Chapter 148 - One Move Ahead!

Xiao Fengjue’s eyes turned cold. His gaze was like a sharp sword blade, carrying a shining cold light. What kind of mysterious drug did Shen Ninghua apply to Junyi that made him willing to give up the Xiao family for her?

“Junyi, even if you don’t want this token, I won’t let those assassins return to the Xiao Mansion. You can decide what you want to do to them. If you don’t want them, then let them perish on their own.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Ninghua suddenly said, “Who said we didn’t want them!” After she finished speaking, she raised her hand to take the token over and threw it into Chu Junyi’s embrace. “Keep it. It might be of great use!”

There was also an assassin leader who knew the inside story. She had originally thought that he had deliberately revealed a flaw to lure them to the Xiao Mansion. Now that she had the token, she could control their lives. Assassins of sacrifice only recognized tokens, not owners. They were a great resource!

Chu Junyi held the token, and a trace of helpless indulgence flashed through his eyes. “I’ll take the token. Eldest Brother, do you have anything else to do?”

Xiao Fengjue raised his eyes and looked at Chu Junyi and Shen Ninghua standing side by side: one was handsome and elegant, while the other was extremely beautiful. At this moment, the two of them had the same gentle expression. They seemed to be approachable, but in fact, they had already blocked him thousands of miles away from their hearts. Thinking of Xiao Huanxi who was still courting death for Chu Junyi at home, he could not help but acknowledge that the two persons in front of him were a perfect couple.

“Nothing. I’m leaving.”

After Xiao Fengjue left, Shen Ninghua and Chu Junyi remained silent for a while.

“Ninghua, I’m going back to the Xiao Mansion.”

Shen Ninghua raised her eyes. Her pitch-black pupils carried traces of icy coldness. “For what?”

“The Xiao family is in a mess. My disappearance will attract suspicion. Now that you know who I am, you should have guessed what the empress had done to the Xiao family some days before. I have always felt that she probably had found something. There are a lot of things that need to be done beforehand. Otherwise, I will be caught off guard later.”

Shen Ninghua’s eyebrows slightly moved, and a trace of coldness flashed in her eyes. “Alright, go back if you want.” She knew that Chu Junyi and the Xiao family would definitely be interrelated in innumerable ways in the future, so it was absolutely impossible for him not to return.

However, after knowing Xiao Huanxi’s affection for him, she didn’t want him to return to the Xiao family at all.

Chu Junyi was pondering over the Xiao family’s affairs and Shen Ninghua was best at concealing her emotions. So he did not notice anything wrong with her tone. Upon hearing her consent, he nodded and said, “Well, I am leaving now.”

After Chu Junyi was far away, Shen Ninghua sat by the desk and remained silent. After a long time, she suddenly swept the inkstone off the desk.

Hong Ling, who was about to enter the room, was so frightened that she almost jumped up. “Miss, what’s wrong?”

Shen Ninghua lowered her head and looked at the inkstone. Her ears suddenly turned red. She realized that her behavior indicated that she was jealous, and seriously jealous. She quickly adjusted her expression and said in a calm voice, “Nothing. I accidentally knocked it off.”

Hong Ling looked at the desk in surprise and then at the inkstone. Normally, the inkstone was placed near the middle of the desk. How careless must a person be to knock it off?

However, no matter how stupid she was, she knew that she could not ask what she was thinking at this moment. “Oh, I will replace it with another one.”

“That’s right. I’m going to see Xuanlin.”

Five days passed in a flash. The Prefectural Princess Mansion was relatively peaceful, but the outside world was in a real mess.

The families that were infected by chickenpox were all sealed off, but this couldn’t stop the rumors from spreading at all.

In the capital, people’s face turned pale at the mentioning of chickenpox. Everyone wished to wash themselves from the inside out even after hearing the word “chickenpox”, for fear that they might be infected and die of it.

A certain rumor claimed that chickenpox was originated from the Prefectural Princess Mansion. If the Prefectural Princess Mansion was not cleaned up, the chickenpox would probably be even more severe. By then, the entire capital would be doomed. There were also people who said that Shen Ninghua’s failure to observe filial piety angered the heavens, so the heavens gave her such punishment…

When Baili Qingcang saw the report handed over, he smashed the teacup angrily. He lowered his head and looked at the officials who were on their knees. “Did you write this report?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. This is not an alarmist talk. We had to report it to Your Majesty because the evidence is conclusive. We know that you love Prefectural Princess Zhaohua very much, but if the spread of chickenpox continues, it will probably cause unrest in the hearts of the people and the whole country. Therefore, we dared to ask Your Majesty to give your verdict on the matter.”

Baili Qingcang suddenly sneered. His icy gaze carried an unparalleled pressure, almost threatening to suffocate those who were timid. He abruptly threw the report in his hand to the ground, and the rage in his eyes was about to burst out. “Sheer nonsense!”

“Your Majesty, please calm down.” The officials hurriedly pleaded guilty.

“You claimed chickenpox was originated from the Prefectural Princess Mansion. Then let me ask you, why do those people with chickenpox live farther and farther away from the Prefectural Princess Mansion, rather than live in a circle around it? Could it be that chickenpox also differentiate people by relationship? Did chickenpox know that the people around the Prefectural Princess Mansion cannot be infected, and therefore it only spread along a straight line? Also, you mentioned unrest among people. I do pay close attention to the people’s feelings, but don’t threaten me with them! Why didn’t you say anything when Shen Ninghua helped find the prescription to cure the plague? Why didn’t you say anything when she personally went to Jiangnan to relieve the disaster? Now that something happened to her, you guys are jumping up and down happily!”

“Your Majesty, forgive us…” No one expected Baili Qingcang to suddenly lose his temper. Furthermore, his words were so explicit that he almost pointed at their noses and scolded them for framing Shen Ninghua. No matter how courageous they were, they didn’t dare to say anything. Moreover, they themselves were ordered by others to frame Shen Ninghua.

“Forgive you? I remember that I once gave an order. Anyone who is found to frame Prefectural Princess Zhaohua will be punished as a felony. Someone, drag them all down. Take off their uniforms and give them each thirty strokes to make an example of them! I want to see who dares to ignore my order in the future!” Baili Qingcang shouted angrily. Immediately, a group of guards rushed forward, dragging down the officials who were dumbfounded out of fear. Not long after, the sound of clubbing came from outside.

A slender figure walked out from behind the screen. She walked to the center of the hall with light movements and knelt down straight towards Baili Qingcang. Her light red skirt was spread out on the ground, forming a beautiful flower. “Thank you for your trust, Father Emperor.”

“Well…” Baili Qingcang sat on the throne and sighed slightly. “You don’t have to stand on ceremonies. I am your father, so it’s only natural for me to protect you. Not to mention that the spread of chickenpox has nothing to do with you, even if it had something to do with you, I would not let anyone threaten you.”

A trace of warmth flashed through Shen Ninghua’s eyes. “I will never make things difficult for Father Emperor.” Regardless of the reason why he was so kind to her, she would definitely repay him for his endeavor to protect her.

“Alright. How long will it take for your brother Shen Xuanlin to recover?”

Shen Ninghua said solemnly, “Right now, his poxes have formed scabs. In about half a month, once the poxmarks disappear, he will be completely cured.”

Baili Qingcang was very happy. “Alright, this is good news. I will host a banquet in the Palace. Bring that little fellow here with you. I heard that he is learning martial arts from his master. If he is a capable person, I will definitely nurture him well. Also, don’t take the rumors outside to heart. I have already ordered you to sever your ties with the Shen family. Naturally, you don’t have to abide by filial piety when dealing with them. By bringing your grandmother to live with you, you have proved your respect to filial piety. I will take care of those who spread rumors against you. ”

“Yes. Thank you, Your Majesty. You should pay more attention to your health and rest more. Allow me to take leave now.” Shen Ninghua was touched. His Majesty was really very considerate.

“Yes, you can go now.”

After exiting the Imperial Study, Shen Ninghua looked at the officials who were pressed down on the ground and beaten by clubs. There was no fluctuation in her pitch-black eyes. She raised her head and walked over without looking sideways. She did not care about the resentment coming from the ground at all.

The several officials who hadn’t been beaten unconscious were obviously stunned when they saw Shen Ninghua. When she walked away, their intestines were about to turn green with regret. They actually said that the Prefectural Princess Mansion was the source of chickenpox in her presence?

Seeing their dumbfounded expressions, the eunuch in charge of the punishment sneered. “What are you looking at? Do you think you can afford to offend Her Highness by looking at her so disrespectfully?”

One of the officials was very stubborn and he still shouted, “Chickenpox was clearly originated from the Prefectural Princess Mansion. Why can’t we say that? Even if we were beaten to death, will that silence all the people in the world?”

The eunuch in charge of the clubbing was even more disdainful. He directly spat at him. “Please don’t mention the people as your excuse. Do you know why Her Highness came here this time? She has developed a cure for chickenpox. It is said that the prescription is extremely cheap and affordable. Even ordinary people can afford it. Do you know how many lives this prescription will save? How dare you say that the disease was originated from the Prefectural Princess Mansion? Her Highness’ younger brother has almost recovered. How can he spread the disease to others? You talk so brazenly. Aren’t you afraid of breaking your tongue? Bah! ”

The official who was talking eloquently was stunned. He carefully thought through the eunuch’s words and suddenly let out a loud shout. Then he rolled his eyes and fainted out of embarrassment.

The eunuch coldly swept his gaze over the people on the ground and snorted in a shrill voice, “Drag them out of the Palace. Don’t let them stain the ground of the Palace. It will bring misfortune!” After saying that, he directly went to report to Baili Qingcang.

Hearing that all the people he sent into the Palace had been dragged out, Baili Jinze smashed all the porcelain in the room and stepped on the fragments on the ground. He held onto the table and panted. “Shen Ninghua, you are one move ahead of me again. You bitch, sooner or later, I will kill you!”

As he spoke, his body couldn’t help but shake and he almost fell to the ground.

He roared angrily and raised his hand to touch his face. At this moment, Baili Jinze did not look as handsome as usual. His entire face was covered in poxes. There was practically no good skin on his face. Some of the poxes had already turned purulent and looked terrifying.

The servants guarding the door trembled and knelt on the ground. Only when there was no sound in the room did they breathe a sigh of relief. The Fifth Prince finally stopped making trouble. They survived another day.