Chapter 95 The Abandoned Eldest Daughter Makes a Comeback (19 chapters)
However, Xu Lin was well aware that his nephew's chances were extremely slim.
He had seen her once from afar and was mesmerized by her for a long time. Ultimately, based on a clear understanding of himself, he regained his senses.
Xiao Chengze, however, was clearly already deeply involved.
"Uncle, don't say anymore, I know what to do."
Xu Lin earnestly advised, "I'm not trying to discourage you, but I want you to understand a fact: as long as His Highness the Crown Prince remains the Crown Prince, you have no hope. Only by gaining supreme power can you win Miss Shen's favor."
"Yun Zhen is not that kind of person!"
Xiao Chengze put on a stern face. Even if she were his own uncle, he shouldn't speak to Yun Zhen like that.
Xu Lin tempted her, "Of course I know that Miss Shen is not that kind of person, but the fact is that she favors the Crown Prince more now. If you gain power, you can take her away from him, and then Miss Shen will belong to you alone."
Xiao Chengze's heart pounded wildly, his growing obsession with Shen Yunzhen stirring within him.
Xu Lin was greatly encouraged upon seeing this.
His nephew had too little regard for power and only wanted to be a carefree prince. Over the years, they had tried many times to inflate his desire for power, but to little avail. Unexpectedly, he had now achieved an unexpected result because of a woman.
Xu Lin picked up the crumpled list and slowly unfolded it.
"You may admire Miss Shen, but things are not going to work out right now. We have to take a roundabout approach. These women were all carefully selected by your mother and me. If you marry them, their families will become a great help to you. Once things are settled, you will only need to treat these women well, and you will have the opportunity to marry Miss Shen as your principal wife."
Xiao Chengze's breath hitched, his rapidly beating heart slowed down, and his rationality returned.
He glanced at the crumpled list in Xu Lin's hand.
"No need, Uncle. I know what to do. As for the marriage, you don't need to worry about it. No matter who it is, I won't marry him."
After saying that, he turned and strode away.
Xiao Chengze was not swayed by his uncle's suggestion; instead, it made him realize the gap between himself and Xiao Chengxu.
He needs to arrange a marriage to gain a chance to compete with Xiao Chengxu, and even then, success is not guaranteed.
Even if he succeeds by chance, can he really get rid of the forces that supported his rise to power?
Most importantly, he knew that Yunzhen liked clean men.
If he becomes corrupt, no matter how much power he has, he will no longer be worthy of having Yunzhen.
Xiao Chengxu was somewhat disappointed upon receiving news that Xiao Chengze and Xu Lin's talks had broken down.
He wasn't afraid that Xiao Chengze would strengthen himself through marriage. Chengxu was confident that he could suppress both the families and Xiao Chengze. Moreover, even if they did marry, some families wouldn't firmly choose Xiao Chengze; they would waver and weigh the pros and cons.
Therefore, it would be better to agree, which would be tantamount to cutting off his own path in love, and from then on he would no longer be qualified to appear in front of Yunzhen.
It's a pity, we still have to put up with him staying by Yunzhen's side.
It's also his fault for underestimating Consort Xu's maternal heart.
He thought that once she had chosen someone, she would ask her father, the emperor, to issue an imperial decree. Who knew that she would first show the list to Xiao Chengze so that he could choose the person himself.
If someone else had passed on the list, Xiao Chengxu would have had a chance to tamper with it. Unfortunately, the middleman was Xu Lin, Xiao Chengze's maternal uncle.
Fine, since that's the case, let's find another way to get rid of them.
When it comes to Shen Yunzhen, Xiao Chengxu is never afraid of trouble.
At the same time, thanks to the Crown Prince's statement, many families have officially given up their hopes for the position of Crown Princess. Even Shen Zhengde, who was suspended from his post and staying at home, is no longer so anxious and has gradually relaxed.
It seems that His Highness the Crown Prince only wants to vent his anger for that wretched girl, and he probably won't make things too difficult for him.
After all, how could a crown princess's family be composed of disgraced officials?
For the sake of that wretched girl's reputation, the Crown Prince would not allow the Shen family to truly fall from grace.
But wasn't it said that the Crown Prince was deeply in love with that wretched girl? Why hasn't the imperial decree to appoint her as Crown Princess been issued yet?
To maintain his father's authority, Shen Zhengde, though not under house arrest, did not take the initiative to see Shen Yunzhen, only hearing others' praises.
He didn't take it to heart. His daughter resembled her mother, and Zhang Shi was once a beauty. This wretched girl should be even more beautiful than Zhang Shi. But there are so many beauties in the world. Now that the Crown Prince is young, she has captured his heart. But instead of seizing the opportunity, that wretched girl is just dawdling.
Shen Zhengde saw this and was very anxious.
Many noble young men in the capital who had personally seen Shen Yunzhen were now feeling restless.
They originally thought that the relationship between Miss Shen and the Crown Prince was a done deal, but who knew that there was still no progress.
Does this mean that Miss Shen didn't actually fancy the Crown Prince? She was only forced to deal with him because of his status?
Thinking of this, many people felt a surge of excitement. Some of the bold and reckless ones had already begun to secretly plan to find the perfect opportunity to get to know Shen Yunzhen, even if it was just to say a word to her, it would be a great honor.
All of this was naturally observed by Xiao Chengxu. He sneered inwardly, thinking that if anyone dared to show their face, he would personally slam them down.
He will make them understand that Yunzhen is his bottom line, and no one can covet her.
Shen Yunzhen naturally didn't care about these disturbances and continued to do as she pleased, eating, drinking and having fun, without caring about the crowds that surrounded her every time she went out.
Shen Yunzhen paid no attention to these disturbances and continued to act as she pleased, enjoying her carefree time of eating, drinking and having fun.
Even when she goes out, she is always surrounded by a group of people, but she doesn't care at all. Those admiring glances and words of love cannot disturb her in the slightest.
As long as she wasn't disturbed, Shen Yunzhen never asked any questions.
However, not everyone is so sensible; some people gradually begin to look down on their own position amidst their boasting.
After anxiously waiting for some time, Shen Zhengde finally couldn't hold back any longer and decided to go see that wretched girl.
Upon hearing about this from her mother Liu Ying, Shen Yunshu also insisted on going without further ado.
She wanted to see for herself what was so special about this so-called older sister that she had not only captivated the Crown Prince but also seduced the Third Prince.
Shen Yunshu naturally knew that she was about to become the Third Prince's wife, and she had been overjoyed for a long time. However, she did not expect that she would first hear that the Third Prince was bewitched by her sister who had been sent to the estate, and then her father was impeached by His Highness the Crown Prince and suspended from his post.
Now I hear the talent show has been cancelled altogether.
Seeing her hopes of becoming a prince's consort dwindling, Shen Yunshu was extremely anxious, but as a young lady confined to her quarters, there was nothing she could do.
Hearing that her father was finally going to see Shen Yunzhen, she naturally couldn't wait to meet her.
Shen Zhengde also doted on this daughter, and unable to resist her persistent pestering, he brought her along.
As a prominent figure in the capital, Shen Yunzhen's whereabouts were not a secret; a little inquiry was all it took to find out.
Shen Zhengde brought Shen Yunshu to the theater, but they were stopped by the guards as soon as they got downstairs.
At that time, Shen Yunzhen was listening to a tune in a private room upstairs.
"Miss, Lord Shen and Miss Shen are downstairs requesting an audience."
Shen Yunzhen ate the grapes that the performer fed her, swallowed them slowly, and then asked a question.
"Lord Shen?"
Bihe whispered a reminder: "Miss, it's Lord Shen Zhengde."
"So it was him."
Shen Yunzhen thought for a moment, "Let him come up."
She also wanted to see what was so special about this man who, in the original text, became a duke and wielded immense power.
Shen Zhengde was furious that he had to wait for a notification to see his daughter.
Upon entering the private room and witnessing the absurd scene before him, Shen Zhengde was even more shocked. Forgetting his earlier anger, he lowered his voice and roared in fear:
"You wretched girl, what are you doing?!"
The private room was filled with a beautiful scene.
Several male performers sat upright in front of them, their slender fingers dancing nimbly on the strings, producing melodies that were both graceful and somewhat decadent.
On the soft couch, the unruly girl leaned lazily, showing no ladylike demeanor whatsoever.
Even more remarkably, she was flanked by two entertainers, one on each side. At that moment, the entertainer on her right was holding a wine cup, leaning slightly forward, and bringing the cup to Shen Yunzhen's lips.
Because of the angle, Shen Zhengde could not see Shen Yunzhen's face clearly, but could only catch a general sense of everyone's movements.
But he could see the actors clearly. Each of them had a handsome face and a unique style. They wore light clothes with slightly open collars, exposing large areas of skin, which made the warm and cozy room feel particularly cool.
Shen Yunshu, standing behind him, blushed instantly and hurriedly lowered her head, but couldn't help but glance at him again.
At this moment, Shen Zhengde naturally couldn't care less about his second daughter; all his attention was focused on the scene in the private room.
He never imagined that this wretched girl would act so outrageously. Despite having the Crown Prince's affections, she was still having affairs with so many actors. It was truly a disgrace to civility!
No wonder the Crown Prince has been hesitant to request His Majesty to grant him a marriage; he has probably sensed something amiss.
It was just that the boy's first crush made him unable to let go of it.
Thinking of this, Shen Zhengde's heart sank.
Shen Zhengde turned to look at the guards standing at a distance, pulled Shen Yunshu into the private room, and quickly turned around to close the door.
The door slammed shut with a loud bang, making the air inside the room tremble slightly.
Shen Zhengde's eyes widened in anger, veins bulging on his forehead. He pointed at Shen Yunzhen with a trembling finger, his voice hoarse and trembling with rage.
"Stop right there! How could you do such a scandalous thing? You're disgracing the Shen family! Where do you put your own reputation? Where do you put the honor of the Shen family?"
In particular, how should we explain this to the Crown Prince!
Hearing the noisy noise, Shen Yunzhen frowned slightly.
She remained calm and gently pushed aside the performer beside her, then looked at Shen Zhengde, whose eyes were wide with anger.
Shen Zhengde was able to win the heart of the original owner's mother, which naturally meant he was good-looking.
With regular features and a refined appearance, he wore a dark blue long robe, making him look exceptionally elegant.
However, his distorted face completely ruined this refined demeanor.
Being unjustly accused made Shen Yunzhen extremely unhappy.
"Family reputation? Does your Shen family even have any family reputation? You're nothing but a despicable family that climbed up the social ladder by relying on your wife. After becoming successful, you killed your first wife and mistreated her children. You've gotten to where you are today by putting on a hypocritical act. Do you really think you're some kind of person of integrity?"
Due to the passage of time, Xiao Chengxu has not yet found conclusive evidence. However, based on the original owner's memories and some clues, Shen Yunzhen is now absolutely certain that Shen Zhengde was the one who killed the original owner's mother.
He can still be active now thanks to Xiao Yuheng and other arrangements.
"You, you wretched girl, you're talking nonsense..."
The angry accusations came to an abrupt halt, and Shen Zhengde finally saw Shen Yunzhen's face clearly.
He stared in astonishment, his eyes wide.
The woman before me had eyebrows like distant mountains, skin as white as snow, and lips as delicate as flower petals, naturally red without makeup. Her long, jet-black hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, adding to her unparalleled beauty.
Like a celestial maiden descended to earth, her beauty is breathtaking and captivating.
Shen Zhengde never expected that his daughter would be so beautiful, and he finally understood why the Crown Prince still couldn't let her go despite her absurd behavior.
With such stunning beauty, what is there to fear?
At this moment, Shen Zhengde's confidence swelled like never before.
At the same time, he couldn't help but regret not having come out to see her sooner.
If he had known she was so beautiful, he wouldn't have been living in such fear in the mansion.
No, he simply wouldn't let anyone waste so many years on the estate.
Shen Yunshu was also stunned.
She was quite beautiful, and she was very proud of it. However, she never expected that she would be overshadowed by her suddenly appearing elder sister.
One is the bright, shining moon in the sky; the other is the dull, lifeless earth beneath our feet.
Why? Why was she born with such an appearance?
Shen Yunshu tried hard to recall what Shen Yunzhen looked like when she was young.
She vaguely remembered that when her stepmother was alive, Shen Yunzhen wore gorgeous clothes and fawned over her parents. After her stepmother passed away, all she remembered was her, dressed simply and with tears streaming down her face as she was sent away.
As for what she looked like, Shen Yunshu couldn't remember.
However, Shen Yunshu always felt that she shouldn't look like this. How could someone who was abandoned by her father and grew up on the estate be so outstanding?
Having recovered from his initial amazement, Shen Zhengde composed himself, his expression returning to calm and his refined demeanor restored, as if his earlier loss of composure had never occurred.
"I am very pleased to hear that the Crown Prince cares so much about you. But Yunzhen, you must not be so willful. These actors are all of humble origin and lowly status. What they sing and perform is nothing but something to seduce the eyes and ears and erode the will. You must not become addicted to it."
Shen Zhengde stepped forward and continued earnestly:
"His Highness the Crown Prince favors you greatly, and I hope you will cherish this opportunity. Spend less time with these entertainers and more time studying the etiquette and manners of a noble lady. In this way, you can securely ascend to the position of Crown Princess and enjoy wealth, honor, and lasting blessings in the days to come."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
