Chapter 261 - The Dust Settled!

The Crown Prince Baili Jinyi kicked the eunuch away who was guarding the door. The scene in the hall suddenly appeared in front of his eyes. He almost couldn’t believe his eyes.

Baili Qingcang was grabbing his mother’s neck with a face full of wrath. The killing intent in his eyes was so strong that it was suffocating.

“Father Emperor!” Baili Jinyi quickly ran forward and knelt on the ground. “Father Emperor, no matter what Mother Empress has done to make you angry and misunderstand her, she is the Empress. You can’t kill her like this. Please show mercy to her, Father Emperor!”

Baili Qingcang was in fury. Seeing Baili Jinyi falling in front of him, he raised his foot and kicked at him. “Get lost!”

The furious kick was so powerful that Baili Jinyi was kicked a meter away. He covered his chest in pain and almost suffocated. However, he continued to plead, “Father Emperor, calm down, please calm down. Mother Empress is almost out of breath.”

Zhao Huiying’s neck was pinched and her face was purplish red due to suffocation. There was a painful expression on her face, but her gaze was particularly calm. She seemed to be certain that Baili Qingcang would not really kill her.

Baili Qingcang was enraged. He laughed in anger. “Zhao Huiying, do you think I won’t kill you?”

Zhao Huiying’s voice was hoarse. “I am the Empress…” Da’an had never had a precedent of killing the Empress!

“You are the Empress only with my tolerance. Otherwise, you are nothing!”

Zhao Huiying actually laughed out loud. “Your Majesty, for the sake of Da’an’s stability, you can distinguish what is more important!”

The Crown Prince knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Baili Qingcang. “Father Emperor, if there is anything, we can talk about it with a peaceful mind. Even if you are angry, you can’t kill Mother Empress.”

Zhao Huiying closed her eyes. The air that entered her chest became less and less. Just when she thought that she would be dead, Baili Qingcang suddenly released his hand. A large amount of air poured into her lungs, choking her and causing her to cough violently. She felt like her chest and throat were being torn apart.

Shen Ninghua lowered her eyes slightly to hide the emotions in her eyes. She had to admit that the Empress really understood the Emperor very well. For the sake of Da’an, he would tolerate the Empress and the Zhao family, at least for now. Even if he knew that the Empress had killed his most beloved woman, framed countless concubines in the harem, and killed many of his children, he would still have to endure her.

This was the sadness of being an Emperor!

Zhao Huiying collapsed to the ground. The Crown Prince quickly went forward to help her up. “Mother Empress, are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Zhao Huiying looked at Consort Yun on the side. A trace of mockery flashed through her eyes. You bitch, after you wasted so much effort, didn’t the Emperor still dare not kill me?

Sensing Zhao Huiying’s gaze, Bu Yunqing curled up her lips into a quirky smile. Ever since she entered the harem, Zhao Huiying had been extremely dotted on by Baili Qingcang and had no rival in the harem. How could she understand how terrifying it meant to lose the Emperor’s favor? The Emperor would not revoke her title as the Empress, but once she was neglected by the Emperor, there was no difference between her and a homeless dog. That kind of feeling was worse than death!

Looking at Zhao Huiying’s painful expression, Baili Jinyi’s face was full of grievance. “Father Emperor, please fetch the imperial doctor to treat Mother Empress first.”

Baili Qingcang completely ignored the Crown Prince. Step by step, he walked back to the high throne and sat down. He looked at Bu Yunqing at the side. “Consort Yun, it was a great crime for you to hide your pregnancy back then, but since you have suffered so much for so many years, I will not pursue it any further.”

Bu Yunqing smiled slightly and said with a mocking tone, “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Chu Junyi…No, your surname should be Baili.” Looking at Chu Junyi, Baili Qingcang felt complicated. His son had become his son-in-law. This was really a story!

Chu Junyi knelt on the ground again. There was not much expression on his handsome face and his tone was particularly calm and firm. “Father Emperor, no matter whether I am your biological son or Ninghua’s husband, I have to call you Father Emperor. My identity is not important, and I do not care about my title.”

Baili Qingcang had been worried about the reputation of the imperial family. He was worried that exposing Consort Yun’s past would affect his reputation, but when he heard Chu Junyi’s words, he felt that his previous worries were very unfair for this child. This strengthened his resolve. “No, you are my son. I must give you an identity!”

The Crown Prince came in late and did not know what had happened before he came. Now when he heard Baili Qingcang’s words, he was stunned. “Chu Junyi is Father Emperor’s son…”

Baili Qingcang ignored the Crown Prince. “Consort Yun, since you have returned, you can stay in the Palace.”

Zhao Huiying suddenly turned to look at Baili Qingcang. “Your Majesty, Bu Yunqing is a convicted consort, and everyone knows that she has been dead for many years. If she suddenly comes back like this, what face does the imperial family have?”

“Face? If you care so much about face, why did you do those horrible things back then?”

Zhao Huiying was choked by his words, and she was stunned on the spot, not knowing how to react.

Chu Junyi stepped forward. “Father Emperor, my mother has suffered for many years, and now that she has ruined her appearance, I want to take her back to my mansion to take care of her. Please allow me to do so.” He used to think his parents had passed away long before, but he did not expect that his mother was still alive. No matter how ugly she looked, he thanked the heavens for letting them get reunited.

Bu Yunqing looked at Chu Junyi. Tears gradually appeared in her gentle eyes. “Junyi, it’s good that you have the heart. I’m also very grateful that you can still accept me as your mother. However, with my identity, it is not suitable for me to live in your mansion.”

As she spoke, she looked at Shen Ninghua who was beside her. “Ninghua, come here.”

Shen Ninghua stepped forward and stretched out her hand, allowing Bu Yunqing to put her and Chu Junyi’s hands together. “Ninghua, do you hate granny?”

Hearing the word “granny”, the other people did not think too much about it. However, Shen Ninghua knew that Bu Yunqing was referring to the way she addressed her in the valley — Granny Poison.

Shen Ninghua smiled, and her smile was full of sincerity. “I don’t hate you, and I should thank you, Granny.” Thank you for saving my life, thank you for helping me restore my appearance, thank you for teaching me medical skills, and thank you for everything you were doing now…

Bu Yunqing smiled. That smile on her ugly face was clearly terrifying, but it made Shen Ninghua feel especially gentle. “Alright, I know you’re a good child. The Shen Family has let you down. Now that it’s gone, you don’t need to immerse yourself in the past. Living a good life with Junyi is the most important thing.”

“Yes, I’ll remember. Mother, don’t worry.”

Hearing Shen Ninghua’s address, Granny Poison was stunned, and then her eyes suddenly turned red. “Good, good child.” You are all good children, but I am covered in mud and look ugly all over. However, I will help you clear the obstacles and pave a road for you so that you don’t have to suffer so many storms!

“Your Majesty, Consort Yun has been dead for many years. It is indeed not suitable for me to come back to life. Thus, you need to find an explanation and arrange an identity for me. This way, Junyi and I can officially enter the Palace. Junyi is now almost 21 years old. He is ranked fifth among the living princes. He is the Fifth Prince.” Bu Yunqing looked at Baili Qingcang with a determined look in her eyes.

Baili Qingcang stared at her. “You’re right. You should stay in the Zhichun Palace first. I’ll get someone to do other things.”

The Third Prince looked at Bu Tinghe and felt it was really a pity. Well, it was not a good time to talk about their relationship now. He had to wait for some time.

Baili Qingcang looked at Zhao Huiying. “Empress, go back to your Ningkun Palace. You were frightened today and your health was not good enough to deal with the palace affairs, so you handed the Phoenix Seal to Consort Li and Consort Jing. The two of them will take care of the palace affairs. You should have a good rest and come out when you get better.”

Zhao Huiying looked at Baili Qingcang. He was taking away her power and also grounding her. When she got better, she would be allowed to come out. If not, then she would never come out, right?

More than twenty years of marriage couldn’t compare to a dead person. Baili Qingcang, should I say that you were extremely devoted, or should I say that you were heartless?

“All of you can leave. I’m tired. Don’t say a single word about what happened today. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being merciless.” Baili Qingcang glanced at Bu Jinglan, Bu Tinghe, and the Third Prince and coldly snorted.

“Yes.”

After leaving Chengqian Hall, Bu Tinghe’s legs were still soft, and she managed to stand only with the support of Bu Jinglan.

The Crown Prince supported Zhao Huiying and left. The Third Prince also left quickly. So many things had happened overnight. He must inform his mother as soon as possible.

Bu Jinglan looked at Shen Ninghua. His sinister eyes were very complicated with excitement, killing intent, curiosity, and admiration. “Princess Zhaohua, you won a great victory today.”

Shen Ninghua smiled coldly. “Thank you for your praise, Sixth Prince. It’s getting late, and Princess Wenhe’s face does not look good. It’s better for you to go back quickly.”

Chu Junyi stood in front of Shen Ninghua with a cold and overbearing aura. “Sixth Prince, it’s time for you to leave.”

Bu Jinglan was suddenly shocked. Chu Junyi’s aura had actually undergone such a huge change, so his previous gentle smiles were all faked? Thinking about this, he actually felt that Chu Junyi was extremely terrifying. The capital’s Peerless Duo Master, haha, perhaps this Chu Junyi had deceived everyone!

After waiting for the other people to leave, Chu Junyi turned to look at Bu Yunqing, knelt on the ground, and respectfully kowtowed. “Greetings, mother!”

Bu Yunqing suddenly covered her lips. Tears kept falling from her eyes onto her scarred face. “Good boy, get up quickly.”

Shen Ninghua walked a little further away, leaving the quiet space to the mother and son. Leaning against the railing, she looked up at the sky. A full moon was hanging in the sky. Suddenly, she got emotional and whispered, “It seems that I haven’t looked up at the sky for a long time. Today is the fifteenth day of the lunar calendar. The moon is round and the people are united. It’s so good…”

The cool breeze blew her hair and gently rolled up and down the black hair on her back. Shen Ninghua raised her hand and put a strand of hair behind her ear. A gentle smile appeared on her lips. Her bright and clear eyes were filled with a relaxed smile. Her peerless beautiful face was like a fine jade under the moonlight, gentle, flawless, and dazzling.

At the corner of the corridor, Baili Jinchuan stood there like a javelin. He had just seen that the matter was over and wanted to leave. However, the moment he saw the smile on Shen Ninghua’s face, his feet seemed to have taken root, and he could not move his legs.

The moon was shining brightly, and the beauty whom I could never forget was standing right there…