Chapter 316 The Northern River Imperial Mausoleum, Descendants of the Wrathful King!

Zhou Ruyuan ate a few bites quickly and then found Shen Lanxi.

"Lanxi, we agreed before that we'd sit down and have a proper chat after we finished investigating the secret passage. I think this is the perfect opportunity."

Zhou Ruyuan had expected Shen Lanxi to make sarcastic or even angry remarks, but she just said something light and casual.

"Okay, let's chat!"

Zhou Ruyuan's eyes darkened, and he realized that this shouldn't be the case.

"Lanxi, the divorce you made before was not my wish. Now that the Shen family is fine, that divorce agreement is no longer valid."

Shen Lanxi gave a mocking smile: "So, the story of spending the wedding night in someone else's room and calling for water three times is also fake?"

Zhou Ruyuan's eyes instantly turned fierce. Why did people always bring up the matter of calling him "Water"? Everyone has been young and impetuous at times, so why do they always keep harping on this?

"Lanxi, that's all a misunderstanding."

Shen Lanxi looked at Zhou Ruyuan with amusement: "Is it a misunderstanding that you stayed in someone else's room on your wedding night, or that you called for water three times in one night?"

A flash of pain and anger crossed Zhou Ruyuan's eyes.

"Lanxi, it's normal for men to have multiple wives and concubines. Why do you have to nitpick about this?"

Shen Lanxi looked at Zhou Ruyuan with a cold face: "I've seen shameless people, but I've never seen anyone who can describe shamelessness in such a refreshing and elegant way."

"It's common for men to have multiple wives and concubines, but other men wouldn't spend their wedding night in another woman's room, much less let anyone tell me about calling for water three times in one night. If it were anyone else, that woman who deliberately stirred up trouble between the master and mistress would have been beaten to death with sticks long ago."

"Your Highness, I'd like to ask you, what did you do with that woman?"

The blunt question left Zhou Ruyuan speechless.

"Leaving aside that woman, what happened to the old woman who helped her deliver the message about water to the mistress?"

A fleeting, ferocious look crossed Zhou Ruyuan's face; so this was the truth.

"Lanxi, I am unaware of the details. Once we return to the capital, I will certainly punish this wicked servant severely to appease you."

Shen Lanxi looked at the man who kept trying to find excuses for others and felt nothing but irony.

Instead of admitting he can't control his lust, he blames women for seducing him. What's the difference between him and the men in brothels who go to the authorities after having their fun?

"Don't try to evade the issue or deceive me. I've fought my way from Dongchuan to the Northwest, conquering east and west. I've seen it all. I'm not an ignorant girl." Shen Lanxi looked at Zhou Ruyuan with a cold gaze.

The latter's eyes flickered slightly, not daring to meet Shen Lanxi's gaze.

"Lanxi, I will petition His Majesty to grant me the honor of marrying you again as my concubine."

Shen Lanxi was so angry that she laughed.

"Very well, on the day you request the imperial decree, in addition to the decree itself, poison, a dagger, and a white silk ribbon will also be delivered to your residence!"

Zhou Ruyuan's eyes turned fierce in an instant: "You..."

Shen Lanxi sneered: "You know perfectly well why that woman is still alive. You also know perfectly well when she will finally be unable to escape. His Majesty is wise and powerful, weighing the pros and cons and knowing how to make choices. Tell me, is the life of a mere Bai Qingling more important, or is my life, Shen Lanxi, more important?"

Zhou Ruyuan stared intently at Shen Lanxi for a moment, then left with a dark expression.

They rode at breakneck speed and arrived at the Beihe Imperial Mausoleum that evening.

All members of the royal family who made mistakes were confined to a tiny courtyard.

They were ostensibly guarding the imperial tombs, but in reality, they were under house arrest.

After seeing the token Zhou Ruyuan produced, the guards brought the descendant of the King of Li shortly afterward.

A thin, stick-like young man was dragged to them, wearing shackles.

Zhou Ruyuan frowned as he looked at the person who had been thrown on the ground like a rag doll and asked, "Why didn't he say a word?"

The guard hurriedly flattered him, saying, "I was sent here for a rotation five years ago, and he was like this when he arrived. The old folks here said that he's been like this ever since he was sent here. If it weren't for the orders from above that he couldn't die, and the fact that we feed him three meals a day, he would have starved to death long ago."

Shen Lanxi silently looked at the person who lay on the ground with lifeless eyes.

"Is he the only descendant of the King of Li?" Zhou Ruyuan continued to ask.

The guard said, "This is the only one left. There were originally two more. One of them went insane a few years ago, and after going insane, he died of a sudden illness. The other one also died suddenly from an illness."

Zhou Ruyuan then angrily slammed his fist on the table, cracking it with his force.

"If you lie again, I will chop off your head!"

The guard was so frightened that he immediately knelt on the ground and begged for mercy: "Your Highness, spare my life! I really didn't lie. After the guards of the imperial tomb died, there was a coroner to examine the body. The coroner can testify. I really dared not lie. Please spare my life, Your Highness!"

Zhou Ruyuan said with a dark face, "Take him away. I will decide whether to release him or not after I have investigated the matter."

The guards immediately stepped forward and took the watchman away.

Zhou Ruyuan then summoned the imperial physician, who immediately treated the descendant of the Prince of Li.

Shen Lanxi stood up as she watched the person whose hand was being pricked by silver needles without even flinching.

"Let's arrange a place for you to rest for the night!"

As soon as they stepped out of the room, Ban Sicao whispered, "He looks like he's been poisoned."

Shen Lanxi: "Let Zhou Ruyuan make a move first, then we'll observe the situation!"

Ban Sicao: "Our men have already laid an ambush around the area."

Shen Lanxi nodded.

The next day, when she saw the descendant of the King of Li again, the imperial physicians were taking turns applying acupuncture to him.

Zhou Ruyuan had dark circles under his eyes, clearly indicating he hadn't slept well the night before. It was unclear whether this was from an all-night interrogation or from being asked for water three times.

"What's wrong with him?" They even removed his shackles, clearly afraid he was dead.

Zhou Ruyuan frowned: "The imperial physician said the disease is already terminal."

Shen Lanxi: "We must inform His Majesty immediately."

Zhou Ruyuan: "A message has already been sent to the capital."

Shen Lanxi couldn't reveal too much, and only said, "That's good, then we'll leave everything to the Prince of Zhennan."

Zhou Ruyuan turned and left, intending to go to the place where the descendants of the Li King lived.

The guard was changed again today, probably because Zhou Ruyuan discovered that the previous detention center report was incorrect.

"Take me to see where the descendants of the King of Li live."

The guard quickly and carefully led the way.

She was then taken to a dilapidated hut, where the guard, wiping his sweat, forced a smile and said, "This is all the order from above; I can't make that decision myself."

Shen Lanxi wouldn't punish a trembling guard. Given his status as a descendant of the King of Li, only a fool would be kind to him. The fact that he wasn't killed was because it was deliberately instructed by his superiors; it's just a case of the higher-ups setting an example for the lower.

"How will he survive the winter in this wretched place?"

The guard forced a smile and said, "We'll move to a better place in the winter." After all, he couldn't let the man die, nor could he treat him well.

Shen Lanxi said calmly, "Dig up every place he has lived or stayed in, leaving no stone unturned!"