Chapter 402

In the Fifth Prince Mansion, Hong Ling held a stack of invitation cards with a resentful expression on her face. “Miss, these people are going too far!”

Shen Ninghua took the invitation cards and examined them one by one. Then, she chuckled. “Ever since His Highness was stripped of his title, many people have invited me to their banquets.”

“Miss, these people clearly have bad intentions. They want to take advantage of this opportunity to ridicule us!”

“Well, I have expected this to happen. People will definitely kick us when we’re down. In the past, His Highness and I have offended many people. Now that we are in trouble, they naturally want to take revenge.” Hong Ling frowned and grunted, “Miss, I will take all the cards and burn them. It will save you the trouble.”

Shen Ninghua picked out a few invitations and placed them aside. “You can take care of the rest. I have to keep these.”

“Are you going to those banquets?”

“Look carefully. The top one was sent by Noble Consort Qi. She is now in charge of the palace harem. She is holding a banquet to win over Bu Yonghan and Bu Jinglan. Even if I am pregnant now, I can’t refuse the invitation, so I have to go, no matter what. This one was sent by Bu Yonghan. She has a special identity now. Although she is only a princess, we can’t underestimate the power behind her. Even the Crown Prince and the other princes have to be respectful to her, so I can’t refuse her invitation too. The rest were from mandated ladies. I don’t have to be there in person, but I must send gifts to them. Ask Bi Zhu to prepare the gifts and send them over. Just say that I can’t be there because I’m not feeling well.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Baili Junyi returned from the morning court and saw Shen Ninghua playing with the children. He could not help but smile. “Baby Girl, Big Boy, do you listen to your mother well?”

“Daddy.”

“Yes! We good!”

The two children jogged over and greeted him like two adorable chubby rabbits. “Daddy, carry me.”

Baili Junyi bent down to pick up Baby Girl and played with her for a while before sitting down beside Shen Ninghua. “Ninghua, does my little baby girl behave today?”

Shen Ninghua chuckled. “It’s only been two months. I can’t feel anything yet.”

Baili Junyi looked at her belly regretfully, wishing that Shen Ninghua could immediately give birth to the child. “Aww… How long do I have to wait?”

“This long!” Baby Girl extended her arms out and nodded her head.

Shen Ninghua smiled and tapped her little nose. “What do you know?”

The two children played for a while before Shen Ninghua asked the wet nurses to take them away. Then, she stood up and walked to Baili Junyi. She pulled his sleeve and took a look. “Are you injured?”

“What? No. Who can hurt me?” Baili Junyi shook his head.

Shen Ninghua pulled up his sleeve, revealing his arm wrapped in gauze. “No? Are you trying to bluff me? I could smell a bloody smell from the moment you entered the door. What happened? Didn’t you go to court? Who dared to hurt you?”

Baili Junyi smiled bitterly. “Well, I treated and bandaged the wound before coming back because I didn’t want you to be worried. Ye Yi and the others said that they could not detect any bloody smell, but I didn’t expect you to smell it. I’m fine. It’s nothing, just a small injury.”

Shen Ninghua frowned. “If you don’t tell me, I will ask Hong Ling to investigate.”

“No, don’t! It’s not a big deal. I went to court and irritated Father Emperor. Father Emperor cut me with a sword.”

Baili Junyi sounded casual and leisurely when he illustrated the incident, but Shen Ninghua’s pupils suddenly shrank in shock. “What did you say? Father Emperor cut you with a sword?” Well, it made sense. Although Baili Junyi was stripped of his title, he was still the Emperor’s son, so no one dared to assassinate him in public in the capital. Moreover, he was injured when he was in court. Only Baili Qingcang had the ability to injure him.

Noticing the violent fluctuation of Shen Ninghua’s mood, Baili Junyi quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her to sit to the side. “Ninghua, don’t worry. I’m fine. You are pregnant now. It’s not good for you and the baby if your mood swings too much.”

Shen Ninghua slightly pouted and reached out to tear open the gauze on Baili Junyi’s arm. Baili Junyi knew that she was in a bad mood, so he did not dare to resist and let her tear open the gauze. Looking at the bloody wound, she frowned slightly, and her eyes became watery. “You are his son. How can he be so cruel? How can he have such a deep hatred for you?”

“Today, Father Emperor brought up the matter of bestowing marriage again in the court. I did not agree and even mouthed back. Father Emperor was too enraged, so he punished me. Well, it’s a good thing. Because of this, I don’t even need to attend the morning court starting tomorrow. I can apply for sick leave and sleep in with you.”

Shen Ninghua took the high-quality ointment and applied it to Baili Junyi and then bandaged the wound again. “Awesome. You’re injured, and I’m pregnant. Now, both of us are considered to be in a special period. Starting tomorrow, we will close our doors and cut off all social activities. Father Emperor can think however he likes to. As for the rest, we can’t be bothered.” Originally, she had wanted to attend Noble Consort Qi’s and Bu Yonghan’s banquets, but now, it seemed that she didn’t really have to go.

Baili Junyi chuckled. “Alright. I’ll do whatever you say.”

Shen Ninghua nodded, and the coldness in her heart became more and more intense. Baili Qingcang had been an Emperor for so many years, and he had experienced all kinds of hardships and challenges. Moreover, he had long known that Baili Junyi refused to be bestowed marriage by an imperial decree. Normally, he would not be angered into drawing a sword and hurting a prince in the court, but now, he did it. It was a clear sign that Baili Junyi had been completely disliked by the Emperor.

As Baili Junyi pulled Shen Ninghua into his embrace and hugged her tightly, the smile on his face faded bit by bit. Today in the court, he said pretty much the same thing when he refused the marriage, but Father Emperor forcibly pulled out his sword and hurt him. All the princes and ministers simply looked on coldly, and not a single person stepped out to plead mercy for him. It seemed the Father Emperor must be satisfied by this outcome.

Before long, the news that the Fifth Prince refused to be bestowed marriage by the imperial decree spread throughout the capital. The nickname of Shen Ninghua, the most jealous woman in the capital, was once again mentioned. Even Baili Junyi got a title—the Henpecked Fifth Prince. However, there were also people who praised the Fifth Prince for his loyalty and affection to Shen Ninghua. They even brought up the long story between him and Shen Ninghua and said that their love for each other was precious and sincere.

However, this compliment was suppressed not long after it came out. It was common for the members of the royal family to be heartless, which had been proven by history. Moreover, the Fifth Prince had rejected all of the Emperor’s arrangements, including four side concubines in the beginning and then two bedroom concubines. He did not even mind when his title was stripped, which was a royal prince’s title! He was the first to do such an unwise thing, which was not something a normal person could do. Besides, what kind of effect could two bedroom concubines have anyway? He could just let them in the mansion and put them in a random courtyard. Baili Junyi must be out of his mind to lose his title for this matter.

As the rumors spread, the news that the Emperor had hurt the Fifth Prince with his sword was also spread. It finally dawned upon everyone that the Emperor had disliked the Fifth Prince for a long time and made up excuses to deal with him, and that bestowing marriage was just one of the Emperor’s excuses. To make matters worse, there was a rumor from an unknown source that Baili Junyi was not the son of the lost Noble Consort Xian, but the offspring of Bu Yunqing, the traitorous princess of the Great Yue Kingdom.

This time, everyone came to a realization. It was a romantic and outrageous incident when Princess Yunqing committed treason for the sake of the Emperor. When Princess Yunqing was caught and burned herself, it created an unprecedented sensation across the country. After so many years, the secret of the royal family was unexpectedly exposed again.

Everyone discussed how Baili Junyi survived, and what identity Noble Consort Xian had when she was found. Baili Junyi had been raised by the Xiao Family all the time. Did the Xiao Family know this news? Why did the Xiao Family and the Fifth Prince fall out later? Any news related to the Fifth Prince would instantly become the focus of everyone’s discussion.

The good reputation that Baili Junyi and Shen Ninghua had built before was exhausted overnight. Some people even began to boycott Huajun Pharmacy’s services and medicine. Because of this, Huajun Pharmacy’s income was greatly affected.

Baili Junyi and Shen Ning closed the gate of their residence and lived their lives quietly, completely ignoring the disturbance outside.

When Ye Yi reported the update of Huajun Pharmacy in recent days, Baili Junyi was not surprised at all after hearing it. “Got it. Have people keep an eye on the pharmacy and strictly punish those who intend to do harm to the pharmacy. Do not be lenient. Slowly close up on our business in Jiangnan. We’ve made enough money so far, so we don’t have to be anxious for the time being.”

“Yes, Master.”

Waving Ye Yi away, Baili Junyi turned to look at Shen Ninghua, who was eating fruit. He smiled helplessly. “It seems that Father Emperor has been upset with me for a long time. This time, he is really ruthless. Not only did he remove my title, but he also has his eyes on our business.”

Shen Ninghua took the plate, poked a piece of apple with a bamboo stick, and fed him. “When we came back from Zhou City, we went through Xia Jingxin’s incident and inadvertently exposed the force you secretly cultivated. I think Father Emperor has been wary of you since then. Later, Lin Feiran became Bu Jinglan’s main wife, and Noble Consort Li was promoted to take charge of the palace harem. He must have wanted to use them to restrain us. However, the two failed miserably and even implicated the Third and Fourth Princes. Because of this, Father Emperor has to take action personally.”

“The Crown Prince is now biding his time. He looks calm, but he has underlying plans beneath his composed demeanor. The Second Prince hides his light under a bushel. He has prestige in the army and enjoys the support of the Qi Family. Father Emperor doesn’t dare to support them, for fear that they will be too powerful to control. Neither the Third Prince nor the Fourth Prince is suitable to be a Crown Prince. Father Emperor should have known this in his heart. That’s why he dared to manipulate them against me. It’s a pity that the two of them did not achieve their desired goals.”

“In a few more days, I’m afraid that Huajun Pharmacy will not be able to continue to operate. What are your plans?”

Baili Junyi curled his lips into a smile. “If so, just close it. I think Father Emperor has been looking forward to this result. So, he will be delighted if we close the pharmacy.”

As they were talking, Hong Ling quickly walked in. “Master, Miss, His Majesty summoned you two into the palace, asking you to take both Little Masters with you.”

Shen Ninghua and Baili Junyi exchanged skeptical glances and felt their hearts skip a beat. They had already conceded to such an extent, but Father Emperor didn’t seem to want to give up suppressing them.

The two of them brought Big Boy and Baby Girl into the palace. The children had never entered the palace before. They were very surprised to see a strange place. They looked back and forth at the magnificent building, their sparkly eyes rolling around, looking particularly lively and adorable.

The two of them were summoned to Southern Imperial Study. As soon as they entered, they held the children and bowed to Baili Qingcang.

“Greetings, Father Emperor.”