CHAPTER 246: CHAPTER 244 SHE EVEN FELT THAT SHE LIKED LU YING

Lu Ying was struck so hard that his face turned to the side.

Shen Yinning extinguished that hint of frivolity and allure, her delicate face frosty with a deadly chill: "You have the nerve to question me? Why did I lure you to Jiangnan, do you think? I ought to ask you—why didn’t you ask me, not even once, before sending me to Lu Shiyan?! What’s the matter—do you think I, Shen Yinning, belong to you, Lu Ying? That I’m yours to hand over to others as you please?!"

Her fingernails resembled a fox’s claws, kept slightly long and sharp.

When delivering the slap, her pinky scraped the corner of Lu Ying’s lips, leaving behind a faint trace of blood.

Lu Ying lowered his eyelids and licked the blood from the corner of his lips.

His narrow eyes were dark as ink, streaked with chilling threads of frost.

He couldn’t explain it to Shen Yinning—the mere existence of her had completely disrupted his emotions and reason.

He couldn’t bear her cunning games, claiming she liked him, loved him, while secretly scheming to bury him in a sea of fire without hesitation.

And he couldn’t stand watching her under his own nose, exchanging tender affection with Cui Ji.

Step by step, he climbed his way to the position of Crown Prince, his great work still incomplete.

But he couldn’t bring himself to kill her.

He could only send her away.

He said, "The future I’ve chosen for you—is it not good enough? Lu Shiyan loves you to the bone. Living out your years peacefully with him in Jiangnan—isn’t that far better than being trapped in the Capital, navigating deceit, betrayal, and schemes? As his concubine, isn’t that far more respectable than being nothing but Forbidden Fruit at my side? What more do you want?"

Lu Ying didn’t understand.

After all, Shen Yinning didn’t love him.

After all, she could live perfectly well without anyone.

He was willing to let go. He was willing to give her his blessing. She should’ve been happy.

Why was she still angry with him?

Shen Yinning’s eyes reddened, and the hand clutching the little golden folding fan trembled uncontrollably.

During those days at Shengguo Temple, she had genuinely considered being with Lu Ying.

She had genuinely examined her heart.

She even thought—perhaps she did like Lu Ying.

But just as she was ready to surrender herself completely, Lu Ying, without so much as a word, had sent her aboard Lu Shiyan’s ship!

This had turned her into a complete joke!

Her feelings, her dignity, her heart—they all became laughingstocks!

Born into a distinguished family, the pride etched in her very bones demanded she retaliate against Lu Ying.

Her words came fast, her tone rising slightly at the tail: "I’m not unhappy; I simply don’t like you making decisions for me without asking! I forced you to come to Jiangnan just to show you how well I’m doing here. Lu Shiyan spoils me in everything, even Luo Xibai follows my lead. Lu Ying, I’ve already stepped into their camp, and like them, I now hope for the future ruler to be Lu Zhengliu, not you!"

She hurled these words at him, almost vindictively, staring into Lu Ying’s eyes, trying to catch a trace of jealousy, sorrow, or reluctance.

As though if Lu Ying showed even the slightest reaction for her, she could reclaim some ground, becoming the victor in this twisted game of emotions.

But there was nothing.

Lu Ying’s response was calm: "I see now. But—what does that have to do with me?"

Shen Yinning’s hands, hidden within her wide sleeves, clenched tightly.

The man standing before her seemed so devoid of humanity compared to a month ago—his eyes betraying no emotional twists, even his voice steady and unwavering.

The man who had carried her up the mountain stairs that spring night at Shengguo Temple, who comforted her when she feared celestial omens, now bore no resemblance to Lu Ying as she once knew him.

Though it’s said that emperors have no affection, the Lu Ying she remembered had never been this devoid of emotion.

More heartless than a monk in quiet meditation at a temple!

Their gazes locked.

For a long moment, Lu Ying suddenly shifted his gaze and turned to leave.

As he opened the intricately carved screen door, Luo Xibai, eavesdropping outside, took a heavy and humiliating fall face-first.

Lu Ying seemed to step onto Luo Xibai’s fat face by chance, his weight pressing hard enough to elicit a cry of pain.

Without even glancing back, Lu Ying strode swiftly through the corridor.

Luo Xibai clutched his face as he stumbled to his feet, cursing his rotten luck: "Could he be mentally deranged? Why step on someone’s face for no reason? Sister, has he bullied you?!"

Shen Yinning shook her head, her lovely Dan Feng eyes flashing with an unreadable doubt.

The cycle of seasons and the rotation of stars—all changes in the world follow predictable patterns, and so do human emotions.

Lu Ying’s sudden transformation into someone so cold-hearted—not just toward her, but toward others as well—must have a reason.

She would find that reason.

Elsewhere, Lu Ying stepped onto the vermillion staircase and stopped alone in the shadow of a turning corner.

He clutched his wounded left arm, his lowered eyelashes casting shadows that concealed the dark flicker in his pupils.

Though he maintained an outward calm, deep down he knew the truth—he still couldn’t face that woman without turmoil.

Hearing her say she’d joined Lu Shiyan’s camp, that she hoped Lu Zhengliu would ascend the throne instead of him—his heart was struck with a sudden, dull ache, as if someone were grinding a rusty blade slowly across his chest.

From within his sleeve, he retrieved a white jade box.

Opening the box, it contained over a dozen poisonous insects.

He had lost count of how many he’d fed into his body over the past month. He’d thought that as he consumed them, their effects would gradually take hold. For a brief period earlier, he’d even foolishly believed their power had worked—he hadn’t dreamt of Shen Yinning for days.

Yet...

Yet the instant he confronted her today, the moment their gazes met and his heart skipped, he knew—everything had been in vain.

He couldn’t help but think—perhaps he didn’t need to go through such torment after all.

As Crown Prince, he could easily imprison Shen Yinning in some hidden place known only to him, guarded by an elite patrol, ensuring she would never leave him for life.

But...

Though he might enslave her body, she had shackled his heart in turn.

He no longer wanted to lose himself over this enchantress, nor continue to spiral into madness for her.

He still had to aim for the highest position—and fulfill his grand designs.

Clutching the white jade box, Lu Ying’s grip tightened gradually.

For a long moment, his rationality overcame impulse once again.

He lifted his sleeve and, gritting his teeth, made a new incision in the flesh, feeding another poisonous insect into his body.

Three days later.

The fleet finally arrived at Lin’an City.

The formal wedding ceremony was in two days. Tonight, Luo Xibai specially hosted a high-platform pavilion banquet for Lu Ying, Xue Ling, and other accompanying officials.

Lu Shiyan and Wu Wanzhao didn’t attend, and Lu Qianqian, barred from meeting Luo Xibai before the wedding, was absent as well.

Luo Wanxiang, however, was present, seated across from Xue Ling with a sour expression. Every so often, she would purposely crash dishes together to make a loud noise or berate the maids loudly, all while sneaking glances at Xue Ling. Unfortunately, he didn’t look at her even once, which grated her so much she downed two shots of liquor in frustration.

Lu Ying scanned the pavilion.

Every furnishing and piece of decor in the pavilion was carved from golden sandalwood. Expensive agarwood incense filled the air, and the tableware was crafted from silver and jade. Tree-branch-shaped solid gold candle holders lined both sides of the pavilion, lighting the platform as bright as day.

The waters gleamed serenely under the pale light, overrun with lush, emerald lily leaves out of season. In the center stood a stage where young women danced a Jiangnan lotus-picking performance adorned with red coral hairpieces, East Sea pearls on their cheeks, and golden powder covering their exposed arms and backs. Each was a handpicked beauty among hundreds.

The delicacies arrayed before them were equally extravagant.

Birds of the sky, fish from the sea—all prepared with meticulous artistry. Dishes cooked by every method imaginable. Everything served here rivaled anything found in the palace—and even exceeded it.

Even the scallion cuts stuffed with minced meat hinted at unmeasured cost and effort.

The indulgence of Jiangnan’s officials was evident.

Luo Xibai remarked, "Anything else on the table is trivial. But the roasted pig before the Crown Prince—that’s the prize. Raised for three months on human milk, the texture is incomparably tender and fine—something you’ll find nowhere else. Your Highness absolutely must try it!"

Xue Ling had been about to eat but, hearing that, winced and quickly chased away the nausea with a gulp of wine.

Lu Ying didn’t touch the roasted pig either.

Luo Xibai squinted slightly, then laughed: "Does His Highness find Luo too crude, too dismissive of your standards? But come now—Luo isn’t stingy. This cup of wine, Luo drinks in your honor!"

He raised his cup, seemingly courteous, but conspicuously refused to refer to himself as "your humble servant."

The southern officials seated around him, all loyal to Luo Xibai, turned malicious gazes toward Lu Ying. If Lu Ying drank the wine, he’d essentially be bowing to their authority.

Yet Lu Ying did not drink.

Unhappy, Luo Xibai slammed his cup heavily onto the table: "The Crown Prince neither eats Luo’s food nor drinks the wine I toast him. Does he disdain me? Guards, pour a drink for His Highness. If he refuses to drink—cut down the wine bearer!"

The wine bearer was a young and beautiful maid.

She held up the wine cup, trembling: "Please—please drink, Your Highness."

Lu Ying toyed with the Moyu Ring on his finger, but didn’t take the cup.

A guard stepped forward and, amidst the maid’s piercing screams, dragged her to the center and ended her life with a knife.

Luo Xibai chuckled, intrigued: "Pour again!"

The second maid, her face pale as death, held up the cup with shaky hands: "I beg... I beg Your Highness to drink..."

Lu Ying still didn’t take it.

The guards dragged her aside, their blades falling in another bloody display.

Not a sound stirred in the pavilion.

Outside, frogs and crickets filled the Jiangnan Spring night with their calls—beautiful beyond compare.

Inside, the atmosphere in the pavilion was chillingly tense.

After six maids were slain in succession, Luo Xibai’s expression gradually darkened.

He had heard that Crown Prince Lu Ying had a heart for the common people and intended to exploit this soft nature—to provoke Lu Ying into drinking out of emotion, then chip away at his resolve with indulgent pleasure, women, and luxury. Once his mask of dignity fell, he would be exposed to the world as a hypocrite, unworthy of the title of Crown Prince.

But why wasn’t anything going according to plan?

As the situation grew increasingly deadlocked, Luo Wanxiang, half-drunk and half-awake, suddenly pointed toward the screen and said mockingly, "They say Jiangnan has two treasures: Liang Garden and Shen Yinning. Why not summon her to pour the Crown Prince his drink?"