Chapter 438 - 436: She Didn’t Know What Kind of Monster She Was Provoking

Words : 1625 Updated : Feb 20th, 2026

Chapter 438 of "The Obsessive Crown Prince Can't Let Me Go" begins with: Though it was spring, the flowers in the Capital were late to bloom.The Cui Mansion... See the full story!

Though it was spring, the flowers in the Capital were late to bloom.The Cui Mansion was draped in white silk and white lanterns, adding further desolation to the cold scene. Shangguan Min, having rested through the night to replenish her energy, heard from her maidservant that Prince Qinghe had come to pay his respects. She hurriedly went to greet him personally. Lu Qing, hands behind his back and a somber expression on his face, sighed heavily: "Cui Ziheng was a rare talent, an exceptional figure among the younger generation of the Lu Family. Alas, his untimely death is a great loss. Otherwise, he surely would have achieved greatness." Shangguan Min remained silent and led him along the corridor toward the mourning hall. As Lu Qing stepped across the threshold, he unexpectedly ran into Lu Ying, who had just emerged from the inner chamber. He stopped short in surprise: "Your Majesty, this is...?" "Uncle," Lu Ying was immaculately dressed, his expression calm and detached. "I came last night to pay my respects to Ziheng. Remembering the times we worked together in court, I was overwhelmed with sorrow and rested in the mourning hall for the night." Shangguan Min raised her eyes to look at him. Official source is novel fire.net Something crossed her mind. She glanced again at the curtain hanging down in front of the inner chamber’s door, her eyes bloodshot with veins of red. Lu Qing nodded slightly: "I thought His Majesty did not favor Cui Ziheng, but it seems he held this brother in high regard after all. Speaking of Cui Ziheng being of the Imperial Family, how does His Majesty plan to posthumously honor him?" "Ziheng possessed extraordinary talent, upright and principled, and he gave his life for the country. I intend to posthumously honor him as Prince Cheng with the title Cheng. Now that Ziheng is gone, I will decree that his son Shen Jin’an inherit the title." "Shen Jin’an..." Lu Qing tasted the name, discontented, and waved his hand broadly. "How can a child bear the surname of a concubine, especially as the first grandson of the Lu Family?! I shall make the decision to change his name immediately, adding him to the Lu family genealogy! While I’m at it, I’ll change Ziheng’s surname as well!" By this hour, officials had begun arriving one after another to pay respects. Upon hearing that Cui Ji was posthumously honored as Prince Cheng and seeing the Emperor personally present at the mourning, the civil and military officials all lavished praises on Lu Ying for his selflessness and magnanimity. For the moment, rumors of Lu Ying and Shen Yinning’s romantic entanglements faded, and the full-month banquet Lu Ying hosted for Shen Jin’an at Chengxi Palace was touted as the Emperor’s affection for his nephew. At noon, Shangguan Min invited the ladies to the Hanging Flower Pavilion for a meal. She hurriedly stepped into the inner chamber of the mourning hall and was stunned, covering her lips in shock. The bed was in disarray. On the bed lay a woman, barely wrapped in a thin blanket. Her delicate leg, jade-like in its paleness, hung limply over the edge. She appeared utterly exhausted and slept deeply, her drooping lashes like broken butterfly wings. Shangguan Min’s eyes reddened, and she turned to leave. She found Lu Ying in the study. Lu Ying was rummaging through Cui Ji’s desk. From the depths of a drawer, he pulled out a scroll. When he opened it, it revealed a portrait of Shen Yinning. Shangguan Min demanded, "My husband’s body is not yet buried, and His Majesty has already treated his concubine so disgracefully. Isn’t this far too cruel?!" Lu Ying slowly tore the painting into pieces, his narrow eyes shadowed by jealousy, though his thin lips curled into a sardonic smile: "And what compensation would Madam Shangguan desire?" "I don’t want compensation! I only want His Majesty to say a single word of apology to Sister Shen and to say another to my husband’s coffin!" "Madam Shangguan writes with sharp insight and exceptional talent; I was impressed when reading them in the past. Your intellect surpasses your brother and father and rivals even Cui Ziheng. Yet, due to your womanhood, you have been barred from taking the imperial examination and serving as an official. I propose to appoint Madam Shangguan as a Cabinet Scholar to compile national histories in Hanlin Academy. Additionally, I will authorize the establishment of women’s courses at the Imperial College, allowing Madam Shangguan to recommend female instructors and teach the ladies of the capital the Four Books, Five Classics, archery, and horseback riding. They will also be permitted to participate in the preliminary and provincial examinations. What does Madam Shangguan think of this?" The painting disintegrated into shreds. Like snowflakes, they fluttered down. Shangguan Min’s hands and feet turned icy. To compile national histories in Hanlin Academy as a Cabinet Scholar... Throughout the ages, no woman had ever received such an honor. Establishing women’s courses in the Imperial College, permitting women to take the examinations—this was an unprecedented and revolutionary act throughout history! It meant that women entering officialdom would become a possibility. Much like the world Yin Shanshan envisioned, where women could rise to powerful positions and command armies. Shangguan Min bit her lip, understanding fully that Lu Ying’s offer was a lure. He wanted her to turn a blind eye to Shen Yinning’s plight and remain silent! Despite her overwhelming aspiration, she ultimately shook her head slowly: "I cannot betray my husband and Sister Shen for selfish desire. ’The monarch is the pinnacle of the minister, but if the monarch is unjust, a minister must serve another sovereign.’ If His Majesty, as Emperor, takes the wife of a subject, I fear it will sow estrangement among civil and military officials and lead to abandonment by all in the end!" Lu Ying remained seated quietly behind the desk. His exquisitely refined features bore a chilling arrogance. The silent pressure emanating from him spread outward like ripples, weighing down on Shangguan Min until she was almost kneeling. But she held her spine firmly, refusing to yield to this madman. Shredded pieces of the painting lay scattered on the floor. The spring breeze swept in, making them flutter like butterflies. After what seemed an eternity, Lu Ying reached out to grasp a piece of stray paper. He murmured softly, "The Shangguan Family has been a venerable scholarly clan, renowned since the previous dynasty, with deep and lasting influence. Yet, a great tree often attracts worms. In a vast family, there are always a few parasites. If my information serves me right, Madam Shangguan’s grandfather, after retiring to his homeland, has been extravagantly constructing ancestral halls. These halls have encroached on the farmlands of commoners, and their grandeur rivals palaces, with ancestral worship resembling the rites of the Imperial Family..." Shangguan Min clenched her hands tightly. She had always known her grandfather to be morally flawed. When her grandfather served as Prime Minister in the Capital, he had privately accepted bribes and was subtly warned by the Supreme Emperor. Because the sums were relatively modest, combined with the teacher-student relationship between her grandfather and the Supreme Emperor, the matter was never made public. Her grandfather, ashamed, retired to his homeland, but she hadn’t anticipated such actions in his later years! Rivaling the Imperial Family... If exploited by opportunists, this would be grounds for family extermination! She dropped to her knees: "I was unaware of my grandfather’s wrongdoings!" The Shangguan Family’s generations of honor were hard-earned; how could they be ruined by her grandfather’s actions? She bowed deeply: "I will pass this message to my father and urge him to admonish my grandfather, return the farmlands, and dismantle the lavish structures!" "That would be for the best." Lu Ying stroked the Moyu Ring as he lowered his gaze toward her without emotion, "As for the matter of joining the Hanlin Academy..." Shangguan Min felt a whirl of emotions within her heart, unable to look at the monarch seated above. She murmured lowly: "Grateful for Your Majesty’s favor, I shall take on the appointment." Within the Cui Mansion’s inner courtyard. Shen Yinning, already washed and dressed in clean, lightweight garments, sat by the window watching over the infant in the cradle. She wore no makeup, and in the spring sunlight, her complexion glowed with cold jade-like fairness, even her lips were a muted red. She lightly touched the kiss marks on her collarbone. "Commandery Princess..." Haitang entered with warm tea and draped a cloak over her shoulders. "Though it is spring, you’re wearing so little; take care not to catch a chill." Shen Yinning clasped her hand. From last night until now, only by holding Haitang’s hand did she feel a trace of warmth. She whispered: "Cui Ji is dead. He won’t stop." She did not even know what kind of monster she had provoked. Clearly a man who upheld propriety and self-restraint, yet now daring to commit such an act as desecrating the mourning hall! He was utterly terrifying, as though he would consume her entirely if that was the only way to satisfy his obsession. Looking at Shen Jin’an’s tender face, she softly said: "Get me some sterilization medicine." Haitang queried hesitantly: "You wish to consume it yourself?" Shen Yinning’s gaze was icy: "It’s for Lu Ying to consume. What he said was both true and false. He claims I have no protector in the Capital, but he doesn’t know—this child is my protector. If Lu Jingwei can only have one child in his lifetime, tell me, will this child become the future Crown Prince of Great Zhou? Haitang, I hold my own trump card."

Chapter 438 - 436: She Didn’t Know What Kind of Monster She Was Provoking

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