Chapter 241 - I'll Be Unfilial to the End!

Shen Ninghua looked up at Shen Dong without any fluctuation in her eyes. “Patriarch Shen, filial piety is not decided by your own judgment. However, since you say I’m unfilial, then I’m going to be unfilial. It’s getting late. We should go back.”

Chu Junyi stretched out his hand to embrace Ninghua and the two walked towards the gate.

Just as they were about to go down the stairs, a black shadow suddenly pounced towards Shen Ninghua and let out a shrill cry.

“Meow!”

“Ninghua, be careful!” Chu Junyi took a step forward to block the attack and sent the pouncing cat flying with a palm strike.

Shen Ninghua was shocked. She subconsciously took a step down, but her feet suddenly slipped and she fell down the stairs.

Chu Junyi turned his head and saw this heartbreaking scene.

Looking at the ground getting closer, Shen Ninghua subconsciously protected her belly with her hand. Her elbow heavily knocked on the ground, and she immediately felt a burst of tearing pain in the arm.

Qing Que hurriedly ran to Shen Ninghua and tried to help her up, but she stopped when she heard her painful inhalation.

Chu Junyi quickly regained his senses and immediately went to the front of Shen Ninghua. He carefully hugged her in his arms and said, “Ninghua, how are you?”

Shen Ninghua frowned tightly. She suppressed the pain in her arm and felt her own pulse. Then her heart started to relax. “The baby is fine. My arm hurts very much. There must be something wrong with it.”

Chu Junyi turned around and shouted, “Qing Que, Doctor Chen shouldn’t have gone far. Go get him back.”

Qing Que nodded and leaped out.

Madam Su was so shocked that her face turned pale and her heart was filled with fear. “Lord Chu, quickly send Ninghua into the room to rest. The ground is too cold. You can’t let her lie on the ground.”

Chu Junyi carefully avoided Shen Ninghua’s arm and picked her up. His gaze swept across the steps where Shen Ninghua had just slipped, only to find that it was greased. “We don’t dare to rest here. This time, she just broke an arm. Next time, she might break her neck. Arms can recover, but once the neck is broken, she would be killed.”

Xiao Jingran waved his sleeve and turned around to leave. His heart was filled with regret. This Shen Ninghua was so lucky that she didn’t miscarry. She just broke an arm. What a pity.

Shen Dong glanced coldly at Shen Ninghua. “It must be some servant who accidentally dripped oil onto the steps when changing the lamp oil. Who could have foreseen that she would step on it so coincidentally? I will punish that servant properly.”

Shen Ninghua raised her eyes to look at Shen Dong. His expression was extremely calm, to the extent of being cold-blooded. Having such a biological father was the greatest misfortune in her life. Since that was the case, there was no need to save face for him.

“There is no need to trouble you to handle the issue. I’ll handle it myself. Who’s the servant that changed the lamp oil?”

After Shen Ninghua asked the question, all the servants standing on the side lowered their heads and trembled, not daring to make a sound.

Shen Ninghua smiled coldly. “Since no one has stepped forward, I will think all of you are accomplices. All the servants serving in the mourning hall are guilty of murdering the princess’ heir and shall be clubbed to death!”

“Your Highness, please spare us.” Hearing the last cold words “clubbed to death”, the servants all knelt on the ground and begged for mercy.

“Since you don’t want to die, I’ll ask again. Who poured the lamp oil on this step?”

Shen Dong’s expression was gloomy. “Ninghua, you’re injured and should go back to recover. You don’t need to attend the ceremony today. Don’t make trouble for no reason.”

His own daughter’s unborn baby was almost killed. As the grandfather, he actually wanted to smooth things over by accusing her of “making trouble for no reason”. What kind of logic was this!

A wave of coldness filled Shen Ninghua’s heart. She slightly moved her body and motioned Chu Junyi to put her down.

Chu Junyi carefully placed her on the ground, stood a step away from her, and kept a careful eye on her.

Shen Ninghua held her arm and looked at Shen Dong coldly. “Patriarch Shen, do you think I’m making trouble for no reason because I am trying to find out the person who attempted to murder my baby?”

Patriarch Shen? Hearing this address, Shen Dong’s face suddenly turned ashen. Shen Ninghua was using his identity to remind him!

“Ninghua, you…”

Shen Ninghua interrupted him coldly, “Patriarch Shen, didn’t you call me Princess Zhaohua when I just came in? Continue to call me Princess Zhaohua now. Anyway, I’m already unfilial, so I’ll just be unfilial to the end! Today, I’m going to punish the person who attempted to murder my baby, and anyone who obstructs me is the accomplice!”

Shen Dong was stunned and looked at Shen Ninghua in disbelief. Was she completely disregarding her reputation?

Chu Junyi curled his lips and stepped forward to embrace Shen Ninghua by the shoulder to express his silent support for her.

Shen Ninghua looked at the servants who were kneeling on the ground and said, “Since no one has admitted it, then collective punishment shall be applied. Hong Ling, club all these people to death.”

Hong Ling stood up and took out a stick the size of an arm from somewhere. She stood majestically beside Shen Ninghua. After hearing her instructions, she replied crisply, “Yes, as you ordered.”

With that, an extremely cold light flashed through her eyes, and she directly brandished the club to the servant closest to her.

Those servants saw that Shen Ninghua only brought one maid with her, so they thought that with Shen Dong’s intervention, even if she gave the order, no one would come to help her carry it out. However, they did not expect that this maid would actually be so swift.

“Ah, it hurts. Your Highness, please spare me. I didn’t pour the lamp oil. It’s Little Anzi. It’s Little Anzi who poured the lamp oil.”

The servant known as Little Anzi knelt on the ground with horror on his face. His entire body trembled continuously.

Shen Ninghua’s expression didn’t change at all. “You didn’t say anything when I asked. It’s too late now. Hong Ling. Don’t stop.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Your Highness, please spare my life. Please spare my life.”

“Master, save me.”

Shen Dong gritted his teeth and said, “Ninghua, how long are you going to carry on this farce?”

Shen Ninghua abruptly turned around. Her dark eyes were as calm as an ancient well, and she slightly raised her chin. The expression on her face was cold and noble. “Patriarch Shen, you should address me as Princess Zhaohua!”

Being stared at by the dark eyes, Shen Dong’s heart suddenly trembled and he abruptly took two steps back. Then he restored his senses and realized that he had actually been scared back by a woman. His expression became even gloomier.

The first servant that Hong Ling hit had fainted and was lying on the ground. Hong Ling received Shen Ninghua’s message through the eyes and she didn’t really beat him to death. Instead, she walked directly to Little Anzi who was said to have poured the oil. This time, she didn’t show any mercy. She raised the stick and smashed it fiercely at him. Everyone present heard a cracking sound of bones breaking.

Hong Ling smashed Little Anzi’s arm with a strike.

“Ah, ah!”

Screams could be heard continuously. Little Anzi rolled back and forth on the ground. The screams of pain caused the faces of the servants around to turn pale.

Shen Ninghua coldly watched this scene and said in a calm voice, “As a servant, you didn’t even know to wipe the lamp oil off the steps. This is more than neglecting your duty. Little Anzi, I will give you the last chance. Who instructed you to pour the lamp oil? Tell me honestly and I will spare your life and everyone else.”

“I… I wasn’t instructed by anyone. I was just careless.”

Shen Ninghua’s expression was cold. “Alright, it seems that you are unwilling to confess. Since that’s the case, don’t blame me for being ruthless. Hong Ling, club these people to death.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“No, Your Highness. I know something and I’m willing to confess. Please spare my life.”

Shen Ninghua looked at the maidservant who had spoken and said, “Tell me!”

“Yes, yes. I accidentally saw Little Anzi talking to his cousin secretly. His cousin is the maidservant of the Xiao Clan. She used to serve Eldest Miss Xiao.”

“Xiao Clan…” Shen Ninghua blinked her eyes and looked at the maid. “What evidence do you have to prove your words?”

“Little Anzi’s cousin also gave him two gold ingots.”

Qing Que walked in quickly with Chen Yun.

Shen Ninghua said, “Qing Que, you’ve come back just in time. Search the place where this servant lives and see if there is any gold.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Shen Ninghua sat on a chair that Hong Ling had brought over and let Chen Yun check the wounds on her arm.

Chen Yun frowned with a serious look in his eyes. “Your Highness, there are signs of fractures of the bone in your arm. Try not to move it during this period of time and rest more.”

Chu Junyi asked with concern, “Uncle Chen, is the baby alright?” Although Ninghua said that the baby was fine, it was hard for him to calm down if he didn’t confirm it.

Chen Yun checked her pulse and said, “The baby is fine, but Her Highness’ mood fluctuated sharply. She still needs to continue to take the abortion prevention medicine for some time.”

“Will there be any aftereffects?”

“Not if she recovers properly.”

Only then did Chu Junyi feel relieved. “Alright, thank you, Uncle Chen.”

After Chen Yun finished bandaging Shen Ninghua’s arm, Qing Que walked out with two gold ingots in her hands.

Shen Ninghua coldly swept her gaze over Little Anzi’s pale face and coldly instructed, “The evidence is here. Hong Ling, club Little Anzi to death and release the others.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Shen Dong’s entire body trembled with anger. “Ninghua…no, Princess Zhaohua, today is your grandmother’s funeral. Do you actually want to kill people at her funeral?”

Shen Ninghua coldly raised her eyes. “It’s unlucky to see blood on happy occasions. Is there the same rule for funerals?”

“Although there isn’t such a rule, you can’t go too far!”

“Since there is no rule of avoiding blood on funerals, there’s no problem.” Shen Ninghua looked at Shen Dong coldly. “I haven’t asked Patriarch Shen yet. What happened to the cat that pounced on me?”

Shen Dong said angrily, “That cat was raised by your grandmother when she was alive. It was very docile in front of everyone, but it pounced on you. Perhaps your grandmother was expressing her dissatisfaction to you!”

Shen Ninghua sneered. “Father, I don’t believe in such a ridiculous reason as ghosts haunting the mourning hall. I’d like to trouble Doctor Chen to help check the cat and see what kind of ghost is behind it!” She was not afraid of anyone, let alone a ghost!

Qing Que brought the cat that was sent flying by Chu Junyi over and saw that the cat was dead with all its orifices bleeding.

Chen Yun frowned after carefully examining it for a long time. “Your Highness, this cat was fed a frantic medicine, and the dosage was so great that its heart couldn’t bear.”

“Frantic drugs? Looks like we need to continue investigating.” Shen Ninghua’s voice was firm.

Chu Junyi squeezed Shen Ninghua’s shoulder and said coldly, “Ninghua, leave the rest to me. You just need to watch from the side.”

“Alright.”