CHAPTER 118: CHAPTER 116: SHEN ZHAOZHAO LIKES IT, INDULGING HER IS HARMLESS

Lu Ying just liked her coquettish and pretentious demeanor.

He rubbed her earlobe and kissed her lips. "I will protect you."

Shen Yinning whimpered softly and collapsed in his arms, but her gaze concealed a hint of calculation. She kissed Lu Ying’s thin lips. "Your Highness, could you also visit the Duke Mansion tomorrow? My younger siblings will surely bully me. I am fragile and timid, and I hope Your Highness can protect me..."

Fragile and timid...

Lu Ying could never associate those words with Shen Yinning.

He replied indifferently, "Let’s see how you behave."

Thus, the carriage didn’t return to Lotus Lane but proceeded directly to Shen Garden.

Dusk settled, and Haitang and Gui Quan were waiting under the corridor, listening to the sounds coming from within the room, their faces flushed with embarrassment as they dared not raise their heads.

Only when the moon was high in the sky did Lu Ying summon Water inside.

Haitang and Wei Yu led two young palace maids, their faces blushing as they parted the curtains. The bedchamber was filled with a sensual, ambiguous fragrance. The Crown Prince, stripped to his refined and sturdy upper body, was murmuring coaxingly to the maiden avoiding him in the bed’s depths.

Haitang and Wei Yu exchanged glances, unsure of what was happening.

Lu Ying looked at Shen Yinning’s slender back, reaching out to turn her towards him. "Next time, I won’t look. Don’t be angry."

Shen Yinning broke free from his hand, facing the bed wall, her girlish voice tinged with sobbing. "You’ve taken everything from me—my pride, my purity—and now you’re fixated on that place to ridicule me endlessly."

"When did I ever ridicule you? I was clearly praising how beautiful you are."

"Your Highness always mocks me. How could such a place be beautiful? You’re doing it deliberately to tease me! Boohoohoo!"

Lu Ying couldn’t console her.

This little vixen had grown increasingly adept at feigning fragility and coyness lately, leaving him utterly helpless.

Eventually, he had no choice but to get dressed and freshen up. "I have to return to the Eastern Palace tonight to handle state affairs. If there’s anything you desire, just send someone to purchase it. As the year-end approaches, Jiangyu Pavilion has likely received a new batch of jade jewelry. Have the shopkeeper bring them to Shen Garden for you to pick from."

Shen Yinning sat up, snorting softly. "Handling state affairs? More like rushing back to spend time with the Crown Princess Consort. I must be too unfortunate—how can I ever compare to the Crown Princess Consort who holds your utmost favor..."

Lu Ying turned back to look at her.

She held a brocade quilt with one hand and propped herself softly on the bed with the other. Her raven-black hair fell like seaweed framing her small face, and even in the dimly lit drapery, her skin remained dazzlingly radiant, making her resemble a delicate and enticingly dewy lotus flower.

He caught the jealousy in her eyes and chuckled lightly. "Jealous, are we?"

Shen Yinning knew that this scoundrel now relished seeing her jealous and bitter.

Thus, she puckered her lips deliberately and turned her face away with exaggerated sulkiness. "I wouldn’t dare!"

"Alright, I truly am returning for state affairs. News has reached from the northern border—some townsfolk there have colluded with Yan Country, and the military situation is dire. I must return to the Eastern Palace immediately," Lu Ying explained, reaching out to caress Shen Yinning’s head. "Tomorrow, I will personally go to the Shen Guogong Mansion. I won’t let the Crown Princess Consort’s people bully you too harshly."

Shen Yinning twirled her jet-black and clear eyes, suddenly laughing sweetly as she ordered someone to fetch ink and brush.

She played with the brush, tilting her head with a mischievous smile. "Besides visiting Duke Mansion, there’s another matter. Your Highness must also agree to this request of mine."

"What is it?"

Her smile became even brighter, carrying a trace of slyness.

She kneeled on the bed, rolling up Lu Ying’s sleeve and writing five large characters on his arm.

Haitang and Wei Yu caught a clear glimpse of the characters. Their faces turned pale, and they immediately dropped to their knees in fright.

Gui Quan and De Sun, confused, looked over and were instantly horrified, quickly kneeling as well. "Your Highness, please quell your anger!"

The room fell silent.

Lu Ying stared at the characters on his arm, remaining speechless for a long time.

Shen Yinning twirled the brush with discontent. "Your Highness doesn’t like it?"

Lu Ying calmly dropped his sleeve. "It’s not that I dislike it."

It was merely bedroom play.

If Shen Zhaozhao liked it, indulging her was harmless.

As long as she was willing to bear him an heir, as long as she stayed obediently by his side and didn’t harbor affections for other men, he wouldn’t mind spoiling her.

Shen Yinning curved her brows in delight. "Then Your Highness mustn’t wipe it off or wash it away!"

"I understand."

Lu Ying squeezed her charmingly delicate face before rising to leave.

Gui Quan and De Sun exchanged shocked glances.

Madam Shen openly wrote something so audacious on the Crown Prince’s body, yet he didn’t seem angry?!

No, what kind of bewitching potion had Madam Shen fed him?!

The two quickly ceased pondering and followed Lu Ying with horsetail whisks in hand.

After Lu Ying left, Shen Yinning sat at the edge of the bed, swinging her fair and dainty feet leisurely as she contemplated something.

Haitang attended to her evening washing and whispered softly, "Madam, those words you wrote may have been too brazen. If His Highness were to get angry and withdraw his favor, what would you do?"

Shen Yinning rested her chin on her hand, her phoenix-shaped eyes shimmering with brilliance, and chuckled lightly. "It’s just bedroom amusement. His Highness isn’t so petty that he can’t tolerate a few words. Besides, thinking about tomorrow’s inevitable banquet at the Duke Mansion while His Highness bears those characters—it’s rather amusing. If someone were to notice, it would be even more entertaining."

Haitang gave her a helpless look. "I don’t understand such matters. I only feel that Madam is exceedingly daring. It’s entirely because His Highness favors you. Were it any other woman, far from bedroom amusement, even her head could be jeopardized."

Shen Yinning burst into laughter.

She’d indeed written those characters to test Lu Ying’s boundaries.

So far, it seemed his tolerance towards her was quite high.

After tidying herself and finishing dinner, Haitang was preparing to order the maids to heat bathing water when Shen Yinning instructed instead, "To the Ministry of Justice."

Shen Garden had its own sedan.

Arriving at the Imperial Prison, Shen Yinning removed her rabbit fur cloak’s hood. "Master Cui, how goes the interrogation?"

Before Cui Ji could answer, she glanced at the bloodied, barely alive Madame Zhang tied to the torture rack and raised her brow. "Master Cui isn’t the type to use torture easily. Looks like this old woman’s mouth is too tight, and you couldn’t open it."

Cui Ji remained silent.

Initially, he hadn’t resorted to tormenting Zhang Cuichun.

But the moment she was detained, Zhang Cuichun began insulting him and his men, refusing to cooperate, claiming she was the Crown Princess Consort’s wet nurse and that disrespect towards her equated to disrespect towards the Crown Princess Consort. She even threatened to have them all executed after her release.

Only then did he decide to use force.

Yet this old hag seemed uncannily resilient, refusing to admit the truth no matter what, continuously wailing she was innocent.

In a low voice, Cui Ji said, "She’s clever enough to know that keeping silent is her sole path to survival."

Shen Yinning picked up a candleholder, leaning closer to Zhang Cuichun.

She scrutinized her familiar, aged, and haggard face. "Master Cui, I happen to know of a method specifically for coaxing confessions out of stubborn mouths. Assign two prison guards to stand by Madame Zhang at all times, making sure she doesn’t sleep. The moment her eyes close, force them open and ensure she remains under bright light without respite. Within two days, I guarantee she’ll spill everything she’s hiding."

Her voice was soft and tender like a gentle spring breeze, yet each word carried harrowing cruelty.

Madame Zhang barely opened one eye, her breath weak as a thread. "Yinning... truly... you are truly ruthless..."

"Oh, look at what you’ve said," Shen Yinning giggled crisply. "Compared to what you did to my mother, what I’m doing is nothing but minor scratches. To be truly ruthless, I’d still need to learn from you, Madame."

"You... you..." Madame Zhang’s murky eyes glimmered with venom, her hoarse voice rasping as though stuck with phlegm. "You think... that the tragic fate of your father and mother... was truly only facilitated by your second uncle? You think... they were truly innocent of treason? Oh, Yinning, it was you who caused their deaths!"