Chapter 63 - It Was You!

Shen Ninghua’s eyes narrowed as she stepped onto the boat. The boat quickly approached the main building in the middle of the water at a steady speed.

The closer she got to the main building, the cooler she felt. When Shen Ninghua walked into the main building, the shock in her heart became even more intense. This building was not a bamboo building, it was clearly a building made of jade!

The two-storey building was not made of bamboo, but green jade carved into the shape of bamboos. The floor inside the jade building was covered with white marble. The tables, chairs, and stools were all exquisite and precious, carved from various kinds of jade. Even the teacups were made from white nephrite.

The waiter who served the tea had already retreated. Shen Ninghua stood still. She glanced around and said in a deep voice, “Who wants to see me? Time to show up!”

The sound of steady footsteps came from behind the jade screen. Shen Ninghua looked over and saw a slender man in green slowly walking out. He was very tall and handsome, with a scholarly aura all over his body, and his eyes were exceptionally gentle.

The man smiled faintly and his eyes were filled with warmth, “Miss Shen, please forgive me for taking the liberty to invite you here.”

“Master, what do you invite me here to do?”

“I am Ye Yi. Miss Shen can just address me by my name. May I call you Ninghua?”

He spoke gently and affectionately. No ordinary women could refuse his request. However, Shen Ninghua was not an ordinary woman. “Master, it’s better to call me Miss Shen.”

The man named Ye Yi paused and did not continue to pester with this issue. His expression remained gentle. “Miss Shen, I have taken the liberty of inviting you here to ask you about one thing.”

“What is it?”

Ye Yi paused for a moment. A trace of helplessness flashed across his handsome face. “Miss Shen, you must have heard about the flood in Ping City and the displacement of the common people. The weather is scorching hot now. If there is no effective way to relieve the disaster, I’m afraid a catastrophe is right in front of us. Miss Shen, are you going to see thousands of people die without doing anything?”

Shen Ninghua raised her eyebrows slightly, “I’m just a girl living in the boudoir. I don’t have the ability to save thousands of people.”

“Miss Shen, there is no need to be modest. If you are willing, you will definitely be able to save the people from the catastrophe.”

Shen Ninghua sneered, “Disaster relief depends on the emperor’s decree. I’m not that capable. Master Ye, sorry to let you down. If there isn’t anything else that I can do, I’ll take my leave.”

The smile on Ye Yi’s lips was still the same. He only spoke when Shen Ninghua walked to the door, “This place is surrounded by water. The boat will not come back until an hour later. Why don’t you sit down and have a chat with me?”

Shen Ninghua turned around and looked at him. A flash of coldness flashed in her heart, and her fingers in her sleeves moved slightly.

Ye Yi held the teacup and slightly lowered his head to enjoy the steam rising up from the teacup. His voice carried a gentle aura. “I know Miss Shen is good at using poison, but you’d better not act rashly. These jades are not ordinary ones. They have been carefully processed with medicinal liquid and can dissolve various poisons.”

Shen Ninghua sneered and retorted, “Is that so? Master Ye, do you feel anything unusual?”

Ye Yi raised his head and looked straight at Shen Ninghua with his deep eyes. “Miss Shen, you mean the smell of the medicinal powder that makes people weak? Why don’t you believe me? I already told you that poison doesn’t work on me. You don’t need to bother. Let’s talk about the Ping City.”

Shen Ninghua refused to budge. After a while, she found that the muscle relaxant was indeed ineffective against him. So she walked back and said, “Like I just said, I can’t do anything about Ping City. You’ve found the wrong person.”

“Alright. Since you are unwilling to interfere with the affairs of Ping City, maybe you can talk about the rare prescription that the Shen family recently offered to the emperor?”

“You also said that it was offered by the Shen family. I know even less about such a big secret.” Shen Ninghua frowned.

Ye Yi put down the teacup and the bottom of the cup made a faint crisp sound against the table which was very pleasing to the ear. “Miss Shen, why are you so modest? I invited you here because I have found out the truth of the matter. You provided the medicine for the Shen family, so you must know the prescription. I will not beat around the bush. I want the prescription. Miss Shen, please feel free to set out your conditions.”

This time, Shen Ninghua laughed genuinely. “Master Ye, I think you might be too arrogant. I am the first daughter of the Shen family. What makes you think that you are capable of doing things that I can’t do? If you are really that powerful, you can directly seize the prescription from the Shen family or the royal family. Why would you take the trouble to kidnap such a weak girl as me?”

The smile on Ye Yi’s face turned slightly cold. This Shen Ninghua was really hard to deal with. “Miss Shen, how do you know that I can’t if you don’t tell me? Maybe I can satisfy your conditions.”

“Alright, then let me tell you my conditions. First, destroy the Baili family. Can you do that?”

Ye Yi’s expression changed. “The Baili family? Do you have a feud with the royal family? Although Da’an is in a little turmoil now, it’s still a peaceful country. It is impossible for you to subvert the imperial court.”

Shen Ninghua smiled and said, “Then let me change the condition to destroying the Zhao family. Can you do that?”

“The Zhao family is supported by the empress. Now, the empress is powerful. If…”

“Then let’s switch to another one. Destroy the Shen family. You don’t have any problem with this, right?”

Ye Yi’s expression was still gentle, but the temperature in his eyes turned cold. “Miss Shen, you never think of giving me the prescription, do you?”

“You are wrong!” Shen Ninghua stood up and looked at him coldly. “I set out three conditions. If you can fulfill any of them, I’ll give you the prescription with pleasure. Unfortunately, you don’t have that ability, yet you have to pretend. Why don’t you call out the real master behind you?”

The gentleness on Ye Yi’s face also disappeared. “Miss Shen, what do you mean?”

Shen Ninghua sneered. “In the beginning, I really believed that you were the real owner of this jade building. Unfortunately, you became too anxious later on. Although the interior of this room was luxurious, the jades of various colors made an elegant and comfortable combination. It can be seen that its owner must have a gentle and calm temperament. At first, your act was nice, but then your behavior betrayed you.”

“Are you sure that I’m not the real owner of this place just because of this?” Ye Yi raised his eyebrows and looked unconvinced.

Shen Ninghua said again, “You need more evidence? Then I wouldn’t mind saying a few more words. There was a faint smell of sandalwood in the room. However, there weren’t many incense slices left in the incense burner. This indicated that the incense had been burning for at least two hours. Nevertheless, when you came out, I didn’t smell the spice from your body. Also, when you were sitting at the table, the stool was clearly too far away from the table, and you moved a little forward. This room was so exquisite, and the servants were also extremely careful and disciplined. It doesn’t make sense if they were unfamiliar with the position of the stool and the habits of the master. Most importantly, every time you talked to me, although your gaze is gentle, you are always secretly looking at the screen beside you.”

“Good.” A gentle voice came from behind the screen.

Shen Ninghua looked over and saw a white-clothed man walk out from behind the screen. His white clothes were fluttering and his handsome face shined like a jade. He just stood there quietly, but the magnificent furnishings all over the room became his background. He seemed to be glowing in a way that made him unforgettable at a single glance.

Shen Ninghua was stunned for a moment before she said, “I was wondering what kind of an owner has the honor to use so many precious jades to decorate the room. Now I know that it is these beautiful jades that have the honor to be used by you.”

Ye Yi had already stood up and respectfully stood by the side. The white-clothed man waved his hand slightly and Ye Yi quickly retreated.

The man sat on the stool. He poured a cup of tea and handed it to Shen Ninghua.

His fingers had clear joints and the color of jade. He held a white jade teacup, but the luster of his fingers outshined the jade. “Miss Shen, please.”

Shen Ninghua took the teacup. The man poured himself a cup of tea and took a sip. A corner of his wide sleeve fell on the table. Gold and silver threads were embroidered on the edge of his sleeve to form a faint auspicious cloud pattern. A noble aura spread out as he made each movement. The aura was neither overbearing nor oppressive, but it made people feel ashamed and not daring to be rude with him, fearing that they would tarnish this man’s eyes.

Shen Ninghua frowned in her heart. The man in front of her was indeed stunningly handsome. However, she also had a sense of familiarity. She definitely hadn’t seen this person before, but why did she feel familiar with him?

“How should I address you, Master?”

“Mo Junqing.” The man spoke as he watched her. A smile slowly appeared on his face. The gentle smile coupled with his handsome face instantly made people around feel as if they were in a sea of bright flowers.

The familiarity in her heart was even more obvious, but she was unable to figure it out. Shen Ninghua said, “Have we met before?”

The man slightly tightened his fingers that were holding the teacup. “Miss Shen, why did you say that?”

“Nothing. I just feel that you look very familiar.”

Mo Junqing smiled, but he brought up another topic. ‘”Miss Shen, you have just been to the Palace and must have seen someone. Ever since Old General Xiao volunteered to relieve the disaster, everyone’s attention has been focused on the Shen family. Although you can take cover from Princess Anning, anyone who wants to know the truth will definitely find out about it. Miss Shen, why don’t you choose the most advantageous partner to cooperate with?”

Shen Ninghua looked at him. “The most advantageous partner? Are you talking about yourself?”

“No, I’m talking about Old General Xiao’s adopted son, Chu Junyi.”

Chu Junyi? Shen Ninghua’s heart skipped a beat as she suddenly raised her head to look at Mo Junqing in front of her.

“Miss Shen, why are you looking at me like this?”

Shen Ninghua smiled coldly. “No wonder I feel so familiar with you. We’ve really met before. For how long do you want to keep pretending?”

Mo Junqing said puzzledly, “What are you talking about?”

He had a confused expression on his face, but Shen Ninghua didn’t care at all. She said in a certain tone, “Chu Junyi, you have the ability to make such a face. I’ve seen your true appearance. If I didn’t believe what I felt in my heart, I would be tricked by you. Tell me, why did you go to so much trouble to find me this time?”

“Mo Junqing” and Shen Ninghua exchanged glances. After a long while, he finally put down his teacup dispiritedly. “I’ve already disguised myself like this, how did you find out?”

Shen Ninghua snorted coldly and ignored his words.

“Eh? Speaking of which, Ninghua, you found out it was me so quickly. You even said that you believed in the feelings in your heart. Does that mean that I have a special place in your heart? Otherwise, how could you be so familiar with me?”

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