Chapter 80 - How About We Make Do with Each Other?

When Baili Jinchuan’s deeds were reported back to the capital, the people cheered. Although the Second Prince’s actions violated the emperor’s decree, he was truly doing this for the people. Many people burned incense at home day and night, praying for Buddha’s blessing on the Second Prince to complete the relief work as soon as possible.

But many officials in the Imperial Court held the opposite attitude. These days, Baili Qingcang’s imperial desk was almost drowned out by reports that impeached the Second Prince.

Inside Chengqian Palace, the Third Prince said indignantly, “Your Majesty, Second Brother is really too arrogant. You sent him to relieve disaster, but he killed more than half of the officials in Jiangnan. Without the administration of the local officials, Jiangnan will fall into chaos.”

Baili Qingcang lowered his head and looked at the reports without any emotions in his deep eyes. “Then what do you think we should do?”

“I think we should immediately call Second Brother back, remove his title, ground him temporarily and let him repent for a period of time. These measures should be enough to appease the people.”

Baili Qingcang looked at him coldly and asked in a questioning voice, “After I call him back, who will go to Jiangnan to continue the disaster relief work? You?”

The Third Prince instantly choked. The plague in Jiangnan was rampant. Who would dare to court death?

“Since you don’t want to go, let’s keep the status quo. Hurry up and deliver the medicinal ingredients that Jiangnan needs. No one shall delay this work. We’ll talk about what the Second Prince has done after the situation in Jiangnan calms down.” After Baili Qingcang finished speaking, he waved his sleeves and strode away.

The Crown Prince dressed in bright yellow clothes stood up and was about to go out. But he was pulled back by the Third Prince. “Crown Prince, when the plague in Jiangnan subsides, the people of Jiangnan will wholeheartedly support Second Brother. They won’t let us touch him. Second Brother already has a high status in the army, and now he also has the people’s support. You must be careful.”

Baili Jinyi smiled warmly and said, “If Second Brother can win the support of the people, I am naturally happy for him. Third Brother, now that the country is in danger, don’t say such words again.”

When the Crown Prince walked far away, the Third Prince spat at the ground and said disdainfully, “Bah! You talk so grandly. Humph, I don’t believe you’re not anxious.” Now that the Zhao family was rebuked because of the prescription, the emperor had not been to the empress’ palace for a long time. He wanted to see how long the Crown Prince could hold on.

At this time, the relief work was proceeding in an orderly manner in Linjiang City. With the precedents of Ping City and Yi City as an example, nobody dared to cause any disturbance here. Many people had just recovered and were helping the busy guards take care of the refugees and distribute materials.

In the streets, the city that had been silent for a long time slowly revealed signs of life. However, Baili Jinchuan, who was supposed to be happy, was frowning.

“Old General Xiao, the medicinal ingredients in the warehouse can last at most four days. If no medicinal ingredients are delivered in four days, Jiangnan will probably be in chaos.”

Xiao Jingran’s expression was solemn and his voice was tired. “Your Highness, I have made a report overnight. We can only try our best to deal with this situation. I will urge them again. Don’t be too worried.”

Baili Jinchuan’s eyebrows twisted into a mountain peak. The medicinal ingredients that should have arrived yesterday had no sign of arriving now. His heart thumped. He thought that his brothers wouldn’t jump out to make things difficult because the situation in Jiangnan was so serious. He didn’t expect that he was too naive.

As he was thinking, he walked out of the hall and arrived at the garden behind the government office.

Shen Ninghua was sitting on a stool in the small pavilion and rested her head on her hand.

The sun was warm and the breeze was gentle. The long-time tiredness made her slowly fall asleep. Her white porcelain-like face shined slightly under the sunlight, and her moderately thick eyebrows carried a fresh and elegant charm. Under her thick eyelashes, her dazzling eyes were closed, which were no longer as indifferent and distant as before, making people involuntarily want to get closer to her.

Baili Jinchuan stopped not far away and looked at her infatuatedly. He heard his heart pounding in his chest rapidly.

Shen Ninghua was taking a nap. Suddenly, she felt a burning gaze fall on her. She suddenly opened her eyes. “Your Highness?”

Baili Jinchuan subconsciously restrained his emotions. “Why are you sleeping here? Are you too tired?”

The emotions in Baili Jinchuan’s eyes quickly subsided, but Shen Ninghua still saw a clue, and her voice became colder. “I’m fine. Why are you here?”

“The medicinal ingredients haven’t arrived yet…” He sighed heavily. “I wonder if His Majesty knows about this. Ninghua, do you have a way to deal with this?”

Shen Ninghua frowned. “No.” A clever woman can’t cook without rice. She couldn’t produce so many medicinal ingredients out of thin air.

“I was daydreaming.” Baili Jinchuan apologized. Shen Ninghua gave him too much a feeling of assurance. No matter what happened, she could handle things smoothly. When he was at his wits’ end, the first person he thought of was her.

Chu Junyi walked over waving his fan. Seeing the two of them in the pavilion, he said, “Your Highness, you are here. There are many people gathering at the door. You should go take a look.”

Baili Jinchuan hurriedly stood up and said, “Master Mo, thank you for telling me. Ninghua, I’ll go take a look first.”

Shen Ninghua nodded without saying anything.

Chu Junyi faintly curled his lips. He waited for Baili Jinchuan to walk far away and then sat opposite to Shen Ninghua. He said in a casual tone, “This person treats you like a treasure pouch. He wants your consultation on everything.”

Shen Ninghua’s sleepiness was driven away. She turned to look at the lush roses beside the pavilion and asked, “Who intercepted the medicinal ingredients?”

“Except for the Sixth Prince and Seventh Prince who are still too young, the other princes all participated.” Chu Junyi sneered mockingly. When the people were in danger, the princes were still thinking of plotting against each other. How could the fur exist without the skin underneath? They really couldn’t tell what was important.

Shen Ninghua’s thought in her mind as she unconsciously stretched out her fingers to fiddle with the teacup on the table.

The jade-colored fingertips became even more brilliant against the azure porcelain teacup. Chu Junyi felt an itch in his heart. He couldn’t help but think about how it would feel like if he held the pair of hands in his palms and played with them…

“If I want to buy medicinal ingredients, do you have any recommendation?”

Chu Junyi restored his senses. “You want to buy medicinal ingredients to relieve the disaster? This is not a small sum. Do you have that much silver?”

“You gave me 5,000 taels of gold for saving your life. I sold the Second Prince the unique war manual for 5,000 taels of gold. Plus, the dowry left behind by my mother and some small amounts of money I made, I have about one million taels of silver. In addition, the medicinal ingredients I want to buy don’t have to be of good quality. As long as the amount is sufficient, it will be enough to last for a few days.” As long as the most difficult period was gone, His Majesty would not allow his country to be ruined by a few princes.

One million taels? Chu Junyi was extremely shocked. He knew that Shen Ninghua was rich, but he never expected her to be so rich. “Ninghua, what would you do after you spent so much money on medicinal ingredients?” She no longer had a birth mother. The Shen family was about to collapse, and the Zhao family was eyeing her covetously. Although Baili Qingcang had taken her as his foster daughter, her identity was still rather awkward. Without money…

Shen Ninghua curled her eyes and smiled happily. “For the sake of making money, of course.”

“Making money? You want to buy and sell medicinal ingredients?”

Shen Ninghua raised her head and looked at him with contempt. “If I want to sell medicinal ingredients to those refugees, can they afford them?”

“Then what’s your plan?”

“Giving them for free.” Shen Ninghua’s eyes lit up and her beautiful face glowed with radiance. “I’ll buy the medicinal ingredients and donated them under the name of a pharmacy. When the plague in Jiangnan subsides, I will open a pharmacy with the same name. What do you think will happen then?”

Chu Junyi paused for a moment before his eyes shined. “Your pharmacy will probably have branch stores throughout Jiangnan.” That was a lifesaving favor. Jiangnan was already rich, and ordinary people usually paid extra attention to their health conditions. By then, money would be like seawater available to be scooped up for free.

“Ninghua, I’ll also offer some money. How about counting me in? I’ve thought of a good name for the pharmacy. How about Junhua Pharmacy, meaning the pharmacy that was set up by Chu Junyi and Shen Ninghua?”

Shen Ninghua almost laughed out angrily. “Why are you so cheeky? Junhua Pharmacy! Why don’t you call it Huajun Pharmacy?”

Chu Junyi had a gentle smile on his face. He held a folding fan in his hand and had a deep look in his eyes. He looked like a gentleman with a jade-like face. However, what he said made people want to step on his face.

‘”Alright, then let’s call it Huajun Pharmacy. Your name comes first. Ninghua, I remember when you asked me if I had taken a fancy to your sister. I told you that I wanted to marry someone who was good at housekeeping and had outstanding abilities. I think you’re just the right person. You’ll be fifteen soon, so why don’t we just make do with each other?”

Shen Ninghua raised her eyebrows. Her face blushed with anger. If she wasn’t worried about the occasion, she would have thrown the teacup in her hand onto Chu Junyi’s face. “I’ve never seen someone as cheeky as you.”

“Then you misunderstood me. I’m cheeky only in front of you. I’ve always been gentle and courteous to others. No matter what, Mo Junqing is also a disciple of the Mo family. This Mo family is a hermit clan and almost everyone from the family is a gorgeous talent. You’ll see it soon.”

“Unfortunately, you are an exception.” As she spoke, she completely ignored him and concentrated on admiring the blooming roses on the side.

“Exception as it is.” Chu Junyi didn’t mind Shen Ninghua’s attitude. ‘”Although my identity as Mo Junqing is fake, I can still use it to buy some medicinal ingredients. Since you can offer a million taels of silver, I can’t fall behind. I’ll offer two million taels. We can split the profit 50-50. Alright, I’ll go find out where to buy the medicinal ingredients. Wait for my good news.”

Three million taels of silver were enough to buy medicinal ingredients that would allow Jiangnan to hold on for half a month. Shen Ninghua didn’t know what expression to use as she watched him leaving with unhurried and elegant steps. Finally, she chuckled softly and the depression that had remained in her heart dissipated.

The news that the medicinal ingredients hadn’t been delivered to Jiangnan exploded like a thunder overnight. The refugees’ hearts immediately fell into hell. The plague was rampant and people were dying every day. At this time, without medicinal ingredients, wasn’t this forcing them to die?

All of a sudden, the crying of the entire Jiangnan region shook the sky. What’s more, after a few days of sunny weather, it began to rain again. The already tottering embankment was even worse.

An imperial doctor said dispiritedly, “Your Highness, all the medicinal ingredients in the warehouse have been used up. Now, there are many carriages from other towns at the city gate waiting to receive medicinal ingredients to make medicine and save lives …”

Baili Jinchuan fiercely threw the teacup to the ground. “Medicinal ingredients! Medicinal ingredients! When exactly will the medicinal ingredients come?”

Suddenly, a pleasantly surprised shout came from outside the door. A guard ran in with a face full of joy. He fell on the ground but didn’t care. He grinned and shouted to report good news.

“Your Highness, good news. The medicinal ingredients have arrived!”