"Let go! If you don't let go, don't blame me for being ruthless!" Shen Yelei glared at Shen Yingxue hatefully and roared angrily. He had lost all the money he had won at the casino, and he finally had the capital to turn things around. How could he let go?
Shen Lixue shook her head. These two siblings should be supporting and encouraging each other in such a difficult situation. Instead, they are undermining each other and even fighting.
"Aren't you going to seek revenge on them?" Dongfang Heng's jade-like fingers gently stroked Shen Lixue's soft, dark hair, as smooth and silky as ink satin.
"I don't have any deep-seated hatred for them. They've fallen to such a state, there's nothing left to scheme against them. Letting them live in such misery is already the greatest punishment." Shen Lixue smiled and shook her head, slowly lowering the carriage curtain.
"Ah!" Shen Yingxue, several months pregnant, was not as agile as Shen Yelei. She accidentally had her purse snatched away, and her heavy body slumped to the ground. A searing pain quickly spread through her; clutching her stomach, she screamed, "It hurts, it hurts, it hurts so much!"
"Stop pretending, I won't fall for your tricks. These coins are mine." Shen Yelei sneered, slowly turning around, just in time to see Shen Lixue lower the carriage curtain. Her bright smile deeply stung his eyes. Seeing his predicament, she was gloating. Bitch, bitch, bitch!
With a roar, he stuffed the money pouch into his pocket and hurried after her: "Shen Lixue, you bitch, don't you dare run away, get down here!"
Inside the carriage, Shen Lixue frowned: "Doesn't Shen Yelei ever learn his lesson? He's been beaten so many times, yet he still dares to yell at me."
"Shen Yelei was spoiled from a young age, which developed into a self-centered and arrogant temperament. He won't learn his lesson after one or two beatings." Dongfang Heng's eyes deepened: "Zimo, go and teach Shen Yelei a lesson."
His wife had simply walked past him without provoking or offending him, yet he had started cursing at her without even asking what happened. He really should be taught a lesson.
The carriage stopped, a slight whooshing sound of wind breaking through the air rang out, and Shen Yelei's sharp scream came from behind the carriage. Shen Lixue pretended not to hear it, nestled in Dongfang Heng's arms, closed her eyes to rest. Shen Yelei, as a servant, had a temper even bigger than the young master's, so he should be taught some manners.
In a nearby alley, Shen Yingxue squatted on the ground, a large pool of blood flowing beneath her. A sharp pain shot through her abdomen; her lips were pale, and cold sweat beaded on her forehead. She weakly cried out for help: "Shen Yelei, Shen Yelei, come back! Come back quickly! Save me!"
Silence was all that answered her. The blood flowed more and more, and she collapsed to the ground, her consciousness growing increasingly blurred. In her heart, she cried out, "I don't want to die! Help! Help me!"
Through her blurry vision, a tall figure approached, looking down at her. She clung to him like a drowning person grasping at a straw, murmuring, "Help...help me!"
The tall figure said coldly, "I can save you, but you must submit to me and do as I say."
"I promise, I promise, please save me!" Shen Yingxue nodded repeatedly, her eyes sparkling with hope.
The man gave a cold laugh, grabbed Shen Yingxue's arm, and swiftly flew away, leaving behind a pool of blood...
Chapter 200: The Prince and Li Xue devise a scheme
In her hazy state, Shen Lixue heard a commotion:
"What happened? There's so much blood."
"Whose pregnant woman is this? She's so pitiful."
"What do we do now...?"
Pregnant woman? Bleeding? Shen Lixue was startled, her hazy thoughts instantly clearing. Her eyelashes trembled, and she abruptly opened her eyes, lifting the carriage curtain to look outside:
A large crowd had gathered in front of the Holy King's Mansion, whispering and discussing amongst themselves. Peeking through the gaps in the crowd, a heavily pregnant woman dressed in coarse cloth lay sprawled at the foot of the white marble steps, blood pooling on the ground. A bamboo chopstick was stuck askew in her hair, her withered, yellow hair disheveled and loose. Clutching her belly, she cried out in agony, "Help...help..."
"Look, Princess Consort An is back!" A passerby exclaimed upon seeing Shen Lixue, and the onlookers also turned to look: "It really is Princess Consort An..."
The carriage was still some distance from the Prince's mansion when that person spotted her immediately; he had sharp eyes.
With a faint smile on her lips, Shen Lixue slowly stepped off the carriage under everyone's gaze. Looking at the pregnant woman groaning in pain, she asked in confusion, "What's going on?"
A guard stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Highness, I don't know what happened either. This pregnant woman was walking along when she suddenly collapsed in front of the palace gate."
Since the masters of the Holy King's Mansion were not present, the servants could not make decisions on their own, so passersby gathered around.
Shen Lixue frowned as she looked at the pregnant woman's pained face. As she walked, she suddenly collapsed in front of the Holy King's Mansion. What a coincidence!
"Save lives first, it's a matter of life and death..." A man in the crowd suggested, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for the people to hear.
Several voices echoed, "Yes, she's bleeding a lot; if we don't help her now, it'll be too late..."
The pregnant woman collapsed at the gate of the Holy King's Mansion, and these people were jeering, trying to force her to save her!
Shen Lixue suddenly raised her eyelids, her cold gaze like a sharp blade, coldly shooting at the few men who were making a fuss. Their noise stopped abruptly, their eyes flickered, and they dared not meet her gaze. They quickly lowered their heads and quietly hid behind the crowd to conceal themselves.
Shen Lixue glanced at the pregnant woman who was bleeding profusely: "Take her to the clinic."
"Yes!" Two guards carried a stretcher forward, preparing to help the pregnant woman onto it, when the woman suddenly opened her eyes and urgently cried out to Shen Lixue for help: "Help me...help me..."
"That woman seems to know the Princess Consort." A passerby glanced at the pregnant woman a few times, then exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't she Shen Yingxue, the daughter of the former Prime Minister Shen?"
Upon hearing this, everyone examined the pregnant woman closely. With her full forehead, beautiful eyes, and graceful facial features, she was none other than Shen Yingxue, the most beautiful woman in Qingyan. Her skin had darkened and become rougher, which was why they hadn't recognized her earlier.
Shen Lixue smiled. Shen Yingxue's hair was loose, and her dry, yellow hair covered half of her face. Her originally fair skin was rough and had a wheatish hue. Even though she had been with Shen Yingxue for several months, it took her a long time to recognize her face clearly when she saw her just now. How could these strangers who didn't have much contact with her recognize her so accurately? Hehe!
"The pregnant woman is bleeding too much, quickly take her to the clinic." Shen Lixue had a pretty good idea of Shen Ying and those passersby's intentions, and of course she wouldn't let them lead her by the nose.
In the crowd, a young man frowned and said loudly, "Princess Consort, you are also the daughter of the former Prime Minister Shen, aren't you?"
“That’s right.” Shen Lixue nodded, looking at the man calmly.
The man felt uncomfortable under her gaze and coughed lightly: "Miss Shen Yingxue is your sister. She is very ill. Your house is right in front of you, why don't you ask the family physician to examine her? The sooner she is treated, the less danger she will be in."
"Sister, please, save me!" Shen Yingxue's weak plea rang out at the opportune moment, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears: "I... am your sister... please don't leave me to die..."
They were in perfect harmony, singing in unison! Shen Lixue looked coldly at Shen Yingxue: "Shen Yingxue, you are not my father's biological daughter, and you have no blood relation with me."
Shen Yingxue was speechless, her face flushing red and then turning pale, changing color by more than a dozen times in an instant.
The man in the crowd's eyes flickered, and he said loudly, "Having lived under the same roof for several months, even without blood ties, we're still friends..."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Lei Yarong's mistake had nothing to do with Shen Yingxue. They had spent several months together, and even if their relationship was bad, they were still familiar friends.
She and Shen Yingxue were not friends, but mortal enemies. Shen Lixue raised the corners of her mouth slightly and looked at the man with a half-smile: "Young master is very concerned about Shen Yingxue."
The man smiled modestly and said, "It's a human life after all; we can't just stand by and watch someone die."