Chapter 318: Chapter 316 This Deal is Betraying Lu Ying
The carriage was sealed and narrow. Cui Ji, being observed by her at such close proximity, felt his ears flush slightly. "You come from a noble family and have seen countless rare treasures since you were young. Now that you are wealthy and exalted, ordinary hairpins probably mean nothing to you. Ever since I arrived in the Capital, I’ve been dreaming of those two years in Gan State with you. Gan State is a bitterly cold place, yet the Haitang trees in front of and behind your residence flourished beautifully. I can’t seem to forget how you sat beneath the Haitang trees, reading or playing the qin. So, I carved a Haitang hairpin."
Shen Yinning closed the embroidered box.
With the Emperor providing support, even if Cui Ji refused to acknowledge his ancestry, he was destined to live a life of glory and high rank.
And yet, instead of looking forward to his future, he was always dreaming of the past.
At just over twenty years of age, why was he already so nostalgic?
She said crisply, "Thank you."
"You..." Cui Ji’s hands, resting on his knees, unconsciously tightened. "Won’t you try it on?"
Shen Yinning held the embroidered box, her gaze sweeping over the streak of white in his hair. After a moment of silence, she smiled and said, "I should give it a try."
She raised her hand and slid the wooden Haitang hairpin into her hair.
The hairpin was indeed simple and understated, hidden among the more extravagant and luminous ornaments in her hair, unnoticed by anyone.
But Shen Yinning knew it was there.
She lifted her face into a smile. "Does it look good?"
Cui Ji smiled back.
Like Lu Ying, he didn’t smile often. When he did, it seemed a bit shy. Yet, with his fair and refined features, any expression he made carried an inherent handsomeness.
He nodded earnestly, "It looks good!"
The carriage ran over a stone, causing a jolt along the road.
Shen Yinning was thrown forward into the tea table but was promptly steadied by Cui Ji.
Cui Ji caught a faint whiff of her—a scent of desire intermingled with the usual fragrance of cosmetics, as if it had detected his greed and ambition, digging into his every pore to declare ownership.
It was Lu Ying’s scent.
Cui Ji lowered his gaze again, his pupils dark and inscrutable.
Two quarters later, the carriage reached Yan Zheming’s palace residence.
Cui Ji could not enter and had to watch as Shen Yinning stepped alone into the hall.
The maids of Yan Country led her to a grand and resplendent palace. Steam swirled within, and Yan Zheming was leisurely enjoying a flower petal bath in a two-zhang-long white jade pool.
Shen Yinning stood at the edge of the pool. "Crown Prince."
Yan Zheming opened his eyes, gazing at her with an amused smile. "You do have courage. As expected of Shen Xingye’s sister."
Shen Yinning replied coolly, "Before you entered the Capital, I had Aze pass on news of my presence here and also inform you that I wish to negotiate a deal. Now, it’s time to talk."
Yan Zheming stood up.
Water splashed as the maids respectfully dried him off.
He looked directly at Shen Yinning, his deep-set eyes betraying unbridled ambition. "I want all the territory north of the Great Zhou River."
North of the Zhou River lay vast grasslands. Beyond them were rolling snow-capped mountains, and past the mountains were the eight cities conquered by Shen Xingye years ago. These cities were vital trade hubs between the two nations and the Western Regions, bustling with prosperity.
Great Zhou’s court was filled with cowards. Yan Zheming thought the peace-faction ministers might just be willing to offer such terms in exchange for short-lived tranquility.
The crux of the problem lay with Lu Ying.
Lu Ying and his faction had no desire to negotiate a peace treaty.
They refused to redivide the territories.
Shen Yinning arched her red lips. "Although women in Great Zhou are not allowed to involve themselves in politics, perhaps I can delay Lu Ying and prevent him from interfering in your negotiations with Lu Zhengliu to form an alliance."
Yan Zheming gazed at her with interest.
He had heard from Lu Zhengliu that Shen Yinning was now Lu Ying’s secret lover.
The upright, austere Crown Prince of Great Zhou prized her like a treasure. Not only did he go to great lengths to bring her back to the Capital from Gan State, but he also dared to risk a ruinous reputation as a wife-stealer to maintain his ambiguous relationship with her.
Thus, hearing this from Shen Yinning’s own mouth, Yan Zheming believed her.
He stretched his arms as the maids dressed him in a long silk robe with wide sleeves.
His bare chest and well-defined muscles exuded strength and vitality.
He smiled. "And what is it you want from me?"
"The military power of the Shen Guogong Mansion," Shen Yinning said without flinching. "I want you to include a clause in the negotiation to transfer the 200,000 troops under Shen Yan’s command to Prince Su’s Mansion. Shen Yan is aligned with Lu Ying’s faction, and the Emperor disdains Lu Ying. Stripping him of his military authority will weaken Lu Ying’s power—a result the Emperor would certainly relish."
Yan Zheming burst into laughter, the exaggerated curve of his lips almost theatrical.
He scrutinized Shen Yinning. "Do you realize that this deal is a betrayal of Lu Ying?"
"That’s my business."
"I am curious about one thing—"
Yan Zheming stepped closer to her, the long train of his robe dragging a water trail behind him, like a serpent slithering across damp earth.
"When your father and brother were alive, they risked their lives guarding the borders. But now, you use those same lands as bargaining chips for a trade with me. Don’t you think you’re betraying them? You people from the Central Plains have a saying that the dead reunite in the Underworld. When you meet them there someday, won’t you fear their reproach?"
Shen Yinning’s eyes brimmed with mockery.
The ones who betrayed her father and brother were not her, but the officials of Great Zhou.
It was Shen Yan, Shen Xinghan, the man seated on the dragon throne, and the censors who knew the truth of the case but remained silent to protect their own skins.
She had not inherited the Shen Family’s honesty and integrity. She was thoroughly selfish. What did the common people or national affairs matter to her? She lived only to avenge her father and brother. In death, she would do the same.
She said, "I don’t know about the Underworld. All I know is that the dead are like extinguished lamps. All I know is one debt deserves repayment."
Yan Zheming stopped in front of her.
This Central Plains beauty, with her icy skin and jade-like bones, was breathtakingly alluring, like a rose blooming amidst thorns.
If she were not Shen Xingye’s sister, he would have already seized her for himself.
Yan Zheming smirked. "Fine, I agree to your deal. However, apart from the deal, we seem to have another matter to settle."
Shen Yinning knew he was referring to the time five years ago when her elder brother killed his younger brother, Yan Zhehai.
Yan Zheming said nonchalantly, "You know, Ah Hai admired Shen Xingye greatly. He said no one in the world could wield a spear with such flair as your brother. Ah Hai used to favor the curved blade, but after witnessing Shen Xingye’s spear techniques, he switched to the Red Tassel Spear. He regarded your brother as both elder brother and mentor. During the brief peace between our nations, he even invited your brother to drink and hunt together."
Shen Yinning had rarely heard stories of her elder brother’s time at the Northern Border.
"Then the war broke out, and Ah Hai and Shen Xingye became opposing vanguards. Former comrades turned into mortal enemies on the battlefield. You know how it ended—your brother killed Ah Hai."
Yan Zheming glanced at Shen Yinning. "As the Crown Prince, I understand that war spares no one and that death in battle is dictated by fate. I cannot blame your brother for Ah Hai’s death. But as Ah Hai’s kin, I cannot forgive him. Yet your brother is dead, leaving me with no one to avenge him upon. Shen Yinning, tell me, what should I do?"
The palace maids had unknowingly withdrawn.
The water in the bathing pool was growing cold, the lingering steam quietly dissipating.
Darkness and chill closed in from every direction, the tension in the palace rising with each passing moment.