Chapter 444: Chapter 442: Lu Ying seethes with anger
Lu Ying picked up the bowl of soup and took a sip himself: "A great victory at the border. Pei Yan has submitted a memorial to the Court, requesting an additional dispatch of a hundred thousand reinforcements. He plans to capture Yan’s Royal Capital in one decisive move."
Shen Yinning twitched her nose.
The aroma of the chicken soup with mountain mushrooms and ham was indeed savory and appetizing.
She ladled a bowl for herself. "So, who are you planning to send?"
Lu Ying glanced at the soup in front of her, then let his gaze fall naturally on her face.
With one hand lifting her sleeve for modesty and the other delicately holding the spoon to taste the soup, her posture was composed and graceful, as if she had entirely forgotten saying earlier, "I don’t like it." Meanwhile, the bowl of soup he’d served her remained untouched on the side.
Lu Ying hadn’t eaten dinner and was filled with irritation instead.
He took a deep breath and looked away. "Xue Ling."
Shen Yinning wasn’t surprised; she chuckled faintly. "Of course. Xue Ling is, after all, Your Majesty’s treasured right-hand man. Instead of idling away in the court without accomplishments, sending him to the battlefield to secure military achievements serves two purposes — it gives you an excuse to grant him even greater authority."
"Zhaozhao, he is not my treasure."
"Oh? From what I’ve observed, the two of you have been inseparable since your youth, with nothing hidden between you. I simply assumed you two cherished each other like precious gems."
"Zhaozhao, you know very well who my cherished treasure really is. Why tease me? If you keep going, I might start to suspect you’re jealous of Xue Ling."
Shen Yinning: "..."
She glared at Lu Ying indignantly.
She had always thought this man was awkward and inarticulate, especially when it came to matters of love, where he was too embarrassed to speak openly.
She never imagined there would come a day when he could brazenly spout such cringe-worthy words!
The night deepened.
After Shen Yinning fell asleep, Lu Ying draped on some clothing and continued working at his desk.
The pile of memorials, nearly half a foot high, gradually diminished.
Not until the faint light of dawn and the stars began to fade did he finally set down his vermillion pen, rubbing his temples with a weary hand.
The bedroom was utterly quiet, with only the long and steady sound of breathing from behind the curtains.
Within those breaths, Lu Ying inexplicably found a sense of calm and peace.
He didn’t summon anyone to attend him. Instead, he moved quietly to Shen Yinning’s dressing table and removed the dragon-patterned golden hairpin and coronet from his head.
The faint candlelight illuminated the bronze mirror.
In the reflection, his head lowered as he fingered a simple hairpin plucked from the painted enamel jewelry box, toying with it absentmindedly.
The girl had always favored auspicious motifs like phoenixes and peonies. However, when ordinary women wore such patterns, they had to tread carefully, lest they seem presumptuous. Her phoenix hairpin, compared to Huo Mingyan’s extravagant and dazzling pieces, was far less ostentatious, relying instead on intricate craftsmanship for its charm.
Lu Ying stared at the phoenix hairpin in his palm.
For some reason, his chest suddenly ached with countless tiny stabs, as though his heart were pricked by the hairpin’s delicate tip.
Was it...
Guilt?
Gripping the hairpin tightly, he stood still for a long moment before silently setting it back in its place.
He sifted briefly through her jewelry box and accessory cases. From golden ornaments to jade, coral, and pearls, her collection was diverse and dazzling.
As his calloused fingers skimmed over these trinkets, a faint dissatisfaction arose within him.
Her collection should be even larger. Much larger...
So extensive she could wear different ones every day, never repeating them in a year.
She was a girl pampered amidst riches and splendor, the treasure hidden at the heart of a kingdom. She deserved to bask in imperial opulence.
If the silver coins in his private treasury weren’t spent on her, what purpose could they possibly serve?
If, in the future, they seized Bei Yan’s Royal Capital and claimed the rare treasures of their National Treasury, what use would they have unless adorned on her phoenix hairpins and flowing gowns?
Lu Ying suddenly let out a chuckle, pressing his forehead into his hand.
In this still, silent night, for the very first time, he felt the temptation of becoming a foolish, indulgent ruler.
He meticulously rearranged her dressing table before finding a small key hidden deep within her jewelry box.
It was a bronze key. Its humble appearance was out of place amidst the surrounding finery.
Lu Ying raised an eyebrow, testing the key against a few of her locked jewelry cases, but none of the locks fit.
A bronze key...
A bronze key that Shen Zhaozhao had deliberately hidden...
Lu Ying’s gaze darkened as he placed the key back where he’d found it, expression unreadable.
Stepping quietly onto the soft carpet, he exited the bedroom and instructed De Sun, standing at the door: "Summon Haitang to see me."
At the end of the embroidered corridor, in the study.
Lu Ying’s gaze lingered on Haitang, who was kneeling before him. "Are you saying that bronze key is a memento left to her by Shen Xingye?"
Haitang was visibly tense, having been summoned in haste. Her hair was still disheveled.
The king’s obsessive scrutiny unsettled her. He was the type to even question an extra key in the Commandery Princess’s jewelry box!
She responded nervously, "It seems that Young Master Shen entrusted it to Yan Zhehai, who, in turn, asked his brother Yan Zheming to pass it to the Commandery Princess before his death... The Commandery Princess had once visited Shen Guogong Mansion together with Miss Xue in an attempt to locate the room or dungeon the key might unlock, but to no avail. She has been puzzled over its purpose ever since."
Behind the Ruyi flower-patterned window, the bamboo swayed vividly in the spring night breeze.
Lu Ying raised a hand, dismissing Haitang.
A key, naturally, unlocks a corresponding lock.
A lock for a door, a window, or perhaps a box.
Shen Xingye’s caution made it clear he didn’t want anyone else discovering what he left for Shen Zhaozhao, so he entrusted the key and the lock to different hands.
The logic was simple: if he entrusted the key to Yan Zhehai, could it not also be possible that he gave the lock to someone else?
Entrusted it to...
Someone he deeply trusted.
Perhaps someone who had left the Capital far behind, or someone who could not openly appear before Shen Zhaozhao, thus leaving the key unused to this day.
The person Shen Xingye trusted most...
A name surfaced in Lu Ying’s mind.
...
Imperial Study.
Huo Mingyan, carrying a food box, personally delivered Lu Ying’s lunch.
She set out dish after dish onto the dining table. "The Spring Banquet is fast approaching. I’ve already drafted the guest list, separating the male and female attendees. Your Majesty, have you had the chance to review it? Should there be any additions or removals?"
Lu Ying was sifting through a report sent from the border. "Add Lu Minmin."
Huo Mingyan was momentarily taken aback. "Commandery Princess Lu Minmin of Qinghe? But I’ve heard from the elder servants in the palace that the elder cousin has been bedridden for years, seldom showing herself in public. She refuses all invitations to banquets in the Capital, no matter how grand or modest..."
"Tell Shen Xinghan that precisely because Elder Cousin has long been absent from public view, she should attend the banquet. Otherwise, others might start to think Shen Family has mistreated a royal Commandery Princess." Lu Ying’s tone was indifferent. "Besides, the Prince of Qinghe is also in the Capital, and the Spring Banquet is one of the grandest gatherings in years. I imagine the Prince would want his daughter to attend such a festive occasion."
Huo Mingyan’s hand, mid-placement of a dish, froze momentarily.
She raised her eyes, looking at Lu Ying with faint astonishment.
She understood clearly — the Emperor was using her to pressure Shen Xinghan with public opinion and the Prince of Qinghe.
That was odd.
Could it be that Lu Minmin’s illness carried another secret?
That perhaps it wasn’t that she didn’t wish to attend banquets, but rather, that Shen Xinghan refused to let her do so?