The Imperial Guards under the command of Duke Mu were everywhere in the palace. Shen Lixue and Lu Jiangfeng still needed Consort Shu to save their lives, so they wouldn't kill her.
He waved his hand, and the Imperial Guards sheathed their bows and arrows, quickly and orderly retreating from the courtyard. Duke Mu glanced coldly at Shen Lixue, turned and left the courtyard, behind him the furious roar of Consort Shu: "Utterly foolish! If you don't kill them today, you'll never have another chance..."
Duke Mu's sharp eyes narrowed slightly. Lu Jiangfeng and Shen Lixue had infiltrated the palace without his knowledge, demonstrating extraordinary abilities. They were a major threat to him and had to be eliminated. However, he had more important matters to attend to, matters concerning the future of the Duke Mu's mansion, far more important than eliminating the two of them. Mu Zixin was narrow-minded, womanly, and only knew how to be jealous and kill. She had no sense of the bigger picture and was extremely foolish. He couldn't be bothered to argue with her.
"Your Highness, stop calling, everyone's gone!" Shen Lixue listened carefully, making sure the Imperial Guards were gone and no one was around. She grabbed the Consort Shu's ankle and pulled her slowly into the house.
Her slender body pressed tightly against the ground. Consort Shu could clearly feel the intense friction between her outer garment and the ground, occasionally bumping into small pebbles that stung her back. Puffs of dust rose up, choking her and causing her to cough repeatedly: "Chen Lixue, you..."
"Shut up!" Shen Lixue kicked out, and Consort Shu's beautiful face was turned to one side, half of her face swelled up instantly, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of her mouth. Ye Qianlong's face was swollen like that, and she kicked him in his place.
Ye Qianlong walked silently, watching Consort Shu's miserable state. He was too busy taking care of himself to worry about Consort Shu. The palace was fraught with danger.
Lu Jiangfeng heard Consort Shu's rapid breathing and gasps, knowing that Shen Lixue's kick was quite forceful. He remained silent, as it was not his place to interfere in the minor conflicts between women.
Stepping across the threshold, Shen Lixue violently threw Consort Shu to the ground. She lay face down, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Her back burned with pain, and a chill ran down her spine. Without turning around, she knew that the clothes on her back were torn...
Consort Shu glared at Shen Lixue, gritting her teeth. If she still had her martial arts skills, how could Shen Lixue be so arrogant!
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the incense burner in the corner slowly emitting fragrance. A strange smile crept onto Consort Shu's lips. Heh heh, soon they too would be like her, losing all their inner strength and becoming lambs to the slaughter...
"Father!" Ye Qianlong, feeling utterly weak, staggered into the inner chamber. The emperor lay unconscious on the ground. His eyes flashed with deep anxiety as he used all his strength to help the emperor to the bed.
A faint scent of ambergris wafted through the air. Shen Lixue glanced at the weak and powerless Ye Qianlong and the seriously injured and unconscious emperor, raised an eyebrow, and under the watchful eyes of Consort Shu, slowly walked to the incense burner with a cup of tea in hand. She then suddenly poured the tea into the small hole that was emitting smoke. Instantly, a dark fragrance wafted out of the hole, and the incense in the burner was completely extinguished.
The Holy Prince was poisoned by smoke, and agarwood was placed in Wenyuan Pavilion. Wherever Consort Shu was, Shen Lixue would be wary of the fragrance. She didn't smell anything unusual about the ambergris, but just in case, it was best not to burn it. Judging from Consort Shu's angry gaze, something must have been tampered with in the incense.
"Cough cough cough!" Ye Qianlong was injured and had just used his strength, so he was weak and coughed for a while.
Shen Lixue touched her sleeve, took out a handkerchief and a silver needle pouch: "Qianlong, you may have been poisoned by agarwood, which is why you have lost all your internal energy. I didn't bring any medicine to treat your injuries, so I'll use the silver needles to help you detoxify first!"
"Okay!" Ye Qianlong responded, sat down in the chair, reached out and unbuttoned his outer coat, half-removing it to reveal his inner garment, revealing his fair and strong chest, six-pack abs, clearly defined muscles, and excellent physique.
Shen Lixue kept her eyes straight ahead, her jade fingers deftly twisting several silver needles, quickly inserting them into several major acupoints on Ye Qianlong's chest. She treated the patient as a healer, without any other thoughts.
A wave of warmth instantly rose from the empty dantian, and wisps of internal energy quietly gathered there, gradually restoring strength to the limp body.
Ye Qianlong looked at Shen Lixue, who was right in front of him. A wisp of ink, carrying her unique fragrance, fell to his cheek. It was soft, smooth, and gentle, making him feel intoxicated.
The silver needles in her chest kept changing positions, and her beautiful face gradually lowered to the same height as Ye Qianlong's. Her fresh breath sprayed onto his chest, warming his heart.
Her lips were beautifully shaped, like a ripe cherry, alluringly red, gently pursed, stirring up fantasies. She was also very close to him; if Ye Qianlong leaned forward slightly, he could feel that imagined wonderful taste.
Ye Qianlong suddenly felt a dryness in his mouth, and a flame flickered in his clear eyes. Unconsciously, he leaned forward, about to touch those alluring cherry lips...
"Bang!" A sound suddenly rang out, exceptionally clear in the silent imperial study.
The moment Ye Qianlong paused, Shen Lixue turned her head to look in the direction from which the sound came.
Lu Jiangfeng is blind. He went into the inner room and kicked a piece of broken wood, which made the sound he heard earlier.
Ye Qianlong glared at Lu Jiangfeng, his clear eyes burning with anger. He had no intention of offending Shen Lixue, but Lu Jiangfeng's kick shattered his beautiful fantasy. How hateful!
"Third Young Master, take two steps to the left, and you can avoid the wood chips!" Shen Lixue reminded him softly.
"Thank you!" Lu Jiangfeng smiled slightly, deftly bypassed the wooden planks, and slowly moved forward. His gentle voice rang out in the room: "Li'er, Duke Mu is strong-willed. He has urgent business to attend to and is why he let us leave in a hurry. Once he has finished arresting the Prince of Yan and taking care of his business, he will definitely not let us go so easily again!"
Shen Lixue frowned and removed a silver needle from Ye Qianlong's chest: "Third Young Master, can you guess what else Duke Mu wanted to do besides arresting people?"
"If there are no surprises, the Sixth Prince should be supported to ascend the throne!" Lu Jiangfeng's eyelids darkened. The Sixth Prince was a prince of the Ye Clan, and his ascension to the throne was legitimate. The princes of Xiliang and the soldiers on the border would have no reason to attack them.
Shen Lixue's gaze sharpened: "A prince's ascension to the throne requires the emperor's decree, the witnesses of civil and military officials, and the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to calculate an auspicious day. It won't be so easy for Duke Mu to help the sixth prince ascend the throne!"
Lu Jiangfeng shook his head, his face solemn: "Imperial edicts can be forged. Duke Mu has certain connections in the capital. As long as the benefits are attractive enough, they will support the Sixth Prince. As for an auspicious date, there's no better time than tomorrow. The enthronement ceremony may be held tomorrow!"
“The Prince of Yan is the most esteemed prince of Xiliang. He is of noble status and powerful. If Duke Mu tries to capture him, he may not get any benefit!” Shen Lixue smiled slightly. According to the Holy King, the real Prince of Yan was poisoned and could not possibly be out on the street being captured. Therefore, the one who appeared in the capital must be the Holy King, Dongfang Yan.
When the incident occurred in the capital, Dongfang Yan and Dongfang Heng were together. The father and son, working together, possessed superb martial arts skills and had many powerful subordinates. They were undoubtedly invincible. Even if Duke Mu used the Imperial City Guard and the Imperial Guard, they might not be able to capture them. Whether Duke Mu could return safely was unknown.
"The Prince of Yan is only high in status and skilled in martial arts. He lives in the palace and rarely shows his face. Only the people of Xiliang can describe him so vividly. He doesn't have much ability. Duke Mu is a general who has fought on the battlefield. Capturing the Prince of Yan is a piece of cake for him!" Consort Shu lay on the ground, her body weak, but she did not lose face. Her eyes were high and her words were arrogant.
"Don't make such boastful claims so soon. As a royal prince, Prince Yan certainly has some ability; he's not as incompetent as you make him out to be. Duke Mu has already led men to capture Prince Yan; we'll see the outcome in a few hours!" Shen Lixue glanced at Consort Shu. If it were the real Prince Yan, she wouldn't know his current fate, but Duke Mu was facing Dongfang Yan and Dongfang Heng. Even with the help of the Imperial Guards and the Imperial Bodyguards, they could only manage a draw at best; winning wouldn't be so easy…
Chapter 188: The True Identity of Consort Shu
"Shen Lixue, it's getting dark!" Consort Shu looked out the window and suddenly said this, a cold and bloodthirsty smile on her lips.
"Mu Zixin, don't be too happy yet. The one who returns to the palace may not be the Duke of Mu!" Shen Lixue removed the silver needles from Ye Qianlong's body and neatly put them into the silver needle pouch one by one. Her face was calm, and her clear, cold eyes were as still and undisturbed as an ancient well.
Duke Mu let Shen Lixue go because Lu Jiangfeng was in a hurry to capture the Prince of Yan. If he captured the Prince of Yan, he would have no more scruples and would definitely send men to eliminate Shen Lixue and Lu Jiangfeng, the two people who posed a threat to him, once he returned to the palace.
The secret guards trained by the Duke of Mu's mansion and the imperial guards in the palace were not incompetent. They were numerous and familiar with the terrain. Under the cover of night, it was not impossible for them to rescue the kidnapped Consort Shu.
The outcome of the battle between the Prince of Yan and the Duke of Mu was not only a clash of forces between the two sides, but also directly related to the fate of Shen Lixue, Lu Jiangfeng, Ye Qianlong, and even the entire royal family of Xiliang.
As darkness fell, an endless expanse of black enveloped the earth, like a vast net being cast over the Imperial Study.
Consort Shu scoffed disdainfully, "You're really confident. Well then, let's wait and see who has the last laugh!"
The Duke of Mu, a warrior who conquers battlefields, would lose to the Prince of Yan, who only knows how to bluff. What a joke! When the secret guards arrive and capture Shen Lixue and Lu Jiangfeng, she will torture them so badly that they wish they were dead.
Looking at Consort Shu's smug expression, Shen Lixue smiled faintly, a cold and eerie smile playing on her lips: "If Duke Mu really wins against Prince Yan, I will kill Your Highness before the secret guards arrive!"
With Consort Shu dead, the Sixth Prince will not obediently ascend the throne, and Duke Mu's wishful thinking will all fall apart. The princes of Xiliang and the border soldiers will launch successive attacks to see how Duke Mu defends the capital. They cannot live, and they will not let Duke Mu and Mu Zixin have an easy time either.
"You..." Consort Shu glared at Shen Lixue, her beautiful eyes almost spitting fire with anger. Heh, how could she forget that Shen Lixue was extremely intelligent and would not be slaughtered by others? She was powerless now, unable to resist or escape, but it wouldn't be so easy for Shen Lixue to kill her.
Suddenly, a commotion arose outside the Imperial Study.