Chapter 356: As Beautiful as Flower, as Cold as Frost

When the minister of the Ministry of Rite saw the smoke, he disregarded his status, lifted his robe, and rushed toward Chengqian Hall. When he saw the situation in front of the hall, his face turned ghastly pale. He sat down on the ground, rolled his eyes, and almost fainted.

“It’s on fire… We’re doomed…” Some of the Ministry of Rite’s officials were already crying. “The heavens want us to die!” Originally, the preparation time was too tight, so they frantically searched for the things for the ceremony. Now that the preparations were almost ready, there was a fire!

Baili Junyi’s face was as cold as a layer of frost. “Stop crying. When the sun rises, you won’t even have a chance to cry. Hurry up and clean them up!”

After he finished speaking, he strode over to Chengqian Hall. Looking at the messy scene, he squinted, and a cold light flashed across his eyes. It wasn’t a big fire, but it burned the stages they had set up, and some of the things prepared for worshipping the heavens were blackened by the smoke. They were rendered useless tomorrow.

The guard knelt on the ground. Feeling the pressure from Baili Junyi, they were so scared that they did not even dare to raise their heads. “I’m sorry! Please punish us, Prefectural Prince Yi.”

Baili Junyi stood with his hands behind his back. The night cast a layer of cold light on his body. “Why weren’t you all standing guard? What were you doing?”

“We saw a black shadow flash past. Thinking of the assassins earlier, we were worried that they would have accomplices lurking in the imperial palace. His Majesty will offer his offerings to the heavens tomorrow. If anything happens, we’ll be punishable by death. So, we went over to check. We only left in a very short while, and this place was on fire.”

“Get up and clean up this place!”

“Yes!” Seeing that Baili Junyi did not intend to pursue their dereliction of duty, the guards hurriedly got up and began to clean up the scene.

The Assistant Minister of Rites, Zhang Yun, sat on the ground with a dull expression. Baili Junyi called him several times before he came back to his senses. “Lord Zhang? Lord Zhang!”

Zhang Yun slowly got up from the ground and squeezed out a smile that was uglier than crying. He felt a chill down his spine. This was a sign of death. “Prefectural Prince, I think this is the end of the Ministry of Rite.”

Baili Junyi smiled coldly. His deep and serene eyes were like the autumn wind and fallen leaves. “The sky is not bright yet, and the prayer ceremony has not begun. We still don’t know who will win this battle!” Did he want to suppress him with this matter? Haha, just wait and see!

In Royal Prince De’s manor, after listening to the report of his subordinates, Baili Jinchuan smiled in satisfaction. “Good. Leave.”

He had specially set up this trap for Baili Junyi. He even persuaded the Third Prince to hire folk artists into the imperial palace to perform. Even if the animals had not gone berserk, he would have secretly arranged for someone to ruin the performance. In this way, he could emphasize the point that it was unlucky to see blood in the New Year’s Eve banquet, and a New Year prayer session was needed to ensure safety.

They would need the Ministry of Rite to set up the prayer session, and Baili Junyi had just been transferred there. It would be part of his responsibility to set up the prayer ceremony. Among the Ministry of Rite’s officials, there were his people who would first try to delay the preparations. If they did not succeed, they would let people set fire to the things used to worship the heavens. When Father Emperor got up tomorrow and saw the mess, he wouldn’t spare Baili Junyi.

Thinking about this, he breathed heavily. The smile on his lips slowly faded, and a trace of coldness flashed through his eyes. If he successfully schemed against Shen Ninghua today, Baili Junyi’s situation would be even more miserable. For Shen Ninghua’s sake, Baili Junyi would definitely make a big fuss at Chengqian Hall, and in the end, he still could not protect his love. Even if in the end, Father Emperor did not punish him too heavily for the sake of blood relations, he would completely lose the chance for the throne!

Shen Ninghua… Baili Jinchuan gently touched the scar on his wrist, and he could still feel the burn and pain. It reminded him of how he was destroyed under that woman’s hands. So long as he could not get Shen Ninghua, this obsession would continue to haunt him until he went crazy!

In Prefectural Prince Yi’s mansion, Shen Ninghua was worried about Baili Junyi. She was not sleeping well. Suddenly, she felt a burst of fear in her heart. She suddenly woke up and sat on the bed, gasping for breath.

When Hong Ling, who was keeping watch, saw her wake up, she hurriedly went forward and asked, “Miss, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Shen Ninghua shook her head. The sky outside the window was still dark. “What time is it?”

“It’s already five o’clock. It’s almost dawn.”

“Has there been any news from Prefectural Prince?”

“Not yet. Miss, you should sleep a little longer. I will wake you up if there’s news about His Highness.”

Shen Ninghua shook her head. “Never mind. I can’t sleep either. You can go out first.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Shen Ninghua got up and walked to the window. She opened the window and felt the cold wind blowing on her face. She trembled slightly in her thin clothes. Looking at the night outside, she couldn’t help but close her eyes to recall what happened at the New Year banquet. She felt cold in her heart. “One trap after another. In order to scheme against Junyi and me, Baili Jinchuan really put in a lot of effort…”

The cold wind cleared her mind completely. After a while, she closed the window and walked to the dressing table. She personally began to dress up. While painting her delicate eyebrows, she carefully thought about what had happened during this period of time.

Thinking about it carefully, she felt that the storm in the capital had not subsided ever since they came back from Zhou City. No, it should be said that the imperial city had always been turbulent despite the calmness on the surface. Once the disguise fell, everyone and everything would be swallowed up, and there was no possibility of coming up again.

Now, she and Junyi had already entered the vortex. They either went against the current and reached the end, obtaining the throne, or they would be swept away by the waves and drowned together with their two children. There was no room for them to live or return. There was no other choice…

Since that was the case, they should prepare to fight!

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She dressed up very meticulously until the sky was slightly bright. Then, she got up from the dressing table, changed into a beautiful dress embroidered with peony, and gently tidied up the dress.

“Miss, can I come in?”

“Yes, come in.”

Hong Ling carefully walked in. When she saw Shen Ninghua facing her, she suddenly froze on the spot. Her face flushed red, and she stuttered to find her voice after a long time, “M-M-Miss, you… you are really too beautiful today…”

Shen Ninghua slightly curled the corners of her lips, and a cold smile flashed through her watery eyes. “Alright, prepare the carriage. I am going to the Palace. You and Qing Que guard the two Little Masters. Do not make any mistakes.”

“Ah… yes, yes, Miss, I know.”

Hong Ling covered her blushing face and ran out. Only when she was blown by the cold wind did she come back to her senses. They were both women, but when she saw the gorgeous Miss, her heart skipped a beat. Thinking of the various women who dared to flaunt their beauty in front of Shen Ninghua, Hong Ling felt a sense of arrogance from the bottom of her heart. With Miss here, who dared to say that they were beautiful?

Today, all the civil and military officials woke up exceptionally early. When they entered the palace gate, the imperial edict, which was talking about the prayer ceremony in the new year, had already been announced.

Although the upper echelons were constantly fighting, this year, the lives of the people in the capital were much happier than the previous years. Huajun Pharmacy had extended its business to the capital. Now, they did not have to pay expensive medical fees when they went to see the doctor. Whether it was the plague or chickenpox, there were all practical and effective prescriptions that had been studied and used. Therefore, this year’s New Year Festival was especially comfortable for them. When they heard that the Emperor was talking about the new year blessing, they all agreed. The Emperor was wise and mighty, and the new year blessing would bless the Da’an Kingdom for a smooth and successful future endeavor. Of course, they were happy with the prayer ceremony.

When the Shadow Guard reported the people’s reaction, Baili Qingcang laughed, “Good, very good. Is the Ministry of Rite ready?”

Shadow Guard had already found a lonely high platform in front of Chengqian Hall. He was not sure if it were ready. “Prefectural Prince Yi ordered people to set up a high platform in front of the hall. It should be ready.”

“High platform? What about the things for the prayer session? Are these things ready?”

“There are not many things.”

The corner of Baili Qingcang’s eyes twitched. He had already issued an imperial edict. If today’s prayer ceremony did not go smoothly, it would be an embarrassment to the prestige of the royal family.

“Let’s go take a look.” After changing his clothes, Baili Qingcang hurried to Chengqian Hall. He looked at the square in front of the hall. It was just as Shadow Guard had said, there was only a lonely high platform with an incense burner on it. No matter how beautiful they decorated it, it could not cover up the fact that it was just a platform! How could they go on with the prayer session with such a simple arrangement?

Baili Qingcang’s eyes became sharp, and a surge of anger rose up in his heart. His tone was stiff as he grunted, “Baili Junyi, come with me!” As he spoke, he walked into the inner room.

The officials watched as Baili Junyi followed him. They were more or less gloating in their hearts. How could it be regarded as a prayer ceremony with such a simple setup? He was embarrassing the Emperor! Hmph, the Emperor himself was in a bad mood, so Baili Junyi would certainly suffer.

The Ministry of Rite’s officials were on the verge of crying. The heavens wanted to kill them!

Baili Jinchuan’s lips curled up slightly, and a trace of determination flashed through his eyes.

Suddenly, an announcement came from outside.

“Princess Zhaohua has arrived.”

Shen Ninghua walked in from outside the hall. Everyone felt a noble aura rush towards them. Then, their pupils contracted and their hearts beat wildly. They almost couldn’t move their eyes. They were stunned for a moment before they came to their senses, quickly stood up, and saluted, “Greetings, Princess Zhaohua.”

“All of you, please rise.” Shen Ninghua was cold and noble, and her beautiful face carried a layer of frost, causing people to be amazed and not dare to have any thoughts of blasphemy.

Baili Jinchuan stared at Shen Ninghua. The flames in his eyes burned even more fiercely. She slowly walked in from outside the hall. She was as beautiful as a flower and as cold as frost. He wanted her. He wanted her so badly!

After about a quarter of an hour, Baili Qingcang and Baili Junyi walked out of the back hall. The officials found that although the Emperor was still grumpy, he was not as angry as before. They were all puzzled. What exactly did Prefectural Prince Yi say that made the Emperor not care about his reputation and only use a high platform to pray?

Baili Junyi walked to the princes and smiled at Shen Ninghua from a distance. He did not hide the admiration in his eyes.

Seeing his eyes, Shen Ninghua felt slightly relaxed. She nodded at him and then lowered her eyes.

The eunuch reported softly, “Your Majesty, the auspicious time has arrived.”

“Okay, let’s begin.” Baili Qingcang looked at Baili Junyi.

Baili Junyi stepped out and used his internal energy to spread his voice far and wide. “The auspicious hour has arrived. The prayer ceremony has started!”

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