Chapter 221 - 219: You Want to Send Zhaozhao Out of the Capital?

Words : 1478 Updated : Sep 25th, 2025

Gui Quan couldn’t refuse him and had no choice but to prepare the spring pancakes for him. Lu Ying ate two spring pancakes with the porridge and instructed Gui Quan to store the rest in the icehouse for tomorrow. Carrying the food box out, Gui Quan couldn’t help shaking his head and heaving a long sigh. These spring pancakes were clearly made by Madam Shen herself. Just what kind of bewitching soup had she fed His Highness to captivate him like this? When Xue Ling heard that Lu Ying was ill, he specially entered the palace to check on him. Leaning idly against the chamber, he adopted an amused posture. "I must have guessed wrong—could it be that His Highness’s ailment is a heartbreak?" Lu Ying didn’t spare him a kind look. "Call Qian Duobao into the palace." "Alright!" Xue Ling strolled out lazily. "You’re the master. Your wish is my command." It wasn’t long before Qian Duobao was brought to the Eastern Palace by Xue Ling, trotting in and bowing deeply in respect. Lu Ying got straight to the point. "You deal with the most peculiar things. Tell me, do you have a Forget Love Gu?" "This..." Qian Duobao scratched his head awkwardly. "Your Highness, you haven’t been to Miaojiang, so you might not know that such a thing only exists in fictional stories. However, I do have another type of Gu. It enters the body through fresh blood. Although it won’t erase memories, it can control desires and reduce one’s obsession with the most unattainable things or people. In Miaojiang, this poison is often used to quit gambling, drinking, or smoking. As for quitting a person... well, there have been many cases of that as well." Seeing Lu Ying listening intently, Qian Duobao elaborated respectfully, "This Gu is called Broken Thought. The deeper the obsession, the more times it needs to be used. For ordinary people, three to five uses are enough to forget their obsessions. For particularly deep fixations, seven to eight times might be required. Using it to let go of love and affection is absolutely ideal." Broken Thought... Broken Thought... Breaking the thoughts of her and returning to the person he was before meeting her. Lu Ying deeply missed his old self. He declared, "I want it today." Qian Duobao asked curiously, "Is Your Highness doing this for Madam Shen?" As soon as the words landed, the man reclining on the soft couch emitted a sudden, chilling aura. The atmosphere in the chamber seemed to drop, turning oppressive and terrifying! Qian Duobao trembled all over, immediately lowering his head to the ground. "Forgive me, Your Highness. I was being presumptuous!" He hastily retreated outside with Xue Ling, clutching his chest and muttering, "Heavens above, that Madam Shen has some incredible means to torment our Highness to this extent! To break his obsession with her, he’s even willing to use a Gu on himself!" Xue Ling, on the other hand, seemed pleased. "For him to let go of his fixation with Shen Yinning may not be a bad thing." Qian Duobao grinned. "Unlike him, I don’t need such a Gu. My wife and I are deeply in love, and we already have two children! We’re planning to have ten! She even personally cooked today, making me a feast along with braised pork trotters and pig ears, my favorites. Lord Xue, would you care to come to my house for a drink?" "..." Lu Ying had exceptionally keen hearing. The conversation between Qian Duobao and Xue Ling under the corridor outside reached his ears word for word. He curled his lips into a self-mocking smile. Even Qian Duobao had harmony and affection in his marriage, sweet and intimate. Yet he, the esteemed Crown Prince, could not achieve what he desired, could not make Shen Yinning fall for him. Indeed, the love between men and women in this world could not be exchanged for status or power... That night. Lu Ying slid a dagger across his arm, opening a wound, and fed a crimson-colored Gu insect into it. The Gu insect quickly merged into his blood. After bandaging his wound, he instructed De Sun, "Summon Prince Wu. Tell him I have urgent matters to discuss." "...What?! You want to send Zhaozhao out of the Capital?!" Lu Shiyan came over in the middle of the night. Hearing that Lu Ying intended to send Shen Yinning away, he was astonished. Lu Ying’s face was devoid of expression. "In three days, the Imperial Family will hold a ceremony at Shengguo Temple to pray to the heavens. Grandmother appreciates Shen Yinning’s calligraphy and will have her write the prayer texts, so she will definitely attend. After the ceremony, I will have someone discreetly escort her to the docks. That will coincide with the day you return to Jiangnan—you can take her to Jiangnan then." Lu Shiyan gripped the arms of his wheelchair tightly, suppressing his emotions as he asked, "Did she ask for this? Does she want to go to Jiangnan with me?!" Lu Ying sneered. "What do you think? Don’t tell me you actually believe she likes you?" Lu Shiyan fell silent. Of course, he knew Zhaozhao didn’t like him. He had known, for many years now, that Zhaozhao liked no one. The person she loved most was always herself. Perhaps thinking of this himself, Lu Ying’s expression darkened. The two brothers said nothing for a long while. After some time, Lu Shiyan asked again, "Does she know she’s going to Jiangnan with me?" Lu Ying responded, "What do you think?" "So you want me to take her to Jiangnan against her will?" "Don’t act as though you respect her wishes so much. She doesn’t want to be your concubine, yet you’ve had your princess repeatedly persuade her. Even if I hadn’t proposed this tonight, I’m sure you were already planning to abduct her to Jiangnan, weren’t you?" Lu Shiyan fell silent again for a long time before finally saying, "Everything I’ve done has been for her own good." Lu Ying sneered mockingly. He had little regard for Lu Shiyan’s hypocrisy. But, undeniably, Lu Shiyan indeed treated Shen Yinning very well. His gaze shifted to Lu Shiyan’s legs. Even these crippled legs of his... They were damaged for Shen Yinning’s sake. Back then, as the Princes gradually grew older, the Crown Prince position remained undecided, and the power struggle in the Capital for the throne became increasingly fierce. Among them, the competition between him and Lu Shiyan was especially intense. Some court officials supported him, the legitimate son of the Empress, while a greater number favored Lu Shiyan, son of Noble Consort Zhang. Even the Emperor, out of his deep love for Noble Consort Zhang, wished to make Lu Shiyan the Crown Prince. But since ancient times, crown princes were chosen for their noble birthright, not their age. For Father to make it justifiable to appoint Lu Shiyan, there was no way around him— Unless he were dead. Yes, Father had entertained the thought of having him killed. That year, he faced countless assassination attempts, narrowly escaping them all. In the end, they resorted to poisoning his food and drink. That day was the Dragon Boat Festival. He spent the holiday alone in the palace. He had only taken two bites of rice when he was interrupted by other matters, so the poison wasn’t lethal, though the cramps in his abdomen were severe. He was merely fifteen that year, isolated and vulnerable, and his fear of the bloodthirsty Imperial Palace grew. Utterly alone, he rode a horse to find his tutor, enduring the pain until he reached the Yu Residence on the outskirts of the city. By then, he was drenched in cold sweat, his face paper-white, and curled up in agony at the doorstep, clutching his abdomen as though his organs were being wrenched apart with a rusted pair of pliers. It hurt so much he couldn’t even scream; he wanted nothing more than to smash his head against the wall. The Dragon Boat Festival was marked by a torrential downpour. At that moment, Lu Shiyan’s carriage slowly pulled up at the gate. He had come to escort Shen Yinning back to the city for the festival. He was different from him. Everything was taken care of for him; he didn’t have to suffer such indignities. Thus, he focused all his efforts on Shen Yinning. He knew how to win this young girl’s favor. He had tied a bundle of fresh mugwort and calamus on the carriage door and hung exquisite five-colored protective sachets at its corners, adorning an already magnificent carriage even more beautifully—just like himself, a peacock spreading its tail in all its glory. At that moment, Shen Yinning opened the doors of the residence and witnessed the miserable, helpless Lu Ying together with Lu Shiyan.

Chapter 221 - 219: You Want to Send Zhaozhao Out of the Capital?

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