"I won't let you marry him. My Mo'er." Mei Xue saw through Shen Qianmo's little scheme. Was this little girl deliberately teasing him?
She, Chen Qianmo, was the first to dare to tease him, the Lord of the Enchanting Blood Pavilion. Yet, he wasn't angry; in fact, he felt a little happy. Was her deliberately teasing him a sign that she still had feelings for him?
"I'll see what abilities the Blood Demon Lord has to stop the current Third Prince," Shen Qianmo said with a smile.
"Mo'er, if I have a way to stop Shangguan Che, you can't stop me." Mei Xue looked at Shen Qianmo, a sly smile appearing on her lips.
"Okay," Shen Qianmo agreed with a faint smile. If he could stop Shangguan Che, why would she need to stop him?
However, Shen Qianmo overlooked the cunning glint in Mei Xue's eyes. She never imagined that someone who always schemed against and toyed with others would one day be the one being toyed with.
Looking at Shen Qianmo's face, Mei Xue felt a warm and sweet feeling in her heart.
Chapter Thirty-Five: The Empress's Summoning
The Emperor's decree to betroth Shen Qianmo to Shangguan Che was not issued, but the Empress's decree to bring Shen Qianmo into the palace was.
"Mo'er, you must be careful in everything you do when you go to the palace. I'm sure the Empress will make things difficult for you." Shen Lingyun glanced at Shen Qianmo, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes. Empress Yao Xuekong was not a woman to be trifled with, and her summoning of Shen Qianmo to the palace this time was bound to be for no good reason.
"Yes." Shen Qianmo's expression remained as calm as ever, her dark eyes revealing no change in her mood. The Empress? She wanted to see what tricks this Empress could pull!
She entered the palace with the help of a palace maid. Shen Qianmo went straight to the Phoenix Palace, where the Empress resided. This wasn't her first time visiting the Phoenix Palace.
She had a deep impression of her mother-in-law from her previous life. In her memory, ever since Shangguan Che married Yao Ruoqin as his concubine, Yao Xuekong had been colluding with Yao Ruoqin to make things difficult for her and deliberately make her suffer.
In her previous life, she was gentle and kind, so she naturally didn't hold a grudge against Yao Xuekong and Yao Ruoqin. However, this only emboldened them, even making her, the Empress, do the work of a maid serving tea and water. She wanted to see what tricks they could pull in this life.
"Qianmo greets Your Majesty the Empress." As soon as Shen Qianmo entered the palace, she saw Yao Ruoqin behind Yao Xuekong. At this moment, Yao Ruoqin was looking at Shen Qianmo with a look of anticipation.
Yao Xuekong bowed respectfully, but made no move to ask Shen Qianmo to get up.
Shen Qianmo raised a cold smile. In her previous life, Yao Xuekong often used this trick to deal with her, pretending not to hear her greetings, and she would just kneel there foolishly. Now, she was not as easy to bully as she was in her previous life.
"Qianmo greets Your Majesty the Empress!" Shen Qianmo said, still neither humble nor arrogant, her voice noticeably louder than before.
Yao Xuekong pretended not to hear, lightly flicking the armor on her hand with a leisurely expression, while Yao Ruoqin looked smug, staring at Shen Qianmo with a hint of resentment in her eyes.
Shen Qianmo glanced at them. Without waiting for Yao Xuekong's instructions, she stood up from the ground on her own.
"How dare you! Her Majesty the Empress didn't tell you to get up, yet you dare to get up on your own!" Yao Ruoqin saw Shen Qianmo stand up by herself and immediately put her hands on her hips, yelling at Shen Qianmo, acting like a dog relying on its master's power.
"When Her Majesty the Empress raised her hand just now, wasn't she telling Qianmo to get up? It seems Qianmo has misunderstood. Does Her Majesty the Empress want Qianmo to keep kneeling?" Shen Qianmo's lips curled into an innocent smile, but her eyes held a hint of coldness.
"How could that be? I simply didn't see Qianmo just now." Yao Xuekong was clearly much more composed than Yao Ruoqin, and she spoke with a solemn smile and a kind demeanor.
She deliberately prevented Shen Qianmo from getting up to teach her a lesson. However, this deliberate act was only known to everyone; no one could provide evidence, leaving Shen Qianmo with no recourse even if she felt wronged. But if she admitted to deliberately making things difficult, the meaning would be entirely different.
"It was my rudeness, Qianmo. I misunderstood Her Majesty the Empress's meaning," Shen Qianmo said with a smile. She had asked that question on purpose to block Yao Xuekong's escape route, making it impossible for her to pretend she hadn't seen her.
"As expected of someone raised in the mountains, she has no manners!" Yao Ruoqin said to Shen Qianmo, unconvinced.
Yao Ruoqin already hated Shen Qianmo to the core after being teased by her at the last poetry recital. Now, Shangguan Che actually said he wanted to marry Shen Qianmo as his principal wife, not even giving her the position of a concubine. How could she possibly swallow this insult! What was so good about Shen Qianmo?! She had neither talent nor beauty.
"Ruoqin, don't be rude." Yao Xuekong reprimanded Yao Ruoqin on the surface, but there was no hint of blame in her tone.
Shen Qianmo gave a cold laugh. In her previous life, Yao Xuekong and Yao Ruoqin played good cop and bad cop. Yao Ruoqin would bully her relentlessly, and Yao Xuekong would pretend to be kind, but in reality, she would indulge Yao Ruoqin in bullying her. Sometimes, she would even pretend not to hear her greetings and make things difficult for her.
"Sister Ruoqin is right. Qianmo has indeed not received much education. Qianmo will go back and convey the shortcomings that Sister Ruoqin pointed out to Father." Shen Qianmo's face did not show any anger, she just looked at Yao Ruoqin calmly, but a hint of threat flashed in her eyes.
"Shen Qianmo! Are you threatening me?!" Yao Ruoqin understood the meaning behind Shen Qianmo's words and pointed at him, shouting.
"Ruoqin! Don't be presumptuous!" This time, Yao Xuekong's tone was somewhat stern as she reprimanded Yao Ruoqin. She gave Yao Ruoqin a look that told her to shut up, then smiled and looked at Shen Qianmo with a more scrutinizing gaze.
This Shen Qianmo doesn't seem as ignorant as she appears. Her seemingly gentle and harmless words actually bring up Shen Lingyun. It's important to know that getting Shen Lingyun's support at this time is also very important for Shangguan Che.
Originally, she had no objection to Shangguan Che's desire to marry Shen Qianmo as his principal wife, but her request not to take concubines was a bit excessive.
Yao Ruoqin has liked Shangguan Che since childhood. If Shangguan Che refuses to marry her, it will inevitably affect the General's support for him. Although he is her own brother, he cannot compare to the deep father-daughter bond between Yao Ruoqin and him.
"Qianmo, I heard that Che'er and you have a very good relationship. But you also know that Che'er will be the emperor in the future, how can he only have you as his concubine?" Yao Xuekong knew that Shen Qianmo was not a pushover, so she began to appeal to her emotions and reason with her.
But Shen Qianmo simply didn't appreciate it.
“Then he shouldn’t marry me. It’s not that I’m determined to marry him.” Shen Qianmo’s expression was indifferent, and there was no hint of joking in her eyes.
"What, what did you say?!" Yao Xuekong was clearly taken aback by Shen Qianmo's response. She had assumed that if she promised Shen Qianmo the Empress's position, Shen Qianmo would agree to Shangguan Che taking Yao Ruoqin as a concubine. However, she hadn't expected Shen Qianmo to say such a thing, and looked at her in astonishment. Did she not even care about the Empress's position?
"I said, if he wants to take a concubine, then he shouldn't marry me. The position of Empress is not something everyone desires!" Shen Qianmo said calmly, a smile playing on her lips but a hint of disdain in her eyes.
Yao Xuekong and Yao Ruoqin were stunned. In their minds, the position of Empress was something every woman would fight tooth and nail for, but Shen Qianmo said she didn't care, and her expression truly showed that she didn't care at all.
"What a big mouth! If you don't want it, then don't seduce Brother Che!" Yao Ruoqin pointed angrily at Shen Qianmo's nose and roared.
"Sister Ruoqin grew up in the manor since childhood. I believe you don't need Qianmo, a girl who grew up in the mountains, to teach you manners!" Shen Qianmo glanced coldly at Yao Ruoqin. Who did she think she was, daring to be so presumptuous!
Chapter Thirty-Six: Yao Ruoqin's Difficulties
"Shen Qianmo, don't be so smug! Do you really think Brother Che likes you?" Yao Ruoqin was even angrier by what Shen Qianmo said. She looked at Shen Qianmo with resentment and was about to blurt out the rest: He was just using you.
Yao Xuekong glared at Yao Ruoqin, a hint of displeasure flashing across her face, and said, "Ruoqin, don't be so ignorant of etiquette!"
"Yes." Yao Ruoqin replied reluctantly, her eyes filled with even more resentment as she looked at Shen Qianmo.
Yao Xuekong glanced at Yao Ruoqin. Yao Ruoqin was her own niece, so she naturally favored her. However, Yao Ruoqin had been really inconsiderate just now. If she hadn't glared at her, she probably would have revealed Shangguan Che's intentions. If Shen Qianmo refused to marry him, Shangguan Che would have lost a great deal of support.
"Ruoqin, don't worry, your aunt will never let you suffer." Yao Xuekong took Yao Ruoqin's hand again and said to her in a low voice.
The power behind Shen Qianmo is not to be underestimated, but Yao Ruoqin's side also needs to be appeased. Although she and Yao Shan are siblings, the bond between them cannot compare to that between children and parents. If Yao Ruoqin goes back and complains to Yao Shan, it might cause more trouble.