Chapter 407

Time slowly passed. The officials sitting in the hall felt like they had been sitting on pins and needles. Then, the sound of the announcement at the door rang out. The Second Prince, the Third Prince, and the Fourth Prince arrived at the same time.

When they entered the hall, they felt that the atmosphere was too oppressive. They glanced at their seats and felt relieved when they did not see Baili Junyi and Shen Ninghua. Although they did not want to admit it, they felt fear and dread toward Baili Junyi.

Not long after the Third Prince sat down, an announcement at the door sounded, “The Fifth Prince and princess Zhaohua have arrived.”

The ministers immediately sat up and restrained their expressions.

With a smile on their faces, Baili Junyi and Shen Ninghua walked in one after the other.

Being stripped of his official title, Baili Junyi wore ordinary prince’s clothes with a jade crown on his head and a ring pendant around his waist. Despite his simple attire, he looked even slenderer and more handsome. He curled his lips into a faint smile, and even his eyes were filled with joy, but the officials gasped in fright when they met his eyes. Baili Junyi’s aura was as cold as ice and as sharp as a sword. Just his gaze alone was enough to cut open a person’s heart.

Shen Ninghua was not wearing formal princess attire. Instead, she was wearing an ordinary blue dress with a blue belt loosely wrapped around her slender waist. As she walked, her skirt swayed gracefully, and the tip of a pair of light-colored embroidered shoes was revealed. She stood beside Baili Junyi with an indifferent expression. Their auras resonated with each other, one strong and one soft. The man was like a sword, and the woman was like water, and the two of them looked like the sun and moon shining brightly.

The two of them walked to their seats and sat down. Baili Junyi bowed to the princes at the side. “Second Royal Brother, Third Royal Brother, Fourth Royal Brother, I haven’t seen you for a long time. How are you?”

The Third Prince sneered, “It should be us who asked that question, Fifth Brother. So many things have happened to you recently. Are you okay?”

Baili Junyi smiled gently, his face full of satisfaction. “I’m okay. I’m very okay. I don’t need to attend morning courts, and I don’t need to deal with the daily shenanigans. I can spend all my time in the mansion with my dear wife and my cute children. It is such a comfortable life.”

The Third Prince’s eyes were full of ridicule. “You are really easy to get satisfied.”

“It sounds easy, but it is not easy to actually do it. We don’t have anything that troubles us in the mansion, so we can enjoy our lives with peace of mind.”

Was he implying that their backyards were not peaceful?

Shen Ninghua sat at the side and watched indifferently, but she was jeering inside. Indeed, the princes’ backyards were very chaotic at this moment. After the Emperor bestowed bedroom concubines to all the princes, these bedroom concubines used all their might to strive for a place in the backyard before the official princess and side concubines entered the backyard. Some were even said to get pregnant but have a miscarriage within a few days. Among the news Hong Ling had recently gathered and reported, the occurrence of such incidents was very high.

The Third Prince glanced coldly at Baili Junyi. Suppressing the resentment in his heart, he sat down in his seat. After Baili Jinze nodded at Baili Junyi, he did not have any other reaction. He looked as if it had nothing to do with him. After witnessing his third brother’s speechlessness, the Fourth Prince decided to stay quiet, so as not to be targeted by Baili Junyi.

Seeing that the princes had quieted down, the rest of the officials and their family members did not dare to make a sound. For a time, the hall was so quiet that one could hear the sound of a pin dropping to the ground. When Baili Qingcang walked in with the Crown Prince, he paused for a moment before returning to normal. He did not expect that just letting Baili Junyi out would have such an effect.

“Announcing the arrival of His Majesty and the Crown Prince.”

The ministers all heaved a sigh of relief. The atmosphere just now was simply too terrifying. It almost made them unable to breathe. With the Emperor suppressing the princes, it was finally better.

After everyone finished kowtowing, Baili Qingcang sat on the throne. “Rise.”

“Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty.”

The officials had just gotten up when they heard a clear voice. “Father Emperor, Ninghua and I pay our respect to you. We thank you for forgiving us.”

Baili Junyi and Shen Ninghua knelt on the ground together and bowed to Baili Qingcang.

“You… get up.”

Baili Junyi looked up with gratitude in his eyes. “Thank you, Father Emperor.”

Baili Qingcang nodded lightly. When he saw Shen Ninghua’s seat, he ordered the eunuch, “Princess Zhaohua is now pregnant. Add two more cushions to her seat and give her two cups of my nourishing soups.”

“Yes.”

Hearing this, the officials below felt very regretful and frightened. The Emperor was intentionally playing the cat and mouse trick with them, wasn’t he?! If they had known that Baili Junyi could make a comeback one day, they would not have condemned Baili Junyi in court at all!

Shen Ninghua got up and half-squatted. “Thank you, Father Emperor, for your consideration. I was not sensible before, so I have made you worried.”

“Alright, sit down. You have the same temper as Junyi. I was so angry that I wanted to kill the two of you. But on second thought, although you were stubborn and paranoid, it was understandable. Take care of yourself during the pregnancy and give Junyi a baby boy. I don’t want to interfere in your business anymore.”

Baili Junyi stood up and knelt down again. His face was slightly red. “Thank you, Father Emperor. Thank you for your magnanimity. It was my fault for being insensible. I spoke without thinking and said whatever I thought. After many days of reflection in the mansion, I truly understood Father Emperor’s painstaking efforts. You were thinking about the reputation of me and Ninghua. I was too selfish, and I acted recklessly after making up my mind. If it hadn’t been for your understanding, I wouldn’t have known what to do.”

When the Third Prince and the other princes heard this, they almost vomited in disgust. They had no idea that Baili Junyi could be so shameless. He sounded like a baby! He would definitely look like a toddler if he rolled on the ground and cried right now. Even more horrifyingly, the Emperor seemed to believe his words! He was indeed old and muddle-headed.

When Baili Qingcang heard this, he felt reassured in his heart. After confirming that Baili Junyi was innocent, he was completely biased toward Baili Junyi. The reason why he wanted to see if Baili Junyi was resentful towards him was just to find psychological comfort for himself. Comparing them with the princes and considering their previous cynical actions, he had to admit that Baili Junyi and Shen Ninghua had always been mellow and humble in nature. That was why they went all out to save him when the Empress rebelled back then.

Now, after listening to Baili Junyi’s words, Baili Qingcang became more certain of his thoughts. Baili Junyi must be the only one among the princes who genuinely wanted him to be safe and sound.

“Alright, stop kneeling. Go back to your seat and sit properly.”

Baili Junyi stood up. “Father Emperor, I haven’t seen you for many days. Today, I have prepared a gift. I hope to present it to you in person.”

“You have prepared a gift? Bring it up.” Baili Qingcang felt even happier in his heart.

Two eunuchs were holding trays with scrolls neatly placed on them.

“Father Emperor, during the few days when I have been grounded, I felt guilty and uneasy in the mansion, so I copied some quotes in Book of Filial Piety and Buddhist scriptures to pray for your health and well-being. I hope that you don’t mind.”

Looking at the scrolls on the trays, Baili Qingcang was a little surprised. “Did you copy all of these by yourself?”

“Yes.”

Baili Qingcang walked down, picked up one of the scrolls, and took a look at a copy of Book of Filial Piety. The handwriting was meticulous and tidy. As soon as he opened it, he smelled a faint fragrance of ink. It could be seen that Baili Junyi had put much effort into the preparation of the papers and ink. Moreover, he could not have copied such a large number of scrolls in just a few days. He would need more than ten days to complete this. It meant that Baili Junyi began to copy as soon as he was grounded, which showed how much he had reflected on his conduct. At the thought of this, Baili Qingcang could feel that the final doubt dispersed in his heart. He nodded happily.

“You’re a good son, and you deserve to be praised for your filial piety.”

Hearing the praise, Baili Junyi was particularly excited. “No matter how many scrolls I write, I can’t express the excitement and gratitude in my heart to be able to get Father Emperor’s understanding and support.”

“You are my son. There is no need to be so shy. Well, sit down and enjoy your time. Today is the farewell dinner for the Sixth Prince of the Great Yue Kingdom and Princess Anyue. We can’t just let you talk non-stop.” Baili Qingcang’s tone carried a faint trace of pleasure as he teased Baili Junyi. This kind of intimate and natural attitude made the Third Prince and the others on the side anxious. It seemed that Father Emperor really wanted to trust Baili Junyi again!

Baili Qingcang asked the eunuchs to carry the scrolls of Book of Filial Piety that Baili Junyi had copied to the Southern Imperial Study. Then, he returned to his seat and said, “Summon the Sixth Prince of the Great Yue Kingdom and Princess Anyue.”

The eunuch’s slightly sharp voice sounded, and his tone was particularly loud. “His Majesty summons the Sixth Prince of the Great Yue Kingdom and Princess Anyue into the hall!”

This banquet also served as the last formal banquet held for Bu Jinglan and Lin Feiran, so both of them were dressed up formally. Bu Jinglan was dressed in the formal royal prince wear of the Great Yue Kingdom. He looked dashing and noble. Lin Feiran was dressed in a red palace dress. Her appearance was pretty, and her face was like beautiful jade. The two of them walked in side by side. The sight of the handsome man and the beautiful woman standing together was particularly dazzling.

Receiving the envious gazes of the surroundings, Lin Feiran finally felt a sense of superiority that she hadn’t felt for a long time. She swept around the surroundings with her proud gaze, and when she spotted Shen Ninghua in plain clothes, she paused slightly and then arrogantly looked away.

Shen Ninghua naturally noticed her gaze, but she didn’t care at all. After today, they would never meet again, so she couldn’t be bothered by her little tricks.

Bu Jinglan and Lin Feiran bowed to Baili Qingcang and accepted his blessings. “I hope that the two of you can work together and grow old together.”

After Baili Qingcang finished speaking, the two of them thanked him. Lin Feiran turned to Noble Consort Qi at the side and bowed at her, feeling a little awkward. Originally, Noble Consort Li should be the one to appear in this segment, but she was not arranged to be seated next to Baili Qingcang despite the Emperor allowing her to attend the banquet. Therefore, the favored Noble Consort Qi took her place.

Noble Consort Qi had someone bring a jade ruyi and the fruit representing peace over and personally handed them to Lin Feiran. “After you marry the Sixth Prince, you must respect your husband and give him many children.”

“Yes, thank you for your teachings, Noble Consort Qi.”

Noble Consort Li, who was sitting at the seat below, wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. Her face was full of sorrow and sadness. However, Baili Qingcang did not want to even bat an eye at her. When she raised her head, she met Noble Consort Qi’s teasing and contemptuous look. She immediately wanted to tear her apart. Bitch!

After the ceremony, Baili Qingcang nodded. “Alright, the banquet begins.”