Chapter 177 - 175: New Year’s Gift for Lu Ying

Words : 1661 Updated : Sep 21st, 2025

Chapter 177: Chapter 175: New Year’s Gift for Lu YingHow dare she... How dare she seduce the Crown Prince! The Shen Family was raided, she was exiled to Gan State, and yet she still refuses to behave. Why does she insist on seducing Xi’er’s husband?! At this moment, Shen Xinglei deeply regretted not listening to Shen Xinghan’s advice to eradicate the root of the problem and kill Shen Yinning, this calamity! He struggled to break free of the ropes, but his tendons and bones were completely shattered, rendering him powerless. He wanted to shout, to attract Lu Ying’s attention, but when he opened his mouth, no sound came out! He could only sit there, alone in the darkness, listening to Shen Yinning and Lu Ying’s passionate entanglement! Suddenly, it dawned on him—Xi’er still didn’t know that the seductive vixen Lu Ying kept outside the palace was Shen Yinning. Xi’er had absolutely no guard up against Shen Yinning! His breathing grew rapid. He wanted to tell Xi’er the truth, but there was no way to do so! The secret chamber left Shen Xinglei tormented and despairing. The long solitude and darkness were like a ravenous beast devouring his emotions, bit by bit eroding his fury, leaving him with boundless terror. He couldn’t help entertaining wild thoughts—were his hands and feet really useless now? Would he never be able to ride and shoot again? Yet amidst the fear, he clung to a sliver of hope. Big Brother should notice his disappearance at the relay station, right? Big Brother would surely come to rescue him, right? When Big Brother saved him, he could tell him what Shen Yinning had done to him, and he would let Xi’er know Shen Yinning had seduced the Crown Prince! As he thought of this, the pain from his fractured bones surged through his body again. He was drenched in cold sweat and passed out in the secret chamber once more. ... However, a fire broke out at the relay station, perfectly concealing the abduction that snowy night. Lu Jiazhe had carefully selected a convict whose physique closely resembled Shen Xinglei’s. Thus, Shen Xinghan mistook the convict’s skeleton for Shen Xinglei and buried it in the ancestral tomb. The Shen Family was consumed by the grief of losing a son. Even Shen Yunxi was too dispirited to trouble Shen Yinning. In the vast Capital, no one noticed Shen Xinglei clinging to life, struggling to survive. The Lunar New Year was only a few days away. Lu Ying acquired a set of kingfisher feather inlaid jewelry, presented it in a golden sandalwood brocade box, and gifted it to Shen Yinning. Shen Yinning knew its value. The moment she opened the brocade box, her eyes lit up. "This set of kingfisher feather jewelry is incredibly rare and priceless. Even if you had the money, you couldn’t buy it! Where did you get this, Brother Lu Ying?!" Lu Ying took a sip of tea. He had obtained it from a Shanxi merchant. The merchant dealt in tea and silk and sought his help to obtain an imperial merchant plaque. Initially, he wasn’t inclined to meddle in such trivial matters, but this set of kingfisher feather jewelry piqued his interest. Even within the palace, there was nothing as exquisite and opulent as this jewelry. The key was that the set was complete—crown, hairpins, earrings, necklaces, and collars. Even the favored Noble Consort Zhang in the palace, basking in the Emperor’s immense favor, couldn’t piece together half such a set. Knowing Shen Zhaozhao had a fondness for this type of extravagant, luxurious jewelry, he accepted it. He didn’t answer Shen Yinning’s question but instead said nonchalantly, "It’s a New Year’s gift for you." "I absolutely adore it..." Shen Yinning couldn’t put it down, already envisioning matching it with a newly tailored pomegranate red and white jade pearl gold lock brocade dress from a few days prior. "Do the Crown Princess Consort and the other concubines in the Eastern Palace have it, or is it just for me?" "Of course, it’s just for you," Lu Ying retorted irritably. "What, do you think kingfisher feathers are common? As if everyone could have some?" Hearing this, the smile on Shen Yinning’s face became even more genuine. Still holding onto the hairpin, she leaned over and planted a kiss on Lu Ying’s cheek. She said sweetly, "Brother Lu Ying, you’re so good to me." Lu Ying’s expression remained unreadable. Over the past year, this little vixen knew only how to receive gifts but had never once given him anything in return. Other men’s wives and concubines would at least hand-sew clothes or boots, or perhaps even offer something simpler like embroidered pouches or handkerchiefs. But Shen Zhaozhao? Forget about gifts—she wouldn’t even save him untouched snacks from the small kitchen, only passing over what she herself found unappetizing. The little ingrate. Noticing his displeasure, Shen Yinning, mindful of the jewelry’s value, showed some concern. "Brother Lu Ying, what’s the matter? Who upset you?" Lu Ying gently caressed the tea cup and responded, "I was just thinking, when would I ever receive a gift from Shen Zhaozhao?" Shen Yinning broke into a smile. So that’s why Lu Ying was upset—because she’d never given him anything. After Lu Ying left for the study to meet with his advisors, she went to the adjacent room. This room was filled with gifts intended for others during the New Year. For Xue Mianmian and Xue Qingqing, she had prepared fox-fur satin brocade cloaks, one in peacock green and the other in light yellow. The materials were sourced from Ba Shu and were rarely seen in the Capital. The hoods were large and warm, adorned with fluffy white rabbit fur. The two sisters would undoubtedly love them. For Lu Jiazhe, she had ordered a bull-horn bow set crafted by a master weaponsmith. The bow’s body was sleek black, overlaid with softwood and wrapped in polished green sharkskin on both sides. The inner side bore his name engraved in gold-inlay technique. It came with twenty-eight light-feathered whistle arrows—exactly his preferred style. She had also prepared a New Year’s gift for Cui Ji. Though Cui Ji was impoverished and would refuse straightforward monetary gifts, he was too frugal to spend on basic needs. So, Shen Yinning bought two sets of goose down quilts and estimated his size to have several tailored brocade robes and boots made by a seamstress. During their last meeting, she had noticed the patches on his sleeves. Winter was already harsh, and with lunar January full of banquets, she worried his hospitality might fall short, inviting ridicule from colleagues. So she asked Cuicui to purchase two baskets of silver silk charcoal and some common fish, meat, and New Year’s provisions for him. All the items combined for Cui Ji didn’t cost as much as a single cloak for the Xue sisters or Lu Jiazhe’s bow, but they were practical. If she were to give him anything pricier, he likely wouldn’t accept it. As for Lu Ying... Shen Yinning still hadn’t decided on a gift. She hadn’t even intended to prepare one for him in the first place. After all, the money she used was his. Buying him a gift with his own money—what would be the point? Haitang suggested, "Madam, I’ve noticed other ladies often sew pouches or make boots for the men they love. Why not try making something for His Highness—a piece of clothing or some accessory? It wouldn’t need to be extravagant, yet it would convey your heartfelt sentiment. His Highness would surely appreciate it." Shen Yinning fell silent. As a noble daughter of the Duke Mansion, she excelled at the arts, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but her needlework was atrocious. Her mother had once tried teaching her embroidery for a month, but upon seeing her attempt at a pair of mandarin ducks that ended up looking like duck intestines, her mother heaved a sigh. "Zhaozhao, when you marry someday, never pick up a needle. Leave it to the maids and spare the Duke Mansion the embarrassment." To speak of bringing shame—that alone showed how dreadful her embroidery skills were. She couldn’t very well gift Lu Ying something duck-intestine-like for New Year’s, could she? Though she was but his forbidden mistress, she prided herself on being accomplished and flawless, with beauty and talent in equal measure, without a single shortcoming. She couldn’t let the Eastern Palace’s concubines outshine her! Clearing her throat, she demurred, "There are only two or three days left until New Year’s—hardly enough time to sew anything. Let’s just buy something nice from the market instead." She instructed Haitang to distribute the gifts in the adjacent room and summoned Cuicui, tasking her with purchasing a suitable present from town. Cuicui hesitated. "The market is filled with a dazzling array of goods. I wouldn’t know what to pick, Madam." Shen Yinning thought for a moment. "Then buy a book from the bookstore." A book was the safest choice—there was little risk of error. Cuicui replied, "But Madam, I can’t read..." "Buy whichever book sells the best." At the bookstore, Cuicui noticed a group of men excitedly surrounding a specific picture book, laughing and chattering as they pointed at it. Out of curiosity, she flipped through it and saw tiny figures wrestling, accompanied by some poems. Though she couldn’t make sense of it, she reasoned that since the book was so popular, bringing it back couldn’t possibly go wrong. Knowing the book was meant as Shen Yinning’s gift for Lu Ying, she thoughtfully requested the shopkeeper to package it in a carved willowwood box, tying it with a lovely silk ribbon bow. By dusk, Lu Ying returned from the palace. Spotting Cuicui bounding back with the wooden box in her arms, he asked Shen Yinning, "What’s that your maid is carrying?" Shen Yinning gazed at him tenderly. "It’s the New Year’s gift I carefully selected for Your Highness."

Chapter 177 - 175: New Year’s Gift for Lu Ying

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