Chapter 442

Baili Junyi and the rest only settled down when they walked all the way to Sucheng City.

After entering the city, Baili Junyi protected Shen Ninghua all the way to the garden entrance, where the Mo Mansion plaque was. Just as Shen Ninghua and the others arrived at the entrance, a butler led a group of servants to greet them. “Greetings, Master, Madam, Young Master and Miss. I am Qin Fu.”

Baili Junyi nodded. “Butler Qin, thank you for maintaining the garden for us for such a long time while we were away. It must have been tough to upkeep the garden.”

“Master, it is my duty to serve you.” Qin Fu bent his waist, and his expression was modest and respectful.

Big Boy and Baby Girl, who was at Shen Ninghua’s side, had a good impression of Butler Qin. This was the first time since they had changed their identities that someone had properly bowed to them and called them Young Master and Miss. Therefore, they all tried their best to pretend to be serious and nodded at Butler Qin like Baili Junyi did.

As Qin Fu looked at their faces, he looked affectionate and smiled so much that the wrinkles on his face were showing. He was one of the people who had followed Princess Yunqing over here. After Princess Yunqing’s incident, he went everywhere to look for Chu Junyi. The heavens did not forsake those who had prayed hard, indeed. Qin Fu finally found him and began to help Chu Junyi wholeheartedly. He had been working at Huajun Pharmacy in Jiangnan for some time. Now that something had happened to Baili Junyi, Huajun Pharmacy ended its business. Since he had nothing to do, he came here to be a butler and look after the two Little Masters.

After entering the garden, Baili Junyi and Shen Ninghua went straight to the main courtyard. Whereas for the others, Qin Fu had sent people to assist them.

Shen Ninghua sat firmly. She could not help but gasp for breath faintly. A thin layer of sweat appeared on her forehead. Right now, her body was very weak. After walking for a while, she suddenly felt exhausted and was sweating profusely.

Qin Fu respectfully knelt on the ground and greeted them again. “Master and Madam, please accept the greetings of your humble servant.”

Baili Junyi stood up and helped him up. “There’s no need for formalities. It’s all thanks to you for taking care of this place in Jiangnan during this period of time. Otherwise, I’m afraid I wouldn’t even have a place to stay.”

“I am overwhelmed by your compliment, Master. It’s all my fault for being incompetent. You have suffered great injustice, yet I couldn’t help at all.”

After Baili Junyi fled the capital, it wasn’t long before Baili Jinyi announced to the public that Baili Junyi had sneaked into the palace to assassinate the Emperor and cause chaos, and that he had fled the capital after his plan was exposed. Right now, the entire Da’an Kingdom was posted with Baili Junyi, Shen Ninghua, and the others’ wanted notices. Anyone who caught them or provided useful clues could obtain ten thousand taels of silver.

If Baili Junyi and the others had not changed their appearance and entered Sucheng City in batches, they would have been suspected long ago.

“Master, although Huajun Pharmacy has been seized, the money we have earned previously is safe. You can use this opportunity to plot for a great cause.”

Baili Junyi shook his head. “Let’s not talk about this for now. I have other plans. Has there been any latest news from the capital?”

Qin Fu paused and said angrily, “The Crown Prince said that you had committed treason. Although you had been defeated, you still assassinated the Emperor. Besides, due to the officials’ requests, the Crown Prince agreed to ascend the throne after the Emperor’s funeral. Now…”

Shen Ninghua could not help but sneer, “The Crown Prince is really fearless.” Father Emperor was still alive, yet Baili Jinyi wanted to hold a funeral for him. No one knew whom he had found to disguise to be the Emperor’s corpse. If he buried a dubious person in the Imperial Tomb, he should be afraid that Da’an Kingdom’s ancestors would haunt him at night!

Baili Junyi held her hand and gently rubbed it. “Ninghua, take a rest first. Don’t get angry.”

“You are already treating me like I’m made of glass. How can I still be reckless?” Shen Ninghua couldn’t help but glare at him. She just felt frustrated but wasn’t angry.

Baili Junyi quickly comforted her. “I was wrong. I don’t think it’s necessary to be angry. Just give me two days, and I will help you vent your anger and make Baili Jinyi suffer.”

Shen Ninghua couldn’t help but laugh. Then, she let Hong Ling help her to the inner courtyard to rest.

Baili Junyi warned Qin Fu. “Qin Fu, our true identity must not be exposed. I am the young master of the Mo family, Mo Junqing. Ninghua is my wife, Chu Qinghua. My two children are Mo Chen and Mo Yao. Heed my orders. We must not show a single flaw.”

“Yes, I will personally keep an eye on it. You can trust me, Master.”

After instructing Qin Fu, Baili Junyi walked to the inner courtyard. Shen Ninghua had already fallen asleep in a daze. Since she could not rest well on the ship, she began to catch up on her sleep once she got off the boat.

Big Boy and Baby Girl quietly came over. Seeing that Shen Ninghua had fallen asleep, they obediently took off their shoes and quietly climbed into the bed. Then, they lay down next to her arm and did not make a sound. They just played among themselves. This incident had a great impact on them. Now, as long as they had the chance, they would guard Shen Ninghua. They feared their mother would disappear again in the blink of an eye.

Baili Junyi couldn’t help but laugh from the bottom of his heart. Then, his heart ached intensely. When Big Boy saw him, he hurriedly put a finger to his lips and hushed his father. “Father, Mother and my baby brother are asleep. Don’t disturb them.”

Baili Junyi sat by the bed and patted their little faces. “Stay here and accompany your mother and sister. Don’t disturb them, okay?”

Baili Junyi and his children had formed a tacit understanding. Baili Junyi still firmly believed that Shen Ninghua was pregnant with a girl, while the children believed they would have a younger brother. They called the baby according to their own preferences and did not interfere with each other. They could only wait for the moment when the child was born to see who was right. Even Ye Yi and his trusted subordinates secretly made a bet. They were betting if their old and wise Master or their witty young Masters would win the bet.

Baili Junyi’s people finally settled down and began to rest in peace. Meanwhile, in the capital, the Crown Prince, who should have felt proud, was troubled. After he announced that Baili Qingcang was assassinated, the concubines in the harem cried loudly, and Noble Consort Qi asked to be buried with the Emperor. Deep inside, he wanted to bury all the imperial concubines and ordered the princes to guard the imperial mausoleum. However, if he did this, he would be drowned in everyone’s criticism.

He could only gently comfort them, but Noble Consort Qi suddenly hung herself to express her loyalty to the Emperor. Unexpectedly, she did not die and was saved by the imperial doctors. Soon, the people in the capital praised her. Even Baili Jinchuan benefited from this incident and said he was befitting to be the Royal Prince De. As a result, the Crown Prince could not harm this pair of mother and son anymore. He gnashed his teeth in hatred but was helpless.

However, this was not the most infuriating part. What annoyed him most was that a few days ago, there was a rumor that Baili Junyi had always been pure and filial, and the Emperor had always been fond of Princess Zhaohua. How could he rebel and assassinate the Emperor? Could this be a lie, after all? Besides, some people revealed the truth about the incident in which the Emperor was unconscious at the hunting ground, which stirred up more rumors among the people.

Baili Jinyi was so angry that he smashed many teacups. However, he couldn’t do anything about the rumors. If he arrested someone, it would make him seem as though he was guilty. If he didn’t do anything, the rumors wouldn’t calm down.

Xiao Jingran comforted the Crown Prince. “Your Highness, the most important thing now is to settle His Majesty’s funeral first. You can only ascend to the throne and become the Emperor then. The other things are not important. Let them spread the rumors. It’s just some groundless talk. Don’t worry too much.”

Baili Jinyi nodded. This was the only way. Since Baili Qingcang was the Emperor, the entire country had to mourn his death for forty-nine days. However, no one knew what was going on as there was a constant thudding noise from the Emperor’s coffin in Chengqian Hall since the tenth day. When the first thud from the coffin sounded, all the officials were scared out of their wits. Most of them knew some inside information now. Someone had killed the Emperor. Could it be that the Emperor had died unjustly and was coming back to seek revenge?

Just as they were bewildered, the big cauldron used for burning incense outside suddenly collapsed, crushing several monks praying around it. This time, the officials were frightened, and they had goosebumps. The Emperor must be resentful. What should they do?

However, Baili Jinyi was not affected. He believed that someone was playing tricks and had people secretly investigate. However, no clues could be found.

The news had somehow spread to the public, which caused the people to be shocked. The Emperor must be wanting to vent his anger. Otherwise, why would he cause such a commotion? Baili Qingcang had been a great political leader in the past two years, and the people greatly adored him. After hearing this news, they immediately began to burn incense and pray. For some time, the entire capital was shrouded in smoke.

The scholars began writing articles, tracing Baili Qingcang’s life. Some people vaguely hinted that the death of the Emperor was unusual. Meanwhile, an article appeared out of nowhere. The writing was beautiful, and it touched many people’s hearts. Every word was filled with reverence and longing for the Emperor. When this article was revealed, it was sought after by the scholars. Many people copied this article and hung them in their own study rooms, reading them day by day. However, in a few days, this article was copied onto a large piece of paper and posted on the top list in the liveliest Deng Wen Street. There was also a red slanted line. The line from the beginning of the article to the end was straight, and the words circled by it were shocking.

“The Emperor’s death is a lie. Someone had backstabbed him. The mastermind behind all this is laughing in the imperial palace!”

The moment this line came out, it instantly spread throughout the capital. Everyone dared not say it out loud, but they made guesses in private. Baili Jinyi held the article that had been specially marked and felt ashamed. A few days ago, he even praised this article in the court for being well-written. Now, someone had used this article to shame him!

As he was fuming and almost fainted from anger, a eunuch almost crawled in from the urgency. “Your Highness, something bad has happened outside.”

“What is it now?”

“The others and I were putting up the collapsed cauldron and cleaning up the incense ash that had fallen out. But I f-found…”

“What did you find? Speak!”

“I found several words written on the ground. It said, ‘Unfilial son’!”

Bang! Baili Jinyi smashed the newly changed teacup into pieces. “Find out who did this and who is the one doing this!”

He had been landed in real trouble!