The Obsessive Crown Prince Can't Let Me Go
Chapter 79 - 78: Eastern Palace Concubine

Chapter 79: Chapter 78: Eastern Palace Concubine

After hearing Madam Zhang mention it, Shen Yunxi suddenly realized she seemed never to have met the Young Madam of the Gao Family.

She gritted her teeth, "Could the sly vixen seducing the Crown Prince be that Gao Family Young Madam?! Lianxin, go fetch Yin Shanshan immediately and tell her I want to question her!"

Initially, Shen Yunxi and Madam Zhang had both thought the vixen seducing Lu Ying was Ruizhu.

But even after beating Ruizhu to death, they hadn’t found that peculiar fragrant powder on her or in her quarters.

Therefore, Madam Zhang concluded the vulgar woman seducing the Crown Prince was someone else; Ruizhu was merely pretending.

When Yin Shanshan arrived, she thought she’d be beaten again.

To her surprise, Shen Yunxi only inquired about Shen Yinning.

Yin Shanshan scoffed, "Oh, you’re asking about that woman! She’s a native of Gan State, orphaned since childhood—a stiff, outdated feudal woman who can’t even manage accounts properly. I take care of everything in the household."

Shen Yunxi then asked, "What does she look like?"

Thinking of Shen Yinning’s breathtaking beauty, Yin Shanshan felt an unbearable jealousy and casually lied, "Ugly! Extremely ugly! Old and hideous! Because she’s so ugly, her husband never visits her chambers. Despite being married for years, she hasn’t borne any children! Nor does she have friends; she stays shut inside all day—utterly worthless!"

Shen Yunxi gestured for her to leave.

She turned disappointedly to Madam Zhang, "You’ve miscalculated again. That Gao Family Young Madam isn’t the sort to seduce men. How could she possibly be involved with His Highness? If you ask me, the little harlot captivating His Highness is someone else entirely. Madam Zhang, you always come up with grand plans that ultimately backfire. If you keep being so inept, I’ll have you sent back to serve my mother instead."

Madam Zhang humbly agreed, her face flushed with shame.

A quarter of an hour later, Lu Ying finally emerged from the Yu Mansion.

Shen Yunxi carefully smiled, "Your Highness, is Mr. Yu still angry with me?"

Lu Ying glanced at her but didn’t respond.

Knowing her fault, Shen Yunxi felt embarrassed. She had intended to invite him to visit her parents together, but she didn’t dare mention it and climbed into her carriage alone to head back to Shen Guogong Mansion.

Little did she know the events at Yu Mansion had already spread like wildfire, even reaching Shen Yan.

"Unfilial daughter!" Shen Yan roared in rage, "You dared to slander Mr. Yu with accusations of an affair and made it public!"

"Father!" Shen Yunxi dropped to her knees in terror, "I only made an offhand comment—it’s all that Gao Family concubine’s fault; she misled me!"

Shen Yan sternly responded, "’The tenderness of palace whispers cannot be revealed; even the parrot dares not speak.’ Before you entered the palace, did your mother and I not repeatedly remind you to be cautious with your words and actions? Even parrots fear to speak recklessly—how dare you discuss Mr. Yu’s privacy before so many guests? Do you wish for every civil servant to impeach me for failing as a father? Your brother is serving in the Cabinet—do you intend for him to be isolated by his colleagues?"

Shen Yunxi trembled, "Father, I merely gossiped for a moment; surely it... it isn’t as serious as you’re saying?"

"Enough!" Mrs. Qin helped Shen Yunxi to her feet, "Xi’er rarely visits home; dear husband, please don’t scold her anymore."

Sitting nearby, Shen Xinghan snickered lightly, "Being this foolish and still untouchable? Mother, it’s you who has spoiled her. If you ask me, we should consider sending Xinya to the Eastern Palace. She’s clever and will undoubtedly help her sister gain favor, improving the Crown Prince’s impression of her."

"Are you my elder brother or Shen Xinya’s?" Shen Yunxi shot back furiously, "That lowborn Shen Xinya isn’t worthy to even carry my shoes—I won’t let her enter the palace! The Crown Prince is mine alone; no one is allowed to take him from me!"

"Don’t worry, Xi’er, no one will fight with you!" Mrs. Qin quickly soothed her gently, "Your mother knows today’s events were an accident; we can’t place all blame on you. Moving forward, remember to be cautious in your words and actions, and everything will be fine."

"Mother..."

Shen Yunxi nestled against Mrs. Qin’s chest like a spoiled child.

Shen Yan huffed, "Keep indulging her, then!"

Mrs. Qin affectionately tapped Shen Yunxi’s nose, "Poor child—rarely coming home, only to be berated by your father. I had the small kitchen prepare your favorite crab meat pastries and osmanthus duck; come, let’s enjoy some good food!"

The mother and daughter happily left the study.

Quietly, Shen Xinghan’s relaxed expression faded, his tone lowering: "My sister is spoiled and reckless, causing quite a few messes over this past year. Offending Yu Qingheng today ensures she’ll never have a reputation among civil servants again. Although Xinya is merely a concubine’s daughter, her beauty bears a slight resemblance to Shen Yinning, along with her cleverness. Sending her to the Eastern Palace might earn the Crown Prince’s favor. If she bears a princely heir, it’s still the Shen Family’s bloodline, no different from my sister’s child. Father, perhaps we should prepare for this soon."

"You’re right," Shen Yan stroked his beard thoughtfully, "Xi’er is spoiled and heedless. We’ll place Xinya alongside her to advise and guide. Should she manage to bear a princely heir, all the better."

Outside the study.

Shen Yunxi had returned unexpectedly.

Initially, she came back to inquire about plans for her father’s upcoming fortieth birthday.

But instead, she overheard this conversation!

She gripped her handkerchief tightly. There was no way she’d allow the despised Shen Xinya into the palace to serve the Crown Prince!

Clearly, she needed to prove herself more capable!

She required both the civil servants’ support and a princely heir!

Madam Zhang accompanied her down the study corridor, quietly advising, "If my lady can persuade the renowned Madam Shen to compose a birthday inscription for Lord Shen’s celebration, perhaps it could change both the Lord’s and the Princely Heir’s impression of you. It would also show the civil servants that you, as the noble Crown Princess Consort, honor their scholarly talents. Most importantly, I’ve heard Madam Shen is on friendly terms with the Empress Dowager. If you can enlist Madam Shen’s help, wouldn’t that indirectly establish a bond with the Empress Dowager herself?"

Shen Yunxi’s eyes brightened, "Madam Zhang, I didn’t expect you to finally become useful after all these years!"

"As for the matter of children..." Madam Zhang spoke cautiously, "Over the past year, Your Highness hasn’t progressed much with the Crown Prince. In my humble opinion, instead of helplessly watching as outside vixens seduce him, why not arrange for one of the Eastern Palace concubines to share his bed? Whoever bears a child can be raised under Your Highness’s care—bringing up the child and discarding its mother is hardly a difficult task for you, no?"

Shen Yunxi touched her flat stomach, unwilling yet resigned.

She knew that if she didn’t conceive soon, her father and brother truly might send Shen Xinya to the Eastern Palace.

Rather than competing with Shen Xinya, it would be better to arrange for her loyal servants to gain favor.

She begrudgingly asked, "Have you already selected someone suitable?"

"Do you still recall Bai Shuangshuang?"

Of course, Shen Yunxi remembered Bai Shuangshuang.

She had been Shen Yinning’s former personal maid.

Years ago, Madam Zhang had gone to the Heavenly Prison to inform Shen Yinning’s mother, Cheng Hui, of Shen Yinning’s death, but Cheng Hui refused to believe it.

So Madam Zhang approached Bai Shuangshuang, promising her that if she testified Shen Yinning was truly dead, she would secure a position as the Crown Prince’s concubine once Shen Yunxi became the Crown Princess Consort.

Bai Shuangshuang couldn’t resist the temptation and immediately agreed to testify falsely.

Holding a blood-stained golden hairpin, she tearfully told Cheng Hui that Shen Yinning had been violated by prison guards. Out of despair, Shen Yinning had supposedly taken her own life with the gold pin.

Seeing the hairpin indeed belonged to Shen Yinning and trusting Bai Shuangshuang as Shen Yinning’s personal maid, Cheng Hui finally accepted the claim of her daughter’s death. In utter despair, she hanged herself with a white silk ribbon in the Heavenly Prison.

Later, Shen Yunxi became the Crown Princess Consort and fulfilled her promise by arranging Bai Shuangshuang as an Eastern Palace concubine.

But of course, she would never willingly send another woman to share the Crown Prince’s bed. In the three years since, she hadn’t allowed Bai Shuangshuang to serve him, instead assigning her to the Dharma Hall to copy Buddhist scriptures.

Madam Zhang analyzed, "The Crown Prince may hold some feelings for Shen Yinning. For her sake, he might be willing to favor her former maid. As a solitary orphan with no support, even if Bai Shuangshuang becomes pregnant, wouldn’t she still remain under Your Highness’s control? Besides, she betrayed her former mistress—the leverage of this crime remains in our hands. As long as she stays unwilling to die, she’ll have no choice but to obey you!"