Chapter 240 - 238: Taking a Concubine Ceremony
Is it possible?
Lu Shiyan remained silent.
For a long while, he avoided Shen Yinning’s gaze and spoke with a hoarse voice: "Zhaozhao, you know well that I owe her a debt of gratitude..."
The support of the Jiangnan factions is one of the key factors for Lu Zhengliu to seize the throne.
Luo Wanzhao convinced her father and brothers to back Lu Zhengliu, which, in Lu Shiyan’s eyes, is a favor he cannot ignore.
Lu Shiyan lowered his head, looking somewhat dispirited: "Zhaozhao, I am not an ungrateful scoundrel. I can’t betray her."
Shen Yinning laughed: "Look at you. She already has a place in your heart, yet you still want to force me to be your concubine. I’ve heard your Princess cannot conceive. I presume you’re planning for me to bear you a son whom you can then place under her care, isn’t that right?"
"Zhaozhao!"
Lu Shiyan was incredulous, his eyes rimmed red. "How can you say something so hurtful?! You know that my feelings for you have never changed! During the three years you were exiled to Gan State, did I not send you letters, money, and goods every single year?! If I didn’t care about you, why would I go through such lengths?! By saying this, aren’t you trampling on and humiliating my love?!"
"Your love? What love do you have? The Lu Shiyan I remember was gentle as jade, deeply devoted, a scholar filled with poetry and books. But now..." Shen Yinning stared at Lu Shiyan, as though carefully selecting the most accurate words, "But now, you are nothing but a hypocritical and selfish Prince Wu, colluding with officials, preying on the common people, and treating lives as mere grass!"
"I am not!"
"I heard Liang Garden is jointly owned by you and Luo Xibai—the most extravagant estate under heaven, one of excessive indulgence and reckless spending. Can Prince Wu swear with his hand on his heart that every copper coin used in building this garden is clean? Luo Xibai and his father amassed their outrageous wealth by looting merchants and selling governmental positions. I imagine Prince Wu has actively participated in this enterprise as well?"