"Snap!" A small piece of the chessboard broke off from its surface and fell to the ground.
Shen Lixue was taken aback. Normal chessboards are whole; if they break, they break completely. But the chessboard in her hand was like a container, with a bottom and a lid. Lei Hong's sword had smashed the lid, but the bottom remained intact.
Countless pieces of the chessboard fell to the ground with a rustling sound, revealing what was supposed to be the bottom of the box. The bottom of the box was not a single piece, but was divided into small squares, and in each square, black unidentified objects were moving rapidly.
"So this chessboard is actually a Gu altar! You hid the Gu here!" Shen Lixue sneered. No wonder the guards searched the entire Grand Commandant's mansion but couldn't find the Gu altar or the Gu worms. Who would have thought that he would turn the chessboard into a Gu altar and openly use it to play chess right under the guards' noses?
Commander Lei was indeed cunning, treacherous, and sly.
"Shen Lixue!" Lei Hong instantly flew into a rage, his eyes turning bloodshot. He roared and unleashed a fierce palm strike towards Shen Lixue.
Lei Hong came on fiercely, and Shen Lixue dared not meet him head-on. Holding the chessboard, she lightly leaped to the doorway of the living room. Lei Taiwei, who was hiding behind the door, quietly pushed open the door. Looking at Shen Lixue, whose back was to him, his eyes turned cold, and he plunged a dagger with a sharp glint into her back.
Shen Lixue sensed a gust of wind coming from behind her, smiled coldly, stretched her slender leg back, and kicked Lei Taiwei hard in the chest.
Lei Taiwei was kicked two or three meters away. He staggered to his feet, his mouth wide open, his hand on his chest, breathing rapidly.
With limited space in the living room, Shen Lixue's long whip didn't have much room to maneuver. Just as Lei Hong's killing move was about to strike, she was about to grab her dagger when a sharp gust of wind came from behind her, passing over her and striking directly at Lei Hong.
Caught off guard, Lei Hong was struck hard in the chest by the powerful internal force. He was sent flying several meters away, crashing into the wall, and then bounced back, falling heavily to the ground. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his chest heaving, and he had no strength left in his body.
Shen Lixue turned around and saw Dongfang Heng walking forward with a cold expression under the bright lights. His white robes fluttered against the black sky, exuding an indescribable elegance and nobility: "Dongfang Heng, thank you!"
Dongfang Heng walked to the door, looked at the mess in the room, and his handsome face darkened slightly: "Why did you act alone? Don't you know that Lei Hong and Grand Commandant Lei are both treacherous and cunning people?"
"Time is of the essence, I didn't have time to inform you!" Shen Lixue blinked, her clear eyes looking utterly innocent.
Hearing the sounds of fighting, the guards all rushed over and flooded into the living room.
Lei Hong and Grand Commandant Lei were both seriously injured and had no power to resist the numerous guards. They were furious and were roughly grabbed, their arms were tied behind their backs and bound with ropes.
Dongfang Heng looked down to check if Shen Lixue was injured. When he saw the chessboard in her hand without its lid and the small black insect on it, his gaze sharpened: "What are you holding...?"
“The Gu altar and the Gu worms.” Shen Lixue shook the chessboard: “You didn’t expect Grand Commandant Lei to have such strange ideas, did you?” If the guards had used their normal search methods, they wouldn’t have found any Gu even after a year.
"His intentions are indeed strange!" Dongfang Heng nodded, a cold glint flashing in his dark eyes. "Grand Commandant Lei really knows how to hide things."
"Chen Lixue, have you found the Gu?" Nangong Xiao walked in, waving his fan, a charming smile on his devilish face.
Shen Lixue nodded, turned to look at Lei Hong and Lei Taiwei, and said arrogantly, "There is still more than an hour until dawn. I have won this round!"
"I've been clever all my life, but I never thought I'd fall into your hands!" Due to the struggle just now, Lei Taiwei's clothes were a little disheveled, his hair was slightly messy, and his breathing was not yet stable. However, he refused to lose face and coldly looked at Shen Lixue. The Gu poison had been found in public, and he could no longer deny it.
Shen Lixue smiled coldly: "Good and evil will eventually be rewarded. You have done so many bad things, it was only a matter of time before your true colors were exposed!"
Grand Commandant Lei looked up at the sky, his tone arrogant: "I am a veteran of two dynasties, diligent and conscientious, and devoted to the country. Even if I have committed such a serious crime, the Emperor will punish me leniently!"
"Grand Commandant Lei, it is the Emperor who convicted you. Threats are useless to me. You should save your energy to plead with the Emperor!" Grand Commandant Lei poisoned Prince Liang and framed Duke Wu. Shen Lixue did not believe that the Emperor would show him leniency and punish him lightly.
"Take him away quickly, take him away quickly." Nangong Xiao waved his hand to direct the guards, a hint of impatience flashing in his eyes, and muttered under his breath, "His old face is really ugly!"
The guards escorted Grand Commandant Lei Hong out of the living room.
Nangong Xiao leaned closer and whispered mysteriously, "Shen Lixue, congratulations on beating that cunning old fox!"
"I wonder what crime the Emperor will sentence him to!" Shen Lixue said calmly, handing the chessboard containing the poison to the guard.
“Plotting against a royal prince and framing the Duke of Wu are both capital crimes. He won’t get away with this…” Nangong Xiao gently shook his folding fan, his wicked eyes turning cold.
Dongfang Zhan stood outside the door, his gentle smile as warm as a spring breeze. Looking at Shen Lixue's confident and beautiful profile, the corners of his mouth slightly turned up. She actually found such a hidden place to hide the Gu. She is indeed clever.
"Cough cough cough!" Dongfang Heng's throat suddenly felt dry and parched, and he coughed softly.
"Dongfang Heng, are you alright?" Shen Lixue was startled and gently touched his forehead with the back of her hand. His body temperature was still relatively normal for the time being. Dongfang Heng's heart meridian was very weak, and he was not suitable for fighting. He had used his internal energy to help her just now, which might cause his old injuries to relapse.
"I'm fine!" Dongfang Heng stopped coughing, his lips unnaturally pale.
"Have a cup of tea to soothe your throat, and you won't have a dry cough!" Nangong Xiao glanced at the teacups and teapot on the table and reminded Shen Lixue and Dongfang Heng.
“Things from the Grand Commandant’s residence are not safe. I have tea in my carriage!” Shen Lixue took Dongfang Heng’s arm and helped him walk slowly outside.
Nangong Xiao abruptly stopped waving his fan, blinked hard, and looked again. Under the bright lights, Shen Lixue and Dongfang Heng walked side by side, like a couple. They were surprisingly well-matched, their arms linked together naturally, without the slightest awkwardness, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
When did these two become so close?
The night was cool and still. Shen Lixue supported Dongfang Heng as they walked slowly forward. She wondered if it was just her imagination, but his body seemed to grow heavier and heavier.
Shen Lixue's gaze sharpened. The warning signs of Dongfang Heng's illness were a violent cough and a feeling of heaviness in his body. Unconsciously, she quickened her pace.
"Why are you walking so fast?" Dongfang Heng noticed something was wrong and looked down at Shen Lixue.
"I'm hungry, and I want to get to the carriage to have some snacks as soon as possible!" Shen Lixue blinked and casually gave a reason.
Dongfang Heng's gaze sharpened, and he put his arm around Shen Lixue's shoulder, quickly walking onto the bluestone path leading out of the mansion.
A moment later, the two arrived outside. Dongfang Heng first helped Shen Lixue into the carriage, and then he stepped in. As he entered the carriage, Shen Lixue poured him a cup of tea and handed it to him: "Have a cup of tea to soothe your throat!"
"Alright!" The tea was lukewarm, neither hot nor cold. Dongfang Heng took it and drank it all in one gulp. His forehead throbbed slightly. He gently pulled Shen Lixue into his arms and instructed the coachman, "To the palace!"
The coachman agreed and whipped the carriage to go.
In the still of the night, the carriage traveled swiftly and unimpeded, arriving at the palace in no time.
The guards escorted the seriously injured and disheveled Grand Commandant Lei Hong, who knelt in the center of the imperial study. Minister Qian and others stood to one side, their bodies trembling slightly, panicked, their eyes occasionally glancing at the cold and dignified emperor.
"Your Majesty!" A guard stepped forward and presented the Gu plate to the emperor.
"Grand Commandant Lei, what else do you have to say!" Looking at the Gu poison in the dish, the emperor's face was terribly gloomy. Grand Commandant Lei actually raised Gu poison and poisoned Prince Liang!