The Obsessive Crown Prince Can't Let Me Go
Chapter 147 - 145: Shen Lang, Look at Her

Chapter 147: Chapter 145: Shen Lang, Look at Her

Just as Lu Ying predicted, upon seeing Shen Yinning win ten lantern riddles, Lu Qianqian loudly ordered the stall owner: "You’re not allowed to give her the revolving lantern!"

Shen Xinglei’s voice boomed like thunder: "Standing before you is none other than the third daughter of the Holy Emperor, Princess Qianqian! The princess fancies this lantern—how dare you not offer it up with both hands?! Be careful, or I’ll flip your stall and chop off your head!"

The stall owner’s face turned pale.

He was merely trying to eke out a meager living, never expecting to provoke the imperial princess.

Powerless and terrified, he couldn’t risk opposing Lu Qianqian and Shen Xinglei. Instead, he stammered an apology to Shen Yinning and shakily handed the revolving lantern to Lu Qianqian.

Lu Qianqian held up the lantern, casting a smug glance at Shen Yinning: "So what if you’ve guessed the riddles correctly? In the end, isn’t this lantern still in my hands? Shen Yinning, last time at Shen Guogong Mansion, you caused me to return the few sets of jewelry and hair ornaments I’d obtained. Tonight, I’ll take what you love instead! You want this lantern, don’t you? If you kneel down and kowtow three times, I might bestow it upon you. How about that?"

The young woman wielded her authority with cruelty.

Shen Yinning responded calmly, "What if I refuse?"

Lu Qianqian smiled and extended the hand holding the lantern.

In the next instant, the intricate wooden revolving lantern crashed to the ground with a clatter.

Shen Yinning lowered her gaze. The beautifully crafted wooden lantern was cruelly shattered into several pieces.

Lu Qianqian burst into laughter: "Oh my, I couldn’t hold onto it. It broke! Whatever shall we do now?"

Shen Yinning remained silent.

She knew that even if she had kowtowed to Lu Qianqian, the latter would never return the lantern to her—the ending would be the same regardless.

She knelt down on one knee, reaching out to gently stroke the broken wooden piece.

A memory from ten years ago felt eerily distant.

She remembered how Father was frequently away at war, rarely at the mansion.

On the day of her birthday banquet, Father hurried back from his travels, his face weary with dust, yet smiling as he presented her with this wooden revolving lantern, patting her head and congratulating her on growing another year older.

Back then, she had been spoiled and willful, pouting and complaining that the lantern wasn’t as precious as those adorned with jewels and gemstones. She had reprimanded Father for being away all year and accused him of not truly caring about her.

Father had not been angry, but instead laughed heartily, saying she had truly grown up, now interested in beauty like other young girls. He immediately ordered someone to go to the streets to pick out a new birthday gift for her.

Later, she learned that this lantern had been hand-carved and crafted by Father himself.

During the cold nights at the border, he had sat alone beneath the dim light of his tent, listening to the jade flute’s tunes beyond the frontier, and missing his young daughter far away in the Capital. Years had passed without seeing her; he had imagined her still as the innocent little girl who adored animals.

Using a dagger, he painstakingly carved the twelve zodiac animals, each one playful and charming, silently capturing the love of a father for his precious daughter.

Shen Yinning lifted the broken wooden carving of a small dog from the ground.

In her childhood, her constitution had been particularly delicate, allergic to pollen and animal fur. For the sake of her health, Mother forbade her from keeping pets, but her yearning was insatiable, leading her to beg her brother relentlessly to buy her a puppy.

Her brother had secretly brought her a puppy from outside, its appearance strikingly similar to the one carved into the revolving lantern.

The black puppy looked stout and sturdy, prompting her brother to name it "Hatchet."

Later...

Later, Hatchet had accompanied her for a very long time, until the day their family was raided. When Hatchet saw guards forcibly dragging her away, it pounced to bite the guard’s pant leg, only to be pierced through the spine by the guard’s spear.

Shen Yinning stroked the wooden carving of the half-length dog, her nose stinging, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Zhaozhao..." Xue Mianmian looked at her worriedly, then summoned her courage to face Lu Qianqian and stammered, "Princess, this is... this is utterly... outrageous!"

Her face was veiled, and Lu Qianqian didn’t recognize her. Sneering, Lu Qianqian said, "What are you? Where did you find the guts to jump about in front of this princess?! Be careful, or I’ll kill you!"

"Just an accomplice of Shen Yinning," Shen Xinglei chuckled coldly. "Wearing a veil to pretend to be mysterious—do you even realize what status Princess Qianqian holds in comparison to you two? I should take a look beneath that veil. Is it a hideous face that ruins everyone’s appetite?"

As he spoke, Shen Xinglei reached out to pull off Xue Mianmian’s veil.

Shen Yinning suddenly stood up, pushing away Shen Xinglei’s hand.

Her naturally almond-shaped eyes, clean jawline, and unfazed expression made her lotus-like face appear strikingly cold and aloof. Her posture was poised and regal, exuding the aura of someone born to command, her presence more reminiscent of a proud princess than even Lu Qianqian.

She had sworn never to let outsiders harm the people or things she cared about again.

The revolving lantern was one. Xue Mianmian was another.

"Apologize."

Shen Yinning fixed her gaze on Lu Qianqian’s eyes, enunciating each word firmly.

"How utterly ridiculous!" Lu Qianqian sneered, "Shen Yinning, know your place! What gives you the right to demand an apology from me? You’re now nothing more than the daughter of a criminal, beneath even the palace maids around me. You dare think you’re worthy of an apology from me?! Forget a lantern—if I take your life tonight, Father wouldn’t even reprimand me!"

"Smack!"

Before those words could settle, Shen Yinning suddenly slapped her across the face.

Lu Qianqian was stunned, clutching her cheek in disbelief: "You dare hit me?!"

Shen Yinning spoke clearly and deliberately, "Abusing your status as a princess to extort goods from civilians—this is your first offense. Using authority to threaten lives recklessly—this is your second offense. The current Holy Emperor is wise, just, and loves his people as his own children. If I report this to the government, he surely wouldn’t protect Princess Qianqian."

At some point, a crowd had gathered to watch the drama unfold.

Perhaps long resentful of the entitled behavior of the aristocracy, the townsfolk cheered loudly for Shen Yinning.

Lu Qianqian was furious.

She’d hardly committed any major act tonight—just bullied Shen Yinning a little—so how had things escalated into such trouble?!

The crowd was merely commoners, insignificant and lowly. What could they possibly do to her, an esteemed princess?

But noticing the expressions of the townsfolk, who looked as though they were ready to drag her to the government, she began to panic.

Swinging Shen Xinglei’s sleeve, she whimpered, "Shen Lang, look at her..."

Shen Xinglei glared at Shen Yinning in disgust: "Don’t be afraid, Princess. My cousin has always had a sharp tongue and knows how to scare people!"

His face darkened as he turned to the crowd and overturned two nearby stalls in rage, roaring: "What are you lowly peasants looking at? Leave now!"

Seeing Shen Xinglei, massive and intimidating like a mountain of flesh, the townsfolk didn’t dare provoke him. Though they despised the oppressiveness of the nobility, they backed away hesitantly.

Shen Xinglei strode forward, grasping Shen Yinning’s wrist tightly: "Worthless wretch! As the daughter of a criminal, how dare you repeatedly provoke the princess and me, the Shen family?! Tonight, I’ll kill you—and let’s see if the Empress Dowager bothers to side against the Shen family for your sake!"

He let out a sudden whistle.

A muscular, imposing horse neighed as it galloped over, its powerful muscles gleaming.

Grabbing the rope, Shen Xinglei sneered, "Cousin, with your soft flesh like a lamb’s—so pale and tender—if I tie you to the horse’s tail and drag you through the streets, your blood and flesh will tear away layer by layer, turning the entire road crimson. How beautiful that would be!"

Across the street at the teahouse, Xue Ling let out an energized whistle: "Crown Prince, your turn to play the hero and save the beauty!"

Lu Ying watched Shen Yinning and Shen Xinglei, expressionless, without any intention of intervening.