Chapter 276 - 274: Unable to Learn Her Cunning Charms

Words : 1432 Updated : Oct 1st, 2025

Luo Wanzhao had been ill for many years, her body frail and withered. From Lu Shiyan’s perspective, he could see her sunken cheeks and prominent cheekbones, as though she were a dying lamp running out of oil. Having been married for many years, he gently stroked her hair with pity. "Why must you do this to yourself?" Luo Wanzhao merely cried, "My lord, I was wrong, I promise never to trouble Sister Shen again. As long as I can remain by your side, even if I must lower myself to a concubine’s position, I don’t mind..." These days, she had already learned of everything that had happened in Liang Garden, and she knew that her deliberate act of jumping out the window to frame Shen Yinning had long been exposed. She thought it was because of this that Lu Shiyan wanted to divorce her. Lu Shiyan steadied her and spoke solemnly, "My decision to separate from you is not because you framed Zhaozhao. I am well aware that even with our separation, Zhaozhao will not return to me. It is just that..." It is just that he no longer wanted to be Prince Wu. He no longer wanted to engage in collusion between officials and outlaws, no longer wished to partake in corruption and bribery, or to incite the wrath of heaven and the people. He was not originally this kind of person. He had grown up reading the books of sages, and in his youth, his aspiration was to be a loyal minister under a wise ruler. He had once promised Zhaozhao that he would bring peace back to the mountains and rivers of the kingdom. A damp, cold feeling swelled in his heart, like the falling of a spring rain. Lu Shiyan gazed out at the luxurious scenery beyond the window. "Ever since I arrived in Jiangnan, I have gradually become repugnant, unlike myself. Now, I wish to find myself again." "I am willing to accompany my lord!" Lu Shiyan shook his head and gently wiped the tears from her face. "Stop holding onto me at every moment. You must also try to place yourself in your own heart, and rediscover who you truly are." "My lord..." Luo Wanzhao clung tearfully to his sleeve, sobbing uncontrollably. She wanted to hold onto him, but Lu Shiyan brushed her hand aside. The man turned his wheelchair and calmly, indifferently exited the bedchamber. "My lord!" Luo Wanzhao, overcome with grief, pursued him out into the courtyard, only to be stopped by five guards. She could only watch helplessly as Lu Shiyan left her completely. She collapsed onto the ground, spiritless, as though her soul had been taken from her. He spoke of rediscovering who she truly was, but without him, it was as though her life had lost its water source—barren, dull, incapable of producing even a single flower. What was the point of rediscovering herself? All she wanted was to be with him... "Sister!" Luo Wanxiang entered from outside, startled by her disheveled appearance. "Why are you sitting on the ground like this?" Luo Wanzhao did not respond. Luo Wanxiang’s sharp eyes caught sight of the divorce letter discarded in the corridor. She picked it up and read it, her anger flaring. "Our family just fell from grace, and brother-in-law already wants to leave you? Does he despise you for being the daughter of a criminal? Even among criminal’s daughters, there are distinctions. The daughters of the Luo Family have always been innocent and pure, never mixed up in any crimes. We’re merely naive and sheltered girls from the inner quarters! What right does he have to despise you?!" The sky darkened, and as the long winds rose, spring rain began to patter down in the garden. "I don’t know... I don’t know..." Luo Wanzhao stared blankly in the direction of Lu Shiyan’s departure, letting the rain mix with the tears on her face. Luo Wanxiang helped her back into the house, still fuming with indignation. "It’s all Shen Yinning’s fault! Ever since she came to Jiangnan, we haven’t had a single good day! I despised her back in the Capital already. Using her beauty to strut around seductively, luring men in—that kind of wretch deserves nothing less than death! You were too kindhearted, sister, bringing her back to Jiangnan to carefully teach her, but she was ungrateful. As a criminal’s daughter, she looked down on the position of a concubine and even caused our family to fall apart!" Recalling the downfall of her father and brothers, and the collapse of her family, Luo Wanzhao could not suppress her grief. She choked out, her voice broken, "This is my fault. I pitied her, seeing her so wretched, and noticing that my lord liked her, I brought her back to Jiangnan. I never expected to let a wolf into the house..." "Hah." Suddenly, a mocking sneer came from outside. The Luo sisters turned toward the sound to find Lu Qianqian leaning against the doorway with her arms crossed, sneering. "You two are truly fools for only now realizing Shen Yinning’s true nature." "Your Highness." Luo Wanxiang curtseyed. "Shen Yinning’s death alone could relieve the hatred in our hearts. I hear Your Highness also harbors great enmity toward her. Do you have any suggestions?" "That wretch is nothing but a Fox Demon." Lu Qianqian stepped inside, touching the side of her ribs. "She has a knack for sweet-talking and bewitching people. I see it clearly now—if we are to deal with her, we must strike with precision and not give her a chance to argue!" Fox Demon... The image of Shen Yinning emerged in Luo Wanzhao’s mind. After all, she and Shen Yinning were rivals in love. Curious about what drew her lord to Shen Yinning, Luo Wanzhao had once spied on her bathing during her initial days at Liang Garden. It was said that Shen Yinning had never borne a child, yet her figure out of the bath was so tantalizing it could make anyone’s nose bleed. No wonder she could lure men! And that face of hers, like a hibiscus in bloom... Luo Wanzhao had thought her sister to already be a rare beauty, but when Xiang’er stood next to Shen Yinning, the contrast was like a maid standing next to her mistress, utterly overshadowed and dimmed like a village woman! How could there exist a woman in the world so stunningly beautiful? Unless she was a fox spirit who had cultivated into human form! Foxes were cunning and skilled in sorcery. No wonder she had ensnared her lord’s heart, making him forget all ties to his first wife and choose divorce! The more Luo Wanzhao thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. She gritted her teeth and said, "To be honest with Your Highness, I read many tales of the supernatural in my youth. Those stories often spoke of foxes transforming into human form to seduce men and siphon off their yang energy. I have heard that Shen Yinning is cunning and treacherous, completely unlike her honest and kind parents. I suspect that the real Shen Yinning may already be dead, and this one is merely a Fox Demon occupying her body!" Lu Qianqian froze for a moment. Though she despised Shen Yinning, she’d never considered her to be a Fox Demon. Was Luo Wanzhao so tormented by Shen Yinning that she’d gone mad, babbling about fox spirits? She frowned and said, "Such tales of the supernatural are baseless. No one will believe us." "Hasn’t she seduced enough men to prove it?" Luo Wanxiang protested. "What proper girl behaves as she does—shamelessly toying with men day and night? Take us, for example. We all have dignity and reserve, feeling shy even to exchange more than a few words with men. How could we ever imitate her coquettish antics?" "I have an idea..." Luo Wanzhao retrieved a packet of powder from the bottom of a chest. "In my youth, I was frail and often sick, but over time, I developed some knowledge of medicine. This powder, which I happened to formulate by chance, dissolves in water without color or taste. Once consumed, it turns the hair white overnight, even the skin pale as snow, resembling the descriptions of white foxes in old tales. Although the effect lasts only three days, it’s enough to prove she’s a Fox Demon. If the abbot of Ciyin Temple and the citizens of Lin’an find out she’s a monster, they won’t let her off easily. That way, we won’t have to dirty our own hands."

Chapter 276 - 274: Unable to Learn Her Cunning Charms

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