Chapter 595: Chapter 575: Juicy Yet Sour Fruit
Upon hearing his eldest imperial brother’s remark, Prince Qingyuan did not agree in his heart but dared not retort.
Others believed he was extremely close to the Great Wei Emperor, but Prince Qingyuan was very clear about it.
Being close to the ruler is like being close to a tiger; the Great Wei Emperor allowed him to be more casual and not to emphasize those formalities.
However, if Prince Qingyuan showed even the slightest inappropriate behavior, he would immediately encounter trouble.
"Eldest imperial brother, regarding the marriage alliance, which princess do you think would be suitable for Shen Han?
Why, the Nineteenth Princess is a few years older than Shen Han, her talent, potential, appearance, and demeanor indeed quite match Shen Han."
The Nineteenth Princess should be the most outstanding among all the daughters of the Great Wei Emperor.
If it were a marriage alliance, Prince Qingyuan thought it wouldn’t be an injustice to Shen Han.
"Let’s not consider the Nineteenth.
She is the Third Prince’s younger sister.
If Shen Han marries her, it would feel like I am unfairly favoring the Third Prince and sending support to him.
After some thought, I believe the Sixteenth Princess is more appropriate.
Arrange a marriage alliance between the Sixteenth Princess and Shen Han."
Upon hearing this, Prince Qingyuan’s face showed a hint of difficulty.
"Eldest imperial brother, the Sixteenth Princess..."
"What?
Seventeenth Brother, do you think my princess isn’t worthy of Shen Han?"
Even if he thought so in his heart, Prince Qingyuan could never say it out loud.
"The princess’s noble status certainly makes her more than worthy of Shen Han.
However, I am somewhat concerned; recently, there have been quite a number of rumors about Shen Han’s involvement in affairs with women.
If by any chance, that lad refuses such a good offer, I might..."
In response, the Great Wei Emperor maintained a gentle expression.
"If unwilling to accept, then naturally it must be abandoned.
Though I am the Great Wei Emperor, I cannot force a marriage or recklessly match a pair.
After all, he is already twenty-two now.
The lad needs to understand, the matters of the world aren’t that simple.
The struggles in the Imperial Court are brutal and require compromise.
You’re familiar with him, Seventeenth Brother, it’s perfect for teaching him what compromise is."
Hearing his eldest imperial brother’s words, Prince Qingyuan wished to say more.
But his brother gave him no opportunity, informing him that he had matters to attend and then left alone.
Watching his brother’s back, Prince Qingyuan furrowed his brows completely.
Clearly, his brother intended to use this opportunity to suppress Shen Han.
This is a common royal tactic.
Applying both favor and authority, where there is favor, there must be authority.
Among the many princesses, the Sixteenth Princess falls notably short.
Not only in appearance and potential.
The most crucial factor is status.
The Sixteenth Princess’s mother is a palace maid in the palace.
The mother she calls mother concubine is adopted, not her biological mother.
Without mentioning other things, in Prince Qingyuan’s view, this seems quite unsuitable.
The Yun Family hearing it’s the Sixteenth Princess might very well not agree.
But all this could very well be the Great Wei Emperor’s intention from the start...
The task fell on him, so naturally, Prince Qingyuan could only proceed.
At this moment, over at the Yun Mansion.
Recently, things have been slightly smoother.
Many loose cultivators have begun transforming into pill sellers.
The Great Wei forces, fearing Luo Zuchen’s retaliation, dare not purchase them.
So, these pills are directly sold to the Yan Country, sold to the Qi Country.
High-grade pills have always been in great demand.
The current medicine-refining technique of the Yun Family, just selling high-grade pills, is fully sufficient to maintain the household expenses.
Moreover, there is a large surplus remaining.
Shen Han lay on the bed.
Gazing at the pattern on the ceiling, he thought deeply.
In his previous plan, Shen Han actually intended to use himself as bait to induce Luo Zuchen to take action against him.
He justifies his actions against the aristocratic families’ children as a reason to leave the Yun Mansion.
However, there are many aspects of the current situation Shen Han cannot comprehend.
The attitude of the Imperial Court is peculiar.
With such a big problem occurring in the entire Eastern Garrison.
Even if the Imperial Court wants to delay, they shouldn’t remain completely inactive.
Last night, Shen Han even received a message from Prince Qingyuan.
The letter surprisingly talked about the marriage alliance.
The Imperial Court seems to want to use this opportunity to contain him.
Thinking about these things, Shen Han picked up a piece of tree branch in the courtyard.
With the branch on the ground, he wrote down all of the royal intentions one by one.
Writing them one by one, Shen Han’s understanding grew clearer.
The royal family does not seem concerned at all about the Eastern Garrison’s betrayal.
Their every move seemed more like testing the ministers of the court.
As for himself, it was as if they were deliberately pressuring him.
In a flash, Shen Han seemed to understand the royal tactics.
How do you control someone without enemies, without rivals?
With the backing of the Yun family, access to money, wealth, and pills, lacking none.
Why would such a genius work for the royal family?
The Great Wei Emperor wants Shen Han to rely on the royal family, to serve the royal family fiercely.
The selfless Shen Han might contribute to the Great Wei that nurtured him.
But for the Great Wei Emperor, what he desires is for Shen Han to serve him, not the Great Wei.
From this perspective, the Great Wei Emperor probably hopes that Shen Han, and the forces behind him, would continuously struggle with Luo Zuchen and his faction.
And the ruler of Great Wei mediated and made judgments on the matters within.
The means of an Emperor.
Everyone in the world is his chess piece.
All must be at his disposal.
Moreover, the Great Wei Emperor dares to act this way, probably having long had a strategy for dealing with the mutiny of the Eastern Garrison.
Thinking of this, Shen Han frowned and pulled up a chair to sit down.
Having embarked on cultivation, what he wished for in his heart seemed like a small hope.
He just hoped that he and those around him could find a place of peaceful tranquillity.
Now it seems, this peaceful tranquillity is indeed a luxury for many people.
Even if he doesn’t fight or compete, hoping only for stability.
But once you have some strength, it’s impossible to stay out of things.
With this thought, Shen Han gained more understanding of the Imperial Family of Great Wei.
Very likely, in the eyes of the Imperial Family of Great Wei, Luo Zuchen cannot die.
He will be the best means to restrain himself.
Unfortunately, the Imperial Family of Great Wei miscalculated some things, not accurately assessing his strength.
He is now in the Immortal Realm, and Luo Zuchen cannot restrain him.
Moreover, Luo Zuchen’s insane actions may anytime threaten those around him.
This irreconcilable enmity, how could Shen Han continue to coexist with him.
With these thoughts, Shen Han passed some messages through those loose cultivators who came to purchase pills.
The Great Wei Emperor wants to use such means against him, so he can only think of some methods to put pressure on the Imperial Family of Great Wei.
As for the marriage proposal, Shen Han naturally refused immediately upon hearing it.
No matter the identity or strength of that princess, it is impossible with him.
The lands of Yan and Qi, upon learning of Shen Han’s situation, began to devise plans.
Three years ago in the Ten Nations Grand Competition, Shen Han’s exceptional performance was enough to impress the strong figures of Yan and Qi.
In that Ten Nations Grand Competition, without Shen Han, Great Wei would have faced complete defeat.
There was no way, they could have eventually gained a small advantage.
From the Zhu Family of Yan Country, Miss Zhu Mingxiang even wanted to come alone to talk with Shen Han.
However, she was so highly watched that she was not suitable for a secret visit as an envoy.
Within a few days, several envoys from the lands of Yan and Qi came seeking him.
These envoys were not from Yan or Qi.
But from the small countries under the command of Yan and Qi, arranged to come here.
This way, it would be much more secretive.
Facing the invitations of the envoys, Shen Han neither refused nor agreed.
He didn’t reach a good understanding with Shen Han, but the visiting envoys ended up doing pill business with the Yun Family.
The affordable pills made these envoys think of becoming pill merchants instead.
The comings and goings of the envoys were very secretive, but still, someone’s trail was exposed.
Within the Imperial Palace in the capital city.
The Great Wei Emperor, after the court session, was meeting with some ministers in the Peach Garden today.
Discussing some state affairs.
After the discussion, he had someone summon Prince Qingyuan.
It was already autumn, and the fruit trees in the Peach Garden had started to bear fruit.
The trees in the garden were initially planted for appreciating flowers.
But in autumn, they would bear some fruit.
In some years, the fruits of the Peach Garden were very sweet.
But most of the time, the fruits of the Peach Garden had a sour taste.
The Great Wei Emperor had some fruits picked and placed on the stone table in the garden.
Around 1:00 PM, Prince Qingyuan finally arrived and greeted his eldest imperial brother.
"Seventeenth brother, you may rise from your bow.
How did your talks with Shen Han, the child, go? What was his response to the marriage proposal?"
"The child was somewhat hesitant, not agreeing immediately.
Young people, his heart probably already favors another woman, which is quite normal.
I will advise him more, after all, he is still young..."
Upon hearing Prince Qingyuan’s reply, the Great Wei Emperor did not give an immediate response.
Instead, he casually tossed a letter to him.
The letter detailed recent guests at the Yun Family, mentioning which factions they all came from.
How could Prince Qingyuan not see through this, he immediately saw through the trickery.
The Yun Family was meeting people from the lands of Yan and Qi.
"Seventeenth brother, it seems the lands of Yan and Qi have their eyes on Shen Han.
Indeed, how could they not fancy such a talented disciple?
If they really recruit him, our Great Wei’s public grievances might boil over."
In his words, the Great Wei Emperor did not show a tone of blame.
But Prince Qingyuan knew clearly that his eldest imperial brother was angry.
The scheme he set was not entered by Shen Han, who instead made contact with Yan and Qi to apply pressure.
Shen Han is viewed by the people of Great Wei as the hero who reclaimed glory for Great Wei.
If such a person went to Yan or Qi Country,
the public grievances in Great Wei would cause unknown turmoil.
"Try some of the freshly picked fruits from the garden, they appear quite large."
Handing one to Prince Qingyuan, the Great Wei Emperor also picked up a fruit and bit into it.
The juice was plentiful, but the fruit had a sour and bitter taste.
Not the sweetness one would expect.
"They look so large, yet the taste is surprisingly sour and bitter.
Some people are like this fruit, appearing excellent, but only bring disappointment when you experience it."
With that said, the Great Wei Emperor took another bite of the fruit.
Until he devoured the entire fruit, even crushing and swallowing the core.
