The Obsessive Crown Prince Can't Let Me Go
Chapter 83 - 82 Kneel Down

Chapter 83: Chapter 82 Kneel Down

Bai Shuangshuang clenched her palms tightly.

Impossible, absolutely impossible!

Shen Yinning was clearly exiled to Gan State three years ago—she had witnessed the prison cart leaving the Capital with her own eyes. How could she possibly appear in Shen Garden?

Perhaps, perhaps it’s just someone with a similar voice?

It seems she would have to wait until tomorrow morning to see for herself who this woman truly is.

With these thoughts swirling in her mind, she returned to her room uneasily.

At dawn the next morning.

Shen Yinning, after being tormented for half the night by Lu Ying, was still fast asleep in the tent.

Lu Ying rose early to practice swordsmanship. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Lu Jiazhe skulking through the plum blossom grove, clutching a large bundle.

He sheathed his sword and called out, "Lu Jiazhe."

Lu Jiazhe froze in fright. It was too late to hide, so he had no choice but to shuffle forward timidly. "Crown Prince Cousin..."

"What’s that in your hands?"

"N-nothing..."

"Lu Jiazhe."

The oppressive aura emanating from Lu Ying was overwhelming. Lu Jiazhe had always been afraid of him. Just hearing his name called was enough to drain the color from his face. Resigned, he dejectedly handed over the bundle.

Lu Ying untied it.

Inside was an exquisite snow-white fox fur coat, a case of gold ingots, a jewelry box, and a letter.

He opened the letter—it turned out to be sent by Lu Shiyan from Jiangnan to Shen Yinning.

The letter was packed with expressions of longing for her. At the end, he mentioned that he had married the Bright Pearl of the Jiangnan Magistrate, claiming that it had been the Emperor’s decree and he could not refuse. He urged Shen Yinning to take care of herself, promising to bring her from Gan State to Jiangnan when he had the chance.

Lu Jiazhe was about to sneak away, but Lu Ying spoke, "They’ve been exchanging letters regularly over the past three years?"

Though his tone was devoid of any inflection, it still sent an inexplicable chill down Lu Jiazhe’s spine.

He cleared his throat. "Not exactly regularly. Second Cousin admires Sister Shen and worries about the harsh, frigid conditions of Gan State. He fears she might not live well there, so he sends supplies every winter. Now that Sister Shen has returned to the Capital, Second Cousin isn’t aware yet; I intercepted his things midway to deliver them secretly to Sister Shen..."

Lu Ying crumpled the letter into powder. "You really fancy yourself a skilled matchmaker, don’t you?"

Lu Jiazhe dared not respond.

Lu Ying opened the jewelry box. The items on the upper layer were ordinary enough: golden hairpins, golden bracelets, golden earrings. However, the red coral bracelet at the bottom was exceptionally beautiful and rare.

"’A coral treasure rests in the palm, yet it is turned into an Upper Yang Flower,’" Lu Ying sneered coldly. "My dear half-brother certainly harbors deep affection for Shen Yinning."

Grasping the items sent by Lu Shiyan, he went straight to find Shen Yinning.

Shen Yinning, still bleary-eyed from sleep, leaned on the bedside, clutching the brocade quilt. "Has Prince Wu sent things to me from Jiangnan?"

Lu Ying tossed the bundle onto the ground. "See for yourself."

Throwing on a robe, Shen Yinning stepped down and rummaged through the bundle for a while. Her phoenix-like eyes could not help but brighten with a smile.

She didn’t hold any true feelings for Prince Wu Lu Shiyan, but it was undeniable that Lu Shiyan treated her sincerely.

Whenever he had the chance, he sent her gifts. Knowing her fondness for precious jewels and rare valuables, he would send her a fox fur coat every winter. This year’s coat was especially soft and smooth, its quality top-notch—impossible to find on the market.

She liked the box of gold ingots very much, as well as the jewelry!

The highlight, though, was the red coral bracelet. Each coral bead was plump and vibrant, with clear textures. Between the large coral beads were tiny golden ones—under the sunlight, it shimmered radiantly, setting off her snow-white skin like fine jade.

Piece by piece, she tried them on, her face alight with joy, all of which was captured by Lu Ying’s piercing gaze.

Slowly rotating the Moyu Ring on his finger, Lu Ying felt his chest fill with anger. It was as if he were standing again in the rain three years ago, betrayed by Shen Yinning.

Lu Shiyan merely sends her trinkets, and she’s this happy over them.

Does she even consider who brought her back from Gan State to the Capital?

And furthermore, hasn’t he given her anything?

Wasn’t the Hot Spring Villa purchased with his money?

Fixing his gaze on her, he pronounced each word heavily: "Are Lu Shiyan’s things that good?"

"Every single one is excellent," Shen Yinning admired the coral bracelet on her wrist, her delicate face radiating joy. "And they’re practical too—it’s all stuff I can wear in public. Your Highness should leave now; allow me to dress up and change into this fox fur coat."

Lu Ying’s brow furrowed, his voice steeped in coldness: "Shen Yinning."

Shen Yinning looked puzzled. "Your Highness?"

"Do you like the things Lu Shiyan sends?"

Shen Yinning blinked in surprise. "Of course I do."

Who in this world wouldn’t like such valuable items?

Like that box of gold ingots—it’d provide for her extravagant lifestyle for a long time.

Lu Ying’s face darkened even further.

Shen Yinning liking things sent by Lu Shiyan was tantamount to liking Lu Shiyan himself.

How dare she...

He ordered, "Kneel."

It was only now that Shen Yinning realized he was angry.

She hesitated briefly before sinking to her knees slowly, the joy on her face dissolving into cautiousness. "Your Highness, why are you suddenly upset?"

It couldn’t possibly be because she liked presents from Lu Shiyan, right?

After all, he didn’t love her; he merely treated her as a bed-warming maid. Why would he care about whose presents she preferred?

Lu Ying leaned forward, tilting up Shen Yinning’s chin.

Their gazes locked, neither able to read the emotions in the other’s eyes.

For a long moment, Lu Ying commanded, "I forbid you from accepting gifts from other men."

"Your Highness doesn’t care for me and will eventually discard me. Am I not allowed to make plans for myself, to collect these gifts and save up for the future?"

Her pointed reasoning made Lu Ying’s temple throb with anger.

His gaze turned icy as he sneered, "Accepting gifts from any man—Shen Yinning, I never realized you were so shameless. So, what’s your plan? To go to Jiangnan and become Lu Shiyan’s concubine? Or perhaps head straight to the brothel to sell yourself? I imagine the latter would yield far more reward money."

Shen Yinning stared at him blankly.

She had never thought that, in Lu Ying’s heart, she was regarded as such a woman.

She laughed angrily, resigning herself to the bitterness. "Your Highness only realizes now what kind of woman I am? If I cared about propriety and decency, would I ever have seduced you? I am exactly this kind of person—whoever can offer me the greatest benefits, I will love them!"

"Shen Yinning!"

"At your service!"

"You’re utterly shameless!"

"Has Your Highness only just discovered this?"

Lu Ying’s body was taut like an unwound bowstring, his sharp eyes burning red.

The woman before him was as defiant as a wild animal, opposing him at every turn, leaving him entirely at a loss for how to deal with her.

Suddenly, he wrapped his hands around Shen Yinning’s slender waist and shoved her onto the bed forcefully.

Shen Yinning resisted, but her delicate form was far too soft; her feeble punches were no match for Lu Ying, like an ant trying to topple a tree.

As someone who’s mastered Kung Fu for years, Lu Ying’s muscles flexed as he removed his clothing. His powerful physique, with crisp and defined muscle contours, was clearly the hard-earned result of persistent training.

The young woman was pressed deeply into the brocade quilt by him, unable to resist—a mute whimper escaped her lips as she succumbed to his dominance.