Chapter 385: Chapter 383: Shen Yinning, What to Use to Compete Against Her?
Shen Yinning wrote and revised the letter repeatedly, only finishing it late at night.
The next morning, she instructed Haitang to deliver the letter to the palace.
Lu Ying read the letter with a blank expression after handling the court deliberations.
It was nothing more than a recounting of past events, using their former feelings as a raft to push him to let go, urging him to part amicably, to forget everything between them. She wrote that since their fate had run its course, it would be better for them to marry others and remain uninvolved, that henceforth, the distinction between ruler and subject should stand, inside and outside the palace walls.
Uninvolved...
Lu Ying couldn’t accept it—Shen Yinning wanted to become an uninvolved person in his life.
"Your Highness," Gui Quan entered, "Miss Huo requests an audience."
Huo Mingyan entered carrying a stack of designs. "Cousin, the Weaving Bureau has sent over the patterns and designs for the phoenix robe. I don’t know what types of cuts and styles are fashionable in the Capital—could you take a look?"
The young lady had sharp brows and bright eyes, with a heroic charm. Her natural cheerfulness in speech made it easy for others to feel close to her.
Lu Ying pressed Shen Yinning’s letter under the memorial.
But Huo Mingyan’s sharp eyes caught the signature "Princess Zhaoning" at the bottom.
The letter was written by Shen Yinning to her cousin.
She recalled the rumors circulating in the palace in recent days and silently clenched the designs in her grasp.
"Let me have a look."
Lu Ying took the designs.
The Weaving Bureau, eager to win favor with the Huo Family and Huo Mingyan, had clearly spared no effort in creating the phoenix robe’s designs.
As he flipped through page by page, for some reason, images of these phoenix robes adorning Shen Yinning kept surfacing in his mind.
"Cousin..." Huo Mingyan gazed into his sharp eyes. "You know I grew up outside the border. I’m not like those reserved and refined ladies of noble families in the Capital. I’ve always been forthright, saying whatever’s on my mind. I heard about your story with Princess Zhaoning. Do you... do you still like her?"
Like...
Lu Ying’s gaze lingered on the design with twin lotus flowers.
If possessiveness counts as liking, then he was probably on the verge of liking her to madness.
Even after experiencing betrayal, seeing her with Cui Ji in Shen Garden behaving intimately, and resolutely deciding to cut ties with her, he still found himself unwittingly consumed by thoughts of her, tortured by her to the point of unbearable anguish.
The old scars on his arm seemed to ache faintly again, an itch crawling through his flesh toward his heart, making him wish he could rip out his heart and bury it in the dirt, never to recall anything related to Shen Yinning again.
Huo Mingyan saw his expression and guessed his thoughts.
Her nails nearly dug into her palm’s flesh. On the surface, however, she smiled, saying, "I heard Princess Zhaoning is a stunning beauty, with countless noble sons captivated by her charm. It’s perfectly understandable for my cousin to like her."
Lu Ying handed back the designs, his lashes lowered, his tone indifferent: "She’s not much to look at."
Huo Mingyan froze slightly.
Her cousin never lied.
Was Shen Yinning not as beautiful as the rumors claimed?
Perhaps that was it; Central Plains ladies were said to excel at grooming and adorning themselves. Maybe Shen Yinning was simply skilled in embellishment, making her appear more beautiful.
Unlike Huo Mingyan, who spent her days exposed to the wind and rain, with little time to beautify herself.
Her eyes lit up with a sincere smile and understanding, saying, "Actually, I can empathize with you, Cousin. For people like us, marriage isn’t something we choose ourselves but is determined by our families. Bearing the burden of the nation’s fate, how could we easily marry the one we love and remain by their side forever? Even if you like her, Cousin, in the end, for the sake of the country, you’ll have to give her up."
Lu Ying raised a brow. "You know where my heart lies. You wouldn’t mind?"
Huo Mingyan was silent for a moment.
She knew Lu Ying’s heart was elsewhere, but she also knew how this marriage had come about.
Her cousin had no romantic feelings for her; it had been her father, representing the influential families outside the border, who leveraged the family’s gratitude to force her cousin to make this decision.
She didn’t blame her cousin for liking Shen Yinning.
Now, with her family’s support allowing her to ascend as Empress, she already had the upper hand, close at hand and advantageous. In the future, she would have plenty of time to sway her cousin’s heart.
Her grandmother often said that the best hunters are unmatched in patience.
The same applies to matters of love.
Many young generals outside the border liked her; her cousin would be no exception over time.
She smiled radiantly. "Do you think I’m like those petty, jealous, narrow-minded women, Cousin? I understand that our marriage is a means to stabilize and balance the interests of the Great Zhou Country, inside and outside the borders. My role is to be a dignified and virtuous Empress, aiding you in securing peace across the land, not a small-minded woman causing trouble with jealousy in the palace."
The girl’s brows were open and upright, seemingly determined to stand by Lu Ying’s side.
Lu Ying said, "You’re still the same as when you were a child."
When he went to the border for training as a child, he played war games with the children there.
Huo Mingyan, though young, insisted on being the commander, strategizing with remarkable breadth and flair, displaying the temperament of a general.
Huo Mingyan followed suit, curving her brows in a smile. Remembering something, she suddenly grew eager and extended her fist to Lu Ying, saying, "Cousin, it’s been years since we sparred. Have your skills grown rusty these past years? Cousin, are you willing to test yourself against me?"
As she spoke, she playfully blinked her eyes at him.
Lu Ying replied, "I’m willing to learn."
Gui Quan and De Sun, clutching their horsetail whisks, watched as the two headed to the palace courtyard for a duel.
Gui Quan marveled, "This truly feels like the sun rose from the west—who would’ve thought His Highness would spar with a young girl?"
"After all, she’s the future Empress and his cousin. It’s only natural His Highness spoils her a little, though..." De Sun raised his horsetail whisk. "I wonder what will happen with the one in Shen Garden. How will His Highness handle that?"
Huo Mingyan’s skills were decent, but compared to Lu Ying, she was still far behind. She was swiftly knocked to the ground.
Huo Mingyan evidently hadn’t expected Lu Ying to take the duel seriously, surprisingly falling hard enough to ache in her back.
It was entirely different from the spar she had imagined.
She stubbornly swallowed her embarrassment, holding back the urge to wince in pain. Eyes red and teary, she climbed back up, complaining, "Cousin, you’re bullying me!"
Lu Ying hadn’t expected her to cry.
When sparring with Xue Ling, Xue Ling would only yelp dramatically, never shedding tears.
After a moment of silence, Lu Ying said, "My apologies."
Huo Mingyan wore a defiant expression, choking on her tears as she said, "I’ll come back and challenge you again after I’ve practiced more! I’m not some delicate young lady from a noble family; I have strength and spirit. I’ll surpass you!"
She curtseyed and left, stubborn and resilient.
But the corners of her lips curved with an imperceptible smile.
Using the excuse of sparring, she would have countless opportunities to be close to her cousin, allowing him to discover the resolute yet tender charm she possessed.
Shen Yinning—what could she possibly use to compete against her?
Lu Ying returned to the Imperial Study, washed his hands, and his gaze fell again on Shen Yinning’s letter.
Every word was heartfelt, pleading to sever their ties and urging them to marry others.
In his narrow, dark eyes surged a cruel and ferocious intensity.
He picked up the letter and slowly crushed it into powder with his inner strength.
"To Shen Garden."
He spoke each word deliberately.