Chapter 92 - Declaration of War by the Rival in Love
Chu Junyi’s heart burst with joy as he looked at those bright eyes. He forcefully suppressed the laughter in his heart and took out an envelope from his chest pocket and handed it to her.
Shen Ninghua opened the envelope. Inside was a thick pile of silver notes. The denomination of the one on the top was 1,000 taels. “Is this the profit of Jiangnan Huajun Pharmacy?”
“Yes, it’s the profit of the past three months. We split it evenly, so it is 20,000 taels for each person. Not much, use it as your pocket money.”
Shen Ninghua was slightly shocked. This was only half of the profit. Although 40,000 taels in three months didn’t seem to be much, but don’t forget that in these three months Huajun Pharmacy was just getting started. Setting up shops in various places required huge investments. It was already shocking that the pharmacy could still earn 40,000 taels of silver while covering such huge costs.
Chu Junyi smiled and said, “There have been a lot of trivial matters in the past three months, and we have not really started to earn money. Take it as your pocket money.”
Shen Ninghua put it away without pretending to be modest. “In the next period of time, I will be busy with my fifteenth birthday ceremony. I’m afraid I won’t have much time to keep an eye on the other people, so I’ll have to trouble you.”
Chu Junyi smiled and nodded. “Alright, don’t worry. The fifteenth birthday is an important matter in life. You can’t be more careful with it. Leave the rest to me. Ninghua, have you considered what I said? Those wild bees and butterflies are all coveting you. If you don’t want to be disturbed by them, find yourself a flower protector first.”
Shen Ninghua glanced at him. This man had said only a few words about the main topic before starting to be glib-tongued. “If I want to find a protector, I will definitely consider you as the first choice, okay?”
“Haha, that’s what you said. I’ll remember it.” Chu Junyi was very happy. He stood up, tidied up his clothes, and walked out with a brisk pace. “I’ll go prepare a birthday gift for you. See you.”
Shen Ninghua asked Bi Zhu to put away the silver notes. Then, she returned to her yard to rest.
The day passed like this.
Bai Ruo stood at the desk and carefully blew dry the ink on the invitation cards that Shen Ninghua had just written, and placed them in a box at the side. Hong Ling came in with a plate of dessert. “Miss, eat something and have a rest. You’ve been writing for more than half a day.”
Shen Ninghua stretched her shoulders and put the brush aside. “Today, I will finish writing the invitation cards. Tomorrow, you will arrange people to send them out.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Shen Ninghua had just finished eating a piece of dessert when a maidservant came to the door to report, “Your Highness, the Eldest Young Lady of the Xiao family is here to visit you.”
Eldest Miss Xiao? Xiao Huanxi? Why did she come over…
“Invite her to the flower hall. I’ll change my clothes and go over.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Xiao Huanxi followed the maid all the way through the front yard to the flower hall. She sized up the beautiful scenery around her and sighed slightly in her heart. No wonder it was a mansion built under the emperor’s order. Every single place was carefully carved. Perhaps even a real princess’ mansion was no more gorgeous than this.
When Shen Ninghua arrived, she was sitting on the side seat of the flower hall drinking tea.
She was wearing a Suzhou moon-white rolled-edged embroidered jacket and a soft green dress with flowers. At this moment, she had a faint smile on her face, making her exquisite appearance look even more intimate and charming. She did not have the slightest bit of the arrogance that other young aristocratic ladies had. She looked like a piece of glowing and warm jade without any flaws.
The maidservant beside her was happily chatting with her and looked overwhelmed by her kindness.
Shen Ninghua’s eyes paused for a moment before she walked into the flower hall and said, “Sorry to make you wait for a long time, Miss Xiao.”
Xiao Huanxi raised her eyes and her pupils contracted slightly as if pinched by needles. Shen Ninghua was wearing a golden gauze dress and a silver embroidered jacket with white butterflies and flowers. However, even if she was dressed in gorgeous and eye-catching clothes, it became a background against her gorgeous face.
Xiao Huanxi stood up and curtsied. “Greetings, Prefectural Princess Zhaohua.” Her voice was gentle and melodious, and as crisp as jade.
Shen Ninghua held her hand and said, “Miss Xiao, please forgive me for not going outside of the mansion to welcome you.”
The two of them secretly sized each other up, and in just a breath of time, their thoughts had already flipped back and forth several times.
“Miss Xiao, may I know why you come in a sudden?”
A trace of embarrassment appeared on Xiao Huanxi’s face. “Nothing much. I heard that you and Brother Junyi were friends, but I’ve never come to pay you a visit. In addition, you are going to hold your fifteenth birthday ceremony. I want to see if there’s anything I can do to help.”
“Although the ceremony is tedious, I have the Internal Affairs Department to help me, so there isn’t much work for me to do. But thank you anyway, Miss Xiao.” Shen Ninghua smiled warmly and said softly.
Xiao Huanxi smiled and stretched out her hand to caress the weaving jade bracelet on her wrist. She looked a little awkward. “So I have worried too much. Please don’t blame me, Your Highness.”
“No, I’m very grateful to Miss Xiao for coming to inquire. I’ll definitely express my gratitude to your brother when I see him another day. Bai Ruo, go and bring over the invitation card that I’ve written.” When Bai Ruo handed over the invitation card, Shen Ninghua turned around and handed it to Xiao Huanxi. “It’s also my honor to invite Miss Xiao to observe the ceremony. Please come.”
Xiao Huanxi watched the gentle but elegant handwriting on the invitation card and praised, “What good handwriting! People say handwriting is a reflection of one’s talent and style. Now I really understand it. This handwriting is so elegant, let alone Your Highness. I will definitely attend your fifteenth birthday ceremony and personally deliver the gift. It’s getting late. I won’t disturb you anymore. See you.”
Shen Ninghua stood up and walked with her to the door. Then she turned around and sat down again. Her eyes were filled with interest.
“Miss, Eldest Miss Xiao suddenly came to visit you. This is strange.” Bai Ruo frowned and said.
“She is not a simple person.” The smile on Shen Ninghua’s face faded, and her gaze deepened slightly. “Logically speaking, if she wants to visit me, she should notify me in advance, or at least bring an invitation with her. After all, I am the Prefectural Princess entitled by His Majesty. But she directly came in after a verbal report of the servant. First, she had the support of the powerful Xiao family, and secondly, she wanted to tell me that my title of Prefectural Princess is unjustifiable.”
Bai Ruo was stunned and immediately understood. “Yes, I forgot about it. If it was another Prefectural Princess, she would not dare to be so rude. She did this because she was sure that Miss would not make a big fuss about this matter.”
“That’s right. Furthermore, after I came, she curtsied respectfully. If I showed signs of being angry, I would appear narrow-minded.” Shen Ninghua picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea.
“In addition, she said that it was because I had a personal relationship with Chu Junyi, so she came to see if she could help prepare for my fifteenth birthday ceremony. But the fifteenth birthday ceremony is a major event and usually hosted by a prestigious elder from the family. What is point of her involvement? She must be clear about that. First, she wanted to tell me that she knew about the relationship between me and Chu Junyi. Second, she wanted to hint that my family has fallen. Although I am a Prefectural Princess, I have no elder in my family to support me. One tree does not make a forest. No matter how hard I try, I am on my own and cannot have significant achievements.”
Bai Ruo was so shocked that she didn’t know what to say. “I really didn’t expect that there was such a deep meaning behind this.”
“There are more that you didn’t see.” Shen Ninghua smiled. “You saw the bracelet on her wrist? That jade bracelet was made by the Jiangnan Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.”
Bai Ruo was puzzled. “Miss, so what if it’s from the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion?”
“Don’t you understand? The items from the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion are sold in pairs. That bracelet and a jade pendant are a pair. They are specifically used as love tokens for men and women. I think that jade pendant should be worn by Chu Junyi.”
Bai Ruo was still in a trance, but Hong Ling suddenly understood and exclaimed, “Miss, has this Xiao Huanxi been here to declare war on you? Did she fall in love with her adopted brother?”
Shen Ninghua nodded in amusement. “I didn’t expect that you would be the first one to make a correct guess. You are more quick-minded than Bai Ruo.”
Bai Ruo glared at Hong Ling. “Miss, how are we going to deal with this? Xiao Huanxi and Chu Junyi have been siblings for many years, so their relationship is extraordinary. If Xiao Huanxi says bad things about you, it is highly likely for Chu Junyi to secretly cause trouble for you…”
Before Bai Ruo could finish speaking, Hong Ling laughed out loud. “Haha, Sister Bai Ruo, why are you so stupid!”
“I’m anxious for Miss right now. Why are you interrupting me?” Bai Ruo twisted Hong Ling’s ears, and her face was filled with anger.
Hong Ling hurriedly struggled free. She rubbed her ears and laughed non-stop. “No wonder Elder Brother Liu Yun always feels so helpless. If I encounter someone like you, I will also die of worry.”
Bai Ruo acted as if she was going to pinch Hong Ling again, so Hong Ling stopped laughing and said seriously, “Don’t pinch me, don’t pinch me. Sister Bai Ruo, can’t you tell that Chu Junyi likes our Miss? That’s why Xiao Huanxi came in a hurry to embarrass her.”
Bai Ruo was stunned. After thinking for a while, she figured it out. “So that’s the story.”
Shen Ninghua couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Bai Ruo was good at almost everything. She was calm and careful, but was only slow with personal affection. Liu Yun had been pursuing her for a year before she finally had a vague perception. She really didn’t know what to say about her.
“Alright, since she chose this obscure method, she must have some misgivings. Let’s leave her alone for the time being. Hong Ling, have you found the person I told you to find?”
“Miss, you told me to find some paralyzed patients. I found a total of five people who meet your conditions.”
“Alright, good. Arrange for those people to live in the Luoxue Pavilion next to the servants’ room. I’ll start treating them tonight.”
Hong Ling stepped forward and carefully asked, “Miss, do you plan to cure these people to attract the Zhao family’s attention?”
Shen Ninghua nodded and confirmed. “Right. You’re getting smarter.”
Hong Ling chuckled and said, “I’ll have them cleaned up right now and wait for you to do your work.”
Shen Ninghua’s eyes flashed with a smile. Zhao Ruyun was paralyzed after she was injured by a rock on the ground when she fell from a high place. Since there was a long delay, it wasn’t easy to cure her.
But she happened to have an extremely effective acupuncture method. With the combination of pills and decoctions, although the injury could not be completely cured, she could at least move freely. It all depended on what the Zhao family and Madam Zhang were willing to offer as an exchange. They had done it so smoothly when embezzling the Xia family’s property. Now that she had a grip on them, she would definitely let them offer something as an exchange.
Xiao Huanxi returned home with a frown. Just as she entered the door, she found herself stared at by a cold gaze. In an instant, she froze on the spot. “Eldest brother?”
“Where did you go?” Xiao Fengjue was dressed in black, and his sword-like eyebrows were as sharp as a peak with a cold aura.
“I didn’t go anywhere…”
Xiao Fengjue frowned and a trace of disapproval appeared on his cold and stern face. “Don’t look for trouble with Shen Ninghua.”
“Eldest brother, I didn’t!” Xiao Huanxi hurriedly said.
However, Xiao Fengjue stood up and walked out in steady footsteps without pausing. “There will be no next time.”
Xiao Huanxi bit her lips tightly and only relaxed when the lips were bleeding.
Shen Ninghua opened the envelope. Inside was a thick pile of silver notes. The denomination of the one on the top was 1,000 taels. “Is this the profit of Jiangnan Huajun Pharmacy?”
“Yes, it’s the profit of the past three months. We split it evenly, so it is 20,000 taels for each person. Not much, use it as your pocket money.”
Shen Ninghua was slightly shocked. This was only half of the profit. Although 40,000 taels in three months didn’t seem to be much, but don’t forget that in these three months Huajun Pharmacy was just getting started. Setting up shops in various places required huge investments. It was already shocking that the pharmacy could still earn 40,000 taels of silver while covering such huge costs.
Chu Junyi smiled and said, “There have been a lot of trivial matters in the past three months, and we have not really started to earn money. Take it as your pocket money.”
Shen Ninghua put it away without pretending to be modest. “In the next period of time, I will be busy with my fifteenth birthday ceremony. I’m afraid I won’t have much time to keep an eye on the other people, so I’ll have to trouble you.”
Chu Junyi smiled and nodded. “Alright, don’t worry. The fifteenth birthday is an important matter in life. You can’t be more careful with it. Leave the rest to me. Ninghua, have you considered what I said? Those wild bees and butterflies are all coveting you. If you don’t want to be disturbed by them, find yourself a flower protector first.”
Shen Ninghua glanced at him. This man had said only a few words about the main topic before starting to be glib-tongued. “If I want to find a protector, I will definitely consider you as the first choice, okay?”
“Haha, that’s what you said. I’ll remember it.” Chu Junyi was very happy. He stood up, tidied up his clothes, and walked out with a brisk pace. “I’ll go prepare a birthday gift for you. See you.”
Shen Ninghua asked Bi Zhu to put away the silver notes. Then, she returned to her yard to rest.
The day passed like this.
Bai Ruo stood at the desk and carefully blew dry the ink on the invitation cards that Shen Ninghua had just written, and placed them in a box at the side. Hong Ling came in with a plate of dessert. “Miss, eat something and have a rest. You’ve been writing for more than half a day.”
Shen Ninghua stretched her shoulders and put the brush aside. “Today, I will finish writing the invitation cards. Tomorrow, you will arrange people to send them out.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Shen Ninghua had just finished eating a piece of dessert when a maidservant came to the door to report, “Your Highness, the Eldest Young Lady of the Xiao family is here to visit you.”
Eldest Miss Xiao? Xiao Huanxi? Why did she come over…
“Invite her to the flower hall. I’ll change my clothes and go over.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Xiao Huanxi followed the maid all the way through the front yard to the flower hall. She sized up the beautiful scenery around her and sighed slightly in her heart. No wonder it was a mansion built under the emperor’s order. Every single place was carefully carved. Perhaps even a real princess’ mansion was no more gorgeous than this.
When Shen Ninghua arrived, she was sitting on the side seat of the flower hall drinking tea.
She was wearing a Suzhou moon-white rolled-edged embroidered jacket and a soft green dress with flowers. At this moment, she had a faint smile on her face, making her exquisite appearance look even more intimate and charming. She did not have the slightest bit of the arrogance that other young aristocratic ladies had. She looked like a piece of glowing and warm jade without any flaws.
The maidservant beside her was happily chatting with her and looked overwhelmed by her kindness.
Shen Ninghua’s eyes paused for a moment before she walked into the flower hall and said, “Sorry to make you wait for a long time, Miss Xiao.”
Xiao Huanxi raised her eyes and her pupils contracted slightly as if pinched by needles. Shen Ninghua was wearing a golden gauze dress and a silver embroidered jacket with white butterflies and flowers. However, even if she was dressed in gorgeous and eye-catching clothes, it became a background against her gorgeous face.
Xiao Huanxi stood up and curtsied. “Greetings, Prefectural Princess Zhaohua.” Her voice was gentle and melodious, and as crisp as jade.
Shen Ninghua held her hand and said, “Miss Xiao, please forgive me for not going outside of the mansion to welcome you.”
The two of them secretly sized each other up, and in just a breath of time, their thoughts had already flipped back and forth several times.
“Miss Xiao, may I know why you come in a sudden?”
A trace of embarrassment appeared on Xiao Huanxi’s face. “Nothing much. I heard that you and Brother Junyi were friends, but I’ve never come to pay you a visit. In addition, you are going to hold your fifteenth birthday ceremony. I want to see if there’s anything I can do to help.”
“Although the ceremony is tedious, I have the Internal Affairs Department to help me, so there isn’t much work for me to do. But thank you anyway, Miss Xiao.” Shen Ninghua smiled warmly and said softly.
Xiao Huanxi smiled and stretched out her hand to caress the weaving jade bracelet on her wrist. She looked a little awkward. “So I have worried too much. Please don’t blame me, Your Highness.”
“No, I’m very grateful to Miss Xiao for coming to inquire. I’ll definitely express my gratitude to your brother when I see him another day. Bai Ruo, go and bring over the invitation card that I’ve written.” When Bai Ruo handed over the invitation card, Shen Ninghua turned around and handed it to Xiao Huanxi. “It’s also my honor to invite Miss Xiao to observe the ceremony. Please come.”
Xiao Huanxi watched the gentle but elegant handwriting on the invitation card and praised, “What good handwriting! People say handwriting is a reflection of one’s talent and style. Now I really understand it. This handwriting is so elegant, let alone Your Highness. I will definitely attend your fifteenth birthday ceremony and personally deliver the gift. It’s getting late. I won’t disturb you anymore. See you.”
Shen Ninghua stood up and walked with her to the door. Then she turned around and sat down again. Her eyes were filled with interest.
“Miss, Eldest Miss Xiao suddenly came to visit you. This is strange.” Bai Ruo frowned and said.
“She is not a simple person.” The smile on Shen Ninghua’s face faded, and her gaze deepened slightly. “Logically speaking, if she wants to visit me, she should notify me in advance, or at least bring an invitation with her. After all, I am the Prefectural Princess entitled by His Majesty. But she directly came in after a verbal report of the servant. First, she had the support of the powerful Xiao family, and secondly, she wanted to tell me that my title of Prefectural Princess is unjustifiable.”
Bai Ruo was stunned and immediately understood. “Yes, I forgot about it. If it was another Prefectural Princess, she would not dare to be so rude. She did this because she was sure that Miss would not make a big fuss about this matter.”
“That’s right. Furthermore, after I came, she curtsied respectfully. If I showed signs of being angry, I would appear narrow-minded.” Shen Ninghua picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea.
“In addition, she said that it was because I had a personal relationship with Chu Junyi, so she came to see if she could help prepare for my fifteenth birthday ceremony. But the fifteenth birthday ceremony is a major event and usually hosted by a prestigious elder from the family. What is point of her involvement? She must be clear about that. First, she wanted to tell me that she knew about the relationship between me and Chu Junyi. Second, she wanted to hint that my family has fallen. Although I am a Prefectural Princess, I have no elder in my family to support me. One tree does not make a forest. No matter how hard I try, I am on my own and cannot have significant achievements.”
Bai Ruo was so shocked that she didn’t know what to say. “I really didn’t expect that there was such a deep meaning behind this.”
“There are more that you didn’t see.” Shen Ninghua smiled. “You saw the bracelet on her wrist? That jade bracelet was made by the Jiangnan Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.”
Bai Ruo was puzzled. “Miss, so what if it’s from the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion?”
“Don’t you understand? The items from the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion are sold in pairs. That bracelet and a jade pendant are a pair. They are specifically used as love tokens for men and women. I think that jade pendant should be worn by Chu Junyi.”
Bai Ruo was still in a trance, but Hong Ling suddenly understood and exclaimed, “Miss, has this Xiao Huanxi been here to declare war on you? Did she fall in love with her adopted brother?”
Shen Ninghua nodded in amusement. “I didn’t expect that you would be the first one to make a correct guess. You are more quick-minded than Bai Ruo.”
Bai Ruo glared at Hong Ling. “Miss, how are we going to deal with this? Xiao Huanxi and Chu Junyi have been siblings for many years, so their relationship is extraordinary. If Xiao Huanxi says bad things about you, it is highly likely for Chu Junyi to secretly cause trouble for you…”
Before Bai Ruo could finish speaking, Hong Ling laughed out loud. “Haha, Sister Bai Ruo, why are you so stupid!”
“I’m anxious for Miss right now. Why are you interrupting me?” Bai Ruo twisted Hong Ling’s ears, and her face was filled with anger.
Hong Ling hurriedly struggled free. She rubbed her ears and laughed non-stop. “No wonder Elder Brother Liu Yun always feels so helpless. If I encounter someone like you, I will also die of worry.”
Bai Ruo acted as if she was going to pinch Hong Ling again, so Hong Ling stopped laughing and said seriously, “Don’t pinch me, don’t pinch me. Sister Bai Ruo, can’t you tell that Chu Junyi likes our Miss? That’s why Xiao Huanxi came in a hurry to embarrass her.”
Bai Ruo was stunned. After thinking for a while, she figured it out. “So that’s the story.”
Shen Ninghua couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Bai Ruo was good at almost everything. She was calm and careful, but was only slow with personal affection. Liu Yun had been pursuing her for a year before she finally had a vague perception. She really didn’t know what to say about her.
“Alright, since she chose this obscure method, she must have some misgivings. Let’s leave her alone for the time being. Hong Ling, have you found the person I told you to find?”
“Miss, you told me to find some paralyzed patients. I found a total of five people who meet your conditions.”
“Alright, good. Arrange for those people to live in the Luoxue Pavilion next to the servants’ room. I’ll start treating them tonight.”
Hong Ling stepped forward and carefully asked, “Miss, do you plan to cure these people to attract the Zhao family’s attention?”
Shen Ninghua nodded and confirmed. “Right. You’re getting smarter.”
Hong Ling chuckled and said, “I’ll have them cleaned up right now and wait for you to do your work.”
Shen Ninghua’s eyes flashed with a smile. Zhao Ruyun was paralyzed after she was injured by a rock on the ground when she fell from a high place. Since there was a long delay, it wasn’t easy to cure her.
But she happened to have an extremely effective acupuncture method. With the combination of pills and decoctions, although the injury could not be completely cured, she could at least move freely. It all depended on what the Zhao family and Madam Zhang were willing to offer as an exchange. They had done it so smoothly when embezzling the Xia family’s property. Now that she had a grip on them, she would definitely let them offer something as an exchange.
Xiao Huanxi returned home with a frown. Just as she entered the door, she found herself stared at by a cold gaze. In an instant, she froze on the spot. “Eldest brother?”
“Where did you go?” Xiao Fengjue was dressed in black, and his sword-like eyebrows were as sharp as a peak with a cold aura.
“I didn’t go anywhere…”
Xiao Fengjue frowned and a trace of disapproval appeared on his cold and stern face. “Don’t look for trouble with Shen Ninghua.”
“Eldest brother, I didn’t!” Xiao Huanxi hurriedly said.
However, Xiao Fengjue stood up and walked out in steady footsteps without pausing. “There will be no next time.”
Xiao Huanxi bit her lips tightly and only relaxed when the lips were bleeding.
RECENTLY UPDATES
Eastern
Action
Action
Drama
Action
Action
Drama
Adventure