The Obsessive Crown Prince Can't Let Me Go
Chapter 78 - 77 He Was Too Harsh on Shen Yinning

Chapter 78: Chapter 77 He Was Too Harsh on Shen Yinning

Lu Ying remained silent.

Back then, Shen Zhi and his son were convicted of treason, the evidence irrefutable.

Moreover, Father already resented their accomplishments overshadowing his own, and had long been displeased with them. So, even if the treason had not occurred, Father was determined to deal with them.

At that time, he had not yet secured his position as Crown Prince. If he had intervened to help Shen Zhi, he would have been branded as part of Shen Zhi’s faction and eradicated along with them. In such a case, even Shen Yinning might not have survived.

When trouble arises, indecision only leads to further chaos. Back then, the only choice he had was to sacrifice the pawn to save the king.

Even now, he does not believe he made a mistake.

Facing Yu Laoxiansheng’s stern questioning, he calmly replied, "I may be Shen Zhi’s student, but I am also a Prince of Great Zhou. In the Imperial Palace, countless sinister schemes are aimed at me; one misstep, and I would be doomed with no remains left behind. Teacher, I could not protect Shen Zhi at the time—preserving myself was all I could do. It is precisely because of that choice that I have the power and position I hold today. My advisors and courtiers beside me will no longer suffer Shen Zhi’s tragic fate. Teacher, one experiences cold winds atop fortune’s pinnacle—I do not regret my decision."

Yu Laoxiansheng clutched his cane tightly: "Such cold winds atop fortune’s pinnacle, such lack of regret! You only remember yourself, and not the principles I taught you to live by!"

"Teacher taught me the principles of being a person, but relying solely on virtue, how could I survive in the depths of the palace? Teacher, what I must learn is the art of control—the Emperor’s skill."

Yu Laoxiansheng froze for a moment.

He gazed complicatedly at the cold yet noble young man before him, as if seeing him for the first time.

After a long pause, he sighed deeply, leaned on his cane, and left the library.

Lu Ying walked to the bookcase and unlocked the small brass lock.

Inside the bookcase curled a young girl, her pale face bloodless. Winter had set in, her nose reddened from the cold.

Lu Ying untied the silk ribbon covering her eyes and loosened the cloth binding her hands.

Shen Yinning lifted her wet, rosy phoenix eyes and stared blankly at Lu Ying.

She had clearly heard every word of his conversation with his teacher.

To protect himself, he had refused to rescue her father and brother...

If she asked herself honestly, had she been in Lu Ying’s position back then, perhaps she would have made the same choice.

Yet to hear him utter the words "no regret" herself, it felt like a winter rain fell in her heart, chilling her to the bone.

Lu Ying’s face was expressionless: "Get dressed. I’ll ask you one last time—Is Bai Heming my son?"

Shen Yinning turned her back to him, picked up her clothes piece by piece, and got dressed without a word.

"Shen Yinning, this is something I can easily verify. If you dare to deceive me—"

"Of course he isn’t your son. It’s just a lie I made up to keep you satisfied," Shen Yinning turned slightly, her delicate, alluring face tinged with coldness. "This answer—does it please Your Highness? A woman like me, born under accusations and inherently debased, could only give birth to a child destined to be no better. Such a child would live hiding, crawling, mocked as a worthless brat. Perhaps it would have been better not to be born at all."

"Shen Yinning!"

"What?"

"Our child will not be cursed."

Shen Yinning sneered coldly.

Their child would certainly escape ridicule, but as the mother, Shen Yinning herself would never have the chance to appear openly. That child would be brought into the Eastern Palace, raised under Shen Yunxi’s care, addressing her as mother.

She could never accept such a thing.

Shen Yinning fastened the closing loops on her coat, her back still to Lu Ying. Even wearing a thick winter robe, her graceful and tall figure remained evident.

She swept up her dark hair, exposing a slender, snow-white nape. Her long, dense locks resembling rippling seaweed passed between her fine, alabaster fingers. Her hairdressing was deft and elaborate, the golden hairpin in her grasp wielded like a practiced assassin’s blade.

Lu Ying’s gaze darkened.

When they were young, Shen Yinning and he studied together at Yu’s estate. One time, while napping at his desk, he was intentionally awakened by the mischievous girl. Angry, he pulled at her hair ribbon, causing all her hair to fall loose.

Back then, she was merely six or seven years old. She cried to the teacher for justice, accusing him of bullying her.

The teacher, biased, made him stand in the corridor for half an hour as punishment.

Meanwhile, Shen Yinning strutted past him gleefully like a colorful butterfly, tying her ribbon back onto her flowing hair. It was an early winter day with light snow falling, tiny snowflakes settling on her hair strands. She secretly made faces at him, rosy and playful, irresistibly charming.

Back then, he couldn’t tease Shen Yinning. But now, he could.

Lu Ying said calmly: "Tonight, I’ll send a carriage to take you to Shen Garden."

Shen Yinning turned back: "Why doesn’t Your Highness favor my younger sister instead?"

"I’ve said, she’s frail and cannot handle the strain."

Shen Yinning’s face remained emotionless.

Shen Yunxi, frail?

To her, Shen Yunxi seemed capable of eating, drinking, and sleeping—robust like a cow.

How deeply attached was Lu Ying to Shen Yunxi?

Lu Ying glanced at her before adding, "Summoning you frequently lately is merely to quicken your bearing of my heir. Shen Yinning, don’t entertain other thoughts."

Shen Yinning mocked with a faint twitch of her lips: "I know my place—I need no reminders from Your Highness."

Despite her words, a sharp pain spread deep in her chest.

From childhood to now, she believed herself superior to Shen Yunxi in every way, yet now found herself inferior in everything.

Not only did she have to seek favor on his bed, but she also had to bear their child.

What had she become?

She offered a formal bow and walked past him.

Lu Ying sharply caught a glimpse of the sorrow in her eyes.

He twisted the Moyu Ring on his finger.

Had he been too harsh on Shen Yinning today?

Meanwhile, outside Yu’s estate.

Shen Yunxi waited in the carriage for Lu Ying, her eyes still red. "Nanny, I’ve caused a terrible disaster today—how should I fix this? His Highness already detests me—won’t he loathe me even more now?"

Nanny Zhang frowned: "Has Your Majesty noticed that since spring, our troubles have been unceasing—almost as if someone were scheming against us?"

"Exactly!" Shen Yunxi shrieked, "His Highness abandoned me at Shengguo Temple to indulge with another woman during the Bath Festival, celebrated Duanyang Festival with someone else! Then the novel pamphlet scandal dragged me into the Ministry of Justice’s prison! At the Cherry Banquet, I became a laughingstock among the elite wives, my reputation ruined! The autumn hunt was even worse—His Highness bathed in hot springs with another woman in the hunting grounds! And today, I not only failed to persuade Yu Qingheng to descend the mountain for Father, but was also reprimanded—when have I ever suffered such humiliation?!"

Nanny Zhang’s shrewd eyes narrowed: "This old servant thought deeply about it—all these events seem to stem from one family."

"What family?"

"The Gao Family!"

Shen Yunxi froze.

Indeed, during Shengguo Temple’s Bath Festival, the Gao Family was involved; upon inquiry, she found His Highness had given her invitation to Gao Laofu.

During Duanyang Festival, it was Gao Zheng who invited His Highness away.

The novel pamphlet and Cherry Banquet incidents were orchestrated by Gao Family’s concubine Yin Shanshan.

The autumn hunt, too, was Yin Shanshan who exposed His Highness’s affair.

And today’s events at Yu Qingheng’s residence were closely tied to Yin Shanshan.

Shen Yunxi was incredulous: "But Nanny, how is it possible that His Highness is having an affair with Yin Shanshan? Didn’t we suspect this before?!"

Nanny Zhang’s old eyes gleamed keenly: "What this old servant means is—the key to the whole matter lies in someone yet unseen: Gao Family’s Young Madam!"