Chapter 360 - Snow

When Qi Yuechan returned to the Prefectural Prince Yi Mansion, she fiercely tugged at the silk handkerchief in her hand. Normally, she would have smashed the porcelain in the room to vent her anger. However, she was currently in Prefectural Prince Yi Mansion, so she could not do it as she pleased. Hence, she had no choice but to change to another method.

When the Hu man walked in with a wine jug, he hurriedly smiled the minute he saw Qi Yuechan and leaned over. “How did you come back so quickly? Didn’t you say that you entered the Palace?”

Qi Yuechan dodged backward in disgust and glared at him with disdain. “Stay away from me. Don’t forget, I am no longer your wife.”

“Okay, I know. You are now a noble person. You don’t need a tough and clumsy Hu like me. I only hope that you can complete the noble person’s orders as soon as possible. Don’t forget about my one-third share of the gold and silver.”

“Got it. Go to the backyard and feed your horses.” Qi Yuechan barked angrily.

The Hu did not mind her attitude at all. He swayed, hummed an unknown tune, and walked out with the wine jug.

In the end, Qi Yuechan could not help but throw the teacup on the table to the ground. “No matter what the price is, I will never return to my previous life!”

She had been pampered since she was young. Only after she had been forced to wander in the outside world did she realize how difficult it was for a woman to live. Moreover, there were uncivilized barbarians everywhere at the border, just like the Hu people. They were savage and vulgar. she wouldn’t have given herself to such a savage had it not been for the sake of surviving.

Just as she was deep in her thoughts, she suddenly heard a cricket cry, and her eyes lit up. She got up and walked to the window as if nothing had happened. She took out a slip of paper from the gap in the window. When she returned to the room, she quickly opened the slip of paper carefully. “The Emperor has a banquet for the New Year…”

In Huajun Pavilion, Shen Ninghua sat behind the table. There were two thick stacks of accounts on the table. Bi Zhu stood to the side with an abacus in her hand. “Miss, these are Huajun Pavilion’s account books for an entire year. I have checked all of them. The problematic ones have all been sorted out and recorded in this book.”

Shen Ninghua took the book and scanned it briefly. “You recorded very carefully. Did you punish the shopkeeper who embezzled the silver taels at the counter?”

“Yes, he has already been punished. The silver taels have been returned.”

“Good. The rest are all mistakes regarding records. It’s good enough to settle the accounts. This year’s profit is much more than last year. Good job, Bi Zhu. It’s been hard on you.” Bai Ruo, Hong Ling, and Qing Que spent most of the time serving her. Only Bi Zhu was in charge of the account books and many external matters. She often needed to deal with the issues outside of the mansion. Among the four maids, she could be said to be working the toughest job.

Bi Zhu held the abacus and giggled. “Miss, I just like to deal with the account books and numbers. Please don’t think that I hate my job. It’s also very interesting to watch those profiteers try their best to trick me.”

Shen Ninghua laughed out loud. “Alright, it’s almost the new year. This year, prepare more luxurious New Year’s gifts for each manager. We can’t treat those who are loyal to us unfairly.”

“Miss, I also want a red packet.”

“You don’t have to remind me. I have already prepared red packets for you all.”

Hong Ling giggled at the side. “Sister Bi Zhu, I saw that Miss had prepared a lot of silver. When the time comes, I can spend it however I want.”

Seeing Hong Ling pretend to be greedy, Shen Ninghua chuckled at her shenanigans. “Leave her be, Bi Zhu. I’ll personally prepare the New Year’s gift for Father Emperor. You don’t have to worry about the issue.”

Baili Junyi got off the morning court and walked in. Bi Zhu and the others hurriedly bowed and left.

“Ninghua, I just heard about the New Year’s gift. Have you thought of what to give?”

“I have some ideas, and I need to sort it out and confirm. You came back early today. Didn’t you go to the Ministry of Civil Affairs?”

Baili Junyi sat on the soft couch and hugged Shen Ninghua from behind, sniffing the fresh smell of her hair. His tense emotions relaxed. “I was dismissed by Father Emperor. Today, I was transferred to the Ministry of Rite. I can be considered an idle staff now.”

“From the Ministry of Civil Affairs to the Ministry of Rite?”

“Yes.”

Shen Ninghua sighed, “Logically speaking, since we eliminated the big plague Zhou Family, Father Emperor should have promoted you from prefectural prince to royal prince after we returned from Zhou City. After all, he demoted you in the first place because we intended to leave the capital. Now that we have made a contribution, not only did Father Emperor not promote your rank, but he also removed you from the position in the Ministry of Civil Affairs. It seems that he is completely on guard against us.”

“Yes, ever since we broke into the imperial palace, we have completely destroyed Father Emperor’s trust in us. As for the matter of Bai Ruo, I think that Father Emperor also expected that it was you who asked her to go to the imperial court to express her loyalty. Although he accepted it on the surface, he still felt uncomfortable in his heart.”

“My hands are tied. We can’t just sit still and wait for others to plot against us.” Shen Ninghua took out a gift list from a drawer. “This is the annual gift I prepared. Take a look and see if there is anything else that needs to be added or reduced.”

Baili Junyi glanced at the list briefly and nodded. “You are more thorough than me.”

“Originally, I wanted to give Father Emperor some medicine to nourish his body. After all, his anger for Xia Jingxin… Baili Anqing has harmed his health. But if we give the medicine to him now, I don’t think he will accept it. Let Uncle Chen think of a way to treat him.”

Baili Junyi’s voice sank. “I’m afraid it will be difficult.”

“Huh?” Shen Ninghua was puzzled.

Baili Junyi explained, “Father Emperor probably found out about the relationship between Uncle Chen and me. Nowadays, he rarely calls him to check on him. Today, Uncle Chen submitted a resignation letter, and Father Emperor has agreed to his application.”

Shen Ninghua furrowed her brows. “What exactly does Father Emperor want to do?”

“I don’t know either. Recently, Father Emperor has been mobilizing officials very frequently. No one can understand his thoughts.” Baili Junyi stroked Shen Ninghua’s hair. The satin-like feeling made him unwilling to let go. “We can only wait and see. I’m afraid this year’s New Year banquet will not be peaceful.”

Shen Ninghua relaxed her body and leaned against him. “There’s nothing wrong with having a lively banquet.”

Baili Junyi smiled. “Alright, let’s not talk about such a heavy topic. It’s better to do something meaningful now.”

Shen Ninghua was puzzled. “Something meaningful?”

The corners of Baili Junyi’s lips curled up, and his handsome face carried a trace of a bewitching aura. He bent down and carried Shen Ninghua up. “I’ll tell you later.”

The next day, when Shen Ninghua woke up, the sky was already bright. Hearing the sound in the room, Bai Ruo came in with a basin of water. “Miss, you are awake.”

Shen Ninghua wrapped the quilt around her body and sat up. She massaged her aching waist as she asked, “Bai Ruo? Didn’t I tell you not to serve me? Why are you here again?”

“It snowed last night. I was a little worried about you, so I got up and placed a few more charcoal basins here. I had nothing to do after waking up early in the morning, so I came to serve you. I’m not used to it when you don’t let me come.”

Shen Ninghua got up and put on her clothes. “Oh, you! Don’t do this in the future, and you’re not a maid anymore! Liu Yun would not be pleased.”

Bai Ruo’s face turned red. “You always make fun of me, Miss.”

After washing up, Shen Ninghua simply dressed up and carried the two children out.

“Mother, kiss.”

Baby Girl stumbled toward Shen Ninghua, which shocked her. She quickly hugged her. “When you fall, you’ll cry again.”

Baby Girl smiled and reached out to pinch her puffy cheeks. “Cry…”

“Hehe.” Shen Ninghua was amused. “You’re so cheeky.”

Big Boy also crawled over. “Sister, good…”

“Good, your sister is very good.” Being stared at by the round eyes of the two children, Shen Ninghua felt her heart melting. She asked Hong Ling to bring their clothes over and wrap them up into two puffy balls of snow. “Put on your clothes. I will take you to play with the snow.”

Baby Girl pulled the little white ball off her hat and giggled. “Mother, play…”

“Yes, I will take you to play.”

After taking the two children out, Shen Ninghua found a clean place to put them down and asked Hong Ling to keep an eye on them so that they wouldn’t climb into the snow.

It was the first time that Big Boy and Baby Girl saw the snow. They jumped happily like two energetic little fish. Shen Ninghua almost couldn’t hold them. “White!”

“Snow. This is called snow.”

“Snow…” Big Boy and Baby Girl repeated after Shen Ninghua, looking very cute.

Shen Ninghua personally formed two snowballs and handed them to them. “Feel it. Is it cold?”

Baby Girl held the ball of snow with both hands, and her black eyes widened in surprise. “White, snow, cold.”

Shen Ninghua couldn’t help but laugh, and Hong Ling, who was looking at Big Boy from the side, exclaimed, “Little Master, don’t eat it. The snow is not clean.”

Big Boy dug out a small piece of snow and stuffed it into his mouth. When he heard Hong Ling’s shout, he immediately shut his mouth. No matter how she coaxed him, he would not spit it out. Hong Ling almost cried. “Miss, please tell Little Master to spit it out.”

Shen Ninghua laughed out loud. “It’s fine. Let him have a taste. When I was a kid, I often secretly tried the taste of the snow. It was nothing at all. At this time, even if he opened his mouth, the snow would have already melted.”

Hong Ling nervously stared at Big Boy, afraid that he would eat again. Shen Ninghua held Baby Girl and got up. A gust of wind blew and took away many snowflakes on the top of the pavilion. The white elves were shining brightly under the sunlight.

Shen Ninghua couldn’t help but smile sincerely. Everything in the world had its own beauty. Spring gave birth to all things, summer bloomed with flowers, autumn dyed maple leaves, and winter snowed. They were all extremely beautiful things.

Baili Junyi, who had just entered the gate of the courtyard, couldn’t help but stop as he looked at the scene in the pavilion with infatuation. Shen Ninghua stood under the pavilion with their daughter in her arms. The smile on her lips was even purer and more flawless than the snowflakes. She was so beautiful that she didn’t look mortal at all. As he was deep in his thought, the feelings in his heart surged. No matter when, he would thank the heavens for letting him have Shen Ninghua.

Shen Ninghua looked back, just in time to meet Baili Junyi’s gaze. She blushed shyly. “Junyi, you’re back.”

“Father.” Baili Junyi quickly stepped forward and picked up Baby Girl. He held her up high and turned around. “Good daughter.”

Ten days later, all the houses in the capital were brightly lit and ready to celebrate the New Year. Shen Ninghua and Baili Junyi sat in the carriage and headed for the Palace.