Chapter 52: I Did It for Her Good

Shen Ninghua lowered her head. Nobody could see her expression, but they could feel deep sorrow and stubbornness in her.

Shen Dong frowned at her, “Ninghua, your younger sister is seriously injured. If she wasn’t carefully treated, she might have permanent illnesses. She definitely can’t go home at this time.”

Shen Ninghua looked up at Shen Linghan, biting her lips. “Father, after all, this is not our home. There aren’t all the necessary medicinal ingredients. It’s better to bring my younger sister back home.”

Seeing that she was still so persistent, Shen Dong felt somewhat annoyed. “You just fell off too. Hurry up and go back to rest. You don’t need to worry about the situation here.”

“Father…” Shen Ninghua wanted to say something else, but an announcement was heard at the door.

The emperor, empress and a few princes walked in.

A trace of ruthlessness flashed in Madam Zhao’s eyes as she wiped her tears with a handkerchief. “Ninghua, Linghan is your younger sister. If you insist on letting her go back home at this time, you are letting her die. I know that you have always misunderstood Linghan, but after all, you are siblings. No matter what wrong she did, you can’t harm her like this.” Since Linghan was injured, she wouldn’t let Shen Ninghua get any benefits.

“What’s going on?” Baili Qingcang frowned.

Madam Zhao’s crying sounded even more bitter and grievous.

Baili Jinchuan went forward and explained, “Father, the ladies were sitting in the pavilion on the artificial hill in the imperial garden. Shen Linghan and Zhao Ruyun took Shen Ninghua to the pavilion to enjoy the scenery. Somehow Shen Ninghua fell, then Shen Linghan and Zhao Ruyun fell down as well.”

After hearing the brief but clear description of what had happened, Baili Qingcang looked at Shen Ninghua, who was kneeling on the ground. “Didn’t you also fall and get hurt? Why are you kneeling here?”

Everyone was stunned, unable to tell whether he was annoyed or concerned about Shen Ninghua.

Shen Ninghua was also astonished, but she quickly reacted, “Your Majesty, it is inappropriate for my second sister to stay and recover in the Palace.”

Baili Qingcang said indifferently, “I’ll grant her a favor. You can also recuperate in the Palace for a few days.”

Shen Ninghua’s heart skipped a beat and she finally sensed something unusual. “Your Majesty, I am just a woman with a cheap life. I dare not break the rules. Please allow me to bring my sister home.”

“Shen Ninghua!” Madam Zhao knelt on the ground with a thud and complained in a shrill voice, “Your Majesties, as a mother, I don’t want to think bad of my own child unless it is absolutely necessary. But now that Linghan’s life is in grave danger, Shen Ninghua repeatedly asked to take her out of the Palace. She is trying to take my girl’s life. Ninghua, let me ask you. Why are you always harming your sister?”

Shen Ninghua looked straight into her eyes and said firmly, “Mother, I’m doing this for the good of my sister.”

“If it was for her good, why did you make trouble here without reason and delay the imperial doctor’s treatment of your sister? Tell me, what good is there for her?” Madam Zhao asked sternly.

Shen Ninghua opened her mouth, but in the end, she only said stiffly, “I did it for her good.”

Madam Zhao sneered, “I think you want her to die! Ninghua, you’ve always hated us. You hated us for sending you to the country villa to recuperate, right?”

“I don’t hate you.”

“Alright, I don’t want to continue arguing with you over this. You just need to think about it clearly. Don’t harm yourself in the end.” Madam Zhao looked coldly at Shen Ninghua and turned her head, “Your Majesties, please let the imperial doctors check on Linghan and Ruyun. These two girls are seriously injured.”

Shen Ninghua said anxiously, “Don’t do that!”

This time, Shen Dong was also annoyed. “Your Majesty, please forgive us for make a fool of ourselves. Xuanhua, help your eldest sister stand aside! Doctor Chen, I’m sorry to trouble you.”

At this moment, Shen Ninghua’s face was pale. Even when she was helped to stand up, she was unable to stand firm. Shen Xuanhua said anxiously, “Eldest sister, don’t worry about them. Just let the doctors check second elder sister.”

Shen Ninghua sighed deeply. She bit her lips, and stood to the side with a somewhat dispirited expression.

Baili Jinchuan was worried. “How about taking a seat by the side?” She must have been injured after falling from such a high place.

“Thank you, Your Highness. I’m fine.” Shen Ninghua shook her head and looked in Shen Linghan’s direction.

When Chen Yun was ready to treat Shen Linghan, the palace maids had already prepared the necessary things for him.

Chen Yun said, “I need to examine the injury in her leg. You grab her hands, so that she won’t struggle.”

“Yes.” Two palace maids stepped forward and held onto Linghan’s arms. One of the maids was stunned when she touched Shen Linghan’s arm. There seemed to be something in the sleeve. She thought it was Shen Linghan’s personal belonging. So, she didn’t care, and intended to take it out and put it aside. But when she saw clearly what it was, her face immediately turned pale and she knelt down with a plop.

A palm-sized jade pendant rolled down from the bed and landed at Baili Qingcang’s feet.

Zhao Huiying suddenly raised her eyes and swept her sharp gaze across Shen Linghan.

Madam Zhao’s heart was beating so fast that it almost popped out of her chest. She stared fixedly at the jade pendant.

This jade pendant was the Crown Prince’s token!

“What’s going on?” Baili Qingcang coldly swept his gaze over the people standing around him. He wanted to find the Crown Prince, but then he remembered that the Crown Prince was entertaining the officials in the front hall, so he could only look at the empress.

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Zhao Huiying’s expression remained unchanged, but a trace of anger flashed in her eyes. “Madam Zhao, why is the Crown Prince’s jade pendant in Shen Linghan’s sleeve?”

“Your Majesty, this… this…” Madam Zhao couldn’t say anything. She was also stunned, because Shen Linghan hadn’t told her anything.

Shen Ninghua sneered in her heart. What could Madam Zhao say now? To say that the Crown Prince had taken a fancy to Shen Linghan and wanted to take her as his concubine? If she dared to say that, the empress would dare to cut her into pieces alive. The noble empress could not stand any damage caused by anyone to the Crown Prince’s reputation.

Amid the intense atmosphere, the other palace maid next to Shen Linghan took out another jade pendant with trembling hands. “Your Majesties…here…there is another jade pendant here…Your Majesties, please spare my life…”

Everyone ignored the palace maid who was trembling on her knees and focused their attention on the jade pendant in her hands.

Madam Zhao wished that she could faint. That jade pendant was actually the Fifth Prince’s token!

Baili Jinchuan was stunned for a moment, then he mocked in his heart: was Shen Linghan crazy? After taking the Crown Prince’s token, she still dared to take Baili Jinze’s token. Was she going to choose between them?

Baili Qingcang said, “Deputy Shen, your daughter does have a good taste. Has she made a choice? I can grant them a marriage.”

Shen Dong hurriedly knelt down. His knees hit the ground with a bang. At this moment, he didn’t care about anything else but only thought about how to explain. He had always displayed absolute loyalty to the emperor. If the emperor found he was choosing between princes, the Shen family would be ruined. At this moment, he had to say so no matter how much he cared about Shen Linghan. “Your Majesty, you appreciated me and put me in such an important position. Even if I offer my life in sacrifice, it’s still not enough to repay Your Majesty. How dare I have other thoughts? Your Majesty, please scrutinize carefully.”

Zhao Huiying said softly, “Your Majesty, today is the first day Shen Linghan entered the Palace. The Crown Prince is busy entertaining the officials. This jade pendant issue seems to be very odd.” The two of them didn’t have time to meet at all, so how could he have the chance to give the jade pendant to her?

Baili Qingcang frowned. He looked at Shen Ninghua. “Did you insist on taking your younger sister away because you discovered the jade pendants on her?”

Shen Ninghua raised her head and met his eyes. Her heart trembled slightly. Baili Qingcang clearly did not show any emotion, but she felt as if she had been seen through. He really had the perception of an emperor.

“Your Majesty, I accidentally saw the bright yellow tassel on the jade pendant in the pavilion. I had wanted to persuade my sister, but not knowing how, I accidentally fell from the artificial hill…Your Majesty, my sister was raised by my mother and has always been well-behaved. There must be some kind of misunderstanding.”

How could she accidentally fall? Shen Linghan must have tried to silence her by killing her! Everyone looked at Zhao Yunxiang. Obviously, Shen Ninghua had intended to take Shen Linghan away to save her life, but she thought that Shen Ninghua wanted to harm her daughter. Now, let’s see how you explain.

Zhao Yunxiang’s clothes were almost drenched in cold sweat. She looked at Zhao Huiying anxiously, “Your Majesty, Linghan won’t do anything disrespectful. There must be a misunderstanding.”

Baili Jinchuan laughed. “Misunderstanding? If the jade pendants weren’t given to Shen Linghan by my eldest brother and fifth younger brother, did she steal them?”

“No, no, Your Highness, you misunderstood. Linghan won’t steal them.” Madam Zhao shook her head. Stealing the royal family’s belongings was a serious crime that would implicate the whole family.

Chu Junyi laughed. “They were neither given nor stolen. Did the jade pendants have legs and run onto Shen Linghan?” As soon as he said this, someone chuckled and people all waited for Madam Zhao’s explanation.

Madam Zhao raised her head in panic to see Shen Ninghua and suddenly shrieked, “Shen Ninghua, it must be you who designed it, right?”

“Mother, do you mean that I stole the Crown Prince and Fifth Prince’s jade pendants, then pretended to fall off the artificial hill and took the opportunity to stuff the jade pendant into Shen Linghan’s sleeves?”

Shen Ninghua was full of mockery, but Madam Zhao was so flustered that she couldn’t distinguish between a mockery and a statement. She only knew that if she wanted to protect her daughter, she had to find a scapegoat. “That’s right, you have always been crafty and hated your sister. Other than you, who else would frame her up?”

Before Shen Ninghua said anything, the surrounding people couldn’t help it.

“Madam Zhao, your words don’t make any sense. Ninghua offered an exquisite embroidery on her grandmother’s birthday. We all admired her filial piety very much. How can you call such a person crafty?”

“That’s right. Besides, Miss Ninghua is also the first daughter of the Shen family. She had a high status and beautiful appearance, as well as amazing embroidery skills. Why does she need to be jealous of Shen Linghan?”

“That’s right. I heard that Shen Linghan had repeatedly set up her elder sister.”

“Yes, she even embezzled the dowry of Ninghua’s mother…Tsk…”

This last sentence was said in a low voice, but everyone could still hear it clearly, and they immediately looked at Madam Zhao with disdain. Shen Ninghua had just acted to protect them, but Madam Zhao now framed her up in return…What harm could a motherless girl do to her? Madam Zhao was really narrow-minded.

Madam Zhao was tongue-tied, not knowing how to defend herself. Shen Dong’s face was gloomy and his heart was filled with hatred. He shouldn’t have released this pair of mother and daughter in the first place!

Shen Ninghua looked at Baili Qingcang and knelt down. “Your Majesty, I don’t have the ability to steal the Crown Prince and Fifth Prince’s jade pendants. I also cherish my life very much. Falling from such a high place will kill people. My birth mother lost her life for me, so I definitely can’t be so unfilial as to take my own life carelessly.”

Baili Qingcang’s eyes rolled thoughtfully as he nodded and waved his hand to let her get up.

At this time, there were also movements on the bed. Shen Linghan had just woken up when she felt a burst of intense pain in her legs. She immediately cried out in alarm, “Ah, my legs, what happened to my legs?”

Madam Zhao hurriedly went over. “Linghan, are you awake? Don’t worry, your legs are fine. They were just broken. After you recuperate properly, there won’t be any problem.”

“Mother, ooh!” Shen Linghan held Zhao’s hand and cried out. “Mother, forgive my eldest sister. She didn’t mean to do this to me.”

Madam Zhao’s body stiffened. She opened her mouth but was unable to speak.

Shen Linghan stared up blankly. Why was everyone looking at her like this?

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