Chapter 215 - 213: Have You Forgotten the Affection of Your Childhood?

Words : 1671 Updated : Sep 25th, 2025

Shen Yinning idly adjusted the golden hairpin. "Cousin, what do you mean by this? Not to mention how a mere woman like me could hide someone, but Second Cousin has already perished in the sea of flames—how could the dead return to life? If your purpose in coming here tonight is to interrogate me on this matter, then isn’t it far too absurd and sinister? Forgive me, but I cannot oblige." With that, she turned to leave. But Shen Xinghan stayed close behind her, stepping into the Gao Mansion with her. "If you wish to keep something hidden, the only way is not to do it at all. Shen Yinning, tonight you’ve shown far too many flaws. You intend to kill us all, but because of my suspicious nature, you were forced to use Second Brother’s jade pendant to bait me. Yet, in the end, you miscalculated—what you didn’t foresee was that it would rain tonight." Shen Yinning walked through the corridor. "I don’t understand what Cousin is talking about." Shen Xinghan followed her into the bedchamber. The bedchamber connected to the study. The furnishings were somber and disciplined, entirely unlike a young woman’s boudoir. One could see from the arrangement that the owner of the room had a meticulous and rigorous character, not someone who pursued luxury or indulgence. This further solidified Shen Xinghan’s belief that Shen Yinning had returned to the Capital with vengeance in her heart. It was a pity that Second Brother and Xi’er had underestimated their opponent. They didn’t understand the principle of cutting the weeds and eliminating the roots. They wanted to play a game of cat-and-mouse with Shen Yinning, oblivious to the fact that sometimes the mouse could toy with the cat as well. Second Brother’s demise could not possibly be unlinked to Shen Yinning. Shen Yinning... Could not be allowed to remain alive. Murderous intent flitted across his face, and his peripheral vision caught sight of the outside. Outside, the plants swayed and the shadows of trees danced. It was so quiet that even the chirp of an insect could not be heard, as if countless silent assassins were lurking, waiting for Shen Xinghan’s order to charge in and kill Shen Yinning without a trace. Now she was merely the disgraced daughter of a criminal and the wife of a minor official, with no guards by her side. Killing her would be nothing at all. With a bit of concealment, the Emperor wouldn’t pursue him for such a trivial matter... The man harbored sinister motives, and danger loomed in every step. Shen Yinning suddenly said, "Since it’s so rare for you to visit, Cousin, why not sit down and share a cup of tea?" Shen Xinghan paused momentarily but did not decline. The two of them sat by the window. Shen Yinning instructed Haitang to bring over a tea-making set. She placed a clay pot on a small red clay stove and used bamboo tongs to pick up a piece of tea cake, which she slowly ground into powder. Moonlight filtered gently through the window. The girl wore a faint smile at the corner of her lips. "I remember when our family hadn’t yet fallen into misfortune, Cousin and my brother were very close, so much so that even your tastes were alike. My brother loved tea, and you grew to love tea too. Back then, when you both were studying at the ancestral academy, I would always time your return home and personally brew tea for you in the corridor. Cousin used to praise my tea-making skills." She whisked the powdered tea, warmed the cups, and added water. The emerald-green tea powder contrasted with her jade-like hands, making her slender fingers appear even more delicate and beautiful. Shen Xinghan remained motionless. He stared at Shen Yinning. The stunning face before him overlapped with the chubby, childish features of a girl from many years ago. He remembered those childhood days when, after finishing classes, Shen Yinning would eagerly call out to him, "Cousin." For a long time during his youth, he had genuinely liked Shen Yinning. She was smart and perceptive. Compared to Shen Yunxi, Shen Yinning felt more like his real sister. But their stances were at odds. Though they shared the same blood in their veins, they were destined to be enemies. He spoke in a guarded tone, "So, you’re trying to use sentimentality as a ploy now?" Shen Yinning whisked the tea steadily, the surface of the tea gradually turning a rich, creamy white. Only when the tea bowl showed no trace of water did she offer it with both hands. "Cousin, though we are kin by blood, you are different from Shen Xinglei. You feel far more like my own elder brother. Naturally, I treat you differently than I do him. Cousin, I am now completely alone, just a defenseless woman. Surviving the calamity of our family’s downfall was a miracle in itself—how could I entertain notions of revenge? Cousin, can you truly bring yourself to stand against me? Have you completely forgotten the bonds of childhood?" Her voice was gentle with every word. Yet each sentence struck like a fatal blow. Shen Xinghan accepted the tea bowl, lost in thought, and refrained from drinking for a long time. Eventually, he set the tea bowl down, pulled out the green jade hairpin from his topknot, and used its tip to trace a character in the frothy white tea— "Nest." Afterward, he stirred the tea, erasing the character. Shen Yinning whispered, "Without the nest, how can any eggs remain intact...? Cousin, are you truly determined to see me dead?" Shen Xinghan placed the jade hairpin on the tea table. "Shen Yinning, if you must blame someone, blame the fact that you’re not my real sister. As long as you remain in the Capital, you and I are destined to be enemies. I advise you to reveal Second Brother’s whereabouts as soon as possible, or you will suffer greatly." He swept his sleeves and left. Shen Yinning did not see him off. Resting her chin on one hand, she idly toyed with the tea bowl with the other. Shen Xinghan’s words implied that as long as she left the Capital, he would not harm her. It appeared, tonight, his heart had wavered with sympathy after all. Shen Yinning yawned and rose. "Prepare the bed. I wish to sleep." The bed curtains fell. Though heavy with fatigue, Shen Yinning found it impossible to fall asleep. Each time she closed her eyes, scenes of Lu Ying galloping through the flames to save her emerged vividly in her mind. She had never seen such a grave and tense expression on Lu Ying’s face before. Whether his actions were out of genuine concern or mere lust for her body, his kindness was something she owed acknowledgment. Perhaps she should thank him in person. Perhaps she should prepare him a generous gift... Before dawn, all was silent. The green jade hairpin Shen Xinghan had left on the tea table suddenly stirred in the moonlight. Its pointed tip transformed into a flexible snake tail. It wasn’t a jade hairpin at all—it was a venomous snake in hibernation! The residual warmth of the red clay stove had awakened it. The serpentine creature slithered with its emerald-colored body, flicking its bright red tongue, silently and dangerously making its way toward the warmest spot in the room—the bed. The next day. Having gone to bed so late the night before, Shen Yinning remained asleep. Haitang and Wei Yu dared not disturb her. But when she had not awoken by dusk, the two grew concerned. They entered the bedchamber, finding that although the floor heating was lit, the room was unnervingly cold. The two exchanged worried glances and rushed to her bed. They drew back the heavy bed curtains, and a chilling frost struck their faces. On the bed lay the young woman, her breath faint, her eyelashes and brows rimed with frost, her skin pale and bluish, her lips frozen to a bright crimson. She resembled an ice sculpture freshly chiseled from a glacier! "Madam!" The two cried out in panic. They tried everything to wake Shen Yinning, but to no avail. "I’ll fetch hot water!" Pale-faced, Haitang ran to bring warm water, gently wiping down Shen Yinning’s body. But even after melting the icy frost from her form, she remained unconscious. Her seemingly warming body turned cold again within the time it took to brew a cup of tea, ice accumulating unnaturally once more. The two maids, having never encountered anything like this, hurriedly summoned Nanny Chen. Nanny Chen, a woman who had spent most of her life in the palace and seen countless oddities, conducted a careful examination. She said gravely, "From what I see, Madam appears to be poisoned. When I was young, the elders in the palace used to speak of a type of venomous snake from Miaojiang. It looks exactly like a green bamboo hairpin and is called the Bamboo Spirit Ice Soul. Though the name sounds beautiful, it is said that its bite doesn’t kill directly. Instead, the victim suffers periodic attacks of unbearable cold every three days until they ultimately succumb and take their own life." Haitang, ever meticulous, scoured Shen Yinning’s bed and pillows. It wasn’t long before she found a small dead snake hidden within the bedding. "Nanny, look!" The snake had perished after delivering its venomous bite. Having been dead for some time, its once-brilliant emerald color had dulled to a lifeless gray. With a trembling voice, Wei Yu cried, "It must have been Shen Xinghan! He was the only one who entered Madam’s bedchamber last night! Nanny Chen, what should we do now?!" Nanny Chen made a decisive choice. "We must go to the Crown Prince—" "Nanny..." From the bed, a weak voice interrupted. Shen Yinning had awakened. Even wrapped in a down-filled quilt, she trembled from the cold. Her voice quavered. "You must not go to him."

Chapter 215 - 213: Have You Forgotten the Affection of Your Childhood?

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