Chapter 302 - 300 Lu Ying Comes to Seek Accountability

Words : 1371 Updated : Oct 20th, 2025

The government official held a brush and pointed at the characters on the rice paper one by one.Shen Xinglei, enduring the constant pain in his body, nodded slowly at the three characters "murderer," "is," and "Shen Yinning." Seeing the official circle these three words, Zhang Keyuan stroked his beard, his gaze uneasily flitting past Shen Yinning, and furtively glanced at the screen. If Shen Xinglei really identified Shen Yinning as the murderer, what could be done? If he sentenced Shen Yinning to be executed in autumn according to the law, wouldn’t the Crown Prince resent him? There would be no pleasing the Empress Dowager either. Had he known that Shen Yinning’s background was so complex, he wouldn’t have taken this case, risking his own career in government... As he indulged in wild thoughts, Shen Xinglei suddenly began to cough violently. Though the official wished for him to continue identifying the fourth character, seeing him cough so severely, he paused. Sun Miaoniang quickly brought over a porcelain bowl, "Husband..." Shen Xinglei’s face was as pale as gold, and he wheezed and coughed weakly into the porcelain, suddenly letting out a large mouthful of blood with a "wow." The blood splattered onto Sun Miaoniang’s face, causing her to scream and fall to the ground, the porcelain shattering as it hit the floor. "Second Brother!" Shen Xinghan immediately moved forward to assess the situation. Shen Xinglei weakly leaned against him. He twitched slightly all over, his mouth opening and closing as if trying to say something, but his throat was like a broken bellows, only emitting labored sounds, as bloody filth kept flowing from his mouth, accompanied by thick black clots, resembling broken liver. Yet, those eyes brimmed with malice, restlessly fixed on Shen Yinning, thick red vessels almost splitting the whites into pieces. Shen Yinning met his gaze. She was not particularly afraid. Instead, she thought she should have ruined his eyes back then. Let’s see how he glares at her now. Shen Xinghan shouted urgently, "Call the doctor!" These days, he had summoned a divine doctor to examine his second brother. He did not seek a cure, only hoping that he could keep his mind clear on this day of interrogation to identify Shen Yinning. For this, the divine doctor used a forbidden medicine, prescribing a powerful medicine to sustain life, as if triggering all remaining life’s firewood within him to burn on the day of the interrogation, keeping him alert for that day. Though afterward, his life would be utterly forfeited, if Shen Yinning could be implicated, Shen Xinghan saw it as a worthy exchange. Currently, Shen Guogong Mansion was prospering like a great ship braving the waves. And Shen Yinning was like an uncertain factor, potentially drilling a hole in the bottom at any time. As the heir of the Duke Mansion, he could tolerate no uncertainties. He tightly held Shen Xinglei, as if comforting, "Second Brother, hold on, the doctor will be here soon... Not being able to identify the murderer, you would be willing, wouldn’t you? Brother is with you; hold on for another moment, just a moment longer..." Afraid that Shen Xinglei might pass out and never wake up again, he discreetly pinched him under the wide sleeve. Shen Xinglei grimaced in pain, his body constantly trembling. "Husband..." Sun Miaoniang sobbed beside him, "Husband, you can’t let anything happen, Fan Brother still wants you to teach him horseback riding." The woman’s weak weeping awakened a sense of pity among the people present. Under the cover of her wide sleeve, Sun Miaoniang’s teary, rain-battered little face appeared, yet there was no real sorrow in her eyes. She had never thought a day would come when Shen Xinglei would return alive to Shen Guogong Mansion. If alive, so be it, only he became a cripple. Unable to speak or move, lying in bed was no different than being a living dead. Yet Mrs. Qin, loving her son dearly, claimed the maidservants’ service was inadequate, insisting that, as a concubine, she had to take care of Shen Xinglei personally, even cleaning his excrement alone, with Mrs. Qin supervising, allowing no negligence. In just a few days, it tortured her into losing a lot of weight. She came to the Capital with Shen Xinglei to enjoy life, not to suffer. If Shen Xinglei never recovered, wouldn’t she be serving him for a lifetime? Sun Miaoniang had no wish to serve that cripple her entire life, nor did she want Fan Brother to have a father who would burden him. Hearing a maid mention unintentionally that there was a kind of colorless and tasteless poison, which, when put in food, could invisibly and unknowingly take a person’s life in three days, she couldn’t help but feel tempted. She spent a great sum on the poison, mixed it into Shen Xinglei’s meals over the past few days, and now it finally took effect. While secretly hoping for Shen Xinglei’s quick death, she cried more tragically and helplessly before everyone, portraying the image of a poor widow and orphan. Shen Xinglei spat another two mouthfuls of blood, not waiting for the doctor, collapsed in Shen Xinghan’s arms, no longer breathing. Yet those eyes still stared wide, filled with malice, glaring at Shen Yinning. "Second Brother!" "Husband!" The Shen family cried out in disarray. Zhang Keyuan felt a bit flustered. He had served at the Ministry of Justice for many years and had never encountered such a scenario, where the victim identified the murderer and then suddenly died halfway through. What kind of situation was this? Seeing the government office descend into chaos, Zhang Keyuan waved his sleeve, signaling the prison guards to take Shen Yinning away. Shen Yinning hadn’t been back in the cell long when Gui Quan came personally, saying the Crown Prince wanted to see her. She was led to a side room in the backyard of the Ministry of Justice, where Lu Ying sat by the window, sipping tea. The man, dressed in a dark robe and golden hairpin, was highlighted by the spring sun through the green window screen, casting a handsome silhouette like jade and gold. Shen Yinning stepped over the threshold, her soft voice exaggeratedly playful, "Oh, I thought Your Highness was so engrossed with my sister that you forgot about me. It’s been so long, and you haven’t even come to see me. I feel so wronged." Lu Ying lifted his eyes. The girl had been in the Ministry of Justice for days, showing no signs of weariness, instead full of energy, even having the mood to dress up despite being summoned for trial. Look, her embroidered shoes, the Haitang hairpin at her temple, and the pomegranate red silk skirt were all in the same shade, indicating she had put thought into her appearance that morning. He said, "Couldn’t you apparently feel at home while imprisoned in jail? Why would you still need me to come visit?" Shen Yinning was at a loss. When he didn’t speak, that was one thing, but when he did, it could be infuriating sometimes. She might be the most capable woman in the Capital at enduring imprisonment, but when did she ever look as if jail felt like home? She proceeded to sit on Lu Ying’s lap, coquettishly winding her arms around his neck, "Brother Lu Ying is so fond of teasing me... Now that Shen Xinglei is dead, the case has no witness. Do you think Zhang Keyuan will let me out? The jail is so suffocating; I still want to go out." Lu Ying’s face remained expressionless, "I thought Shen Zhaozhao just loved being in jail. Otherwise, how would you dare to hide Shen Xinglei in Shen Garden?" Shen Yinning was disgruntled, realizing Lu Ying came to question her. She carefully observed his expression, "Is Your Highness angry?" Lu Ying was silent. Who wouldn’t be angry in this situation? Imagine a couple secretly sharing love while just a wall away, a living, blood-soaked person was imprisoned, hearing their every movement and whisper, even their most private moments. And that person was Shen Xinglei, Shen Zhaozhao’s cousin. Who could endure this?! Lu Ying’s scalp tingled at the thought.

Chapter 302 - 300 Lu Ying Comes to Seek Accountability

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