Chapter 423: Chapter 421: It Must Be Lu Ying
As the words fell, Haitang and Wei Yu held their breaths, not daring to lift their heads, let alone glance at Lu Ying’s expression.
Outside the window, the night was vast, the north wind howling. Lead-gray clouds unleashed heavy snow, pounding against the window lattice relentlessly.
Inside the hall, silence reigned. In a corner, a few pots of peonies newly sent by the palace florists were blooming profusely, flaunting their resplendent hues of wealth and nobility.
Lu Ying lowered his face slightly, one hand clutching a pair of scissors, the other holding a piece of red paper.
His fingertips pressed so tightly that the paper was nearly crumpled.
After what seemed an eternity, he tugged his lips into a thin smile. "Very well, I’ll cut it for you."
Lu Ying earnestly cut out a small silhouette of Cui Ji.
Shen Yinning toyed with the silhouette at her fingertips, smirking lightly. "You’ve cut it quite well, actually."
She pasted the silhouette on the headboard and, without bothering to look at Lu Ying’s expression, headed straight to the side hall to wash and change.
Returning to the canopy bed dressed in soft sleepwear, she saw that Lu Ying had already removed his outer garments and leaned against the bed, his loose collar open, idly flipping through a hefty tome on state governance.
This man was like a plague god.
He came swiftly but left slowly.
Shen Yinning kicked off her soft shoes, climbed onto the bed, and without sparing him a glance, lay down directly on the inner side.
Thankfully, she had anticipated the possibility that Lu Ying might seek her out in the dead of night, so she’d instructed her attendants to prepare two silk quilts in advance. This way, she could use her own and avoid any contact with him altogether.
"Are you going to sleep now?"
Lu Ying closed the book, blew out the bedside candle, pulled down the bed curtain, and lay down beside her.
Shen Yinning ignored him.
The canopy was dim.
Unwilling to sleep separately, Lu Ying unceremoniously burrowed into her quilt.
He wrapped his arms around Shen Yinning’s waist. "You’ve always feared the cold. If I hold you while we sleep, you won’t feel it anymore."
Shen Yinning continued to ignore him.
Knowing she couldn’t push him away or force him to leave, she decided to let him hold her, treating it as though she had gained a large furnace on the bed, saving even the charcoal costs for a foot warmer.
But Lu Ying wasn’t content to simply lay still.
His palm gently caressed her softly rounded belly.
He whispered, "In three more months, it will be time. After the New Year, I plan to bring all the palace’s midwives to live here and have Nanny Chen take care of you together. Doctor Xiao Chen won’t need to return home anymore; he’ll stay in the nearby annex. It’s always best to prepare ahead of time to avoid chaos during labor."
He spoke with the tone of discussing matters with an equal.
As if he and Shen Yinning were a married couple.
Shen Yinning knew exactly what he was scheming.
This man, who had already crowned an Empress, still came to her, pretending to play the role of a husband.
He reveled in this act, shamelessly indulging himself.
So she didn’t respond, letting him perform his one-man drama at will.
The night deepened.
Shen Yinning, preoccupied with thoughts about her father and brothers, felt more fatigued than usual due to her pregnancy and soon fell into a deep sleep in his arms.
Lu Ying’s palm remained on her belly.
He could feel occasional movements within.
The child seemed to trouble her, leaving her in discomfort even while asleep; her brows remained furrowed.
Emulating the gentle movements of his father’s former concubines that he had once observed as a child, he carefully stroked her belly, his motions slow and soothing, as if pacifying a mischievous child.
Perhaps it worked, as he noticed the girl in his arms finally relaxing her tightly knit brows.
He bowed his head, tenderly kissing her cheek and lips.
The girl, untouched by makeup, exuded a faint floral fragrance from her neckline. The exposed skin on her collarbone extended towards the depths of her clothing, resembling the alluring snow-white of fine porcelain in the murky atmosphere of the bed canopy.
Lu Ying’s narrow eyes darkened, filled with turbulent desire.
Suddenly, his hand ventured beneath the silk quilt.
"Shen Zhaozhao..."
His voice was hoarse and rich with longing as he kissed Shen Yinning’s earlobe while discreetly attending to his own needs beneath the covers.
After two full moments, he wiped his hands with a handkerchief, his eyes glinting with satisfaction and crimson warmth.
Catching sight of the little silhouette pasted on the headboard, Lu Ying’s lips curled into a contemptuous smirk.
Indeed, it was a proper husband.
But so what?
Today was New Year’s Eve.
Furong Palace was adorned with festive lights, bustling with the same merriment as the rest of the palace.
Wei Yu assisted Shen Yinning in dressing and styling her hair, chattering cheerfully, "His Majesty said he’ll visit you after tonight’s banquet with the court ministers! I reckon His Majesty hasn’t shown any displeasure over the child in your womb; he’s been wonderful to you!"
Shen Yinning remained indifferent.
For now, Lu Ying might need her, but she certainly didn’t need Lu Ying.
His kindness toward her—wasn’t it only expected?
"Speaking of the child..." Wei Yu hesitated briefly, lowering her voice. "When does Commandery Princess plan to tell His Majesty that the child in your womb is his? After all, this is the Eldest Prince, and he might one day—"
Shen Yinning raised her hand, cutting her off.
In the bronze mirror, the radiant, youthful face of the girl took on an unexpectedly stern expression. "Some words are not to be uttered!"
Wei Yu, realizing her mistake, quickly offered a respectful apology.
Shen Yinning picked up a golden hairpin from the dressing box, toying with it in her palm for a moment, and spoke softly, "The only reason we’ve been able to pass these recent months peacefully is that the noble families in the Capital remain completely unaware of the lineage of the child within me. The moment they find out that I am carrying Lu Ying’s flesh and blood..."
Even the Huo Family alone could devour her whole.
But more crucially, there was Lu Ying’s reaction to consider.
The man doted on her lavishly in private, but what about publicly?
He professed love for her, tenderness, yet publicly, didn’t he continue to play husband to someone else?
Shen Yinning understood all too well: a king captivated by his responsibility toward the nation would never risk plunging Great Zhou into chaos for this child.
If he learned the truth, he might take the child away and raise him at Huo Mingyan’s side.
Or, if he dared a bigger gamble, he might enshrine her within the harem, granting her a pitiful title.
He would prioritize the stability of the empire.
Yet neither outcome was what Shen Yinning desired.
To inherit the throne...
Shen Yinning adorned the golden hairpin and caressed her rounded belly.
She had never intended for her child to become the Crown Prince of this dynasty.
Throughout her pregnancy, her thoughts had been solely preoccupied with her family’s vendetta.
As for the future of this child...
She hadn’t yet begun to plan.
If—if this child expressed no ambition toward court or governance, she might go her entire life without disclosing his lineage, allowing him to live as Cui Ji’s heir, to delight in wealth and comfort, to roam mountains and rivers in idle leisure.
But if the child aspired to more...
In the bronze mirror, the girl’s radiant, fox-like eyes glimmered with unbridled ambition.
She would not hesitate to compete for him, to stake her claim before Lu Ying himself.
...
That night, before the palace banquet concluded, Xue Mianmian came over discreetly.
"Zhaozhao!" Xue Mianmian exclaimed, excitedly grabbing Shen Yinning’s hand. "It’s been so long since I’ve seen you!"
She carefully touched her belly, astonished. "To think there’s a baby inside here!"
Shen Yinning invited her to sit, feigning a pout. "And you dare say it’s been so long! Tell me—why haven’t you come to visit me all this while?"
"Well..." Xue Mianmian’s cheeks flushed pink. "Zhaozhao, I—I’m getting married."