Over time, Shen Ningyu developed a disdain for Ying Yuan.
As for Li Jin, the Heir Apparent of the Prince of Dingbei, Shen Ningyu had been unable to forget him since that day at the palace banquet. So, just moments ago, seeing Ying Yuan acting like he wanted to curry favor with Li Jin, Shen Ningyu subconsciously followed them.
Ying Yuan's tone turned cold. "I don't know. Please leave."
"Hmph, this place isn't yours. I can stay if I want to, you can't control me." Provoked by Ying Yuan's attitude, Shen Ningyu suddenly pushed Ying Yuan when he was off guard.
Li Jin's pupils contracted. As Ying Yuan fell, Li Jin swiftly caught and supported him.
"Your Highness, he brought this upon himself! Why are you defending him?" Shen Ningyu, like the guilty party launching the first complaint, put on a wounded expression before Ying Yuan could even speak.
"Miss Shen, this is the imperial palace, not a place for you to act recklessly."
Li Jin had often seen this kind of look in Shen Ningyu's eyes in his previous life and naturally understood what it meant. He therefore stopped being polite, directly pointing out Shen Ningyu's rudeness, hoping to make her leave in angry shame.
What a pity.
Li Jin had underestimated Shen Ningyu.
When Shen Ningyu first heard Li Jin address her as 'Miss Shen', her heart instantly fluttered like a startled deer, and she completely missed the part where he told her to stop acting recklessly.
"Your Highness, how did you know my surname is Shen? Could it be... you've always been paying attention to me?"
After saying this, Shen Ningyu's cheeks couldn't help but blush slightly.
"Miss Shen, you are overthinking it."
Li Jin twitched the corner of his mouth speechlessly.
He avoided her whenever possible, how could he possibly be paying attention to her? He only called her 'Miss Shen' after she mentioned her aunt was Shen Qianxue.
But Shen Ningyu, of course, immediately twisted his meaning.
"Your Highness, there's no need to be embarrassed. Actually... I also think you are quite admirable, someone worth getting to know. Perhaps we could... could be friends..."
After saying this, her cheeks grew even redder, like a fully ripened apple.
"Apologies..."
"Enough." Ying Yuan cut Li Jin off before he could reply. He stared at Shen Ningyu with clear displeasure and enunciated each word slowly, "Li Jin is not familiar with you. He would never be friends with you. You should give up on that idea."
"That's not true! Your Highness called me Miss Shen! You are the one who should leave."
Ying Yuan was so exasperated by her audacity that he let out a short, sharp laugh. "You were the one who announced your aunt is Consort Chun. The Consort's surname is Shen. If he doesn't call you 'Miss Shen,' what should he call you? 'Miss Lai'?"
"What 'Miss Lai'?"
"Shameless. Understand now? Or do I need to repeat it again for you to remember?"
[Lai (赖) is a pun on wu lai (无赖), which means shameless or rogue.]
"You... I'm going to tell my aunt that you're bullying me."
"Suit yourself."
"You... you..." Shen Ningyu, who had been spoiled since childhood, had never borne such anger before. She immediately looked at Li Jin with grievance. "Your Highness, he is too much. I want you to teach him a lesson for me."
"Li Jin, don't believe her nonsense!"
Ying Yuan never imagined Shen Ningyu would ask Li Jin to teach him a lesson and momentarily panicked.
"You're the one spouting nonsense!"
Seeing Ying Yuan's panic, Shen Ningyu instantly became cocky.
Li Jin gave Ying Yuan a reassuring look before turning back to Shen Ningyu, his tone polite but distant. "Miss Shen, I am not familiar with you. Furthermore, I also believe the Seventh Prince is right. This is not a place you should be. I must ask you to return, lest Consort Chun worry about you."
"Why are you taking his side?"
This time it was Shen Ningyu's turn to panic, her words full of accusation towards Li Jin.
It all happened in a flash.
Just as Shen Ningyu, unable to hold back, reddened eyes and was about to run away, a snake suddenly fell from a shelf, landing right between Shen Ningyu and Ying Yuan.
"Ah...!"
Shen Ningyu screamed in terror, her legs instantly giving way as she fell sitting to the floor.
Ying Yuan's reaction wasn't as extreme as Shen Ningyu's, but he was also frightened pale by the sudden event. He thought of running, but his feet refused to move.
Ying Yuan was afraid of snakes.
This fear took root back when he was first taken in by Lan Xiwei. To intimidate the young Ying Yuan and firmly control him, Lan Xiwei had ordered a eunuch to secretly place a venomous snake as thick as a child's arm into Ying Yuan's bed while he slept.
Fortunately, since Lan Xiwei still planned to control Ying Yuan at that time, she had ordered the eunuch to remove the snake's fangs, so Ying Yuan didn't lose his life to it.
But Ying Yuan was just a child. The incident left him deeply traumatized, and for many nights afterward, he was too terrified to close his eyes and sleep.
Although every prince in the palace was a noble son, born into a status ordinary people could never reach, many children also died mysteriously young. For a prince like Ying Yuan, who wasn't favored by Ying Zhengjing, if he died, he died. As long as Lan Xiwei found a random excuse, no one would investigate.
"Don't be afraid."
Li Jin glanced at Ying Yuan, then immediately grabbed a nearby stick. He struck the snake behind its head—the 'three-inch' spot—momentarily stunning it, before delivering several crushing blows to its heart—the 'seven-inch' position.
[Three-inch: A blow to the neck/spine base can stun the snake by disrupting its nervous system; Seven-inch: A blow to the heart (located about one-third down the body) can be fatal.]
"Hss...!"
After receiving these consecutive fatal attacks, the snake immediately lay motionless on the ground.
"It's alright now."
Li Jin put down the stick and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Truthfully, when the snake appeared, Li Jin had also been tense, because he recognized it as a venomous snake. If he hadn't handled it correctly, all three of them might have been doomed, especially since there was no antivenom serum in this world, a snake bite basically meant waiting for death.
"Seventh Prince, Heir Li, are you both alright? Are you injured anywhere? If anything is wrong, you must tell Zhiqiu. Don't hide it from me." The moment Zhiqiu entered the Tianshu Pavilion, he saw Li Jin subdue the snake and rushed over in great alarm, scrutinizing them carefully, afraid they might have been bitten.
"We are fine."
Li Jin smiled gently, then lightly patted Ying Yuan's shoulder.
"Hmm... uh..." Perhaps because Ying Yuan's nerves had been stretched too tight, now that he relaxed, his steps became unsteady. His body couldn't keep up with his brain's commands, and he began to stumble.
"Careful!"
Li Jin's pupils constricted. He immediately grabbed Ying Yuan's hand, letting Ying Yuan fall against him.
"Th... thank you..."
Ying Yuan disliked being held like this. Once his feet felt normal again, he pulled away. But at the moment he stepped back, even he didn't realize that deep in his heart, he felt a trace of reluctance to leave the embrace.
This is bad. Li Jin has a weak constitution. After being bumped into by me like that, could he be hurt?
As this thought emerged, Ying Yuan immediately looked at Li Jin with concern. "Li Jin, are you hurt? No, we should go find the imperial physician to examine you right now."
"It was just a light bump. I'll be fine."
Li Jin shook his head in amusement.
Though, it was also because his current 'sickly' persona was too convincing, making everyone believe it wholeheartedly.
"No." Zhiqiu agreed with Ying Yuan. "The Seventh Prince is right. Your Highness, your body is weak. It's best to be safe rather than sorry. We should go to the Imperial Hospital."
"Alright, I'll listen to you."
Li Jin wasn't an ungrateful person. Since everyone was worried about his health, he might as well go. Furthermore, if he insisted on not going, Ying Yuan would probably keep blaming himself.
"Seventh Prince, Your Highness, this servant will take you there." Upon hearing Li Jin agree to go to the Imperial Hospital, Zhiqiu hurriedly led the way.
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