Chapter 251 - An Insidious Scheme!

After Shen Ninghua returned from the Palace, she did not pay much attention to Bu Tinghe and only thought that this princess seemed to be a little biased against her. Even if Bu Tinghe didn’t like her, at most she would embarrass her with words rather than resort to some evil schemes. After all, the two of them were both princesses.

But she did not expect that on the second day, she would see this peerlessly beautiful princess again, and this meeting overturned her thoughts.

The next day, when she woke up, Chu Junyi had already gotten up and gone to court. She called out to Bai Ruo, but it was Hong Ling who came in with a basin of water.

“Bai Ruo usually serves me when I get up and get washed. How come you are here today?”

“Miss, Princess Wenhe is here. She came early in the morning before you woke up. Sister Bai Ruo wanted to wake you up, but Princess Wenhe refused to let her do so. So we could only invite her to the flower hall. When I came in to report to you, you happened to wake up.”

Shen Ninghua was surprised. “Why is she here so early? Did she say why she came here?”

“No, she just said that she came to see you.”

Shen Ninghua frowned. “Alright, help me dress up.”

After washing up and putting on some simple makeup, Shen Ninghua picked out a light blue orchid dress and went straight to the flower hall.

Bu Tinghe was still dressed in white like yesterday, but the style was very different. The neckline, cuffs, and hem were all embroidered with gold threads and looked low-key but luxurious.

As soon as Shen Ninghua entered, Bu Tinghe stood up with a smile. “Princess Zhaohua, I came over early in the morning. Did I disturb you?”

“No. On the other hand, I was completely unaware of your arrival and made you wait for a long time. I am really impolite.”

Bu Tinghe smiled. “We have both been impolite, so let’s call it even. No one is to blame.”

Shen Ninghua smiled. Although Bu Tinghe was aggressive last night, she was not difficult to get along with now. Maybe she was thinking too much.

Bu Tinghe said, “By the way, I came here today to ask for your help.”

“What can I do to help you?”

“I came to Da’an this time with two purposes: to broaden my horizons and to accompany my brother to hold a memorial ceremony for Old Lady Xiao. The first purpose is fine, but the latter…I just heard that what happened during the funeral hasn’t been investigated clearly and I cannot find anyone else to lead the way for me among the Shen family members. That was why I thought of you in the end.”

Shen Ninghua didn’t know if Shen Dong was pretending to be sick or if he was really sick. In any case, he couldn’t get out of bed. All the servants were arrested. Even Old Lady Xiao’s funeral was completed by the Internal Affairs Department under the Emperor’s order. Otherwise, Old Lady Xiao wouldn’t even be properly buried despite having an imperial mandate.

It was not easy for Bu Jinglan to find someone to lead the way to worship Old Lady Xiao. However, she had just broken up with the Shen family, so it was not appropriate for her to show up at this time.

“Princess Wenhe, you also know that my current conditions…”

Bu Tinghe interrupted, “I know. You are expecting. It is indeed inconvenient for you to go out.”

Shen Ninghua’s eyebrows moved slightly. “Then what did you mean?”

“Princess Zhaohua, although it is inconvenient for you, I saw that the servants around you are exceptionally sensible and thoughtful. How about letting one of them lead the way for me?”

Bai Ruo and Hong Ling, who were beside Shen Ninghua, stood with their eyes lowered and their expressions unchanged as if what Bu Tinghe had said had nothing to do with them.

Seeing that Shen Ninghua was silent, Bu Tinghe quickly added, “Your Highness, don’t worry. I’ve also heard about it. These maids are your best assistants. I just need a person to lead the way. After my brother and I finish worshipping Old Lady Xiao, we will send your maid back intact.”

Bai Ruo did not want to see Shen Ninghua in a difficult position. She stepped forward and softly pleaded, “Miss, I know where the Old Lady’s grave is and I am clear about the other details. How about letting me lead the way for the Sixth Prince and Princess Wenhe?”

Shen Ninghua suddenly frowned, and a fierce look flashed through her eyes as she scolded coldly, “Bai Ruo, I thought you knew the rules the most, but I didn’t expect you to be so ignorant. The Sixth Prince and the princess are going to hold a memorial ceremony to the Old Lady. Not only do they need someone to lead the way, but they also need the person to host the ceremony. You are just a lowly servant. What qualifications do you have to host the memorial ceremony of someone with the First Grade Imperial Mandate?”

Bai Ruo was shocked and quickly knelt on the ground. “I know my mistake. Your Highness, please punish me.”

Hong Ling also quickly knelt down and apologized.

Shen Ninghua frowned as she glanced at the two of them. She waved her hand impatiently and said, “Go down. Don’t be a bother here.”

Bu Tinghe watched the scene in front of her. The smile on her lips remained light and faint without the slightest change.

Shen Ninghua turned to look at her with a smile on her face again. “Princess Wenhe, please excuse me. As you can see, these servants know well how to serve me. However, in other aspects, they are completely ignorant. They are not qualified to host the memorial service. However, the Shen family is indeed in a difficult situation. How about this: I will enter the Palace and let Father Emperor issue an imperial decree to have the Ministry of Rite send an official to accompany you.”

Letting an official accompany them was a gesture of the highest respect. Even if Bu Tinghe was reluctant, she had to accept it. After all, as a princess, it did not make any sense for her to prefer the company of a maidservant to that of an official.

Bu Tinghe quickly expressed her thanks. “Princess Zhaohua is really thoughtful. I thank you on behalf of my brother.”

“You are welcome.”

“In that case, I won’t waste Your Highness’ time.”

Shen Ninghua got up and personally sent her to the door.

“Your Highness, you are in a delicate condition, so don’t bother to send me off.”

“Then please forgive me, Princess Wenhe, for not seeing you off.”

After Bu Tinghe left, Bai Ruo and Hong Ling quickly walked in. They saw Shen Ninghua sitting in a chair deep in thought.

Hong Ling stood a little behind and tugged at Bai Ruo’s sleeve.

Bai Ruo stepped forward. “Miss, Princess Wenhe seemed to have some special thoughts about us.”

Shen Ninghua nodded. “When I saw her yesterday, I felt that she had a sense of hostility towards me, but it was not obvious. We did not have much interaction in the past, so I ignored her. But now I am sure that the hostility is not an illusion.”

“Why is Princess Wenhe hostile towards you? She has no reason to be your enemy.”

Shen Ninghua guessed. “There must be something going on. Maybe it has something to do with Shen Linghan and Bu Jinglan.”

Bai Ruo nodded. “You did not allow me to lead the way for them. Will Princess Wenhe be even angrier?”

Shen Ninghua leaned back in the chair and smiled. “She is right about one thing: you are my best assistants. Moreover, the four of you have deep feelings for each other. If I let one of you go and something happens later, the other three will definitely hold a grudge against me. In this way, you can be easily defeated one after another. That would be equivalent to cutting off my hands and feet.”

Bai Ruo was worried. “Moreover, you are expecting. If something happens to us and you do not have a trustworthy maid to take care of you, then the situation will become more and more dangerous.”

Hong Ling hurriedly went forward. “That’s right. Miss treats us like sisters. When something happens to us, Miss will be anxious and angry. At that time, Young Master will probably suffer as well. What an insidious scheme!”

Bai Ruo turned around and slapped Hong Ling on the head. As close as sisters, how could she say such disrespectful words?

Hong Ling was confused. She looked at Bai Ruo with a puzzled expression.

Shen Ninghua was amused. “Alright, Bai Ruo, don’t hit her anymore. She’s already stupid enough. Aren’t you afraid she will be even more stupid if you hit her like that?”

Hong Ling covered her head and stood at the side, feeling extremely depressed. She was sensitive to all kinds of information and was extremely careful in gathering information. But usually she was slow to react.

“These days, Bai Ruo, you have to take special care. Hong Ling and the other two know some martial arts, but you don’t have any martial arts to protect yourself. I will get some drugs for you in a couple of days. If something really happens, you can also protect yourself.”

“Yes, thank you, Miss.”

Shen Ninghua asked Bai Ruo to be on guard, but she did not expect that the first to be in trouble was actually Qing Que, who was most adept at martial arts.

It had already been five days since Bu Tinghe’s visit last time. The memorial ceremony for Old Lady Xiao had also been successfully completed, so she thought that there would be no dangers ahead. But in the evening, just as Shen Ninghua finished eating and was ready to rest, Qing Que walked over with Hong Ling’s support.

“Miss, Qing Que is injured.”

Shen Ninghua was shocked and quickly asked Hong Ling to help Qing Que lie on the couch.

Qing Que had a sword wound in her arm and a black short arrow in her shoulder. The blood around the two wounds had a dark red color. From the look, she could tell that the wounds were poisonous.

Shen Ninghua sniffed the blood and frowned. “Hong Ling, go invite Doctor Chen.”

Fortunately, Chen Yun lived in a side courtyard of Shen Ninghua’s mansion to develop the Snow Lotus Pill. If he was in his own residence, it would probably be too late.

Chen Yun arrived in no time. He did not say much and directly checked Qing Que’s injury. After he examined it, his expression changed greatly. “Your Highness, hurry up and get out. The smell of this poison can cause miscarriage.”

When Hong Ling heard this, her face turned pale. She quickly went forward to support Shen Ninghua. “Miss, quickly go out.”

Shen Ninghua shook her head. “It’s fine. There won’t be any problem if I am exposed to it for a short period of time. The sword wound in Qing Que’s arm is different from the wound made by the short arrow in her shoulder. Now that the two poisons are mutually restraining each other, they won’t take her life immediately. If one of them is removed alone, the other will definitely kill her immediately. Therefore, two people must work together to remove the poisons. Doctor Chen can’t do that alone.”

Chen Yun also knew it, but Shen Ninghua was pregnant. If she insisted on helping remove the poison for the maid, she must take the risk of losing the baby.

Shen Ninghua took out a medicine bottle from her sleeve and took an abortion prevention pill. She looked up at Chen Yun firmly. “Doctor Chen, I am the target of this attack. I can avoid taking the risk this time, but there will always be the next attack. I can’t watch my maids die one by one.” With the highest martial arts skill, Qing Que was still injured, not to mention the others. If she gave up on saving Qing Que, the people around her would be slaughtered one by one!

“But your baby…”

Shen Ninghua caressed her belly and her eyes were shining with cold light. “The baby of Chu Junyi and me is not so fragile!”