The Obsessive Crown Prince Can't Let Me Go
Chapter 180 - 178: Only Perfunctory and Sloppy Towards Him

Chapter 180: Chapter 178: Only Perfunctory and Sloppy Towards Him

Vicious cannon fodder villainess?

Shen Yinning thought to herself that this was quite a fresh term. She wondered where Yin Shanshan had picked it up from.

Setting aside her questionable character, Shen Yinning actually thought Yin Shanshan was someone with quite a few commendable traits.

For example, her little trick for making ice, her ideas for a courier company and a Western-style restaurant. However, this girl didn’t usually come across as particularly smart. Who knew if these ideas were even hers in the first place.

She deliberately teased Yin Shanshan, saying, "And what if I were to stand in your way?"

"Hmph!" Yin Shanshan snapped back indignantly, "According to the rules of transmigration novels I’ve read, the vicious cannon fodder villainesses all meet tragic ends. Either they die horribly, or they live a life worse than death! The legitimate wife who lacks foresight, like you, is usually exposed by a clever transmigrated female lead like me after scheming in vain, then cast aside, married off to some lowly, impoverished commoner or servant, and ends up living a wretched life! Meanwhile, I, along with Zheng-lang, would bask in endless glory and riches, even making it into the annals of history! Shen Yinning, I’m warning you out of the goodness of my heart — don’t make yourself a fool!"

Shen Yinning smiled faintly: "But how can you prove that you and Gao Zheng are the male and female leads, and that I’m merely the side character who highlights your undying love?"

The question stumped Yin Shanshan.

After a while, she responded dismissively, "That’s just how it’s written in all the novels! Besides, haven’t you noticed? I’m completely different from you feudal women — I’m much smarter than all of you!"

She ordered her maid to bring over a delicate album and tossed it to Shen Yinning.

Looking smug, she said, "See this? It’s the secret that allowed me to earn over ten thousand taels of snowflake-patterned silver in just half a month, despite having no initial capital. A groundbreaking, genius-level method of making money like this is something someone as ignorant as you, a feudal woman, could never dream of coming up with!"

Shen Yinning opened the album.

Each page was filled with designs for women’s dresses and skirts, showcasing a variety of styles and color combinations — all novel and unprecedented in the Capital.

Yin Shanshan beamed with pride: "I drew the dress designs myself and gave the album to the wives of officials and the daughters of wealthy families for reference. If they fancy a design, they can place an order. The pre-order price for one dress is eight taels of patterned silver. Some of them even ordered more than a dozen pieces at once! The more orders I receive, the more deposits I collect, and then I have enough funds to produce the dresses without worrying about costs. Shen Yinning, this is called the pre-sale model. I bet you, a dim-witted and inexperienced feudal woman, haven’t even heard of such a thing!"

This was something she had only recently thought of.

Back in her modern life, when browsing Taobao, many of the beautiful clothes were sold on a pre-sale basis — customers paid a deposit and waited half a month or even one to two months for the sellers to manufacture and ship the items.

She had simply replicated the concept in ancient times.

See? It worked like a charm to make money.

Moreover, the dress designs weren’t even hers; she had simply relied on her memories of browsing Hanfu shops to recall the styles.

Modern and innovative designs effortlessly conquered those naïve, inexperienced women of ancient times.

With these thoughts, she looked at Shen Yinning with an even greater sense of superiority and sneered, "Well, compared to me, don’t you think you’re just an ignorant, rigid-minded fool? If someone as brilliant as I am isn’t the protagonist, then who else could be?!"

Shen Yinning closed the album: "The dress designs are indeed beautiful, but drawings are one thing — the actual garments are another. Are you so sure that the dresses made by the embroiderers will look exactly like the designs in the album? What if the colors or cuts differ, and people aren’t satisfied with how they look? If they demand their deposits back, what will you do then?"

This wasn’t alarmist talk, nor was it out of jealousy toward Yin Shanshan’s success.

It was because, as a child, Shen Yinning had followed her mother in learning embroidery and had encountered such situations before.

What you envision as a peony flower in your mind might end up looking like a pile of tofu dregs when stitched onto fabric.

Making and embroidering a garment is far more difficult than embroidering a single peony flower, and skilled embroiderers are worth their weight in gold.

Yin Shanshan’s intricate and detailed illustrations were far beyond what ordinary embroiderers could reproduce.

"Hmph!" Yin Shanshan snatched the album back. "You’re just jealous of me, unable to see me doing well! After the New Year, I’ll personally go to Jiangnan to handpick suitable fabrics. Just wait and see — I’m going to make a fortune!"

With that, she stormed off in a huff.

Shen Yinning watched her leave, exasperated at her restless nature. She figured it was likely that Yin Shanshan wouldn’t make any money again this time.

Shaking her head, she went off to bathe and wash her hair.

Meanwhile, at the Shen Garden.

Lu Ying returned from court to find the Shen residence completely deserted.

Gui Quan approached, trembling, and reported, "Your Highness, Madam Shen... Madam Shen said she would be returning to the Gao Family for the New Year."

Lu Ying was momentarily speechless.

He had merely given her a cold look, and she had up and left just like that.

He walked into the adjacent side room, knowing that Shen Zhaozhao had piled up all the New Year’s gifts there, only to see that every last item was gone.

Gui Quan explained, "Madam Shen has already instructed Haitang to send all the gifts to others."

Lu Ying was stunned.

So many gifts, and he hadn’t received a single one.

He asked, "Who were they sent to?"

"The two cloaks were sent to Misses Xue Mianmian and Xue Qingqing; the ox-horned steel bow and sharkskin quiver were given to the young Princely Heir of the Su Prince Mansion; as for the down-filled quilts, clothes, and boots, they were all sent to Lord Cui’s household."

Lu Ying’s face darkened in the shadows of the side room.

So those clothes and boots had been for Cui Ji.

To think he had secretly sized the boots against his own feet, wondering why the fit was off. Now he understood — those two pairs of boots had never been meant for him but rather for another man.

Shen Zhaozhao...

She knew the Xue sisters loved beauty and warmth, so she gave them cloaks.

She knew Lu Jiazhe was passionate about archery, so she sent him a bow and quiver.

She knew Cui Ji was poor but proud, so she gifted him practical items.

And for him...

She had never given him a single decent gift.

Even the Fireproof Map her maid had bought from the marketplace had merely been chosen by the maid herself. Shen Zhaozhao had been so perfunctory and dismissive that she couldn’t even personally pick something, resulting in such an embarrassing mix-up.

Lu Ying closed his eyes for a moment.

A deep sense of disappointment welled up within him.

He should have known. That cold-hearted little vixen was indifferent and unfeeling. No matter how well he treated her, he could never win her true heart. Why did he still hope for otherwise?

After a long pause, he said in a muted tone, "Return to the palace."

Eastern Palace.

Shen Yunxi, upon hearing that Lu Ying had summoned her to his chambers for the night, was overjoyed beyond measure. She hurriedly began preparing herself.

Lian Ye, while assisting her with her hair, cheerfully remarked, "Those vixens from outside the palace are all just fleeting playthings for His Highness. Look, when it comes to important occasions like New Year’s Eve, isn’t it you, Your Grace, who he returns to?"

Shen Yunxi beamed with delight.

Selecting a pair of red coral earrings, she instructed, "Pass on my decree — everyone in the Eastern Palace shall receive a reward tonight!"

Lianxin, helping her put on the earrings, said with giddy anticipation, "Your Grace, tonight might just be the night you conceive the royal heir!"

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