"That depends on whether I'm willing or not." Shen Qianmo smiled and looked at Mei Xueqian.
"I will make you do it willingly." Mei Xue's smile became even more flamboyant, and her eyes were even more determined.
Shen Qianmo didn't deny it again. Perhaps subconsciously, she no longer knew how to refuse him. This man had slowly entered her heart in such a forceful yet gentle way, making it impossible for her to exclude him from her world.
Perhaps from the moment she agreed to cooperate with him, their entanglement was destined, destined to be inseparable from each other's worlds. However, the identity of the Blood Demon and his mystery always prevented her from feeling at ease.
Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Banquet, the Imperial Marriage
The second young lady of the Prime Minister's mansion, Shen Qianxin, is virtuous and kind, and is betrothed to the Eighth Prince as his principal wife.
Yao Yuanshan, the son of the great general, was a promising young man and was betrothed to Princess Pian.
The two imperial edicts brought joy to some and sorrow to others.
To celebrate his children's weddings, the Emperor held a banquet to invite the children of his ministers to join him in the festivities.
"Mo'er, the marriage between the Eighth Prince and the Princess has already been arranged, but why is there no news about the Third Prince?" Shen Lingyun asked earnestly, taking Shen Qianmo's hand with a worried expression.
Shen Qianmo looked up at Shen Lingyun, who had a sanctimonious appearance and seemed to have a concerned look in his eyes. But behind that look was blatant exploitation. How could she be so foolish as to be used by him again?
Hopefully, Yao Xuekong has truly stopped this marriage. Otherwise, this drama is getting increasingly interesting. If she offends Yao Shan then, she shouldn't blame her.
Thinking of this, Shen Qianmo revealed a meaningful smile and said to Shen Lingyun, "I suppose it will be difficult to get past the Empress. Father, you should focus on preparing for tonight's banquet; Second Sister is the main character."
"What Mo'er says is true. But Mo'er must keep a close eye on the Third Prince." Shen Lingyun nodded, looking at his daughter with satisfaction. How come he never realized before that his daughter was so insightful?
"Mo'er knows." Shen Qianmo smiled slightly, a hint of amusement flashing in her eyes, and then said, "Father, today is also the day when Second Sister's marriage is announced to the world. Third Sister is still locked up in the other courtyard by Father. It seems a bit inappropriate."
After hearing Shen Qianmo's words, Shen Lingyun looked at her suspiciously, then said with satisfaction, "Mo'er is right. It's rare to see Mo'er being so tolerant. Your third mother deliberately framed you, and you still spoke up for her."
"Mo'er is only thinking of her father," Shen Qianmo said with a smile.
She certainly wasn't acting out of genuine concern for Shen Lingyun. The reason she released Su Luoyan was because she wanted to see what tricks Su Luoyan was up to.
Su Luoyan had always kept a low profile in the Prime Minister's residence, pretending to be gentle and virtuous. Shen Qianmo felt that Su Luoyan was not as gentle and virtuous as she appeared, nor was she as single-minded as she seemed to be for the position of Lady. There seemed to be more secrets hidden behind her.
Last time, she told Su Luoyan that Yin Youlan and Shen Qianyu were killed by her. Su Luoyan seemed very panicked, but there was a calmness deep in her eyes, and even a hint of inquiry.
Having been confined to the villa for so long, Shen Qianmo secretly sent people to observe Su Luoyan and found that Su Luoyan was very calm and did not seem to be greatly affected. This aroused Shen Qianmo's suspicion.
The best way to find out Su Luoyan's true identity and intentions is to release her, lower her guard, and then observe her secretly.
"It's rare to see Mo'er's filial piety. Mo'er, go and prepare for the banquet tonight." Shen Lingyun nodded with satisfaction after hearing Shen Qianmo's words and instructed Shen Qianmo to go and prepare for the banquet.
Shen Qianmo obediently left the lobby and bumped into Shen Qianxin.
Today, Shen Qianxin wore a peach-colored dress with a jade belt, still looking gentle and elegant. Her makeup was not heavy, making her look very comfortable. She truly lived up to her name, Shen Qianxin.
Shen Qianxin smiled gently, but her eyes held a hint of coldness as she looked at Shen Qianmo. "Today, the Emperor will announce my marriage to the Eighth Prince. I wonder when your marriage to the Third Prince will be confirmed?"
"Maybe today too. Maybe it's uncertain." Shen Qianmo smiled nonchalantly, looking calmly at Shen Qianxin, seemingly unconcerned about the marriage.
Shen Qianxin's eyes flickered slightly. Why was Shen Qianmo always so calm and composed? Why couldn't anything she did make Shen Qianmo lose her composure even a little?
She hated this feeling, this feeling of being completely under Shen Qianmo's control!
"My sister isn't worried at all! If Her Majesty the Empress suddenly intervenes and the Third Prince refuses to marry her, I'm really worried about her situation." Shen Qianxin's lips curled into a venomous smile, her expression seemingly concerned for Shen Qianmo, but her eyes were full of mockery.
Shen Qianmo looked at Shen Qianxin with amusement. How could Shen Qianxin's little tricks fool her? She wanted Yao Xuekong to deal with her and prevent her from marrying Shangguan Che. In this way, Shen Lingyun would fully support Shangguan Jin, and Shen Qianxin could then obtain the Empress's throne as she wished.
Unfortunately, things weren't as simple as Shen Qianxin thought. However, she didn't mind making Shen Qianxin's dream come true, because she would turn Shen Qianxin's dream into a nightmare, letting her experience the feeling of falling from the clouds to the bottom, just like the pain that Shen Qianxin, Shen Lingyun, and Shangguan Che had once caused her!
"No need for Second Sister to trouble herself." Shen Qianmo curled the corners of her lips, looking at Shen Qianyu with a hint of disdain. "Qianmo doesn't care about the position of the principal wife, unlike Second Sister, who would do anything for such a position!"
Shen Qianxin was somewhat annoyed by Shen Qianmo's words, but being good at pretending, she didn't completely explode. She just looked at Shen Qianmo coldly and said, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"I know perfectly well what methods my second sister used to win Shangguan Jin's favor after marrying him." Shen Qianmo's smile remained unchanged as she watched Shen Qianxin's drastically changed expression with satisfaction.
Shen Qianxin looked at Shen Qianmo's smiling face and wanted nothing more than to tear her face apart. "Shen Qianmo! You..."
"Qianmo is just concerned about Second Sister. Alright, Second Sister, you should focus on preparing for the banquet. I won't bother you any longer." Shen Qianmo interrupted Shen Qianxin nonchalantly, a hint of languor in her eyes.
As Shen Qianxin watched Shen Qianmo's departing figure, she said with a sinister look, "Shen Qianmo, once I sit on the throne of Empress, I will make you wish you were dead!"
"Qianqian, I have to go to the palace for a banquet tonight." Shen Qianmo returned to the room and saw Qianqian sitting alone on the bed. She went over and said softly.
Qianqian raised her watery eyes and said with a hint of complaint, "Miss has been going to the palace all the time these days, or she has something to do. She doesn't play with Qianqian anymore! Does Miss not like Qianqian anymore?"
"Silly Qianqian, how could that be? How could I not like Qianqian?" Shen Qianmo took Qianqian's hand with a touch of heartache. To her, Qianqian was like a younger sister, how could she bear to see Qianqian suffer?
Qianqian threw herself into Shen Qianmo's arms and said in a coquettish tone, "Miss, you can't abandon Qianqian."
"Silly girl, how could I not want you? After I finish dealing with these matters, we'll go back to the Demon Palace, okay?" Shen Qianmo gently pinched Qianqian's nose and said affectionately.
"Yes, yes! Miss, you mustn't lie to me." Qianqian smiled immediately after hearing Shen Qianmo's words and took Shen Qianmo's hand.
Chapter Forty: The Emperor of Tianmo?
The early autumn night was a bit chilly, but the palace was still bustling with activity, seemingly unaffected by the bleak atmosphere of early autumn, with singing and dancing filling the air.
Shen Qianmo remained dressed simply in a plain white robe, without any embellishment, quietly following behind Shen Lingyun and Shen Qianxin. She did not want to attract attention.
"My beloved ministers, the main reason I am holding this banquet today is for the marriage of Pianpian and Jin'er." A majestic but somewhat weak voice came from behind.
Shangguan Hao wasn't very old, only in his forties, but his health was deteriorating day by day, and he looked very old.
Shen Qianmo looked up at Shangguan Hao, this benevolent yet cowardly monarch. Now, most of the court affairs have fallen into the hands of Shen Lingyun and Yao Shan. He is only the emperor in name. The death of the crown prince a few days ago dealt him a great blow, and he aged a lot overnight.