Chapter 368: Chapter 366: How Could My Cousin Sister Humiliate You Like This
The room was filled with fragrance.
Lu Ying leaned against the bedside, wearing only a black sheer robe with the front open. Beads of sweat formed on his prominent nose bridge, his cheeks and the tips of his ears flushed unnaturally. The dark desire in his narrow eyes brimmed, ready to escape.
"Your Highness..."
Shen Xinya was no naïve child and immediately recognized the aroma filling the room.
His Highness endured unbearable torment, and Shen Yinning happened to be absent...
A bold idea surfaced in her mind instantly.
Her heart raced like drums as she stepped closer to the bed. "How could Cousin treat you so disgracefully? Do you know where the key is? Let me help you unlock the chains!"
As she spoke, she fumbled around the bedposts.
Yet her hands, while searching, didn’t restrain themselves from brushing against Lu Ying’s skin.
The young man’s skin was burning hot.
Perhaps it was because it was her first close contact with a man, or perhaps it was due to the effects of the Aphrodisiac Incense, but Shen Xinya’s cheeks gradually reddened, her lashes fluttering uncontrollably as her gaze fleetingly landed below Lu Ying’s abdomen.
She swallowed, her mind flashing back to erotic drawings she had once secretly viewed.
"Where on earth is the key hidden?"
She murmured, reaching under Lu Ying.
Lu Ying endured both the aphrodisiac’s torment and the incessant prattle of the young girl, relying on his formidable inner strength to keep his composure.
Suddenly, he grabbed her wandering hand, his voice low and sharp: "What are you doing?"
His grip was immensely strong.
Shen Xinya felt her wrist clamped as if by iron pliers, the pain causing her lips to twitch, barely restoring her clarity.
She raised her tearful, flushed eyes. "Your Highness, you’re a noble son of heaven. How could you suffer such humiliation at Cousin’s hands? Xinya is willing to serve Your Highness and rid you of this aphrodisiac poison!"
With that, she pursed her lips and daringly leaned in to kiss Lu Ying.
Lu Ying furrowed his brows tightly, striking her away with disdain.
He was confined here by Shen Yinning as a calculated move to deceive her.
If he truly wanted to leave, no amount of chains could hold him down.
He was far from needing a young girl to sacrifice her chastity to help him detox.
Shen Xinya stumbled onto the ground, clutching her aching chest. A flicker of venomous resentment passed through her almond-shaped eyes.
She tilted her face upwards. "Is Your Highness afraid Cousin will be angry if she finds out? After all she’s done to torment you, you still keep yourself chaste for her? Did you not say you wouldn’t love her anymore? A cheap woman like her—how is she worthy of such devotion from you?!"
Her face revealed unguarded jealousy and bitterness.
She knew very well that the affection Lu Ying offered Shen Yinning should have originally belonged to her.
It was all Shen Yinning’s fault!
It was all Shen Yinning, flaunting her Pomegranate Red Silk Skirt, who stole her opportunity!
Lu Ying steadied his breath slowly.
Though his inner strength was formidable, the Aphrodisiac Incense was different from typical poisons—it couldn’t be expelled from the body. The only way to suppress its effect was through strong willpower and the regulation of his dantian. Even with this, his effort was arduous; sweat covered his temples, and his skin felt as though it had been tossed in boiling water, burning all over.
He glanced at Shen Xinya, his narrow eyes cold and piercing. "Your father only died yesterday, and today you’re in such a rush to serve me... Shen Xinya, why do you think I would want such an overtly opportunistic woman at my side?"
Shen Xinya’s face turned pale.
She hadn’t expected that the death of a mere father would be used by both Lu Ying and Shen Yinning to target and shame her.
When Shen Yan had been alive, he barely cared for her, treating her more like a commodity—an object to be bartered to secure Shen Xinghan’s prospects.
So why should she grieve or feel sorrow for Shen Yan?
Her expression was awkward. "Your Highness thinks I am opportunistic, but you don’t know what kind of life I endure in private. To me, the Shen Guogong Mansion seems gilded and luxurious on the surface, but in truth, it’s no different from a prison. Your Highness’s side is where I truly belong. Isn’t gaining an utterly loyal woman a fortunate thing for you?"
For a woman who could climb into a man’s bed the day after her father’s death, Lu Ying doubted how loyal she could truly be.
Even Shen Yinning, cold and indifferent as she was, had waited half a month before finding a way to offer herself.
"Your Highness and I..." Shen Xinya, seemingly oblivious to Lu Ying’s disdain and rejection, clenched her fists tightly. "Your Highness does not yet know that a bond exists between you and me. If only you understood the matters of the past, you wouldn’t see Xinya in this light..."
Meanwhile.
Shen Yinning arrived at the Hanging Flower Hall, where Gao Zheng had been waiting for some time.
He set down his teacup, appearing somewhat ill at ease. "Shen—Princess Zhaoning."
Shen Yinning took a seat. "Those trunks, Lord Gao should have just ordered someone to deliver them. Why go to the trouble of coming here yourself?"
"I..."
Gao Zheng hesitated, seemingly unsure of how to begin.
Having betrayed Lu Ying, yet also unwelcome by Lu Zhengliu, Gao Zheng had been in a precarious position lately. On the court, almost all his colleagues were ostracizing him.
Seeing no chance for promotion, he had no choice but to come to Shen Yinning in person.
Uneasily rubbing his hands together, he forced an awkward smile. "About those remarks outside the Imperial Study last time, Your Highness mustn’t dwell on them. They were merely careless words spoken in frustration."
Shen Yinning sipped her tea, calculating the time that Lu Ying had been exposed to the Aphrodisiac Incense, and ignored him completely.
"You and I were, after all, husband and wife—" Gao Zheng glanced at Shen Yinning’s expression and corrected himself, "Although it was a sham marriage, we still spent many years under the same roof, a bond deeper than ordinary relatives. My mother said that if Your Grace doesn’t mind, she would gladly adopt you as her goddaughter. That way, both families could maintain ties for mutual assistance in the future."
Shen Yinning chuckled faintly. "Mutual assistance? Gao Zheng, haven’t you drained enough blood from me over the years?"
Gao Zheng’s face turned ashen.
If not for the weight of his desperate circumstances, he would have already lashed out.
Suppressing his anger, he forced a smile. "You’ve severed ties with the Shen Guogong Mansion, living alone in the Capital. Isn’t that akin to being solitary? My mother thought that, as her goddaughter, you could continue interacting with our family, so that during the holidays, you wouldn’t feel lonely or be ridiculed by others. Speaking of which, my mother has already prepared a full banquet of your favorite dishes in the house, and invited countless notable guests. Your Highness, why not move now to join me in this recognition ceremony?"
The guests had indeed been invited by his mother.
But not to witness Shen Yinning’s adoption...
Rather, to witness them consummate their relationship.
His mother had pulled him aside last night, nagging for hours: "She’s just one girl, left alone to manage such a vast Shen Garden without marriage or offspring—what kind of behavior is that? I think she simply doesn’t understand the value of a man! Zheng’er, trick her back with this plan; once the rice is cooked and the meal is done, and everyone sees it with their own eyes, she’ll have no choice but to marry you! At that point, the whole Shen Garden is ours! You said the new Crown Prince listens closely to her, didn’t you? Once you two are married, you can become the new Crown Prince’s right-hand man!"