Chapter 369: 380

Shen Ninghua lowered her head quietly and stood aside as an outsider.

Baili Qingcang turned to look at Noble Consort Li. “Didn’t you say that the two children were dating each other? Where is Lin Feiran?”

“Your Majesty, about this matter… I…”

Looking at the two people who were tongue-tied, Baili Qingcang narrowed his eyes. The anger inside him swept over like a storm. “Noble Consort Li, Third Prince, you two are really good at acting!” These two people almost fooled him by using his weakness and his longing for Xia Jingyan!

A eunuch walked over and informed, “Your Majesty, Noble Consort Qi is here. She is waiting at the palace entrance.”

“Why is she here?” Baili Qingcang frowned.

“She said she’s sending Miss Lin back.”

Hearing this, Noble Consort Li widened her eyes in astonishment and quickly gestured at the Third Prince with her eyes.

The Third Prince hurriedly blurted, “Your Majesty, I couldn’t hold back my feelings of longing and came to see Feiran, but she suppressed her feelings because she was about to marry someone far away. I had an argument with her, and she ran out in a rage. Didn’t Qing Que just say that she heard the noise and went out to check? That was the sound of Feiran running out.”

Shen Ninghua could not help but laugh in her heart. The Third Prince really knew how to come up with excuses.

Baili Qingcang furrowed his brows even more tightly. “Let Noble Consort Qi come in. I want to ask her personally.”

Noble Consort Qi was dressed in a light blue cloud pattern dress with light makeup. Her makeover was in a plain and elegant manner. She walked over from the door with an indifferent expression. “Greetings, Your Majesty.”

Shen Ninghua looked at Noble Consort Qi who walked in and couldn’t help but be curious. Noble Consort Qi did not come from a prestigious family, and she did not have a prominent background. Her delicate appearance was even more ordinary among the vibrant and stylish-looking concubines in the palace harem. She had always been aloof and did not stand out for anything. However, she was fortunate to give birth to the Second Prince, who was only a few months younger than the Crown Prince, and she steadily rose from a noble lady to a concubine. Then, she slowly rose on the harem ladder to a consort and finally a Noble Consort… Thinking about it carefully, Shen Ninghua realized that the Emperor had always promoted Noble Consort Qi, who was aloof and modest, every time he promoted the other concubines in the harem.

“Rise.” Seeing her, Baili Qingcang relaxed a little, and the anger on his face faded slightly. He spoke in a gentler tone, “Why did you come here in such a heavy rain?”

With a faint smile on her face, Noble Consort Qi glanced at Noble Consort Li and the Third Prince, who were kneeling on the ground, and there was a flash of worry in her eyes. Then, she turned her head as if nothing had happened. “Your Majesty, my maid found Miss Lin lying in front of Chunlan Palace. I wanted to summon an imperial doctor for her, but she refused repeatedly. She said that she must come back to Noble Consort Li’s palace, so I sent her back.”

Baili Qingcang held her hand. “You’re not feeling well, and you cough every time it rains. You can just ask someone to send her back. Why must you come personally?”

Noble Consort Qi held a handkerchief to cover her lips and coughed softly. “It doesn’t matter. If it were in the past, I wouldn’t have come here personally. It’s just that this time, a woman appeared outside my palace in the middle of the night. I also heard that you were at Changqiu Palace. I was worried that something unexpected would happen, so I came to see the situation myself. Now that Your Majesty is fine, I am relieved.”

Her words were soft and gentle, without the slightest intention of being flattered. It was as if she was calmly describing what she thought in her heart. However, she was so calm that it made people hear every word of hers and unable to help but feel touched.

Baili Qingcang patted the back of her hand and turned back to shout at the maids and eunuchs behind her, “Are you blind? Your Master went out in a hurry. Can’t you see that she’s wearing thin clothes? Why didn’t you bring her a cloak?!”

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I’ve overlooked it. Please forgive me, Your Majesty.”

“Go back and accept your punishment.” As Baili Qingcang spoke, he took off his cloak and personally draped it over Noble Consort Qi’s shoulders.

Noble Consort Qi did not refuse. After putting on the cloak, she asked softly, “Your Majesty, what’s wrong? It’s raining so heavily. Why do you let Noble Consort Li kneel on the floor? It’ll harm her body if the cold air enters her body.”

When Baili Qingcang looked at Noble Consort Li, the anger that had just dissipated suddenly gathered. “Hmph, she deserves it! It’s good that the cold air enters her body so that she can calm down and think about what she has done! Noble Consort Qi, you came at the right time. From now on, you will be in charge of the palace affairs.”

Noble Consort Qi did not care about the palace affairs at all. It was as if this was just an insignificant matter. Instead, she continued to persuade him, “Your Majesty, please don’t be angry. If Noble Consort Li is ill, you will be distressed. You are the most considerate of people. Noble Consort Li and I have been serving you for more than twenty years. I don’t dare to say that I understand everything, but I can be sure of the fact that you are soft and sentimental.”

Baili Qingcang gritted his teeth and looked at Noble Consort Li in frustration. “I hope Noble Consort Li is as sensible as you, but she deceived me!”

Noble Consort Li hurriedly kowtowed. “Your Majesty, I wouldn’t dare to deceive you, even if I have the lion’s courage! Feiran! Feiran, come over here. Tell His Majesty how much effort I have put into this matter between you and Jinyu. The only thing I did wrong was to force you to agree to marry the Sixth Prince of the Great Yue Kingdom, but I was doing this for your own good. Although you and Jinyu love each other, he can’t give you an official status. You can be with him without any status, but I can’t watch you suffer, and the Lin Family will not agree either!”

Previously, Lin Feiran had fainted in a daze. When she woke up, she appeared in front of Chunlan Palace’s door. She was drenched in the rain and was so cold that she couldn’t even stand up. Seeing such a shocking scene, she felt dizzy and confused, especially after hearing Noble Consort Li’s words. “Aunt…” As she spoke, she rolled her eyes and fainted.

Shen Ninghua’s eyes darted around, and she thought to herself, “Good, she’s quite quick-witted. It’s better for her to ‘faint’ now than to say the wrong thing later.”

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Noble Consort Qi quickly ordered someone to help Lin Feiran up. “Your Majesty, Miss Lin was drenched in the rain. She was so scared and horrified that she couldn’t hold on any longer. Please call the imperial doctor over to take a look at her.”

Baili Qingcang glared coldly at Noble Consort Li and the Third Prince. He swung his sleeves furiously. “From today on, Noble Consort Li, you are grounded in Changqiu Palace. Third Prince, you go back to your palace and repent your mistakes. Both of you are not allowed to come out without my permission. As for Lin Feiran, let Lin Yue take her back and discipline her well.”

“Yes, thank you, Your Majesty.”

The Third Prince breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. He felt fortunate that he was only grounded after such a big thing had happened. For him, being grounded wasn’t a punishment at all. So, he quickly thanked Baili Qingcang, “Thank you, Father Emperor, for your kindness.”

Baili Qingcang did not want to see them. “Go back to your own residence! Noble Consort Qi, you should go back too. Watch out for today’s event. I don’t want to hear any rumors about this.”

Noble Consort Qi nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty, don’t worry. It’s quite chaotic here. Please let Princess Zhaohua stay at my Chunlan Palace for a night.”

Only then did Baili Qingcang remember Shen Ninghua. “Ninghua, you don’t have to teach Lin Feiran tomorrow. You can rest at home for a few days. Tonight, you will stay in Noble Consort Qi’s palace. Her place is quiet, and there is no such drama there.”

“Yes.”

When Baili Qingcang’s imperial carriage was far away, Noble Consort Li struggled to get up from the ground. Her knees hurt as if they had been pricked by needles, but she did not need anyone to support her. She walked to the Third Prince step by step, swung her arms, and slapped the Third Prince in the face. The force was so strong that the Third Prince staggered and fell to the ground.

“Mother…” The Third Prince was beaten so hard that his mind was muddled and his cheeks directly swelled up.

“Don’t call me Mother. I don’t have a disappointing son like you!” Noble Consort Li trembled all over, and her face almost turned purple. “Look at how you’ve enraged your Father Emperor just now! Go back and copy the Book of Filial Piety a hundred times every day until His Majesty forgives you!”

“Yes, Mother, please don’t be angry. I understand.” The Third Prince grabbed Noble Consort Li’s skirt and cried with regret.

Noble Consort Qi looked at Noble Consort Li with a worried expression. “Sister Noble Consort Li, please don’t be too angry. Children always make mistakes. Just let him think about the mistakes and learn the lesson. I will leave first. There is no rush to hand over the palace affairs. When you have time, please inform me.”

Noble Consort Li swallowed the blood in her mouth. Although her chest was so stuffy that it was about to explode, she maintained a calm expression. “Okay. I’ve troubled you to personally make a trip here today. Tomorrow, I will hand over the palace affairs and send the Phoenix Seal to you.”

“Don’t worry.” Noble Consort Qi smiled faintly and looked at Shen Ninghua. “Princess Zhaohua, let’s go.”

“Alright, I’ll have to trouble Your Grace.”

“It’s not a trouble at all. Chunlan Palace has always been quiet. Having such a beautiful princess stay in my palace will add a little more liveliness to it.”

After Shen Ninghua and Noble Consort Qi left, Noble Consort Li looked at Nurse Wei on the ground. “Someone, help Nurse Wei down and take good care of her.”

The Third Prince was furious. “Mother, what’s the use of keeping such a cheap servant who betrayed her master? Why don’t you just have her dragged down and beaten to death?”

Noble Consort Li reached out and slapped him in the face again. “She just told the truth. She didn’t say anything excessive. What right do you have to kill her? Are you dissatisfied with His Majesty?” This ignorant son hadn’t figured the situation out yet. At this time, not only could she not kill Nurse Wei, but she also had to take good care of her.

The Third Prince gritted his teeth and nodded. “Yes, Mother.”

Noble Consort Li took a deep breath and turned to look at Lin Feiran. “Send her back to the Lin Family. Tell Patriarch Lin to discipline her properly and not allow her to step out of the room until the Sixth Prince of the Great Yue Kingdom comes to ask for her hand!”

Returning to her palace, Noble Consort Li sat by the bed and grabbed the quilt tightly. Her heart was filled with blood. She had planned everything so perfectly, but they were all in vain overnight. She lost her power over the palace affairs as well as the Emperor’s trust. The Third Prince’s reputation was ruined, and his image in the Emperor’s heart was destroyed…

However, she could not make any drastic actions despite losing so many things. She could only grit her teeth and bite the bullet. She even had to show the expression of repentance and regret. At this moment, she was up in arms.

“Shen Ninghua, you are ruthless. You are so ruthless! Let’s wait and see who will be the final winner!”

Shen Ninghua left Changqiu Palace and walked forward with Noble Consort Qi. Qing Que and the other palace servants followed from a distance. “Your Grace, thank you for your help today.”

Noble Consort Qi smiled slightly. Her smile was still as calm and gentle as before. “Don’t mention it. We each take what we need, that’s all.”

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