Give birth to a plump son for Lu Ying...
Shen Yunxi gently touched her flat stomach.
In the three years since she married into the Eastern Palace, it wasn't as though she hadn't considered having a son to secure her position.
But Lu Ying was always cold and restrained in that regard.
As the legitimate wife, Lu Ying would visit her chambers on the first and fifteenth of each month in accordance with palace regulations, but beyond these designated times, he never summoned her to his bedchamber. Occasionally, matters of court would delay him, and even the monthly appointments could be skipped.
Once, she entertained a wicked thought and tried to drug Lu Ying to seduce him. Yet the man would rather soak himself in cold water than breach protocol to consort with her. Afterward, he scolded her harshly and avoided her bedchamber entirely for a whole year.
Counting the days, her last intimate encounter with Lu Ying was already a year ago!
Shen Yunxi grew anxious and looked at Lu Ying expectantly. "Your Highness, your humble wife truly wishes to have a child."
Lu Ying replied indifferently, "You will—when the time comes."
Shen Yunxi lowered her voice. "I personally made zongzi for Your Highness. After the dragon boat races are over, will you return to the Eastern Palace to share them with me? Tonight, I hope Your Highness will accompany me. Won't you say yes?"
The woman's fragrance lingered heavily around her.
As she leaned closer, the scent grew overpowering, almost cloying.
Lu Ying couldn't help but recall Shen Yinning's fragrance.
Whatever she used, every time her garments fell away, her cold, jade-like skin exuded a delicate sweetness—a blend of gardenia and green tangy citrus.
That was the scent he liked on Shen Yinning.
Yet Shen Yinning, so bold and reckless, had dared to sever ties with him.
What right did she have? Someone of her station—how could she presume to initiate such a rupture?
His gaze grew dark as he spoke to Shen Yunxi. "Tonight, I shall accompany you."
Shen Yunxi was ecstatic, hurriedly pouring tea for him again. "This past year, Your Highness hasn't shared a moment of happiness with your humble wife. You have no idea how excruciating this year has been for me! If it were my elder sister instead, would Your Highness have neglected her for so long? Your Highness, I want to know—between your humble wife and my elder sister, whom do you hold dearest in your heart?"
She raised the tea cup to Lu Ying's lips.
Meeting her earnest, hopeful gaze, Lu Ying suddenly thought of the phrase "a petty person reveling in small victories."
His Crown Princess Consort, in every way, exuded an air of triviality.
With people around, she was still unashamed to let the words "shared happiness" tumble from her lips.
Initially, he had decided not to attend Shen Yinning's invitation at the southern city's pleasure boat. But this time spent with Shen Yunxi made him feel like every passing moment was torturous.
He said, "I will take a walk."
As Shen Yunxi saw him rise from his seat and leave, she thought to herself, perhaps he simply couldn't bear to hear anything related to Shen Yinning.
If she had known earlier, she wouldn't have mentioned Shen Yinning!
Frustrated, she gripped the teacup tightly and whispered orders to Lian Ye, "Follow him discreetly. See if the Crown Prince is heading off to find that vixen again!"
The pleasure boat by the southern city.
Lu Ying, sensing someone trailing him, untied a small black canopy boat moored beside the pleasure boat. Using the cover of the boat's upper decks, he quietly took Shen Yinning aboard the canopy boat and slipped away along the suburban canal.
The boat glided down a fork of the river for an unknown length of time until it finally came to a halt at a secluded lake.
In the distance, wild mountain ranges overlapped, and the lake's surface teemed with layers upon layers of lotus leaves. A gentle breeze stirred the emerald ripples, the serenity punctuated only by utter silence.
Shen Yinning stepped out of the cabin. "Your humble wife merely wished to bid Your Highness farewell in person, to part ways peacefully. Why go through all this trouble to bring me to such a deserted place? If your younger sister finds out, she will surely resent Your Highness. I have no status nor standing; I would never dare disrupt Your Highness's relationship with your sister."
Lu Ying eyed her.
Today, she wore a pomegranate-red tunic with a goose-yellow shawl draped over her shoulders. A peony flower, as wide as a bowl, adorned her hair. Yet despite the luxurious blossom, her signature, unparalleled beauty overshadowed even the peony's regal grandeur.
Her words professed undying love for him, but after just two months apart, she didn't seem to miss him at all. Her complexion was radiant, glowing—proof that she had been living well in the Gao Family.
He asked, "You want to sever all ties with me?"
Shen Yinning raised her chin proudly. "Yes."
Lu Ying extended a hand and toyed with the peony pinned at her temple.
His gaze lingered on her full, delicate lips as his fingers traced their contour lightly.
He said composedly, "For Gao Zheng?"
Shen Yinning's lips curled in playful mockery. "Your Highness, he is my rightful husband. It is only proper for me to remain faithful to him and sever ties with unrelated men."
Unrelated men...
The fingers brushing over her lips suddenly pressed down harder.
Lu Ying, a man who had trained in martial arts for years, had calluses on his fingertips. Shen Yinning's tender, soft lips couldn't endure such rough treatment!
She winced in pain, attempting to push him away, but her hands were effortlessly restrained by him.
Shen Yinning detested this feeling of being at someone else's mercy.
Her jaw tightened as she lashed out with her feet. "Lu Ying, let me go! Lu Ying, you were the one who cast me aside! You were the one who told me to behave! What do you mean by this now?! You may be the Crown Prince, but do you have no shame?! My current station is lowly—I dare not dream of anything more. All I wish for is to live a quiet life with Gao Zheng—is that so much to ask?!"
Lu Ying's brows lowered ominously, a shadow of malice in his expression.
Gripping Shen Yinning's chin firmly, he forced her tearful, pitiful face upward, enunciating every word: "I forbid it."
Shen Yinning panted heavily, her lashes wet with tears, making her appear heartbreakingly vulnerable.
Lu Ying was quite satisfied with how she looked at this moment.
Gathering her into his arms, he carried Shen Yinning back into the cabin.
He laid her down on the mat. "In matters concerning us, only I hold the authority to declare an end, Shen Yinning. You do not."
The cabin of the black canopy boat was tiny.
And Lu Ying, with his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and towering stature, seemed to fill the entire confined space by himself.
The lake spread out with lotus leaves as far as the eye could see.
The canopy boat, drifting along among the leaves under the breeze, began to sway violently, accompanied by faint, blush-inducing sounds.
Shen Yinning endured the relentless storm that raged over her, her eyes squeezed shut. This cruel yet pleasurable torment seemed endless.
From behind her came Lu Ying's hoarse and subdued voice: "Did you ever love Gao Zheng?"