Chapter 239 - 237: Shen Family’s Legitimate Daughter, Never to be a Concubine!

Words : 1385 Updated : Sep 27th, 2025

Shen Yinning turned slightly to the side, blushing, and playfully chided, "You ask knowingly! How annoying!" Luo Xibai was overjoyed, his ears flushing red. "Miss Shen, rest assured. I have always been an upright and noble official, incorruptible. Since you were abducted to Jiangnan, this is clearly premeditated human trafficking! According to the laws of our dynasty, those who traffic in women and children will be... will be..." He scratched his head, unable to recall the law in its entirety. He coughed lightly to mask his embarrassment, then declared righteously, "Whoever engages in the trafficking of women and children, I, as an official, will not spare them! I promise to uphold justice for you in this matter!" "Oh, my noble and just lord!" Shen Yinning called out sweetly, her face filled with admiration. It was exaggerated and affected. If Lu Ying were present, she would certainly scold her for being pretentious and artificial. But Luo Xibai ate it up. In all his years, no one had ever called him "noble and just lord" before! He even straightened his back, speaking with even greater integrity, "Miss Shen, you may temporarily reside in this Zhaoyue Pavilion. If there is any news, I will inform you immediately." "The night is late. Brother Luo, why don’t you stay and have dinner with me?" Shen Yinning invited warmly, "I’m new here, unfamiliar with the place and the people. It’s truly frightening..." And so, over the following dinner, Shen Yinning began to recount her past to Luo Xibai. She painted herself as a resilient, delicate flower, embellishing the story of how she survived the calamity of her family’s downfall in Gan State, how she was forced to marry Gao Zheng, how she was bullied and seized by Lu Ying, and how she was tormented and abducted by Lu Shiyan... Conveniently omitting the parts about climbing into beds or seeking revenge. To Luo Xibai, it seemed as though the entire world had wronged her. The whole world was evil, while she was pure and innocent, the most blameless of all. By the third round of drinks, Luo Xibai’s eyes were red with emotion, and he clenched his fists in anger. "They’re utterly despicable! I only regret that I didn’t meet Miss Shen sooner. I promise, Miss Shen, I will ensure justice is served on your behalf!" "They’re all powerful elites from the Capital. For example, the Crown Prince, Lu Ying. Not only can I not offend him, but neither can Brother Luo." Shen Yinning rolled up her sleeves and poured him more wine. "It’s said that Jiangnan is wealthy, and Jiangnan’s Salt and Iron Commissioner, Luo Xibai, is the richest man in the land. Lin’an Liang Garden is lauded as the finest garden under heaven. Yet, from what I’ve heard, the Crown Prince Lu Ying is just as rich as a nation. One of his loyal northern merchants, Qian Duobao, is now an imperial tea supplier, possessing tens of thousands of acres of tea fields even in Jiangnan. These days, it’s tea harvest season. I imagine his merchants will soon transport fresh tea north and to the border for sale, earning another huge sum." She paused, lifting her long, curled lashes to give Luo Xibai a meaningful look. "No matter how much Brother Luo robs the rich to help the poor, I imagine you wouldn’t dare to plunder the Crown Prince’s caravans, would you?" "Who says I wouldn’t?!" Luo Xibai slammed the table, his plump, wealthy-looking face twisted with fury. With the aura of a man willing to risk it all for a beauty, he declared, "Today I’ve learned that the Crown Prince acts against all morality, taking a subject’s wife! He’s been praised for his righteousness and integrity, but it’s all nonsense! As for the caravans under his command, I’ll rob them intentionally!" Shen Yinning clasped her hands over her heart, her face glowing with admiration. "Brother Luo, you’re truly a man among men, a Lu Bu among Lu Bus!" After Luo Xibai stormed off in fury, Shen Yinning’s expression turned cold as she calmly washed her face and hands. She stepped into her inner chamber, leaning by the carved round window, quietly gazing at the moon in the sky. The moon tonight was a waning crescent, its sliver curved like a hook. A cool breeze brushed against her flowing sleeves and gown. Pear blossoms, white as snow, drifted into the room, filling it with a faint, intoxicating fragrance. "Zhaozhao." Suddenly, Lu Shiyan’s voice sounded from behind her. Without turning around, Shen Yinning said indifferently, "What, to His Highness Prince Wu, my embroidery tower is now a place that can be trespassed at midnight without permission?" Lu Shiyan’s gaze lingered on her back. "I heard you dined with Luo Xibai tonight. Zhaozhao, you intend to use him against Lu Ying? Can’t you let go of everything in the Capital? Forget your hatred and live peacefully in Jiangnan—wouldn’t that be better?" "You want me to forget my hatred?" Shen Yinning turned sharply, almost laughing out of anger. "My father and brothers were brutally killed. My entire family—all one hundred members— wiped out in a single night, and you ask me to just let it go?!" "Zhaozhao, your parents loved you dearly. From the afterlife, they surely hope you can let go of your hatred. I remember when you were young, you were ill once, and I visited your home. Your mother told me her greatest wish was for you to marry well, to live a life free of strife and illness, one of peace and simplicity. I think your coming with me to Jiangnan fulfills some part of her wish—" "Silence!" Shen Yinning cut him off, her wide sleeve trembling violently in the night wind. "Lu Shiyan, how dare you even mention my parents?! You forced me to become your concubine, and you have the audacity to talk of fulfilling my mother’s wishes?!" Lu Shiyan had rarely seen her this livid. Unconsciously, he tightened his grip on the arms of his wheelchair. "Zhaozhao, I know being a concubine wrongs you. But whether it’s as wife or concubine, these are merely titles. My feelings for you remain sincere, as they always have. Moreover, you are now the daughter of a convicted traitor. Even if I wished to make you my legitimate wife, I couldn’t..." "My father and brothers were falsely accused." Shen Yinning’s voice was ice cold. "My father guarded the border for twenty years, braving wind and snow. My elder brother, so young yet already waging war for the nation, captured nine cities along Hexi before the age of eighteen. They were heroes, not traitors! The Shen Family is a lineage of loyal patriots. As the daughter of the Shen Family, I will never be a concubine!" A hint of fury glinted in the young woman’s eyes. Her long, trailing hair and gown swirled fiercely, battling against the moonlight that bled like crimson, as if the pear blossoms carpeting the floor had also been soaked in blood. Lu Shiyan didn’t know how to respond. Duke Shen Zhi and his eldest son, Shen Xingye, had conspired to rebel—this was an established fact. He didn’t believe his father, the Emperor, could have judged the case incorrectly. He merely felt that Zhaozhao, so pure-hearted and kind, was unaware of her father and brother’s treachery. He inhaled deeply and spoke as gently as possible, "Zhaozhao, the past is the past. I only know that one should look forward and live for oneself. You can’t spend your entire life shadowed by your father and brother’s deaths. You’re still so young. You deserve to start over and have a home of your own. Zhaozhao, I want to give you that home." "Lu Shiyan, don’t pretend to be so righteous." Shen Yinning stood against the moonlight, her breathtakingly beautiful face shrouded in gloom. "A concubine? An object for amusement? And you call that family? All you want is to fulfill the desire you couldn’t satisfy in your youth. You and Lu Ying are no different at all." "Zhaozhao, I won’t let you say that! I truly love you. I’m nothing like Lu Ying!" "Then let me ask you this: if, in the future, Lu Zhengliu ascends the throne, and I desire to become Princess Wu, would you agree?"

Chapter 239 - 237: Shen Family’s Legitimate Daughter, Never to be a Concubine!

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