Chapter 284 - You Did it and You Deserved It!

Although Baili Junyi believed in Shen Ninghua, he kept staring at the two of them seriously. The inner strength in his palm was ready to go. Once he noticed that something was wrong, he would directly kill Cunxin!

Cunxin’s tune was changing from time to time, sometimes mournful and sometimes joyful, causing the people around to feel happy and sad alternatively. On the other hand, Shen Ninghua’s tune was much more stable. It was clear and cold, neither alienated nor obsequious, neither independent nor ingratiating. It had a unique kind of bearing, not majestic, but definitely not self-closed or narrow-minded.

Prince An’s eyes flashed with smiles. Shen Ninghua’s tune was completely suppressed. As long as her rhythm was disrupted, she would definitely be defeated. After the end of the match, Baili Junyi would have no choice but to live with a fool for the rest of his life.

Baili Junyi was nervous. The inner strength in his palm was almost out of control. If he hadn’t seen Shen Ninghua’s expression was calm without the slightest bit of pressure, he would have already attacked Cunxin. So what if he lost his manners before the Emperor? If his sweetheart lost a strand of hair, he would let Cunxin pay with his life!

While everyone’s attention was completely drawn by the tunes, the two competitors also had their own experiences.

Shen Ninghua felt that the momentum of the opposite side was strong like a surging wave. The moment it came out, it was like a stone breaking through the sky and crushing everything in its path.

Cunxin was even more uncomfortable. He had encountered strong-minded players, but no one had ever given him the same feeling as Shen Ninghua did. She could not be crushed, broken, driven away, or dispersed.

Her tune was exceptionally calm and featureless, yet it was like water flowing through every hole, causing his mind to be in turmoil and difficult to calm down.

Shen Ninghua fiddled with the strings, and her past stories with Baili Junyi appeared in front of her eyes. They first met when they fell into the valley. They had confrontations and then collaborated with each other wholeheartedly. In the end, they vowed to be a couple. Now, they had a boy and a girl and they were deeply in love with each other. She came all the way here, experienced a lot, and abandoned a lot. Fortunately, she still had him accompanying her along the way. Now that she thought about it, she no longer had any regrets for the past.

Cunxin felt Shen Ninghua’s tune suddenly changed. The sound was even more ethereal and indifferent. The stable, grief-free, and nonchalant feeling pressed down on his mind. No matter how hard he tried, he could not make her waver.

Cunxin felt that he could no longer show mercy to her. As he thought about this, the tune he played suddenly changed. It became much softer, like a thin thread that drilled into the depths of one’s heart until it dug out the deepest secret.

Prince An closed his eyes and forced himself not to listen or think about the tune. He had seen and heard Cunxin’s performance many times, so he naturally knew how to guard against it.

However, Bu Tinghe and Bu Jinglan were not so lucky.

At this time, Bu Tinghe’s expression was slack, and a dense fog of hatred gradually rose in her eyes. She stared at Shen Ninghua and wished she could directly eat her alive.

On the other hand, Bu Jinglan’s face was constantly twisting. His expression was sometimes sinister and evil, and sometimes innocent and confused, which made his face look extremely distorted.

Even Baili Qingcang and Zhao Huiying, who were the furthest away, were affected.

Prince An suddenly felt a pain in his chest and the blood in his chest surged. He opened his eyes and looked at Cunxin in shock. What was going on? Cunxin’s performance had never been so magical before. Had he been hiding his strength?

Shen Ninghua frowned and suddenly coldly looked at Cunxin. Her dark eyes were bright like stars, but they carried a heavy pressure.

When Cunxin saw her eyes, he felt as if something had hit him in the chest. He spat out a mouthful of blood and the tune was interrupted.

Shen Ninghua retracted her gaze, but her movements did not stop. Instead, she played a Sunny Spring Tune. The lively music made everyone unconsciously smile, as if they were basked in spring breeze and sunshine. In an instant, the dark emotions that had just been evoked by Cunxin’s tune were pressed down.

Shen Ninghua put her fingers on the strings to end the tune. She looked up at Cunxin. “You lost.”

Cunxin bent over the qin instrument. His chest was stained with blood that looked shockingly red. “Why?”

“Poetry, singing, music, chess, calligraphy, and painting are all about the art of cultivating one’s temperament. You pursued the highest level of qin skills, but the more you studied, the further away you deviated from the right course. You actually studied how to trigger the darkness in one’s heart. In this way, the tune you play is not even as pleasant as that casually played by a three-year-old child.”

Cunxin looked up in a daze, and his clear eyes gradually lost their light, like two dry wells.

Shen Ninghua stopped paying attention to him. She turned and saw Baili Junyi smiling at her, and she could not help but smile. If not for Baili Junyi, she would have walked on a different path and ended up like Cunxin. In the end, her life would be like a dead tree, empty and silent, devoid of life.

Prince An suddenly stood up and quickly walked to Cunxin. Then he angrily looked at Shen Ninghua. “Princess Zhaohua, it’s just a competition, but why did you hurt him?”

Shen Ninghua turned around with a hint of ridicule in her eyes. “Musician Cunxin’s body was already in a very bad condition. Prince An, wasn’t it you who forced me to compete with him that triggered the old illness in his body? Don’t put the blame on others for everything. It’s better to think about what you did in the first place.”

Prince An’s eyes were as sharp as a sword. He opened his mouth and was about to reprimand her. However, Cunxin grabbed his hand and began to cough violently. He spat out large mouthfuls of blood. “Prince An…I lost.”

He struggled to stand up and bowed deeply to Shen Ninghua. “Thank you for your guidance, Princess Zhaohua.” After saying that, he suddenly fainted.

Prince An hurriedly supported him and said with a gloomy expression, “Your Majesty, please find a place for Musician Cunxin to rest for a while. If it’s convenient, please find two imperial doctors to treat him. After all, he has great influence among the people.”

Baili Qingcang nodded. He looked at Prince An with a much more serious expression. This Prince An must have heard Cunxin’s tune and knew its effects. Yet, he insisted on Cunxin competing with Ninghua. It seemed that he really had ill intentions. If Ninghua failed to keep the situation under control, how many people would still be able to remain calm now?

“Alright, let Doctor Chen go and take a look.” Although he wished he could kill Cunxin, he could not act rashly right now.

Bu Tinghe had a worried look on her face. “Princess Zhaohua is very good at medical skills, how about letting her offer a helping hand?”

Shen Ninghua frowned and looked over. “Princess Wenhe, you are going to marry the Third Prince soon. It is better for you to study more about etiquette. No matter what my identity is, I should not see a man alone. Could it be that Great Yue people don’t know there should be a prudent reserve between men and women?”

Bu Tinghe’s face suddenly turned green. She knew what she said was inappropriate, but she was distracted by Cunxin’s tune. Especially when she recalled all the old and recent grudges with Shen Ninghua, it was so difficult for her to control her emotions. “I was just saying. If you want to see him die, then forget it.”

“Princess Wenhe, be careful with your words. There is already not much time left for Cunxin. Moreover, he has already seen through the meaning of life and death. There is no need for you to worry about him.”

“I’m not worried about him. I’m just stating facts.”

“You can think the way you want, but don’t involve me!” Shen Ninghua’s voice was stern, but her aura was cold and noble, depriving people of the slightest intention of offending her.

Bu Tinghe’s face turned from green to red. Suddenly, she clutched her belly and wailed, “Ah, my belly hurts. Father, save me…”

Prince An no longer cared about Musician Cunxin. He quickly walked to Bu Tinghe and asked, “Tinghe, what’s wrong?”

The Third Prince also stood up anxiously and quickly ran over. “What’s wrong? Are you going to deliver? Doctor, doctor, come and take a look.”

Chen Yun quickly came over and reached out to check her pulse. His expression suddenly changed. “She…”

The Third Prince looked irritable. “What has happened? What’s wrong with her?”

Chen Yun frowned tightly and said to Baili Qingcang, “Your Majesty, I took Princess Wenhe’s pulse and felt that her pulse was restless and her vital energy and blood were scanty. I’m afraid this child is going to have a premature birth.” Moreover, even if the baby was born, it probably wouldn’t live for long. But Chen Yun didn’t say this. After all, this child was a member of the royal family. If he said the truth, it would sound like a curse.

“Premature birth? This baby is only eight months.” Baili Qingcang’s expression turned serious. “Someone, prepare the palace and summon the midwives.”

As the old saying goes, a baby born in the seventh month of pregnancy might be alive, but an eight-month-old one rarely survived.

Prince An’s face turned completely dark. His heart was filled with regret right now. Why did he forget about his daughter and only want to make Shen Ninghua suffer? The child wouldn’t have a premature birth without Cunxin’s performance!

They had high hopes for this child. If something happened to him, wouldn’t their plan fail?

Bu Tinghe was in so much pain that she couldn’t stand up. She grabbed the Third Prince’s sleeve tightly. “Your Highness, please save our child. Ah, it hurts.”

She and Bu Jinglan had discussed their plan in detail. If there was anything wrong with this child, then they would find a child from the Great Yue Kingdom as a substitute. Who would have thought that she actually had a premature birth? Moreover, it happened in the Palace. It was all Cunxin’s fault. If he had not disturbed her mind with his tune, she wouldn’t have to suffer a premature birth.

Bu Tinghe’s heart was filled with hatred. She quickly thought about the situation.

She did not tell Bu Jinglan and Prince An about the child’s conditions, and they both thought that the child was extremely healthy. But in fact, she had consulted many imperial doctors, who all said that the child was in extremely dangerous conditions. Even if he could be born, it would be difficult to raise him up.

If that was the case, then she could make use of this child for the last time.

If she could pin the child’s death on Shen Ninghua, Shen Ninghua would definitely suffer!

Thinking of this, she suddenly turned to look at Shen Ninghua. “Princess Zhaohua, you can bring people good luck and know medicine. Please save the child in my belly.”

Shen Ninghua’s eyes flashed coldly. Bu Tinghe was going to drag her into trouble. Judging from Chen Yun’s expression, it was very likely that this baby in her belly was a dead fetus. Then how could Prince An and the Third Prince be willing to let her go if she was involved?

Bu Tinghe was in so much pain that her head was covered in cold sweat. However, her eyes were especially bright and shining with a trace of madness. “Shen Ninghua, you’re doomed this time!”