"Miss!" Shen Lixue let them pass, and Ye Qianlong's sharp gaze softened. The young lady hesitated for a moment, then tried to step forward, but was tightly pulled back by the maid beside her, who frantically shook her head at her, "Miss, don't go over there!"
"It's alright!" Qianjin gently patted the maid's arm, signaling her to relax. She coughed lightly, walked gracefully forward, and placed a jade pendant in Shen Lixue's hand. Her tired eyes were full of determination: "I will never forget your life-saving grace, Miss. Please accept this jade pendant!"
"Alright!" With corpses scattered all over the ground, Shen Lixue needed to call someone to deal with it. It wasn't convenient with outsiders present. The young lady's attitude was sincere, and her desire to repay the favor was firm. If she didn't accept the jade pendant, the young lady wouldn't leave.
"Thank you!" The young lady smiled gently, her eyes sparkling, and the sickly look between her brows made people feel sorry for her.
"Miss, let's go. If we go back too late, Master and Madam will worry!" Seeing that the young lady and Shen Lixue were chatting very congenially, the maid was startled. She hurriedly stepped forward, took the young lady's arm, and rushed forward in a panic. This young couple was too scary. It was best for them to stay far away and avoid getting involved.
Qianjin bid farewell to Shen Lixue and, with the gentle support of her maid, quickly disappeared into the dark night. Shen Lixue turned to look at Ye Qianlong: "Weren't you poisoned just now? How come you're alright so quickly?"
"I forced the poison out..." Ye Qianlong said in a low voice, a metallic taste suddenly rising in his throat. He quickly shut his mouth and stopped talking, secretly circulating his internal energy to suppress the churning blood and qi, his lips showing an unnatural paleness.
Seeing Ye Qianlong's pale face, Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow: "Qianlong, are you alright?"
Ye Qianlong shook his head, a slight smile appearing on his lips: "It's nothing!" His clear gaze passed through Shen Lixue and saw that a man in black on the ground had actually come back to life. His eyes flashed with an eerie light as he shot a hidden weapon at Shen Lixue.
"Li Xue, be careful!" Ye Qianlong was suppressing his injuries and unable to throw the hidden weapon away. He reached out and pulled Shen Li Xue behind him, while the hidden weapon shot straight at Ye Qianlong.
"Clang!" A silver light shot out, so fast that no one could react in time. A pebble shot out from nowhere and hit the silver light hard, knocking the hidden weapon away. A tall, slender white figure appeared in front of the two. Looking at the annoying hand on Shen Lixue's arm, his sharp eyes were filled with anger.
Shen Lixue was taken aback: "Dongfang Heng." Actually, she wanted to ask, "Why are you here in the middle of the night?" But seeing Dongfang Heng's unpleasant expression, she didn't ask.
Dongfang Heng's sharp gaze swept over the corpses scattered on the ground before finally settling on Ye Qianlong. He asked coldly, "What happened?"
Ye Qianlong lowered his head and said softly, "Li Xue, I'm sorry!"
Shen Lixue was taken aback at first, then realized that the assassination attempt just now might not be a coincidence: "Qianlong, why did you think of bringing me here to grill fish?" According to what Qianlong said, this was his second time coming to the stream, but his movements when peeling fish were very smooth and skillful, as if he had done it many times before.
“A guard taught me.” Ye Qianlong looked up at Shen Lixue, his eyes clear as a spring: “He said this is Lovers’ Stream, and grilling fish here will please you!”
Shen Lixue: "..."
Dongfang Heng's face was so black it was almost dripping ink. Ye Qianlong actually expressed his love for his sweetheart right in front of him: "Guards, escort Crown Prince Ye back to the post station. Protect him closely and bring that guard to me!"
"Yes!" Several guards appeared beside Ye Qianlong. Ye Qianlong showed no hostility or resistance. He simply looked at Shen Lixue quietly and said in a low voice, "I'm sorry!" He didn't know it was someone else's trap, and he never expected that he would almost hurt Shen Lixue.
Shen Lixue smiled lightly, downplaying the seriousness of the matter: "I'm not injured, so don't feel guilty. Don't believe what others say indiscriminately in the future!" Today's events were indeed premeditated; even the guards at the post station had been infiltrated by them.
"I know!" Shen Lixue didn't blame him, and Ye Qianlong breathed a sigh of relief, nodded heavily, and then fell silent.
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow; Qianlong seemed a little off: "Qianlong, are you really alright?"
"It's nothing!" Ye Qianlong shook his head, a slight smile appearing on his lips, his face growing even paler.
Dongfang Heng looked at Shen Lixue, his handsome face becoming even more gloomy. She actually called him Qianlong again: "Send Ye Qianlong back to the post station!"
"Li Xue, I'm leaving!" Ye Qianlong gave Shen Li Xue a deep look, then turned and left with the guards.
"Be careful on the road!" Shen Lixue reminded him, frowning slightly. Ye Qianlong's behavior just now was a bit strange.
The guards were cleaning up the bodies back and forth. Dongfang Heng looked at Shen Lixue with a grim expression: "Ye Qianlong has a special identity. Someone in Qingyan wants to harm him. Don't be alone with him!"
What he really wanted to say was that if you stay away from Ye Qianlong, you will be safe; if you get close to Ye Qianlong, you will be in danger of being killed at any time.
"Don't worry, after this incident, Ye Qianlong won't leave the inn again before the Xiliang envoy arrives!" Those men in black knew Ye Qianlong well; they knew he was highly skilled in martial arts but not vigilant enough. So they used poison gas to make him lose all his internal energy, rendering him unable to use his martial arts and making it easier for them to assassinate him...
"Dongfang Heng, what are you doing here?" This is the outskirts of the capital, and very few people come here after nightfall. Shen Lixue doesn't believe that Dongfang Heng came here for a walk after dinner.
"I had some business to attend to, so I came to the stream!" Dongfang Heng would never tell her that he had read a letter that said Shen Lixue and Ye Qianlong were having a secret rendezvous here, and he had come here in a fit of anger to teach a certain Ye surname person a lesson for stealing his love and overestimating himself.
Shen Lixue and Ye Qianlong were assassinated, which was unexpected. A certain person surnamed Ye suffered severe internal injuries. The woman beside him, who had low emotional intelligence, did not understand internal energy and did not notice it. He did not point it out, so as not to make her feel guilty and rush to see the person surnamed Ye.
Shen Lixue looked around at the empty surroundings, pursed her lips, and thought, "What business does Dongfang Heng have to come to this empty place in the middle of the night? Even a lie wouldn't be convincing."
"Your Highness, these assassins are the same group that assassinated Prince Qianlong before!" A guard stepped forward and respectfully reported.
Dongfang Heng narrowed his sharp eyes: "It seems those assassins have been lurking in the shadows, waiting for their chance to strike. They have quite the patience!"
A guard appeared out of nowhere and reported: "Your Highness, the guard who persuaded Prince Qianlong to come to the stream got drunk a quarter of an hour ago, fell down the stairs, and died!"
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow: "You've really cleaned your hands. The witness was killed, and all the clues have gone cold!"
Dongfang Heng's gaze sharpened: "As long as Ye Qianlong is alive, they will seize the opportunity to make their move!" As long as they make a move, they will give themselves away. The mastermind behind the scenes is very cunning. It will take some effort to catch him.
A night breeze blew by, bringing a chill. Shen Lixue tightened her clothes, and Dongfang Heng took off his own coat and draped it over her shoulders: "It's late, I'll take you back to your residence!"
“Okay!” Shen Lixue nodded, her mind preoccupied with the assassin’s matter, and she didn’t notice the gentleness and care in Dongfang Heng’s words.
"How long until the envoy from Xiliang Kingdom arrives at Qingyan?" In the night, Shen Lixue walked slowly, her white outer robe loose and large, yet it showed her a unique charm. Dongfang Heng beside her wore only a white inner robe, and he was still as elegant and peerless as ever.
"Ye Qianlong's news has already been reported to the Emperor of Xiliang, and he has also sent people. They should be arriving in Qingyan soon!" As for the exact time they will arrive in the capital, Dongfang Heng cannot predict it for the time being.
"The assassins have tried to kill Ye Qianlong time and time again. Their purpose is definitely not just to provoke a war between the two countries!" Shen Lixue personally experienced each assassination attempt. Their moves and ruthlessness were unimaginable.
"Yes, I thought of that too!" Dongfang Heng nodded. The superb martial arts skills of the assassins could not be acquired overnight. They must have undergone special training over a long period of time. The mastermind behind the scenes was very patient and his identity was definitely not simple.
Suddenly, Shen Lixue stopped and looked in a direction with her cold gaze. Dongfang Heng looked over in confusion. More than ten meters away, a young man was standing next to a dilapidated carriage, carrying baskets of things back and forth. The baskets were not covered, and by the light of the fire on the carriage, it was vaguely visible that they were filled with vegetables.
The basket was large and heavy. The young man was panting heavily after carrying it for only a couple of steps. Just as he stopped to wipe his sweat, a burly man got off the carriage, kicked him hard, and knocked him to the ground, yelling viciously, "Hurry up! I still have a long way to go!"
"Yes, yes, yes..." the young man replied repeatedly, quickly standing up. He didn't bother to wipe the dust off his body and used all his strength to carry the basket. The basket was probably too heavy, because he was so tired that he frowned deeply.
Shen Lixue curled her lips into a cold smile. She never thought he would have this day!
The man carrying the basket was none other than Mu Zhengnan, who had been released from prison after performing meritorious service. However, at this moment, he was dressed in dirty and disheveled clothes, with messy hair, and looked extremely disheveled, completely different from the refined and elegant man he used to be.
"Mu Zhengnan was demoted to a commoner. Although he was released from prison for meritorious service, he was ordered not to participate in the imperial examination!" Mu Zhengnan had a connection with Shen Lixue, and Dongfang Heng secretly ordered people to keep an eye on him, so they knew his every move.