Chapter 367: Chapter 365: Lu Ying Really Can Kneel Down and Be Her Dog
Lu Ying withdrew his hand. "A man and a woman alone in one room—and you called a man obsessed with you to serve you while bathing and dressing—claiming now that you are innocent? Shen Yinning, do you think there is any credibility in what you say? I don’t care about your cruelty or your habit of killing brothers and uncles; I only despise your lies and your fickle nature."
Shen Yinning was precisely like this.
Back then, she hid from him to cuddle and kiss Lu Shiyan. Now, she claims to like him while intertwining bodies with Cui Ji, drunk on lust and indulgence.
His narrow eyes were full of cold disdain, and every word he spoke was sharp as a blade: "Shen Yinning, you really can’t live without men, can you?"
The sleeping quarters were deathly quiet.
The maids kept their heads down, holding their breath in fear, not daring to look around.
Shen Yinning kept her unwavering gaze on him.
Though her relationship with Cui Ji was innocent, her delicate and fair cheeks flushed slightly, as if she had truly wronged him.
Had it been in the past, she wouldn’t even bother explaining; she would have stormed off with indignation.
But now, she genuinely wanted a future with Lu Ying.
She suppressed her emotions repeatedly, poured wine for him herself, and spoke earnestly: "Brother Lu Ying, there is truly nothing between Cui Ji and me. Moreover, I’ve already ordered him not to step foot in Shen Garden anymore. You won’t see him again."
She raised the wine cup and brought it to Lu Ying’s lips. "Since you’ve loved me for so many years, why can’t you continue to love me? I didn’t know your feelings back then, but now I understand. I’m willing to respond to your affection; I’m willing to be with you."
Lu Ying pushed her hand away.
Shen Yinning was caught off guard, and the jade-green wine cup spilled its contents, soaking her hand and sleeve.
She lowered her gaze to the mess, hearing Lu Ying’s voice deep and cold: "I’ve never thought a woman could be as filthy as you. Last night you were with Cui Ji, tonight you’re here with me. Even Lu Shiyan and Lu Zhengliu—aren’t they all toys in your palm, Shen Yinning? Are all the men of the Lu Family your playthings?"
Filthy...
Shen Yinning slowly raised her lashes, her clear, luminous eyes glistening with redness and moisture.
After a long pause, she suddenly slapped Lu Ying.
Lu Ying didn’t dodge or flinch. He raised his hand, touched his cheek, then coldly chuckled against his lips: "Are you angry out of embarrassment?"
Shen Yinning slapped him again.
She stood up and said icily, "I’ve been too lenient with you, letting you forget who’s the master here! Lu Ying, get it straight: you are now my prisoner, my forbidden fruit. You rely on me for food, clothing, shelter, and travel. Who gave you the audacity to act so brazenly in front of me?!"
Lu Ying remained expressionless, merely seated at the table.
Shen Yinning’s breath quickened, her chest heaving violently.
It’s said there’s a stark difference between people. Back when she was Lu Ying’s forbidden fruit, she was all docility and fawning.
Now that the roles were reversed, this bastard didn’t serve her at all; rather, it was as if she had enshrined a living deity in Shen Garden.
Her eyes were red, and her words came pouring out recklessly: "Don’t even bother saying that my relationship with Cui Ji was innocent—what if it wasn’t? What then? Does Lu Jingwei get to keep a harem of wives and concubines, but I, Shen Zhaozhao, can’t keep wandering affections or break from convention? If I had tangled with Cui Ji, so what? If I had improper relations with Lu Shiyan, so what? You’re nothing but a plaything I keep imprisoned in Shen Garden; what gives you the right to point fingers and pass judgments?!"
After venting her frustrations, Shen Yinning stared at Lu Ying’s ashen face and finally felt a trace of satisfaction and relief.
The night breeze drifted in. Leisurely smoothing out a few strands of her disheveled hair by her temples, she resumed her usual languid composure.
Her slightly tipsy demeanor made her look even more breathtaking, her face framed in the delicate allure of flowers in bloom.
She glanced at Lu Ying, her smile inscrutable. "To be frank, playing with the men of the Lu Family is as effortless as playing with dogs."
The words "playing with dogs" made Lu Ying clench his fists instantly.
He knew Lu Shiyan and Cui Ji were utterly devoted to Shen Yinning, following her commands without question, always ready to obey her every whim.
Lu Zhengliu, like other aristocratic scions, had secretly admired Shen Yinning as a child. Now, he had become her ally, dutifully carrying out her orders without hesitation, preoccupied with paving the way for her to claim a Princess title.
As for himself...
Lu Ying thought of how, as a teenager, he had stalked and spied on her countless times, then grown utterly obsessed with the vixen as an adult. He had mutilated his flesh to feed the Desire-breaking Gu Worm, doing things equivalent to a fanatical admirer willing to debase himself to the point of being her dog. He would have knelt in servitude if only she had called for him.
But that was in the past.
After enduring her repeated betrayals, there was no way he could love her anymore.
He was a person, not a dog; he wasn’t that cheap.
He scowled: "They may be willing to grovel before you, but I won’t."
"You won’t?"
Shen Yinning studied him and suddenly laughed aloud.
Turning her head, she ordered Haitang: "Light the aphrodisiac incense."
Haitang dared not disobey her command, and soon the incense burner filled the room with rising fragrant mist.
Shen Yinning then instructed the maids to lock all the windows firmly before casting Lu Ying a deep, meaningful glance: "Let’s see how long you can last. Let’s go."
She led all the maids out of the sleeping quarters.
Lu Ying remained locked in the room, the suffocating scent of aphrodisiac incense inevitably permeating his senses.
The doors and windows were tightly sealed.
In the corner outside, Haitang hesitated. "Commandery Princess, prolonged inhalation of those incense fumes could harm the body if the male and female energies don’t align..."
"I know what I’m doing."
Shen Yinning calculated the time. Just as she was about to retreat to the study for a brief rest, Cuicui suddenly arrived with Shen Xinya.
Shen Xinya clutched a bundle in her arms and immediately knelt upon seeing Shen Yinning: "Cousin, I’m here to look after His Highness. Please allow me to serve him."
Shen Yinning raised her brow. "Oh? Your father just died, and instead of mourning him properly, you’ve found the time to run off and serve a man?"
Shen Xinya’s face flashed with a hint of embarrassment.
Upon hearing of her father’s death, Shen Xinya had rushed back from the Cold Palace, only to find her stepmother forbidding her and her fellow illegitimate siblings from appearing before visiting mourners.
Not only that, she had overheard plans to send all her father’s concubines to retirement estates after the funeral, marry off the illegitimate daughters to prominent families for political gain, and use the connections to benefit the legitimate son.
Her only hope now lay in becoming a woman of the Crown Prince.
If the prince regained power, her shared hardships with him might at least earn her the position of Concubine.
She was gambling on Lu Ying to make his comeback!
With this in mind, she raised her tear-streaked, pitifully delicate face. "You already know how things are for me at home, Cousin. My stepmother won’t tolerate me, so I have no choice but to seek shelter by serving His Highness. Rest assured, Cousin, I won’t compete with you. Just being a maidservant is enough for me."
At that moment, a young maid rushed over to report in haste: "Commandery Princess, Official Gao Zheng from the Gao Family requests an audience! He says you left several trunks behind at their residence; he wants to know if you’d like them brought over."
Shen Yinning had no time to bother with Shen Xinya anymore and dismissed her casually: "If you want to be a maidservant, go ahead. Just stay out of my sight."
Shen Xinya watched Shen Yinning rush off and then rose, clutching her bundle, and began searching from room to room for Lu Ying.
Finally, upon opening the sliding doors of the central chamber, she saw the young man locked on the canopy bed.
Her eyes widened in shock, and she stepped hurriedly inside: "Your Highness, what’s happened to you?!"