Shen Ninghua’s eyes suddenly flashed. “Greetings, Master Mo.”
Baili Jinchuan enthusiastically stepped forward and introduced for her. “Ninghua, Master Mo Junqing comes from the Mo family and is on a study tour to broaden his experience. He heard about the serious plague in Ping City, so he specially rushed over. With the help of the Mo family, we can do our job in an easier way.”
Shen Ninghua looked at Chu Junyi. Mo family? Chu Junyi was really a bold liar.
In the Da’an Dynasty, everyone knew about the Mo family. When the current emperor Baili Qingcang was still a prince, the Mo family suddenly appeared and helped him make it to the throne. When Baili Qingcang ascended the throne, everyone thought that the Mo family would be generously rewarded by the emperor, but the mysterious Mo family’s patriarch suddenly announced to live in seclusion. From then on, not a single member of the Mo family appeared in the court.
Chu Junyi wore a smile on his face and held a plain folding fan in his hand with unconcealable charm. “I heard that Prefectural Princess Ninghua is skilled in medicine. This is really good. However, I heard that the people of Ping City seem to be very resistant to the medicine given by the Imperial Court. I wonder if they are willing to take the medicine.”
Baili Jinchuan smiled and looked at Shen Ninghua with admiration. “Master Mo, there’s no need to worry about this. As soon as Ninghua entered the city gate, she solved more than half of the problem.”
People were reluctant to believe that the prescription was effective. The main reason was that the previous harm had exhausted their trust. As long as they could trust the Imperial Court again, nothing else would be a problem. Shen Ninghua started with a child and saved his life immediately. This event alone was enough to impress the people of Ping City.
Shen Ninghua said, “We arrived in Ping City in a hurry. The medicinal ingredients we have prepared for the plague will arrive a little later. At present, we can only make some preparations for subsequent work.”
Baili Jinchuan said, “Ninghua, you know the prescription best. It is natural for you to decide what we should do.”
Shen Ninghua did not refuse. She already attracted enough attention when she took out the prescription. No matter how she tried to avoid suspicion, it would be useless. It would be better for her to directly seize this opportunity to make a great contribution. “Then I won’t pretend modesty. The medicinal ingredients aren’t coming so quickly, then we should first get the ingredients on the spot. Ping City is surrounded by mountains, and there are plenty of medicinal herbs in the mountains. I’ll write down the herbs I need and let each of the officers and soldiers recognize one of the herbs. If there aren’t enough herbs, they’ll go up the mountains to pick the needed herbs. We should stabilize Ping City’s situation first.”
“Yes, this is an excellent suggestion.” Baili Jinchuan nodded.
Shen Ninghua continued. “Since we have just arrived in Jiangnan, we need to contact Old General Xiao who had come here to relieve the disaster. He must know about the situation in Ping City. I always feel that something has happened.”
“Alright, I’ll send people to contact him.” The Second Prince agreed.
Shen Ninghua looked at Chu Junyi and said, “Master Mo, I’m afraid I need your help with this matter.”
Chu Junyi smiled as he looked at Shen Ninghua and nodded obediently. “Of course. Please give me your instructions, Your Highness.”
“Tomorrow, the imperial doctors and I will give free medical consultation. Please help gather the people and maintain order, Master Mo.”
“Alright, as you ordered, Your Highness.”
The Second Prince did not stay any longer. After discussing some details with Shen Ninghua and the imperial doctors, he went to contact Xiao Jingran.
Not long after Shen Ninghua returned to the courtyard that was her temporary residence, a white figure appeared in her room.
Qing Que’s expression turned cold as she pulled out the sleeve sword into her palm and stabbed towards the figure.
As soon as Chu Junyi landed on the ground, he felt a burst of danger. The folding fan in his hand abruptly hit Qing Que’s sleeve sword. The fan was clearly made of bamboo, but when it hit the sleeve sword, it made a metallic hissing sound.
“Your Highness, is this how you treat guests?”
Shen Ninghua watched Chu Junyi dodging Qing Que’s attack with ease. She curled her lips slightly and said, “What kind of a guest would ignore the door and chose to crawl in through the window?”
Chu Junyi abruptly turned around and slammed down the sleeve sword in Qing Que’s hand with a bang. The sharp sword blade pierced into the pillar beside him and nailed deeply into the wood, leaving only the hilt of the sword trembling slightly outside.
Shen Ninghua knew that Qing Que was no match for Chu Junyi, so she ordered, “Qing Que, stop!”
Qing Que stopped her movements, but her eyes were filled with alert as she looked at Chu Junyi, afraid that he would launch any attack.
“It’s fine. He won’t hurt me. You can go out now.”
Bai Zhu asked with disapproval, “Miss?”
“No problem. I’ve known this person for a long time.”
Seeing Shen Ninghua’s resolute expression, Bai Ruo and the other maids slowly walked out of the room.
Chu Junyi sat on a chair beside Shen Ninghua. The folding fan in his hand continuously knocked on his palm. “I have good news for you.”
Shen Ninghua’s eyes were immediately filled with joy. “So you found Yun Chuan?”
Looking at her joyful expression, Chu Junyi felt a burst of inexplicable discomfort in his heart. “Ninghua, are you so concerned about that kid?”
“Where is he?”
Chu Junyi’s expression changed, and a look of embarrassment appeared on his face. “I found him, but he didn’t trust me. No matter what I said, he always tried to escape. I was busy investigating the situation of Jiangnan, so my attention was diverted for a moment. By the time I found him, he had already caught the plague. Two days ago…”
Shen Ninghua’s pupils shrank, and her face turned deathly pale. “You…What did you say?” Yun Chuan was dead? How could he die?
“Ninghua, how are you feeling?” Seeing Shen Ninghua’s unusual expression, Chu Junyi’s heart trembled.
“How could he die…” Shen Ninghua fiercely clenched her fists, her fingernails piercing into her palms. Well, the entire situation was caused by her. The flood in Ping City had been expected to occur three years later, not now. Since it was possible for her to be reborn, it was also possible for Yun Chuan to encounter an accident…
“Ninghua, I was just joking with you. Don’t take it seriously. That kid Yun Chuan is fine. He’s still alive and healthy.” Seeing Shen Ninghua’s expression, Chu Junyi felt a burst of regret in his heart. He clearly knew that she cared about that Yun Chuan, so he shouldn’t joke about him. At the same time, he became even more curious about the relationship between Shen Ninghua and Yun Chuan.
Shen Ninghua suddenly turned her head to look at him, and her eyes was still slightly red. “Yun Chuan is alive?”
“Yes, he’s fine. I see that you care so much about him, so…” Well, he was a little angry…
Shen Ninghua almost threw the teacup at his face.
Looking at her angry appearance, Chu Junyi couldn’t help but curl his lips. “Alright, I was just joking. Don’t be angry anymore, Your Highness.”
Because of the need to travel in the rain in the day, Shen Ninghua didn’t bring the usual self-protection drug with her. Otherwise, she would have already sprinkled the medicinal powder on Chu Junyi’s face. She almost shed tears. After rebirth, there were two most pressing issues in her heart. One was avenging herself, and the other was paying the debt of gratitude.
Shen Linghan, Baili Jinze and others made her so overwhelmed with pain that she hardly wished to live, so she would revenge doubly. As for Si Qin, Si Qi, and Yun Chuan, who had sacrificed their lives for her, she wanted to give them a peaceful life and let them live happily forever.
Chu Junyi noticed that Shen Ninghua was in a daze and felt even more uncomfortable in his heart. This girl had always been black-hearted, so why would she care so much about the lad called Yun Chuan? Was he not comparable to a kid in her heart? As he thought about it, he changed the topic.
“Ninghua, I’ve already prepared everything. I’ll start cleaning up the nails when you get ready for disaster relief.”
Shen Ninghua’s attention was diverted by his words. “You want to reorganize the forces in Jiangnan?”
“Yes, it would be a pity if I miss the good opportunity that was delivered to the door.”
After noticing the serious situation in Ping City, Shen Ninghua had a premonition that Xiao Jingran was doing this on purpose to suppress the forces in Jiangnan. However, she couldn’t understand why he was doing this. Now it seemed that he was doing this for Chu Junyi, but why would Xiao Jingran help him?
“The forces in Jiangnan are complex. If you can sort them out clearly, you will control more than half of Jiangnan, and even have the ability to influence the entire Da’an Dynasty. Chu Junyi, are you planning to rebel?”
“Rebel?” Chu Junyi chuckled. “I’m not that boring. I just want to take this opportunity in Jiangnan to find out the truth. Ninghua, we are in a cooperative relationship. If my power gets stronger, I can definitely provide you with more help. This is a good deal.”
Shen Ninghua raised her eyebrows. “This deal might even cost my head. I don’t see how good it is.”
Chu Junyi restrained his smile and said in a serious tone, “Don’t worry. I will ensure your safety no matter what.”
Shen Ninghua didn’t care. “Forget it, I don’t want to know why you want to control Jiangnan. The most important thing now is to keep the plague under control.”
“Alright, feel free to do what you want to do. I am also going to make some arrangements.”
“Okay.”
As Chu Junyi left, Shen Ninghua’s eyes turned cold. Chu Junyi was the adopted son of the Xiao family, but he dared to claim to be a member of the Mo family. He approached the royal family, but also wanted to control Jiangnan. What exactly was his identity and what on earth was he planning to do?
Chu Junyi, however, did not know that Shen Ninghua made these speculations about his identity. After returning to the senior residence where he was staying, he issued a series of orders.
“Wei One, continue to keep an eye on Jiangnan and ensure the safety of Old Patriarch Xiao.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Wei Two and Wei Three, draw the net and expose those corrupted moths in Jiangnan in front of Baili Jinchuan! There’s no need to waste such a sharp knife.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Wei Four, Wei Five, and Wei Six, secretly collect the medicinal ingredients to help Shen Ninghua stabilize Jiangnan. I am going to give her a chance to become known by the world.”
“Yes, Master.”
A trace of warmth appeared in Chu Junyi’s eyes. Ninghua, since you were a grateful person and were quick to pay the debt of gratitude, this time, I would do you an enormous favor. Then, how would you repay me? Marry me? When he thought of this possibility, he noticed that he did not reject it at all, but felt even happier. However, realizing that there was still more than a year before she reached fifteen years old, his happiness diminished a little.
“Wei Seven, send a few people to secretly protect Shen Ninghua. Don’t let anyone hurt her.”
“Yes, Master.” Wei Seven responded immediately without any hesitation. The other people standing in line with him looked at him with jealousy in their eyes.
They had been secretly curious for a long time about the eldest young lady of the Shen Clan who could attract the special attention of their master. However, they did not dare to inquire about her without order. When they heard that Miss Shen had come to Jiangnan, they were secretly delighted for a long time. They all wanted to have a chance to come into contact with her, but no one expected that Wei Seven who ranked the last of the seven of them, got the opportunity.
The next morning, just as the shed for the free medical consultation was set up, people had already lined up. When they saw Shen Ninghua come out, they immediately moved forward in a noisy manner.
It took the guards a lot of effort to get the crowd wait in lines.
Shen Ninghua did not tarry. She took out a pulse pillow and immediately began to feel people’s pulses in turn.
“Your body is fine. You don’t have any major illness. You just ate the wrong food and are having a cold stomach. Just go to the side to get the medicine.”
The morning passed quickly. Although there was a shed in the place for the free medical consultation, it couldn’t block the sun in the sky. Bai Ruo changed her handkerchief to wipe Shen Ninghua’s sweat. “Miss, why don’t you rest for a while? You have been busy for the whole morning.”
Shen Ninghua was just about to say something when she heard a noise in the crowd. Two people carried a corpse on a stretcher to the front of Shen Ninghua. They rushed over and were about to grab Shen Ninghua.
“You liar. Give my brother’s life back!”