Chapter 142: Shen Sisi's Pride

Shen Qingyun’s complexion paled slightly.

Currently, the crown prince had not yet been established. The third prince born to the empress and the sixth prince born to the noble consort were both leading contenders for the throne. Most of the factions supporting these two princes were entrenched among the civil officials, which made the stances of the Han and Xiao families exceptionally conspicuous.

The Han family had always been fiercely loyal to the emperor; whoever sat upon the dragon throne, the Han family would serve. Moreover, the emperor held the elderly General Han in utmost trust.

Yet, this very loyalty caused the princes to detest the Han family all the more.

After all, the emperor stubbornly kept military power tightly in his own hands. Although advanced in years, he remained vigorous and healthy, delaying the appointment of a crown prince and leaving the princes locked in secret struggles with no alternative.

In her past life, Jiang Lin had stepped over the corpses of the Han family to climb to power. Therefore, the influence of the Han family would inevitably be funneled into the faction of the third prince, whom Jiang Lin served.

In this lifetime, although Shen Sisi was not the third prince's consort, Jiang Lin possessed the unfair advantage of rebirth, making it difficult to predict whether he would approach the third prince ahead of time.

Seeing Shen Qingyun clouded with worry, Sima Moli said with profound earnestness, "Qingyun, do you trust me? I will undoubtedly protect the Han family from harm."

Hearing this, Shen Qingyun’s heart trembled. "Moli, you..."

Sima Moli stared directly into Shen Qingyun’s eyes, while in his ears echoed the earnest teachings of his head steward: "Your Highness, when Miss Shen celebrated her coming-of-age ceremony, she already drew the restless gazes of many. Although you suppressed it then, others will inevitably emerge in the future. Now that Miss Shen must observe a three-year mourning period, this has both advantages and disadvantages. Your Highness, you must seize this golden opportunity!"

The old steward sighed day in and day out. Not only did his master bear the reputation of being ill-fated and bringing doom to his wives, but he had always shunned the affections of women, spending his days hanging around that unserious Lian Rufeng. There were even rumors circulating in the capital that his Highness favored men. At this rate, would he live to see his master take a princess consort before he died?

Sima Moli could not help but reflect upon himself.

Indeed, he had never before touched upon the matters of romantic love. Consequently, he had always silently done everything in his power to help Shen Qingyun resolve her troubles, at most sending rare treasures of the world he discovered straight to her estate.

However, the death of Shen Zhifeng had inexplicably triggered his vigilance. Someone was lurking in the shadows, casting covetous eyes upon Qingyun. Intuition told him that the yet-unidentified murderer posed a hidden threat.

"Qingyun, I am not skilled with honeyed words, but whatever you care about is what I care about. Whatever you wish to do, I will support you unconditionally. Over the span of three years, I will slowly prove my sincerity through my actions. I hope that when your period of mourning ends, you will be willing to give me a chance to make you my princess consort."

Listening to such straightforward words, Shen Qingyun’s heart fluttered in disarray. Her pulse raced wildly, and something seemed to surge through her boiling blood, converging and burning intensely at the very tip of her heart.

She heard her own voice, speaking softly and slowly, "Alright."

Beholding Shen Qingyun at a loss for what to do, Sima Moli’s heart softened as if cradling a tiny rabbit. Knowing that she was not entirely indifferent to him, the smile in his eyes threatened to overflow.

And Shen Qingyun’s heart inexplicably settled into peace.

Yet, just as she had anticipated, Jiang Lin truly relied on the informational advantage of his rebirth to approach the third prince ahead of time.

Recently, the third prince had shone brilliantly in the imperial court, winning no small amount of praise from the emperor. For a time, his prominence was unmatched, forcing even the sixth prince to yield to his sharp momentum.

As expected, Jiang Lin received a promotion. The Marquis’s estate swept away its previous gloom, drawing even more attention, and even Shen Sisi discarded her past low-profile demeanor, beginning to venture out to attend minor banquets to weave connections.

On this particular day, Shen Sisi returned to the residence, unexpectedly accompanied by Hongyu.

However, judging by the way Hongyu scurried about attending to her every need, it was evident that Shen Sisi still firmly held the upper hand over her.

Observing the resentment lingering deep within Hongyu’s eyes, Shen Sisi felt a surge of immense satisfaction. She would certainly not allow this little vixen to roam free within the marquis's estate, lest she sneak behind her back to seduce Jiang Lin once more.

"Younger sister, I’ve come to check on Grandmother. Has her health still not recovered?"

Today, Shen Sisi was dressed in an orange-yellow cross-collared blouse, paired with embroidered multi-colored panels on her skirt, and draped in a sheer silk outer robe with wide sleeves. She had shed her former innocent appearance, taking on a brighter and more vibrant look, and her demeanor while speaking was quite relaxed.

Shen Qingyun smiled indifferently. It seemed Shen Sisi’s days lately had been going quite smoothly. "I have matters to attend to. I'll have Concubine Wang accompany you instead. Usually, it is she who takes care of the old dowager."

Shen Sisi’s face revealed a look of surprise. "Younger sister, what could you possibly be busy with? Staying all alone in the Duke’s mansion must be terribly stifling. Whenever you feel out of sorts, you can always seek me out to chat."

She felt immensely smug inside. Looking at Shen Qingyun, she thought: *So what if she is stunning and capable of stirring up trouble? So what if she is the legitimate eldest daughter? Once she finishes mourning Shen Zhifeng for three years, she will be nothing more than an old maid. Who would ever want her? Could it be that she expects to be someone's concubine?*

"I won't trouble you to concern yourself, Eldest Sister." Shen Qingyun smiled faintly and turned to leave.

She indeed had matters that required her attention. Ever since she perceived the third prince's predatory gaze fixed upon the Han family, she had established the Listening Wind Pavilion with Sima Moli’s assistance. On the surface, it was a tavern, but in reality, it served as a convenient hub to gather intelligence from all directions, preparing thoroughly for the future.

Watching Shen Qingyun’s indifferent expression, Shen Sisi felt somewhat displeased.

*Hmph, she is merely putting up a calm front to maintain her dignity. Seeing that I am now a favored young madam and the marquis's estate has a bright future, she must be regretting it bitterly and hiding in her room to cry.*

Shen Sisi curved her lips into a smile and said to Concubine Wang standing nearby, "Then lead the way to Yansong Hall, Concubine Wang."

Wang Qingrui stood to the side, feeling rather apprehensive, though fortunately, Shen Sisi had no intention of making things difficult for her.

However, once the two of them arrived at Yansong Hall and Shen Sisi beheld the emaciated and withered state of the old dowager lying in bed, she could not help but reprimand sharply, "In just this short span of time, Grandmother has wasted away to this degree. Why has she never gotten better?"

Wang Qingrui’s heart skipped a beat, and her face showed distress. "Madam, I am not sure either. The estate physician did prescribe medicine, but the old dowager is always asleep and struggles greatly to swallow her medicine. I fear the blow of the late Duke's passing was simply too heavy for her; illnesses of the heart are difficult to cure."

Shen Sisi frowned. After all, the old dowager had raised her since childhood, and she still held a shred of genuine concern in her heart. "How can this go on? Another day, I will invite outside physicians to take a look. We cannot simply let Grandmother remain in such a frail state."

Wang Qingrui panicked inwardly and hastily urged, "The estate physician said the old dowager has already begun to improve today. Perhaps she will wake up in a few days. Please don't worry, Madam."

Shen Sisi glanced at Wang Qingrui, her gaze clearly showing a lack of trust in those words.

Yet, given the current situation, she could not be of any real help, so after sitting for a short while, she took her leave.

Wang Qingrui let out a sigh of relief. It was fortunate that Shen Sisi had not brought a physician directly; if someone were to discover that she was the one poisoning the old dowager, wouldn't she be utterly finished?

It seemed she could not afford to let this old hag die just yet.

As soon as Concubine Wang halted the administration of the poison, before long, news spread: the old dowager had finally awakened.