Chapter 194 - 192: Aren’t You Jealous?

Words : 1582 Updated : Sep 23rd, 2025

Luo Wanxiang belatedly realized the truth and glared at Shen Yinning in fury. "Well done! So you deliberately set me up! Just wait, I’ll tell my sister. When you’re sent to Jiangnan to become a concubine, I’ll make sure my sister punishes you severely!" With that, she flung her sleeves and stormed off. Shen Yinning was slightly irked and turned to Lu Ying. "Your Highness wants a clean break with your official wife—I hold no grudges against that. But why do you have to ruin my plans?" Lu Ying replied indifferently, "I’ll do as I please." "You—" Shen Yinning was livid, yet she couldn’t do anything about him. Lu Ying gazed at her, his eyes laced with frost. "You eagerly butter up Luo Wanzhao, thinking you can follow Lu Shiyan to Jiangnan. But who would’ve thought he doesn’t even look twice at you? You haven’t even married in and already you’re facing punishment. Shen Yinning, is this the path you’ve chosen?" Shen Yinning felt increasingly irritated. When had she ever flattered Luo Wanzhao? This wretched man jumped to conclusions without even verifying things. How he convinced himself that she liked Lu Shiyan, or was eager to go to Jiangnan as a concubine, she truly had no idea. After pondering, she decided it was better to clarify. "May I ask Your Highness, ever since the engagement between you and me, have you personally witnessed me getting close to Prince Wu? Or did someone deliberately slander me before you?" Lu Ying’s lips tightened into a hard line. This woman had the gall to ask such a question. Did she truly think he knew nothing about her and Lu Shiyan getting intimate in Shen Garden? He replied coldly, "I don’t wish to bring up the past again. But Shen Yinning, you must understand one thing—I am no fool." Shen Yinning watched him leave, took a deep breath, and sighed deeply. Forget it; reasoning with this wretched man was futile. She wandered alone in the garden for a while until, unexpectedly, she spotted Gao Yun. The woman was standing on an arch bridge with a young man. Even from a distance, you could see how her laughter was as charming as blooming flowers, her entire body leaning toward the young man. Shen Yinning recognized him. His name was Wei Jiu, Lu Jiazhe’s attendant. Though not bad-looking and possessing a rather refined air, his attire and lifestyle, thanks to the affluence of the Prince Mansion, far outshone those of ordinary noble sons. But how had these two ended up together? Could it be that Gao Yun mistook Wei Jiu for some princely heir and sought to marry into an illustrious family through him? Seeing Gao Yun coyly ingratiating herself with Wei Jiu, Shen Yinning couldn’t be bothered to intervene. She simply walked away. The palace banquet was still ongoing. Since Lu Shiyan had rarely returned to the capital—and this time with his Princess Consort in tow—Noble Consort Zhang specifically invited a theatrical troupe to perform operas and arranged for many entertainers to showcase sword-swallowing, fire-spitting, stilt-walking, and other acts. The most captivating of all was the iron-flower forging performance. In the wide-open space of the Imperial Garden, the palace maidens deliberately extinguished the palace lanterns. Standing at the edge of the crowd, Shen Yinning could faintly make out the performers grabbing willow wood ladles, scooping up molten iron heated to a fiery red, and striking it forcefully against a metal frame. The next instant, the molten iron exploded into countless burning sparks that scattered into the sky. She looked up. A forest of fire blossomed with silvery light, a sleepless city glimmered, tens of thousands of stars seemed to ignite a sea of fireflies. The dazzling orange brilliance seemed to set half the heavens aflame, resplendent and majestic like an innumerable cascade of meteor showers. The firelight illuminated the faces of the guests. Some young ladies, particularly enraptured, couldn’t help but cheer in excitement. Amid the lively commotion, Shen Yinning felt a gaze land on her face. Looking through the iron-flower sparks, she met Lu Shiyan’s gaze head-on. Lu Shiyan seemingly hadn’t expected her to notice him. He promptly offered her a gentle smile. Shen Yinning returned a polite smile. Shifting her gaze away, she saw Lu Shiyan and Luo Wanzhao standing nearby, flanked by Lu Ying and Shen Yunxi. Shen Yunxi, bursting with elation, was joyfully exclaiming something to Lu Ying. As always, Lu Ying remained stoic and silent, merely clasping her small hand in his. His upright propriety seemed to embrace her tempestuous liveliness. Shen Yunxi’s face radiated happiness as she affectionately leaned on his shoulder, watching the rare spectacle of the iron-flower display with him. The very picture of conjugal affection. The warmth brought by the iron flowers was swiftly swept away by the chilly wind. Suddenly, Shen Yinning felt cold. She withdrew her gaze, expressionless, rubbing her arms before turning to leave. Out of the corner of his eye, Lu Ying inconspicuously glanced at her retreating figure. Moments ago, he couldn’t resist looking at her. This woman was as sharp as a blade, immediately noticing his attention and promptly turning her head toward him. Luckily, he managed to avert his eyes just in time, sparing himself from being caught. He knew she had seen him, so he deliberately clasped Shen Yunxi’s hand, deliberately let her head rest on his shoulder, deliberately allowed her to witness his intimacy with Shen Yunxi. He wanted her to understand that she was not the only woman in the world. If she insisted on liking Lu Shiyan, then so be it. He, Lu Ying, was perfectly capable of cherishing other women. The goal had been achieved. Yet, for some reason, Lu Ying still felt an unbearable discomfort deep within. He looked toward the fiery rain of iron flowers, entirely oblivious to what Shen Yunxi was excitedly prattling on about beside him. His mind wandered, pondering why the iron flowers were golden instead of silver. After all, her name was Shen Yinning, and her name contained the word "Silver"... "Your Highness," Shen Yunxi suddenly spoke in a coy voice, "The long night stretches on. Tonight, I wish to spend it together with you." Lu Ying, utterly disinterested, released her hand. "I have important matters to attend to." With that, he strode off without looking back. Shen Yunxi stood frozen in place, her delicate face alternating between red and green. She hurried to chase after him. "Your Highness rarely attends banquets—must you still deal with political affairs at night?! Can’t the advisors handle it? Your Highness! Your Highness!!" Lu Ying was already far away. Shen Yunxi stomped her foot in frustration. "Your Highness..." Lianxin steadied her and frowned. "If you think about it, Your Highness hasn’t summoned you or any of the other concubines in the Eastern Palace for quite some time. For a man as young and vigorous as him, how could this be? No matter how seductive some vixen outside the palace might be, could she really monopolize his affection all this time? Could she handle it?!" Shen Yunxi seethed with resentment. "Crude words, yet true in principle. Someone as relentless as His Highness—I can barely endure him myself. How could one woman possibly manage?! Lianxin, quickly think of something! Find out who that wretched girl is! If I don’t strip her of her skin, my title as Crown Princess Consort will be for naught!" Lianxin, catching the faint scent of iron particles in the air, suddenly remarked, "Your Highness, didn’t you recently receive a box of siluo incense as tribute from the Western Regions during New Year? That fragrant material is particularly unique. Once it’s burned into clothing cuffs or collars, the scent lingers for three days without fading. If His Highness comes into contact with anyone, their garments will also pick up the siluo fragrance. Your Highness, we simply need to secretly scent the Crown Prince’s robes with a bit of siluo incense. Once he’s been close to someone, we’ll know just by following the scent..." While mistress and servant conspired, elsewhere— Luo Wanxiang had admired the iron flowers for a moment before she instinctively began searching the crowd for Xue Ling. What she saw instead was Xue Ling dragging along the small concubine she had encountered earlier in the day, heading toward a secluded corridor in the distance. Her mouth curled in displeasure. "These women truly have no shame—daring to seduce men in the palace of all places! It’s no wonder the words ’unfaithful’ and ’wanton’ are always used to describe women. Sharing the same gender as them sullies my purity. Playing with men is far more suitable for me!" With that thought, she quietly followed behind them. Rounding the corridor, she spotted a single palace lamp suspended at a corner. Under its bright light, Xue Ling pressed the petite concubine firmly against a wooden column, one hand pinning her wrists high above her head and the other gripping her slender waist as he fiercely kissed her lips! His tall, commanding figure shrouded hers entirely. The crimson robes he wore billowed in the evening breeze, enveloping the impossibly delicate woman in his arms. Luo Wanxiang gasped, covering her mouth in shock. It wasn’t clear how much time had passed before Xue Ling finally released the small concubine. Pinching her face gently with his long fingers, he asked with a trace of cold fury, "When you see me with others, do you feel no jealousy?"

Chapter 194 - 192: Aren’t You Jealous?

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