A dilapidated hut behind Shengguo Temple.
Lu Ying held Shen Yinning in one arm and shut the door with the other.
He threw Shen Yinning onto the ground, his phoenix eyes betraying no emotion: "You have some nerve. Do you know I was meditating with the Crown Princess Consort?"
Shen Yinning pulled a scroll from her sleeve: "Who told Your Highness not to visit the Zen room? I recently practiced my calligraphy and wanted your guidance, but I had no opportunity."
Lu Ying accepted the scroll, unrolling it as he spoke: "All the womenfolk of Shen Guogong Mansion are at Shengguo Temple. If your aunt discovers you dragged me away from her daughter, you might find yourself without a resting place even in death."
"Your Highness will protect me."
Lu Ying neither confirmed nor denied this.
He glanced at the calligraphy on the scroll: "Still not up to standard."
Shen Yinning leaned sensually against his chest, her alabaster-like fingers tracing lazy circles over the hard muscles there: "If my writing isn't good, what about the poem? Does Your Highness like it? I composed it myself the other night while thinking of you."
Lu Ying's gaze fell on the lines of poetry—
Red beans adorn jade as creamy as mutton fat; wine stains a disheveled pomegranate skirt.Blooms burst, their nectar spilling; a silver spear chaotically stirs, filling a chamber with spring.
Lu Ying's brows knitted tightly: "Lewd and vulgar, utterly unbecoming."
Shen Yinning clung to his waist, tilting her head faintly: "Does Your Highness not like it?"
"In this Buddhist Pure Land, such behavior is wholly inappropriate." Lu Ying brushed her hands away. "From now on, when the Crown Princess Consort is present, do not act as recklessly as you did today."
"Why?"
"She is the Crown Princess Consort. I cannot tarnish her dignity."
Shen Yinning stared at him.
In his dark robe and golden hairpin, he looked impeccably noble, as pure as moonlight in the heavens, as pristine as snow in the mountains—a man who, at a glance, was clearly devoted to his main wife.
It was only natural that he treated Shen Yunxi well.
Yet she still wanted to ask him: Shen Yunxi is your Crown Princess Consort, but what about me? What am I to you?
Her almond-shaped eyes filled with a complex emotion, which was quickly replaced by playful mockery.
Her porcelain-white face resembled peach blossoms in early spring, her gaze hazy with a damp sheen. Once again, she wrapped her arms around Lu Ying: "But… isn't it thrilling to do this right under her nose?"
This woman was far more adept at seduction than three years ago, utterly shameless.
Lu Ying's eyes darkened like ink, his large hand caressing her delicate face. His voice turned gravelly and ominous: "Shen Yinning…"
Thin rays of sunlight spilled through the cracks in the roof.
One hour later.
Lu Ying adjusted his attire indifferently, his demeanor once again as composed and dignified as a fresh breeze after rain.
Shen Yinning rubbed her bruised knees, picking up the scattered garments strewn across the floor piece by piece.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Lu Ying stepping through the threshold. Her voice hoarse, she called out, "Your Highness, may I ask something of you?"
"Hm?"
"Do you have an invitation to the Abbot's lecture on Buddhist Scripture at Shengguo Temple?"
Lu Ying glanced at her swollen, glistening lips: "You want to listen to the scriptures? In your current state, do you think you're suited for it?"
Shen Yinning gritted her teeth.
This man never had a kind word to spare.
It was as if she existed solely to seduce men in his eyes.
Feigning helplessness, she replied, "I'm asking on behalf of Elder Lady Gao. The old woman has a penchant for making mischief—lacking the wisdom, yet still wanting to act pious. And since her son couldn't secure an invitation, she came to me for help."
Lu Ying pulled an invitation from his sleeve and handed it to her: "Since she is your mother-in-law, you shouldn't refer to her as Elder Lady Gao. As for Gao Zheng, you should call him husband."
The spring-like charm on Shen Yinning's face instantly vanished.
The mountain wind billowed through her thin, disheveled robes. She curled her lips into a smile devoid of warmth: "Just now, Your Highness didn't seem to treat me as Gao Zheng's wife."
Lu Ying's tone betrayed no emotion: "Shen Yinning, your entire family met their demise, leaving only you alive. You should seek peace and abide by your place. Harboring improper thoughts will lead only to ruin. You are no longer the daughter of the Duke Mansion who was once betrothed to me. Your younger sister, Shen Yunxi, is now my Crown Princess Consort, the one who bowed to the heavens beside me."
Shen Yinning watched him walk towards the rear gates of Shengguo Temple, her nails digging deep into her palms.
What purpose was there for her return to Chang'an from Gan State if not ambition and calculation?
She would not let go of those who had destroyed her family.
…
By the time Lu Ying returned to Shengguo Temple, Shen Yunxi's palace maids and eunuchs had turned the place upside down but found nothing.
As Lu Ying finally arrived, Shen Yunxi's eyes reddened, and she hurried to greet him: "Your Highness, where have you been?"
Yet as she approached, she caught a distinct whiff of heavy fragrance clinging to him.
The scent matched exactly that lingering on the golden hairpin.
She could almost picture what Lu Ying and that wretched woman had done, hidden away within the temple!
That vile woman had the audacity to seduce the Crown Prince under her very nose!
Struggling to suppress her jealousy, Shen Yunxi, with feigned grievance, showed him the golden hairpin.
Her words came in a rushed torrent: "Your Highness need not explain; I already know where you've been. I am not an unreasonable, jealous woman, but this particular sister is far too brazen. Not only did she lure you away before my eyes, but she even left this golden hairpin as a deliberate provocation. She did something similar in the library at Shen Garden before! Could it be that I've offended her in the past? I beg Your Highness to tell me who this sister is, so I can personally apologize to her!"