Chapter 118 - Why Should I Save You?

Seeing Shen Ninghua’s indifferent face, Bu Jinglan’s eyes were filled with rage. “Prefectural Princess Zhaohua, I heard that the Da’an Dynasty has always valued filial piety the most. Don’t you even care about your own father?”

This person wanted to use filial piety to pressure her?

Shen Ninghua’s eyes turned cold. “Sixth Prince, you mentioned my father. Did you also hurt my father when you indulged in horse-riding in the suburbs without caring for other people’s safety?”

“I didn’t indulge in horse-riding. I was just riding a little faster…” Bu Jinglan’s face darkened. This Shen Ninghua was making an unfounded attack upon him.

“I don’t care whether you were riding fast or indulging in careless horse-riding. I just want to ask, what did you do to my father and sister? They stay in the suburbs living a peaceful life. I also send people to give them money every month. Although the money isn’t enough for them to feast every day on the most delectable dishes and wear the most costly clothes, they have at least enough clothes and food. But you just went there once, and how come they are all injured? If you don’t give me an explanation for this matter, I’ll have to go to His Majesty to seek justice!”

Bu Jinglan suddenly frowned. This Shen Ninghua was really like a hedgehog. As long as you touched her, she would stab you with sharp thorns. “Prefectural Princess Ninghua, I only hurt your sister, not your father. However, your father was very anxious when he saw your sister injured. His expression was also very bad. I’ve come to invite you over to have a look. Are you going or not?”

Shen Ninghua glanced coldly at Bu Jinglan and raised her eyebrows slightly. “Of course I will go. If I don’t go, how do I know how badly you have injured my poor sister? Qing Que, prepare the horse. I’m going to the suburbs to see my sister who was injured by the Sixth Prince and my frightened father.”

Bu Jinglan suddenly clenched his fists, wishing he could bite Shen Ninghua to death. She was talking all nonsense. Originally, he thought that a girl with such a beautiful appearance must also have an easy-going temperament, but he didn’t expect that she would actually be so black-hearted!

Shen Ninghua sneered in her heart. Since you dared to use filial piety to pressure me, I could certainly make you bear the blame for indulging in horse-riding without caring for people’s safety. Let’s see who would prevail!

At this moment, Shen Linghan was lying on the bed with a deathly pale face. One of her legs was stained with blood, and she almost fainted from the pain.

When Shen Ninghua quickly walked in and saw her injured leg, her eyes moved. Shen Linghan’s luck was really bad. That leg had suffered an injury before. Thanks to the drugs she took, her body’s potential was stimulated and the broken bones healed to such an extent that enabled her to walk almost like a normal person. However, her bones had indeed been badly injured. Even though she looked fine, its inner structure was very fragile. This time, her injury happened to be on the broken leg. If she did not save her, even the immortals from the heavens would be unable to make her recover.

Seeing Shen Ninghua, Shen Linghan’s eyes were filled with hatred, but she forcefully suppressed it. “Eldest Sister, you’re here. Are you here to see me?”

Shen Dong was sitting on a chair beside her. Hearing this, he quickly turned around and saw Shen Ninghua, whose gorgeous dress did not fit in with the surrounding environment at all. A trace of pain flashed through his eyes. He used to loathe this daughter most, but now, she was a noble Prefectural Princess. It really seemed that every dog had his days.

“Ninghua, you’re here. Your sister is injured. I have no money left to hire a doctor for her. Take a look at her since you are here.”

Shen Ninghua stopped and looked at Shen Dong in surprise. “Father, I have sent here nearly 2,000 taels of silver in the past several months. How come you don’t even have the money to hire a doctor? The money I gave you is enough for an ordinary family to live on for more than ten years. How come it was used up in just a few months?”

Shen Linghan’s entire body trembled as she shrank back slightly and lowered her head to avoid Shen Ninghua’s sharp gaze.

Shen Dong blushed. He used to be the Prime Minister, but now he was questioned by his daughter like this, his expression became extremely awkward. “Your sister needs money on food, clothing, and transportation. Besides her, there are also Yulan and Mengyuan. They are all girls and needed rouge powder, seasonal clothes…In total, two thousand taels of silver isn’t much.”

Shen Ninghua turned to look at Shen Linghan who was now playing ostrich. A trace of deep ridicule flashed through her eyes. Rouge powder, silk and brocade. Did she think that she was still a noble girl in the Prime Minister’s Mansion? She had been demoted to a commoner, yet she still hadn’t given up her daydreams!

“Sister, lift the blanket. Let me have a look at your wound.”

Shen Linghan tried her best to restrain herself, but when she heard Shen Ninghua’s cold voice, her entire body couldn’t stop trembling. She had been repeatedly taught a lesson, and as a result, it seemed that she had become habitually afraid of Shen Ninghua. Even when she heard her voice, her heart couldn’t stop trembling. “Eldest Sister, my leg is injured. I feel extremely painful. Is it serious?”

Bai Ruo who was standing at the side stepped forward and lifted the brocade quilt. She took out a pair of scissors and cut open Shen Linghan’s bloodstained undergarment, revealing her injured calf.

Shen Ninghua frowned slightly. Shen Linghan’s calf was swollen like a steamed bun, and there was a big bump at her ankle, which looked frighteningly black and blue. This leg was basically crippled.

Shen Ninghua took out a handkerchief and pressed on the lump in Shen Linghan’s leg through the handkerchief. “Sister, is it painful?”

“No…” Shen Linghan’s pupils suddenly shrank. She had been feeling pain in her leg. But now, when she carefully distinguished the pain, she realized that she only felt pain in the area above her knee. Below her knee, she didn’t feel anything. A wave of fear suddenly seized her. “Eldest Sister, what happened to my leg?”

Sen Ninghua turned to look at Shen Dong. “Father, her leg had been injured before. Now that it’s injured again, I’m afraid it won’t be able to recover. Even if it’s cured, she would be lucky enough to be able to touch the ground with this leg.…”

“No, that’s impossible. You are lying to me!” Shen Linghan suddenly screamed. Her leg was crippled? She didn’t believe it! She had spent so much effort getting informed of Bu Jinglan’s whereabouts and wanted to stake all her fortune in a single throw. However, she didn’t expect that she would actually end up losing her leg.

Being demoted to a commoner by the His Majesty himself, it was almost impossible for her to rise from the ashes by marrying into the royal family. There were two paths in front of her. The first was to wait for Shen Dong to rise again and perhaps she could become an aristocratic young lady like before. This possibility was very faint, and she did not know how long she had to wait. She was already fifteen and could not afford to wait. The second path was to accept fate, treat herself as an ordinary folk girl and find someone to marry.

She was once a pride girl favored by the heavens, so how could she accept the fate of marrying an ignorant villager? She didn’t want to choose either of the two paths, so she could only take the risk to find another path. When she heard that the Great Yue Kingdom had sent an envoy to propose marriage, she had an idea. She coaxed Shen Dong to take out all the money in the family to buy her clothes that were no inferior to the young ladies of aristocratic families, waiting to meet Bu Jinglan by chance.

When she heard that Bu Jinglan would come to the suburbs, she felt extremely happy. She thought that this was a chance given to her by the heavens, but she did not expect that before she could grasp the opportunity, she would lose her leg first.

“Father, I don’t believe it. My leg has been cured. This time, it’s just a fall. Why is it so serious? It must be because Eldest Sister hates me so that she purposely said this. Father, please help me get an imperial doctor! Doctor Chen! Go invite Doctor Chen. His medical skills are the best. He will definitely find a way.” Shen Linghan grabbed onto Shen Dong’s clothes and pleaded continuously. Her expression carried traces of ruthlessness and madness, as if she had gone crazy.

Shen Dong was pulled by her and almost fell onto the bed. His expression immediately sank. “Quickly let go of me. What are you doing?”

Shen Ninghua gestured for Qing Que to step forward and help break open Shen Linghan’s hands. She said, “Father, the Second Prince and the Sixth Prince of the Great Yue Kingdom came with me. They are currently waiting in the main hall. Shouldn’t you go over and take a look?”

“Father, help me get a doctor…” Shen Linghan pounced on the bed and cried. Her distorted face made her lose all of her beauty, and she looked like a pile of mud on the ground.

Shen Ninghua said, “Father, don’t worry. I have already sent someone to invite Doctor Zhang Nian. He should be here in a while. I will keep company with my sister here. You can go see the Second Prince.”

Shen Dong thought for a moment and finally nodded and strode away.

Shen Ninghua looked at his back, her eyes filled with ridicule. Shen Dong was well aware of the enmity between her and Shen Linghan. His departure was undoubtedly telling her that she could torture Shen Linghan at will. Back when Shen Linghan was the pearl, she was the one to be abandoned. Without his acquiescence and connivance, no matter how powerful Zhao Yunxiang was, she would not dare to join hands with Shen Linghan to kill her! But now, the position was reversed, and she became the one standing high up. So Shen Linghan, the abandoned pawn, became the victim that could be tortured by her at will.

Using one daughter’s life to please the other daughter. What a truly terrifying father!

Shen Linghan cried for a long time and slowly stopped. After a while, she raised her head and stared at Shen Ninghua with scarlet eyes. “Bitch, are you satisfied now?”

Shen Ninghua sneered. “Why aren’t you crying anymore? After all, you will be a cripple for the rest of your life. You should cry more for yourself.”

“It’s all because of you!” Shen Linghan roared, “You’re a jinx. You framed my mother, me, my father and brother, and ruined the entire Shen family! You’re an evil spirit, an evil spirit that came here to collect debts!”

Shen Ninghua stood up. Her face was glowing with brilliance, and her hairpin was shining. She was like a fairy who fell into the folk world from the Ninth Heaven. She looked so noble and unworldly. “You’re right, I am the evil spirit who came to collect debts. The heavens owed me retribution, and I have personally brought it to you, so that you can taste all of my sufferings!”

Shen Linghan’s entire body trembled and her throat was so tense that she was almost speechless. She really regretted it. If she knew that she would fall to such a state, she would rather die than become an enemy to Shen Ninghua. “Shen Ninghua…No, Eldest Sister! Eldest Sister, I was wrong. I know I was wrong. Save me. I know you have a way. You can definitely save me, right?”

Suddenly, a thunderclap resounded through the sky, and heavy rain instantly poured down.

Shen Ninghua turned around and looked out of the window. Looking at the blurry rain, she recalled that it was also raining heavily in front of Fengyi Palace. She was dragged to the ground and thrown into the rain by palace maids, while Shen Linghan sat high on the throne and wore an extremely gorgeous phoenix robe. At that time, she asked for help from all the gods but it didn’t work at all. The heavens cut off the road and the earth closed the door for her. Today, tit for tat. She could finally release her foul and evil-foreboding air.

She turned around and looked at Shen Linghan’s pleading eyes. Her voice was as cold as cold jade.

“Sister, I have the ability to save you, but why should I save you…”