Chapter 10: Phoenix Crown and Embroidered Robe

Shen Yan’s movements froze, and she could no longer drink.

Shen Ning just stared at her expressionlessly, her eyes indifferent, with a hint of mockery.

“Elder Sister…” Shen Yan laughed awkwardly, trying to push the bowl away. “I’m really full. This nourishing soup was specially made for you by the small kitchen. Elder Sister…”

“Eat.” Shen Ning’s voice was cold and hard, brooking no refusal.

Shen Yan’s face turned deathly pale, unable to maintain her facade any longer. Suddenly, her eyes turned red: “Elder Sister, what exactly do you want to do? I was just worried about you being wronged yesterday, not being able to rest or eat properly from last night until now, so I specially asked them to make the dishes you like. What did I do wrong? Why must you be like this—”

Before she could finish speaking, a hand suddenly gripped the back of her neck, forcing her down onto the table, “Are you going to eat or not?”

Shen Yan shook her head violently, scared to the point of tears: “Let… let me go!”

Shen Ning’s one hand tightly pinched her chin, forcing her to open her mouth, while the other hand picked up the bowl and poured the soup into her mouth.

“Ahh… cough cough cough…” Shen Yan desperately tried to dodge, half of the nourishing soup splattered out, and the other half went down her throat. “Cough cough…”

Until half of the bowl was forced down her throat, Shen Ning then picked up the half bowl in front of her and poured it all down her throat before coldly letting her go and throwing the bowl onto the table.

Shen Yan’s face was ashen, and she fled like a gust of wind, running while using her fingers to dig at her throat, unable to resist the urge to vomit out all the soup she had just drunk.

Shen Ning silently watched her fleeing back, sat back at the table, and began to eat slowly and elegantly.

The soup tureen was pushed aside, and the crystal-clear white rice was brought before her. Shen Ning ate with her chopsticks in a refined manner.

When Shen Shian brought people in, Shen Ning had finished a bowl of rice, and had tasted a few bites of each dish on the table, a balanced mix of meat and vegetables.

“Shen Ning.” Shen Shian looked at her darkly. “What did you do to Yan?”

Shen Ning turned her head to look at the servant standing beside her, trembling with fear. Her voice was as cold as ice: “Repeat what happened just now, and I’ll spare your life.”

The servant knelt with a thud: “Second Miss… Second Miss brought lunch and a nourishing soup to Eldest Miss. Eldest Miss shared the nourishing soup with Second Miss…”

Shen Shian’s expression stiffened, and a look of disbelief appeared in his eyes, as if he suspected Shen Ning of lying to him: “Just like that?”

The servant quickly nodded: “Yes, yes, that’s exactly what happened.”

“No matter what, she’s your sister.” Shen Shian looked at Shen Ning with a complex expression in his eyes. “Even if you become the Regent’s Wife, the Shen family is still your maternal home. To establish yourself in the Regent’s estate, you’ll need the support of your family.”

Shen Ning wiped the corner of her mouth and said indifferently: “Clean up.”

The servant stood up and began to nervously clear away the dishes.

Seeing her attitude, Shen Shian’s anger almost burst through his internal organs, rushing straight to his head. He wished he could slap her immediately, but thinking of the Regent’s words earlier and Shen Ning’s cold-bloodedness when she broke Qin Yanshu’s wrist, he didn’t dare to act impulsively.

He snorted coldly and turned to leave, his sleeves fluttering.

Shen Ning was indifferent to his coming and going, not even feeling the desire to get angry or refute, treating him as if he were a cat or a dog, or a flower vase in the corner, or a potted plant in the courtyard.

In any case, he wouldn’t be her relative, and wouldn’t affect her emotions.

……

At dusk, the Regent sent over a set of wedding attire. Two female officials, accompanied by four maids, arrived with the wedding dress and phoenix crown in a grand manner.

The crimson wedding dress was luxurious and noble, with the long train embroidered with nine-tailed phoenixes in gold thread. The interwoven red and blue gemstones shimmered dazzlingly under the lights, radiant and resplendent.

More importantly, the wedding dress fit Shen Ning perfectly when she wore it, as if it had been custom-made for her.

The pure gold phoenix crown felt heavy on the head, exuding an air of nobility and brilliance, lofty and unapproachable.

Bracelets, earrings, necklaces, seven-tailed phoenix hairpins, head ornaments, hair flowers… a complete set of priceless jewelry was neatly arranged in the jewelry box, making people both envious and jealous.

Shen Ning stood before the bronze mirror in her wedding attire, looking at the reflection of her stunning face and her slender figure, which seemed to have been born for this dress.

Memories surfaced of a woman who had also worn a phoenix crown and embroidered robe, luxurious and radiant, her cheeks slightly flushed with joy as she offered her hand to the one she held dear in her heart. But in return, she received poisoned wine on her wedding night, humiliation, and endless abuse thereafter.

“Consort.” The waiting female official spoke respectfully, “You don’t seem to like this wedding dress?”

Shen Ning appeared indifferent, with no trace of joy on her face, nor the happiness and bashfulness of a bride-to-be.

Perhaps she was dissatisfied with the marriage.

“No.” Shen Ning came back to her senses and raised her arms, allowing the two female officials to help her out of the wedding dress. “I quite like it.”

Although there was no sign of liking it on her face when she said this, not even a hint of a smile, the two female officials still breathed a sigh of relief: “The Regent said that if you don’t like it, he can order people to work overtime and embroider another set in a style you prefer.”

Shen Ning seemed curious: “Is there enough time in two days?”

“Yes.” The female official nodded. “If everyone works overtime, two days will be enough.”

Shen Ning responded with a sound of acknowledgment: “This set will do.”

She didn’t ask how many “everyone” referred to, nor was she interested in asking.

It was just a wedding dress after all. No matter how luxurious, it would only be worn for that one day. If the person wasn’t right, what did it matter if the wedding dress was priceless?

The two female officials exchanged a glance, feeling that the Regent’s consort seemed different from ordinary women.

Although they had heard about what she had gone through, normal women who experienced such things would either be sad and desperate or too ashamed to show their faces.

And after being chosen by the Regent, they would either be overjoyed or extremely nervous.

But Shen Ning had no reaction, as if everything had nothing to do with her.

With a kind of detached indifference.

They had been working in the palace for some years, and they could guess what the concubines in the late emperor’s harem were thinking, what their words and actions meant.

Only the eldest daughter of the Shen family, who had yet to marry, remained a mystery. Cold like a block of ice, she showed no warmth, no emotional fluctuations.

It was as if nothing in the world could make her care.

However, the person chosen by the Regent must have reasons for being chosen, and they didn’t dare to say more. They folded the wedding dress neatly and placed it on a wooden tray, along with the phoenix crown.

“For the next two days, we will stay here to serve the consort and follow her commands.” The female official began to introduce themselves. “My name is Lan Zhi, and she is Lan Hua. Consort, if you have any needs, just instruct us.”

Shen Ning turned and lay down on the bed: “I need to nap in the afternoon. No one is allowed to come in.”

“Yes.”

Lan Zhi and Lan Hua turned and walked out, guarding the door on either side.

Shen Ning lay in bed with her eyes open, unable to help but ponder. The Regent of the Great Yong Kingdom wielded immense power and was strikingly handsome, making him the most powerful person in Yong at the moment.

If he were to marry, he could choose from the most beautiful women in the world. Why, then, did he choose her, the eldest daughter of the Duke’s household whose reputation had been utterly destroyed?