Chapter 156 - People Were Fascinated by Their Romance!

On the second day after the banquet, the news that the emperor was going to find husbands for the two princesses and Prefectural Princess Zhaohua spread like wildfire. People quickly forgot the shadow of chickenpox. They gathered on the streets in small groups, discussing with great interest what kind of people the emperor would choose to be his sons-in-law.

One piece of news was particularly intriguing. It was said that in order to prepare for the competition seven days later, Peerless Young Master Chu Junyi had practiced martial arts all night long until he fainted. It could be seen that he truly had deep feelings for Prefectural Princess Zhaohua.

At this moment, Chu Junyi, who was said to have deep feelings for Shen Ninghua, was sitting opposite her and picking cherries with great interest. “Ninghua, these cherries aren’t any inferior to the ones at the palace banquet. If you like, I can send some over every day in the future.”

Shen Ninghua looked up and rolled her eyes at him. “Wasn’t it rumored that you fainted after practicing martial arts all night?”

Chu Junyi smiled complacently. “No, now the news is that I fainted from writing discourses on polities for you all night.”

Hong Ling, who was serving dessert by the side, suddenly chuckled when she heard this, causing the two of them to look at her at the same time.

Hong Ling trembled when she met these two serious gazes. She hurriedly said, “Miss, the current news is that Young Master Chu missed you so much that he went mad from practicing martial arts and spat out blood.”

Shen Ninghua stopped copying the book and suddenly laughed. “Then two days later, will Young Master Chu die for love?”

Chu Junyi picked up a cherry and handed it to Shen Ninghua. The smile on his face did not change. “If it’s for you, I’m happy to come back to life after I die, let alone dying for love.”

Shen Ninghua’s smile suddenly froze. She raised her head and glared at him fiercely. “Hurry up and mind your own business. The day of His Majesty’s selection will be seven days later. If you don’t prepare well, you will be a terrible loser at that time.”

Chu Junyi turned to look at Hong Ling as a signal for her to leave.

Hong Ling coldly snorted, but she obediently walked out of the room. Miss was basically determined to marry Chu Junyi. She might as well listen to the future master.

Only then was Chu Junyi satisfied. He approached Shen Ninghua and took the brush from her hand. “Don’t be afraid. Even if I lose, you won’t choose anyone else!”

When the study was set on fire last time, many things were burned to ashes. Shen Ninghua could only find books from elsewhere and copy them bit by bit, trying her best to restore the study to its original state. After copying the book for two hours in a row, her eyes went blurry from tiredness. “Are you so sure?”

“Of course.”

Hearing this, Shen Ninghua put down her hands that were massaging her shoulders and slightly raised her chin. Her expression carried a hint of arrogance. “Are you so confident in yourself?”

The trace of arrogance on her beautiful face made Chu Junyi want to reach out to hold her face and fondle it carefully. He coughed twice and suppressed the idea.

“It’s not that I’m confident in myself, but I still owe you a lot of gold. If you marry someone else, I’ll just go back on my word. At that time, it’ll be hard for you to get the money back. Besides, Huajun Pharmacy made a large sum of money in the past two months. I am going to use all the money as part of the betrothal gift.”

“Betrothal gift?” Shen Ninghua glared at him angrily. “There is also my share. You want to use my money as the betrothal gift?”

Seeing her so obsessed with money, Chu Junyi felt even more amused. However, his expression was serious. “Ninghua, after we get married, the entire Huajun Pharmacy is yours and you can have as much money as you want.”

Shen Ninghua nodded in satisfaction. “That’s more like it.”

Huajun Pharmacy now had branches throughout Jiangnan. All the people in Jiangnan chose it every time they needed medicine. Many pharmacies were forced out of business and had to close, and countless merchants came to ask for cooperation. The pharmacy’s threshold was almost worn away. This was all thanks to Chu Junyi’s outstanding management. Up until now, Huajun Pharmacy had never sold any medicinal ingredients of low quality. In people’s minds, Huajun Pharmacy was the synonym of trust, quality, and conscience!

That’s a yes?! Chu Junyi laughed, and his eyes were filled with a deep doting smile as if it could drown Shen Ninghua in it. Shen Ninghua turned her head and moved her wrist. Then she turned around and sat down beside the bed.

In the next few days, girls in the capital were almost blind for crying. Chu Junyi’s story was truly too touching.

Countless women wished to become Shen Ninghua. This way, they would be able to enjoy Peerless Young Master’s passionate yearning and deep affection that no human words could describe…After being circulated through so many people’s mouths, in the end, Chu Junyi and Shen Ninghua’s love story had almost become a heart-wrenching drama that attracted everyone’s attention. All of a sudden, the citizens of the capital were looking forward to witnessing their happy marriage.

Many people even thought that if Chu Junyi lost in the upcoming competition and couldn’t become Prefectural Princess Zhaohua’s husband, they would all kneel at the entrance of the imperial palace to beg the emperor to let them get married.

Soon, the day of the competition came. The road leading from the Xiao Mansion to the imperial palace was filled with people. Seeing Chu Junyi coming out of the gate, someone immediately shouted, “Young Master Chu, you must win.”

“Right, you must marry Prefectural Princess Zhaohua.”

“We are all your supporters. You lovers will surely get together!”

Chu Junyi’s face was filled with gratitude. He raised his head and looked in the direction of Prefectural Princess Zhaohua’s mansion for a while. Then he turned around and bowed to the people. “Thank you, everyone. I will definitely try my best to marry Prefectural Princess Zhaohua.”

“Good!”

“Fighting!”

Many people were so excited that their faces were flushed red. They wished they could roll up their sleeves and offer help to Chu Junyi.

The sound of cheering didn’t disappear until he entered the imperial palace. Chu Junyi curled his lips in satisfaction and the light in his eyes was adamant: If the emperor did not choose him today, the people of the capital would probably not agree. His arrangements were not in vain. If he wasn’t afraid of being too straightforward, he would have compiled his story with Ninghua into a drama. He was sure that every chapter would be tear-inducing.

Shen Ninghua was in Princess Anning’s palace and heard about today’s grand occasion from the palace maids. She frowned slightly, but the corners of her lips involuntarily curved upwards to form an arc that was hard to detect.

“Haha, Ninghua, no wonder you directly said that you wanted to marry Chu Junyi in the main hall last time. If someone can do these things for me, I will definitely marry him, even if I have to give up my status as a princess.” Baili Anning said, and a trace of envy flashed through her eyes. She was a princess and was born to serve the royal family. Although the emperor held a special event to choose a husband for her, it was only a matter of choosing the best amongst a group of not-so-good options. In any case, it was for the sake of the court, and it made no difference for her.

Shen Ninghua picked out a petal-shaped decoration and carefully stuck it between her eyebrows. “Although His Majesty is the emperor, he is also a father. If possible, he surely hopes that you can live a good life, especially when he’s getting older and cherishes family ties more than ever. Haven’t I told you long before that if you have someone you like in mind, you can tell His Majesty and that His Majesty will definitely give priority to your opinions?”

Baili Anning struggled slightly in her heart. “Will His Majesty do that?”

“How do you know that His Majesty won’t if you don’t give it a try?” The emperor was also a human, and he had emotions and desires like everyone else. Although Baili Qingcang was iron-fisted in ruling the country, he was very soft-hearted towards his sons. Otherwise, Baili Jinze would have already died a violent death rather than lying in bed right now.

Seven days was enough time for the emperor to investigate the connection between the assassins and the Coiling Dragon Villa and uncover Baili Jinze, the wire-puller. However, in the face of his own son, the emperor hesitated. He only let someone tamper with the medicine of Baili Jinze, leaving him sick in bed. When he was young, he himself stepped on his brothers’ corpses to ascend to the throne. Now, he didn’t want to see his sons killing each other. Therefore, none of the other princes knew what Baili Jinze had done.

However, there would definitely be traces left after the water passed. Now, the more he concealed it, the more powerful it would be when the matter finally erupted.

“Your Highnesses, it’s almost time to go to the front hall.” A palace maid reminded them at the door.

Shen Ninghua stood up and tidied up her dress to remove the wrinkles. The faint light in her eyes kept shining, showing the fluctuations in her heart. “Your Highness, let’s go.”

Baili Anning became even more nervous. She tightly held Shen Ninghua’s hand and the two of them walked out together.

At this moment, at the entrance of Chengqian Hall, a tall vermillion arena was already set up. This arena had been built when Bu Jinglan brought his people to compete last time. Later, it was moved elsewhere but not demolished. Now, it was decorated anew and directly put into use.

At the entrance of the hall, contestants stood in a four-row five-line formation. Everyone’s face was filled with excitement and eagerness as they waited for the emperor to announce the beginning.

Chu Junyi stood in the second row. With a slight turn of his head, he could see Baili Qingcang walking over from the corridor and Shen Ninghua behind him. The light in his eyes immediately lit up.

“Greetings, Your Majesties, Princess Anning, Princess Anqing and Prefectural Princess Zhaohua…”

After a series of greetings, Baili Qingcang sat on the throne in the main hall. Looking at the neatly-lined young men at the entrance, a trace of satisfaction flashed in his eyes. The disappointment in his heart brought by Baili Jinze dissipated a little. The future belonged to the young. After all, he was an old man now, so he did not blame his sons for having other thoughts.

“Seven days ago, I gave you a topic: Conquer the enemy with a brush to show your literary talent and exercise leadership at a distance to prove your skills in martial arts. I think you have already had the answer. Do you have something for me to see?”

As soon as Baili Jinze finished speaking, many people stepped forward and reported, “Your Majesty, I have an article for you.”

A eunuch collected all the articles in everyone’s hand and placed them on the imperial desk.

Baili Qingcang casually leafed through two articles, and his expression relaxed slightly. He picked out some articles for the eunuch to send to Shen Ninghua and the other two princesses. “After all, it’s for the sake of choosing husbands for the three of you. Take a good look and choose the top three in your mind.”

Baili Jinchuan raised his head and his gaze followed Shen Ninghua closely. The emotions in his eyes gradually condensed into a storm. “Ninghua, if I can’t marry you, I won’t let anyone else marry you either!”