Phoenix Reborn: the Prime Minister's Scheming Daughter
The development of the matter was almost as Shen Ninghua had expected. However, Baili Qingcang was concerned about the Third and Fourth Princes’ reputations, so he did not announce to the public about Noble Consort Li’s deeds. He simply punished the Lin Family, starting by issuing an imperial decree to announce Lin Yue’s retirement and to transfer him back to his hometown. Lin Yue was the Lin Family’s patriarch and also Noble Consort Li’s father.
After that, he directly sealed several places where the rumors were spreading the most intensely and killed a group of the Lin Family’s advisors. For a time, the rumors stopped abruptly. However, this was not enough to stop the rumors entirely. Baili Qingcang went on by bestowing marriage to the princes.
The Crown Prince had quite a number of concubines already, so he was only bestowed two bedroom concubines. As for the Second Prince, his Princess Consort died earlier on, and Yang Yingxue died suddenly. There was no one who could be in charge except for a few bedroom concubines. Hence, Baili Qingcang appointed one Princess Consort for him, plus two side concubines and two bedroom concubines. The same happened to the Third Prince, the Fourth Prince, and so on. Those who had no women in their backyards would be granted wives and concubines. Because of this, Xiao Qi, the director of the Internal Affairs Department, was very busy.
The bestow of marriage seemed easy, but these women were the future brides and concubines of the princes, so a series of official marriage procedures were involved. The Internal Affairs Department had to make a lot of preparations, including official wedding arrangements, the renovation of the palaces, making the furniture, and so on. All of these needed a lot of money and time. Under normal circumstances, a prince’s wedding required at least five to six months of preparation. However, Baili Qingcang couldn’t be bothered by this because he wished that the women in the princes’ backyards would be pregnant as soon as possible.
Xiao Qi was so busy because of all these, but Baili Junyi was in an equally difficult situation. At this time, he was kneeling in Southern Imperial Study. Baili Qingcang looked at him with a sullen face. “Junyi, do you know what you are talking about?”
Baili Junyi raised his head. “Father Emperor, I thought about it for a long time before coming to see you. Naturally, I know what I’m talking about.”
“You do? I think you have messed up your mind. Who are you? You are my son, a prince of this country! I don’t mind you respecting your official wife, but you can’t have only one wife!”
Baili Junyi raised his head. “I don’t understand, Father Emperor, Why can’t I? Unlike ordinary women, Ninghua is neither arrogant nor unreasonable. She’s so perfect that sometimes, I even feel like I don’t deserve her. Also, we have children together. We already have a pair of twins, and she’s pregnant now, and we’ll have our third child soon. She is virtuous and gentle and bears my children. What’s wrong with me loving her more?”
“You can’t say it like that! Haven’t you heard of the rumors? They say that you are henpecked and at the disposal of your wife. Don’t you worry about your reputation?”
Baili Junyi shook his head decisively. “I don’t! There is a deep affection between Ninghua and me. Neither of us wants a third-wheeler in our relationship. What’s wrong with that? The side concubines and bedroom concubines have to live under Ninghua. Even if you send them to me, I won’t touch them. Instead of this, you might as well give those women to the princes who need them more.”
“You… You are so stubborn! I don’t care. Even if you won’t touch them, you have to take them back. You don’t care about your reputation, but I do! I don’t want my son to bear the reputation of being henpecked.”
Baili Junyi looked determined. “Father Emperor, so what if I am henpecked? So what if I have this reputation? People can say whatever they want, but it doesn’t affect my work and my life. If it can affect my relationship with Ninghua for the sake of worrying about the so-called reputation, our passion for each other will be worthless. In this way, I don’t deserve her more.”
Baili Qingcang opened his mouth, but no words came out to refute him. A sense of anxiety rose from the bottom of his heart, and it made him a little jittery. In fact, it reminded him of Xia Jingyan. He wouldn’t have regrets in his life if he was as determined and courageous as Baili Junyi. The minute the thought came out, he quickly suppressed it. No, he shouldn’t think like that. All he did was to make the most suitable choice. Maybe he wouldn’t have been the one on the throne if he had insisted on marrying Xia Jingyan and not destroying the Xia Family.
“No, I won’t allow it. Junyi, take them with you. I’ll forgive you and just take it as if you are confused. Go back now. If you insist on resisting the decree, I’ll punish you even if you’re my son!”
“I’m sorry. Please punish me, Father Emperor!”
Baili Qingcang’s face became more and more gloomy and vivid. “Are you determined to defy the imperial edict?”
“I don’t want to disobey Father Emperor’s edict, but I don’t need other women in my backyard. Please take back the order.”
“What if I don’t take back the imperial edict?”
“Please punish me, Father Emperor.”
Baili Qingcang was so angry that he couldn’t speak. His fingers that were pointing at Baili Junyi trembled slightly. “I’m old now, and you’re out of my control. How dare you disobey my decree for a woman! Who do you think you are! Someone, summon Shen Ninghua in. I want to see what she has to say!”
Baili Junyi raised his head and frowned imperceptibly. “Father Emperor, this is my own idea. Why do you involve Shen Ninghua?”
“You won’t resist me so fiercely otherwise. She must be instigating things behind my back.”
“Father Emperor, it has been so long. Don’t you understand me and Ninghua? If I were so easily controlled, I wouldn’t have dared to publicly impeach half the officials in the court. If Ninghua were so unreasonable, she wouldn’t have donated so many prescriptions to save the people. All I want is to live happily ever after with Ninghua. Is that so hard? Why can’t Father Emperor understand such a simple wish?”
The anxiety in Baili Qingcang’s heart became more and more intense. He couldn’t understand it, nor did he want to understand it. He didn’t like comparing himself with Baili Junyi, because he, the Emperor, was a failure in the relationship department! Whether it was Xia Jingyan, Bu Yunqing, or even Zhao Huiying, all these women had loved him, and he had loved them all. But in the end, he was still alone!
Meanwhile, in the mansion, Shen Ninghua had a feeling that today would be chaotic because Baili Junyi hadn’t returned from the palace after such a long time. She asked Hong Ling to keep an eye on the children and went to get dressed. Indeed, not long after she spruced up her appearance, the eunuch who came to summon her walked in. Shen Ninghua went to see the children before taking a carriage to enter the palace.
Baili Junyi had been kneeling on the ground the entire time. Baili Qingcang didn’t ask him to stand up. The father and son both stubbornly insisted on their stances and refused to speak until one of them gave up.
The eunuch carefully walked into the palace and reported, “Your Majesty, Princess Zhaohua has arrived. She is waiting outside the door.”
“Summon her in.”
She walked forward without any hesitation. “Greetings, Father Emperor. I hope you are well.”
Baili Qingcang didn’t say anything and simply looked at Shen Ninghua as she was kneeling on the floor.
Baili Junyi’s eyes darted slightly, and a trace of disappointment and coldness flashed through his heart. Father Emperor clearly knew that Ninghua was pregnant, but he still made her kneel.
“Ninghua, what do you think about me granting four side concubines to Junyi?”
“Father Emperor, I am only a married woman. I dare not disobey your decree.”
“So, you agree?” Baili Qingcang narrowed his eyes and looked at the two of them, his tone carrying an unknown threat.
Shen Ninghua slightly narrowed her eyes, and her tone was as calm as water. “My job is to handle and manage the backyard for His Highness. If he wants to, not just four, he can have as many women as he likes, and I’ll manage them properly.”
“What do you mean by this? You know that he is kneeling here because he doesn’t want to accept my bestowed marriage, yet you still say that if he wants to? You are clearly defying an imperial decree and not respecting me!”
“Father Emperor, every woman in the backyard has only one job, and that is to serve His Highness, so I must please him and gain his favor. If he doesn’t like it himself, won’t it violate the original intention of Father Emperor bestowing the marriage?”
Baili Qingcang sneered and pointed at the two people below. They held their position upright and looked very respectful, but he felt that he was not so dignified in their hearts. “Haha! Good! I finally understand your intention. So, both of you have decided to resist the imperial decree, right?”
The two bowed at the same time. “We don’t dare.”
Looking at their stubborn appearances, Baili Qingcang felt as if his tricks did not work at all. A burst of rage surged inside him, and it suffocated him. “I’ve already issued a decree. The four side concubines will be carried over to your palace tomorrow. Get lost! I don’t want to see your faces!”
Baili Junyi and Shen Ninghua looked at each other and knelt on the ground without making a sound.
Baili Qingcang scolded harshly, “Do you want me to throw you out?”
Baili Junyi said, “Father Emperor, please take back your decree. Even if they are sent to my mansion tomorrow, I won’t let them in.” By then, it would look awkward and awful.
“How dare you! Do you still respect me?!”
“Father Emperor, I didn’t form a party for personal gain, nor did I have any evil intentions. I work diligently for Father Emperor and for the good of the people. Do you think that I don’t respect you just because I don’t want to accept the women you bestowed to me?”
“You… you…” Baili Qingcang was furious. He strode to Baili Junyi and kicked him to the ground. “Outrageous!”
Baili Junyi straightened his upper body, his expression unchanged. “Please take back your decree, Father Emperor.”
Baili Qingcang flung his sleeves and hissed coldly, “Okay, if you want me to take back my decree, I’ll strip off your title as a Royal Prince!”
“Alright, Father Emperor, thank you for your decision,” Baili Junyi answered swiftly.
Baili Qingcang widened his eyes slightly. “Alright, alright. Get the hell back to your mansion.”
Baili Junyi helped Shen Ninghua up. The two of them bowed and walked towards the door.
Baili Qingcang felt more and more furious. “Someone, go and announce the decree. The Fifth Prince, Baili Junyi, will be stripped of his title and will be grounded in his residence. Have Dragon Scale Army bring people to announce the decree and also seize all the items that could only be possessed by princes who had a title!”
“Yes.”
Now that he assigned Dragon Scale Army to take action, it would cause a ripple in the city. Indeed, in less than two hours, everyone in the capital knew that Baili Junyi had annoyed the Emperor. Not to mention the title, even his house was confiscated.
Chapter 389: 400
After that, he directly sealed several places where the rumors were spreading the most intensely and killed a group of the Lin Family’s advisors. For a time, the rumors stopped abruptly. However, this was not enough to stop the rumors entirely. Baili Qingcang went on by bestowing marriage to the princes.
The Crown Prince had quite a number of concubines already, so he was only bestowed two bedroom concubines. As for the Second Prince, his Princess Consort died earlier on, and Yang Yingxue died suddenly. There was no one who could be in charge except for a few bedroom concubines. Hence, Baili Qingcang appointed one Princess Consort for him, plus two side concubines and two bedroom concubines. The same happened to the Third Prince, the Fourth Prince, and so on. Those who had no women in their backyards would be granted wives and concubines. Because of this, Xiao Qi, the director of the Internal Affairs Department, was very busy.
The bestow of marriage seemed easy, but these women were the future brides and concubines of the princes, so a series of official marriage procedures were involved. The Internal Affairs Department had to make a lot of preparations, including official wedding arrangements, the renovation of the palaces, making the furniture, and so on. All of these needed a lot of money and time. Under normal circumstances, a prince’s wedding required at least five to six months of preparation. However, Baili Qingcang couldn’t be bothered by this because he wished that the women in the princes’ backyards would be pregnant as soon as possible.
Xiao Qi was so busy because of all these, but Baili Junyi was in an equally difficult situation. At this time, he was kneeling in Southern Imperial Study. Baili Qingcang looked at him with a sullen face. “Junyi, do you know what you are talking about?”
Baili Junyi raised his head. “Father Emperor, I thought about it for a long time before coming to see you. Naturally, I know what I’m talking about.”
“You do? I think you have messed up your mind. Who are you? You are my son, a prince of this country! I don’t mind you respecting your official wife, but you can’t have only one wife!”
Baili Junyi raised his head. “I don’t understand, Father Emperor, Why can’t I? Unlike ordinary women, Ninghua is neither arrogant nor unreasonable. She’s so perfect that sometimes, I even feel like I don’t deserve her. Also, we have children together. We already have a pair of twins, and she’s pregnant now, and we’ll have our third child soon. She is virtuous and gentle and bears my children. What’s wrong with me loving her more?”
“You can’t say it like that! Haven’t you heard of the rumors? They say that you are henpecked and at the disposal of your wife. Don’t you worry about your reputation?”
Baili Junyi shook his head decisively. “I don’t! There is a deep affection between Ninghua and me. Neither of us wants a third-wheeler in our relationship. What’s wrong with that? The side concubines and bedroom concubines have to live under Ninghua. Even if you send them to me, I won’t touch them. Instead of this, you might as well give those women to the princes who need them more.”
“You… You are so stubborn! I don’t care. Even if you won’t touch them, you have to take them back. You don’t care about your reputation, but I do! I don’t want my son to bear the reputation of being henpecked.”
Baili Junyi looked determined. “Father Emperor, so what if I am henpecked? So what if I have this reputation? People can say whatever they want, but it doesn’t affect my work and my life. If it can affect my relationship with Ninghua for the sake of worrying about the so-called reputation, our passion for each other will be worthless. In this way, I don’t deserve her more.”
Baili Qingcang opened his mouth, but no words came out to refute him. A sense of anxiety rose from the bottom of his heart, and it made him a little jittery. In fact, it reminded him of Xia Jingyan. He wouldn’t have regrets in his life if he was as determined and courageous as Baili Junyi. The minute the thought came out, he quickly suppressed it. No, he shouldn’t think like that. All he did was to make the most suitable choice. Maybe he wouldn’t have been the one on the throne if he had insisted on marrying Xia Jingyan and not destroying the Xia Family.
“No, I won’t allow it. Junyi, take them with you. I’ll forgive you and just take it as if you are confused. Go back now. If you insist on resisting the decree, I’ll punish you even if you’re my son!”
“I’m sorry. Please punish me, Father Emperor!”
Baili Qingcang’s face became more and more gloomy and vivid. “Are you determined to defy the imperial edict?”
“I don’t want to disobey Father Emperor’s edict, but I don’t need other women in my backyard. Please take back the order.”
“What if I don’t take back the imperial edict?”
“Please punish me, Father Emperor.”
Baili Qingcang was so angry that he couldn’t speak. His fingers that were pointing at Baili Junyi trembled slightly. “I’m old now, and you’re out of my control. How dare you disobey my decree for a woman! Who do you think you are! Someone, summon Shen Ninghua in. I want to see what she has to say!”
“You won’t resist me so fiercely otherwise. She must be instigating things behind my back.”
“Father Emperor, it has been so long. Don’t you understand me and Ninghua? If I were so easily controlled, I wouldn’t have dared to publicly impeach half the officials in the court. If Ninghua were so unreasonable, she wouldn’t have donated so many prescriptions to save the people. All I want is to live happily ever after with Ninghua. Is that so hard? Why can’t Father Emperor understand such a simple wish?”
The anxiety in Baili Qingcang’s heart became more and more intense. He couldn’t understand it, nor did he want to understand it. He didn’t like comparing himself with Baili Junyi, because he, the Emperor, was a failure in the relationship department! Whether it was Xia Jingyan, Bu Yunqing, or even Zhao Huiying, all these women had loved him, and he had loved them all. But in the end, he was still alone!
Meanwhile, in the mansion, Shen Ninghua had a feeling that today would be chaotic because Baili Junyi hadn’t returned from the palace after such a long time. She asked Hong Ling to keep an eye on the children and went to get dressed. Indeed, not long after she spruced up her appearance, the eunuch who came to summon her walked in. Shen Ninghua went to see the children before taking a carriage to enter the palace.
Baili Junyi had been kneeling on the ground the entire time. Baili Qingcang didn’t ask him to stand up. The father and son both stubbornly insisted on their stances and refused to speak until one of them gave up.
The eunuch carefully walked into the palace and reported, “Your Majesty, Princess Zhaohua has arrived. She is waiting outside the door.”
“Summon her in.”
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As soon as Shen Ninghua walked into the hall, she could feel the strong and domineering aura coming from above. An ordinary person would have been so frightful. After thinking for a short while, she knew that Baili Qingcang was trying to intimidate her.She walked forward without any hesitation. “Greetings, Father Emperor. I hope you are well.”
Baili Qingcang didn’t say anything and simply looked at Shen Ninghua as she was kneeling on the floor.
Baili Junyi’s eyes darted slightly, and a trace of disappointment and coldness flashed through his heart. Father Emperor clearly knew that Ninghua was pregnant, but he still made her kneel.
“Ninghua, what do you think about me granting four side concubines to Junyi?”
“Father Emperor, I am only a married woman. I dare not disobey your decree.”
“So, you agree?” Baili Qingcang narrowed his eyes and looked at the two of them, his tone carrying an unknown threat.
Shen Ninghua slightly narrowed her eyes, and her tone was as calm as water. “My job is to handle and manage the backyard for His Highness. If he wants to, not just four, he can have as many women as he likes, and I’ll manage them properly.”
“What do you mean by this? You know that he is kneeling here because he doesn’t want to accept my bestowed marriage, yet you still say that if he wants to? You are clearly defying an imperial decree and not respecting me!”
“Father Emperor, every woman in the backyard has only one job, and that is to serve His Highness, so I must please him and gain his favor. If he doesn’t like it himself, won’t it violate the original intention of Father Emperor bestowing the marriage?”
Baili Qingcang sneered and pointed at the two people below. They held their position upright and looked very respectful, but he felt that he was not so dignified in their hearts. “Haha! Good! I finally understand your intention. So, both of you have decided to resist the imperial decree, right?”
The two bowed at the same time. “We don’t dare.”
Baili Junyi and Shen Ninghua looked at each other and knelt on the ground without making a sound.
Baili Qingcang scolded harshly, “Do you want me to throw you out?”
Baili Junyi said, “Father Emperor, please take back your decree. Even if they are sent to my mansion tomorrow, I won’t let them in.” By then, it would look awkward and awful.
“How dare you! Do you still respect me?!”
“Father Emperor, I didn’t form a party for personal gain, nor did I have any evil intentions. I work diligently for Father Emperor and for the good of the people. Do you think that I don’t respect you just because I don’t want to accept the women you bestowed to me?”
“You… you…” Baili Qingcang was furious. He strode to Baili Junyi and kicked him to the ground. “Outrageous!”
Baili Junyi straightened his upper body, his expression unchanged. “Please take back your decree, Father Emperor.”
Baili Qingcang flung his sleeves and hissed coldly, “Okay, if you want me to take back my decree, I’ll strip off your title as a Royal Prince!”
“Alright, Father Emperor, thank you for your decision,” Baili Junyi answered swiftly.
Baili Qingcang widened his eyes slightly. “Alright, alright. Get the hell back to your mansion.”
Baili Junyi helped Shen Ninghua up. The two of them bowed and walked towards the door.
Baili Qingcang felt more and more furious. “Someone, go and announce the decree. The Fifth Prince, Baili Junyi, will be stripped of his title and will be grounded in his residence. Have Dragon Scale Army bring people to announce the decree and also seize all the items that could only be possessed by princes who had a title!”
“Yes.”
Now that he assigned Dragon Scale Army to take action, it would cause a ripple in the city. Indeed, in less than two hours, everyone in the capital knew that Baili Junyi had annoyed the Emperor. Not to mention the title, even his house was confiscated.
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