Chapter 369: Chapter 367: She is His True White Moonlight
Gao Zheng’s gaze held a hint of danger, his eyes fleetingly scanning Shen Yinning’s chest and slender waist.
He breathed heavily, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he suppressed his intense longing.
He had prepared aphrodisiac incense in the room; as long as Shen Yinning stepped inside, he was confident he could turn her into a wanton woman, crying and begging to throw herself into his arms.
Shen Yinning admired her newly trimmed nails. "Gao Zheng, kindly get your facts straight. My mother is the eldest daughter of the Cheng Family from the Northwest, my father is the Great General guarding the border, and I myself am the Princess Zhaoning personally titled by the Holy Emperor. Even the Crown Prince has to call me Shen Sister. What is your Gao Family worth that you think you can make me your adopted daughter?"
Gao Zheng’s expression stiffened, his hand resting on the flower table quietly clenching into a fist. He said in a low voice, "You may be a princess, but your father and brother have been convicted. You carry the stigma of being the daughter of criminals; you’re no longer the eldest young lady of the Shen Guogong Mansion. Our Gao Family is a scholarly lineage—are we not qualified to be your kin and foster some mutual ties?"
"My father and brother are innocent. Gao Zheng, I don’t care what sneaky schemes you and your mother are plotting. I will not set foot back in that pathetic little house of yours. As for the boxes, I’ll send someone to retrieve them. Someone come, see him out."
Gao Zheng panicked. "Lady Shen, I sincerely wish for us to mend fences. How could you be so—"
Before he could finish, Wei Yu stood before him with hands on her hips, her eyes glaring like copper bells.
Gao Zheng remembered Wei Yu’s impressive feat of throwing both his mother and Yin Shanshan out of the Hot Spring Villa. Too intimidated to say any more, he left Shen Garden in defeat.
Shen Yinning gestured to her maids, instructing them to throw away all the tea sets Gao Zheng had used.
Her beautiful, translucent nails lightly tapped the desk, and she propped her chin on one hand. "Yu Feng."
A young man stepped forward respectfully. "Princess?"
The youth was tall and well-built—a former house servant of the Shen Guogong Mansion. After the Shen Family was confiscated, he and his younger sister had ended up on the streets, making a living as performers, until Wen Liluo recruited him. Now, he was the chief guard of Shen Garden.
Shen Yinning said, "Tonight, gather the others and go to Lotus Lane—kill Gao Zheng’s entire household."
The Drooping Flower Hall was silent enough to hear a pin drop.
Yu Feng remained quiet, feeling less like he was serving the young lady and more like he had boarded a pirate’s ship.
He braced himself and replied, "As you command."
Haitang was utterly stunned.
Her princess had already killed Shen Yan, and now she wanted to wipe out Gao Zheng’s entire family!
These people were court officials. Shen Yan’s case wasn’t even resolved yet—the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Justice were still combing the capital for the culprit. And now the princess had her sights set on Gao Zheng’s family? The way she operated was brazen to the extreme!
She hurriedly advised, "High Official Gao may be detestable, but he hasn’t caused substantial harm to the Princess. Slaughtering his entire family rashly might be somewhat inhumane. Now that the Crown Prince has been newly established, the situation in the capital is not yet stable. Furthermore, with the recent passing of Sir Shen, if the Princess acts too audaciously at this juncture, she might provoke suspicion and bring trouble upon herself."
Shen Yinning narrowed her phoenix eyes. "You have a point."
She was simply tired of Gao Zheng hanging around incessantly and wanted to eliminate the problem once and for all.
"Fine." She rose. "On your account, I’ll spare him this time."
The aphrodisiac incense had been burning for a while now—she estimated Lu Ying must be near his limit.
She needed to see Lu Ying.
Wanxiang Pavilion.
Shen Yinning pushed open the bedroom door and found Shen Xinya, her clothes disheveled, stepping down from the bed.
"Cousin... Cousin Sister?" Shen Xinya, startled, quickly knelt, trembling. "I... I and the Crown Prince..."
The nighttime breeze flowing in made the aphrodisiac incense in the room slightly thinner.
Shen Yinning fixed her gaze on Shen Xinya—the young woman’s cheeks were flushed, eyelashes damp, and her pitiful, slightly panting demeanor resembled someone who had just indulged in passion.
Her expression remained cold as her eyes shifted to Lu Ying.
The man sat with one knee bent, his forehead and nose glistening with sweat. Beads of sweat emerging from his chest soaked through his clothes, making his feather-black gauze robe cling to his skin, outlining his broad shoulders and narrow waist.
His head hung slightly, a few strands of jet-black messy hair drifting over his forehead, and the muscles of his jawline and neck were drawn taut.
He didn’t meet her gaze.
And in that instant, Shen Yinning understood exactly what had transpired in the bedroom during her absence.
She paced slowly around the room.
Her gaze repeatedly swept over Shen Xinya and Lu Ying, and then she suddenly let out a scoffing laugh, repeating three "Well done."
Shen Xinya realized that Shen Yinning had misunderstood her.
Moments ago, she had acted impulsively and nearly blurted out a secret from her childhood.
But realizing it was her greatest trump card, she forcibly restrained herself.
Tears in her eyes, she said to Lu Ying, "One day, Your Highness will understand that Xinya and you are meant to be... For now, please don’t force yourself anymore. Xinya is willing to detoxify you..."
She pulled open her garments and climbed back onto the bed, her intention clear—she sought to consummate their relationship.
Yet even at this point, Lu Ying flatly refused to lie with her.
His eyes turned blood-red as he gripped her throat tightly, preventing her from coming closer. "Do you not understand human speech?!"
"Your Highness!"
Shen Xinya was devastated, unable to choke out a coherent reply.
But inwardly she thought, Very well, torment me—torment me all you want. The more heartless you are now, the more remorseful you’ll be when you learn the truth.
After all, she was his true white moonlight!
Lu Ying suppressed his urge to kill her and flung her off the bed harshly—and right at that moment, Shen Yinning stepped through the door.
The aphrodisiac incense in the room was now barely detectable.
Although Shen Xinya wanted to build her relationship with Lu Ying, she didn’t want to offend Shen Yinning under such circumstances. Her voice hoarse, she hastily tried to explain, "Cousin Sister, it’s not what you think—His Highness and I—"
"It’s exactly as you see." Lu Ying abruptly interrupted her, a mocking smile teasing his lips as he glanced at Shen Yinning. "So, what will you do about it?"
Shen Xinya widened her eyes in shock—she hadn’t anticipated Lu Ying to say such words.
The night outside was heavy, while the bedroom inside shone with bright candlelight.
Yet there seemed to be an intangible darkness creeping in, pervasive and suffocating, pressing down on everyone in the room, making it hard to breathe.
Haitang coughed lightly, signaling to two young maids to escort Shen Xinya out.
She led the other maids out of the room, closing the door behind them, reducing some of the oppressive tension that had seized their hearts.
Inside the room.
After spending two more minutes inhaling the aphrodisiac incense, Lu Ying was drenched as if he had been pulled from a pool; even the wisps of black hair falling over his forehead were damp with sweat.
His expression was a mix of mockery and icy disdain. "I slept with her—what will you do about it?"
Shen Yinning’s face was icy cold, and without warning, she slapped him hard across the face.
She raised her hand to strike again, but Lu Ying grabbed her wrist firmly.
The girl’s delicate wrist was thin and pale, but he clasped it tightly, rendering her unable to break free despite her struggles.
As the faint scent of her skin reached him, Lu Ying completely lost control over the effects of the aphrodisiac incense surging within him.