Rebirth of Poisoned Empress, by 颜若优雅

Chapter 111

If I'm unfortunate, he would directly turn down the marriage. Wouldn't that only be for the best? It would be tantamount to killing two birds with one stone for you. No, rather, three birds with one stone, as that's what the madame's best at. Just like how you pinned the constitution of cursed star on my head back then and had me sent to the countryside, you were also able to force my elder brother away as well. If it wasn't because elder brother is a capable man, and was able to derive a title and position of third rank Hussar General for himself, who in the Imperial City would still remember my elder brother and my existences? Who would still recall that the heir of the Marquis Donglin Manor is? I'm afraid as far as everyone else is concerned, they would have thought the marquis only had one daughter and one son. Say Marquis, am I right?"

The darker, more calculating, and scheming one's thoughts were, the harder it was to express them publicly, but Shen Liang was merciless as he uttered her thoughts and intents nakedly. In the end, his gaze that aimed pointedly at Shen Ruiting was filled with mockery. He had believed Shen Liang to be a cursed star. He had hated Shen Liang and accused him of killing Wei Zetian since the day he was born. This, Shen Liang could all understand, but Shen Ruiting continuously claimed to love Wei Zetian over and over again, that he loved Shen Liang's elder brother, but Shen Liang couldn't see any of that love at all.

If they had to say someone was a cursed star, from Shen Liang's perspective, there was no better person who described that constitution than Shen Ruiting. If he wasn't so insistent on being filial to an aunt who didn't have even half a drop's blood relationship with him, if he wasn't so soft-herted and believed everything others said, if he wasn't so foolish as to be persuaded by the old madame to find a stepmother to care and look after Shen Da to promote Liu Shuhan into the position of main wife, none of this would have ever happened. In the end, he was the one who allowed and gave Liu Shuhan, the old madame, and the second and third family the audacity to be so arrogant and domineering. 

"That's enough. This marquis naturally has the ability to distinguish right from wrong. I won't force you to be caught in a difficult position between the Shen Family and the Duke of Qingping," Shen Ruiting slapped the desk angrily. He was not a fool. Shen Liang's words seemed to be exposing Liu Shuhan's calculations and schemes blatantly, but most of his words were stated for him to hear. Now that so much had happened, he would be lying if he said he didn't regret some of the decisions he made several years back. But what use did regretting over it serve? Everything had already happened. It was usueless even if he regretted his decisions. Right now, the most pressing matter was to save the children, and not fight amongst his family.

Clap! Clap!

His chastise not only didn't scare Shen Liang, but a moment later, Shen Liang actually clapped his hands with a wide smile on his face. He met Shen Ruiting's furious gaze with unceremonious sarcasm: "The Marquis truly is exceptional at discerning right from wrong. I almost believed it for a moment. That was if you didn't look at me with such complicated and obscure gaze."

"You... unfilial b*stard. I'm your father. Is that how you talk to your father?" Shen Liang's words clearly hit Shen Ruiting's sore spot. He immediately jumped up from anger. If it weren't for Lei Zhen and Yaoguang's presence, he would have already rushed over to slap him.

"Ha!" Shen Liang sneered, "So you do know that you're my father? Shen Xiao committed a crime himself and was just arrested and taken to prison and look at how panicked you already are. If it weren't because of the emperor's edict and the prince Consort involving himself in this matter, I'm afraid you would have already thought of a way to save him now. What about me? Back then, I had just been born and you already wanted me dead. If it wasn't because elder brother who was only five at that time begging you so bitterly that you reluctantly let me go and confined me to the most isolated courtyard in the manor. Fortunately, Dad still had some loyal servants and maids. Under elder brother and their care, I was able to grow up to the age of ten. Even so, within those years, Dad's people were either repeatedly sold away to other places or killed one after another.