Chapter 116: An Exchange of Equal Values

The Imperial Study was filled with officials having different expressions on their faces. Baili Qingcang glared angrily at the Governor of Capital Guards who was kneeling on the ground. “Sun Sheng, I entrusted the safety of the capital to you because I trust your ability. But now, can you tell me why so many ladies and daughters of aristocratic families were poisoned overnight?”

The Governor of Capital Guards knelt on the ground with a pale face. “Your Majesty, I’m guilty. Please give me some time. I will definitely find out the source of Zi Mian and restore the peace of the capital.”

He had been the Governor of Capital Guards for five years. The rank of this position was not high, but it one that many first- and second-grade officials were unwilling to offend. The reason why he was able to hold this position for such a long time was that he knew Baili Qingcang and how much he valued the safety of the capital. That was why he had always been upright and dared to offend anyone for the sake of his work. He even dared to challenge the princes. If he could not find out the truth this time, he would probably have to die in order to apologize to the emperor.

Baili Qingcang’s eyes were filled with killing intent. “Alright, I’ll give you two days to investigate. No matter what method you use, the peace of the capital must be guaranteed!”

“Yes, please rest assured, Your Majesty.”

Shen Ninghua sat in front of the desk in her study, beside her hand were a lot of medical books and a thick pile of transcripts and notes.

Chu Junyi took her notes and carefully flipped through two pages. He suddenly frowned slightly. “Ninghua, what are you looking for?”

“I’m trying to figure out what kind of trap the people behind this have set up.”

Chu Junyi turned to look out of the window. “A dozen people were unconscious overnight. His Majesty is probably furious at this time. Ninghua, don’t you have the antidote to Zi Mian?”

Shen Ninghua put down the brush in her hand and looked at him. “That’s right. I do have the ability to formulate the antidote to Zi Mian, but so what? If I take out the antidote, I’m afraid that a basin of dirty water will be spilled over my head. Perhaps people will think that I am the one who applied the poison.”

If she hadn’t poisoned them, how would she happen to possess so many antidotes? This was a question she was unable to refute.

“Then you are not going to save those people?”

Shen Ninghua shook her head. “I will save them, but not now.”

Chu Junyi’s eyes moved with thought as he suddenly curled his lips. “Are you waiting for someone to come and beg you?”

Shen Ninghua chuckled. “That’s right. If I took the initiative to offer the antidote, I might get suspicion instead of gratitude. When they ask for it, I can charge whatever price I like.”

Looking at the person who was so obsessed with money, Chu Junyi didn’t know whether he should laugh and cry. “Ninghua, are you that desperate for money?” She saved people not for the sake of making others owe her a favor, but she wanted to exchange the favor for silver. This deal was not worth it.

Seeing what he was thinking, Shen Ninghua pursed her lips and said, “A favor well appreciated can become charcoal in snowy weather, but can also become a life-threatening talisman as well. Besides, other people are not as reliable as oneself. Rather than waiting for others to pay for your kindness, it’s better to change it into silver as soon as possible. Money can make the mare go. Once you have enough money, you can do whatever you want.”

In her previous life, when Baili Jinze was competing for the throne, there were very few people he could rely on. Fostering power, bribing officials, winning the hearts of the people, building up prestige…every single move required real money. At that time, she had to be very careful. While maintaining the dignity of the mansion, she also had to pave a way through the thorns for him. At that time, she wished she could break one coin into halves to spend it. This made her realize the importance of money. Now that she was able to accumulate money, why didn’t she accumulate more?

“Once you have enough money, you can do whatever you want?” As Chu Junyi pondered on this sentence, his heart stirred slightly. “It really makes sense.”

Shen Ninghua rolled her eyes at him. This person was most skilled at pretending to be stupid. If she believed his current stupid performance, she would really be fooled.

Bai Ruo’s report came from the door. “Miss, Lord Sun, the Governor of Capital Guards, is here to visit you.”

Shen Ninghua’s eyes lit up. He had finally come! She turned to Chu Junyi and said, “Disappear for the time being.”

“Alright.”

“Bai Ruo, invite Lord Sun in.”

As soon as the Governor of Capital Guards entered, he smiled and cupped his hands at Shen Ninghua. “Greetings, Your Highness. How are you?”

Shen Ninghua smiled faintly, exhibiting a polite but estranged attitude. Her shining black eyes carried a smile. “Thank you, Lord Sun, for your concern. I’m fine.”

Facing the calm dark eyes, the Governor of Capital Guards’ heart trembled. The smile on his face grew even more. “Your Highness, I will speak frankly and sincerely. I’m here to ask for your help.”

Shen Ninghua smiled. “I stayed in my mansion all day. How can I help you?”

The false smile on the Governor of Capital Guards’ face finally disappeared. He said with a sad expression, “Eldest Young lady, only you can help me this time. If you don’t help me, I will have to step down from the position of the Governor of Capital Guards.”

“If you do your best, His Majesty will surely notice your hard work. How will he casually dismiss you?”

“Eldest Young Lady, I am not exaggerating just to scare you. Those people have disliked me for a long time. With this incident as an excuse, how can they miss the opportunity? Think about it. If someone else became the Governor of Capital Guards, wouldn’t the slightest movement in your mansion come all the way to others’ ears? At that time, how inconvenient would that be?”

Shen Ninghua smiled faintly. Indeed, the peace of her mansion had a lot to do with the Governor of Capital Guards.

“That makes sense. What I can do for you, Lord Sun?”

Hearing that Shen Ninghua had finally agreed to offer help, the Governor of Capital Guards felt lucky and glad. “Miss, you see, the capital is not peaceful these days. A lot of people were poisoned by Zi Mian overnight. It would be a bit inexplicable if we call it a coincidence.”

You are reading story Phoenix Reborn: the Prime Minister's Scheming Daughter at novel35.com

“So what if it’s a coincidence? What if it’s not a coincidence?”

“If it was a coincidence, then I would obey the will of the heavens and try my best. But if it wasn’t a coincidence, there would definitely be people who would use these things to make a fuss. I’m afraid that you will inevitably be implicated as you have to support such a big Prefectural Princess Mansion by yourself.”

Shen Ninghua smiled faintly. “Although I don’t have the strength to turn the tide around, it’s still easy to protect myself in the surging undercurrents. It’s not worth it going through the muddy water for nothing…”

Hearing that there was a way out, the Governor of Capital Guards hurriedly guaranteed. “How can I let you lose more than you gain? You are so kind-hearted and have saved so many people. A thank-you gift is necessary.”

Shen Ninghua nodded in satisfaction. “Yes, people need to be saved. Lord Sun, you should know my rules. Benevolent Hall has been studying new medicines recently. I think it will make a breakthrough.”

The Governor of Capital Guards’ eyes lit up. He was fully relieved. Benevolent Hall was Shen Ninghua’s property. This was something that he learned after getting his fingers burnt once. If she was willing to offer help, the ladies and young ladies who had been poisoned by Zi Mian wouldn’t die. In this way, he would at least be able to keep his position. “Your Highness are truly kind-hearted. Here is a small gift from me to thank you for your guidance.”

As he spoke, he took out a bulging envelope from his sleeve.

Bai Ruo took the envelope and put it away. Shen Ninghua said, “Lord Sun, you’re welcome.”

The Governor of Capital Guards tried to brazen it out and pleaded, “Eldest Young Lady, if you feel obliged for the gift, can you give me some advice?”

Shen Ninghua looked at him half-smilingly. This person knew how to ask for benefits. “Lord Sun, you have guessed it out, but you are just uncertain. Sometimes, your intuition is the closest to the truth. I have no advice for you. I only hope that you can hold on to the good intentions and not disturb the peace of the people.”

The water was too deep this time. It was not something you, a small Governor of Capital Guards, could afford to get involved in.

The Governor of Capital Guards paused and instantly understood. “Thank you, Your Highness. I won’t disturb you anymore, so I’ll leave first.”

“Lord Sun, even though I have been proved innocent in the Palace, there are Zi Mian Flowers in my mansion after all. It’s better to send people to do a search in my mansion.” Although she promised not to hurt Xiao Huanxi now, she could still give her a slight slap in the face.

“His Majesty has already believed you. Logically, there is absolutely no need to search. However, since you have made the request, I will send someone to inspect so that you can feel at ease in the future.”

“Mm, thank you, Lord Sun. You should also search my aunt’s room. If there’s a hairpin painted with Zi Mian that I don’t know about, there will be a big hidden danger, right?”

“That’s very true.”

After sending off the Governor of Capital Guards, Bai Ruo opened the envelope and took out the neatly folded gold notes. “Miss, the total sum is five hundred taels of gold.”

Shen Ninghua nodded. “Put it away.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Chu Junyi walked out of the room and saw Bai Ruo walking down with a stack of gold notes. He sighed. “This money is really easy to earn.”

“Are you jealous?”

“No. We’re going to get married in a few days. Why bother separating yours from mine?” Chu Junyi said complacently.

Shen Ninghua was already used to his humor like this. “Don’t change the topic. Today is the third day. Xiao Huanxi probably won’t be able to hold on anymore. I’m only responsible for selling you the antidote, not helping you finish the work. Have you thought of how to explain the source of the antidote?”

Chu Junyi pondered for a moment. Shen Ninghua’s words meant that she did not want him to borrow the name of Benevolent Hall. That made sense. Xiao Huanxi was poisoned this time because she wanted to frame Ninghua. Ninghua had already been merciful enough to sell him the antidote. How would she be willing to lend him the name of Benevolent Hall?

“I remember that a mixture of snow lotus on the icy mountain and thousand-year-old ganoderma lucidum is said to be able to cure every poison.”

“There is such a legend.” Shen Ninghua looked at him and waited for his next sentence.

Chu Junyi smiled. “I know that the Xiao family has ganoderma lucidum, but they lack a snow lotus. My people accidentally obtained a snow lotus.”

Shen Ninghua’s heart skipped a beat. The snow lotus and the thousand-year-old ganoderma lucidum were both priceless treasures. Although they did not have the legendary effects of reviving the dead or reproducing flesh and bones, they could definitely save lives. There was still some poison remaining in her body. With these two medicinal ingredients, her poison would definitely be removed!

“I don’t want the gold now. How about exchanging the two life-saving favors for these two medicinal ingredients?”

Chu Junyi’s heart choked slightly as he looked at the girl whose eyes were sparkling with anxiety. When would she look at him with this kind of gaze? Ah…

“If you want them, I can just give you for free.”

“No need. I saved you once and Xiao Huanxi once. Neither of us suffer losses in this exchange of equal values!” Shen Ninghua insisted.

“Alright, I’ll have someone deliver it to you.” This girl was really clear about boundaries…

You can find story with these keywords: Phoenix Reborn: the Prime Minister's Scheming Daughter, Read Phoenix Reborn: the Prime Minister's Scheming Daughter, Phoenix Reborn: the Prime Minister's Scheming Daughter novel, Phoenix Reborn: the Prime Minister's Scheming Daughter book, Phoenix Reborn: the Prime Minister's Scheming Daughter story, Phoenix Reborn: the Prime Minister's Scheming Daughter full, Phoenix Reborn: the Prime Minister's Scheming Daughter Latest Chapter