Chapter 20: Why Did You Choose Me?

Inside the carriage, Leng Yichen sat quietly against one side, expressionless. His eyes were like deep, tranquil pools—still and unmoving—resembling a statue.

“Your Highness...” Shen Ningshuang barely began to speak before Leng Yichen cut her off coldly.

“I’ve met the person, and it seems you had a good conversation. Shouldn’t you properly thank me for that?”

Interrupted, Shen Ningshuang felt a surge of frustration. Though she knew this man well, she couldn’t decipher the sarcasm hidden beneath his words.

“So, Your Highness, how would you have me repay this favor?”

Leng Yichen didn’t answer her question directly. Instead, he asked abruptly, as if changing the topic entirely, “Are you so courteous in front of him? Do you speak to him with such deference?”

Shen Ningshuang stared at him for a moment, weighing his meaning. A flicker of doubt crept into her heart—could it be... he was jealous?

But he had clearly despised her, even once entertained killing her.

After much thought, she realized men were often like this; even if they didn’t want something, they couldn’t bear to see others touch it.

The carriage wheels rolled steadily onward. Both sat in silence, the atmosphere heavy and tense.

As they neared the Shen residence, Leng Yichen finally spoke. “You said you were willing to be used by me?”

Her heart trembled. Had he begun to make plans?

Or had he long planned this, but never trusted her enough to reveal it?

Without waiting for her reply, he continued, “If I choose to believe you—believe you harbor no ill will and that you will serve me—then tell me, why choose me?”

His gaze pierced straight into Shen Ningshuang.

Her expression grew serious, rare for her. Though she didn’t understand why Leng Yichen had suddenly changed his attitude, this was an opportunity she couldn’t waste.

“Your Highness, the saying ‘great achievements cause fear in one’s sovereign’ is well understood by both the Shen family and yourself. The court’s power struggles are complex, and every move affects the whole. The current emperor dares not make bold moves; he chips away at various factions little by little, including you and the Shen family.

“But this is slow, and the emperor grows old. Without decisive action, the situation won’t change much during his reign.

“However, times have changed. The princes have grown into men, sharpening their ambitions. Who knows when upheaval might erupt in the palace? Should the emperor meet an untimely end and the crown prince ascend, the old regime would be overturned completely.

“Such a drastic shift would be detrimental—perhaps catastrophic—for you and the Shen family. After all, the crown prince’s character is widely known, and I cannot stand by and watch the Shen family fall into ruin.”

At these words, Leng Yichen immediately interjected, “But what if it’s not the crown prince who ascends? The fifth prince, born of the imperial consort, is currently the fiercest contender because his maternal family wields more power than the empress. He could very well win.

“Or... don’t you think the third prince is also a worthy candidate?”

Without hesitation, Shen Ningshuang replied, “The third prince has no desire for the throne.”

Leng Yichen’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.

She felt uneasy. Explaining her relationship with Leng Zhaowen was complicated.

Between them was a deep bond—not the profound love Leng Yichen had for her, nor the simple sibling affection she shared with Shen Muyun.

She couldn’t find the right words to describe it. They understood and respected each other completely and trusted one another wholeheartedly—but no word could capture it.

Leng Yichen, however, was incapable of comprehending this.

“Your Highness, we...” she began.

“Continue. Why not the fifth prince?” he urged.

She sighed inwardly. Since he was so set, there was no point in over-explaining. Time would reveal all.

“The fifth prince’s qualities are both his strength and his weakness. He is unremarkable in any one area, so if he ascends, he may struggle to command absolute authority.

“His maternal family will surely try to control him. The imperial consort is clearly dependent on her family. When their power grows so great as to influence the throne, a conflict with the Shen family is inevitable—and that’s a situation I want to avoid.”

Leng Yichen pressed further, “What if the Shen family threw its full support behind a prince without established backing?”

“I have considered it,” she replied, “but since our ancestors, the Shen family has upheld loyalty to the state. My father and elder brother have fought to ensure the family’s stable succession in the power struggles—not to be petty usurpers.”

A hint of a smile crossed Leng Yichen’s face, as if hearing an amusing contradiction. “You don’t want power, yet you seek rebellion?”

She understood his meaning perfectly.

Leaning in slightly, she lowered her voice. “Your Highness, do you remember what Master Mingkong told you?”

Leng Yichen’s gaze fell, lost in thought.

Master Mingkong’s prophecy was said to be infallible—yet Leng Yichen didn’t fully trust such mystical matters.

He knew that if he wished to become emperor, he could not do so by legitimate means.

At heart, he was an upright and honorable man; he wouldn’t seize what was not rightfully his.

If there was a way to protect himself without earning eternal infamy, he would take it.

Shen Ningshuang looked at him cautiously and ventured, “Your Highness, have you ever wondered if the current emperor’s throne was truly earned legitimately, without blemish?”

A sudden cold light flashed in Leng Yichen’s eyes. His fierce aura surged like a tidal wave, pressing toward her.

“What do you mean?”

“Your Highness, the late emperor had twelve sons. In terms of favor and ability to govern, the current emperor is not the most suitable. So by what means did he suddenly rise to power?

“The late emperor never named a crown prince during his reign. And when he was dying, you were not by his side. Did you not suspect something was amiss?”

At last, Leng Yichen’s eyes brightened with understanding. He grasped why Shen Ningshuang had forsaken the broad, open path to seek him out in secret.

She must know some earth-shattering secret. Her probing was so blatant now that if he failed to see it, he would be a fool.

She hadn’t been clearer before because she didn’t fully trust him.

This secret was no trivial matter—it could reshape the realm’s entire order. She had to tread carefully.

But would she reveal everything to him without reserve?

Most importantly—how did she come to know it?

For a moment, he was at a loss for what to say. Should he question her? Press her? Yet knowing her nature, if she was determined to keep silent, no means would pry open her lips.