Chapter 430: Chapter 428: The Monarch’s Illicit Affairs with Ministers and Concubines
Lu Ying rubbed his brow, knowing that Shen Yinning was deliberately challenging him.
He patiently explained, "It’s all just her one-sided misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding? She’s been deeply infatuated with you. When you were deposed, she even went all the way to the Commandery Princess Mansion, offering to serve as your slave or maid. Such a great favor—how could you forget it? And then, just for me, a mere substitute, you flogged her thirty times. I suppose when you recall it later, your heart will ache once more."
Shen Yinning wore a smile, but her words were layered with sarcasm and barbed mockery.
They left Lu Ying at a loss for how to respond, unsure of how to soothe her.
"I’m tired." Shen Yinning said dismissively, retracting her gaze with scorn, "Leave."
Lu Ying stood by the bedside for a moment before reluctantly turning and leaving.
Haitang approached, adjusting the embroidered quilt for Shen Yinning, and quietly said, "Commandery Princess, to rile him up like that—aren’t you afraid of provoking imperial fury?"
"If I feared him, I wouldn’t still be within this palace." Shen Yinning’s complexion remained pale; eventually, she closed her fatigued eyes, "I’ll rest for a while—stay and watch over me."
Haitang nodded carefully, "This servant will guard you."
...
The news of Shen Yinning giving birth to a healthy son quickly spread throughout the Capital.
Empress Dowager Li leaned against the soft couch, holding a cup of hot tea, casually stirring the floating tea leaves. She remarked languidly, "Of the three thousand beauties in the harem, only Shen Zhaozhao proves to be a remarkable figure."
Li Zhu was trimming flower branches.
Upon hearing this, she lowered her gaze and said, "It’s my failing that disappoints the Imperial Grandmother. But I simply can’t understand—why does Shen Yinning, after giving birth to another man’s child, still receive such favor from Cousin? Chastity, loyalty, purity, understanding—she has none of these qualities..."
Empress Dowager Li cast her an impatient glance, her tone steely: "Let me ask you—are women objects? Are they mere vases?"
"Of course not..."
"If women are not objects, then why fret over their novelty? Why care if she’s been with another man or bore his child? In the harem, there’s no rule stating that favored concubines must be pure, loyal, or virtuous. Do you understand what I mean?"
Li Zhu nodded gloomily.
"The harem and the imperial court operate under the same principles. Once you’ve entered the palace, it’s all about advancing your own prospects and your family’s ambitions. Your task isn’t merely vying for favor—it’s slaughter. From this sea of three thousand beauties, carve out a path drenched in blood that elevates your family to glory." Empress Dowager Li’s phoenix-like eyes brimmed with stern authority, "Zhu’er, you’re too aloof, unwilling to lower yourself and study how others scheme and kill, waiting instead for Jingwei to fall into your lap—that’s impossible!"
Li Zhu gripped the Golden Flood Dragon Scissors tightly, her lips bitten in silence.
"Since Shen Yinning just had a child, you will go on my behalf to see her. Tell her, I’ve sent you to take care of her, and for the next month, you’ll stay in Furong Palace."
"Imperial Grandmother!" Li Zhu exclaimed incredulously, "You want me to care for her? Care for Cui Ji’s concubine?!"
Meeting Empress Dowager Li’s displeased gaze, she suddenly recalled that Cousin had been residing in Furong Palace these past few days.
If she too lived in Furong Palace, wouldn’t that mean she could see Cousin frequently?
And since Shen Yinning was in confinement, she wouldn’t be able to serve Cousin in bed.
Li Zhu’s expression immediately softened, her cheeks flushing slightly as she curtsied, "Imperial Grandmother is far-sighted; it is my shortsightedness that failed to see the bigger picture."
Empress Dowager Li huffed, "Follow her closely—observe how she interacts with Jingwei!"
Furong Palace.
Shen Yinning remained indifferent to Li Zhu’s arrival.
Li Zhu wasn’t here with genuine care either; she simply found a side chamber to settle in, deliberately timing her visits to Shen Yinning’s bedroom whenever Lu Ying arrived.
Following three days of bed rest, Shen Yinning finally regained some vitality.
As she leaned against the headboard, eating the blood bird’s nest Haitang had brought in, Wei Yu rushed in excitedly to report, "Commandery Princess, His Majesty has arrived!"
A monarch consorting with a minister’s concubine—that’s ultimately an unbecoming reputation.
Thus, he always came secretly in the night.
Lu Ying removed his cloak and handed it to Wei Yu before approaching Shen Yinning to scrutinize her complexion, "Looking a bit more rosy."
"Cousin..."
A faint, smoke-like voice drifted in from beyond the beaded curtain.
Li Zhu stepped into the inner chamber and curtsied to Lu Ying, "I’ve been working on a forehead band for Sister Shen these past few days, and was just about to bring it over for her to try on. I didn’t expect to run into Cousin here."
Wei Yu couldn’t resist rolling her eyes, blurting bluntly, "How very coincidental—Miss Li seemingly only visits when His Majesty is here! If His Majesty doesn’t come, Miss Li doesn’t show up either!"
Li Zhu’s face turned pale as she glanced at Shen Yinning.
After all, she had been sent by the Imperial Grandmother. She assumed Shen Yinning would scold the impudent maid and gracefully give her some face. Yet to her surprise, Shen Yinning merely continued eating bird’s nest leisurely.
Lu Ying seemed to act as if she didn’t even exist, sitting down on a nearby stool by the bedside. "These past days, I’ve leafed through numerous dictionaries but still struggle to find a fitting name. Zhaozhao, have you thought about what to name the child?"
Li Zhu stood awkwardly to the side, clutching the forehead band tightly.
It wasn’t even Cousin’s child, so why was Cousin so enthusiastic?
Even if he loved everything about her, this was still the child of a rival!
A monarch—could he truly stoop to such indulgence for a woman?
Shen Yinning replied calmly, "My elder brother belongs to the ’Xing’ generation, so the next should follow the ’Jin’ generation. I plan to name him Jin’an."
"Lu Jin’an?" Lu Ying nodded, "Jin’an—peaceful today, harmonious forever—a fine name."
Li Zhu froze in place.
Lu Jin’an?
This child was clearly Cui Ji’s, so why would he bear the surname Lu?
Had Cousin gone mad?!
"No." Shen Yinning lifted her chin slightly, her phoenix-like eyes revealing a hint of pride and defiance, "It’s Shen Jin’an. This child was borne by me after ten grueling months—not for a man’s surname, but my own!"
Lu Ying offered no objection.
As for Cui Ji...
Lu Ying had already arranged for him to meet his end. An agreement was struck with the Monarch of Jiang Country—to exchange Cui Ji’s life for a thousand jin of tea and two thousand bolts of silk. Jiang Country had sent word these past few days confirming the deed was done.
As for a dead man, he certainly had no opinions about surnames.
Taking the blood bird’s nest bowl Haitang handed over, Lu Ying’s expression softened like thawing ice, "Alright, Shen Jin’an it is."
Li Zhu was rooted in place.
In this world, children always inherited their father’s surname—it was tradition, propriety, and the essence of human order.
Only children of a matrilocal marriage bore the mother’s surname.
Yet Shen Yinning, a mere concubine, had the audacity to name the child Shen Jin’an?
She was entirely out of line!
And Cousin not only condoned her defiance but facilitated her whims!
Li Zhu felt a complex surge of emotions—part jealousy, part something she couldn’t quite define.
She watched as Lu Ying scooped a spoonful of bird’s nest, gently blew on it, then carefully fed it to Shen Yinning.
Shen Yinning opened her delicate lips to eat, her movements both graceful and dignified, resembling a proud, lazy cat.
It seemed as though she had grown accustomed to Cousin waiting hand and foot on her.
It seemed as though this was her rightful place.
Yet, she was a concubine—a fallen minister’s daughter. Where did she find the nerve to indulge so effortlessly in such luxury?
In that moment, Li Zhu’s eyes lingered on Shen Yinning, as if trying to decipher the enigma of this woman.
"I intend to host a full-month celebration at Chengxi Palace for this child," Lu Ying set down the empty bowl and dabbed at Shen Yinning’s lips with a handkerchief, "Zhaozhao, is there anyone you wish to invite? Shall I invite your teacher and Xue Mianmian? Just a few close acquaintances—for a lively, warm gathering."
And at that celebration, he planned to announce to Zhaozhao that Cui Ji had perished during his diplomatic mission to the various states.