HBWMA -Chapter 413 A Windfall from Heaven

The hall instantly fell silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone’s gaze turned in unison toward Shen Zhuang.

This was the question they cared about most.

Compared to the others, Shen Lanxi and Shen Guiling’s expressions carried a trace more complexity.

Originally, they had thought that Jiang Huashan and Fu Sui’er were simply unlucky victims caught in the crossfire. But now it seemed they had been deliberately targeted. In other words, even without Shen Lanxi’s plan, someone else would have secretly tried to harm Jiang Huashan.

Realizing this, the two of them simultaneously developed the intent to eliminate the threat.

Jiang Huashan lifted her head, her expression calm as she looked at Shen Zhuang.

Meeting everyone’s gaze, Shen Zhuang slowly shook his head. “We only know the attack was aimed at Xiao Hua, but we still don’t know who’s behind it.”

A darker undercurrent flickered in Shen Jiao’s eyes. She leaned back slightly against her chair, remaining silent.

Shen Rang frowned thoughtfully. “Could it be the same group that tried to assassinate Zhizhi two years ago? Sui’er, Lanlan, Zhizhi, and now Huashan… It does seem like someone has set their sights on the daughters of the Shen family.”

Shen Che’s expression turned grim. “Who could it be? To not even spare the youngest girl in the family—could it be some deep-seated blood feud with us?”

Knowing that the more he said, the more mistakes he might make, Shen Qian stayed silent, quietly watching the old master at the head seat.

Shen Zhuang raised a hand, cutting off everyone’s speculation. “We’ll talk about this after we’ve investigated further. For now, there’s a more important matter to discuss.”

More important?

Everyone’s expressions tightened slightly.

Jiang Huashan lowered her head and took a bite of the lion’s head meatball, guessing that her grandfather must have his reasons for steering the conversation this way.

Shen Zhuang turned to Shen Qian. “I heard Gu Lou and Qiao Si jointly submitted a proposal to adjust military appointments?”

Shen Qian hadn’t expected the old master to suddenly shift the topic to him. His heart trembled slightly, but he kept his composure, glancing at Shen Zhuang before nodding. “Yes.”

This proposal mainly aimed to change the promotion process within military affairs. Previously, only officers selected through military-political academies were eligible to advance into the Military Affairs Center. But this time, the proposal included Jinggang National Defense as well.

The military-political academies had high entry requirements, mostly admitting second-generation military elites. Jinggang National Defense, on the other hand, had relatively lower military thresholds, generally catering to the children of officials and wealthy families.

If this proposal passed, it would break A Country’s long-standing tradition of military inheritance, merging military power with political power.

But how did the old master know? This proposal had only been brought up in a meeting that very morning.

Shen Zhuang asked, “What do you think?”

The Shen family represented the greatest concentration of military power in A Country, having produced two top-ranking generals. Gu Lou’s proposal was essentially barging in to take a share of the Shen family’s pie.

Naturally, Shen Qian had no intention of letting it pass.

He didn’t dare conceal anything and answered honestly, “Gu Lou has joined forces with the Zhou and Qiao families and secured quite a number of votes. On top of that, public opinion favors opening military assessments to a wider population, so…”

Shen Zhuang said firmly, “No matter what method you use, you must suppress this proposal.”

Shen Qian froze for a moment. Ever since he took charge, the old master had rarely shown such a forceful stance on any matter.

Shen Zhuang tapped the table, his tone leaving no room for argument. “If you don’t even have this much capability, what use is the Shen family relying on you?”

Shen Qian immediately composed himself, stood up, and bowed his head. “Father, rest assured. I know what to do.”

Shen Zhuang nodded. “In recent years, the Shen family’s power has been like oil poured onto blazing fire—glorious, yes, but danger has been closing in step by step. The matter at the estate must be thoroughly investigated. We can also use this opportunity to set some rules for Whale Harbor’s situation, so that no petty riffraff dares to provoke me again.”

Suddenly, the old man’s fingers paused, as if he had thought of something. He turned his gaze to the side. “Lanxi, during these troubled times, your grandfather won’t have the time to look after you. You should go to the 313th Division and temper your character.”

At these words, Shen Qian, Shen Che, and Shen Rang were all stunned.

Shen Lanxi himself was also caught off guard, looking at Shen Zhuang with a hint of confusion.

“I’ve already arranged for you to participate in two months of military training with the unit,” Shen Zhuang said. “You’ll stay at the 313th for two months and come back when school starts.”

“Huh?” Jiang Huashan let out a soft exclamation.

In her previous life, Shen Lanxi had only gone to the 313th Division the day after getting engaged to her. Dissatisfied with his grandfather arranging the marriage so arbitrarily, he had gone straight to the army to avoid it for half a year.

She hadn’t expected that in this life, his connection with the 313th Division would begin like this.

It had to be said—her grandfather’s decision to send Shen Lanxi to the 313th Division at this moment was truly well-intentioned.

If Shen Qian forcefully suppressed the proposal, it would definitely offend many parties. When cornered, people might lash out recklessly, and incidents like the assassination attempt at the estate could very well happen again.

The 313th Division was Shen Xi’s direct military force. If Shen Lanxi went there, his safety would be under the protection of a military division—who would dare oppose a force of ten thousand elite soldiers?

Not only that, at just twenty years old, Shen Lanxi would be able to enter the 313th Division as a trainee. If he managed to earn military merit during missions, then even after the proposal came into effect, his path of promotion would be far smoother than that of his peers.

Something must have changed beyond her knowledge for her grandfather to advance his plans from the previous life.

There were no fools in the Shen family. The old man’s move wasn’t subtle at all—everyone present could clearly see his favoritism toward Shen Lanxi.

Shen Che and Shen Rang exchanged a glance and wisely lowered their heads to drink tea.

Shen Qian’s expression darkened. The old man had calculated this well—letting him take on the burden of offending others, only to turn around and send Shen Lanxi into the 313th Division. Once Shen Lanxi gained control over the division, all his years of planning would come to nothing.

After all these years, the old man was still as stubborn as ever. When Shen Xi was alive, he had been nothing more than nourishment for Shen Xi—and now, he was expected to pave the way for Shen Xi’s son.

Shen Qian clenched his fists tightly. Back then, he had been weak and alone, forced to obey the old man. But now… he might not be without a chance to fight back.

With that thought, a trace of resolve flashed in his eyes. He raised his hand to push himself up from the chair—but suddenly, a weight pressed down on him from the side, pulling him back.

Shen Qian froze for a moment. Turning his head, he realized it was Shen Guiling looking at him. There was clear concern in his eyes, and he gave a nearly imperceptible shake of his head.

Shen Qian looked down at the hand on his arm, and a glimmer of light suddenly appeared in his eyes.

Who doesn’t have a son?

Instead of lifting someone else’s son, why not support his own?

Suppressing Shen Guiling’s hand, Shen Qian stood up. “Father, if I forcibly suppress the proposal, I will surely become a thorn in many people’s sides. A-Ling has already been targeted by pirates before—I’m worried he’ll be implicated because of me.”

Shen Guiling frowned. “Father, I’m not afraid.”

“Silence.” Shen Qian rebuked him coldly, then turned back to Shen Zhuang. “Father, A-Nian is my failure in upbringing, but A-Ling is a good child.”

Shen Zhuang pondered for a moment, then nodded. “You’re right. I hadn’t considered that carefully. If you have any ideas, speak freely.”

Shen Qian was taken aback, almost flattered. Since when had the old man ever been so agreeable to him? Clearing his throat, he said, “Previously, Admiral Mu from the South Bay Fleet has always spoken highly of A-Ling. Why not take this opportunity to let A-Ling go to the South Bay Guard for some experience?”

Shen Guiling: “…”