"Father, do you mean the Beitang Family, or the Li Family?"
The situation of war in the south had gradually become clear. The common people at the bottom, ordinary grassroots folk, naturally knew nothing. They merely thought there truly were rebels capable of matching the Imperial Court blow for blow, that the rebellion had remained unquelled for years, its momentum immense and its reach extending across several provinces.
Yet anyone with even a little connection, or forces on the level of the Shen Family, knew that the two sides in this contest had never been the Beitang Imperial Clan and the so-called Rebel Army. They were the Beitang Imperial Clan and the Nine Surnames led by the Li Family, along with the forces of the Thirteen Families.
The Shen Family had not taken part, instead watching from the sidelines. In the southeastern lands where war raged without end, preserving Jinling and the surrounding commanderies and counties from the ravages of war was already the limit of what they could do.
Yet though the tree wished for calm, the wind would not cease. Whether it was the Beitang Imperial Clan or the powerful alliance led by the Li Family, both had been striving to win over the Shen Family. After all, they too were one of the Nine Surnames, and they possessed Shen Tianci, one of the two peerless geniuses of the age. Their status and strength carried enormous weight; winning them over would bring tremendous influence and benefit.
The Shen Family understood all too well the danger of this struggle. One careless step could lead to the calamity of their entire clan. They had always remained steady and unmoving, wholeheartedly guarding their own little patch of land and refusing to involve themselves in the clash between the two great powers.