Dongfang Zhan is the emperor's son, and the child in Consort Li's womb is also the emperor's child. His fiancée killed his unborn brother, and if he pleads for his fiancée's life again, others will definitely suspect that he is the mastermind behind it all.
There aren't many people in Qingyan Capital who know that Dongfang Zhan and Qin Junhao have joined forces. Qin Junhao's rescue of people by smelling musk was purely accidental, not at someone's behest, and had nothing to do with Prince Qingyan Zhan. He's really clever.
"Who lit the incense?" The emperor's majestic gaze swept across the banquet hall, his chilling light sending shivers down everyone's spines. Everyone lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.
"Yes...it's your servant!" A young palace maid emerged tremblingly from the corner, knelt down on the ground with a thud, her slender body trembling slightly.
"Do you know what crime you deserve?" the emperor roared, staring at the young palace maid.
"Your Majesty, spare me! The eunuch was in a hurry, and I panicked. When I took the incense, I accidentally mixed in a small amount of other incense. I didn't know it was musk. Your Majesty, spare me! Spare me!" The little palace maid kowtowed repeatedly, her frail body trembling like a leaf.
"Consort Li's unborn child died from musk, and Princess An's child must have been harmed as well. You have committed a fatal error, an unforgivable crime. Take him out and behead him." The emperor gave the order in a cold voice, his cold eyes flashing with sharp light.
The two guards released Ye Qianmei and hurried towards the young palace maid.
"Your Majesty, spare me, spare me!" The little palace maid cried, tears streaming down her face, her body trembling as she was dragged away by the guards. A moment later, a gust of wind swept by, and her crying stopped abruptly.
The young palace maid died, but Consort Li's child would never return. The emperor's anger had not subsided, and none of the guests spoke, their heads bowed as they pondered what had just happened. The banquet hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; the atmosphere was eerily suffocating.
Shen Lixue frowned: Musk is a very cold substance. If a pregnant woman smells it too much, she may feel unwell at best, and at worst she may miscarry. There are many female relatives at the celebration banquet, and it is hard to guarantee that one of them is pregnant. The palace maids are all selected through a rigorous process. It is impossible for them to mix musk into the incense in the banquet hall and make such a fatal mistake.
The young palace maid didn't argue; she readily admitted that she had definitely been bribed to be a scapegoat.
"A thousand charms are innocent, the banquet shall continue." The emperor's majestic and icy voice slowly echoed in the banquet hall.
The ministers and their families all breathed a sigh of relief, and the air in the banquet hall continued to circulate.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Ye Qianmei's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, instantly calmed down. She let out a long sigh of relief, gently wiping the cold sweat from her forehead. Her angry gaze pierced through the pale yellow sleeves as she glared fiercely at Shen Lixue. Shen Lixue had caused her so much fear and almost sent her to the brink of death. She would never let Shen Lixue off easily.
As the palace maids' dresses fluttered, they took away the incense burner that contained musk and replaced it with a fresh one. Various delicious dishes with fragrant aromas were also laid out.
Ye Qianmei sat back in her original seat, smiling and chatting with the women around her. Her smile was clearly tinged with caution, and everyone avoided the main topic, talking about irrelevant things. Although it was a banquet, it had lost its proper charm.
The Empress Dowager was in poor health and returned to the palace to rest, while the Empress also left the banquet hall to take care of Consort Li.
As the dishes were served, a fragrant aroma filled the air, causing Shen Lixue's chest to churn again. She tightly covered her mouth with a silk handkerchief, a hint of helplessness flashing in her beautiful eyes: the banquet was mostly filled with delicious chicken, duck, fish, and meat, which was very greasy and made her want to vomit.
"Li Xue, are you feeling unwell?" A white robe fluttered past, and Dongfang Heng walked over, his strong arms gently around her waist, his jade-like fingers stroking her forehead, his deep eyes filled with worry.
When Ye Qianmei launched her attack, he originally intended to come and help, but thinking that this little fox was very cunning and never suffered a loss, he patiently waited. As he expected, the little fox won. Although she failed to eliminate Ye Qianmei, she did make her taste the flavor of despair. She was still shaken and probably wouldn't cause any more trouble in the short term.
"The aroma here is too strong." Shen Lixue covered her mouth and nose with a light purple silk handkerchief, her beautiful eyes filled with tears. Her chest was churning, but she hadn't eaten anything that morning, and she hadn't eaten anything just now either. Her stomach was empty, she felt like vomiting, but she couldn't, and she felt very uncomfortable.
"Then let's go to Weiyang Palace to rest." The aroma of various dishes in the banquet hall was extremely strong, and even Dongfang Heng found it a bit cloying, let alone Shen Lixue, who was pregnant.
He gently put his arm around her shoulder, holding her protectively in his embrace, and they walked slowly down the aisle out of the banquet hall. His white robes and her light purple Xiang skirt blended perfectly with the warm sunlight, drawing both envy and jealousy from the onlookers.
Ye Qianmei's eyes flickered, and she slowly stood up, gracefully walking towards the exit of the banquet hall. As she passed Qin Junhao, she flicked her silk sleeve, a fragrant breeze wafted by, and tossed a crumpled piece of paper onto his desk.
Qin Junhao raised an eyebrow, glanced sideways at Ye Qianmei as she walked out of the banquet hall, quietly opened the note and read it, a faint smile appearing on his lips. He picked up the wine glass on the table and drank it all in one gulp. Looking around at the guests who were all eating and chatting, and no one paying attention to him, he got up and left the banquet hall.
Dongfang Zhan glanced at Qin Junhao's departing figure, his gaze sharpened, but he remained silent, continuing to drink his wine with his head down.
The Weiyang Palace was luxuriously decorated. Dongfang Heng often rested in this palace when attending banquets. The scenery in the courtyard and the decorations inside the room were very much to his liking.
Shen Lixue was pregnant and hadn't eaten for most of the day, so she was hungry. Dongfang Heng had a palace maid bring her eight-treasure porridge, lotus seed porridge, and pumpkin porridge, which were very light and suitable for pregnant women.
Shen Lixue ate a few bites and was full. She ordered the food to be taken out, and a wave of drowsiness washed over her. She was drowsy and wanted to rest.
"Are you sleepy?" Dongfang Heng carried Shen Lixue to the large bed. Seeing her nod, he gently pinched her rosy cheek with his jade-like fingers: "You little pig, you just woke up and you want to sleep again."
"There's nothing I can do, I'm pregnant anyway. It's almost lunchtime, so it's fine to rest for a bit." Shen Lixue pouted, unbuttoned her clothes, took off her outer garment, rolled into the brocade quilt, her head hit the pillow, and waves of sleepiness washed over her. Her eyelids drooped, and she gently closed her eyes.
Dongfang Heng sat on the edge of the bed, his jade-like fingertips gently tracing Shen Lixue's delicate, porcelain-like face. If he had known that pregnancy would be so difficult, they would have waited a few years before having children.
"Heng, aren't you going to take a nap?" Shen Lixue's voice was low and muffled, as if she was about to fall asleep.
Dongfang Heng lay down beside Shen Lixue, but on top of the blanket, while Shen Lixue was underneath: "I'm thinking about something."
Shen Lixue's eyelashes trembled, and she opened her eyes: "Is it about Dongfang Zhan and Qin Junhao?" Ye Qianmei put musk in the incense burner, which killed Consort Li's child and committed a capital crime. Dongfang Zhan, as the emperor's son and Ye Qianmei's fiancé, had a special status and could not plead for Ye Qianmei. Everyone's eyes were also on him, so he could not do anything. Ye Qianmei was doomed.
Unexpectedly, at the crucial moment, Qin Junhao intervened and persuaded the palace maid to be the scapegoat, allowing Ye Qianmei to escape unscathed.
The Duke of Mu's mansion in Xiliang has been destroyed, and Consort Shu and the Sixth Prince have been beheaded and their heads displayed to the public. Princess Ye Qianmei's title is now merely nominal and will not have much impact on Dongfang Heng and Shen Lixue.
However, this small incident accurately reflects that Dongfang Zhan and Qin Junhao cooperated very well and worked together very smoothly. Qin Junhao could handle things that Dongfang Zhan was unable to do himself. The combined strength of the two of them should not be underestimated.
Qin Junhao is involved in the cannon disappearance case, and Dongfang Zhan is definitely not out of the picture either. Are they targeting Dongfang Xun?
"You're pregnant, so don't think about so many things. Just rest and take good care of yourself and give birth to a healthy, chubby daughter. I'll handle Dongfang Zhan and Qin Junhao's affairs." Dongfang Heng leaned down and gently kissed Shen Lixue's forehead like a dragonfly skimming the water.
"You prefer daughters?" Shen Lixue stared wide-eyed at Dongfang Heng. In ancient times, people generally preferred sons because men could carry on the family line.
“Our daughter will definitely look like you, smart and cute. I can also take a look at what you looked like when you were little.”
Dongfang Heng's impression of Shen Lixue was limited to when she was a month old, a soft little bundle. When he saw her again, she was already a fourteen or fifteen-year-old young lady. He had never seen her as a child. Were her big, cunning eyes like a fox? Clever? Cute? Or something else?
"Having a son wouldn't be bad either, he should look like you when you were little." Shen Lixue was filled with endless fantasies because of Dongfang Heng. She pinched one side of his handsome face. His deep eyes, the beautiful lines of his face, his handsome eyebrows, and his high nose bridge made him look like the number one handsome man in Qingyan. He must have been very cute when he was a child. In addition, with his cunning nature, he would definitely be a little devil. If their son looked like Dongfang Heng, the Holy King's Mansion would be very lively.
Seeing the weariness flickering in Shen Lixue's bright eyes, Dongfang Heng hugged her tightly through the blanket, his handsome face gently touching her delicate, porcelain-like cheek: "You should sleep for a while. We'll go back to the manor to rest in three o'clock."
“Okay.” Shen Lixue nodded and closed her eyes. The child was still young, several months away from birth, and it was still unknown whether he was a boy or a girl. It was too early for them to imagine what he would look like.
He heard even breathing from her arms. Dongfang Heng looked down and saw that Shen Lixue was asleep. Her long eyelashes were curled and her beautiful face was fair with a rosy glow. Her peaceful and serene sleeping face was so beautiful that one couldn't bear to defile her.
He leaned down gently, his sexy thin lips pressing against her sweet lips. Her moist lips were like cherries, fragrant, soft, and sweet. Before he knew it, he wanted more. He gently parted her mouth and softly sucked on the unique flavor that belonged to Shen Lixue.
Shen Lixue was out of breath, her brows furrowed tightly, and her eyelashes trembled as if she were about to open her eyes.