The Obsessive Crown Prince Can't Let Me Go-Chapter 170 - 168: Fake Pregnancy to Win Favor?

Shen Xinghan rubbed his temples. "Mother, don’t blame others. At the root of this matter, it’s still Second Brother’s fault. I told him years ago to rein in his temper and not resort to violence so casually, but he wouldn’t listen! Abusing maids as a child, murdering subordinates in the military, and now even massacring an entire village! He slaughtered hundreds of herders, and the fact that His Majesty didn’t demand his head is already thanks to Lu Qianqian’s influence!"

Mrs. Qin, both anxious and angry, cried as she struck him. "What are the lives of some herders worth compared to your brother’s?! As his elder brother, not only do you refuse to find a way to get him out of trouble, but you’re also here scolding him. How many brothers do you think you have?!"

"If you ask me," Shen Yunxi suddenly interjected, "this is actually Big Brother’s fault. If you’d just listened to me and killed Cui Ji outright back when he caused that scandal with the storybook, how could he now be accusing Second Brother of mass murder? But no, you insisted on trying to win him over. Well? Did your attempts succeed?!"

"Such short-sighted opinions, truly foolish!" Shen Xinghan frowned deeply. "There’s no such thing as a perfectly sealed wall. Even without Cui Ji, someone else would have exposed Second Brother. The fault lies not with Cui Ji, but with Second Brother himself!"

Shen Xinglei, in an irritable tone, said, "Enough, can you all stop arguing! What I’m most curious about is this: Cui Ji is far away in the Capital—how did he even find out about all the things I did?"

Indeed, how had Cui Ji managed to weave such a meticulous trap?

He had prepared the evidence so thoroughly that Shen Xinglei hadn’t even been afforded a chance to defend himself.

The Imperial Prison was cold and damp.

Even the gusts of wind that passed through carried a faint stench of decay and death.

Shen Xinghan felt a chill creeping up his spine, as though a pair of unseen eyes were lurking in the shadows, spying on his entire family.

Shen Yinning...

The name flashed through his mind instinctively.

His brow furrowed even more tightly.

Could it be that Shen Yinning was the one fanning the flames behind all of this?

After all, Cui Ji had indeed owed her a favor in the past...

A sense of crisis arose in his chest, and he made a swift decision. "Shen Yinning can no longer be allowed to stay alive!"

"What does that wretch have to do with this?" Shen Yunxi said impatiently. "Shen Yinning can barely fend for herself; she can’t even handle Yin Shanshan. Even if she resented us, she would only be up to petty household squabbles. Where would she get the audacity to interfere in court affairs? Don’t you see that Cui Ji brought forth a lowborn commoner as part of the case? It’s obvious that commoner trudged over mountains and rivers to the Capital to report the matter!"

Mrs. Qin nodded in agreement. "Xi’er is right. No matter how cunning Shen Yinning is, at the end of the day, she’s just a woman. What could she possibly understand about court politics? My eldest son, you should focus instead on getting rid of Cui Ji—consider it avenging your brother!"

Unable to reason with them, Shen Xinghan left the prison with a dark expression.

As he walked through the corridor, he unexpectedly bumped into Shen Yinning. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

Shen Yinning was carrying a food box. She smiled faintly and curtsied courteously. "Cousin."

Shen Xinghan watched her as she walked past him, his expression growing darker with a hint of malice and apprehension. He immediately summoned a trusted subordinate and whispered a few instructions.

The subordinate nodded and left at once to carry them out.

Shen Yinning arrived at the cell where Shen Xinglei was being held and heard the mother and children talking:

Shen Yunxi said, "Big Brother is as stupid as a pig, unable to tell the big picture from the small! The most urgent matter is obviously to eliminate Cui Ji and avenge Second Brother. What does Shen Yinning have to do with any of it?"

Mrs. Qin added, "Your big brother may excel at book learning, but in every other aspect, he’s nowhere near as capable as you and your Second Brother."

Shen Xinglei agreed. "Exactly! He even has terrible taste in picking a wife. That Commandery Princess from Qinghe might have high status, but in every other respect, she’s utterly worthless! She looks down on all of us and barely interacts, acting as though we’re beneath her. Most of the time, Big Brother is the one flattering her, giving her jewels, silks, and treasures, yet she doesn’t even spare them a glance, as if her heart belongs to someone else! I’m telling you, women like her just need a good beating—knock the arrogance out of them!"

As the mother and sons criticized Shen Xinghan behind his back, Shen Yinning lightly cleared her throat.

Shen Xinglei was the one who clashed with her the most.

Seeing her, he leapt up in anger, his face contorted with fury. "Wretch, how dare you come here?!"

But his sudden movement tugged on his wounds, and he immediately winced in pain, his twisted expression even more grotesque.

Shen Yunxi scolded sharply, "Shen Yinning, who gave you permission to visit my Second Brother?! Are you here to mock him?!"

"Your Highness, I have been falsely accused," Shen Yinning responded tearfully, placing the food box down and delicately dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. "I have come out of genuine concern to visit my second cousin. He’s still young, and now his future is ruined—I truly pity him."

The veins on Shen Xinglei’s forehead throbbed as he slammed the iron bars with a loud clang. "Wretch, stop pretending to be kind!"

Shen Yunxi was also enraged. "No matter how downfallen my Second Brother may be, he’s still better than you! Once the Crown Prince ascends to the throne, I’ll personally have him recall my Second Brother from the border immediately!"

"If Second Brother gets that chance, that’s good," Shen Yinning said with feigned relief, pressing a hand to her chest. "Though the Crown Prince has been favoring his lover outside the palace this past year, I know that the woman he truly cherishes is still you, Your Highness. I’m sure he’ll grant you your wish."

Shen Yunxi’s eyes widened in fury.

"What nonsense are you spouting?!" she yelled, her temper flaring.

Shen Yinning appeared startled, retreating two steps with an innocent expression. "It’s common knowledge in the Capital that the Crown Prince has a woman outside the palace. Your Highness truly didn’t know?"

Of course Shen Yunxi knew.

But knowing was one thing—hearing it from Shen Yinning’s mouth was quite another.

It made her seem incapable of winning Lu Ying’s heart!

How was she supposed to maintain her dignity now?

And why was it that everyone in the Capital seemed to know about it?!

She stamped her embroidered shoe forcefully, clinging petulantly to Mrs. Qin’s arm. "Mother, look at her!"

Mrs. Qin patted her hand in a soothing gesture before glaring at Shen Yinning protectively, like a mother hen shielding her chick. "Yinning, what do you mean by saying such things to your younger sister?! Are you jealous she married the Crown Prince while you were wed to a mere nobody of humble background?!"

"Aunt, I didn’t mean it that way," Shen Yinning replied with a soft, pitiful expression. "We share the same blood, and though we’ve had our differences in the past, we’re still closer than outsiders, aren’t we? Besides, with my husband’s poor treatment of me, the only people I can rely on in the future are you and Uncle—how could I dare to feel jealous?"

Mrs. Qin’s anger finally seemed to abate a little. She rolled her eyes and chastised, "Since you know times aren’t what they used to be, don’t bring up matters like this in front of Yunxi again!"

"Of course." Shen Yinning smiled faintly. "Actually, given the bond between Your Highness and the Crown Prince, keeping his attention shouldn’t be too difficult."

Shen Yunxi eyed her suspiciously. "What do you have in mind?"

"I believe," Shen Yinning said, "that if Your Highness can conceive a royal heir as soon as possible, the Crown Prince might cut ties with his lover outside the palace and devote his time to caring for Your Highness during pregnancy."

Shen Yunxi erupted in frustration. "Do you think I don’t want to conceive a royal heir?! But it’s been years, and I haven’t—do you think I can just magically get pregnant now?! Are you taunting me on purpose?"

"Your Highness," Shen Yinning said softly, "who said pregnancy must involve an actual child in one’s womb?"

"Shen Yinning, are you stupid or pretending to be stupid?! How can pregnancy be fake—?"

Shen Yunxi suddenly broke off mid-sentence.

Shen Yinning’s meaning was clear: feign pregnancy to win favor.

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