CHAPTER 357: CHAPTER 355: THAT VIXEN IS HER COUSIN

Lu Ying was silent.

Despite facing a delicate and soft young maiden he hadn’t seen in days, every muscle in his body tensed as if bracing against a formidable enemy. His narrow eyes were dark and brooding, the lines of his jaw and thin lips sharp and chilling.

"Look at you," Shen Yinning’s brows arched as her voice fluttered gently, "I’m nothing but a frail young woman, yet Brother Lu Ying looks at me as if he’s seen a terrible foe. Oh, by the way, I’ve already sent men to the adjacent hall to slaughter Shen Yunxi. Later, when Brother Lu Ying hears of her death, don’t let it make you too sad or upset, alright?"

Lu Ying’s expression finally shifted ever so slightly.

His voice was low, chilly, and hoarse: "Who gave you the authority to touch her?"

Shen Yinning’s gaze locked onto his eyes, her smile shrinking slightly. "Even if I didn’t have permission, I’ve already acted. Not only her — I plan to deal with Shen Yan’s entire family as well. Brother Lu Ying, if you keep defending Shen Yunxi like this, I’ll start getting jealous."

Jealous...

Had it been in the past, upon hearing she would be jealous for his sake, Lu Ying wouldn’t have been able to hide his secret joy.

But now...

She had colluded with Yan Zheming, conspired with Lu Zhengliu.

She had used herself as bait to drag him off the Crown Prince’s throne.

She had betrayed him, yet she still dared to claim she’d feel jealous for him.

He gazed at the unmoving maiden standing quietly under the eaves, his words precise and deliberate. "Do you think I truly can’t bring myself to kill you?"

Shen Yinning was silent for a moment before her lips curved slightly.

Ignoring the sword aimed at her, her waist soft as willow, she walked forward step by step. "Brother Lu Ying, then do it — what are you waiting for?"

The sword tip rested against her brow.

As she descended the steps one by one, Lu Ying’s hand clutching the sword involuntarily retreated with her advancing steps.

The hem of her pomegranate-red dress brushed lightly against the dark stone stairs, the jade ornaments fastened at her waist jingling melodiously. The scattered pomegranate blossoms at the foot of the steps were swept aside, carrying a sweet and intoxicating fragrance in the early summer breeze.

"Brother Lu Ying’s swordsmanship is peerless, your hand steady and merciless. There must be countless lives that have fallen under your blade." Shen Yinning’s voice was sweet like honey. "And now—what’s happening? While I might not practice martial arts, my father once mentioned that for a sword wielder, hesitation is the greatest taboo."

The poised sword above reflected a chilling glow, mirroring the maiden’s captivating almond-shaped phoenix eyes. She gently pressed her delicate, pale finger onto the blade, instantly staining it with a blood-red drop.

Lu Ying’s gaze shifted from her face to the drop of blood.

The blood fell, splattering onto the stone steps.

Suddenly, Lu Ying withdrew his sword and turned his face away, no longer looking at her. "Leave."

Shen Yinning studied his profile with interest.

After all her betrayals, Lu Ying only gave her a dismissive command to leave.

Just as she was about to tease him further, a shrill voice rang out, cutting through the tension. "Your Highness, save me!"

It was Shen Xinya.

She had been sent by Lu Ying to care for Shen Yunxi, but earlier today several guards unexpectedly burst in from outside, attacking them without a word!

Luckily, His Highness had stationed a few Hidden Guards near the side hall, allowing her to narrowly escape unharmed!

Shen Yinning glanced towards the commotion.

Following Shen Xinya’s escape, Lianxin and Lian Ye supported Shen Yunxi as they approached.

The cousin who had once snatched the position of Crown Princess Consort from her hands, proud and imperious as ever, now resembled nothing more than a feeble, wet chicken in rags, her complexion sickly and wan, her appearance pitiful and miserable.

Shen Yinning curled her lips into a smile. "It seems Brother Lu Ying had long anticipated I would strike while the dog is down, and thus arranged Hidden Guards around Shen Yunxi’s hall to protect her with utmost care... Brother Lu Ying truly looks after Shen Yunxi with remarkable thoughtfulness."

Her voice was honeyed and soft, yet carried an unmistakable undertone of bitterness.

It seemed she had grown tired of concealing her anger over Lu Ying’s devotion.

"Wretch..."

Before Lu Ying could speak, Shen Yunxi gasped out her insult.

Shaking with fury, she raised a trembling finger to point at Shen Yinning. "You filthy wretch! How dare you send killers after me?! When I reclaim my title in the future, I will skin you alive, pull out your tendons, and craft a drum from your accursed flesh!"

Lu Ying’s Hidden Guards and Lu Zhengliu’s men followed closely behind.

Upon seeing both Lu Ying and Shen Yinning together, neither group dared to act rashly. They remained locked in a tense stalemate, rendering the previously quiet garden bustling with unease.

"Skin me alive, pull out my tendons?" Shen Yinning casually adjusted her embroidered wide sleeves, indifferent to the wound on her finger. "Cousin might wish it, but I fear Brother Lu Ying would never agree."

"Wretch! Who gave you permission to call His Highness by name?!" Shen Yunxi’s fury erupted like a scalded cat, her entire body bristling.

Shen Yinning chuckled softly. "What’s the matter with me calling his name? He likes hearing me call him that. On last year’s Qixi Festival, when you were copying scriptures at Shengguo Temple, I lay on the bed in your chamber and called his name over and over again. His Highness was so ferocious, I nearly strained my throat shouting."

Shen Yunxi’s eyes widened in disbelief.

She recalled a seductive vixen stealing into her chamber last Qixi and leaving her a taunting note — so much so that she’d almost fainted from anger.

"Could it be... could it be that the vixen luring His Highness from the palace..." Shen Yunxi’s voice trembled uncontrollably as she pointed at Shen Yinning. "Was you?!"

She had searched far and wide.

Through every noble lady in the Capital, yet she never uncovered the wretched vixen’s identity.

Who would have guessed — it was Shen Yinning, her already-married cousin!

"Indeed, it was me." Shen Yinning admitted frankly. "On last year’s Bathing Buddha Festival, I took Brother Lu Ying’s woman right in front of your nose at Shengguo Temple. It was me who ordered Yin Shanshan to spread those rumors through the stories. It has always been me."

"Oh, and Cousin, you’ve always wanted to know how I managed to return to the Capital. Actually, Brother Lu Ying schemed to bring me back. You know everything I said before the Emperor in the Imperial Study was the truth. Over the past year, the golden pavilion was indeed his; taking another man’s wife was true; even abandoning you repeatedly just for me was true."

Shen Yunxi’s lips trembled as she stared at Shen Yinning, her words catching in her throat.

Since childhood, she had been infatuated with the Crown Prince.

She thought that by destroying Shen Yinning’s family, she could replace her — becoming his wife, sharing a lifetime together.

But Shen Yinning, this vile wretch, had clandestinely rekindled her affair with him all along.

Tears streamed uncontrollably down her face. "You’re lying! His Highness is noble and dignified, upright to the core, how could he possibly do something as disgraceful as stealing another man’s wife?! You must have seduced him! Or... or blackmailed him with some leverage! Perhaps you shamelessly drugged him!"

Shen Yinning burst into carefree laughter.

When her entire family had been purged, she was exiled to Gan State in the bitter cold depths of winter.

Yet, during that same month of exile, Shen Yunxi replaced her, married Lu Ying, and basked in the lavish grandeur of a phoenix crown and scarlet robes.

Could the Shen Yunxi of that joyous wedding night have ever imagined this day?

Shen Yinning’s heart brimmed with satisfaction. Leisurely, she said, "Whether it’s true or not, why don’t you ask him yourself?"

With the faintest glimmer of hope left, Shen Yunxi, eyes red from tears, turned to Lu Ying and asked, "Your Highness?"