CHAPTER 356: CHAPTER 354: DOES BROTHER LU YING WANT TO KILL ME?

After the Crown Prince’s ceremonial appointment concluded, the court remained lively.

Officials scrambled to congratulate Lu Zhengliu. Those who once struggled to survive under Lu Ying’s authority, especially the faction of Prince Duan, found vindication, their voices louder and more confident than ever.

Meanwhile, the former supporters of the previous Crown Prince all hung their heads like wilted eggplants, silently and discreetly leaving the scene.

Shen Yinning stood on the outskirts of the crowd, observing the commotion.

Lu Zhengliu’s attire today was meticulously overseen by Noble Consort Zhang herself. The vermilion Crown Prince’s robe, embroidered with a five-clawed imperial dragon pattern outlined in black trims, made him look striking and elegant. His hair, tied up in a golden crown, even had the small braid falling over his chest neatly bound, lending him a dignified demeanor far removed from his usual self.

Noticing her, Lu Zhengliu pushed through the crowd to approach. "Sister Shen?"

Shen Yinning accepted the congratulatory gift from Haitang and handed it to him. "Congratulations. This vermilion robe suits you well."

Lu Zhengliu glanced down at his robe.

Earlier in the morning, when his mother fastened his belt with tearful pride, she had smiled in comfort and praised how well the robe suited him.

But to him, wearing this robe brought no joy. Layered piece upon piece, it felt like a series of cold and opulent shackles that now imprisoned him completely within the lofty and impenetrable walls of the Imperial Palace.

He opened the embroidered box Shen Yinning had gifted him to find a pair of intricately crafted, expensive golden silk soft armor hand guards inside.

His gaze involuntarily deepened.

If he hadn’t become the Crown Prince, he might have worn these golden silk hand guards while riding a white horse freely across the borders. Perhaps he would have met a shepherd girl on the grasslands, someone he liked. He could have taken her to see the moonrise at the border, listened to flutes in the deep of night, and lived a carefree life amidst dew-covered meadows.

But now—

Lu Zhengliu closed the box and looked into Shen Yinning’s eyes once more. "Sister Shen, thank you. I like this gift very much."

After some thought about how Lu Ying had behaved while he was the Crown Prince, Shen Yinning commented, "You should address yourself as ’I, the One.’"

Lu Zhengliu, finding the formality of the term too stiff, couldn’t help but chuckle.

But it was just a fleeting chuckle, disappearing almost immediately.

On his still somewhat boyish face settled an unexpected solemnity, as though this transformation was inevitable. Yet deep in his brows and in his eyes, suppressed grievance surfaced faintly and uncontained, as though his emotions might soon burst forth.

The two stood silent.

After a while, Shen Yinning said, "By the way, I need to visit the Cold Palace. I’d like to borrow some guards from you."

"This is no trouble at all."

Lu Zhengliu waved his hand and lent her several of his most skilled guards.

"Oh, if you see Lu Ying, pass a message for me—"

Lu Zhengliu initially wanted to have Shen Yinning deliver a few harsh words to Lu Ying, perhaps something about how he would find time in the future to avenge his brother’s disgrace. However, as the words reached his lips, they dissolved into silence.

In recent days, even though his official appointment as Crown Prince had not yet been formalized, both his father and the civil and military officials had already treated him as such.

Entering the Eastern Palace, he realized how relentless the life of a Crown Prince was.

The state affairs Lu Ying had handled were overwhelming in number, and each day was fully scheduled. His father, shirking his responsibilities, had even delegated a significant portion of state matters to Lu Ying.

Lu Zhengliu tried to match Lu Ying’s diligence in managing matters, attempting to organize everything with the same precision. But when he opened the memorials, many things were beyond his understanding, and he couldn’t handle them properly.

By the end of a single day, national affairs piled up like mountains. Despite his best attempts, he only managed to resolve a few items, leaving him burnt out.

Just a few days living as Lu Ying had, and he already felt the exhaustion pull him into despair, unwilling even to speak.

But Lu Ying had endured such wearisome days for many years.

Perhaps his attachment to Sister Shen stemmed from the fact that, in the midst of these joyless, stifling, and draining days, she was the single faint glimmer of light in his life.

Shen Yinning asked with curiosity, "Pass along what?"

"It’s nothing..." Lu Zhengliu said softly.

Until he could match Lu Ying’s capabilities, he didn’t feel as though he had earned the right to seek revenge.

Parting ways with Xue Mianmian, Shen Yinning headed straight for the Cold Palace.

As soon as she stepped inside, the old matron in charge of guarding the place scurried forward with a fawning smile. "Oh my, what brings Princess Zhaoning to such a filthy place? Look at this mess on the ground; mind your embroidered shoes!"

Following her public contest with Gan Tangwei and her condemnation of the deposed Crown Prince, Shen Yinning had become a rising star in the Capital. Everyone now knew that the once downtrodden noble lady, whose family had been obliterated, had climbed back to the pinnacle of power in the Imperial City.

Shen Yinning rewarded her with a Bright Pearl and asked, "Where is the deposed Crown Prince residing?"

The old matron examined the pearl under the sunlight, her face instantly lighting up with joy. "To answer the Commandery Princess, the deposed Crown Prince resides in the Black Stone Hall to the northwest and rarely comes outside. However, his former Crown Princess Consort, who happens to be your cousin, is ill and has been moved to an adjacent side hall. She spends her days barking orders for fine food, behaving as though she were still the Crown Princess Consort."

Shen Yinning curved her lips into a smile.

That cousin of hers, pampered and spoiled since childhood, always received whatever she desired from her stepmother.

Having enjoyed a few years of luxurious life as the Crown Princess Consort, the abrupt fall from grace into the mire must have been unbearable. It was no surprise she’d fallen ill from the shock.

Her father had once taken her hunting and personally taught her that when bringing down prey, one should press the attack ruthlessly, leaving no room for respite.

Now that Lu Ying was deposed and her uncle’s military power stripped, this was the perfect moment to strike.

She dismissed the old matron and turned to the guards she brought with her. "Since His Highness lent you to me, you are now under my command. Head immediately to the side hall—I want Shen Yunxi dead."

The young woman’s radiance was audacious and imposing.

The guards dared not defy her.

Shen Yinning herself didn’t remain idle. Adjusting her golden hairpin, she gracefully made her way to the Black Stone Hall.

Inside, Lu Ying was nowhere to be seen.

After passing through several palace gates, she arrived at a walled garden behind the hall. It was early summer, and in a corner of the wall, a pomegranate tree bloomed with fiery red blossoms. Among the lush green branches, clusters of tiny, unripe apricots were hidden.

A skirt embroidered with peonies and dyed in pomegranate red lightly brushed against the palace threshold.

Standing beneath the eaves, Shen Yinning spotted Lu Ying garbed in a frost-white archer’s robe. A three-finger-width belt of vibrant yellow cinched at his waist emphasized his broad shoulders and narrow hips. His hair was tied high in a ponytail as he practiced swordsmanship in the garden.

The sword’s gleam was as frosty as snow and danced like blossoms among fireflies.

Large petals of pomegranate flowers scattered onto the ground, and their fresh scent lingered in the air.

The youth moved with the elegance of a soaring dragon, his form seamlessly merging with his sword.

It evoked in Shen Yinning the memory of that night on the Swallow’s Bluff when Lu Ying dueled Yan Zheming with the sweeping force of Myriad Swords Return to the Sect.

As she admired the sight, she suddenly sensed a shift in the chill of the sword’s wind.

A flash of icy light swept past her eyes.

The broad sleeve of her embroidered robe and the gauzy hem of her skirt lifted and fluttered under the sword’s breeze. Countless pomegranate blossoms seemed to morph into a shower of petals that surged toward Shen Yinning. In the blink of an eye, three feet of sharp steel stopped just short of her brow.

Their gazes met.

Shen Yinning curved her lips into a smile. "So even in white, Brother Lu Ying looks this handsome."

Lu Ying’s face remained expressionless.

The sword’s tip hovered at the center of her smooth, soft brow, as though it might pierce through her skull at any moment.

Shen Yinning could even feel the chill emanating from the blade.

Yet she neither flinched nor dodged. With her phoenix-shaped eyes gleaming like crescent moons, she smiled. "Brother Lu Ying, do you mean to kill me?"