Chapter 134 - Matriarch?

The rainwater washed away the traces left behind by Chu Junyi and Shen Ninghua. Although the Governor of Capital Guards and his men walked past the path they had taken, they didn’t notice it.

Shen Ninghua was leaning in Chu Junyi’s arms. She slowly opened her eyes. Seeing that it was still raining outside, she was slightly stunned. “How long have I been asleep?”

“Almost four hours. Did you sleep well?” Chu Junyi slightly moved his numb shoulders. When he was recovering in Shen Ninghua’s room, he discovered that her sleep was extremely light and would be woken up by a slight movement. Once she woke up, it would be difficult for her to fall asleep again. Therefore, when he hugged her, he didn’t dare to move at all.

Shen Ninghua saw his movements and helped him massage the acupoints on his arm. Although she did not say anything, her actions were very affectionate.

Chu Junyi carefully leaned in Shen Ninghua’s direction without stretching his wound. “Ninghua, you are really a gentle and loving wife. If you can massage for me like this in the future, even if my arm is crippled, I will be very happy.”

Shen Ninghua stopped massaging and raised her hand to press on his numb acupoint. “Alright, I’ll massage you like this in the future!”

Chu Junyi’s arm was numb and he frowned. “Ah, Ninghua, you’re trying to murder your husband!”

Shen Ninghua snorted coldly and walked to the entrance of the cave to look at the heavy rain outside. “It seemed the rain won’t stop for a while. The capital should be in a mess now, right? Who do you think is behind this? The empress, the Crown Prince, the Second Prince or the Fifth Prince?”

Chu Junyi leaned back against the mountain wall and a cold light flashed in his eyes. “If you consider who would benefit the most, then the most suspicious person would be the Crown Prince. However, although the Crown Prince is extremely powerful, he also knows his limits. Logically speaking, he would not attack us while Bu Jinglan is still here. Besides, his position is stable, so there is no need for him to make such a move.”

Shen Ninghua nodded. “You are right.”

Chu Junyi continued. “The empress would not do this either. She is smart. Many of the young ladies and gentlemen present are her close supporters. Unless it is a critical moment, she will not use this kind of method of killing 1000 enemies by sacrificing 800 of her own fighters.”

“That leaves the Second Prince and the Fifth Prince. Judging from his performance in the camp, the Second Prince should not be the one, so the biggest suspect is Baili Jinze!” A trace of hatred flashed through Shen Ninghua’s pitch-black eyes, and chillness condensed in them.

Sensing her emotions, Chu Junyi’s heart skipped a beat. Ninghua seemed to hate Baili Jinze very much. Every time she mentioned him, the aura around her would be very cold. However, as far as he knew, the two of them basically had little interaction. Could it be that Baili Jinze had secretly done something that hurt Ninghua?

“Baili Jinze and Bu Jinglan were bitten by a poisonous snake together. When we discovered them, they were already unconscious. If Baili Jinze had arranged all of this, then I should admire his courage.” First, he was besieged and bitten by vipers, then he was chased by a pack of wolves. If anything went wrong, his life would end here.

“The more dangerous it is, the less suspicious he will become. If he dared to plot against us like this, I must not easily let him go.” Shen Ninghua narrowed her eyes and quickly thought of a way to get revenge.

“Mm, he made us in such a dilemma and we can’t just let it go. Speaking of which, the Fifth Prince is the one who hides the deepest. It’s time for him to reveal his true colors.” Chu Junyi naturally supported Ninghua’s hatred towards other men. He wished that she hated all men except him. As for the truth of this matter, it didn’t matter whether the Fifth Prince did it or not. It only mattered that he was the most annoying person. Even if he didn’t do it, he could only accept his bad luck.

They ate some fruits. Chu Junyi held Shen Ninghua in his arms and closed his eyes to rest. Shen Ninghua did not pretend to be bashful. The cave was cold and gloomy, and it was only natural for them to snuggle up to each other to feel warm. After about an hour, Chu Junyi suddenly opened his eyes and stared straight at the entrance of the cave.

Two figures appeared in the light. Seeing that Chu Junyi was safe and sound, their eyes were filled with joy. They took two steps forward and knelt on the ground. “Greetings, Master.”

Chu Junyi frowned. He lowered his head and looked at Shen Ninghua. Sure enough, she had already woken up and was expressionlessly looking at the people kneeling on the ground.

“Your people?”

“Yes.”

Shen Ninghua curled her lips and said, “Perfect timing.”

Chu Junyi helped her tidy the hair beside her cheeks and pulled it behind her ears. “Do you have any task for them?”

When the two men kneeling on the ground heard this, their bodies trembled violently. Previously, when they heard Ye Yi say that their master had found the future matriarch for them, they had thought that it was a joke. Now, it seemed absolutely true. When did their master ever treat others with such a gentle attitude?

Shen Ninghua did not know that the two people who were kneeling on the ground were so shocked that their souls were out of their bodies. After pondering for a moment, she asked, “How many more people have come out to look for Chu Junyi?”

Ye Shen looked up at Chu Junyi and found that he did not have the slightest intention to stop him. He hurriedly replied, “Matriarch, a total of thirty-seven of us came out to look for you and Master.”

Matriarch? Shen Ninghua’s body stiffened. It took a while for her to react. What did matriarch mean? She immediately turned her head to look at Chu Junyi and asked with her eyes. This was the subordinate you trained?

Chu Junyi smiled like a flower. In the past, he had felt that being glib-tongued and flippant was Ye Shen’s flaw. Now, it seemed that these were all advantages. Which one of the other subordinates could have such a keen eye for the times?

“Ninghua, don’t look at me. If there’s anything you need them to do, just tell Ye Shen.”

Ye Shen hurriedly nodded his head. “Matriarch, please give your instructions.”

Like master, like subordinate. At this time, she didn’t bother to explain. She directly said, “Find a way to gather all your people here. Not far from here is a villa. The villa is hidden in a valley. I can draw a map for you to see. All you need to do is find the villa, set a fire and burn it down!”

“Villa?” Ye Shen was a little surprised. They had searched the place many times and almost searched all the ant nests. They didn’t see any building other than some palaces built by the royal family, not to mention a villa. How could there be a villa?

Ye Si wanted to explain, but Ye Shen suddenly elbowed him in the chest. Now their master was currying favor with their matriarch. Not to mention a villa, even if she said that there were stars from the sky buried here, they had to find a way to pluck the stars from the sky and bury them in the ground.

Shen Ninghua smiled coldly. “If Qing Que and Bai Ruo weren’t injured, I won’t need you to do this. Don’t worry. If you follow my instructions, you will definitely find the villa. However, the villa is protected by men of sacrifice. Once you set a fire, it won’t be easy for you to escape, so be careful.”

“Yes, as you ordered.”

Chu Junyi listened quietly at the side, feeling very happy in his heart. His subordinates addressing her as matriarch made him feel completely comfortable, and he no longer felt the pain from the injury in his shoulder. “Since you heard it clearly, call the others and take action as soon as possible after Ninghua shows you the map.”

After about an hour, Chu Junyi’s subordinates gradually gathered together. They all secretly looked at Shen Ninghua, and their hearts were filled with curiosity. This was their future matriarch!

Shen Ninghua generously allowed these people to look at her. Seeing that everyone was here, she picked up a branch and drew on the ground. “I will only draw it once. I believe you can see it clearly. Beyond this forest is the Wuzhao Mountain. There is a narrow valley at the edge of this mountain range. It is called a valley, but it is actually a small rift. Only one person can pass by at a time. Furthermore, there are people supervising from the mountain top all day long. It will definitely not be easy for you to get over there. So if anyone finds it an impossible mission, feel free to quit.”

Everyone who was swept by Shen Ninghua’s gaze subconsciously straightened their back. They would not have a good life to live if they were looked down upon by the future matriarch. Even if they spat blood in executing her order, they couldn’t say no now!

Looking at his subordinates who looked excited as if they had been injected stimulant, Chu Junyi felt somewhat embarrassed. His men were provoked by a few words, and he really did not know what to say about them.

Seeing that no one wanted to quit, Shen Ninghua’s expression softened slightly. “After passing this valley, there is a river. There are twelve willow trees planted on both sides of the river. Swim from the third willow tree to the center of the river and you will see a cave. Once you enter the cave, you can reach the other side of the valley. That is where the villa is located.”

Everyone was dumbfounded. Even Chu Junyi was attracted and sat over. “The villa is located so secretly. Does it belong to a hermit family?”

“It is a military warehouse. All the weapons forged in the villa are extremely sharp and indestructible.”

Shen Ninghua’s eyes were deep. In her previous life, no one suspected that Baili Jinze was plotting a rebellion. Most importantly, no one found any evidence of his movements. And so no one expected that this man, who had always been gentle and courteous, would actually have such a meticulous mind to hide all his movements in a valley in the dense forest.

At that time when the competition for the throne between the princes was the most intense, Baili Jinze brought along a group of subordinates armed with sharp and indestructible weapons and destroyed half of Baili Jinchuan and Baili Jinyi’s forces. No one had foreseen that the Fifth Prince, who had always been at peace with himself, forged so many sharp and indestructible weapons in private. This time, she wanted to expose the secret in advance and see if Baili Jinze could still achieve success by pretending to be weak!

Chu Junyi’s eyes were burning with excitement. “Ninghua, sharp and indestructible weapons are not easy to obtain. When you start the fire, leave the craftsmen alone. I’ll arrange for other corpses to replace them.”

Shen Ninghua nodded. “Sure.”

Sharp and indestructible weapons were hard to find. Once he got the weapon forgers working for him, he didn’t need to worry about how to obtain good weapons. When there was a good opportunity, it would be foolish not to take advantage of it. He couldn’t miss such a good opportunity.

Very quickly, Chu Junyi’s subordinates all retreated and headed towards Wuzhao Mountain behind the dense forest.

Only Shen Ninghua and Chu Jinyi were left in the cave.

Chu Junyi looked at Shen Ninghua. His gaze was even hotter than when he was looking at a sharp and indestructible weapon. Although his subordinates were obedient, they were not easy to subdue. However, Ninghua successfully did it. She was truly a charming girl!