Shen Lixue frowned: In broad daylight, Dongfang Zhan had no reason to follow the two of them. Even if he were, he wouldn't use such a foolish method. The only possibility is that he was also going to a banquet at the Prince of Huai's residence.
Dongfang Heng seemed unaware of the person behind him, and walked straight ahead, tightening his grip on Shen Lixue's shoulders. He successfully sensed the gaze coming from behind, which grew even more furious.
"Brother Heng, Sister-in-law Li, you've finally arrived!" At the entrance of the Prince of Huai's mansion, Dongfang Yu'er, dressed in red, greeted them with a smile. She had been standing there for almost half an hour, and her legs were about to ache. Finally, she saw the two of them. Her ambiguous gaze lingered on them. They must have gotten up late this morning to arrive so late.
"Yu'er, why are you waiting at the door?" Dongfang Yu'er is a princess, of noble status, and does not need to stand at the door to greet guests.
"I was bored in my room, so I came to welcome you!" Dongfang Yu'er said with a smile, her eyes sparkling when she saw the silk fan in Shen Lixue's hand: "What a beautiful fan! Where did you buy it?"
"It's right on the main street ahead!" Shen Lixue pointed in the direction they came from. Seeing that she was staring intently at the fan, she smiled gently, closed the fan, and handed it to her: "Here, this is for you. I'll buy another one when I get back!"
"No, no, no." Dongfang Yu'er hurriedly waved her hand: "How could I take away a fan you like? I'll have someone buy one!"
At this moment, a servant came over: "Prince An, Prince Zhan, and Prince Huai are in the study!"
"I'll go to the study first!" Dongfang Heng put down his arm from Shen Lixue's shoulder and glanced at Dongfang Yu'er.
Dongfang Yu'er hurriedly assured, "I will take care of my cousin-in-law, don't worry!" Her tone was sincere, and her words were firm, almost as if she were swearing an oath to the heavens.
Shen Lixue raised the corners of her mouth. Dongfang Yu'er was waiting at the door. Was it Dongfang Heng who asked her to take care of her?
She was a woman and mostly met female elders, while Dongfang Heng was a man and would visit male elders. During the banquet, the two would be separated for a long time. She had never met the family members of the Prince of Huai's mansion, so to avoid making her feel awkward, he asked Dongfang Yu'er to take care of her. Dongfang Heng was truly thoughtful.
Dongfang Heng strode forward on the bluestone path. As Dongfang Zhan passed by Shen Lixue, he gave her a meaningful look before heading towards the study.
“Sister-in-law, the banquet won’t start for another half an hour. Let me show you around the Prince Huai’s mansion!” Dongfang Yu’er looked at Shen Lixue with sparkling eyes.
“Alright!” Shen Lixue nodded. Noble families have different personalities, and the scenery of their mansions is also different. Shen Minghui’s Prime Minister’s Mansion, War King’s Mansion, and Holy King’s Mansion are of similar status and position, but the scenery is vastly different. The Huai King’s Mansion is shaded by green trees and has all kinds of pavilions and towers. The scenery is beautiful, but it does not have much in common with the Holy King’s Mansion and War King’s Mansion.
Before they knew it, Shen Lixue and Dongfang Yu'er arrived at a rockery. Looking at the pool of clear water behind the rockery, Dongfang Yu'er's eyes lit up: "Sister-in-law, wait here, I'll go get the freshest fruit!"
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow: "Where do we get it?"
"Right here!" Dongfang Yu'er leaped lightly, her slender figure landing at the very bottom of the artificial hill. She moved a stone aside, and suddenly, a narrow path, barely wide enough for one person to pass through, appeared before her.
Dongfang Yu'er bent down and slowly walked inside.
"Be careful!" Shen Lixue warned.
"I know!" Dongfang Yu'er's reply carried a faint, muffled echo; the stone chamber for storing fruit was definitely large enough.
The maids of the Prince of Huai's mansion were busy setting up the banquet. It was quiet by the rockery, not a single person in sight. Shen Lixue gently fanned herself with a silk fan and looked at the shimmering lake surface. The warm sunlight shone down, scattering golden light.
Suddenly, a lewd laugh rang out: "Young master, young master, look over there!"
"Wow, what a stunning beauty!" the man said, rubbing his hands together in a hoarse voice.
Shen Lixue glanced to the side and saw a young man walking quickly toward her, surrounded by several servants. The man had a handsome appearance, but his behavior was extremely unrefined. He was like a monk who had been abstinent for a long time, who had met an eighteen-year-old virgin. Every move he made was frivolous and eager. He was a typical aristocratic young master who was up to no good.
"Young lady, are you alone? Why don't I keep you company for a while?" The man directed his servants to surround Shen Lixue. His gleaming eyes scanned Shen Lixue's body without any attempt to hide, landing on her full breasts. His sharp gaze seemed to pierce through the layers of clothing, trying to see the most authentic beauty.
"Get out!" Shen Lixue's eyelids were sullen, and her voice was as cold as ice.
"You're quite the little firecracker, not bad, not bad, I like you!" The man laughed instead of getting angry, his gaze on Shen Lixue becoming even more intense: "Look at the sun so high in the sky, and you're still wearing such a thick Xiang skirt, you must be very hot. Come, come, let me help you take it off!"
The man grinned lecherously, rolled up his sleeves, and reached out to grab Shen Lixue's sash.
"Slap!" A loud slap landed hard on the man's face, making him spin twice and stagger several times before finally stopping. His head was spinning, his cheek was burning, his eyes were flashing with golden light, and he could see double.
"Young Master, Young Master!" The servants rushed over and helped the man up. Looking at the red handprint on the man's face, their lips twitched. This woman was really bold, daring to hit their young master.
The man touched his swollen cheek, his gaze towards Shen Lixue filled with resentment: "You lot, hold her down! Today, I'm going to taste what she's really like!"
"Yes!" The servants, their small eyes gleaming, swarmed forward to grab Chen Lixue.
Shen Lixue smiled coldly, flipped her wrist, and lashed out with her cyan whip, which drew a graceful arc in the air before striking the servants hard.
"Crack! Crack! Crack!" Wherever the long whip passed, all the servants were sent flying. The crisp sound was particularly loud next to the quiet rockery, startling a flock of birds.
The man covered his swollen face, looked at the servant lying on the ground, writhing and groaning in pain, then looked at Shen Lixue holding a long whip, and asked in astonishment: "You are Dongfang Yu'er?"
Shen Lixue was taken aback, then realized that the man only knew that Dongfang Yu'er knew about whips, and when he saw her hitting people with a whip, he assumed that she was Dongfang Yu'er.
"I am not Dongfang Yu'er!"
The man's lips curled into a smile, and the worry in his eyes vanished instantly. His gaze towards Chen Lixue became even more mocking: "I knew it! It's only been a year, but you look completely different from before. So you're not her!"
The man narrowed his eyes, the light in his eyes growing stronger. She wasn't Dongfang Yu'er, so he could do whatever he wanted without restraint!
Rolling up his sleeves, the man's eyes flashed with a glint of light. With a light tap of his toes, he charged towards Shen Lixue. He was also a martial artist, and his skills were quite good. He was confident he could handle this ungrateful woman. He had been caught off guard when she slapped him earlier, which allowed her to succeed. This time, he was giving it his all and was determined to subdue her.
Seeing the man rushing towards her, Shen Lixue smiled coldly and kicked him hard.
At this moment, Dongfang Yu'er came out of the artificial hill carrying a basket of fresh fruit. She was about to invite Shen Lixue to eat when she saw her kick a man four or five meters away. He fell heavily to the ground, followed by a pig-like scream.
Dongfang Yu'er's lips twitched. She rushed forward and, upon seeing the face of the man lying on the ground, her eyes widened in surprise: "Li Fan, how is it you?"
"Dong... Dongfang Yu'er, she kicked me!" The man named Li Fan pointed at Shen Lixue, making a false accusation.
Dongfang Yu'er sneered: "Li Fan, don't think I don't know the dirty things you've done in secret. You were sent to the countryside and locked up for a year, and you didn't even reflect on your mistakes. A leopard can't change its spots, and you're back to harassing people. She kicked you, and you deserved it. You're lucky she didn't kill you!"
As she spoke, she kicked him several times, causing him to howl in pain again. He glared at Dongfang Yu'er and gritted his teeth, saying, "Dongfang Yu'er!"
Dongfang Yu'er raised her head and said arrogantly, "My father didn't invite you, so what are you doing at the Prince of Huai's residence?"
"I have urgent business with my cousin!" Li Fan said resentfully.
"Your cousin?" Dongfang Yu'er was taken aback: "Brother Zhan is in my father's study..."