RWNEFE -Chapter 85 I Am Shen Lanxi!

This treatment—one moment heaven, the next hell—felt like a dream!

Even after Zhou Qiwu left, no one on the Shen family’s side spoke. Soon the food was delivered. They ate in silence, still not saying a word.

Meanwhile—

Shen Lanxi stared at the intelligence that had been transmitted back. She read it word by word, afraid of missing even the smallest detail, taking her time.

The report recorded every single line spoken between Zhou Qiwu and Zhou Lang in meticulous detail—even what they did was described clearly.

Could it be that the Wei Army’s stolen provisions truly had nothing to do with Zhou Qiwu?

Very soon, another message arrived, overturning her earlier conclusion. Zhou Qiwu must have formed an alliance in the capital with someone powerful; otherwise, with her intellect alone, she could never have stretched her hand that far.

She had previously been guessing who that ally might be. Now there was no need to guess—the person had revealed himself.

The Second Prince of Great Zhou, Zhou Ru’an.

Before Zhou Ru’an arrived, she had originally planned to take the members of the main branch and leave today. Now, she needed to make a slight adjustment.

“Chunxue, make a trip out of the city and deliver this letter to Liu Yanhui.” A thick letter was handed to Chunxue.

“Yes!”

Not long after Liu Yanhui received the letter, he led his people—disguised—to the docks and began buying seafood in large quantities.

Shen Lanxi sent Qiushuang to summon the Wei Army members for a meeting. She closed the door, turned around, and took out a set of red clothes from her spatial storage to change into.

By the time Qiushuang brought the Wei Army men over, Shen Lanxi was already fully dressed.

When Wei Dongzhu entered, he froze in shock. How could there be such a beautiful woman in Young Master Lan’s room?

“Y-young master?” Qiushuang cried out in surprise. Earlier, she had seen the door ajar and brought them in without knocking. Had she ruined Miss’s plans?

“It’s fine,” Shen Lanxi said calmly. “I have my own arrangements.”

Hearing this, Qiushuang immediately stepped aside obediently.

Wei Dongzhu and the men behind him were so stunned they forgot to breathe.

She was Young Master Lan? They hadn’t misunderstood, had they?

Young Master Lan was a woman—possessing beauty that could topple cities. She—she had such profound martial arts and peerless wisdom, yet she was actually a woman?

“Since you’re in, close the door,” Shen Lanxi said coldly.

The men at the back were jolted back to their senses by that icy voice and hurriedly shut the door.

Aside from the wrong gender, everything else was still Young Master Lan!

Shen Lanxi said, “There’s no harm in telling you. I am Shen Lanxi—the Lanxi County Princess personally ennobled by His Majesty, the legitimate eldest daughter of the Shen family’s main branch!”

The four people who had followed the Wei Army and been rescued from the Serpent Cave didn’t recognize the title of County Princess Lanxi. But having traveled with the exiled convoy, they knew of the Shen family.

They had also heard bits and pieces from other prisoners about Shen Lanxi—so she was the ‘royal cast-off woman’ spoken of among the convicts?

A storm surged in the hearts of the Wei Army members. Just two days ago, they had even been discussing whether Shen Lanxi had already been imprisoned or killed.

They never imagined that she was neither imprisoned nor harmed—she had been right beside them all along!

It was all because her previous disguise had been too perfect. Compared to her current, breathtaking beauty—so dazzling it made one’s heart itch—it was as if she were a completely different person.

Wei Dongzhu didn’t remember to breathe until his chest began to ache. For some reason, an inexplicable feeling surged up in his heart, making him deeply uncomfortable.

Subconsciously, he lowered his face, scarred from burns, and tugged his newly grown hair forward to cover the half of his face turned toward her.

“Miss Shen!”

Shen Lanxi looked at the men, who were radiating discomfort, with an amused expression. “When I was a man, you listened to me. Now that I’m a woman, you won’t?” By the end, her words carried a faint but unmistakable pressure.

Wei Dongcheng hurriedly explained, “No—it’s not that. We’re just… a bit shocked!”

Shen Lanxi said, “Shocked by what? Shocked that a woman not only practices martial arts but can outshine all heroes? Shocked that I’m not the affected, foolish figure of rumor, but instead resourceful and sharp-minded?”

Wei Dongzhu lowered his head even more, his hand unconsciously raking through his hair again.

“I may be a woman, but I act openly and uprightly. Many people, though born men, are treacherous villains. This shows that when judging a person, one should not look at appearance—much less gender. One should look at what that person has done, and whether they possess the strength and intellect to command respect!”

Hearing Shen Lanxi’s words, Wei Dongzhu felt his mind quake violently.

“It was we who were narrow-minded. Whether you are Young Master or Miss, we will honor our original promise and submit to your command!”

Since Shen Lanxi had summoned them, she had no intention of hiding anything.

“I suspect the theft of the Wei Army’s provisions is connected to Zhou Qiwu. From the moment my Shen family left the capital, we were hunted by several groups of unidentified death soldiers. I secretly eliminated them, but I never expected that among the escorting officials were Zhou Qiwu’s people. The Shen family’s main branch was arrested one moment, and the next moment the Second Prince paid a visit—I don’t believe this is a coincidence!”

The pupils of Wei Dongzhu and the Wei Army members shook.

“I’ve already found out that they are openly treating the Shen family as honored guests for one purpose only—to lure me to the Princess’s residence!”

Seeing her attire, Wei Dongzhu immediately tried to stop her. “Then you absolutely must not reveal yourself!”

A fierce resolve laced Shen Lanxi’s voice.

“If one does not enter the tiger’s den, how can one seize the tiger’s cub? My Shen family cannot bear false accusations and the suffering of exile for nothing. The forty thousand heroic spirits of the Wei Army cannot have died in vain. And the common people in the occupied cities of the northwest cannot suffer humiliation for nothing!”

“The mastermind behind all of this is close at hand. If they are not killed, it will not be enough to appease the souls of Great Zhou’s forty thousand fallen soldiers!”

The eyes of Wei Dongzhu and the Wei Army members reddened.

Especially Wei Dongzhu. He clenched his fists tightly and asked through gritted teeth, “What if the real culprits truly are the Second Prince and the Third Princess?”

Shen Lanxi replied, “Stealing military provisions, causing Great Zhou’s territory to be seized, causing forty thousand stalwart sons of Great Zhou to be buried beyond the frontier—such criminals should be judged as traitors who colluded with the enemy!”

“According to the laws of Great Zhou, those guilty of colluding with the enemy and treason are punished by extermination of nine clans. The ringleader is sentenced to death by a thousand cuts. Accomplices are punished according to the severity of their crimes—being torn apart by chariots, roasted alive, waist-cutting, beheading, hanging, poisoned wine…”

Each punishment, taken alone, was enough to terrify anyone out of their wits—yet even so, it was still not enough to quell the fury burning in the hearts of the Wei Army.

Too light. No punishment was heavy enough. Even if all nine clans were slaughtered, how many people would that be?

How many of the Wei Army had died?

And moreover—

“The Emperor is also included among the nine clans!” Wei Dongzhu’s murderous aura could no longer be suppressed.

These words were spoken to Shen Lanxi—and also to himself.

With bitter sarcasm and heart-piercing pain, Wei Dongzhu said word by word, “It has always been the case that when the ruler wants a minister to die, the minister must die! The Second Prince is of imperial blood—how could His Majesty possibly punish his own son?”

Shen Lanxi stood up, flicked her long sleeve, clasped her hands behind her back, and said with commanding force,

“There is also a saying: when princes break the law, they are punished the same as commoners!”