Rebirth of Poisoned Empress, by 颜若优雅

Chapter 45

"En, what Mr. Ye said has a point. And think about it, Shen Da was only fifteen when he left. No matter how talented he was, he couldn't have stabilized his position in just five short years by himself. Perhaps his military exploits cannot escape contributions from the Wei Family. The northwest and southwest border aren't too far from each other either." Qin Yunshen passed a light glance over Liu Wenjin, subtly relaying the underlying message that if he had to choose between the Liu Family or the Wei Family, he would choose the Wei Family without hesitation. As for the Liu Family, it would hen serve as nothing more than an indirect mean of accepting the banner of the Wei Family.

"What the Fourth Lord says is true. Hence, I sincerely believe Shen Liang is worth fighting for." 

As far as the current situation has proven, Shen Liang was undoubtedly the most suitable candidate to be the fourth prince's concubine. 

Ignoring Liu Wenjin's darkening face, Ye Tian agreed with Qin Yunshen. The latter nodded his head, "But we must not be the first to bring up the matter of marriage."

There were nine princes who were of age. Except for the third prince, Qin Yunyi, who only knew how to indulge himself in pleasures and wine, the other eight princes all had designs for the throne. In addition, each of their mothers proved to be a strong backing. Only his mother was just a fourth-rank official's daughter and proved to be a weak force. It forced him to hide his strength and bide his time, pretending that he had no interest in the position of crown prince, whilst silently winning over his own cohort of officials and advisers. But this wasn't enough. The moment he exposes his intentions of marrying Shen Liang, it would be tantamount to admitting his ambitions. Not only would it sow his father's displeasure, but the rest of his brothers would also be more wary of him. It would prove to be more difficult for him if he wanted to do anything else behind the scenes. 

"Why not start from Marquis Donglin Manor?" Ye Tian suggested tentatively. Regardless of whether the father-son relationship of the Donglin Manor was as detrimental as the rumors proved, the marquis was still Shen Liang's father. In terms of marriage, such a big matter, parents and matchmakers' words take precedence. As long as the marquis nods his head and asks for marriage, then the fourth lord would be able to remain the passive party member in this event and prevent incurring unnecessary caution from others. 

"No," Qin Yunshen waved his hand, "Shen Ruiting is a stubborn old man. From the very start, he had been adamant on remaining unbiased, refusing to side with any of the princes. We won't go far with him."

"That is true. Then we're left with starting from Shen Liang," Ye Tian nodded in agreement. After pondering, he then stated, "Perhaps the fourth lord could attempt to personally approach Shen Liang. As someone rejected and disdained by his family since he was a child and his only brother who treats him well, being far away, he must desperately long for warmth. If the fourth prince is able to attack from this aspect, and make Shen Liang dedicated to you wholeheartedly, refusing to marry anyone but you, perhaps the situation can be settled."

"En..." hearing that, Qin Yunshen fell into deep contemplation. Shortly afterwards, he raised the curtains and spotted the red figure preparing to enter the Elder Princess's Manor. Brilliance flowed in his gaze, "Master Liu, what kind of person do you think Shen Liang is?"

As though finally recalling Liu Wenjin's presence, Qin Yunshen retracted his gaze to look over at him. For some unknown reason, his senses told him Ye Tian's proposal would not be so easy to follow through with.

"Huh?" Liu Wenjin did not expect himself to be called on. He hurriedly raised his head, as his expression immediately turned solemn, "Fourth Lord, perhaps you will find it hard to believe, but Shen Liang is clearly only a fifteen-year-old child. Logically, he grew up in the countryside and shouldn't pose much of a threat. But he gives me a terrible sense of oppression. No matter what I say or do, everything appears to be within his calculations and nothing more than a part of his schemes. Amongst youths of his age, I've never met another one as frightening as him."