Chapter 325: Chapter 323: How Can She Be So Bad
The chill swept through the private room.
Lu Ying’s entire body was tense, his bloodshot eyes growing darker and deeper.
He stared fixedly at Shen Yinning, utterly unable to comprehend how a young girl could be so shrewd, so adept at disguise, and so cold-hearted.
How could she be so cruel?
How could she trample on someone else’s feelings so recklessly?
A dense pain spread through his heart, each prick like a needle that left him in unbearable agony.
Yet the young girl across from him merely lifted her pointed, delicate chin in a proud and unrepentant manner.
Lu Ying stood still for a long while, as though he had finally reached a point where he had nothing left to say to her.
He took a deep breath, his expression icy, and slowly turned to leave the private room.
The rain poured relentlessly.
Shen Yinning watched as he closed the door behind him, the arrogance on her face quietly fading away.
The air was thick with mist. She rubbed her eyes, as if the haze had seeped into them as well.
She wasn’t even sure whether what she had just said was truly how she felt. She only knew that, faced with Lu Ying’s accusations, she had to retaliate somehow, spilling out a torrent of words in the process.
Perhaps Lu Ying would forgive her one day, or perhaps he never would.
But if it meant stripping her uncle of his military power, then she thought the trade-off was worth it.
Shen Yan, deprived of the command of twenty thousand soldiers, would no longer have the capital to rely on.
The girl lay on the bed in the private room at the posthouse, her eyes wide open, still fully clothed.
On the wooden beams above, a spider wove its web.
A tiny insect flew into the web and became tonight’s feast for the spider.
Shen Yinning thought that Lu Ying was like that insect, but at times, she also felt like she was the insect.
The spiderweb, with its countless silken threads crisscrossing, was like an intricate web of emotions.
The young girl, full of schemes and treating love like a trap, did not yet understand that "the heart is like a double web, with countless entangled knots." The net woven by affection may seem tender and intricate, but in reality, it was a deadly blade aimed at the soul.
Meanwhile,
Lu Ying left the private room and stood alone under the corridor.
Rain splashed onto the steps, soaking the hem of his robes, but he seemed not to notice, silently gazing into the pitch-black curtain of rain, the shadows in his narrow eyes so thick they seemed ready to spill out, darker and colder than the night.
Xue Ling approached, his wide sleeves brushing together: "Oh my, Your Highness looks quite morose standing here all by yourself?"
Lu Ying didn’t respond to him.
Xue Ling scratched the tip of his nose.
The soundproofing in the posthouse’s private rooms wasn’t great, so the argument between the Crown Prince and Shen Yinning had practically been heard by everyone.
No one dared even to breathe loudly, all pretending not to have noticed.
Only Xue Ling, bold as ever, dared to approach Lu Ying and speak to him.
For some reason, on this foggy, rain-filled night, Xue Ling found a trace of something pitiable in Lu Ying.
He cleared his throat and nonchalantly said, "What’s the big deal? It’s just a woman. When you ascend to the throne one day, the whole nation will be yours. Is there any kind of woman you won’t have? With just one imperial decree, countless people will scour the corners of the Nine Provinces to present beauties to you. Women like Shen Yinning? You can have as many as you want."
Lu Ying still didn’t respond to him.
As the Crown Prince, hadn’t he been presented with beauties by his subordinates and regional officials?
Of course he had.
Some officials, seeking to curry favor, even went out of their way to find women who bore a slight resemblance to Shen Yinning, knowing that she was his childhood sweetheart and former fiancée.
But he was painfully aware that no matter how similar their appearances were, they weren’t the same person.
Shen Yinning was Shen Yinning. No matter how sharp-tongued, ruthless, lowly, destitute, or infamous she became, in Lu Ying’s heart, she was the most unique woman.
Lu Ying had grown weary of Shen Yinning’s lies and cold heart, yet he also knew with unsettling clarity that she was irreplaceable.
Xue Ling, seeing that he remained silent, knew that persuading him to give up on Shen Yinning was a lost cause.
He could only say, "Bai Ling and the others have prepared roasted meat and wine in the East Wing. The meat was freshly purchased from the local villagers, and the wine is home-brewed rice wine gifted by the Posthouse Minister. Why don’t you join us, Your Highness? On a night like this, eating meat and drinking wine is the perfect remedy."
Lu Ying rubbed his temples.
He didn’t refuse.
The ones with him today were all trusted confidants, men who had accompanied him to the northern border for training, eating from the same pot, drinking from the same ladle, and sleeping in the same tent.
Thus, no one felt restrained. They pretended not to have heard their Crown Prince’s heated argument with his fierce and willful little songbird and drank with him to their hearts’ content.
The East Wing soon became a scene of drunken revelry.
Lu Ying’s steps grew unsteady, but his eyes remained clear.
He dragged a chair to sit under the corridor, facing the private room where Shen Yinning was resting.
The room was pitch dark; she must have already fallen asleep.
A woman like her...
could sleep no matter the circumstances.
Though the Posthouse Minister was standing watch for the night, Lu Ying still couldn’t feel at ease in a posthouse located in the wilderness, and he couldn’t shake the suspicion that Yan Zheming might bring people to assassinate him in the dead of night. So, leaning his head against his hand, with the sound of rain and the influence of wine, he personally kept vigil for her.
The rain gradually subsided.
Before dawn, only the occasional raindrop slipped from the clouds, rolling down banana leaves and soaking into the earth.
The spiderwebs under the eaves were studded with dewdrops, but the spider itself was nowhere to be seen. A gust of wind scattered countless crystalline beads like a shimmering cascade.
A few stars dotted the horizon. Opposite him, the Posthouse Minister stationed for the night had fallen asleep. Inside, the candles had burned out, leaving the room in a dreamy haze.
With a trace of drowsiness under his eyes, Lu Ying stared at Shen Yinning’s window lattice.
A line of poetry he’d once read inexplicably surfaced in his mind:
—"The heavens do not age, yet love is eternal. The heart is like a double web, with countless entangled knots. Through the night it persists; the east window remains dark as the lone lamp expires."
The next day.
Daylight brightened the sky, and the air carried the fresh scent of the mountains.
On the return journey, Lu Ying chose to ride a horse, leaving Shen Yinning alone in the carriage.
When they reached the northern city gate, their paths diverged. He instructed the guards to escort Shen Yinning back to Shen Garden, while he headed straight to the Imperial Palace.
Shen Yinning showed no reaction, nor did she cause any trouble.
She returned quietly to Shen Garden, where Haitang hurried out to greet her, lowering her voice to say, "Madam, Crown Prince Yan is waiting for you in the study."
The study had been prepared with tea and snacks. Yan Zheming and Gan Tangwei had already been waiting for some time.
After changing her clothes and tidying her hair, Shen Yinning entered the study. With just one glance at Yan Zheming’s expression, she could tell the negotiations had gone well.
She sat down, smoothing the hem of her dress. "Is Crown Prince Yan visiting today to thank me?"
"This was a mutually beneficial arrangement. Why talk of thanks? My affairs are settled, and I’ve handled yours as well. Your Emperor himself issued the decree, promoting Shen Yan to Duke of Zhengde and formally granting Shen Xinghan the title of Princely Heir, commanding the father and son to remain in the Capital permanently, never to lead troops into battle again."
Shen Yinning raised a slight eyebrow.
The words sounded pleasant, as if bestowing titles and promotions, but in reality, it was a veiled demotion, cleverly binding Shen Yan and his son to the Capital and depriving them of their military authority.
"There is one other matter I came to discuss today," Yan Zheming said, signaling Gan Tangwei to produce a brocade box. "Your brother left something with Ah Hai. I suspect it’s for you."