Chapter 383: Chapter 381: Cui Ji’s Concubine
Shen Yinning froze for a moment.
She knew Cui Ji had always stood by her, but his reckless entry into the Imperial Study today, opposing Shen Xinghan and the entire Shen Guogong Mansion faction, still stirred ripples in her heart.
The once taciturn boy, who had fainted from hunger by the roadside and could only speak Gan State dialect, seemed to have grown into a towering tree...
A tree strong enough to shield her.
Shen Xinghan’s face darkened. "I do not wish to ask Lord Cui where that Red Book Iron Certificate or the Imperial Decree of Marriage came from, but I must remind you, the woman you are so fervently protecting is the most venomous beauty snake in this world. Though her facade is hypnotic, her deeds are nothing but betrayal and dishonor. Lord Cui, keeping her close will only lead to you being bitten in the future."
"There’s no need for Lord Shen to worry." Cui Ji stood firm. "Cui Ji owes his life to Princess Zhaoning—this life belongs to her already."
Shen Xinghan took a deep breath, suppressing the unnamable fury churning in his chest.
These men—Lu Ying, Cui Ji, Lu Shiyan—they were all enslaved by the pomegranate skirts of Shen Yinning!
He had to exhaust every scheme to navigate the power struggles of the court and win allies to his cause, yet Shen Yinning captivated them without the slightest effort, driving them to break fire and enter water for her. That beauty of hers was indeed an unrivaled weapon!
Thinking of how his father was tortured to death, his very remains unrecognizable, while the murderer flaunted their presence arrogantly before his very eyes, Shen Xinghan’s chest surged with choking hatred.
His gaze bypassed Cui Ji, landing cold and piercing on Shen Yinning before he swept his sleeve and left.
Shen Yunxi, clutching her crippled hand, also glared unwillingly at Shen Yinning before turning to chase after her elder brother.
Cui Ji clutched Shen Yinning’s hand tightly.
At some point, their fingers had entwined completely.
He slowly withdrew his hand, feeling the faint sweat in his palm, then asked with concern, "Are you all right? It was Cui Ji who came late and allowed you, Princess, to be bullied by them in vain."
Shen Yinning thought for a moment and said earnestly, "Strictly speaking, it’s me bullying Shen Xinghan."
The two stepped out of the Imperial Study, traversing the winding palace pathways.
Lowering his gaze slightly, Cui Ji explained softly, "Cui Ji never intended to coerce you into marriage. When the Crown Prince was deposed, Cui Ji feared he may rise again someday, so he entered the palace that very night, begging the Emperor for the Red Book Iron Certificate and the Imperial Decree of Marriage. Cui Ji indeed thought of marrying the Princess, but it was never meant to be an act of opportunism. Cui Ji was merely... afraid the Princess would not emerge from this case unscathed."
Shen Yinning remembered that night.
Cui Ji had urged her to stay away from Lu Ying and warned her of the dangers he posed.
But she ignored his advice and even forbade him from stepping foot into Shen Garden again.
Her steps slowed gradually.
Looking at the young man’s figure in his dark-green official robe, an inexplicable emotion stirred within her heart.
Cui Ji noticed she wasn’t keeping up and turned back, his eyes filled with visible unease. "Princess?"
As if he feared saying something that would upset Shen Yinning again.
Shen Yinning smiled gently and walked up to him. "I’m not blaming you."
Cui Ji spoke in a low voice, "Then about the marriage..."
Shen Yinning glanced at him.
He still kept his head lowered, lashes cast downward.
In her presence, he always spoke timidly, rarely daring to meet her eyes, while the tips of his fair ears were perpetually flushed red.
Even his hands, hanging by his sides, were faintly curling up nervously at the moment.
The palace pathway was so quiet.
Quiet enough for Shen Yinning to hear the increasingly erratic rhythm of his heartbeat.
She said, "I will marry you."
Cui Ji’s jet-black pupils widened abruptly, fully capturing her radiant, delicate face.
Shen Yinning stretched out her fair hand, gently covering his eyes.
The young man’s gaze was too ardently sincere, and for now, she could not reciprocate with the same depth of emotion.
She tilted her head up, closely studying the streak of white hair at his temple, then shifted her gaze to his elegant, stoic face, his slender yet sturdy shoulder and neck, and the long, jade-like hand accustomed to holding a brush...
Memories of those two years in Gan State flashed through her mind.
She had sat beneath the flowered vines in a rocking chair, correcting his dialect word by word, teaching him arts beyond the classics of history, enlisting masters of horseback archery to train him...
Back then, she saw Cui Ji as an uncut jade.
She had wanted to be his benefactor, to demand repayment for her kindness, to make Cui Ji her blade.
But now, she no longer wished for Cui Ji to be her blade.
Her soft, delicate fingers slowly entwined with his.
Feeling the calluses formed from his handwriting, an unfamiliar sense of security welled up within her.
A feeling Lu Ying had never given her.
Perhaps marrying Cui Ji wasn’t such a bad choice after all.
If her father, brother, and mother were still alive, they would surely wish her to marry Cui Ji too.
She removed her hand from his eyes, her voice naturally playful. "You once claimed you’d learned a great deal at Tianxiang Tower. Let me ask you—are you still—"
"Cui Ji remains untouched!"
Cui Ji blurted out, then, realizing the impropriety of his choice of words, quickly explained with a red face, "Princess, rest assured. Cui Ji is still a virgin. I merely observed and studied the interactions between them and their patrons, but I never participated."
Shen Yinning was momentarily speechless.
A Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice sneaking off to Tianxiang Tower for "research" of this nature.
In some respects, Cui Ji was indeed quite the odd one.
In the distance, on the palace tower.
Lu Ying stood with hands behind his back by the window, watching Shen Yinning and Cui Ji in the palace pathway below.
He couldn’t hear their conversation but saw Shen Yinning covering Cui Ji’s eyes with her hand, as if—
she were flirting.
His already cold and brooding expression turned even darker, his heavy brow casting a shadow over his eyes, exuding a bone-chilling imperial menace.
At this moment, Shen Xinghan entered the hall.
Following Lu Ying’s gaze, he looked down and murmured, "Sister Ling has always toyed skillfully with men, hasn’t she, Your Highness? Now, Vice Minister Cui is undoubtedly the most loyal dog beneath her pomegranate skirt. I wouldn’t be surprised if the words ’Shen Yinning’s dog’ were engraved on his arm."
Lu Ying’s face grew even gloomier.
Whether Cui Ji bore those words, he did not know.
But on his own arm, he had once carried the words ’Shen Zhaozhao’s dog.’
Unaware of his discomfort, Shen Xinghan continued, "She plotted against my father, yet the Red Book Iron Certificate saved her life. Though I am indignant, I have no recourse. Death may be exempted, but punishment cannot be avoided. I am willing to forgo pursuing her death sentence, but I implore Your Highness to decree that Sister Ling may only become Cui Ji’s concubine."
He bit out the words "Cui Ji’s concubine" through gritted teeth.
He wanted nothing more than for Shen Yinning to be miserable.
He wagered that Lu Ying would not want Shen Yinning to become Cui Ji’s legitimate wife either.
Lu Ying remained silent.
The darkness in his narrowed eyes swirled, heavy and threatening, as he watched Shen Yinning’s figure disappear with Cui Ji into the palace pathway, as if they were destined to soar together.
Shen Xinghan pressed on, "It is said that the Prime Minister’s daughter, Shangguan Min, harbors deep affection for Cui Ji. In my humble opinion, this would be a splendid match. Vice Minister Cui is the ideal age to marry and should simultaneously take a graceful wife and a charming concubine, ensuring early descendants to continue his lineage."