Chapter 182: It Was Baili Jinze's Turn!

In the Xiao Mansion, white mourning silks were seen everywhere and maidservants and lad servants wailed loudly. Xiao Jingran sat in the hall, he stroked the coffin which was made of precious Phoebe zhennan wood. His face had a darkened expression. Huanxi, your soul in heaven must watch carefully and see how I avenged you!

Shen Ninghua sat on the Qinyang building, she looked in the direction of the Xiao family. Her eyes were as deep as the sea.

When Chu Junyi came upstairs, he saw Shen Ninghua who was in plain clothes and quietly leaning against the bedside. Her expression was calm and distant, making people feel pity for her at a glance. He said, “Ninghua, the sun is quite scorching today, be careful not to get burned.”

Shen Ninghua turned around and greeted him, “So you’ve come here.”

Chu Junyi walked to the bedside, and he looked at the Xiao Mansion, which was full of people in white mourning dresses. He nodded and closed the window. Then, he said, “Doctor Chen said that your lung hurt when you fell into water and choked. Why don’t you rest at home?”

“Don’t worry. Today is Xiao Huanxi’s funeral. I must come out and watch it.”

Chu Junyi paused for a while and then said, “Xiao Huanxi was the person my foster father loves the most. Her funeral was extremely grand. Unfortunately, no one dares to come to offer their condolences.”

Xiao Huanxi lost her life after her failed plot of murdering the princess. Such a crime was enough to eradicate the whole family line if it happened to other families. Who would dare to come to pay their condolences? Only the Xiao family had the gut to hold such a grand funeral for a daughter who had conducted such a crime. However, no one knew what the Emperor would think if he heard this news.

Shen Ninghua’s expression froze as she said, “After Xiao Huanxi died, you probably won’t be able to stay in the Xiao family anymore, right?”

“You are right. I have just been there. Although my foster father and eldest brother didn’t directly order me to leave, they sent me away with some excuse. I guess they don’t want me to stay there anymore.”

“The Xiao family is becoming more and more undisciplined. No one knows what will happen next. Leaving early is good for you. What plans do you have?”

“Now that my relationship with the Xiao family has been broken, I naturally have nothing to say. I want to move out.”

“That’s good.”

Chu Junyi looked at Shen Ninghua, whose expression was slightly gloomy. He leaned over to her and said, “Ninghua, what’s wrong with you? Why do you look anxious?”

Shen Ninghua raised her eyes slightly. She looked at him and asked, “Chu Junyi, Xiao Huanxi died because of me, are you sure you don’t care about it?”

Chu Junyi paused for a moment and then lowered his head.

Shen Ninghua’s heart skipped a beat, and traces of chill flashed across her eyes. If Chu Junyi really cared about this matter, then Xiao Huanxi would forever be a thorn in their bodies, which could be neither stabbed down nor pulled out. A slight touch would cause dripping blood. This thorn was very likely to become an excuse for others to split them up in the future. If he couldn’t completely get over it, she had to consider the consequences.

Just as she was about to get lost in thought, she suddenly felt a gentle knock on her forehead. Shen Ninghua hurriedly raised her head, and she was met by Chu Junyi’s smiling eyes.

“Wicked girl, I remember that you have a vicious heart. Why are you soft-hearted now?”

“If it were just a girl from an ordinary official family, I would not be afraid at all to kill ten of them, let alone one. But Xiao Huanxi isn’t an ordinary girl, so I have to consider your feelings. We are going to live together for the rest of our lives, so we can’t get uneasy because of her.”

“Yes, what you have said makes sense.” Chu Junyi stood up and hugged Shen Ninghua from behind. He took a deep breath of her body fragrance and said in a deep voice, “When I saw you and her in the water, it was as if my heart had been emptied. If anything happened to you, I would definitely kill Xiao Huanxi with my own hands. Now, she only had herself to blame. Her death has nothing to do with you.”

Shen Ninghua’s expression softened, and a stream of warmth flashed through her heart.

“I have told you before. I am also a cold-blooded and selfish person. In order to ascend to the throne, I have to offend many people. I may be stained with the thick blood of my enemies and have to step on their bones. I cannot care about everyone. The only thing I can do is to have a beloved one beside me to enjoy the world after ascending to the throne. This will be enough.”

“If you don’t disappoint me, I will be your companion to see the splendid world!”

It was as if shining stars had fallen into Shen Ninghua’s eyes, and the gentle expression in it became even more charming.

Chu Junyi tightened his hug. It seemed that he wanted to merge the woman before him into his bones and blood: I was destined to fail a lot of people, but I would in no way disappoint you!

As the knot in her heart had been extricated, Shen Ninghua was now in a good mood. They took some food together before going back to the Princess’ Mansion.

In the courtyard, Bai Ruo was carefully examining gifts against a list.

“To whom are you sending these gifts?” Chu Junyi asked.

Shen Ninghua opened and checked a box of east pearls. She said, “I want to give it to the wife of the Minister of War.”

“Madam Shao?”

“Yes, that’s right. The last time Xiao Huanxi hanged herself, it was Madam Shao who went to testify for me. After I fell into water, Madam Shao also intervened to block the royal guards. I owe a big favor to her, so I have to repay it.”

“Speaking of this Madam Shao, I remember that it was you who found out she was pregnant back then. Now, her son should be about one-year-old.”

“Yes, that’s right. Time passed really quickly.”

Chu Junyi pondered for a short while and said, “Minister of War Wang Qiong is a good official. He has always been loyal to the Emperor and held an unbiased position. I heard that the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and others have tried to win his support and allegiance, but they failed.”

“Yes, I’ve heard about it too. Lord Wang is a righteous person. It can be said that the Ministry of War has been governed quite well under his tenure for the past six years. Of the six ministries, only the Ministry of War fully complied with His Majesty’s orders. He is truly a rare and good official.”

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“Ninghua, do you think it might be inappropriate for you to associate with Madam Shao?”

“So what? Right now, I’m just a princess without real power, and no one knows your identity… Wait, you have fallen out with the Xiao family, wouldn’t your identity be exposed at any time?”

Chu Junyi nodded. “It’s possible. This matter needs to be considered carefully. The reason Xiao Huanxi was admitted to the Imperial Palace was because of the Empress’ arrangements. At that time, she was out of her mind. I’m not sure if she had said something that would arouse the Empress’ suspicion.”

Shen Ninghua’s heart sank a little and she said, “Although you and I seem to have suffered no losses recently, we still haven’t really clashed with the Empress and the others. The Crown Prince is still dealing with the Second Prince and Third Prince. It’s better to be careful during this period of time.”

“Hmm, the Empress, Crown Prince and others are easy targets out there while we are hidden in the dark. This way, we can take the initiative step by step and gain the upper hand. If my identity is revealed, not to mention whether His Majesty will believe me or not, even if His Majesty has no doubt about my identity, the Empress alone is enough for me to deal with.”

“The Empress has been in charge of the harem for more than twenty years. What’s more, the Zhao family is an influential force in the court. It is like a tree whose root has been intertwined with various aristocratic families of the previous dynasty. Our foundation is still unstable, so we must take extra care.”

Chu Junyi’s eyes blinked, he picked up the teacup and slowly turned it around. Then, he said, “There are many people in the Imperial Palace who are taking pleasure with what happened to the Xiao family. At this moment, it’s best to find something for them to do.”

A figure flashed across Shen Ninghua’s mind, and a cold smile appeared on her face. She said, “What do you think of Baili Jinze?”

“Baili Jinze?”

“That’s right, Baili Jinze, the Fifth Prince!”

They exchanged glances and then smiled at each other.

Baili Jinze was having an extremely hard time recently. When he heard about what had happened to Xiao Huanxi, he frowned deeply and paced back and forth in the hall.

After quite a long while, he changed his clothes and was ready to go out.

His secondary concubine Lady Li hurriedly stopped him and said, “Master, are you going out at this moment?”

“Hmm, I want to pay a visit to the Xiao family.”

Lady Li was shocked and said, “Master, you must not go to the Xiao family at this time.”

Baili Jinze frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“Xiao Huanxi died after her failure to murder Princess Zhaohua. Although His Majesty didn’t order a reprimand of the Xiao family, he was extremely dissatisfied with Xiao Huanxi. You may not know that although the Xiao family held a grand funeral, no one dared to pay their condolences.”

Baili Jinze frowned more heavily, and he felt increasingly frustrated. Ever since his secret manufacturing of weapons in the forest villa was exposed, most of his forces in the Palace had been destroyed, and only a few marginalized planted agents escaped by luck. As a result, he was not well-informed and unable to have a thorough grasp of many events.

Lady Li got even more worried at his anxious expression. “Master, you’ve been shutting yourself up for some days. Maybe it is now the time to do something?”

“Yes, you’re right. I’ve been shutting myself up for so many days. It’s time to go out and do something. At the very least, I need to fight for attention with the Crown Prince. I can’t let him appear too outstanding before Father Emperor. Your father is an imperial censor, I need him to take care of this matter.”

Lady Li nodded and smiled sweetly. “Yes, Master. Don’t worry, I will inform my father when I return. I will definitely handle the matter properly.”

Baili Jinze’s smile was as gentle as spring, he looked at Lady Li so passionate that she blushed. He said, “Good, you are so considerate of me.”

“Master, I’m willing to do anything for you.”

Baili Jinze smiled happily, he bent down to carry Lady Li to the bedside and said, “I will definitely treat you well.”

Lady Li buried her head in his arms, and the two of them exchanged sweet words for a long while.

In the afternoon, Shen Ninghua, who was having a rest in the room, heard a burst of funeral music coming from outside the door. She sneered in her heart at what Xiao Jingran had done. He really didn’t forget to disgust her whenever he could.

Hong Ling angrily ran in and said, “Miss, the Xiao family is really going too far in bullying you!”

Shen Ninghua smiled and said, “It doesn’t matter. They were simply passing by our mansion carrying the coffin. The road outside is wide enough. If they like to walk on it, let them do.”

“But Miss, the Xiao family has made a detour of two more streets to pass by our mansion. Moreover, they are walking very slowly in front of our mansion. Paper money and white flags have been thrown everywhere. Quite a few have dropped into our courtyard! The Xiao family is doing these things so deliberately that many people gathered on both sides of the road and watched for fun. If we don’t have any countermeasures, I wonder what people will say about us.”

“Justice lies in people’s heart. Xiao Huanxi had only herself to blame. No matter how much trouble Xiao Jingran makes for me, what is wrong will never turn to be right. Why are you so angry?”

“Miss, you are really magnanimous. I don’t have such generosity. Xiao Huanxi was so vicious that although she lost her life, she deserved the punishment. Why do they still come to our mansion to make trouble?”

“Ha,” Shen Ninghua smiled at Hong Ling who was having such an indignant expression. “Alright, find the master monk whom I asked you to invite from the Guangning Temple, tell him to cast the spell. I have encountered bad luck wherever I went recently, it is time for me to hold a religious ritual.”

Back then, she was poisoned by Dream Soul and almost died in her dream. After interrogation, she discovered that the drug had actually come from Guangning Temple. This ritual will not only disgust the Xiao family but also test their reaction.

Hong Ling immediately ran out happily and said, “Now that the funeral procession of Xiao family is bidding farewell to Xiao Huanxi, we will expiate her sins and capture ghosts and demons. Let’s see how wonderful Xiao Jingran’s expression will be!”

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