"Shen Li, I really underestimated you!" Consort Shu glared at Shen Lixue, gritting her teeth.
"It's because Your Majesty was too confident and underestimated your enemy." In a battle between two people, underestimating the enemy is tantamount to courting death.
"Chen Li, don't overestimate yourself. When I set the trap to capture you, I had already considered all sorts of consequences. Your escape from Chen Xiang was actually within my expectations!" Consort Shu smiled, a bright and dazzling smile that revealed an indescribable eeriness, sending chills down one's spine.
Shen Lixue was shocked. Besides Mu Tao, Consort Shu had another trick up her sleeve...
"Whoosh!" Several figures suddenly darted into the Wenyuan Pavilion, wielding gleaming longswords, and swiftly attacked several vital points on her body.
Shen Lixue's eyes darkened, and she grabbed a book from the bookshelf and hurled it at the guards.
The numerous books blocked the guards' view. Their cold eyes narrowed slightly, and with a flick of their wrists, their longswords swung through the air, slicing the books into pieces. Fragments of paper flew everywhere and fell to the ground.
Taking advantage of the moment when the guards were distracted, Shen Lixue leaped out of their encirclement, quickly landed behind one of the guards, and struck him on the back of the neck, disarming him of his longsword.
The guards, having missed their first attack, stopped, turned around quickly, and attacked Shen Lixue again, their moves swift, ruthless, and accurate.
Shen Lixue's lips curled slightly, forming a cold smile. Her white robes drew a graceful red arc in the air as she swung her sword to meet the guards' killing moves. There were many guards, so she dared not be careless and fought with all her might. Her long sword flew up and down, and she swung it so tightly that it was impenetrable. The sounds of fierce fighting echoed throughout the room.
The guards surrounded Shen Lixue, their gazes stern. They coordinated perfectly and unleashed their killing moves simultaneously. Shen Lixue was agile and her moves were fierce. The silver light she shone with a sharp killing intent, and the guards dared not meet her head-on. For a moment, figures clashed and swords intertwined, and the fight became a stalemate, with neither side able to gain the upper hand.
Consort Shu gazed at the azure sky outside the door, her eyes deep and unfathomable: "Ye Qianlong should be back soon; we must finish this quickly!"
"I understand!" Mu Tao stood at the door, looking at Shen Lixue, who was surrounded by guards and rapidly wielding her long sword. His eyes turned cold, and his strong body shot towards her. She had crippled his martial arts and made him lose face in front of so many guards. He would never forgive Shen Lixue.
Mu Tao's right hand was crippled, but his movements were incredibly fast. Shen Lixue was fighting with the guards when she sensed something was wrong; Mu Tao was already inches away, his longsword about to pierce her. Shen Lixue's eyes narrowed slightly.
Mu Tao was a border general, possessing immense strength. This sword strike had used all of her inner power, so she couldn't fight him head-on. She swung her sword to clear the guards and quickly dodged to the side with her slender figure.
Mu Tao's sharp longsword grazed Shen Lixue's hair, severing the ribbon that bound her hair. Her long, black hair cascaded down her back, contrasting with her white clothes and delicate face, making her breathtakingly beautiful.
A hint of amazement flashed in Consort Shu's beautiful eyes: "You...you are a woman!" No wonder Ye Qianlong looked at her with such tenderness and affection; she was a woman, a very beautiful young woman.
Mu Tao was slightly taken aback, blinked in disbelief, and looked again. Three thousand strands of black hair hung down behind Shen Lixue, making her look stunningly beautiful.
Shen Lixue raised her sword to block the guards, glanced at the dark hair hanging lightly on her shoulders, and pouted. She hadn't expected them to see through her identity: "That's right, I am indeed a woman!" Everyone had seen it with their own eyes, so she didn't bother to deny it anymore.
Consort Shu looked coldly at Shen Lixue. She had imagined many identities for Shen Lixue, but she never expected that she was a woman disguised as a man: "You are Princess Consort Shen Lixue of Anjun!"
"How did you know?" Shen Lixue glanced at Consort Shu. Judging that she was the Princess Consort of An County based solely on her daughter's identity and name was somewhat far-fetched.
Consort Shu looked at Shen Lixue without saying a word, only smiling—a cold, resentful smile.
Shen Lixue followed her gaze and looked down. A white jade crystal swallow hung on her chest, its translucence made it appear even more crystalline against the white background. "Do you know the Holy King's Palace's antidote jade?" Shen Lixue was not captivated by the agarwood because of this crystal swallow.
Consort Shu grew up in Xiliang and then entered the palace as a consort. She had never been to Qingyan, so how could she know about the things in the Holy King's Mansion?
"I remember now. That day at the restaurant, your husband beat me so badly that I was seriously injured." Mu Tao glared at Shen Lixue hatefully. Her husband had made him lose face in front of everyone, and she had crippled his right hand. The hatred between him and the couple was irreconcilable.
"The Duke of Mu's mansion, you and Dongfang Heng won it too, didn't you?" Consort Shu looked at Shen Lixue, her tone not questioning, but affirming.
Shen Lixue dodged the guards' sword attacks, her smile bright and dazzling: "So what if it is? If you're willing to gamble, you have to accept the consequences."
"You two, you've been treating me like a fool, making me run around in circles!" Upon hearing the truth, Mu Tao was enraged. He grabbed his longsword and charged straight at Shen Lixue: "I'll catch you first, then I'll settle accounts with your despicable husband."
"I'm afraid you don't have that much ability." Shen Lixue pushed aside the guards, and with a flash of silver light, she raised her sword to meet Mu Tao. The fierce clash of weapons rang out again.
Consort Shu raised her eyelids, looking calmly at Shen Lixue, who was engaged in fierce fighting. Her eyes revealed an indescribable coldness and eeriness: "Shen Lixue, if I capture you, I can not only threaten Ye Qianlong, but also coerce the Azure Flame War God, Prince An!" She could even threaten him!
"I'm afraid you don't have that much ability!" Shen Lixue sneered, kicked a guard away, and with a gleaming longsword, she sliced off the neck of another guard. Half of the four guards died instantly, and Shen Lixue's pressure eased. With a flick of her wrist, she swung her longsword even faster, and wherever it passed, blood splattered everywhere.
"Is that so?" Consort Shu looked at Shen Lixue's killing move and smiled in a sinister and eerie way: "Then open your eyes wide and watch carefully."
Her slender fingers suddenly clenched, about to strike at Shen Lixue, when a furious shout rang out: "Stop! What are you doing?"
Ye Qianlong's slender black figure instantly entered the room. His white jade palm suddenly swung out, striking the two guards and Mu Tao. All three were knocked four or five meters away, crashing into the bookshelf, then bounced back and fell heavily to the ground, spitting blood and losing consciousness.
Consort Shu was greatly alarmed. How could Ye Qianlong have returned so quickly?
Suddenly, a black robe flashed before her eyes, followed by a sharp "smack!" Consort Shu's slender figure was knocked to the ground, half her face swollen high, a shocking red five-fingered mountain appearing before her eyes, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth, the air thick with the stench of blood…
Ye Qianlong was furious and slapped him with great force.
"Li Xue, are you alright?" Ye Qianlong looked at Shen Li Xue, his clear eyes filled with concern and worry.
"It's nothing." Shen Lixue shook her head. Mu Tao's right hand was crippled, and the four guards' martial arts skills were average. She hadn't fought with them for long and wasn't injured. When Ye Qianlong was angry, he used a lot of force, and it was Consort Shu and the others who were injured.
Consort Shu gently covered her swollen face, looked up and glared at Ye Qianlong, her beautiful eyes burning with anger: "Ye Qianlong, I am the Emperor's concubine, your stepmother, how dare you disrespect me!"
Chapter 184: Is Chitaki going to choose a concubine?
"Who is making a scene here?" A majestic and angry question rang out. The emperor, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, strode over, followed by the stern-faced Prince Yan. He frowned slightly as he looked at the unconscious guard, Mu Tao, the overturned bookshelves, and the books scattered all over the floor.
"Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince beat me without asking any questions. Please, Your Majesty, do justice for me!" Consort Shu knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face. Her eyelids drooped slightly, and her small face was raised slightly, allowing the Emperor to clearly see that half of her face was swollen, with a bright red five-finger mark proclaiming how hard Ye Qianlong had slapped her.
"What happened?" The emperor looked at Ye Qianlong with a gloomy expression. Consort Shu was the emperor's concubine. As a junior, Ye Qianlong had not only crossed the line by hitting his stepmother, but also committed the serious crime of disrespect and filial impiety. Filial piety was the most important virtue in the Western Liang Kingdom.
“She ordered the guards to teach Li Xue a lesson. Li Xue is my friend. If Consort Shu is disrespectful to her, she is disrespectful to me. I slapped her to teach her a lesson.”
A chilling glint flashed in Ye Qianlong's clear eyes, startling everyone. For the first time in their lives, they had seen Ye Qianlong lose his temper, and when he did, it was with a thunderous rage that was awe-inspiring.
The emperor's sharp gaze turned to Consort Shu: Consort Shu is the emperor's concubine, while Ye Qianlong is the emperor's eldest son born of the legitimate wife, the future ruler of the country. As a stepmother, Consort Shu's bullying of the crown prince's friend is a provocation against the crown prince. It is not inappropriate for the crown prince to teach her a lesson.
"Your Majesty, please investigate thoroughly." Consort Shu lightly wiped away unfounded tears from the corners of her eyes with a silk handkerchief, her gaze sharp. Her slender finger suddenly pointed at Chen Lixue: "She is the Princess Consort of Qingyan Anjun. Her appearance in my Xiliang Palace clearly indicates ill intentions. I ordered her arrest so that Your Majesty could handle her. I never expected that His Highness the Crown Prince would storm into the Wenyuan Pavilion and, without asking any questions, beat me..."
She originally intended to secretly capture Shen Lixue to threaten someone, but Ye Qianlong stumbled upon the plan. Since she couldn't capture Shen Lixue, she revealed her identity and asked the Emperor to arrest her. In that case, she could still use her to threaten that person.
Princess Consort of Qingyan County!