Chapter 440: Chapter 438: Zhaozhao, Come Here
Shen Yinning rubbed her aching wrist.
Her eyelids lowered, and her crimson lips curved into a cold, downward arc: "You clearly know what I want, yet what you give isn’t what I desire. For example, I like pears, but you insist on giving me apples, and afterward, you wear a self-indulgent expression of sentimentality, completely oblivious that I utterly disdain your so-called generosity."
"Generosity?"
Lu Ying pinched her cheeks, forcing her head high: "You regard the Crown Prince’s position as mere generosity? Shen Yinning, that child is Cui Ji’s bloodline! That’s not the child of you and me! What more do you want, what more?!
He hated Cui Ji dearly!
Hated that infant terribly!
He handed over the Crown Prince’s position willingly, only for Shen Yinning to treat it as a cheap act of charity!
Perhaps she didn’t know, when he was young, his father abhorred him. To claim this position, he endured painstaking efforts behind the scenes, suffered countless hardships, faced endless ridicule...
And yet, in her eyes, this position amounted to mere charity!
"I wish you were dead!" Shen Yinning struggled and slapped him fiercely. "Lu Ying, I loathe you and despise you! I regret entangling with you, regret climbing into your bed at the Eastern Palace back then, and regret all the interactions I’ve had with you in this life! I regret not assisting Lu Shiyan to seize your Crown Prince’s throne back then!"
The woman was hysterical.
She poured out words meant to wound as deeply as possible.
Her loose hairpin fell to the ground amidst her struggles, and her jet-black hair cascaded like a waterfall. Under the dim light, her radiant and enchanting face had turned deathly pale, her reddened eyes as if soaked with blood, and every inch of hatred in her gaze seemed capable of burning Lu Ying to ashes.
Lu Ying’s eyes, too, were tinged with an ominous red hue.
He gazed quietly at the frantic woman in his arms, his Adam’s apple moving slightly, as though swallowing a bitter liquor only he could taste.
She had said she regretted having any interaction with him.
Regretted not helping Lu Shiyan to take his Crown Prince’s throne back then...
Outside the Green Qi window, dark clouds swallowed the moon.
The faint chant of sutras and the sound of wooden fish accompanied solemn rituals in the spring night.
In the room, the lone lamp flickered dimly; the spring breeze flowing through the lattice windows distorted Lu Ying’s shadow on the floor into a chilling shape.
His broad hand tightly gripped Shen Yinning’s slender arm.
Step by step, he forced her back toward the bed.
"Then regret all you wish."
His voice was hoarse, with a hint of detached coldness in its tone, as though nothing mattered anymore.
He was already standing at the pinnacle of power.
Even if she regretted, she couldn’t escape the palm of his hand.
Every territory where the Great Zhou’s bows and horses could tread belonged to Lu Jingwei.
If bows and horses could not reach, then the iron cavalry would flatten the lands and claim them for the Great Zhou.
The world was vast.
But she was already unable to escape.
Lu Ying lowered his head and kissed Shen Yinning’s lips deeply.
Meeting her, loving her—he did not regret.
...
Spring days brought abundant rain, and the Imperial Palace was shrouded in layers of damp mist.
Huo Mingyan hurried into the Imperial Study and, after bowing, asked in disbelief, "Cousin has brought Princess Zhaoning and the Princely Heir of Prince Cheng into the palace and allowed them to reside permanently in Penglai Palace?"
Penglai Palace was located on a picturesque island in Wu’an Lake, surrounded by water and accessible only by boat.
Huo Mingyan’s expression darkened: "I believe, Your Majesty, this decision is highly inappropriate! Cui Ji perished in a foreign land, and since Your Majesty posthumously named him Prince Cheng and bestowed a mansion, Princess Zhaoning and Lady Shangguan should reside in the prince’s mansion. If Your Majesty cannot forget her, visiting her discreetly during holidays is also acceptable. But now, bringing her openly into the palace is sure to spark rumors across the Capital!"
"What fault is there in caring for the widow of my brother?" Lu Ying responded leisurely, engrossed in reviewing memorials. "If there are rumors, it would mean the Empress has failed in her duties."
Huo Mingyan’s eyes widened in disbelief: "Cousin?!"
Lu Ying paid her no further attention and focused instead on the reports sent from the border.
The generals he appointed from humble backgrounds had achieved high victories at the border, not only defeating superior forces and reclaiming territory once occupied by Bei Yan’s iron cavalry, but also capturing nine critical cities and cutting off their supply lines.
He ran his finger along the memorial.
If all went as estimated, the war with Bei Yan would be entirely resolved within half a year.
Back when he was Crown Prince, his father sided with the appeasement faction in the court, preferring to pay tribute rather than wage war.
Now, with the battlefield triumphant, Lu Ying’s mood was elated.
Thinking of Shen Yinning waiting for him in Penglai Palace, his thin lips curved into an agreeable smile, brightening his spirits further.
Huo Mingyan clenched her handkerchief tightly, biting her lip as she watched him.
He was engrossed in state affairs and had yet to change out of his court attire.
The black broad-sleeved robe with dragon-pattern embroidery complemented his sharp and upright demeanor, and beneath the Emperor’s Crown adorned with twelve bead tassels was a strikingly flawless and noble face, exuding an aura so coldly dignified that it commanded natural submission.
When his thin lips curved slightly, a trace of wickedness and hostility lurked in his narrow eyes, revealing ambition and desire he had never shown before.
It was like ink spilled upon the pure white snow-capped mountains, finally staining them black.
Huo Mingyan didn’t know what Lu Ying was smiling about.
But she knew that such a smile was not meant for her.
Thus, in her eyes, this smile became detestable.
"Cousin..." Huo Mingyan called again. "You cannot be so flagrant."
"Is the Empress properly preparing for the spring banquet?" Lu Ying glanced at her coldly. "The Great Zhou and Bei Yan have been enemies for generations. Now, with a grand victory at the border, Great Zhou has never triumphed so magnificently in a hundred years. I wish to host a spring banquet in the palace to celebrate grandly. The Empress is not to miserly cut corners and risk making a spectacle of herself."
Huo Mingyan’s expression froze. "I understand. But as for Princess Zhaoning—"
"Does the Empress intend to instruct me on how to govern? Or perhaps it is better for you to take my throne yourself?"
Huo Mingyan’s figure trembled.
Since entering the palace, her cousin had never spoken so harshly to her!
She could only kneel in resignation: "I dare not..."
With some reluctance, she withdrew from the Imperial Study with soft murmurs.
Late into the night, Lu Ying finally finished handling the mountain of memorials.
He boarded a small boat and arrived at the island on Wu’an Lake. As he had instructed, Penglai Palace was lit like daylight, gleaming brilliantly in the night, resembling a wife awaiting her husband’s return.
As he stepped into Penglai Palace, the halls glimmered with resplendent gold and jade.
Passing palace maids bowed as he walked. Though only Shen Yinning resided here, the number of maids alone exceeded a hundred.
Lu Ying ascended the towering pavilion.
Inside, curtains of pearl beads and jade-green silks framed the room. The golden sandalwood furniture gleamed, resembling the most opulent and luxurious boudoir imaginable.
Shen Yinning was curled up on an exquisitely carved bed.
She wore only a thin inner garment, her black hair cascading onto the floor like smooth satin, revealing an enchanting, delicate face with a sharp chin.
That face was excessively fair, even the shadows cast by her lashes could be distinctly seen.
But her earlobes and cheeks showed an abnormal flush, as if enduring some unbearable torment.
Lu Ying seated himself by the window and brushed his sleeve: "Zhaozhao."
Shen Yinning shuddered at hearing his voice.
She trembled as she opened her eyes, her tearful gaze revealing raw fright.
Lu Ying smiled faintly: "Zhaozhao, come here."