Chu Junyi said in a deep voice, “Your Majesty, the person who got my sister Xiao Huanxi poisoned is him.”
Shen Ninghua’s eyes suddenly trembled, and endless ridicule was hidden beneath her trembling eyelashes. Her heart was filled with a wave of coldness that seemed to freeze her entire body. Chu Junyi was really going to clean up the mess for the Xiao family.
Xiao Jingran was also stunned. A lad servant plotted against the Eldest Young Lady of the Xiao family?
Baili Qingcang paused for a while and slowly said, “He is just a lad servant. Why did he plot against Miss Xiao?”
Chu Junyi turned to the lad servant who was kneeling on the ground and said, “His Majesty is asking you. Now confess.”
The lad servant seemed to be frightened out of his wits. “Your Majesty, I didn’t know that it was poison. I accidentally broke Miss’s lock while helping her carry the birthday gift box. I was frightened and bought a new lock from outside. That’s why Miss was unable to open it when she went to unlock it.”
Baili Qingcang said impatiently, “What does changing locks have to do with poisoning?”
Chu Junyi stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, I am acquainted with Prefectural Princess Zhaohua and I know she is a girl of pure kindness. I didn’t believe she would poison others, so I asked a doctor to re-examine the room. Then I found that the lock of the birthday box was also coated with Zi Mian, and this lock was bought by this lad servant from the Treasure Pavilion in the south of the capital.”
“It’s just a lock. Why did he go to the Treasure Pavilion to buy it? Everything there is very expensive. Does a lad servant have so much silver?” Baili Jinze asked.
Chu Junyi replied, “Your Highness, in order to prepare a birthday gift for my foster father, my sister Huanxi selected everything with the utmost care, and this lock was no exception. It was specially made by the Treasure Pavilion. The lad servant couldn’t afford to pay for the lock, so he sent the broken lock to the Treasure Pavilion in exchange for a new one. However, he didn’t expect the lock sold by the Treasure Pavilion to be poisoned. The records of the exchange were all listed in the Treasure Pavilion’s ledgers. If Your Highness don’t believe it, you can send someone to investigate. ”
Baili Jinze frowned. Was Chu Junyi trying to help Shen Ninghua get off the hook? As he thought about it, a trace of frustration flashed through his heart. He sternly asked, “Didn’t you say that Miss Xiao was scratched by a hairpin? How come you changed the story by saying that the lock was poisoned? Chu Junyi, are you deceiving His Majesty?”
Chu Junyi coldly glanced at him and said indifferently, “If you didn’t interrupt me, I would have explained it clearly by now.”
“…” Baili Jinze smiled stiffly. Explain? I would like to see how you explain it!
“Your Majesty, I also felt very strange, so I went to the Treasure Pavilion to check and found a batch of jewels and artifacts coated with Zi Mian in the Treasure Pavilion. The Governor of Capital Guards feared that these things would be circulated and hurt more people, so he had them all seized and sent to the Palace gate.”
Baili Qingcang’s face suddenly tensed up. “You said that a large number of jewels were coated with Zi Mian?”
“Exactly.” Chu Junyi looked at Shen Ninghua, only to find that she lowered her head to look at the ground and no one could see her expression clearly. He immediately felt like his heart was heavily hit by a hammer. “The hairpin Prefectural Princess Zhaohua gave Miss Yang was also bought from the Treasure Pavilion, right?”
“Huh? Ninghua, did you buy that hairpin from the Treasure Pavilion?” Baili Qingcang asked.
Shen Ninghua raised her head, but did not look at Chu Junyi who was attentively staring at her. “Your Majesty, it is true. My cousin has just arrived in the capital and was in need of many things that had to be purchased. I placed an order for a batch of ornaments from the Treasure Pavilion, and that hairpin was one of the items.”
Looking at Shen Ninghua’s slightly pale face, Baili Qingcang felt a burst of pity in his heart. “You are as stubborn as your mother. Why didn’t you tell the truth earlier and said those words that made me sad? In the future, don’t talk about taking back your title. Now stand up quickly. You have knelt on the ground for so long. It must be too much for your knees.”
Shen Ninghua shook her head. A bitter smile appeared on her lips. “Father Emperor, if possible, I don’t want to put you in this dilemma. However, I was born to the Shen family. My birth mother passed away a long time ago, and my father was convicted and demoted. Although these things are not what I can choose or decide, many people think that I am not worthy of the title of Prefectural Princess and want to use me to discredit the royal family. Ninghua doesn’t have the slightest fear for death, but I would never want to see any damage to your reputation because of me.”
Baili Qingcang stood up and walked down. He personally helped Shen Ninghua up. “You are the Prefectural Princess I have personally bestowed. In the future, I will reward you as Royal Princess Zhaohua. If anyone dares to slander you for no reason, I will be the first to punish him!”
Shen Ninghua was touched. Baili Qingcang really loved her, a fostered daughter, which was indeed rare for an emperor. “Thank you, Father Emperor. Please forgive me for making you angry today.”
Looking at Shen Ninghua’s slightly red eyes and embarrassed expression, Baili Qingcang couldn’t help but reveal a smile. “You silly girl. Alright, stand aside. I will deal with these matters one by one.”
Shen Ninghua stood aside and the smile on her face gradually faded. She looked indifferently at Xiao Jingran in the hall.
The Governor of Capital Guards handed over the jewels and artifacts that were coated with Zi Mian. Chen Yun went forward to inspect them carefully and reported, “Your Majesty, these jewels and artifacts are indeed coated with Zi Mian, and it should have been applied three days before.”
Baili Qingcang’s aura tensed up, and his sharp eyes flashed with icy coldness.
Baili Jinze stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, as far as I know, the jewels in the Treasure Pavilion are very popular in the capital, especially among the ladies and young ladies of the aristocratic families. If these jewels were circulated, the consequences would be unimaginable. This incident is very likely a big conspiracy. I think you should investigate this matter thoroughly.”
Baili Qingcang did not agree. Instead, he looked at Xiao Jingran who was standing beside him and said, “General Xiao, what do you think of this matter?”
“Your Majesty, I think what the Fifth Prince said is right. Prefectural Princess Zhaohua bought the poisoned hairpin. I wonder if anyone else who bought jewelry from the shop has bought the poisoned hairpins. I believe that this matter should be dealt with as soon as possible. Furthermore, I was misled and almost wronged Prefectural Princess Zhaohua. Please punish me, Your Majesty.”
Baili Qingcang gently slapped his hand on the table. “You just cared about your daughter and got a little anxious. That is understandable. However, you still need to be on guard. You will be in charge of investigating the case of Zi Mian poisoned hairpin. The Fifth Prince Baili Jinze will assist you.”
“Yes, as you ordered.” At this moment, Xiao Jingran only wanted to find the antidote to save his daughter. How could he be in the mood to care about other matters? However, he could not refuse the emperor’s order and could only agree.
Baili Qingcang waved his hand and said, “You are also responsible for dealing with this lad servant. Carefully put away these hairpins for the time being. Wait until all of them that have been circulated are taken back and destroy them together. You can leave now. The Crown Prince will stay.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
After leaving Chengqian Palace, Xiao Jingran hurriedly stopped Chen Yun and said, “Doctor Chen, please treat my little girl.”
Chen Yun frowned in embarrassment. “Lord Xiao, Zi Mian is extremely rare. I have never studied its antidote. I can only try my best.” After being poisoned by Zi Mian, Xiao Huanxi could survive at most three days. Without an antidote, she would die in three days. Thinking about it, he couldn’t help but sigh.
Xiao Jingran’s face turned pale, and his tall and sturdy body shook due to sadness. “Doctor Chen, please do your best.”
“Yes, I will.”
When Shen Ninghua heard the conversation between the two of them, she couldn’t help but curl her lips coldly. Whether or not Xiao Huanxi could survive this disaster depended on her own luck.
After leaving the Palace gate, Shen Ninghua boarded her carriage. Chu Junyi immediately lifted the curtain and jumped into the carriage.
Shen Ninghua was not surprised at all. She leaned against the pillow and curled her lips. “Why, can’t wait to get the antidote for your sister?”
Chu Junyi paused and his eyes lit up. “Ninghua, do you have the antidote to Zi Mian?”
Shen Ninghua sneered, and her expression became even colder. “So what if I do? What if I don’t?” Man was really unreliable. A few days ago, he had claimed that he wanted to marry her, but now, he ignored her for another woman.
Chu Junyi felt a wave of pain in his heart when he sensed her aloofness. However, he had no choice but to say, “Ninghua, if you have the antidote, I want to buy it from you. You can ask for as much silver as you want.”
“What a big tone! You can give me as much silver as I want?”
“Yes.” Chu Junyi looked at Shen Ninghua with an extremely serious gaze. No matter what the Xiao family had done, they did nurture him. He always remembered this favor in his heart. This time, saving Xiao Huanxi could be considered a repayment.
Shen Ninghua looked at his extremely serious attitude and suddenly chuckled. “Alright, I saved your life for 5,000 taels of gold. Today, I can save Xiao Huanxi’s life for the same price. When you send the money over, I will give you the antidote!”
Chu Junyi nodded and relaxed slightly. “Ninghua, thank you.”
Shen Ninghua lowered her eyes and said with an indifferent expression. “Master Chu, you’re welcome. It’s just a fair deal.”
Chu Junyi’s gaze trembled slightly. He leaned against the wall of the carriage and sighed. Today’s matter was entirely Xiao Huanxi’s fault.
She had wanted to use the poison on the hairpin that Shen Ninghua gave Yang Yingxue to ruin Shen Ninghua’s reputation, but she didn’t expect that she would be tricked by others who changed the ordinary poison into Zi Mian.
Fortunately, the owner of the Treasure Pavilion was him, so he was able to abandon this cash cow and conceal the truth of the matter. Otherwise, the battle between the Xiao family and Shen Ninghua would not have a sure ending.
“Ninghua, I’m sorry for you this time, but I can’t let anything happen to the Xiao family right now.”
Shen Ninghua felt more and more amused after hearing this. She felt a burst of anger in her heart. Since he had already made a choice, there was no need to pretend to feel sorry. “You didn’t do anything wrong to me. You should be sorry to the Treasure Pavilion. Speaking of which, you are really generous. The Treasure Pavilion collected a lot of information and earned much for you, right? You are willing to abandon it just like this?”
“I have no other choice.”
“That’s right. You can open another Treasure Pavilion, but if your sister Huanxi is gone, she can’t be back again. Master Chu, hurry up and go back to collect money. I won’t give you the antidote before receiving the 5,000 taels of gold.” As Shen Ninghua spoke, she did not want to see Chu Junyi anymore. She closed her eyes and leaned to the side, but all sorts of emotions kept surging in her heart.
Suddenly, a warm aura sprayed on the edge of her cheek. Before Shen Ninghua could react, she felt a soft touch on her forehead.