Chapter 109 - Because of You?

Baili Jinchuan almost couldn’t control the anger in his chest. “Men and women should keep proper distances? Haha, you don’t want me to touch you. Who do you want to touch you? Baili Jinze or Bu Jinglan?”

Although Bu Jinglan did not say anything explicit in the palace today, everyone could tell that he was very interested in Shen Ninghua. If he asked to marry Shen Ninghua, His Majesty would most likely agree for the sake of the friendship between the two kingdoms. What should happen then?

Shen Ninghua frowned tightly. She didn’t conceal her disgust, and her face was cold like ice. “Have you come to my mansion to make a scene? Do you want me to call the Governor of Capital Guards to watch and see how far you can go?”

As soon as he finished his words, Baili Jinchuan regretted it. Because of his contribution to disaster relief in Jiangnan, he was conferred the title of Prefectural Prince. The people loved and supported him, and he could be said to have soared into the sky. However, not long after, his wife passed away, and there were a series of scandals involving him. He was dismissed and could not hold his head up everywhere. He fell into the mire from the clouds. Due to the huge difference, he was on the verge of rage all the time.

And Shen Ninghua pushed him a thousand miles away from her heart, making him even less able to control himself.

“Ninghua, I just…”

Shen Ninghua turned her head and said, “Your Highness, are you done? I won’t hold you for longer.” Her expression was blank, and her tone was calm.

“Ninghua, I just spoke without thinking. Don’t take my words seriously.” Baili Jinchuan felt uncomfortable due to the way she looked at him, as if he was a stranger. Shen Ninghua had never treated him intimately, but she was at least gentle and courteous. Now, she was so indifferent to him.

“I still have matters to attend to, so I won’t keep you company.” Seeing that he had no intention of leaving, Shen Ninghua did not want to say anything else. She directly stood up and left.

Baili Jinchuan’s expression was gloomy. He held his finger that was still in pain. A violent storm flashed in his eyes. The more he was rejected, the more he wanted to fight for it. Originally, he only admired and appreciated Shen Ninghua. However, ever since she rejected him, the appreciation had slowly turned into an obsession. He could lead a million soldiers, relieve His Majesty’s worries, and win victory for Da’an. How was it possible that he couldn’t subdue a woman?

Baili Jinchuan narrowed his eyes slightly and looked in the direction where Shen Ninghua had left. He pulled his arm back into his sleeve, abruptly stood up, and strode away.

Maybe it was because Zhang Nian’s medical skills were too excellent. The next day, Yang Yingxue’s health improved a lot.

Inside Cuizhu Pavilion, Yang Yingxue was taking medicine from a bowl and frowned. She ate a candied fruit to relieve the taste of bitterness in her mouth. “Mother, this medicine is too bitter. I don’t want to drink it anymore.”

Xia Jingqiu lovingly wiped the sweat off her forehead with a handkerchief. “After drinking today’s portion, you can stop. You have been ill for so long, and it’s time for you to recover.”

Yang Yingxue nodded. She suddenly pursed her lips and smiled. “Mother, did I respond well when the Second Prince came to visit me yesterday?”

Thinking of the expression on the Second Prince’s face when he left yesterday, Xia Jingqiu smiled and said, “You did more than well yesterday. Your response was completely flawless. When we just arrived in the capital, I was a little confused. I just wanted to help you secure a good future as soon as possible. But now, I understand that the men in the capital are used to seeing beauties. They always feel that food delivered to them is tasteless, whereas only those beautiful girls who are as distant as the clouds on the horizon and moon in the waters can make them constantly preoccupied.”

Yang Yingxue nodded. When she remembered how the Second Prince and the others had ignored her, she frowned. “Well, I tried my best to be gentle and considerate, but I was disdained. Shen Ninghua always treated him coldly, but the Second Prince courted her. At that time, I only felt extremely embarrassed. Now I understand that things delivered to the door always look cheap. Right?”

“Yes,” Xia Jingqiu helped her tidy up her hair. “It’s good that you can understand it now. Your appearance is your best weapon. As long as you use it well, you can easily knock open the doors of the harem and the officials’ backyards. Yingxue, you have always been smart. There is no need for me to deliberately teach you. You only need to remember one thing. You are Princess Zhaohua’s cousin. With Shen Ninghua being your support, you are nobler than most noblewomen in the capital. Therefore, you just need to maintain a calm mindset. It’s like fishing. If you want to catch a big fish, you need to be patient! ”

“Yes, Mother, don’t worry. I understand it completely now.”

It was getting warmer, and the sun was getting brighter. One day, Shen Ninghua wore a light spring dress. She leaned against the railing and threw some fish feed into the pond.

Chu Junyi, who was dressed in a black robe, walked over and saw her actions. He couldn’t help but laugh. “The fish hasn’t started to eat yet. It would be a waste if you threw down the fish feed now.”

Shen Ninghua turned around and saw him. She placed the small bowl in her hand on the table and wiped her hands with a handkerchief. “The ice in the water has melted. Without these obstacles, there will always be bold fish coming up, right?”

Chu Junyi walked forward and sat beside her. He lowered his head and looked at the water not far away. Not long after, two bubbles appeared in the water. There was actually fish coming up.

Chu Junyi was surprised. “Is your fish feed specially processed?”

Shen Ninghua did not answer. When she saw the fish emerging from the water, she immediately shouted to Qing Que who was standing by the side, “Qing Que, hurry up and catch that fish.”

Qing Que was holding a net pocket and waiting for orders. With a single move, she picked up a red-headed koi.

Shen Ninghua was very happy. She turned around and smiled at Chu Junyi. “Let me show you the fish I have raised for almost a year.”

Chu Junyi replied, “Alright.” He now had a plan: after going back, he would have someone dig a fish pond in his residence so that Shen Ninghua could feed fish by the water after she married him.

Bi Zhu and Hong Ling carried a large underglaze blue jar. Qing Que placed the koi in the jar for viewing.

Shen Ninghua took a slender jade Ruyi from the table and reached into the water to tease the dumb fat koi. “Look, this fish is so fat that it thinks it’s invincible. It forgot its habits and dared to come out of the surface. It deserves to be caught, right?”

Chu Junyi’s eyes moved and he immediately understood what she meant. “Ninghua, have you thought of how to treat this stupid fish?”

Shen Ninghua raised her eyes to look at him. “No matter how stupid he is, he is still a koi. Once he crosses the dragon gate, he can ascend to the heavens and become a dragon. What can people do about it?”

Chu Junyi curled his lips, and his eyes were filled with a slight smile. “I am not sure about others. But for you, even if he has turned into a dragon, you can still pull him down from the sky and turn him into a worm, right?”

“Then you think too highly of me. I’m not that capable.” The koi continued to flutter in the water, occasionally splashing water. Some of the waterdrops landed on Shen Ninghua’s dress. She immediately frowned and hit the head of the koi with the jade Ruyi. The fat fish rolled its eyes and became less active.

Chu Junyi couldn’t help but chuckle when he saw this scene. “You said that you were incapable. This fish hasn’t jumped over the dragon gate yet, but it is about to be smashed to death by you.”

Shen Ninghua glanced at him and ignored his teasing. She just held the jade Ruyi to make fun of the fat koi in the jar.

Chu Junyi watched with interest, and there was a smile in his eyes.

Previously, when the Second Prince returned to the capital, in order to prevent the Crown Prince and the empress from taking actions too early to seize power, Shen Ninghua reminded Baili Jinchuan so that he volunteered to hand over his military power. Later on, she helped him fulfil the task of Jiangnan disaster relief, after which he succeeded in climbing higher up the ladder of power. If he continued this momentum with patience, Baili Jinchuan would definitely make it to the throne.

Unfortunately, he fell in love with Shen Ninghua. He even used improper methods to force her to submit, causing a big scandal in the capital city. Speaking of which, Chu Junyi really thought he should thank the Second Prince for being impudent with Shen Ninghua, so that he could take fewer detours in the future.

Shen Ninghua was like a gorgeous flower that was about to bloom. This flower was too beautiful, making people want to go forward, pick her up and raise her in the vase. However, after reaching out their hands, people would discover that this flower actually carried sharp poisonous thorns. They wanted to take their hands back, but they were already stabbed before they regretted it. Therefore, all he could do now was to quietly build a wall around the flower, nourish her, let her bloom with brilliance, protect her, and ensure her safety…One day, he would be able to hold her in his palms.

Shen Ninghua turned around and saw Chu Junyi smiling happily at the side. She waved the jade Ruyi in her hand to sprinkle several drops of water over. “What are you happy about alone?”

Woken up by the cold water droplets, Chu Junyi hurriedly regained his sense. “I was thinking about how to help you kill the fish.”

Shen Ninghua rolled her eyes at him. “I didn’t say I wanted to kill the fish. Qing Que, throw it back.”

Qing Que stepped forward, picked up the dizzy koi and threw it back into the water. Then she took a handkerchief for Shen Ninghua to wipe her hands.

Shen Ninghua looked at Chu Junyi and said, “What are you doing here today?” Usually, this person seldom went through the main entrance, but today, he come in openly, which was rare.

“I’m here to deliver an invitation to you.” Chu Junyi took out the invitation from his sleeve and handed it over.

“Old General Xiao’s birthday?” Shen Ninghua frowned slightly. “Did you give it to the wrong person?” She was a lady, so how could she attend the birthday banquet of a military general?

“No.” Chu Junyi smiled. “Originally, the Xiao family did not want to host this birthday banquet, but His Majesty sent a congratulatory gift in advance. He even gave the decree to host a birthday banquet for the general. The princes heard the news and all of them would show up, and the officials naturally did not want to lag behind. As the Prefectural Princess, it is only natural for you to attend.”

A strange look flashed through Shen Ninghua’s eyes. “No matter how powerful Old General Xiao is, he is only a subordinate. It is not a good omen for the princes and officials to celebrate his birthday.”

Chu Junyi’s eyes were deep as he sneered. “Originally, I thought this was His Majesty’s idea, but I didn’t expect that the person behind this was the empress.”

Shen Ninghua was shocked. “The empress wanted to deal with the Xiao family?” The Xiao family was a hundred-year-old clan, and it was also one of Da’an’s backbone families. His Majesty had always held the Xiao family in high esteem, so why would the empress choose to act at this time?

Chu Junyi fell silent as he looked at the rippling surface of the water and remained speechless.

Shen Ninghua pondered for a long time without any results. When she raised her head and saw Chu Junyi’s expression, she was immediately shocked. She blurted out, “Because of you?”

Chu Junyi paused and turned to look at Shen Ninghua with a bitter smile. “Yes.”

What was Chu Junyi’s identity that could even make the empress act against the Xiao family?