Chapter 249 - A Stunning Beauty

The surrounding people cried out in alarm. They couldn’t bear to look at Chu Junyi and waited for his arm to freeze. However, after waiting for a moment, nothing happened.

Chu Junyi’s expression turned cold. “Your Highness, although the profound ice jade is rare, it is not unheard of in Da’an. Despite being frighteningly cold, every time it comes into contact with something made of wood, it will temporarily release the coldness and it will be fine for me to touch it now. Otherwise, those two maids wouldn’t be able to stand here intact.”

Hearing this, everyone suddenly came to a realization. It was true that those two white-clothed maids also touched the jade box with their bare hands and remained unhurt. The people who had just exclaimed quietly blushed and secretly blamed themselves for appearing so ignorant.

A brilliant smile appeared on Shen Ninghua’s lips. She stood up and walked to the main hall and bowed to Baili Qingcang who was seated on the high throne. “Father Emperor, this Iceberg Snow Lotus is priceless, and it is also a precious medicinal ingredient. Since the Sixth Prince gave it as a present to me, I naturally accepted it. However, I do not dare to have such a precious ingredient all by myself. Please allow Doctor Chen to cooperate with me in making this snow lotus into pills.”

The snow lotus had a special effect, but it was also exceptionally fragile. Without understanding its medicinal properties, one was highly likely to destroy it. It would be best for Shen Ninghua and Chen Yun to study it. Shen Ninghua and Chu Junyi had worked together to frustrate Bu Jinglan’s attempt to humiliate Da’an. Baili Qingcang was happy in his heart and agreed to Shen Ninghua’s request without hesitation.

“Alright, I approve.”

The corners of Bu Jinglan’s eyes moved slightly. His gaze involuntarily deepened, and the corners of his lips curved into a sinister arc. “Princess Zhaohua is so knowledgeable. I really can’t help admiring you.”

Shen Ninghua gave a detached smile and returned to her seat.

Chu Junyi placed the jade box on a wooden seat and sat beside Shen Ninghua. His unparallel handsome appearance was exceptionally eye-catching.

Bu Jinglan was frustrated. However, he didn’t seem to care at all. In fact, the flames in his eyes were burning even more vigorously. “Your Majesty, I have come to Da’an to offer my condolences to Old Lady Xiao. But my main purpose is to have more exchanges with your country. Da’an borders the Great Yue Kingdom and the two countries have frequent communications. Last time, I lost in the competition and have always wanted to have a try again. I wonder if Your Majesty can give me another chance?”

Although he sounded like he was asking for permission, he directly waved his hand at the door. The envoy sitting at the side immediately stood up and walked out of the hall. Then, a series of light footsteps were heard.

Everyone involuntarily looked at the door, and they couldn’t help but fall into a trance.

A woman was standing quietly at the door. Her dress was whiter than the snow. Ink-black hair fell down from behind. Her skin was white like jade, her eyes were green like emerald, her shoulders were straight as if cut by knives, and her waist was slender like a willow. On her head was an exquisite jade hairpin. A veil covered her face below the nose, revealing only a pair of lovely eyes and a charming red lotus flower between her eyebrows. She looked like a perfect combination of coldness, gorgeousness, nobility, and charm. She was so beautiful and unique that she didn’t seem to belong to the mortal world.

As she slowly walked closer, her white dress fluttered slightly, revealing a pair of white shoes embroidered with pink lotus flowers. With the faint scent of the lotus flowers, many people actually felt that the woman was producing lotus flowers with each step. They were immediately excited, and they felt that held in a spell.

Bu Jinglan curled his lips and looked at Chu Junyi beside Shen Ninghua. He raised his cup and drank it all in one gulp. A man who could not sleep with his pregnant wife for several months would definitely felt lonely and naturally had to find a way to relieve himself. When a great beauty was placed in front of him, even if Chu Junyi were a sage, he would be aroused.

The woman slowly walked to the center of the hall and bowed to Baili Qingcang. “Greetings, Your Majesty. My name is Bu Tinghe, the legitimate daughter of Prince An of the Great Yue Kingdom.”

The woman’s voice was cold and melodious, and her words were even more shocking. She was actually Prince An’s legitimate daughter? Everyone knew that Prince An of Great Yue was the current Emperor’s most trusted brother, and his legitimate daughter was conferred with the title Princess Wenhe. In the past, they only heard that this princess was extremely beautiful and was hailed as the number one beauty in the Great Yue Kingdom, but they didn’t know that she was beautiful to this extent!

After Bu Tinghe finished speaking, she lifted her hand and took off the veil. A beautiful face immediately attracted everyone’s gaze. This time, even the princes were dazed.

Shen Ninghua was also beautiful, but she never liked others to comment on her appearance. Normally, she only applied simple makeup as required by etiquette. Moreover, they had seen her too many times and got used to her stunning beauty. Therefore, when they saw Bu Tinghe dressed up like this, they felt her beauty was exceptionally astonishing.

The wine cup in the Third Prince’s hand had already tilted, and he didn’t even know that the wine was spilled. It wasn’t until he felt the chill on his clothes that he suddenly reacted. He hurriedly put down the wine cup and said, “What a beauty. She is indeed…overwhelmingly beautiful…”

After thinking for a long time, he was unable to find any suitable words to describe Bu Tinghe’s appearance, so he could only describe her as overwhelmingly beautiful.

Baili Qingcang observed everyone’s reactions and unconsciously frowned. It was just a woman, yet these people actually lost their composure to such an extent! He had no doubt that as long as this woman pleaded softly, these people would not hesitate to give out all the information they knew. At that time, wouldn’t Da’an be sold out completely?

“As you were. So, you are Princess Wenhe of Great Yue?”

Bu Tinghe stood up. Her red lips slightly curled upwards. Even when her face was expressionless, she still maintained a tranquil smile. “Yes, I am Princess Wenhe.”

Baili Qingcang looked at Bu Jinglan and said, “Sixth Prince, what kind of exchanges do you want your sister to have with Da’an?” He clearly said that he wanted to have an exchange, but he let a woman stand on the stage. Did he think that the exchange between the two countries was a beauty contest?

The criticism in his words was too obvious, causing many people present to restore their senses. They lowered their heads and didn’t dare to look at Baili Qingcang’s expression. Their hearts were filled with regret. It was truly too embarrassing for them to lose their composure like this in front of His Majesty.

Bu Tinghe had a shy smile on her face. “Your Majesty, after the Sixth Prince returned from Da’an, he praised the warriors and people here very much. This really made me curious. That’s why I asked my father to allow me to come. This request for exchange was merely motivated by my private interest. Please forgive me, Your Majesty.”

Since she had admitted having such a request, if Baili Qingcang said no, he would be debasing himself. “Since that’s the case, then you can sit down. As a princess, you should have the dignity of a princess. There’s no need to wait outside the door.”

Bu Tinghe’s smile did not change. She looked as if she did not understand the sarcasm in Baili Qingcang’s words. Instead, she turned to look at Shen Ninghua who was sitting at the side. “When I was in the Great Yue Kingdom, I heard wonderful deeds of Princess Zhaohua. I heard that you found a cure for the plague. Your husband loves you very much and you two founded the Huajun Pharmacy which saved tens of thousands of people in Jiangnan. You are truly a model for women. I have admired you for a long time. Today, I have not only witnessed your high moral character, but also found that you are very knowledgeable. I’m truly impressed.”

Shen Ninghua looked into Bu Tinghe’s eyes. Those eyes were bright and glassy. They looked exceptionally clean without the slightest evil intention as if one could see her soul in those eyes. Her appearance was extremely beautiful, her actions fitted the etiquette, and her words were irrefutable. How could such a person have a pair of exceptionally pure eyes?

“Your Highness, you’re overpraising me. I just did my duty. I don’t expect my reputation to be spread to the Great Yue Kingdom. It seems like I’m greedy for fame.”

“How could that be? You have done many good deeds that benefit the country and the people. This widespread reputation indicates that the people support you. Who can say that you are greedy for fame?”

Shen Ninghua smiled and did not answer.

Bu Tinghe’s face was full of smiles. “Your Highness, I have long heard that you are both talented and beautiful. So when I was in the Great Yue Kingdom, I painstakingly practiced dancing and wanted to compete with you. However, now that you are expecting, my wish won’t come true.”

“Thank you, Princess Wenhe, for your understanding.” Shen Ninghua smiled and patiently listened to Bu Tinghe’s intimate talk.

However, Bu Tinghe seemed to specifically target her. “Your Highness, when I am in the Great Yue Kingdom, I live in the Prince Mansion. My father is also very indulgent towards me and allows me to walk around as I wish. Now that I live in the embassy, I feel very restrained. I wonder if I can live in your Princess Mansion.”

Shen Ninghua laughed. Was this princess really stupid or was she pretending to be stupid? A princess from another country wanted to live in another princess’ mansion? What was she thinking about?

“The Great Yue Embassy is built according to the Great Yue Kingdom’s style. I’m sure Your Highness will definitely feel at home there. My mansion is very small and the servants are not professional. I’m afraid that you will not be taken good care of in my mansion.”

“Since that’s the case, I will forget it.” Bu Tinghe frowned slightly. She had a disappointed expression on her face, causing many people to feel sorry for her. “I admire Your Highness very much in my heart and want to get close to you. Sorry for making such a rude request.”

Bu Jinglan comforted her. “Tinghe, don’t cause trouble for Her Highness. We will stay in Da’an for a long time. You can pay many visits to Princess Zhaohua. Your Highness, you won’t refuse this request again, right?”

Well, they first raised two requests that she couldn’t agree to, and then they made a simple request. If she refused the third one, she would seem too impolite. This Bu Jinglan and Bu Tinghe really put on a good show!

Shen Ninghua smiled. “You are welcome.”

Bu Tinghe raised her head and her eyes lit up. “That’s good, then I’ll pay a visit to your Princess’ Mansion tomorrow.”

Bu Jinglan glanced at the officials on both sides and cupped his hands to Baili Qingcang. “Your Majesty, although Princess Zhaohua is expecting and cannot compete with Tinghe, Tinghe has prepared for a long time. It would be a waste of effort not to let her show it. I see that there are still quite a few young ladies present. How about letting Tinghe perform first? If anyone has the confidence to defeat Tinghe, they can get on stage. What do you think?”

Shen Ninghua’s eyes turned cold. Was this Bu Jinglan implying that the other ladies were all inferior to her? In this way, he made many people hostile towards her!