Chapter 108 - Don't Touch Me!

Bu Jinglan was stunned. Obviously, he hadn’t expected Shen Ninghua to refuse him so bluntly. An almost invisible light flashed in his eyes. “Your Highness, think carefully. I won’t disturb you anymore.” As he spoke, he stood up and left, without giving Shen Ninghua the chance to speak again.

Shen Ninghua put down the teacup in her hand and gently stroked her wrist. Such a straightforward test. This Sixth Prince was indeed an interesting man.

People gathered in the main hall and sometimes cheered for Baili Anning, who was performing Guzheng. Bu Jinglan chose a spot not far away and stood there with a smile on his face. Occasionally, he would show an appreciative expression.

After a while, Baili Anning’s performance came to an end, and the crowd immediately burst into cheers. For some unknown reason, the Ninth Princess Baili Anqing staggered. She lost her balance and almost fell to the ground.

Bu Jinglan hurriedly stepped forward and reached out his hands to support her. He lowered his head and asked, “What happened to you, Your Highness? Did you sprain your ankle?”

Baili Anqing blushed. Her entire body seemed to be burning due to embarrassment. She nodded in shyness. “I just lost my balance. Sorry to make you laugh, Sixth Prince.”

“You are welcome.” Bu Jinglan smiled gently with a calm expression. Seeing the nurses standing beside came to support Baili Anqing, he politely let go of her and took two steps away.

Shen Ninghua picked up the teacup to cover up the smile on her lips. A sneer flashed through her heart. It seemed like another good show was about to begin.

Because it was just a simple welcoming banquet, it did not last for too long. In two hours, the banquet was announced to be over.

After Shen Ninghua left the imperial palace and was back in the Prefectural Princess Mansion, Xia Jingqiu’s nurse immediately came to see her.

“Your Highness, please find a doctor for Miss Yang. Her illness is getting more and more serious. She has been having a high fever these days, and she is now in a confused state of mind due to the fever.”

Recently, Yang Yingxue had been very quiet. Shen Ninghua almost forgot about Cuizhu Pavilion. “What’s wrong with her? Didn’t she recover a while ago? Why is she still having a fever?”

The nurse cried with a sad face. “I don’t know. We’ve quietly sent for a lot of doctors these days, but it’s useless. Her condition hasn’t improved at all…”

Shen Ninghua frowned. “Then why didn’t you report it earlier?”

“Your Highness, please calm down. Madam Xia saw that you were busy preparing for the Second Princess’ funeral and attending all kinds of banquets, so she really couldn’t bear to trouble you anymore. That’s why you haven’t been informed. If it weren’t for the fact that none of these doctors was able to cure Miss, she would still be reluctant to bother you.”

Last time, Zhang Nian said that Yang Yingxue had taken a medicine that could cause a high fever. This time, she didn’t know if it was a real illness or a fake illness. “Bai Ruo, follow me to take a look.”

Cuizhu Pavilion was much more exquisite than before. There were delicately trimmed potted plants in the courtyard, which were especially pleasing to the eye. “Aunt, I heard that cousin has been ill for a long time. I have already sent for an imperial doctor.”

Xia Jingqiu was sitting beside Yang Yingxue’s bed, wiping her forehead with a handkerchief. “Ninghua, you’re here. If I still have a way out, I won’t bother you, but your cousin’s condition…”

“Well, we are family members. Aunt, don’t be polite with me. No matter how busy I am, what needs to be done mustn’t be delayed. Wait a while. The imperial doctor is on the way.”

After about an hour, Zhang Nian hurried over with the medicine chest. Behind him was a man wearing a moonlight white cloud-patterned brocade robe. The man was tall, slender, handsome, and had a noble aura in his actions. He was the Second Prince, Baili Jinchuan.

Xia Jingqiu had a trace of excitement in her eyes when she saw Baili Jinchuan, and her hand that was holding Yang Yingxue tightened slightly.

Shen Ninghua lowered her eyes and concealed all her emotions under her slender eyelashes. “Greetings, Your Highness. Why are you here?”

Baili Jinchuan frowned slightly when he saw Madam Xia in the room. When he met the servant who was on his way to invite Zhang Nian, he thought that Shen Ninghua was ill, so he followed him to take a look. He didn’t expect the patient to be another person. However, he couldn’t directly admit his misunderstanding.

“I met Doctor Zhang on the way, so I came over to take a look.”

“Oh…Mother, my head hurts…” Yang Yingxue let out a cry and touched her forehead. Her eyelashes trembled as she opened her eyes. Then, she opened them wide in surprise. “Your Highness, cousin, you are here. Please forgive me for being unable to get out of bed and salute…”

When Shen Ninghua saw Yang Yingxue, she was immediately stunned. It could be said that Yang Yingxue was quite beautiful, and the only thing she lacked was a gorgeous temperament. But now every bit of her looked so flawlessly beautiful that people were unable to shift their gaze from her.

Seeing such an amazing beauty, Baili Jinchuan was also slightly stunned for a moment. “Miss Yang, since you are sick, don’t care about the unnecessary formalities. I heard that you were feeling unwell, but I didn’t have time to visit you. I came here in a hurry today and didn’t have time to prepare a gift. I will definitely make it up some other day.”

Yang Yingxue smiled. Her smile was as gentle as the cloud in the sky. It carried a faint hint of tranquility, which made people feel natural but not intimate. “I’m very happy that you come to visit me, and there’s no need for gifts. I’ve been seriously ill these days, so it’s best for you not to stay here for too long so as to avoid getting infected.” As she spoke, she raised her sleeve to cover her face and looked a little tired.

Who could bear to reject the request of a beauty like this?

Baili Jinchuan nodded. “Miss Yang, you should rest more. Her Highness will definitely take good care of you. I will come and see you another day.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.” Yang Yingxue smiled at the Second Prince and turned to look at Shen Ninghua with an apologetic expression. “Cousin, sorry I made you worry.”

Shen Ninghua stepped forward to help her tidy up the quilt. “Cousin, you don’t need to be so polite. Just relax and take a good rest. In a few days, it will be the Pure Brightness Festival. I want to invite you to hang out with me. You must quickly recover.” Right now, Yang Yingxue seemed to be completely reborn and pleasing to the eye. Therefore, Shen Ninghua was a little more interested in her.

“Yes, I will definitely go with you.” Yang Yingxue smiled gently. Her face was as beautiful as a lotus and her brows were slender like willow branches, which made her beauty more stunning.

After a few more words, Shen Ninghua and Baili Jinchuan left.

After leaving Cuizhu Pavilion, Baili Jinchuan did not say goodbye. Instead, he walked towards the pavilion beside the pond and said, “Ninghua, do you mind sitting with me for a while?”

Shen Ninghua paused for a moment, then she walked to the pavilion and sat down. “Your Highness, do you have anything to tell me?”

Baili Jinchuan carefully looked at Shen Ninghua, as if he wanted to see through her body into her heart. “Are you the person who designed the destruction of Zhou?”

Shen Ninghua’s expression turned cold. “What do you mean? Have you come here to denounce me? It was you who chose to give up on saving the Second Princess, remember?”

Baili Jinchuan retorted, “Zhou’s health already reached the point of exhaustion. Even if she was cured, she would just lie in bed all day. If she had to suffer so much, it would be better to give her peace.” As he spoke, his tone gradually grew angrier. “Ninghua, I gave up on saving her, but I didn’t destroy her reputation!”

Shen Ninghua raised her head to meet his sharp gaze without any hesitation. “What do you mean, Your Highness? Do you suspect that I let someone ruin her reputation?”

“Isn’t that so?” Baili Jinchuan sneered.

Shen Ninghua’s expression was calm, but her tone carried a hint of mockery. “Of course not. If you hadn’t given up on treating her, there wouldn’t be a funeral. If she was still alive, her mother, Madam Qin, wouldn’t sue me for murdering her daughter. If she didn’t falsely accuse me, then she naturally wouldn’t be implicated in the incident between Tao Hong and the son of your butler, and so the contamination of royal bloodline would never be exposed. I didn’t do anything, so the only one to blame is you, for being ruthless. Why didn’t you save her?”

Baili Jinchuan gritted his teeth and blue veins popped on his forehead. “Ninghua, don’t you know why I’ve done this?”

Shen Ninghua mocked. “What should I know? That you set me up by all means in order for me to marry you?”

“You…” Baili Jinchuan clenched his fists and felt embarrassment and anger surging on his face. “Are you just trampling on my heart like this?”

Seeing his indignant expression, Shen Ninghua almost laughed out loud. If people who did not know the truth saw this, they would think that she had betrayed his love. Unfortunately, he kept talking about his deep affection, but he only wanted to ruin her reputation in order to force her to agree to the marriage.

If she wasn’t smart enough to reveal Madam Zhou’s scandal and made the emperor directly eliminate the Zhou family, then news of her plot to murder the Second Princess for a “personal reason” would have spread throughout the capital. And of course, the “personal reason” would refer to her relationship with the Second Prince. Then what good reputation would she have?

No matter how much Baili Qingcang valued her, how could she compare to his own son? In the end, under Baili Jinchuan’s control and operation, she definitely wouldn’t die, but she couldn’t escape from becoming a member of the Second Prince’s Mansion. Furthermore, she wouldn’t be his wife, but a concubine, and this would be the biggest mercy from the emperor!

Baili Jinchuan forcefully suppressed the anger in his heart and tried to soften his voice. “Ninghua, I know that I was ill-advised about Zhou’s matter. But you refused me again and again, and I’m running out of patience. However, I have already prepared bridge of gold. As long as you marry me, I will clear your name, reveal the truth of Zhou’s death to His Majesty, and prove your innocence. At that time, His Majesty will definitely feel guilty about you. Once you have a son, I will immediately promote you as my wife and give you unparalleled love and glory. Isn’t this enough? ”

Shen Ninghua couldn’t help but laugh coldly. She had thought that Baili Jinchuan could be a good friend, but now, it seemed that if she became friends with such a person, she would be eaten alive without even her bones left!

“Will you be grateful to me if I cripple you first and then treat you?”

Baili Jinchuan’s heart suddenly stirred when he was stared at by those beautiful eyes filled with anger. He stepped forward and grabbed Shen Ninghua’s wrist. “Ninghua, I know I went too far, but I was just confused. I couldn’t control myself because I like you too much. Ah…”

A sharp pain came from his hand. Before Baili Jinchuan could finish his words, he suddenly lowered his head to look at his fingers that had turned blue and suddenly let go of her hand.

Shen Ninghua gently stroked her wrist that turned red because of his tight grasp. A hint of disgust flashed through her eyes. “Your Highness, men and women should keep proper distance. You should not touch me.”