After forgetting the unhappiness brought by Shen Linghan, Shen Ninghua focused her attention on the current situation. The matter of the Forest Villa would definitely attract the attention of all parties. Baili Jinze was sure to be exposed, but the key factor to consider was Baili Qingcang’s attitude. He should be having a headache right now!
Thinking of this elder who had always doted on her, a trace of worry flashed through Shen Ninghua’s heart. She turned around and instructed Bai Ruo, who was beside her. “Bai Ruo, check the pills I prepared. Make sure they are correct. I might use them tomorrow.”
“Yes, Miss. Don’t worry.”
The next morning, she helped Chu Junyi change the gauze around his wound and then entered the Palace.
Baili Qingcang was slightly surprised by Shen Ninghua’s arrival. “Why did you come to the Palace today? You were injured a while ago. If you don’t recover well and leave behind some after-effects, you will regret it.”
Shen Ninghua smiled and her eyes curved with warmth. “Thank you, Your Majesty, for worrying about my health. But I’ve recovered. After all, it is nothing for me to be sick, but if I pass my sickness to you, even if I apologize with my death, it won’t be enough.”
“You naughty girl!” Baili Qingcang was touched by her words. He tapped her nose and walked to a chair by the side with his hands behind his back. He looked up at her and said, “Can you play Go?”
Shen Ninghua walked over without any affectation and directly brought over the black Go piece. “I know a little. How about you let me take three steps before you?”
“Haha, that won’t do. I want to test your Go skills today. I already give you an advantage by letting you take the black pieces and go first. Hurry up.”
Shen Ninghua was not annoyed when she heard this. She took one Go piece and put on the center of the board.
Baili Qingcang laughed. “Do you really know how to play Go?”
Shen Ninghua smiled confidently and put down a piece with great momentum. “You will know soon.”
Baili Qingcang was influenced by her emotions and also focused on playing Go. Not long after, the board was filled with killing intent.
Baili Qingcang looked at the board with a slightly deeper gaze. “Ninghua, your black pieces are a dragon trapped in a shoal. If you continue, it will be very dangerous.”
Shen Ninghua did not panic. She put the Go piece on the board, cutting off the originally majestic dragon.
Baili Qingcang couldn’t help but be shocked in his heart. “Isn’t this equivalent to cutting off one of your arms?”
Shen Ninghua smiled confidently. “Although I have given up some powers, I can revive the head of the dragon. Losing a small portion of the land allows me to completely abandon the rest and start over. What’s the pity of losing one arm?”
A trace of light flashed in Baili Qingcang’s eyes. “What’s the pity of losing one arm? Yes, if I can save the entire situation, then it wouldn’t be a pity to lose an arm.”
Shen Ninghua did not seem to hear Baili Qingcang muttering to himself and continued to put down Go pieces on the board. The black dragon’s body gradually surrounded the white pieces, and the white pieces on the board were gradually at a disadvantage.
Baili Qingcang stared intently at the board, and his eyes were filled with surging battle intent. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed and he put down a piece. The piece cut off the black dragon by the waist. The white pieces instantly gained the upper hand. “Haha, Ninghua, you lost.”
“You are skilled in Go. I can’t compare to you.”
“If you maintained your patience, I won’t win. Unfortunately, you are too impatient.”
Shen Ninghua smiled and lowered her head. Her face flushed with embarrassment. “Don’t make fun of me. Even if I had patience, I wouldn’t win.” Shen Ninghua smiled and said, “It is said that Go is like a battlefield. Even if I studied it for a few hundred years, I would not be able to compare to you.”
Baili Qingcang lowered his head and looked at the board. He patted Shen Ninghua on the shoulder, got up, and went towards the desk. “You really are as considerate as your mother. You are trying to console me by playing Go. How can I not understand?”
Shen Ninghua raised her eyes and did not deny it. “Your Majesty, I have also heard about the recent events. No matter what caused these events, and who was behind them, they are merely some charming demons and devils. You will definitely eradicate all of them!”
Baili Qingcang glared at her and sighed. “In your words, I feel that I am the Master of Hell!”
Shen Ninghua pursed her lips and smiled. “You are the true dragon from the heavens and take charge of the affairs in the world. Even the Master of Hell doesn’t dare to offend you.”
“Alright, why are you so sweet-tongued today? Don’t worry. Although I’m sad, I’ve already seen through it. For so many years, countless people have been coveting the throne I’m sitting on. Now, it’s just a little bit of a fool’s play. The cruelest part is still to come. It’s not worth being sad now.”
The expression in Shen Ninghua’s eyes darkened and she did not say anything. Baili Qingcang was indeed a wise emperor. Although his control seemed to have declined considerably in the latter stages due to his health problems, he had a keen insight into many things, and his predictions were correct. In the later stages, several princes had been killed and injured in their fights for the throne. Only the Fifth Prince who ascended to the throne survived. The rest of the princes all died in that battle, including the Tenth Prince, who was still a teenager.
Baili Qingcang looked at the reports on the table, and no one could tell from his expression whether he was happy or angry. The reports delivered to the Imperial Study every day could almost inundate him, including impeachment of all the princes that implicated almost all the clans in the capital.
“Your Majesty, taking good care of your own body is the most important thing. Without you, Da’an will really be in chaos.” Shen Ninghua looked at Baili Qingcang’s slightly blue lips and her heart tightened.
“I’m fine. You can go down and find Anning. She has been worried about you for a long time. When she heard that you disappeared, her eyes were swollen with tears.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Shen Ninghua took two steps back and suddenly stopped. Her tone was somewhat uneasy. “Your Majesty, I see from your face that your condition is not very good. It’s best to let Doctor Chen make a closer examination of your health conditions. In addition, I have some medicinal ingredients for recuperating. If you need them, please send someone to get them from me.” After she finished speaking, she bowed slightly and retreated.
After a while, the brush in Baili Qingcang’s hand snapped into two pieces. Then, he threw the broken brush away and suddenly smiled. “Ninghua is soft-hearted after all! Fu Xi?”
“I’m here.” The eunuch steward hurriedly came in and knelt respectfully on the ground.
“Summon Chen Yun.”
“Yes, I will go now.” As the closest personal eunuch, he had already discovered that there was something wrong with the emperor’s body. He persuaded him many times but he never listened. Thanks to Prefectural Princess Zhaohua, the emperor finally agreed to be treated. His Majesty really did not love her for nothing.
The Imperial Study quieted down. After a long time, a low sigh dissipated in the air.
“It also hurts to break an arm…”
Shen Ninghua went out of the Imperial Study. She felt a chill running down her back. Her body was covered in cold sweat. Emperors were the most suspicious. She shouldn’t say those words, but she still couldn’t bear to see his desolate appearance. She hoped that she hadn’t taken the wrong step.
Shen Ninghua walked towards the Princess Anning’s palace, but before she could get close, she first met Baili Jinchuan.
“Greetings, Your Highness.”
Baili Jinchuan stared fixedly at Shen Ninghua, and his pupils were filled with vigorous anger. “Shen Ninghua, don’t you have anything to say to me?”
“What do you need me to say?”
Baili Jinchuan suddenly raised his head, and the anger in his eyes spurted out. “What do I need you to say? Shouldn’t you tell me about the snakes in the camp? Shouldn’t you tell me about the dirty stuff between you and Chu Junyi? Shouldn’t you tell me why I suddenly fainted and was rumored to have been bitten by the Scarlet Ring Snake, killed my guard, and hurt the Xiao family’s adopted son?”
Shen Ninghua’s expression was cold and her beautiful eyes were calm. “I don’t understand any of these questions. It seems that I can’t solve your confusion.”
“Shen Ninghua!” Baili Jinchuan roared in a low voice, “You’re really ruthless!”
“I’ve always been like this. Sorry to disappoint you.”
Seeing her cold appearance, Baili Jinchuan felt as if his heavy punch had struck a pile of cotton. A fierce fury surged up in his heart. He suddenly approached Shen Ninghua and grabbed her shoulders with both hands. He tightly hugged her in his arms and threatened her coldly in her ear.
“If someone sees us like this, what will the rumor be like?”
A trace of coldness flashed across Shen Ninghua’s eyes. “Baili Jinchuan, do you know how to spell the word ‘shameless’?”
“Haha, I don’t know. Can you teach me?” As he spoke, he purposely spat out the warm breath from his mouth at the side of Shen Ninghua’s neck.
Shen Ninghua’s entire body trembled, and a disgusting feeling suddenly arose in her heart. “Baili Jinchuan, you make me sick!”
“Haha,” Baili Jinchuan let go of Shen Ninghua with a look of contempt in his eyes. “I treated you as a treasure. Unfortunately, you want to degrade yourself into a piece of grass. In that case, everything I do is forced by you. But you can rest assured. Even though I am determined to get you, I will not use any lowly method.”
Shen Ninghua turned her head and glanced coldly at his arms that were grabbing her shoulder. “Isn’t this lowly enough?”
“Heh, Chu Junyi hugged you in his arms. Weren’t you quite at ease? Why can’t you tolerate it when I only hold your shoulders?” Anger raged in his heart, but Baili Jinchuan’s face became even calmer. What was so good about Chu Junyi? Why was he so special to her? Jealousy made him wish he could tie Shen Ninghua back, but he couldn’t! The desire for power grew even more intense in his heart. If he became the emperor, he could have the entire world under his control. At that time, wouldn’t Shen Ninghua’s heart be within his grasp?
Shen Ninghua waved away his arm, brushed her shoulders with her fingers, and smoothed out the wrinkles in her clothes. “It seems that you have nothing else to do with me. Excuse me!”
Baili Jinchuan gritted his teeth and stared fixedly at Shen Ninghua’s back. Without your heart, obtaining your body first is also a good choice. As long as a woman got married, she would slowly change her mind.
After visiting Baili Anning, Shen Ninghua went out of the Palace, got into the carriage, and returned to her mansion.
She rubbed her forehead, leaned against the soft couch, and sighed slightly.
Bai Ruo was standing beside her and offered her a cup of tea. “Miss, did you meet something unpleasant in the Palace?”
“Nothing. How has the situation of Zhao Ruyun been recently?”
“Madam Zhang took Miss Zhao to attend banquets every day. Many people proposed to Miss Zhao, but she declined all of them.”
Shen Ninghua nodded her head. “Well, send her the last potion of medicine. Hand it over to Madam Zhang personally. Don’t give it to anyone else.”
“Yes, Miss.”
After Bai Ruo left, Chu Junyi walked out from behind the screen and stood beside her. He raised his hand to help her rub the corners of her forehead.
Feeling the familiar aura, the disgusting feeling stirred up by Baili Jinchuan dissipated from Shen Ninghua’s heart, and her mind slowly relaxed down. Not long after, Chu Junyi felt his hand sink, and she actually fell asleep.
Looking at beauty who was increasingly less on guard in front of him, Chu Junyi curled his lips. Today, she must have met Baili Jinchuan when she entered the Palace. It seemed that Baili Jinchuan had not been taught a good lesson. He would not allow anyone to covet his beautiful sweetheart!