Chapter 416

Baili Junyi and Shen Ninghua roughly sorted out some clues after discussing them for a while. Then, they set the matter aside. Regardless of whether Bu Yonghan was the mastermind, it was a good thing for them. Without the Third Prince holding them back, they were much more relaxed in their arrangements.

The next day, Madam Lin was hastily carried out of the palace to be buried. When Lin Yue, the head of the Lin Family, heard the news, he was so enraged that he fainted. He was only pretending to be sick at first, but after he woke up, his mouth was crooked, and his eyes were slanted. The doctor checked on him and finally confirmed that it was a stroke. If he recuperated well, he might be able to get out of bed and walk. If he did not recover well, he would have to spend the rest of his life in bed.

After hearing this news, the Qi Family directly mobilized their associates in the imperial court and asked an imperial censor to submit a memorial advising the Emperor to allow Lin Yue to resign from his position and recuperate. Baili Qingcang now had no good impressions of the Lin Family. In addition, he hated the Third Prince, so he agreed on the spot. Originally, the Lin Family kept Lin Yue in the dark about this news. However, a servant had a slip of the tongue and revealed the news to Lin Yue. Lin Yue, who had just slightly recovered, was so exasperated about the news that he fainted once again. When he woke up, he could no longer speak. The doctor shook his head dejectedly and asked the Lin Family to seek another doctor for subsequent diagnosis and treatment.

After Lin Yue’s collapse, his three sons fought fiercely over the position of patriarch. The Third Prince had originally hoped that his grandfather could save him. Now, there was no hope at all.

After Madam Lin’s funeral, the palace became much more peaceful. Shen Ninghua was able to rest peacefully in the mansion. After more than a month of recuperation, the fetus finally stabilized. Baili Junyi was the happiest. He took the two children to take a stroll on the streets. Shen Ninghua felt that it was noisy outside, so she did not go with them.

Not long after Baili Junyi left, Hong Ling came in with a name card. “Miss, the Lin Family sent a name card, saying that they want to visit you.”

“The Lin Family?” Shen Ninghua asked in surprise. “We have never had any dealings with them. Why would they suddenly come to visit me?”

“The one who requests to see you is Madam Qu, and she brought a lot of gifts, but she didn’t say her purpose of visit.”

Shen Ninghua frowned in bewilderment. “Although His Majesty has agreed to Lin Yue’s resignation, he doesn’t take back Madam Qu’s title, which means that she is still a noble lady who holds the First Grade Imperial Mandate. If I had known earlier, I would have gone out with Junyi. It would save me the trouble of having to deal with her. Alright, invite her in.”

Madam Qu was dressed plainly, and her face was haggard. When she saw Shen Ninghua, she quickly bowed and greeted her, “Greetings, Princess Zhaohua.”

“Please stand, madam. Have a seat. Hong Ling, serve tea.” Shen Ninghua sized her up. Compared with the previous few times they had met, Madam Qu was really haggard. Originally, Madam Qi was extremely arrogant and proud, and she always treated her indifferently.

At this moment, Madam Qu seemed extremely uneasy. Seeing that Shen Ninghua had no intention of speaking, she cleared her throat and took the initiative to say, “Princess, I’m sorry to disturb you when you’re pregnant and need more rest, but you should know that a lot of things have happened to my family recently…” As she spoke, she took a handkerchief and wiped the corners of her eyes, afraid that she would directly shed tears.

Shen Ninghua nodded and did not have any intention of replying. She could say that Madam Qu was going through the darkest moment of her life. Her daughter had passed away; her husband was paralyzed in bed due to a stroke and was forced to resign; her grandson was stripped of all his power and locked up in his mansion; others added salt to injury. It would be a miracle if she could hold on.

“Your Highness, I won’t beat around the bush. I heard that Chen Yun, the miracle doctor, is staying in your mansion. I would like to invite him to check on my husband. I wonder if you can ask him to treat my husband.”

It turned out that she wanted to ask Chen Yun to diagnose Lin Yue’s condition. Shen Ninghua donned a distressed expression on her face. “Old madam, you must have heard of Doctor Chen’s weird temper. He was notoriously known for his upright and serious temperament when he serves as the head of the Academy of Imperial Physicians, but after his resignation, his temper got even worse. It was extremely difficult for me to invite him to check on me. The Fifth Prince personally begged him for a long time before he agreed. I didn’t have the honor to invite him myself.”

Madam Qu was so anxious that her palms were sweating. She naturally knew Chen Yun’s temper, or she wouldn’t have come to beg Shen Ninghua in the first place. However, Shen Ninghua extinguished her final hope. Even if Lin Yue was still healthy and powerful, he was not as influential as the Fifth Prince. She couldn’t ask the Fifth Prince to beg Chen Yun, could she? It was absolutely impossible!

“Your Highness, I know my request is extremely difficult, but I wonder if you can introduce me to Doctor Chen so that I can personally beg him?”

The smile on Shen Ninghua’s face faded a little. She turned to look at Hong Ling beside her. “Hong Ling, go to Doctor Chen’s courtyard and convey Madam Qu’s message to him.”

“Yes, Your Highness. I will go now.”

Madam Qu waited anxiously and looked at the door from time to time. Finally, Hong Ling came back with a piece of paper in her hand. “Your Highness, Doctor Chen is quite angry. He wrote this note and threw it at me. Also, he said that he doesn’t want to stay in the mansion anymore and is asking the servants to pack up his things.”

Shen Ninghua looked up and took the paper from Hong Ling. There were two big words written on it, “No way!”

“Old madam, see… I’m sorry, but I can’t help much.”

Madam Qu’s expression became increasingly gloomy. She barely managed to maintain her smile. “Never mind. I’m sorry for the trouble, Your Highness, and thank you. I will take my leave now.”

Shen Ninghua nodded lightly. “Rouqin, send Madam Qu off.”

After Madam Qu left, Hong Ling immediately giggled. “Miss, I don’t think Madam Qu dares to bother you again.”

Shen Ninghua smiled. “It’s all thanks to Uncle Chen. He donned such a tough attitude probably because he didn’t want to put me in a difficult position. I specially brewed a batch of medicinal wine previously, remember? Dig out two jars later and send them to Uncle Chen. I’m sure he doesn’t want anything else, so this is the only thing with which I can return his favor. Medicinal wine is good for his health, so he can drink a little every day.”

“Yes, Miss.”

It was not until the afternoon that Baili Junyi came back with Big Boy and Baby Girl. The two children each held a string of crispy sugar-coated fruit. Their faces were red, and they shouted cheerfully as they ran in.

“Mother, we bought you a gift!”

“Mother, we also bought gifts for our baby brother!”

Baili Junyi walked in and looked at the two little kids with dissatisfaction. He used all kinds of methods to threaten and bribe them, but they refused to address the baby in Ninghua’s baby as sister. He was so depressed.

Shen Ninghua touched the heads of the two children. They were so hot that they were sweating. Worried that they would catch a cold later, she quickly ordered the maids to take them to take a bath and change clothes.

Big Boy and Baby Girl threw themselves into Shen Ninghua’s embrace and refused to leave. They showed her all the things they bought. Only after Shen Ninghua had seen and praised all the things did they follow the nurses to take a bath.

Baili Junyi sat at the side and drank two bowls of tea. He looked at Shen Ninghua with slanted eyes. “I’m really old with weak arms and legs and I can’t keep up with our two children.”

Knowing that he was complaining that she didn’t care about him, Shen Ninghua smiled, got up, walked to his side, and massaged his shoulders. “You’re in your youth. How can you call yourself old?”

Not wanting Shen Ninghua to be tired, Baili Junyi quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms. He placed his chin on his shoulder, smelled the fresh scent of her body, and muttered in dissatisfaction, “Hmph, you only care about those two brats and not me.”

Shen Ninghua smiled and turned to kiss the corner of his lips. “Are you jealous of the two children?”

Baili Junyi hugged her and deepened the kiss. Then, he licked his lips and beamed with satisfaction. “Hmph, I’ll forgive them for the sake of your plea.”

Shen Ninghua smiled helplessly. “Wow, you’re really magnanimous and forgiving.”

Baili Junyi knew that Madam Qu had visited Shen Ninghua, but he didn’t take it seriously. However, in the next few days, whenever he raised any opinions in the imperial court, the Fourth Prince would refute him, presumably to express his dissatisfaction. Baili Junyi did not care at all. He was not a saint, nor did he have the obligation to save anyone who came to his door. Annoyed by the Fourth Prince, he set two small traps for him to refute, which in turn made Baili Qingcang enraged with the Fourth Prince. As a result, the Fourth Prince was punished.

Sure enough, the Fourth Prince became humble. In fact, he said that he had set up a Buddha Hall in his mansion to pray for Madam Lin and even became vegetarian. He lost a lot of weight in a few days. Baili Qingcang didn’t pay much attention to him at first, but a few days later, he fainted in the morning court. Baili Qingcang immediately summoned the imperial doctor to check on him. The doctor said that he was too worried, and because of his extreme vegetarian diet, he was starving, which led to fainting.

Baili Qingcang frowned. His expression was a little complicated. He asked someone to reward the Fourth Prince and then sent him back to his mansion. After that, his attitude toward the Fourth Prince softened a lot. Despite Madam Lin’s crime, Baili Qingcang was gratified to see the Fourth Prince’s filial actions. At least, the Fourth Prince was more reliable and sensible than the Third Prince.

A month passed, and the adverse impact of Madam Lin’s funeral also disappeared. Baili Qingcang was in a very good mood, and he personally drafted an imperial edict to grant Baili Jinchuan and Bu Yonghan the marriage. The two countries had come to a mutual agreement, and the Great Yue Kingdom sent an envoy over to help Bu Yonghan deal with the matters of the marriage. According to the rules, Bu Yonghan should return to the Great Yue Kingdom, and the Da’an Kingdom would send an escort team to pick her up, just in the same way as Lin Feiran’s wedding. However, Bu Yonghan personally wrote a letter to state her opinion to directly hold the wedding in the Da’an Kingdom in order to show respect for her husband.

When Shen Ninghua heard this news, she could not help but praise Bu Yonghan for her cleverness and wisdom. Every step that Bu Yonghan took was just right, and she behaved extremely well.

Sure enough, when Noble Consort Qi heard this news, her opinion of Bu Yonghan also lessened a lot, and she figured that the future daughter-in-law was smart enough. Although she was not very obedient, she would slowly educate her in the future.

It was sunny and warm today. Baili Junyi couldn’t stand the two children’s request, and he took them out again. This time, Shen Ninghua also wanted to go out for a walk, so she simply went to the street with them.

Baili Junyi held Big Boy with one hand and Shen Ninghua with the other. Shen Ninghua held Baby Girl with her free hand. Everyone on the street was mesmerized by the harmonious sight as the family of four walked together. They were influential people in the capital, so many people recognized them and showed their amazement.

After walking for less than an hour, Shen Ninghua began to sweat. Her body was much weaker than before after getting pregnant. She would become a little breathless after walking for a while. Baili Junyi hurriedly said, “Ninghua, how about we go to a nearby restaurant to rest for a while? The two children are tired too.”

When Big Boy and Baby Girl saw Shen Ninghua’s expression, they nodded sensibly. “Yes, Mother. The restaurant has delicious food. Let’s go and eat delicious food.”

“Yup. Baby brother needs to rest too.”
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