Chapter 414

Lin Yue didn’t want to attend Madam Lin’s funeral, so he came up with an excuse that he was ill. The once dignified Noble Consort Li was denounced as a concubine. More importantly, she didn’t even have a gravesite in the imperial mausoleum and could only be buried in the consort mausoleum. The Lin Family was truly disgraced by this.

Shen Ninghua originally wanted to ask for sick leave from the funeral, but Noble Consort Qi personally sent someone to deliver a message inviting Shen Ninghua to Chunlan Palace. Baili Junyi was very worried. “Ninghua, if you don’t want to go, you needn’t worry that Noble Consort Qi will put you in a difficult position.”

Shen Ninghua shook her head. “Noble Consort Qi’s personality is the most unique and special. There is no one like her in the palace. She wouldn’t have sent someone to deliver the message if she had not had something important to say. I think I’d better go and meet her.”

Hong Ling who was standing beside reminded, “Miss, no one can say for sure about this matter. Moreover, there is one particular piece of news among the messages that I received. General Ningyuan reported to the Emperor that her legitimate daughter was ill all of a sudden and that she couldn’t go on with the wedding, and he asked the Emperor to retract the imperial edict. The Emperor agreed. Later, Bu Yonghan went to Noble Consort Qi’s palace several times. I felt that they were planning something. I think it’s better for you to stay back this time.”

Shen Ninghua frowned slightly, and her voice became a little hesitant. “Bu Yonghan… Compared with Bu Tinghe, she is indeed much more intelligent. She will not make the mistakes that Bu Tinghe made. At least, she will not choose to go against me before she successfully marries Second Prince.”

Baili Junyi held Shen Ninghua’s shoulder and tucked her drenched hair back behind her ears. “Ninghua, it is better not to take the risk.”

Looking at his worried expression, Shen Ninghua nodded. “Alright. In that case, please send a message on my behalf and tell Noble Consort Qi in person that I’m not feeling well. Also, ask Uncle Chen to prescribe me some medicine for the baby. We have to put on a convincing show.”

Baili Junyi personally went to Chunlan Palace and apologized to Noble Consort Qi. She did not blame Shen Ninghua. Instead, she rewarded Shen Ninghua with many medicinal herbs to nourish her body. After Baili Junyi left, Bu Yonghan walked out from behind the screen with an apologetic smile on her face. “Your Grace, it’s all my fault for being too concerned, and you ended up as an annoying person in this matter.”

Noble Consort Qi shook her head and did not mind. “It doesn’t matter. His Majesty has already informed me that your marriage with Jinchuan has already been set in stone. We’ll be one big family soon. Let’s just live a peaceful and happy life together. You don’t have to think too much.”

“Yes, thank you for your kind advice. Your Grace, please take care of yourself and rest more since there have been many things happening in the palace. I’ll take my leave first.”

“Alright,” Noble Consort Qi responded with a smile. The smile on her face gradually faded after Bu Yonghan left the palace.

The nurse, who was waiting on the side, stepped forward and massaged Noble Consort Qi’s shoulders. “Your Grace, if you don’t want to see Princess Yonghan, just tell Second Prince. You don’t have to do this just to please her. There are indeed too many things happening in the palace lately, and you have to arrange Madam Lin’s funeral. You haven’t had a good rest for a few days.”

Noble Consort Qi rubbed her temples and lamented in a tired voice, “After all, she is going to marry Jinchuan, so I have to get where she’s coming from. From the looks of it, she is another troublesome girl. She’s even worse than Madam Zhou.”

The nurse persuaded, “Second Prince has the right and firm mind. Even if Second Princess has plans of her own, she won’t be able to affect His Highness. Please don’t worry about her.”

“You underestimate the influence of women, especially the beautiful and smart ones.” Noble Consort Qi shook her head. “Forget it. His Majesty wanted to use Bu Yonghan to win the Great Yue Kingdom over. It’s too late to say anything now. I can only accept the fact, albeit reluctantly. If I had known this earlier, I should have let Jinchuan marry another girl sooner. Why…”

“Your Grace, the situation is not that bad. Are you overthinking it?”

“Marrying a good wife is a serious business. She schemed against Madam Lin even before she married Jinchuan. Now, she has used me to test Shen Ninghua’s limit many times. I bet she wants to do something during the funeral. It’s a disaster and a curse to have such a reckless woman in our family.”

The nurse did not dare to speak anymore, and she quietly massaged Noble Consort Qi’s shoulders. After a while, Noble Consort Qi sighed, “Forget it, be it a curse or a blessing, as her mother-in-law, I wouldn’t just sit back and do nothing if she went too far.”

Shen Ninghua could reject Noble Consort Qi’s invitation by stating that she was sick, but she had to attend Madam Lin’s funeral no matter what. Moreover, Baili Junyi didn’t have other wives or concubines except for Shen Ninghua, not even a secondary wife who could deal with this kind of situation.

In two weeks, Changqiu Palace was completely different from before. The originally magnificent palace revealed a bleak aura, and even the flowers and plants in the courtyard lost some vitality.

The Third Prince and the Fourth Prince were dressed in white linen clothes. They knelt side by side in front of the dark red coffin. The expression on their faces was a little numb, especially the Third Prince. Ever since Madam Lin died, he had been plagued with nightmares almost every night. Every time, he would dream of Madam Lin’s words before she went to take the blame for the crimes. “I’m waiting for you to take me out of here… I’m waiting for you to take me out of here…” These words had transformed into a nightmare. Every day after he woke up, he would be drenched in a cold sweat, and he could no longer sleep. In just three days, he had been tormented to the point of turning scrawny.

Shen Ninghua and Baili Junyi did not come early. The Crown Prince had already paid respect on behalf of Baili Qingcang and was standing calmly at the side.

There were many low-ranking concubines kneeling on the ground. However, there was not much sadness on their faces. In fact, some of them gloated in delight after the demise of the once-powerful noble consort. Although the concubines concealed their emotions very well, people could still spot the difference when they took a closer look at their faces. Since the Emperor did not mind about her funeral, they did not have to cry so sadly. It was better for them to dress up beautifully in order to attract the Emperor’s attention.

Shen Ninghua and Baili Junyi went forward to offer incense but did not kneel to pay their respects. Although the funeral procession was organized according to the standards for a noble consort, Madam Lin had been denounced and sent to Cold Palace, and the Emperor had not restored her position as a noble consort after her death. The princes had done more than enough by attending her funeral.

After offering the incense, Shen Ninghua couldn’t help but glance at the Third Prince. Her eyes flashed slightly and then returned to normal. Just after the incense was offered, Noble Consort Qi walked over. Everyone hurriedly got up and saluted.

Noble Consort Qi wore plain clothes. After asking everyone to stand up, she lit the incense and bowed respectfully. “Sister Lin, rest in peace and have a peaceful afterlife. Don’t let the two children worry about you.”

After offering the incense, she did not leave. Instead, she looked at Shen Ninghua who was at the side. “Ninghua, I wanted to talk to you the other day, but it was unfortunate that you were not feeling well. Are you feeling better today?”

Recently, Shen Ninghua had severe morning sickness. Not only had she lost a lot of weight, but even now, her face was particularly pale. “I’m very sorry that I couldn’t go to see you when you sent the invitation. I didn’t expect that Your Grace still cares about me.”

“You are pregnant now, so you should rest more. Look at you, you have lost a lot of weight. It’s very stuffy here. Don’t stay here, it’s not good for your pregnancy. Let’s go out for a walk.”

“Okay.”

Baili Junyi’s heart skipped a beat. After watching Shen Ninghua leave with Noble Consort Qi, he made an eye gesture at Qing Que and Xia Rouqin, and the two girls quickly followed Shen Ninghua.

Noble Consort Qi kept holding Shen Ninghua’s hand and seemed to be protecting her. The two of them walked for a while and then sat down in a pavilion on the side. The palace servants hurriedly served tea and snacks.

The two talked about the topics of pregnancy and children, and they enjoyed the warm atmosphere very much. After a while, a palace servant rushed over. “Your Grace, the Third Prince has fainted. He has been sent to the side palace to rest.”

Noble Consort Qi frowned and sighed, “It is understandable for him to be too sad because of his mother’s death. Has the imperial doctor been summoned to check on him?”

“Yes, the Crown Prince has already sent his men to summon the imperial doctor. He should be here soon.”

“I will go take a look. Ninghua, you don’t look well either. Sit here and rest for a while. Changqiu Palace is quite crowded now. I don’t want you to be affected.”

“Yes, thank you, Your Grace.”

When Noble Consort Qi left, Qing Que and Xia Rouqin quickly came over. “Miss, are you okay?”

Shen Ninghua shook her head. “I’m fine.” The Third Prince was the one who was in trouble now. She didn’t know who harmed him this time, but that person was a bit too ruthless…

“Greetings, Princess Zhaohua.”

Shen Ninghua turned around and saw Bu Yonghan walking over. She was not surprised. “Greetings, Princess Yonghan.”

Bu Yonghan smiled. “It really is not easy to see Your Highness.”

“I’ve been feeling unwell recently and have been resting in the mansion. I wonder why you want to see me, Princess Yonghan?”

Bu Yonghan walked over to Shen Ninghua and sat down. The smile on her face grew wider and wider. “Princess Zhaohua, the wedding date between Second Prince and I has been set, but the Emperor did not announce it because of Madam Lin’s matters.”

Shen Ninghua’s expression was calm. “Congratulations, Princess Yonghan.”

“Thank you. We will be sisters-in-law in the future. We should keep in touch and get along more often.” Despite the smile on her face, she didn’t look sincere. The beam was like a disguise on her face. “I heard that you seem to be close to Second Prince.”

“Where did you hear that?” Shen Ninghua asked coldly.

“It’s been a while ago, and I can’t remember it clearly.”

“A wise person does not believe in rumors. Princess Yonghan, you should be especially clear about such a simple truth.”

“Yes, I originally thought that there was no smoke without fire, but now that I heard your words, I seem to be petty about it.” Bu Yonghan chuckled, but in her heart, she thought, “You’d better not have anything to do with Baili Jinchuan, or I’ll not let you off the hook.”

A palace servant ran over quickly. “Princess Zhaohua, Princess Yonghan, Noble Consort Qi asked the two of you to hurry to Chunlan Palace. His Majesty is also going over now.”

Shen Ninghua’s brows twitched. Qing Que stepped forward and helped her up. “Got it.” It seemed that not only had something happened to the Third Prince, but he had also caused a lot of trouble. Otherwise, Baili Qingcang would not have been alarmed.

They had just arrived at Changqiu Palace’s gate when Baili Qingcang entered the palace swiftly with a cold face. He ignored their bows altogether.

Just as Shen Ninghua entered the gate, she heard Baili Qingcang’s angry roar. “Monster! You’re such an evil monster! I’ll beat the crap out of you!”