"What's your game?" Zhou Ruyuan blocked her from drinking.
Shen Lanxi looked at him calmly, then lowered her gaze to Bai Qingling, who was kneeling on the ground.
"I'll give you this one chance. If someone stops you from drinking, there's nothing I can do!"
Bai Qingling tentatively raised her head. Seeing that no one was stopping her, she slowly straightened her back and stood up.
"Princess, do you keep your word?" Bai Qingling was gambling. Officially, she was carrying the Imperial Offspring, and His Majesty had already spared her from death. She didn't believe Shen Lanxi would dare to disobey the imperial decree.
Hmph~ Even if she was favored by the Empress Dowager, and could call His Majesty her uncle, so what? Her mother wasn't a direct princess. If Shen Lanxi dared to harm her, it would be harming the Imperial Offspring. Let's see if His Majesty would let her off!
"Qingling, don't listen to her!" Zhou Ruyuan, who had led troops in his youth, didn't know Shen Lanxi well, but he knew from others that she was usually arrogant and didn't care about anyone. Coupled with her current actions, he felt she was a cruel woman.
Her words were not to be trusted!
Bai Qingling grasped Zhou Ruyuan's sleeve, leaning slightly towards him, appearing utterly infatuated and unable to extricate herself.
"Ruyuan, for you, I'm willing to do anything!"
Zhou Ruyuan looked at the woman who relied on him completely, and his heart was filled with emotion. Only a woman as kind-hearted as Qingling could be worthy of him! "Qingling, don't worry, I, Zhou Ruyuan, will never let you down in this life!"
Bai Qingling took a small step towards the table, her eyes falling on the shorter wine cup.
"I'll drink this cup of wine now. I also ask the Wangfei to keep her word, to live in peace with me in the future, and to support the Prince in starting a great undertaking!" After she finished speaking, she picked up the wine cup and was about to drink it.
"Qingling, don't drink it, I'll drink it for you!" Zhou Ruyuan snatched the wine cup and drank it all in one gulp.
"Ruyuan, you don't have to do this, it's just a cup of wine..."
Shen Lanxi's face was expressionless as she searched their eyes twice, and her heart instantly plunged into endless darkness!
"What's the rush? Don't you think it's enough to drink? Here's another cup!" She pushed the other cup of wine on the table in front of Bai Qingling.
This time, Bai Qingling didn't hesitate at all. She picked it up and drank it down in one gulp!
Shen Lanxi watched everything clearly. Bai Qingling had been dawdling earlier, clearly intending for Zhou Ruyuan to drink that cup of wine. Her plan was to have Zhou Ruyuan test for poison. It seemed she didn't like Zhou Ruyuan as much as she pretended!
"Alright, we've both drunk the wine. You're not allowed to make things difficult for Qingling anymore!" Zhou Ruyuan warned coldly.
Shen Lanxi's eyes were as deep and unfathomable as a cold, bottomless pool. Her tone was icy. "If she comes to me and makes things difficult for herself, then she's just asking for it!"
Zhou Ruyuan suppressed his anger, his eyes dark and sinister. "Qingling is open-minded, unlike the typical women in the back courtyards. She's not like you, who only knows how to enjoy life and scheme. She will absolutely never set foot here again!" At the end, his eyes made it seem like he considered the Bridal Chamber a filthy place.
Shen Lanxi smiled, "In the future, if either of you steps foot in here, you're just asking for it!"
Zhou Ruyuan said fiercely, "You said it! Even if you beg the Empress Dowager and His Majesty, I won't step into your room again."
"And if you go back on your word?" Her phoenix eyes turned sharply to Bai Qingling.
Seeing that she still wouldn't relent, Zhou Ruyuan threatened and intimidated his beloved with his eyes. Harsh words came out of his mouth, "If I go back on my word, may I be struck by lightning!"
Shen Lanxi's expression was calm, as if she were handling a trivial matter. On the very first day of her marriage, she was forcing her husband to make a vow never to enter the Bridal Chamber. No one could guess what she was thinking.
The food was brought in.
"Both of you, remember the Curse you made. If Bai Qingling enters my room, the one struck by lightning will be the Prince!"
Zhou Ruyuan understood. Shen Lanxi wanted to force him to yield. If he never entered the New Room, she would use that as an excuse to complain to the palace, putting him in a difficult position.
Unfortunately, Shen Lanxi didn't understand him at all. He never accepted threats. As the commander of the army, even if he fell, his bones would remain strong.
"Rest assured, I, Zhou Ruyuan, and Qingling, will never set foot in your room. But if you deliberately have someone call Qingling over, then you will be struck by lightning and have no place to be buried!" Zhou Ruyuan had long seen through Shen Lanxi. This cunning woman only wanted them to make a Curse, so she could do as she pleased. Don't even think about it!
Shen Lanxi's gaze fell on the food. She knew it would be difficult to eat such good dishes openly in the future.
Those two pieces of trash shouldn't ruin her good food.
"Alright, both of you, get out and don't disturb my meal, or don't blame me for regretting it!"
Zhou Ruyuan watched the woman start to eat voraciously the moment they were gone, a sneer playing on his lips. This woman was indeed cold-hearted and shallow, her vision limited, her mind trapped in the narrow confines of the inner court. She wasn't even worthy of a single hair of Bai Qingling's.
"Qingling, let's go!" Zhou Ruyuan said, and he and Bai Qingling left, one in front of the other.
As she turned to leave the room, Bai Qingling pretended to casually glance back with the corner of her eye.
The woman was busy eating, head down. Who would have thought that the Lanxi County Princess was such a simple-minded fool? She hadn't even used much effort today, yet the Princess had already fallen out with the Prince. If it weren't for her prestigious family background, such a woman wouldn't even deserve to carry the Prince's shoes.
Chunxue and Qiushuang forced themselves to appear composed. When only their young mistress remained, both of them immediately revealed expressions of concern and worry.
"Your… Miss…"
Shen Lanxi interrupted them, "Call me Miss, don't call me Wangfei!"
Chunxue and Qiushuang had just discussed changing their address, but before they could even finish one call, their Miss stopped them.
"What exactly happened between Miss and the Prince? Was it Bai Qingling's doing?"
"Miss, this servant will go and kill that woman!" Chunxue and Qiushuang said before heading out.
"Stop, I have something for you to do!" Shen Lanxi picked up a box from the dressing table, which contained the silver and banknotes she had prepared!
Thinking of her family being held in the Heavenly Prison, Shen Lanxi's eyes darkened.
"The Shen Family is in trouble and will likely be exiled. I need you to take this money and prepare the necessary supplies for the journey." She divided a few lists in two and handed them to the two maids.
"After you've prepared everything, don't return to the Prince's manor. Wait for me at the Good Fortune Inn at the city gate!"
The two maids were terrified, their hands trembling so much that they nearly dropped the items!
"Miss, how could this be? We were fine when we went out yesterday!" Chunxue looked heartbroken and disbelieving.
Shen Lanxi said, "There's no time to explain. Zhou Ruyuan hasn't gotten the news yet, but it shouldn't be long. Once he finds out, you won't be able to leave. Hurry and go!"