Suddenly, two maids carrying trays walked by from a short distance away, rushing over: "Hurry, hurry, the second young lady is in excruciating pain and urgently needs medicine..."
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow. Shen Yingxue's arm had been broken by Qianlong for quite some time now, so why was she still receiving treatment? Which imperial physician did they hire? Why were they so slow?
"Miss, Master, Madam has instructed that you be invited to Xueyuan Garden since you have arrived!" Xia Jin and Xia Rou walked over carrying things. Upon seeing Shen Lixue, they relayed Shen Minghui and Lei Shi's orders. Although there was anger in their eyes, they dared not show it.
"Okay!" Shen Lixue replied casually, walking slowly.
Xia Jin couldn't hold back any longer and urged, "Miss, could you please walk a little faster? The Second Miss is badly injured..."
"I'm not a doctor. What use would it be if I went to Yingxue no matter how badly she was injured?" Shen Lixue simply stopped and looked back at Xia Rou and Xia Jin, a cold light lingering in her clear eyes.
Xia Jin's eyes held a hint of mockery and anger: "Second Miss, she is..."
"Second Miss really wants to see you!" Xia Rou nudged Xia Jin's arm hard, picked up where she left off, and smiled politely at Shen Lixue.
"Really?" Shen Lixue smiled faintly. Shen Yingxue probably wanted to see her get a lesson from Shen Minghui.
"This servant wouldn't dare lie. The Second Miss was just talking about the Eldest Miss!" Xia Rou said with a bright smile.
Shen Lixue sneered, muttering about why Xia Rou hadn't arrived yet and why she hadn't been taught a lesson by Shen Minghui. This Xia Rou was smarter and more cunning than Xia Jin.
It doesn't matter, she's going to Snow Garden anyway, so it doesn't matter whether she goes early or late. She can't escape Shen Minghui's roar: "Go to Snow Garden!"
So what if Shen Yingxue's arm was broken by her? Shen Minghui and the Lei family want to teach her a lesson, but it won't be that easy.
Unlike the dim and quiet streets of the Prime Minister's Residence Road, the Snow Garden was brightly lit, with maids and nannies bustling back and forth carrying various items.
Shen Yingxue's cries of pain rose higher and higher, filled with sorrow and anguish that shook the very soul.
Shen Minghui paced anxiously back and forth in the outer room, his gaze frequently drifting towards the inner room through the semi-transparent beaded curtain. Every cry of pain from Shen Yingxue tugged at his heartstrings.
Yingxue has always been obedient, and even when she is injured, she silently endures it. But now she can't help but cry out in pain, which shows how serious her injury is...
When Shen Lixue entered the room, this was the scene she saw. Shen Yingxue was lying on the bed, crying out in pain as if she had suffered a serious injury. Lei Shi was standing by the window, comforting and taking care of her, her face anxious and full of heartache. The doctor was sitting by the bed, carefully examining her, his brows furrowed. Shen Minghui was standing at the door of the inner room, anxiously looking inside, his eyes full of worry.
Shen Lixue raised her lips in a cold smile. This family of three always gathered together whenever something happened, and their facial expressions were always perfectly coordinated.
Shen Yingxue only had her arm broken. Judging from her high-decibel screams of pain, she was not seriously injured. However, she screamed so pitifully, as if she was about to die. If she were really about to die, she would be weak and unable to even groan. How could she scream so loudly that most of the Prime Minister's residence could hear her?
"Prime Minister, the eldest young lady has arrived!" Xia Jin, who was standing at the door, suddenly spoke up and announced loudly.
Shen Lixue's cold gaze was like a sharp blade, shooting fiercely at Xia Jin. What a loyal maid! She was subtly reminding Shen Minghui to teach her a lesson!
Xia Jin was startled and hurriedly lowered her head, not daring to look at Shen Lixue. She thought to herself, "The young lady and the prime minister are standing one in front of the other without moving. I only reminded the prime minister that she has returned. I did nothing wrong!"
Upon hearing that Shen Lixue had returned, Shen Minghui's body trembled. He turned around and glared at Shen Lixue, his eyes blazing with anger, gritting his teeth: "Look what you've done!"
"I don't understand what Father means!" Shen Lixue glanced at the chaotic inner room and answered casually. Shen Yingxue's release of the fugitive and the loss of her arm were just to teach her a lesson, and had nothing to do with her.
"Fine, fine, fine!" Shen Minghui said three times in a row, as if he was extremely angry: "What a good daughter you are! All you do every day is scheme against your own sister and frame her. Can't you do anything else?"
"You mean, Yingxue's arm was injured by me?" Shen Lixue looked at Shen Minghui, her eyes full of mockery with a half-smile. He was so angry with her a few days ago that he vomited blood, but today he went to court and looked quite well. It seems that the Prime Minister's residence has a lot of precious medicinal herbs, and he has almost recovered his health in just a few days: "Yingxue told you that I injured her?"