Chapter 204 - A New Official Who Applied Strict Measures

Shen Ninghua was going to hold a plum banquet at the princess’ mansion. She invited madams and young ladies from various aristocratic families to attend the banquet. It was said that she would teach everyone to make Ice Soul Incense.

When this news spread out, the number of people who came to ask for incense immediately decreased. Many people were carefully preparing, waiting for the plum banquet to come and see just how miraculous the incense praised by the empress was.

“Miss, everything has been done according to your instructions. All the invitation cards have also been sent out.”

Shen Ninghua nodded and put aside the chess manual in her hand. Listening to the wind outside the window, she frowned slightly. “The weather these days is not good.”

“Yes, the weather is very cold these two days. It looks like it will snow in a few days. I wonder if those plum blossoms will continue to bloom after the snow.”

Shen Ninghua put the chess manual aside and handed Bai Ruo a bottle of medicinal powder. “Blend the medicinal powder in the bottle with water and sprinkle it on the plum blossoms. This can prolong the blooming period.”

“Yes, Miss, but should we deal with that Sang Zhi?”

“Don’t worry about her. Tell Hong Ling to send someone to keep an eye on her. If she makes a move, come and tell me.”

“I see.”

At night, the weather became colder and colder. In the middle of the night, snow began to fall.

Shen Ninghua covered the quilt on her body but suddenly felt her hands and feet going cold. She suddenly woke up.

“Ninghua, what’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?”

Chu Junyi had been holding Shen Ninghua in his arms. He immediately noticed that something was wrong with her and hurriedly asked.

“It’s fine. I’m just shocked by the dream.” Shen Ninghua’s finger that grabbed the quilt moved. Seeing the candlelight not far away, she slowly lay back on the bed. However, she did not feel sleepy at all. She only felt a chill coming from the bottom of her heart.

In her previous life, she was locked up in the cold palace. In winter, there was no charcoal for keeping warm. There was not even a piece of window paper. Oftentimes, when she slept on the bed, snow would blow in through the window.

Night after night, she could not fall asleep. Many times, she could only watch more and more snowflakes flying in. Starting from her crippled feet, they drowned her bit by bit. The feeling of bone-piercing coldness accompanied her all the time and followed her like a shadow whenever winter came.

Even now, although she was sure that the room was as warm as spring, and that she was sleeping in a warm quilt, she still felt cold, and it was difficult for her to fall asleep.

Chu Junyi hugged Shen Ninghua who curled up into a ball. He held her fingers and placed them on his chest. “Ninghua, sleep. Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

Chu Junyi’s eyes were deep. The desperate aura that had flashed across Ninghua’s body disappeared fast, but it made him feel extremely distressed.

He couldn’t help but think of the place where he met Ninghua. At that time, after she fell off the cliff, she also revealed such an aura. He had thought that it was because of Madam Zhao’s persecution that she was so disheartened. But now that Madam Zhao had already been punished and the Shen Clan had fallen, why was she still so reluctant to let go of it and her hatred for Baili Jinze? Could it be that there were some other secrets that he didn’t know?

As he thought about it, he couldn’t help but tighten his hug. “Ninghua, what nightmare did you have?”

“Nothing. I can’t remember it clearly now.”

“Since that’s the case, forget it. I’ll be with you. Have a good sleep.”

Shen Ninghua nodded and felt the steady heartbeat with her hand. She closed her eyes and leaned over.

When she opened her eyes again, it was already dawn. She lay on the bed and felt the unusual warmth under the quilt. She felt lazy and almost didn’t want to get out of the quilt. “Bai Ruo?”

Bai Ruo hurriedly came in with a basin in her hands and said, “Miss, you’re awake. Because you were sleeping soundly in the morning, Master Chu did not let me wake you up.”

“Alright.” After Shen Ninghua washed her face, Hong Ling hurriedly walked in. “Miss, that Sang Zhi made a move last night. I knocked her unconscious and locked her in the side courtyard.”

“Last night?”

“Yes, the snow last night was extremely heavy, but Sang Zhi went out in the snow. I felt that something was wrong and followed her. I happened to see her holding a bag and sprinkling something on the plum trees.”

Shen Ninghua frowned. “What was it?”

“White phosphorus powder.”

White phosphorus powder? Shen Ninghua suddenly frowned. She recalled that this Sang Zhi had suggested Xuanlin to play with fireworks, and her heart skipped a beat. “Bring her over!”

“Yes, Miss.”

After staying in the cold side courtyard for a night, Sang Zhi was frightened. When she was brought before Shen Ninghua, her legs went limp and she knelt on the ground. “Your…Highness.”

Shen Ninghua looked at her coldly and her eyes were as chilly as snow. “Sang Zhi, the deputy director of the Internal Affairs Department is your uncle. What benefits did he give you so that you risk your life to frame me?”

“No, Your Highness, I never wanted to frame you. Please spare my life.”

Shen Ninghua looked at her with a deep gaze. The light in her black eyes was clear and cold as if she could almost see through people’s hearts.

“Hong Ling, take her to the plum garden.”

Sang Zhi trembled, and fear burst out in her heart. “Your Highness, I’m wronged, Your Highness…”

Hong Ling covered her mouth with one hand and dragged her out.

Bai Ruo put the fox fur cloak on Shen Ninghua’s body. Then she handed the handwarmer to Shen Ninghua before carefully helping her out.

The snow on the ground had already been cleaned up, but there were still a lot of water stains left. Sang Zhi was dragged along the ground, and her entire body was soaked in snow. She shook her head and cried bitterly.

Shen Ninghua stood in front of a plum tree and looked up.

Snow fell on the branches and plum blossoms. The snowflakes were translucent and white, whereas the plum blossoms were delicate and red, forming a strong contrast that made people want to go closer and admire the plum blossoms carefully.

Shen Ninghua raised her head and picked a plum blossom. She put the snow on the plum blossom in her palm for it to melt and smelled the snow water. She instantly frowned.

“Hong Ling?”

Hong Ling let go of Sang Zhi and left her kneeling on the snow.

“Your Highness, I didn’t do anything that would harm you. Please scrutinize.”

Shen Ninghua threw away the plum blossom in her hand. “The plum blossom was sprinkled with white phosphorus powder. When the white phosphorus powder burns, those who come to admire the flowers here will probably not be able to escape. The best scenario is that they are frightened, and the worst one is that they are simply burned to death. As long as someone dies here, I, Princess Zhaohua, will have to take the blame. That’s a good method. Only the Internal Affairs Department can easily get so much white phosphorus powder.”

Sang Zhi’s body became stiffer. Her hands were buried in the snow and she felt bone-chilling coldness.

Shen Ninghua’s eyes grew colder. “The New Year is coming soon. When fireworks and firecrackers fall on white phosphorus powder, the consequences…”

Sang Zhi trembled even more. “Your Highness, please spare my life. I didn’t do it on purpose. My uncle ordered me to do it. He said that if I scattered white phosphorus powder on the plum blossoms and thought of a way to light it, he would talk to the empress and let me be Master Chu’s concubine. I was obsessed. Please spare my life.”

Hong Ling was furious. “Her Highness has only been married for a few days, and you want to be a concubine for her husband? What a vicious idea! Miss, I see that there’s a lot of white phosphorus powder left. How about I simply roll her in it and light a charcoal pot around her? Very quickly, she will roast herself!”

“No, Your Highness. I know I am guilty. What I said is the truth. Please spare my life. Please let me go.” As Sang Zhi spoke, she knelt down and moved two steps forward, trying to pull Shen Ninghua’s dress, but Hong Ling kicked her to the side.

“Miss, what do you think we should do with her?”

Shen Ninghua raised her head and looked at the plum blossoms. Her eyes moved slightly. “Lock Sang Zhi in the side courtyard and let people keep a close watch on her.”

“Yes.”

When Chu Junyi was back from court, he saw Shen Ninghua looking up at the plum tree. Her snow-white fur collar contrasted well with her white porcelain-like face, making him feel particularly soft in his heart. He stepped forward and brushed the snow off her shoulder. “It just snowed. It’s very cold outside. Why did you come out?”

After Shen Ninghua told him about what had just happened, Chu Junyi instantly frowned. “Ninghua, you can simply get rid of that maidservant. Why do you still seem to have something on your mind?”

“I’m thinking about the relationship between this matter and the empress.”

“You mean…”

A harsh expression flashed in Shen Ninghua’s eyes. “Well, the empress has a deep foundation in the Palace. If she really wanted to use white phosphorus to set me up, she wouldn’t send a maid who didn’t know any martial arts to sprinkle white phosphorus powder and was even caught by me on the spot.”

“You mean she was trying to divert your attention?”

“I didn’t expect that in the first place, but Sang Zhi admitted too fast. It made me feel strange. Ever since we discovered that something was wrong with Sang Zhi, we’ve focused our attention on her. We’ve neglected a lot of other things. Now, it seems that we must have missed a lot of things.”

Chu Junyi also frowned. “Ninghua, there’s no need to be anxious. It’s impossible for the empress to make a move without any clues.”

Shen Ninghua nodded and suddenly her eyes moved. “Junyi, check on the Internal Affairs Department.”

“Internal Affairs Department?”

“Yes, I remember the Internal Affairs Department’s director secretly supports the Zhao Clan. Moreover, only the Internal Affairs Department can possess so much white phosphorus powder. If we start from there, even the empress will probably be caught off guard.”

“Alright!” He had just dealt a heavy blow to the Imperial Guards. Now it was just the right time to investigate the Internal Affairs Department. Well, every new official would apply strict measures to boost his prestige. He had been just promoted, and he had also become a bridegroom. In that case, he might as well deal another blow to the Internal Affairs Department.

As soon as the day of the plum banquet arrived, the princess’ mansion became busy early in the morning. The people who came were all the madams and young ladies of the various big families. Although warm tents had already been set up, personal items such as charcoal basins and tea still needed to be prepared early in the morning. When Shen Ninghua finished dressing, everything had just been ready.

“This is the first time I’ve come to your place. Ninghua, I heard that you’re hosting a plum banquet and I couldn’t wait to come. Don’t blame me for coming so early.”

Baili Anning walked in with four palace maids and said to Shen Ninghua with a smile.

“What are you talking about? I can’t welcome you too much.”

“Instead of keeping your good stuff for yourself, you showed it off. Now, so many people come to ask for incense. You have just gotten married, but you are busy all day long and can’t even get a break.” As she spoke, she stepped forward and held Shen Ninghua’s hand. With a movement of her fingers, she quickly passed a piece of paper to Shen Ninghua’s hand.

Shen Ninghua’s eyes moved. She quietly held Baili Anning’s hand and hid the note in her sleeve. “You begin to blame me the moment you came in. I’ve prepared your favorite tea. Come in and try it. Other people will come soon.”