CHAPTER 269: CHAPTER 267: SISTER, LU YING REALLY CARES ABOUT YOU

It was night.

Shen Yinning stood behind the railing on the top floor.

The entirety of Liang Garden was illuminated with lights. Box after box of gold and silver treasures was being carried out, sealed with official marks by the Imperial Guard after auditing. The procession of torches stretched for miles—the amassed wealth of the Luo Family was truly immeasurable, like a fortune that could rival a nation.

The night wind tousled her hair.

Shen Yinning saw in the distance the high towers with their flying eaves, adorned with hundreds of palace lanterns. Xue Ling and others were flipping through the account books, while Lu Ying leaned against the intricately carved window, listening to their reports. As he turned to the side, their gazes happened to lock.

His eyes didn’t linger and quickly withdrew.

As if certain that she and Luo Xibai were already caged beasts, locked in a life-or-death struggle.

Shen Yinning felt restless and returned to the room. Luo Xibai was there, holding a strip of dried meat, teasing the small white wolf pup.

In a soft voice, she said, "Brother..."

Her heart was, after all, filled with guilt.

If not for her, perhaps it would have taken until Lu Ying ascended the throne as emperor for him to act against them. The Luo Family might have still had a few years of peace.

But because she brought Lu Ying to Jiangnan, everything happened prematurely. The once formidable power entrenched in Jiangnan had its limbs hacked off in an instant, collapsing completely. Once the commanding helmsman, issuing orders, had become a fish in a barrel. Within days, they would undoubtedly become prisoners of the Court.

Luo Xibai rose and pulled her to sit in the armchair.

He cradled the little wolf pup and comforted her, "You don’t need to feel guilty. My Luo Family had already involved itself in the battle for the throne. Since we dared to side with one faction as ministers, how could we fear retaliation after failure? Compared to you, I hate Xiang’er’s cruelty even more!"

Shen Yinning lowered her lashes, watching as the soft pomegranate red silk hem of her dress rippled gently under the cool moonlight.

"Sister, keep this well."

Luo Xibai removed an ivory carving from his neck and solemnly placed it in Shen Yinning’s hand.

The ivory carving was delicately crafted, thinly polished, and engraved with Luo Xibai’s name.

Shen Yinning looked at the carving in her palm, curiosity arising. "What is this?"

"My Luo Family has been bandits for two generations, amassing unimaginable wealth." Luo Xibai sneered. "Lu Ying thinks that by confiscating Liang Garden, he can seize all of my assets. How laughable! He doesn’t realize that my real fortune is stored at Juxian Manor, personally managed by the shopkeeper there. That shopkeeper is a formidable figure—through the years, the wealth has multiplied countless times! Sister, I won’t make it out of Zhaoyue Tower alive, but I won’t let my wealth be taken by others either. Keep this token. In the future, at least you’ll have something to rely on!"

Shen Yinning furrowed her brows tightly. "Brother..."

"Lu Ying won’t harm you." Luo Xibai’s gaze fixed intently on her phoenix-shaped eyes. "He’s a man—I can see in his eyes what he’s thinking about you. If he truly didn’t care about your life, he’d have long since sent people to storm Zhaoyue Tower. He’s holding back because he’s afraid I’ll have no choice but to take you hostage. Sister, Lu Ying cares about you."

Shen Yinning slowly shook her head.

If Lu Ying truly cared about her, how could she have been reduced to an ignoble and shameful forbidden fruit?

And how could he, in a grand and lavish ceremony, marry Shen Yunxi as his Crown Princess Consort?

What he cared about, at most, was just her physical appearance.

While Shen Yinning and Luo Xibai remained trapped in Zhaoyue Tower, elsewhere—

Lu Shiyan already knew what had transpired in Liang Garden.

Over the past few days, he had stayed behind closed doors, unable to sleep at night. Dark circles under his eyes made him look utterly haggard.

Hearing the guard’s report, he couldn’t muster much energy. He sat alone in the corridor, examining the folding fan in his hand under the light from the lanterns hanging beneath the eaves.

During his fight with Lu Ying, his fan had been destroyed. This was a newly made one. The fan’s surface still bore the same poem:

——Ten pearls for a pipa, deep within the Gold Valley Hall hides the crimson gauze. Rarest sanhu coral cannot be cherished in the palm; must it be remade into Upper Yang Flower instead?

As he lightly stroked the fan’s surface, fleeting memories from his youth and his current predicament rushed forth in his mind.

In a daze, he suddenly felt as though he had become a truly loathsome figure, so far removed from the person he had been in his youth.

No wonder Zhaozhao despised him.

And yet, he truly had no other options now. Zhaozhao’s father and brothers were all criminals of the empire, convicted of the grave crime of treason. Her status was no longer what it once was. Even if he were willing, his father, the emperor, would never allow her to become his legitimate wife.

Why couldn’t she understand the care and well-meaning intentions behind his actions?

Perhaps the only way was for him to abandon his title as a prince. Then, he might stand a chance of becoming her husband.

Lu Shiyan lowered his head as the shadows of Xiangfei bamboo danced across his snow-white robes, painting an ink wash scene like a meticulously crafted brushstroke.

To no longer be a prince, to ignore the Court, to refrain from joining the struggle for the throne...

To roam the world with Zhaozhao, find joy in the mountains and rivers, and live as a wealthy pair in a humble household...

If this were to happen, would she be willing?

Suddenly, Lu Shiyan desperately wanted to ask Shen Yinning face to face: If I am no longer a prince, would you stay with me?

A fire lit within him, as though he had come to life once again. Vibrancy and hope emerged on his handsome, refined face. He began pushing his wheelchair, attempting to head toward Zhaoyue Tower.

Before he could leave the corridor, a maid hurriedly approached, her expression one of delight. "Your Highness, the Princess just regained consciousness! She drank some medicine and feels much better. She’s asking for you now!"

Lu Shiyan looked toward the lowering curtain of the door.

If he had already made the decision to abandon wealth and power to wander the earth with Zhaozhao, then there were truths he needed to share with Luo Wanzhao.

He returned to the bedchamber. Luo Wanzhao had indeed awoken.

Frail by nature, she looked even more fragile after her recent fall. Her exposed wrist was so slender it seemed it would snap at the slightest pressure, unable even to fully support her clothing.

Yet when she saw Lu Shiyan, her sunken eyes still brimmed with tender affection. "Your Highness..."

Lu Shiyan asked with concern, "Shall I summon the doctor to examine you again?"

"The doctor has already been here and just left," Luo Wanzhao replied with a soft, loving smile. "Your Highness, Sister Shen didn’t push me down on purpose. It’s my fault for upsetting her first. She only pushed me in a moment of unhappiness. I don’t blame her. I’ve been unconscious for several days—please tell me, you and my brother haven’t blamed Sister Shen, have you?"

Lu Shiyan looked at Luo Wanzhao’s waxen, haggard face. He could not bring himself to tell her that they already knew she had jumped voluntarily.

He tucked her in carefully. "A lot has happened these past few days in Liang Garden. Focus on your recovery first, and I’ll tell you everything in time."

Luo Wanzhao nodded, though a trace of worry lingered between her brows. In a soft voice, she said, "Thankfully, I’m fine. Please, you and my brother mustn’t blame Sister Shen too harshly. I’m sure she has learned her lesson and won’t dare do it again."

Lu Shiyan took the bowl of white rice porridge from the maid.

He scooped a spoonful, blowing on it before bringing it to Luo Wanzhao’s lips. "Your body is weak; it’s best if you speak less."

This was the first time he had ever taken care of Luo Wanzhao in this manner.

Colors of red quietly bloomed around her sharp cheekbones, and even the dull, lifeless look in her eyes seemed to regain a hint of light.

She carefully accepted the spoonful of porridge and looked shyly yet hopefully at Lu Shiyan. "Your Highness has rarely treated me so kindly... Will you treat me like this for the rest of my days?"

Lu Shiyan remained silent.

After a long pause, he finally said in a low voice, "Let’s part ways."