“Alright, I don’t understand emotions, but I do understand the ways of officialdom.” Prime Minister Li knew his grandson well; he was stubborn, and once he made a decision, no one could change it. Forcing him would only make him resentful, so he adopted a gentler approach, patiently persuading him:
"If you want to ascend the throne, your biggest enemy is the Crown Prince. You have the support of our Prime Minister's Mansion, and the Crown Prince also has the Duke's Mansion as his backing. The two of you are evenly matched. If you were to compete, it would be difficult to determine a winner in a short time."
"Dongfang Heng is the Prince of Anjun of the Holy King's Mansion, commanding hundreds of thousands of troops. He is also the son-in-law of the Prince of War. Although the Prince of War has gone far away, his influence remains. Dongfang Heng is in the court, and while he may not be able to command a hundred responses, he has many followers around him."
"The Crown Prince has been secretly trying to win over Dongfang Heng. He hasn't given his mind or made any statement because he doesn't want to get involved in the struggle for the throne. If you provoke him at this time and try to steal his wife, you're essentially forcing him to side with the Crown Prince. If the Crown Prince and Dongfang Heng join forces, they can mobilize two-thirds of Qingyan's manpower and resources. Their power is unstoppable. How could you possibly deal with them on your own?"
Dongfang Zhan's eyes turned cold, and his large hand clenched into a fist. He had already thought of everything Prime Minister Li had said. If he insisted on taking the person by force, the consequences would be unimaginable. However, he was unwilling! He was really unwilling!
"Dongfang Heng's neutrality is a good thing for you. You just need to stay calm, bring down the Crown Prince, and Qingyan will be yours." Prime Minister Li's tone was firm, painting a bright future:
"Once you become emperor, all the civil and military officials of Qingyan, as well as the common people, will listen to you. At that time, you can concentrate on dealing with the Holy King's Mansion, find any excuse to confiscate it, and kill Dongfang Heng. Who will dare to say anything then?"
"A small act of impatience can ruin a great plan. To destroy your brilliant life for the sake of personal feelings for your children is the most cowardly and incompetent thing to do. I don't want you to follow in your mother's footsteps and ruin yourself..."
"Grandfather!" Dongfang Zhan interrupted Prime Minister Li angrily, his brows furrowed, his large hands clenched tightly, his face grim. He would never follow in his mother's footsteps.
Prime Minister Li suddenly realized he had misspoke, coughed awkwardly a few times, and continued to warn Dongfang Zhan: "As a prince, you have long been accustomed to the cold-bloodedness of the palace, you should understand this principle, so why have you suddenly become confused?"
"Go back and think it over carefully. If you can't figure it out, don't come back to see me!" Prime Minister Li flicked his sleeves, turned around, and strode out of the living room without looking back. Basking in the warm sunlight, he sighed softly.
Why did he bring her up again? Do old people bring up old things in a fit of anger? No, it's Zhan'er's personality. Zhan'er's experiences are too similar to hers. Being infatuated won't bring them happiness; it will only plunge them into an abyss of no return.
Dongfang Zhan also walked out of the living room, his face terribly gloomy. The warm sunlight could not melt the coldness on his face. He clenched his fists tighter and tighter. He was stronger than his mother and knew how to fight for himself. He would never follow in his mother's footsteps.
Grandpa is right. If he wants to be emperor, he should let Dongfang Heng go for now and deal with the crown prince. Once he becomes emperor, even if Dongfang Heng has three heads and six arms, he will have to obediently bow down to him. Killing Dongfang Heng will be a piece of cake for him.
Inside the room, Li Fangguang lay on the bed with his bare back exposed, wincing in pain. Several crisscrossing wounds covered his back, a truly shocking sight. His grandfather had really gone too far, showing no mercy whatsoever. His back was in excruciating pain; it must be ripped to shreds.
A beautiful maid stood by the bed, carefully applying ointment to him. Li Fan glanced to the side and saw the woman's full breasts. His eyes gleamed with lust, and he no longer felt the pain in his back.
Being beaten up but having a beautiful woman by his side isn't so bad. Just as he was about to pull the woman down and ravage her, a servant rushed in and said urgently, "Young master, the secret guards have sent word that they've discovered hidden properties under the Holy King's Mansion!"
"Really!" Li Fan's eyes lit up, and he pushed the woman aside. "Tell me quickly, what kinds of industries are they?"
He was not convinced that he had been defeated by Shen Lixue. His grandfather always scolded him for being idle, lazy, stupid and useless. So he decided to do something earth-shattering to show his grandfather that he, Li Fan, was no ordinary person. In the Li Prime Minister's Mansion, even a tiger has no dog grandson!
In the private room of Zuixianlou, the aroma of food wafted through the air, making one's mouth water. Shen Lixue, dressed in a light green high-necked Xiang dress, sat at the round table, eating slowly and deliberately. A semi-transparent silk scarf was wrapped around her neck, and faint traces could be seen under the scarf.
As Dongfang Heng ate his meal, he would occasionally glance at Shen Lixue's neck, his smile growing wider.
"Are you still laughing?" Shen Lixue turned her head suddenly and saw the teasing look in his eyes that hadn't faded yet. The anger in her chest flared up. If he hadn't been so engrossed in his lovemaking that he had left pink hickeys all over her neck, which were still very noticeable even with powder, she wouldn't have needed to wear a scarf.
"Why aren't you wearing a turtleneck?" Dongfang Heng suppressed a laugh and looked at the food on the table.
"It's not cold yet, wearing a turtleneck will only make people laugh!" Shen Lixue replied irritably, treating the food like Dongfang Heng, chewing it heartily, her teeth grinding loudly.
"Tonight, I'll be gentle and try not to leave any hickeys on your neck!" Dongfang Heng whispered intimately in Shen Lixue's ear, and considerately filled her bowl with food.
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow. She had only been awake for a few hours, and if they continued like this into the night, she would be exhausted: "We must rest tonight, otherwise, we'll sleep in separate rooms!"
Dongfang Heng's deep eyes instantly darkened: "Sleep separately? You dare?" They had only been married a short time, and he had developed a habit of holding her to sleep at night. She actually wanted to sleep in a separate room from him.
Shen Lixue glared at Dongfang Heng: "If you don't believe me, just try it!"
Dongfang Heng's gaze narrowed slightly as a brilliant idea formed in his mind. Just as he was about to speak, a series of exclamations rang out from outside the door: "Something terrible has happened! Someone's dead! Someone's dead..."
Immediately afterwards, a heart-wrenching wail rang out: "My poor husband, you died so tragically..."
"What happened?" The guests who were dining came out of the private room to see what was going on.
Shen Lixue put down her chopsticks, walked out with a puzzled look, and stood in front of the railing, looking down at the hall. Near the entrance, a middle-aged man of about thirty lay motionless, his eyes closed. Beside him, a well-dressed middle-aged woman knelt, weeping bitterly.
"Your Drunken Immortal Restaurant is a total rip-off! My husband was perfectly fine when he came in, but after eating only half of his meal, he was poisoned to death..."
The middle-aged woman's grief-stricken accusation struck like a thunderbolt, leaving everyone stunned for a long time. Someone had died from the food at Zuixianlou? Recalling the food they had just devoured, the guests were all on edge, wondering if their own food might also be contaminated.
A gentle breeze blew by, and Shen Lixue smelled the familiar scent of pine. Dongfang Heng looked coldly at the middle-aged couple and said, word by word, "The food at Zuixianlou will never kill anyone!"
Shen Lixue looked at Dongfang Heng in surprise: "Drunken Immortal Pavilion is yours?" Dongfang Heng never liked to meddle in other people's business. If it were someone else's, he wouldn't have looked at the couple so coldly, nor would he have been so certain in his tone.
Dongfang Heng remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement.
The hall was in an uproar as countless guests rushed to the counter, asking, "Manager, what's going on?"
"Give us an explanation."
"How could perfectly good food kill someone?"
"Could there be poison in the food we eat?"
The innkeeper, feeling dizzy from the noise, shouted, "Guests, please calm down!"
"People are dying from this food poisoning, how can we remain calm..."
"This rip-off shop should be smashed up to prevent it from harming people again!"
"Report to the authorities! Report to the authorities! Shut down this shady establishment!"
Someone yelled, which provoked a reaction from everyone. People all over the hall grabbed stools and started smashing them against the tables. Tabletops were smashed, cups and plates fell to the ground and shattered. The sounds of crashing and breaking, along with the screams of the female guests, were particularly eerie.
"Stop!" Shen Lixue shouted angrily. With a light leap, her body glided down from the second floor and landed gently on the ground. She flicked her cyan whip in mid-air, and a crisp cracking sound startled the crowd who were smashing things.
Dongfang Heng wanted to come down and resolve the matter, but she stopped him. It's better for her to handle such a small matter.
"Who are you?" The middle-aged woman was so shocked that she forgot to cry. It took her a long time to react before she angrily asked Shen Lixue.
"Princess Consort of Anjun, Shen Lixue!" Shen Lixue's clear and cold voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough to carry throughout the entire hall. It wasn't that she wanted to show off her status, but rather that public anger was about to rise, and she had to use her status to suppress them and make them listen to her explanation.