Rebirth of Poisoned Empress, by 颜若优雅

Chapter 4

"State your identity!"

Shortly afterward, two columns of military horses trailed out from the fork of the road. They surrounded a magnanimous and gorgeous carriage. The Ironclad Guard who opened the fork looked at them expressionlessly and exuded an excessively stern and unfriendly demeanor. Qi Yue and QI Xuan were still young and inexperienced. They was something they had never encountered before and their cowardice was inevitable. But Shen Liang calmly raised his head and met his gaze without qualm. His gaze then shifted toward the carriage not far behind.

"This one is the heir of the Marquis Donglin Manor. We encountered bandit upon our return to the Imperial City and give gratitude to the Duke of Qingping for coming to our aid."

The Ironclad Guards were under the Duke of Qingping's rule. Everyone knew this and Shen Liang could ascertain that the one in the carriage could be none other the Duke of Qingping, Pen Yuanxian.

Silence befell them. The Ironclad Guards were anything but benevolent and Qi Yue and Qi Xuan were frightened to the point they neglected to breathe. Only Shen Liang was able to maintain his composure and not the slightest fluctuation could be examined from his expression. 

No one knew how much time passed but the door of the carriage carved from agarwood was gently pushed open. A man silently leaned against the armrest in the carriage. His long black hair flowed to his waist and was tied with only a simple purple ribbon. Some strands freely flew with the wind like ink splashed against his shoulders and highlighted the exquisiteness of his refined features which formed a deep and perfect silhouette. The man had slightly raised lips and a pair of deep pupils that shimmered with a demonic light. His gaze was difficult to meet and once done so, one would find it difficult to breathe as thought their soul had been stripped of seven points, and burned with brilliance. He was enchanting, and exuded an unparalleled nobility throughout his domineering aura. 

He couldn't be older than twenty. His attire was exquisitely embroidered and the purple robe embroidered with golden wire hung loosely over his body. The plunging neckline of his attire revealed a large section of his bronzed skin. It had a enchantingly, seducing appeal. The only problem was the bandaged wounds which marred his chest from sight but could not diminish his charisma that infatuated both men and women. 

Even his own Ironclad Guards who should be accustomed to seeing their lord could not resist the Duke's charisma, much less those who were meeting him for the first time?

In actuality, Qi Yue and Qi Xuan really were dumbfounded. They might as well be drooling but it was a pity that Shen Liang didn't feel anything. Not to mention that his mind could not afford to think in that direction, even if he had the heart to notice this, it was useless. No matter how handsome the Duke was, he himself wasn't lacking himself. Five years of turmoil had reduced him into a weak and feeble stature. In addition to the rough journey, his hair had become disheveled and the fever did nothing but added a sickly and pale delicateness to Shen Liang's features.  Despite everything, his features were exquisite. His delicate willow eyebrows were like a sword, exquisite but never lost its heroism. Shen Liang's eyes were vibrant black stones, deep as the abyss, and the cold gleam was not any less intimidating. It was as though despite his physique, Shen Liang was well capable of tearing down and destroying everything in sight. 

Even the Shen Liang now was fully capable of attracting others, not to mention after a period of time later, when he would have been raised more appropriately. If he was as he was now after facing such hardships, how beautiful would he inevitably become in the near future? His title as the Qin Dynasty's number one beauty wasn't to be taken lightly either. As someone whose features had been carved delicately and exquisitely to perfection himself, Shen Liang couldn't care less about the beauty of the Duke of Qingping. 

Pei Yuanxian's eyes appeared to make a careless, nonchalant sweep over them, but took careful notice of the cold glow in Shen Liang's eyes. In addition to that, his calmness at this moment was also an abnormal sign of fringing insanity. Pei Yuanxian's lips curved into a playful arc. Who would've thought that besides the intriguing Shen Da, there was another interesting little one in the Shen Family.

"Shen Liang? Shen Da's only younger brother?"

Strictly speaking, Shen Liang wasn't Sheng Da's only younger brother. Those Liu Shuhan had given birth to were also considered Sheng Da's younger siblings, but Pei Yuanxian clearly had no intention of taking them into account. Although the sons of the concubine turned legitimate wife could also be considered an legitimate heir, there was still an evident difference between those bastards and the original bloodline. 

"Yes."

Facing the pair of phoenix eyes that seemed capable of penetrating people's hearts, Shen Liang nodded his head. His mind attempted to recall all he could about Pei Yuanxian, the Duke of Qingping. During his previous life, he had minimal to no contact with this man. Besides knowing that this man led the Ironclad Guards and his body would be made into a human skin kite and flown over the city towers as a result of the previous king's envy and the enemy's schemes, Shen Liang knew very little else. The entire country grieved at that time and sought to fulfill traditions necessary to display their grievance and piety over his service, but the royal family determined that his prestige over the people was too overpowering. He old emperor passed the decree that the people should not grieve for him as he would send troop to avenge the Duke of Qingping, but in fact was desperately attempting to erase the people's remembrance of him.

Thinking of this, a flicker of pity could not help but surface in Shen Liang's eyes. It soon vanished with the blink of an eye. 

But commiseration? He was pitying him? 

Despite the distance between them, Pei Yuanxian caught a glimpse of the pity in Shen Liang's eyes. His demeanor remained indifferent, but intrigue had long since soaked his heart. He, the Duke of Qingping, would be pitied by the unfavored heir of the Marquis Donglin Manor? If this was spread around the Imperial City, he wondered  just how many would die from laughter?