Chapter 299 - A Mysterious Funeral!

The door of the study room was tightly shut. When Shen Ninghua stepped in, she instantly felt the gloomy atmosphere inside.

Baili Junyi sat behind the desk expressionlessly, holding a broken writing brush in his hand. When he saw Shen Ninghua enter, his expression became less solemn and he threw the writing brush to the side. “Ninghua, you know what happened?”

“Yes, are you going to see His Majesty?” Shen Ninghua looked at him with a serious expression.

Baili Junyi narrowed his eyes. “Right now, Father Emperor must be especially angry. If I go and see him now, it will make things worse. If Father Emperor makes a fuss about it, then perhaps our previous efforts will end up in vain.”

After living with him for such a long time, Shen Ninghua could immediately tell the helplessness and indecision in his tone. “If you don’t go now, will you regret it?”

Baili Junyi choked and his fingers trembled involuntarily. “Father Emperor is very nostalgic. Zhao Huiying has been deposed and is now dead. Then every sin she committed in the past will be deemed insignificant. Father Emperor will only remember how good she was and then reminisce about her. In addition, the Crown Prince will create difficulties. Right now, mother is in an extremely dangerous situation.”

Shen Ninghua understood why he was worried. As a woman, she also knew that although the Emperor wasn’t in extremely passionate love with her mother Xia Jingyan when she was alive, he missed her so much after her death that his love for her kept growing. Xia Jingyan was a woman whom the Emperor aspired for but could not get. It was a regret for him in his entire life. Therefore, no one could defile her image in his heart.

Shen Ninghua walked behind him and gently rubbed his shoulders. “Since you understand everything, why don’t you take action now?”

Baili Junyi’s body stiffened. “But if we go now, Father Emperor will be suspicious. Our arrangements…”

Shen Ninghua chuckled.

“We spent so much time and effort making arrangements. We are fighting for the supreme power, because we want a good life and we want to protect everything we care about. Isn’t your mother the one you care about? She has suffered so much, and now she has finally returned to the imperial palace. Do you want to disregard her safety because of our arrangements?”

Baili Junyi held her hand and squeezed it hard. “I see. Ninghua, thank you.”

“I will go with you.” A husband and wife should go through thick and thin together.

After changing their clothes, they quickly rushed to the Palace. When they learned that the Emperor was in the Southern Imperial Study, the two of them went there and asked for an audience with the Emperor, but were refused by the chief eunuch.

“Prince Yi, Princess Yi, His Majesty has just delivered an oral edict. He said that he wouldn’t see anyone. Please leave.”

“Chief Steward, please inform His Majesty that we are here asking for an audience. Whether Father Emperor meets us or not, I will owe you a favor.”

The chief eunuch was a little hesitant. Thinking that Prince Yi would owe him a big favor, he agreed. “Well… Alright, then I will inform His Majesty. Please wait a moment.”

The inner study was very dark, but Baili Qingcang did not ask anyone to light the lamp. He sat alone behind the imperial writing desk. No one could see his expressions.

The chief eunuch walked forward, hesitating whether he should report to the Emperor or not. However, he heard Baili Qingcang ask, “Who is outside?”

“Your Majesty, Prince Yi and Princess Yi are outside. They ask for an audience with you.”

“They did come quite quickly…” Baili Qingcang’s expression became colder. “Let them go back. In two days, it will be the Empress’ funeral. They should go home and copy the Book of Filial Piety.”

“Yes.”

After listening to the chief eunuch’s reply, Baili Junyi wore a much more solemn expression. He and Shen Ninghua respectfully kowtowed to the Southern Imperial Study and then left slowly.

Inside Zhichun Palace, Bu Yunqing stood motionless by the window. He had been standing there for a long time. She only felt that her heart was heavier than the rain outside.

The maid walked in quietly and reported in a low voice, “Your Highness, Prince Yi and Princess Yi have just entered the Palace. They went to the Southern Imperial Study to see the Emperor. Unfortunately, the Emperor didn’t let them in and chased them out. His Majesty ordered them to go back and copy the Book of Filial Piety.”

Bu Yunqing finally moved. She turned her head slightly and there was a sharp and cold look in her eyes. “What did you say? He asked them to copy the Book of Filial Piety?”

“Yes.” The maid replied with some trepidation.

“What?” Bu Yunqing sneered, “The Book of Filial Piety? I am not dead yet. Why should they copy The Book of Filial Piety? Do they do it for that bitch Zhao Huiying? She has killed so many people. Just the blood of her victims alone is enough to fill the entire Ningkun Palace. Book of Filial Piety? That bitch doesn’t deserve it at all!”

The palace maids hurriedly knelt down. “Your Highness, please calm down.”

Bu Yunqing could not help but laugh out loud. Her voice was filled with desolation. After standing there for a long time, she finally understood what Zhao Huiying’s last smile meant to her. Zhao Huiying had already planned everything. She even arranged for that nurse to be a spy around her, repeatedly urging her to make a move to retaliate.

She had completely lost this time. She could have been a bystander, but she ignored Shen Ninghua’s warning and took action. Now, she couldn’t stay out of this mess even if she wanted to.

“I will write a letter. Ask someone to send it to the Royal Prince’s mansion.” Bu Yunqing quickly walked to the back of the table. When she was about to write the letter, she suddenly stopped. She suddenly realized there might be other spies in Zhichun Palace, so she couldn’t write the letter. If this letter was sent to the Prince’s mansion, it was fine. If it fell into someone else’s hands, it would be an irrefutable piece of proof against them.

“You go out first. Without my order, no one is allowed to come in.” Bu Yunqing suppressed all her anxiety and sat on the bed. Right now, she could only wait. Junyi was filial. He wouldn’t make her wait in anxiety. He would definitely find a way to send her a message.

When Baili Junyi and Shen Ninghua returned to their Royal Prince mansion, they were in an extremely bad mood. Fortunately, Shen Ninghua was not drenched. That was because although Baili Junyi was in a bad mood, he subconsciously protected her and did not let her get wet in the rain. However, most of his body was drenched.

Shen Ninghua ordered Bai Ruo to prepare bathwater. Then, she turned around to help Baili Junyi take off his soaked clothes. She said to him, “It’s useless to be anxious now. Father Emperor has grounded our mother. No one can enter Zhichun Palace. This is also a kind of protection for her. You take a bath first and change your clothes. I’ll let Qing Que go to Zhichun Palace to see our mother and listen to her side of the story.”

“Alright.” Baili Junyi nodded. His subordinates were all men and would be easily exposed. Qing Que was familiar with the Palace, so it was most suitable for her to go.

After making the arrangements, Shen Ninghua went to the inner room to see the two babies. Maybe they had sensed the arrival of their mother, they woke up one after another. Their small hands were clenched into fists as they rubbed their eyes. Their small faces, which were like steamed buns, were pink and rosy.

“Ya…”

“Ah!”

The two little babies greeted their mother in a language that common people could not understand.

Shen Ninghua could not help but smile. She patted them gently and played with them.

Baili Junyi changed his clothes and walked in. When he saw this scene, his expression became much more relaxed. He sat to the side and looked at the three of them. He slowly calmed down.

About three hours later, Qing Que, who was dressed in black and drenched, rushed back.

“Your Highnesses, Noble Consort Xian said that she was only trying to ridicule the deposed Empress and give her some medicine that would weaken her body. She just wanted to torture the deposed Empress. Unfortunately, the nurse and two palace maids beside her betrayed her and changed the medicine to poison. After the deposed Empress drank the medicine, the nurse and the palace maids all committed suicide. Then, the Crown Prince rushed over with the Emperor, and you know what happened next.”

After hearing Qing Que’s report, Shen Ninghua nodded. “Okay, I got it. You go down and change your clothes.”

Baili Junyi frowned. “The Crown Prince… Looks like he wants to use this opportunity to make a comeback.”

Shen Ninghua nodded and thought, “The deposed Empress really chose the right time to die! Although we have found out about Biyun Pavilion and Qingtian Pavilion, without the Empress, there is no list of names for us to investigate the two organizations further. Right, the Zhao Family!”

Shen Ninghua suddenly looked up. “Go to the prison and take a look at the Zhao Family. At this time, nothing shall happen to the Zhao Family.”

Baili Junyi hurriedly got up and walked out. As he walked, he instructed people to get a horse for him. Just as he reached the door, Ye Yi rushed over.

“Master, there was news from the Heavenly Prison just now. All members of the Zhao Family who had been imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison were poisoned, and none of them survived.”

Baili Junyi wore a stern expression. The aura around him suddenly changed. His oppressive aura was so formidable that Ye Yi took a step back and knelt respectfully on the ground.

Shen Ninghua unfolded his clenched fists and gently held them. “Everything has yet to come to an end. It’s still not too late. If we panic, that will be the beginning of the disaster for us.”

Baili Junyi suddenly turned around and hugged Shen Ninghua tightly in his arms. His strength was so great that it was difficult for Shen Ninghua to breathe. However, she did not push him away. Instead, she gently patted his back to let him completely relax.

Soon, Baili Junyi adjusted his expression and regained his composure, as if he hadn’t been weak and anxious.

“At this time, it is only natural that the Crown Prince wants to save himself, but he chose the wrong move! Ninghua, we will start copying the Book of Filial Piety now.”

Watching him regain his composure, Shen Ninghua smiled and nodded. “Alright.”

It rained the whole night and the rain didn’t stop until the next morning. Shen Ninghua opened the window and sensed a fishy smell of earth. The weather was hot when the sun came out, making people feel more and more uncomfortable. Suddenly, she felt as if her chest was filled with blood.

The Emperor said that the funeral was held according to the funeral rituals for the Empress, so Baili Junyi and Shen Ninghua had to change into mourning clothes. The Empress was the legitimate mother of all the sons and daughters of the Emperor.

Before the newly renovated Ningkun Palace could welcome its next owner, it witnessed the funeral of its previous owner. Zhao Huiying’s mourning hall was set up here.

When Shen Ninghua arrived, she saw Baili Anning, who was pregnant, kneeling on the ground with an extremely pale face. Shen Ninghua asked in a low voice, “Anning, how long have you been kneeling?”

Seeing Shen Ninghua, Baili Anning almost cried out, “Just now, a royal concubine did something inappropriate and was seen by Father Emperor’s men. She was directly dragged down and received 30 strokes. She was covered in blood.”

Shen Ninghua’s heart sank. The moment she got close to Baili Anning, she said one word softly, “Faint.”

Baili Anning was surprised for a moment. Then, she nodded imperceptibly. Not long after Shen Ninghua knelt to her side, her eyes rolled up and she directly fainted. The palace maids on the side were shocked and flustered. It took quite a while for the situation to restore to normal.

After Baili Anning was helped away to rest, Shen Ninghua finally had the time to look around. This time, all the ladies with ranks and titles had come. The huge Ningkun Palace was plain and clean, and there was no bright color to be seen. She could not help but sigh emotionally.

When Zhao Huiying was alive, she was the most powerful woman in the country. Many people were envious of her. After she was deposed, they thought that she would have to live a lonely life. They did not expect that she would actually pass away so quickly. After her death, her mourning ceremony was held according to the rituals for the Empress.

When she was alive, tens of thousands of people worshiped her. After she died, the whole country mourned her. She had lived a worthy life.