"Good!" The Holy King looked out the window. The golden sun rose higher and higher above the horizon, its bright sunlight warmly shining on the earth. He gently rubbed his brow with his slender fingers. "You all stayed up all night too. Get some rest!"
Dongfang Heng carefully closed the door, gently put his arm around Shen Lixue's shoulder, and walked along the bluestone path. His gaze was as deep as a pool, and he lowered his voice and said, "My mother's death is definitely related to the Duke of Mu's mansion!"
In my memory, my mother was a beautiful and gentle woman. Just as the Holy King said, she was kind-hearted and had never offended anyone. The man in black killed her to take revenge on the Holy King, wanting him to lose his beloved and suffer a fate worse than death. This is very much in line with the ruthlessness of the people of the Duke of Mu's mansion.
However, when the Holy King was in Qingyan, the border he guarded was between Qingyan and Subei. When he attacked cities and swept through enemy camps, he was fighting against the people of Subei, which had nothing to do with Xiliang. So why did the people of the Duke of Mu's mansion hate him so much?
“The Duke of Mu’s family hates Father and harms Mother. Perhaps there are special reasons. We can devise a plan to test them!” Shen Lixue leaned lightly on Dongfang Heng’s shoulder, a cold glint flashing in her beautiful eyes.
Dongfang Heng looked at Shen Lixue: "Do you have a good plan?"
Shen Lixue blinked, tiptoed, and whispered a few words in Dongfang Heng's ear. Dongfang Heng's gaze deepened: "Is this plan feasible?"
“If my guess is correct, this plan is absolutely feasible!” Shen Lixue looked at Dongfang Heng with a serious expression.
Dongfang Heng frowned, pondering the feasibility of his plan. The warm sun shone down, casting a golden halo around him, hazy and indescribably beautiful. After a moment, he looked up at Shen Lixue: "As you say." If Lixue guessed wrong, it would only be a waste of a few hours; if she guessed right, the mastermind behind it all would be revealed.
Shen Lixue smiled gently. The truth of the matter dealt a heavy blow to Dongfang Heng. His mother, who loved him dearly, was pushed off a cliff and died a cruel death. He harbored hatred in his heart and would definitely agree to her plan.
Looking up at the clear blue sky, he said, "It's still early. We can have a meal first, rest for a while, and then get to work."
After a busy night and without having eaten breakfast, they were starving. When the sumptuous meal was served, sweet and sour fish, braised pork, big plate chicken, and Mapo tofu, the aroma of the food wafted over, making their mouths water.
As Shen Lixue smelled the fragrance, a wave of discomfort rose in her stomach, and she felt a tightness and unease in her chest.
Dongfang Heng picked up a piece of braised pork with his chopsticks and put it in Shen Lixue's bowl: "Lixue, you seem to have lost weight. Eat more meat and take good care of yourself!"
"Okay!" Shen Lixue nodded, picked up the braised pork and put it in her mouth. The delicious meat was as fragrant and tasty as usual, but after smelling the aroma, she not only lost her appetite, but her stomach churned. She threw down her chopsticks and hurriedly ran behind the screen.
"Li Xue, what's wrong?" Dongfang Heng was taken aback, put down his chopsticks, and quickly followed behind the screen.
Shen Lixue stood in front of the copper basin, her face pale and bloodless. She felt nauseous but couldn't vomit anything, and her beautiful eyes were filled with tears.
"Li Xue, what's wrong?" Dongfang Heng gently patted Shen Li Xue's back to ease her discomfort and considerately handed her a glass of warm water.
Shen Lixue took the warm water, tilted her head back and drank it. Her stomach felt much better. She leaned weakly against Dongfang Heng's chest, feeling lazy and unwilling to move. Her voice was also a little weak: "It's nothing, I probably just caught a cold."
She was very cold when she got up last night. She only put on a single layer of clothing and got out of bed. She also opened the window. Perhaps the cold air invaded her and she got cold. She is a martial artist and has internal energy to protect her. Logically speaking, her physical condition should not be so poor. How could she catch a cold so easily?
Dongfang Heng touched Shen Lixue's forehead. She didn't have a high fever, but he could feel that she was a little weak. He picked her up and carried her out of the screen. He walked slowly to the bedside, carefully placed her on the bed, brought a bowl of hot soup, scooped it up with a small spoon, and brought it to Shen Lixue's lips: "Drink a bowl of hot soup first to get rid of the cold!"
"Okay!" The hot soup was light and not greasy. Shen Lixue smelled the faint fragrance. Although her stomach was still a little uncomfortable, she no longer felt like vomiting. She opened her small mouth and slowly drank it down. A stream of hot water flowed down her throat into her body, and a warm feeling rose in her stomach. Her weak and cold stomach felt much better.
"Is it alright?" Dongfang Heng blew away the steam from the spoon and brought it to Shen Lixue's lips again, feeding her carefully.
"It's alright!" Shen Lixue looked at Dongfang Heng's slightly tired eyes and reached out to take the soup bowl. "I'll drink it myself. You go and eat your meal." Dongfang Heng had also been busy all night and hadn't had a drop of water. He really needed to eat something to replenish his strength.
Dongfang Heng skillfully avoided Shen Lixue's outstretched hand and accurately fed her a spoonful of clear soup: "I'll eat after you finish drinking!"
"You left the villa in the middle of the night last night, did you go to the Prince of Yan's residence?" The clear soup moistened Shen Lixue's cherry lips, making them look very tempting.
"Hmm!" Dongfang Heng nodded: "Father was sitting in the sedan chair, and his voice was trying his best to imitate the Prince of Yan, but if you listen carefully, you can still hear his own voice!" He and the Holy King were father and son. He had listened to the Holy King speak for thirteen years, so how could he not recognize his own father's voice?
"Unfortunately, the Prince of Yan went to the Duke of Mu's mansion last night, and you missed him!" Shen Lixue's clear voice carried a hint of teasing.
"I haven't thanked you yet for saving my father!" After sneaking into the Yan Prince's mansion, Dongfang Heng found that the room where the Yan Prince was was empty. After a moment's thought, he rushed to the Mu State Duke's mansion, but he was still a step too late. If Shen Lixue hadn't saved the Holy King, the Holy King would certainly be in grave danger.
“We are husband and wife, and he is also my father. As his daughter-in-law, it is only right and proper for me to save him!”
"My father is very satisfied with you as his daughter-in-law, and he keeps saying that he made the right choice..."
Before they knew it, Dongfang Heng and Shen Lixue were chatting. After finishing a bowl of soup, Shen Lixue felt warm all over, but her head was a little dizzy and her eyelids were drooping.
Dongfang Heng removed the hairpins and pearl flowers from Shen Lixue's hair, gently took off her outer clothes, and helped her lie down on the brocade quilt. He carefully covered her with a brocade blanket, leaving only her beautiful little face exposed: "You rest first, I will call you at noon."
"Mmm!" Shen Lixue nodded, closed her tired eyes, and soon fell asleep.
The sound of even breathing filled the air, and Dongfang Heng frowned: How could she fall asleep so quickly?
Her jade-like fingers gently touched her smooth forehead. She didn't have a fever; perhaps she was just too tired!
Dongfang Heng dampened a cotton handkerchief with warm water and gently wiped her beautiful, tired face and her pale hands. Her eyelashes trembled, but she showed no signs of waking up.
Dongfang Heng carefully pulled the quilt up for her, lowered the bed curtains, and sat down at the dining table to eat slowly. Shen Lixue was asleep, and he was eating alone. He had little appetite, ate a few bites, and then ordered the food to be taken away.
His slender figure sat down by the window, his sharp gaze peering through the half-open window towards the direction of the Duke of Mu's mansion. His dark eyes were unfathomable: If the Duke of Mu's mansion was truly behind this, he would never let them get away with it!
The Mu family was a prominent clan in Xiliang. Mu Tao, as a descendant, was forced to relocate his entire family due to gambling debts, which caused a great uproar in the capital.
While Consort Shu was in confinement, her maids were free. In addition, since Old Madam Mu did not deliberately hide it, Consort Shu soon learned about the matter. She did not act like a shrew and smash things, but simply sat there quietly, her beautiful eyes filled with coldness.
"Did someone break into the Duke Mu's mansion last night?"
The palace maid curtsied and answered truthfully, "Yes, Your Highness, according to the guards, that person seemed to be anxiously searching for something!"
Consort Shu's lips curled into a strange smile as she anxiously searched for something. Besides him, who else would be anxiously searching for something in the Duke of Mu's mansion? "What does that person look like? How old is he?"
The palace maid whispered, "Your Majesty, that man was wearing a black cloak, so we couldn't see his face or guess his age. However, he was extremely skilled in martial arts. Even after being poisoned, he stood up and exchanged many blows with the guards..."
Consort Shu's smile deepened. Even with his black cloak concealing his identity, she could still recognize him. Given his personality and abilities, he could certainly fight off the guards while under the influence of poison. The guards were just lowly henchmen and no match for him. "How did he escape in the end?"
"He was rescued, and his martial arts skills are quite good. He must be one of his accomplices!" the palace maid replied softly, secretly observing Consort Shu's expression. The powerful enemy had been rescued, but Consort Shu showed no anger at all. Why did she even seem happy?
Accomplices! Consort Shu thought of the man in Mu Tao's drawing. His accomplice must be him. Both of them came to Xiliang. Heh, she should have guessed it long ago. How could the dignified Prince Qingyan An come to Xiliang for sightseeing? "Give the order to find out where they are staying and keep a close watch on them. Don't alert them!"
"Yes!" The palace maid accepted the order and turned to leave, but Consort Shu called her back: "Send a message by carrier pigeon to Duke Mu and his eldest son, telling them to return to the capital as quickly as possible and that the capital is about to change, so they must return immediately!"
"Yes!" the young palace maid replied, hurrying out of Chang Le Palace.