Chapter 244: Retaliation Started!

The dispute that broke out before Old Lady Xiao’s death spread among the people of the capital, and the fact that Chu Junyi did not agree to reconcile with the Xiao family led to a series of rumors about Princess Zhaohua being unfilial. Some people believed in the rumors and felt that Shen Ninghua and Chu Junyi were unfilial people who abandoned their families after they became powerful.

However, many other people remained silent. After all, they were talking about the princess and imperial son-in-law. Gossiping about the royal family would be punished severely if found out. Besides, they knew what the Shen Clan and the Xiao Clan had done to the two of them, and they couldn’t tell who was right and who was wrong.

If the two families hadn’t gone too far, as a princess and an imperial son-in-law, in order to protect their reputations, they wouldn’t have easily severed the family ties. After all, who would hate a good reputation? Most importantly, Shen Ninghua and Chu Junyi had indeed done a lot of things that benefited the people. It was impossible for people like them to be unfilial.

Very quickly, what happened next proved how correct they had been.

On the day of Old Lady Xiao’s funeral, news spread that Shen Dong had joined forces with outsiders to persecute his own daughter, Princess Zhaohua, almost making her miscarry. The Emperor then intervened and took all the servants of the Shen Clan away. If it wasn’t for the fact that Old Lady Xiao’s funeral hadn’t been completed, Shen Dong would probably have been arrested as well.

Shortly after, the capital guards raided various teahouses and taverns to arrest many people who gossiped about Princess Zhaohua and the imperial son-in-law.

For a moment, all the people were silent and didn’t dare to make any ungrounded comments.

Shen Ninghua wore a casual palace dress and sat in the Southern Imperial Study, watching the report in her hand. After a while, she revealed a self-deprecating smile. “Father Emperor, these officials are really alarmist. They said that I killed my grandmother…No matter how ignorant I am, I know better than disregard normal human relations. How could I do that?”

Baili Qingcang nodded and said, “Well, I know you best. Ninghua, this matter is obviously unusual. Do you have any thoughts?”

Shen Ninghua pondered in her heart. She entered the Palace this time in order to learn about Baili Qingcang’s thoughts. She did not expect that Baili Qingcang would have thought of her intention before she spoke.

“Father Emperor, to tell you the truth, the Xiao Clan and I have a deep grudge because of Xiao Huanxi and we are irreconcilable enemies already. However, the Xiao Clan has raised Chu Junyi and I don’t want to embarrass him. Therefore, if the Xiao Clan doesn’t provoke me, I will definitely not make things difficult for them.”

“This time, Old Patriarch Xiao personally came to seek peace. He said that he was trying to reconcile, but what he did was intended to discredit Chu Junyi and me. Before this incident settled down, a series of accidents followed my grandmother’s death and eventually forced me into a dilemma. If I say that I don’t have any thoughts, who will believe that?”

Baili Qingcang was satisfied with Shen Ninghua’s honesty. “Ninghua, you and Chu Junyi are both exceptionally intelligent people. You must have identified the suspects, right?”

Shen Ninghua’s heart skipped a beat. She got up and knelt down. “Father Emperor, I do have a guess. However, this guess is too disrespectful.”

Baili Qingcang did not immediately let her stand up. His expression was extremely calm, and there wasn’t the slightest trace of joy or anger. “Since I have asked, you can just say it.”

Shen Ninghua raised her head. Her dark eyes looked calm and clear. “I suspect that Her Majesty and the Zhao Clan did it.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Baili Qingcang’s expression suddenly changed. Sharp light shot out of his eyes and he stared straight at Shen Ninghua. “Ninghua, do you know the implication of your words?”

Shen Ninghua knelt straight on the ground and looked into Baili Qingcang’s eyes. Her gaze did not shrink at all. “Father Emperor, I am already disrespectful to say this, but this is not groundless speculation. After learning that the Xiao Clan spread rumors after failing to reconcile with Chu Junyi and me, I was on guard and sent people to the Shen Mansion to protect my grandmother and father. However, something unexpected still happened in the end. ”

“The people I sent to protect them were all skilled martial arts experts. But they didn’t notice anything unusual when my grandmother died. Apparently, the person who killed her was extremely skilled. Apart from Father Emperor, I can only think of Her Majesty who is able to command such a person. You won’t harm me, so the only suspect is Her Majesty who has always had a grudge against me.”

After a moment of silence, Baili Qingcang got up and walked to Shen Ninghua. He bent down and helped her up. “Get up. You little girl are really bold. How dare you say such disrespectful words in front of me.”

Shen Ninghua smiled and said, “You trust me and so I trust you. If I am wrong, at most I shall be escorted by you to apologize to Her Majesty. If my judgment is correct, Her Majesty’s power is then a big threat to you and there’s no harm in guarding against it earlier. It’s good to remind you.”

Baili Qingcang nodded. His gaze was filled with exclamation and nostalgia. “Ninghua, you are very similar to your mother. The Empress hates you probably because of this.”

Shen Ninghua raised her eyes with a look of yearning. “Father Emperor, I have heard you mention my mother more than once. I think she must be extremely outstanding. Being able to be like her is a great blessing for me.”

Baili Qingcang smiled, but his eyes were filled with sadness. “Your mother was straightforward and daring just like you. Back then, when I offended her, she dared to brandish her whip on horseback and chased after me for two streets. She also cared much about family relations. Back then, she risked her life for the Xia Clan…I’m sorry for her…”

This was the first time Shen Ninghua had seen him look like this. Even when he learned that a few princes were scheming for the throne, he was only exceptionally angry without revealing any sign of sadness.

Shen Ninghua didn’t know how to answer, so she could only stand by the side silently. She had a lot of questions, but she knew that Baili Qingcang would not answer her, so she could only keep all of her thoughts in her heart.

Baili Qingcang’s loss of composure lasted only for an instant. He quickly restored his senses and there was no longer the slightest trace on his face. “Ninghua, I’ll give you some manpower. You can secretly investigate the issue.”

This meant that he agreed with her suspicions. Shen Ninghua nodded. After a brief pause, she hesitated and said, “Yes, thank you, Father Emperor. There is one more thing that I accidentally found out.”

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

“Hmm? What is it that makes you so hesitant?”

“You also know that Chu Junyi and I investigated the Internal Affairs Department recently. The current head of the Internal Affairs Department, Xiao Qi, is very responsible. He recorded the use of everything in the Internal Affairs Department very carefully. Recently, he suddenly discovered that a new batch of yellow rosewood furniture had been transported to the Crown Prince Mansion. He searched through the records and found that there was no record of its origin. He had someone obtain some wood from the inconspicuous places of the furniture and asked me to help examine it.”

“Is there a problem?”

“Yes, the furniture is made of high-grade yellow rosewood and looks normal, but in fact, the wood has been processed with safflower juice and can cause great damage to women.”

Baili Qingcang nodded. “I know. I will let someone investigate it. You don’t have to worry about this matter.”

“Yes, Father Emperor.”

Only after Shen Ninghua left the Southern Imperial Study did she feel a slight chill on her back. She had unknowingly sweated all over. However, this cold sweat was worth it.

As soon as Shen Ninghua returned to the Princess’ Mansion, Hong Ling hurriedly ran over in a panic. “Miss, you asked me to keep an eye on the Crown Prince Mansion. Now, there is some news.”

Such a coincidence?

“What news?”

“There is a concubine in the Crown Prince Mansion who has been pregnant for eight months. She suddenly miscarried. It was a boy that has already taken shape.”

Shen Ninghua frowned. Bai Ruo immediately glared at Hong Ling. “What if you disturb Miss by making a fuss like this?”

Hong Ling abruptly covered her mouth. Miss was pregnant, so she would feel uncomfortable when hearing such a topic. “I forgot it. Miss, please excuse me.”

Shen Ninghua didn’t mind and she said with a smile, “It’s fine. I know your temperament. Do you know what’s going on?”

“The Crown Prince quickly blocked the news. Right now, our people don’t know much about it. But I let them keep an eye. As soon as there is news, it will be sent over.”

Shen Ninghua nodded. “Alright, just keep an eye on it.”

The next day, after Shen Ninghua finished her breakfast, Chu Junyi came back from court. He quickly walked into the room and his face was full of glow. He looked like a heavenly deity descending from the sky. “Ninghua, something interesting happened in the court today. Do you want to hear it?”

Shen Ninghua’s brows twitched. “Have the Crown Prince’s deeds in Jiangnan been exposed?”

Chu Junyi’s face was full of smiles. “Yes, salt administration in Jiangnan implicated a lot of people. The Crown Prince’s people have gotten a lot of kickbacks. The people of Jiangnan, despite the hunts, brought a written complaint signed by tens of thousands of people all the way into the capital and sued the Governor of Jiangnan.”

Shen Ninghua curled her lips and said, “This Governor of Jiangnan must work for the Crown Prince.”

“Yes. This morning, someone filed a report to sue the Crown Prince for collaborating with the Governor of Jiangnan and embezzling a large amount of money. That was why the people of Jiangnan had no option but to go to the capital to sue them.”

“Then Father Emperor should be extremely furious, right?”

“Of course. Although His Majesty did not lose his temper on the spot, his expression was truly frightening. I think the Crown Prince should be grounded in a few days.”

Shen Ninghua smiled and looked at Chu Junyi attentively. “The Governor of Jiangnan is sophisticated and has strict control over Jiangnan. It is not easy for someone to enter the capital to file a complaint. Did you help?”

Chu Junyi curled his lips. “I didn’t do much. I just helped them avoid the pursuers when they ran to Huajun Pharmacy for help. I then financed them and sent people to escort them along the way.”

Hearing what he said, Shen Ninghua couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows. This was equivalent to sending the complainers directly to the capital. He called this “not much”?

Chu Junyi stepped forward and hugged Shen Ninghua by the shoulders. “The people are forgetful. They have forgotten our help and easily believed that we are unfilial. We can only remind them of what we have done for them. Huajun Pharmacy now basically controls the herbal medicine industry in Jiangnan. At this time, we don’t have to have misgivings.”

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