Dongfang Heng raised an eyebrow: "It's your turn to drink!"
Shen Lixue's cherry-red lips not only didn't open, but she pursed them even tighter, and her brows furrowed slightly, as if she was very resistant to drinking.
"This is the last cup. Once you finish the Tianshan Snow Lotus, it's yours!" As soon as Dongfang Heng made his promise, Shen Lixue opened her mouth and drank the tea in the cup in cooperation with Dongfang Heng.
"She is the daughter of the Prime Minister's family; her reputation is of utmost importance. Even if you are not afraid of gossip, do not be so intimate with her in public, lest it cause further rumors!" The War King's voice softened again, no longer a sharp reprimand or angry shout, but like an elder, gently persuading her: "You are a man, and a member of the royal family, so you may not be afraid of gossip, but she is a woman; her reputation is more important to her than anything else..."
"Uncle, rest assured, I will not do anything to betray Li Xue before the marriage. I just want others to know that she is mine, and no one else can touch her!" Shen Li Xue's beautiful face was as radiant as the morning sun, and her skin was as white as porcelain, delicate and smooth. Dongfang Heng's jade-like fingers gently touched her, lingering there.
The War King frowned: "Although she is your fiancée, she is also a person of flesh and blood. You shouldn't tie her down too tightly. You need to give her some personal space!"
Dongfang Heng smiled faintly: "I did not forcibly tie her up. She is completely free and can do whatever she wants. I will not interfere."
"Uncle, I think if you like someone, you can't keep it to yourself. Even if you're too shy to say it, you should do something to show it and let her know you like her. Treat her with respect every time you see her, and she'll think you have no feelings for her and that you treat her like a stranger..."
Dongfang Heng looked down at Shen Lixue. He wasn't a spoiled brat; he disliked being surrounded by women and even less so flirting with them. His heart belonged to only one person. However, this young woman in front of him had extremely low emotional intelligence. He had made it very obvious, yet she still hadn't noticed and didn't seem to care about their engagement. If he treated her with respect, she would definitely treat him like a stranger…
His uncle was teaching him principles of conduct, which he would listen to. However, he felt that while the principles of mutual respect and indifference could be applied to other women, he should not be so cold to the woman he liked. Even before marriage, they should be more intimate. Otherwise, if she were taken away by someone else, it would be too late to regret it.
"Take good care of her!" The War King paused, as if he had thought of something. He left these words behind, turned and left. His righteous and awe-inspiring brows were now tinged with a deep sadness. Thinking of Shen Lixue, who was sleeping peacefully in Dongfang Heng's arms, his sharp eyes held a hint of doubt.
He was a member of the royal family, raised to be polite and respectful, and never to cross the line between men and women. He had always lived by this, always adhering to his duties and never overstepping them. But today, Dongfang Heng told him that one cannot simply be polite and courteous to someone one likes, or one will lose them…
Seeing the usually cold Dongfang Heng give Shen Lixue such a gentle smile, for the first time in his life, he felt doubt and confusion about his own actions. Had he done something wrong?
In a daze, Shen Lixue felt a splitting headache and her throat was unbearably dry. She couldn't help but cough a few times and opened her heavy eyelids. The light blue curtains came into view. Shen Lixue was startled, and her hazy mind instantly cleared. This was not her room.
She glanced quickly to the side and saw a sandalwood table, sandalwood chairs, and precious antique porcelain, all exuding a masculine aura. Shen Lixue was startled and sat up abruptly. This was Dongfang Heng's room.
"You're awake!" Dongfang Heng lifted the curtain and walked in. A hint of a smile appeared in his usually indifferent eyes. He was holding a bowl of millet porridge, the sweet aroma of which filled the air and made one's mouth water.
"Drink it while it's hot, it's good for your stomach!" Dongfang Heng brought the rice porridge to the bedside, and Shen Lixue reached out to take it: "Thank you!"
Dongfang Heng's empty hand froze for a moment, then he lowered it, his gaze towards Shen Lixue filled with anger. He had intended to feed her the porridge, but she had taken it away...
The porridge was neither too hot nor too cold, the temperature was just right, and Shen Lixue quickly finished it. She put down the bowl and looked out the window. Night had just fallen, and the stars twinkled in the sky, as if blinking: "It's just getting dark, so it seems I haven't been drunk for very long!"
"Our drinking contest happened yesterday!" Dongfang Heng raised the corners of her mouth. With her alcohol tolerance, how could she only be drunk for an afternoon after drinking half a jar of osmanthus wine?
Shen Lixue was startled, gently rubbing her still slightly dazed forehead. She had actually been drunk for a whole day and night; the aftereffects of that osmanthus wine were indeed potent.
Shen Minghui was busy taking care of the pregnant Aunt Jin, and probably didn't even notice that she hadn't returned home all night. She must have spent another night in bed with Dongfang Heng.
Looking at Shen Lixue's slightly pale face and somewhat tired eyes, Dongfang Heng frowned: "You won the drinking contest. Lin Yan has already taken the Tianshan Snow Lotus, and his injuries are probably mostly healed!"
Shen Lixue smiled slightly. Dongfang Heng looked refreshed, seemingly having been awake for an unknown amount of time. Perhaps he wasn't drunk at all; she had been drunk for a whole day and night. How could she possibly win a drinking contest? He sent her the Heavenly Snow Lotus without even offering a reasonable excuse…
"At midnight tonight, the young master of Nanjiang will perform a ritual to find the source of the Gu worms. You should take a bath and change your clothes first. We'll go to Nangong Xiao's villa together..." Dongfang Heng walked back to the bedside and placed a light blue ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) in front of Shen Lixue.
Shen Lixue was taken aback: "Why so suddenly?" Just yesterday they said the Princess of Southern Xinjiang had arrived, and tonight they're already performing rituals to find her.
"Only a surprise attack can uncover the truth!" Dongfang Heng's dark eyes narrowed slightly: If others are given time to prepare, how can there be any truth to speak of?
"Who are the people going to observe tonight?" Gu worms are unique to the Southern Frontier, and very few people in the Azure Flame Sect can subdue them. The ritual to find Gu worms is a major event, so the fewer people who observe, the better!
“Apart from members of the royal family, only officials of the first rank are allowed to personally guard the Imperial Guard!” Dongfang Heng said calmly, pouring himself a cup of tea: The fewer people who know about such confidential matters, the better, but since it is of great importance, the more witnesses there are, the more likely such crimes can be deterred.
The elegant aroma of tea filled the room. Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow: "I am neither a first-rank official nor a member of the royal family, so it is not appropriate for me to go to the villa!"
Dongfang Heng shook his head: "If the person who cast the Gu poison is caught, they will definitely test it in public. Nangong Xiao was poisoned, and you are a witness. Even if you don't go now, the Emperor will order you to go!"
"Have you ever met the Princess of Southern Xinjiang?" Shen Lixue nodded, her gaze slightly narrowed. For some reason, she always had a bad feeling when the Princess of Southern Xinjiang was mentioned.
“She arrived in the capital last night and went straight to the War King’s residence. Only the Imperial Uncle has seen her!” Yesterday evening, the War King originally planned to have Dongfang Heng secretly welcome the Southern Border Princess, but he declined under the pretext of taking care of Shen Lixue: “You will see her when I cast the spell tonight.”
After a pause, Dongfang Heng added, "You seem quite interested in the Southern Border Princess!"
"The Emperor of Southern Xinjiang is highly skilled in Gu magic, so his daughter must be exceptional as well. Don't you feel any affection for such a special beauty?"
Shen Lixue gave a perfunctory answer, unfolding her light blue ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress). The stitches were even and the workmanship was exquisite. The fine threads on it matched the color of the dress perfectly, as if it had been specially chosen. The size of the dress was just right for Shen Lixue!
"Dongfang Heng, how many more gifts like this do you have here?" Shen Lixue looked at him with a half-smile. These clothes were all custom-made to her size; they were hardly gifts from others.
Dongfang Heng paused in his tea-drinking motion, glancing at the cabinet to the side: "They're all in there!"
Shen Lixue rolled out of bed, walked to the cabinet with some doubt, opened the cabinet door, and a row of simple and elegant dresses in various colors appeared before her eyes. The colors and styles of the dresses were the most popular and the most suitable for Shen Lixue to wear.
Shen Lixue looked at Dongfang Heng, a strange emotion flashing in her cold eyes: "Why are you so good to me?" There are also a lot of clothes in the bamboo garden of the Prime Minister's residence, but those clothes are made of ordinary silk, which cannot be compared with these ice silk clothes at all. Moreover, these clothes are a set, with outer and inner garments.
Details can reveal a person's state of mind. Shen Minghui was completely indifferent to Shen Lixue, and he was also careless when buying things for her. But every piece of clothing in Dongfang Heng's collection was carefully chosen...
Dongfang Heng put down his teacup, gazing at Chen Lixue, a gentle light flickering in his dark eyes: "Because..."
"Your Highness, Miss Shen, the carriage is ready, we can depart!" Zi Mo appeared out of thin air at the door and respectfully reported.
Dongfang Heng's gentle gaze instantly transformed into sharp swords, shooting fiercely at Zi Mo through the curtain, his piercing eyes seeming to want to stab him full of holes.
Zi Mo was jolted awake, his eyes filled with shock. The Prince had always been calm and indifferent, never showing much emotion even in the face of momentous events. But now, he was actually angry…
"Your Highness, please wait outside for a moment. I'll be right there after I change my clothes!" Seeing Dongfang Heng's furious yet powerless expression, Shen Lixue's lips curled up, suppressing her smile. She hadn't expected that even the calm and indifferent Dongfang Heng could be so easily angered...
"Fine!" Dongfang Heng glared at Zi Mo and strode out of the house, his deep, indifferent voice seemingly suppressing his anger.
Zi Mo trembled slightly and quickly followed.
Shen Lixue smiled and shook her head. She quickly went behind the screen to bathe and change. She didn't know how to tie her hair up, so she simply tied it up and put on a hairpin and two pearl flowers.
Standing under the starry night sky, Dongfang Heng, dressed in white robes that fluttered in the wind, looked even more ethereal and otherworldly in the darkness. When Shen Lixue came out of the room, she saw him gazing intently at the night sky, his beautiful facial features so striking that it was impossible to look away.