He stood at the doorway, the twilight casting dappled shadows on him, bathing him in a golden glow.
His expression was somewhat indescribable, and he forced a smile: "Stop arguing."
He paused for a moment, then shrugged casually. "If Princess Yun'an really takes a liking to me, then I'll marry her. Anyway..."
He has never contributed anything to the family, and even after his older sister got married, she still had to worry about him all the time.
He's grown up now; he can't rely on his older sister to protect him forever.
A look of shock flashed in Madam Shen's eyes, and she moved her lips with difficulty: "Aci..."
Shen Ci laughed and teased, "Didn't you always want me to settle down and start a family as soon as possible? You should be happy now."
How could Madam Shen possibly laugh?
Looking at her son's forced smile, she felt a lump in her throat.
After Shen Chang left, Madam Shen's face was ashen, and a cold glint flashed in her eyes: "Tell Aunt Wei that she can move around now, and I will treat her brother's illness."
Shen Chang forced her to do this!
Since he is heartless, he shouldn't blame her for being ungrateful!
...
With the imperial decree delayed, Shen Tangning had no choice but to prepare for both possibilities in advance.
She instructed Yuan Zhao to keep a close eye on Princess Yun'an and find out her routine in advance, just in case.
Of course, unless she was forced into a desperate situation, Shen Tangning would not have wanted to use this method; the risk was too great, and she could not guarantee that it would be foolproof.
Chi Yan repeatedly reminded her not to act impulsively, and before entering the palace, he assured her that he would subtly probe Emperor Chongde's intentions.
"Don't rush into anything. The best news is that there's no news from the palace."
Shen Tangning was not blinded by anger. She nodded and said, "I know what I'm doing."
After Chi Yan left, she couldn't concentrate on anything else, and instead focused on organizing all the useful clues in her mind.
The Third Prince is dead, Consort Li is confined to the Cold Palace, and Princess Yun'an's greatest reliance is none other than Emperor Chongde. If we could find a way to make her lose favor...
...
“Yesterday, Yun’an came to see me, saying that he and the young master of the Shen family took a liking to each other.”
When Emperor Chongde suddenly brought up this matter, the expressions of the officials below varied.
However, most people maintained an attitude of indifference, while only a few secretly changed their expressions.
Emperor Chongde suddenly looked at one of them, his tone full of interest: "Grand Tutor Xie, speaking of which, Young Master Shen is also your grandson. What do you think if I were to bestow a marriage upon the two young men?"
All around was quiet.
In the ensuing silence, Grand Tutor Xie stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and wore a slight smile.
"It is the princess's good fortune to have taken a liking to that young man, Shen Ci. If he could be married to His Majesty, this old minister would naturally be overjoyed. However, marriage is a matter of parental consent and matchmaker's words, so we should ask Lord Shen for his opinion."
Shen Chang was annoyed. Why did this old man have to bring him up at this time?
Chi Yan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
As expected of A Ning's grandfather, he was indeed clever. This move of retreating to advance and diverting the trouble eastward will surely make His Majesty more wary.
Emperor Chongde indeed looked at Shen Chang, his eyes unreadable: "Minister Shen, what do you think?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
