The Vicious Duchess <<<

"Li Xue, I love you!"

A low, magnetic voice sent chills down one's spine. It was an ambiguous statement, yet it felt laced with poison, leaving a searing pain in the bones.

Endless pain laced with intense hatred surged into her mind. Shen Lixue suddenly opened her eyes, but was startled by the sight before her.

The withered grass stretched as far as the eye could see, a desolate expanse. A biting wind swept through, causing the dry stalks to sway and ripple like waves. The sky was a somber gray, heavy with the promise of a torrential downpour.

What is this place?

Shen Li Xue furrowed her brows. She was clearly lying on a beautiful Hawaiian beach, soaking up the warmth of the sun. How could she have woken up in this desolate, barren wasteland?

A strange memory suddenly flooded her mind, merging rapidly with her original memories. Shen Lixue furrowed her brows. Though she was very reluctant to believe it, she had to admit, she had transmigrated.

Her master was Shen Lixue. She had been relying on her sickly mother since she was young. Two months ago, her mother passed away. With the help of her trusted neighbor brother Mu Zhengnan, she prepared to go to the capital to find her father. Who would have thought that the night before last, Mu Zhengnan deceived her open door and said "you and I" deeply, but with a white silk scarf in his hand, he strangled her slender neck, coldly watching as she stopped breathing in pain...

Well, Mu Zhengnan, did you personally strangle the person you loved?

"Boom boom boom!" The normally stable ground suddenly shook. Shen Lixue's mouth hurt, and her head spun. What was happening? Was an earthquake coming?

Quickly rising to her feet, Shen Lixue looked around. At the place where heaven and earth met, a row of leaping gray lines rapidly moved towards her.

The grey lines were getting closer, and Shen Lixue could see more clearly. They were a group of people in ancient clothing, with strong men, the elderly, women, and children. They all shared the common characteristic of being dirty and unkempt, running frantically forward regardless of everything, crying as they ran. Behind them, a large herd of wild boars, buffaloes, and many unnamed beasts were chasing after them, seeming to be enraged, their eyes wide open, charging straight ahead. The iron hooves trampled up plumes of smoke, and the ground shook.

What's going on?

Shen Lixue was dubious. An elderly woman accidentally tripped and fell to the ground. A wild ox that had been chasing her then stomped on the woman's head with one foot. Instantly, blood splattered everywhere. The old woman's head was crushed flat, and her broken body was quickly swallowed by the surging herd of beasts…

"Don't close the gate...Wait a moment..." A heart-wrenching cry startled the shocked Shen Li Xue. She turned her head and saw, not far away, two ancient city gates swiftly closing together.

How could they be so cruel? To keep the citizens locked outside like this! Are they going to let them be trampled to death by the wild beasts?

A heavy thud of hooves sounded behind her, and a blast of hot breath sprayed across her back. Shen Lixue was startled. Oh no, there's a wild beast!

Quickly dodging a wild bull's charge, Shen Lixue grabbed its horn and leaped onto its back. She lightly tapped the bull's head with her feet, propelling herself swiftly towards the city gate. As long as she got inside the city walls, she would be safe!

“Bang!” The moment Shen Li Xue landed, the two heavy doors slammed shut, blocking Xiang Cheng’s view and shattering everyone’s hope of survival. Shen Li Xue gritted her teeth in anger: Damn it, she was only a few steps away from the city gate…

Upon the empty city walls, countless soldiers surged forth in an instant. They were clad in armor, their expressions grim and imposing. In their hands they held ancient bows and arrows, their tips aimed resolutely at the wild horde gathered beneath the walls.

Above the city gate, a young man lay lazily on an imperial couch, half-closing his eyes, enjoying a massage from three attendants who were massaging his shoulders and feeding him fruit. He looked incredibly relaxed, completely oblivious to the horrific crush of people outside the city walls.

"Ah ah ah…" A series of screams echoed, Shen Lixue turned back. Ye had caught up with the fleeing crowd, and people were being trampled to death. Iron hooves hung with arms and broken limbs, and as they ran, their bodies tumbled and rolled on the ground.

"Open the city gate... Open the city gates quickly!" The people went mad, shouting desperately. The soldiers on the walls ignored them, pulling their bows even tighter.

“As soldiers, you are supposed to protect the safety of the people. But now, the people are trampled by wild beasts, their lives hanging by a thread. Not only do you stand idly on the city walls, showing no concern, but you also close the gates, refusing to rescue them. If the emperor finds out, you will surely be beheaded for this crime. Can you bear the consequences?”

A simple cry for help wouldn't work on these unyielding soldiers. In ancient times, the emperor held supreme power. Shen Lixue therefore took a different approach, using the emperor as leverage, making them consider the consequences and opening the city gates.

The soldiers were apprehensive, but they didn't move. Their eyes all turned to the nonchalant demon who was drinking leisurely. They didn't want to die, but they were just soldiers and had to obey their commander's orders, no matter what.

"Because we must protect the safety of our people, we cannot possibly open the city gates!" Pushing aside the crowd, the young man lazily straightened up: someone had framed him, and of course he had to respond.

The man was about twenty years old, with a face like jade, fair and smooth. He wore an expensive silk robe that draped over his tall and slender frame, making him appear noble and elegant, with a dashing air.

The weather on the barren plain was frigid, yet he nonchalantly fanned himself with a folding fan, its corner slightly raised, as if smiling but not smiling, at Shen Li Xue. His devilishly handsome features were captivating, making it impossible to look away. But the words that came from his mouth were as cold as the wind.

"The wild beasts are faster than men. Even if we open the city gates, it won't save you. It will only give them a chance to storm in. The beasts will go mad and attack anyone they see. If they get into the city, thousands of our people will be killed. Then, we would truly have committed a crime punishable by death..."

The implication is not that he is heartless and indifferent to death. He did it for the safety of the city's people. He had to sacrifice Shen Lixue and the others outside the city walls. The lives of these dozen or so people are insignificant compared to the thousands in the city.

“The young lady is a righteous person; she wouldn't sacrifice the lives of thousands of city dwellers for her own selfish desires, nor would she force us to commit a crime punishable by death!” The young man gently fanned himself, a mischievous smile on his handsome face.

Shen Li Xue let out a cold snort, truly sharp-tongued and eloquent. In just a few words, she not only diffused the situation but also shifted the blame onto herself. If she were to yield further, she would be branded as cowardly and selfish, willing to sacrifice thousands of lives for her own survival. She would be ridiculed and scorned by everyone...

<<>>>

In a flash of inspiration, Shen Lixue arrived at a large tree not far away. Her eyes lit up: there was a way!

Shen Li Xue flew forward and plucked a leaf from the tree, quickly brushing away the sand and dust. She held it to her lips, and a clear and ethereal melody rose softly.

"Boom boom boom!" The ferocious beast was mere inches away, its foot about to land, but Shen Lixue remained oblivious, her eyes fixed ahead. She blew into the leaf with a frantic urgency, the music suddenly soaring several octaves higher than before.

"Boom!" The wild ox charged towards Shen Li Xue. The demonic man raised a corner of his mouth, swaying a folding fan, and watched with cold eyes.

The bison reared up its front hoof and charged towards Shen Lixue, but just as it was about to strike, it suddenly stopped. To everyone's astonishment, it slowly lowered its front hoof and then quietly stepped back several paces.

The alluring man, Shen Li Xue, squinted his sharp eyes. He held a folding fan, gently opening and closing it, with a hint of amusement playing on the corner of his lips. "Hehehe," he chuckled, "Such an interesting person!"

The bison retreated. Shen Lixue let out a breath of relief, ignoring the cold sweat on her forehead, and continued to play. The music flowed like a clear spring, gurgling and babbling, making people feel as if they were in the mountains, fresh and natural. The anger in the eyes of the wild beasts gradually dissipated, and they stood quietly on the grass, swaying their tails lightly...

"Fire!" The demonic man commanded, and countless black feathered arrows flew past Shen Lixue, overwhelming the beasts. One by one, the fierce behemoths were pierced by the arrows and fell dead…

The whistling of the arrows faded from loud to faint, until it disappeared completely. Shen Lixue knew the slaughter was over. She stopped playing and looked up, meeting the gaze of the young man with his alluringly handsome features. "What tune were you just playing?"

"Qingxin Qu!" As the heir of a century-old family, playing Qingxin Qu was a small thing for Shen Lixue.

They couldn't find common ground, not even a single sentence. The wild and the crowd had already perished. Shen Lixue wasn't interested in talking much with this cunning and treacherous demon-like man. She turned away: "clatter!" A wooden token and a jade pendant fell from her sleeve. Before Shen Lixue could bend down, the demon-like man snatched them up first.

"Are you Shen Li Xue?" The demonic man toyed with the jade pendant and wooden plaque, his gaze fixed on Shen Li Xue, a smile playing on his lips that was neither quite a smile nor quite a frown.

"How did you know?" Shen Lixue was a little surprised. In this unfamiliar world, she hadn't told anyone her name, so how did this demonic man know it?

"This is it!" The alluring man handed the wooden sign to Shen Lixue. It was actually a nameplate, crafted from excellent willow wood, inscribed with 'Mother's Spirit: Lin Qingzhu', and a small line in the bottom right corner read: 'Established by Shen Lixue!'

Shen Lixue raised her willow eyebrows slightly: "I didn't expect Shen Lixue to always be carrying this plaque!"

"I think I know what Miss Shen's portion will be!"

Shen Li Xue's heart was filled with a sense of: "What kind of feeling?"

“The eldest daughter of the Grand Preceptor’s household in Qingyan Nation!” A jade pendant, emerald green, hung before Shen Li Xue. The alluring man smiled brightly: “This is the heirloom jade pendant of the Shen family, the only one in the world!” And, Shen Ming Hui's original wife, was Lin Qing Zhu.

Shen Li Xue's eyes lit up. She never expected that her missing father for many years turned out to be the Prime Minister. This was a good opportunity; she didn't have to stay here and struggle anymore: "How far is this place from Qingyan Capital?"

The enchanting man said softly, "More than a thousand miles!"

So far! Shen Li Xue frowned: In ancient times, the means of transportation was a carriage. But the speed of a horse can't compare to modern airplanes or trains. When will we ever reach the capital city?

"Your Highness, the County Princess need not worry. The calamity in this wild land has been resolved. I am also returning to the capital to report to His Majesty and could travel with you." As if seeing through Shen Lixue's thoughts, the demonic man smiled gently.

"County Princess?" Shen Lixue was startled. In the original owner's memory, she didn't get married. Could it be a mistake?

"The eldest daughter of the Xiangfu and the fifteenth prince of An were betrothed fifteen years ago. The entire capital knows about it. It's not wrong for me to call you Princess Consort," the bewitching man explained softly.

"So that's how it is!" Shen Lixue secretly let out a breath of relief: "As a modern person from the 21st century, I really can't get used to getting married at such a young age."

And this demonic man, who was so cold and ruthless just now, treating human life like nothing, is now showing great courtesy, wanting to take me back to the capital. He probably doesn't have good intentions. It doesn't matter, I always follow the principle of not provoking others unless provoked. If this demonic man dares to harm me, he will definitely regret it!

"My name is Nangong Xiao, Miss Shen, you can call me Young Master or Xiao!" Nangong Xiao smiled and introduced himself to Shen Li Xue. He was completely different from the cold-hearted man who had just ignored her pleas for help: "Miss Shen and your mother have been missing for fifteen years. Lord Shen has been heartbroken. Now that you're alive, he must be overjoyed!"

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