Chapter 50: This Is Where Your Life Ends

After hearing the empress’s words, everyone could tell her preference. Besides being talented, Shen Linghan also had auspicious luck. So the connotation was that Shen Ninghua had no other advantages except her good look. Simply being beautiful didn’t make a good reputation for a woman.

Baili Qingcang cast an indifferent glance at them without saying anything. The empress smiled and said, “Linghan, come and let me take a close look at you.”

Shen Linghan couldn’t suppress the excitement in her eyes. She took a deep breath and got up. She walked lightly to the center of the hall and saluted gracefully. “Shen Linghan pays respects to Your Majesties.”

“What an adorable girl. I heard that your brother is back too?”

Shen Xuanye stood up and walked forward. After paying respects to the emperor and empress, he stood shoulder to shoulder with Shen Linghan.

The empress looked at the two with smiles on her face and nodded. She turned to Baili Qingcang and said, “Your Majesty, look at the similarities between the twin. Madam Zhao is truly blessed.”

Baili Qingcang said blandly, “Not bad.”

“Indeed, twins are rare, not to mention an auspicious pigeon pair. The moment I saw Linghan, I felt very close to her. Shen Xuanye is a man, so it’s not convenient for me to reward him. I can only reward Shen Linghan. Mei Xue, send this pair of bracelets to Shen Linghan.”

Shen Linghan hurriedly knelt down and thanked the empress. She was very excited. With the empress’s intimacy and the emperor’s “Not bad”, who could overshine her? Shen Dong would definitely release her and her mother from the ancestral hall, and after that, she would have the ability to suppress Shen Ninghua!

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Alright.” The empress replied and turned her gaze to the emperor.

Baili Qingcang waved his hand for the imperial eunuch to come over and said a few words to him.

“I am very relieved to see the first young master of the Shen family, Shen Xuanye, who is extremely talented. I hereby reward him the four treasures of the study, and one hundred taels of gold. I hope that everyone will take him as an example and do their best to serve the country.”

Shen Dong stood up excitedly and said, “Your Majesty, I humbly thank you on behalf of my son.”

Shen Ninghua knew that after the empress showed favor to the Shen family, Madam Zhao and Shen Linghan would no longer be locked up in the ancestral hall.

“Alright.” Baili Qingcang casually sized up the crowd below, and it seemed he was not in high spirits.

The officials below couldn’t figure out what the emperor was thinking, so they could only continue drinking nervously. The empress, however, succeeded in achieving her goal. She was extremely satisfied and interacted with several ladies of rank who were close to her.

On banquets like this, it was a must-have for outstanding young men to give some performances. The Third Prince and the Fourth Prince came forward together to present a sword dance, which drew numerous praises from the audience. Baili Qingcang also rewarded them two swords, and they beamed with joy.

At this time, a person suddenly said, “The sword dance presented by the first young master of the Shen family at Old Lady Xiao’s birthday banquet was also extraordinary.”

The Third Prince was slightly unhappy. “Shen Xuanye, are you also skilled in sword dancing? His Majesty praised you for your literary talent, but I didn’t expect you to be also good at martial arts. In that case, why don’t you show it to His Majesty?”

The eyebrows of Shen Xuanye shook. “Your Highness, I’m not skilled in martial arts, and I don’t dare to make a fool of myself.”

Chu Junyi looked up at him. “Master Shen, you are too modest. Your Highness, I guess you haven’t heard of it. At the birthday banquet, Master Shen did a sword dance. After someone threw a bunch of flowers forward, the sword light and the flying petals overflowed the sky. In the end, the flower petals landed on the ground and formed the character ‘Longevity’. It was simply amazing. Many people who attended the banquet were stunned.”

The Third Prince’s expression became increasingly sullen, and he was unconvinced. “Young Master Shen, why don’t you perform it now?”

Shen Ninghua and Chu Junyi exchanged glances, and a faint smile flashed across their eyes. The Third Prince was the most impulsive and competitive. Because his mother was a noble imperial concubine, he also had a high status in the Palace. In this occasion, whether Shen Xuanye did the sword dancing or not, he would definitely offend the Third Prince due to this episode.

Shen Xuanye also thought of this point. He immediately stood up and cupped his hands. “Your Majesty, I…”

Baili Qingcang waved his hand and said, “It doesn’t matter if you are not proficient in martial arts. The princes learn martial arts to strengthen their willpower. As long as you bear the people and the country in your heart, I will appreciate you even if you lack the strength to truss up a chicken.”

Everyone praised in one voice, “Your Majesty, you are so wise.”

“Alright, I’m tired, I’ll go back to rest first. The empress will accompany me. The Crown Prince will stay and entertain all the officials on my behalf.”

Baili Jinyi who was dressed in the attire of the crown prince hurriedly answered, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

The empress smiled and said, “Your Majesty, there are quite a few female family members of officials at the banquet. The season is good. The imperial garden is not far from Wan’an Pavilion. How about letting the young ladies go and have fun in the garden? It’s been a long time since the imperial palace was this lively.”

“Good idea.”

“His Majesty and Her Majesty are leaving!”

As soon as the two of them left, everyone felt relaxed. Shen Xuanye returned to his seat with a normal expression, but Shen Ninghua keenly sensed his resentment. He had clearly stood up with the intention to show off his talent in front of the emperor. Unfortunately, Baili Qingcang did not give him this opportunity. Not only that, but from the emperor’s words, it seemed that the emperor wouldn’t even bother to spare a glance for him. Thinking of this, Shen Ninghua almost laughed out in a low voice.

As a disciple of the renowned Master Liao Chen, Shen Xuanye was already many steps ahead of his peers. But today, he miscalculated.

After the empress said those words, many young ladies stood up and walked towards the imperial garden. Shen Linghan held Shen Ninghua by the hand and said softly, “Eldest sister, the scenery of the imperial garden must be extremely beautiful. Let’s go take a look as well. It’s rare for us to have a chance to enter the imperial palace.”

Shen Ninghua scanned the wrist held by Shen Linghan and smiled, “Alright, then let’s go take a look.”

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Zhao Ruyun frowned and walked over. She pulled Shen Linghan behind her and said, “Linghan, you are still so soft-hearted. You want to be a good younger sister, but it’s a pity that other people might not want to be your good elder sister. You’d better be careful so that you don’t get set up.”

“Cousin, eldest sister treats me very well.” Shen Linghan revealed a pale smile, but her slightly frowned brows showed a sign of worry. She looked like she was being bullied to the point of not daring to say a word.

“Hmph, His Majesty praised you personally. Her Majesty also rewarded you. Who knows if somebody would do something bad to you out of jealousy? Let’s go, I’ll show you around.” Zhao Ruyun cast a glare at Shen Ninghua and pulled Shen Linghan out.

Chu Junyi walked over and looked at their backs. He said, “If something happens to the two of them, I’m afraid that you will have a bad time.”

Shen Ninghua smiled and said, “Even if you walk on the flat ground, you may fall and break your teeth. It would be a strange thing if everything goes smoothly in this world. If some accident happens, it can only prove that they are not careful. This is the inner court of the imperial palace. I’m even afraid of taking a wrong step when walking, and I don’t even dare to say a single word unless necessary. How can I do anything?”

“That makes sense. The scenery outside is perfect. Can I have the pleasure to invite Miss Shen to take a look?”

“Alright.”

Baili Jinchuan turned around and asked Shen Xuanhua behind him, “Is your eldest sister and Master Chu on good terms?”

Shen Xuanhua looked at the two leaving figures at the entrance of the hall and felt slightly strange. “Eldest sister strictly observes the rules. She usually stays in her Yingyue Courtyard.” How could she have a good relationship with a man outside her family?

Baili Jinchuan’s fingers paused and he unconsciously curled his lips. Shen Ninghua strictly observed the rules? She had extorted 5,000 taels of gold out of him, and it was equivalent to 80,000 to 90,000 taels of silver. Would any people who observed the rules do such a thing?

Shen Xuanhua couldn’t help but frown. He saluted the Second Prince and said, “Your Highness, I’m going to take care of my eldest sister. She is the most kind-hearted. I’m afraid she might be bullied by someone.”

Baili Jinchuan choked. “…You…go.” After Shen Xuanhua quickly walked out of the palace, he also stood up. The banquet was tedious and boring. He might as well go and see how Shen Ninghua was “bullied”.

When he arrived at the imperial garden, he didn’t see Shen Xuanhua chasing after his sister. Instead, he saw Shen Ninghua was seated leaning against the fence next to the waterside pavilion. She supported her face with one of her hands, revealing a snow-white wrist. It was as if she was enjoying the breeze, and her bright dark eyes slightly narrowed. She looked like a cat curling up in the sun, which made people desire to provoke her and see the tip of her claws.

For no reason, Baili Jinchuan appreciated her a little more. He stepped forward, but Shen Linghan arrived in front of Shen Ninghua first.

Baili Jinchuan couldn’t help but feel disappointed when he saw Shen Ninghua suddenly restrained her expression and changed back to the gentle and smiling girl.

“Eldest sister, why are you sitting here? We just saw a pavilion built on the artificial hill over there. We were just thinking of going up together to the pavilion. Come with us. Cousin said that more than half of the Palace can be seen over there.”

Shen Ninghua looked up at her. She had just relaxed a little, and she didn’t want to get entangled with Shen Linghan now. She said impatiently, “Younger sister, have you forgotten what grandmother said? Don’t run around in the Palace.”

“Eldest sister, I know. But a lot of people are walking around there. Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”

“Alright, then let’s go take a look.” Shen Ninghua glanced at her and nodded in agreement. Since Shen Linghan insisted, she would like to see what Shen Linghan got up her sleeves.

Shen Linghan immediately went to talk to Zhao Ruyun happily, and they supported each other as they walked towards the artificial hill.

Baili Jinchuan looked around and didn’t see Chu Junyi. He was a little curious. “Miss Shen, why are you here alone?”

Shen Ninghua smiled and said, “Greetings, Your Highness.”

Baili Jinchuan smiled and said, “Thank you, Miss Shen. I’m going to invite you for a banquet another day.”

“If you want to thank me, you might as well give me some silver instead.” Shen Ninghua said as she walked up the artificial hill.

Baili Jinchuan followed her closely. “I thought you don’t like those worldly things.”

“Haha, then you’re wrong. I’m a worldly person, so I like worldly things. If you give me hundreds of thousands of taels, I’ll tell you all my good ideas as much as I can come up with in the future.”

“What’s so difficult about this? If you want, not to mention hundreds of thousands of taels, you can have the Prince’s Mansion with ease.” Baili Jinchuan smiled and looked at her with a slightly focused gaze.

Shen Ninghua’s heart skipped a beat. “Your Highness, you are joking. I don’t have that high ambition. I just want to earn some money and live peacefully in a beautiful place.”

Baili Jinchuan smiled and didn’t say anything else, as if he had just uttered those words without any particular meaning.

However, Shen Ninghua’s heart was not calm, and she slowly pondered a bit more.

The pavilion at the top of the artificial hill was exceptionally spacious. Shen Ninghua gasped slightly and looked into the distance. She could see more than half of the imperial palace under her feet, which was very refreshing.

Shen Linghan seemed to see something that made her a little excited. She turned around and pulled Shen Ninghua forward, “Eldest sister, come and see, over there, over there.”

Shen Ninghua was unprepared when Shen Linghan pulled her to the edge of the pavilion. She wanted to turn around to retreat, but found that Zhao Ruyun was already standing on the other side of her. “What do you want me to see here?”

Shen Linghan suddenly approached her and said in a low voice with hatred, “This is where your life ends. Take a good look.”

Shen Ninghua abruptly raised her eyes, and a trace of harshness flashed across her eyes. Before she could make any movement, she felt the ground beneath her feet shaking. When she restored her senses, her feet were already off the ground. With a burst of thrust from behind her, she fell down the artificial hill before she could shout for help.

Shen Linghan screamed, “Eldest sister!”

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