Chapter 84: I Would in No Way Marry You!

Just as Shen Ninghua sat down, Baili Anning whispered to her, “Ninghua, you’re finally back.”

“Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. The smell of your body has weakened a lot. When I settle down, I will continue to prescribe medicine for you, and it will be completely removed soon.” Baili Anning’s expression was excited, and the worry in her eyes did not seem to be fake. The genuine concern made Shen Ninghua’s mood much more relaxed.

Baili Anning smiled happily. “Don’t worry. The smell of my body is no longer so pungent. I can cover it with some fragrant powder. Even if it can’t be eliminated, I’m still grateful to you.” Without this stench, she would definitely be noticed by the royal family, and might even be used as a chip for political marriage. But she was willing to accept that fate, and she no longer wanted to continue living in isolation.

Shen Ninghua smiled and raised her glass to signal to Baili Anning. She appreciated her open-mindedness and said, “To you, Your Highness.”

Baili Anning smiled warmly. “To you, Ninghua.”

The two of them looked at each other and smiled, and then each took a sip of wine.

Zhao Huiying’s smiling voice immediately sounded, “Your Majesty, look, the relationship between Ninghua and Anning is so good. The banquet has just begun, and they are already toasting each other.”

Hearing the empress’s words, everyone turned to look at Shen Ninghua. For a moment, the place where she was sitting became the focus of everyone’s attention.

The Shen family produced a wrong prescription that caused the people to suffer. Shen Ninghua, as the first daughter of the Shen family, was expected to be implicated as well. However, she brought about a radical change in the situation by developing the real prescription. Not only did she win the His Majesty’s affection, but she was also recognized as the foster daughter and made a great contribution to disaster relief. This made people really admire her luck, but they also wondered how she would respond when His Majesty dealt with the Shen family.

Shen Ninghua ignored everyone’s gaze and stood up directly. “Your Majesty, when I was in Jiangnan, many people had asked me to convey their gratitude to you on their behalf when I returned to the capital. Please allow me to kowtow to you.”

Baili Qingcang’s heart moved, and he smiled subconsciously. “Alright. You can come forward.”

Shen Ninghua smiled brightly and steadily walked to the center of the hall.

Everyone’s gaze unconsciously moved along with her. Some people even wanted to see her make a fool of herself, so they intentionally cast the pressure and killing intent on her with their eyes.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the hall froze. The hall was clearly filled with both civil and martial officials, but strangely, it was so quiet that even the drop of a needle could be heard.

Shen Ninghua did not seem to notice the abnormality in her surroundings. Every step she took was steady, and the distance between her steps was so precise that it seemed to have been measured.

When she arrived at the center of the hall, she stood upright, gently tidied up her dress without a wrinkle, and knelt down elegantly and smoothly. She performed the most solemn kowtowing salute of the Da’an Dynasty. With the nine kowtows coupled with various connecting movements, the set of movements was very complicated and took a long time. Normally, this kind of etiquette would only be performed when a new emperor ascended the throne.

Right now, her expression was solemn as if she was on a pilgrimage. The solemn feeling caused people to subconsciously hold their breath.

Shen Ninghua did not stand up after the salute. Instead, she knelt on the ground and looked up at Baili Qingcang who was sitting on the throne. “The people of Jiangnan did not have the luck to kneel down and thank Your Majesty personally. I have the honor to do so on behalf of them. Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!”

Baili Qingcang stood up and walked down the stairs. He personally stepped forward to help her up, and his eyes were filled with excitement. “I have received the people’s greetings. Thank you, Ninghua.”

Shen Ninghua smiled. Her curled eye was filled with tiny rays of light, making people who looked at her unconsciously felt happy.

Baili Qingcang said heartily, “Today, I am happy. Everyone, please do not stand on ceremony. Tonight, you will not return until you are drunk!”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Since His Majesty was happy, even if the officials were unhappy, they had to pretend to be happy. The banquet was especially lively. Baili Qingcang and Zhao Huiying also showed enough patience. They didn’t leave until the banquet was over.

When Shen Ninghua left, she had been toasted by many people and drunken a lot. Although her back was still straight, her footsteps were much more fluttering. Princess Anning held one of her arms and said worriedly, “Ninghua, I have already ordered someone to prepare the sober-up soup. You can drink it when you get back to my residence.”

Shen Ninghua smiled softly. “Thank you, Your Highness. I’m fine.”

“I don’t see it.” Baili Anning raised her eyes to glare at her, only to see Shen Ninghua’s cheeks turning slightly red. Her clear eyes were filled with rippling water. Her beautiful face was even brimming with radiant smiles. Even Baili Anning felt her heart beating wildly when she looked at such a beautiful girl. “Don’t drink like that in front of others in the future.”

Fortunately, she usually had a cold look on her face. If she were to laugh like this all day long, then countless men in the capital would be infatuated with her.

Shen Ninghua didn’t seem to hear it clearly and she asked in a confused voice, “What?”

Looking at the face in front of her, Baili Anning snorted. “You should be glad that I’m the one supporting you. If it were someone else, they would have thrown you out long ago.”

Shen Ninghua chuckled. “Then throw me and see if anyone will pick me up.”

“His Majesty dotes on you so much. If I threw you away now, wouldn’t he throw me out of the Palace tomorrow?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Just try it.” Maybe because of the effect of alcohol, Shen Ninghua lost her cold mask and actually looked a little clingy.

“Sister, hurry up and throw her away. I’m ready to pick her up.” Baili Jinchuan walked over from the side and looked at Shen Ninghua with a smile. He didn’t expect that she would be so interesting after getting drunk.

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“Second Brother, why are you here?” They had almost arrived at the Western Palace where the princesses lived. Baili Jinchuan was in no way expected to appear here unless he came on purpose.

Shen Ninghua let go of Princess Anning’s hand and looked up at him with a misty gaze. “I’ve already said it very clearly. Have Your Highness forgotten?”

Princess Anning’s heart trembled. Did anything…happen between Second Brother and Ninghua in Jiangnan?

Baili Jinchuan’s expression did not change. He turned to look at Baili Anning and said, “Anning, you go back first. I have something to say to Ninghua.”

“Second Brother, sister-in-law often visited me in the Palace these days. She should have heard that the banquet was over and she must be anxiously waiting for you. Aren’t you going back as soon as possible?” Although Second Brother was a nice person, she felt that Ninghua was unwilling to be involved with him.

Baili Jinchuan smiled and said, “You are really concerned about her. Don’t worry, I’ll just speak a few words with her. I’m going back soon.”

“Well, I’ve always trusted you, Second Elder Brother. Then I’ll go first. Ninghua, I’ll go back and watch them make the sober-up soup. You come in a while.”

Shen Ninghua nodded obediently. “Yes. Your Highness, you can go back first.”

When Baili Anning had walked far away, Baili Jinchuan approached Shen Ninghua and reached out to hold her arm. “Ninghua, are you drunk?”

Shen Ninghua looked up at him with a smile on her lips. “You aren’t me. How do you know that I’m drunk?”

“Haha, if you are sober, you would definitely not speak like this.”

“Sounds like you know me very well.” Shen Ninghua shook off his hand and walked to the railing. She leaned against the railing and watched the light flickering on the surface of the water. She narrowed her eyes in satisfaction. “I’ve already made it clear to you. I will never be a concubine, and neither do I dare to try to put myself under the patronage of yours. So, keep your hands off me.”

“What if I take you as my wife?”

Shen Ninghua frowned and looked at him. “What, are you going to kill your wife for me?”

Baili Jinchuan’s expression was serious, and his voice carried a temptation. “If you want me to do it, I can do it for you.”

“I don’t want it!” Shen Ninghua suddenly turned her head and said, “Your Highness, I still have some appreciation for you. Don’t keep pestering me to exhaust my appreciation.”

Baili Jinchuan sneered. “So what if I exhausted your appreciation? What I want is your love, not the so-called dispensable appreciation.”

Shen Ninghua stared at him seriously. The smile on her face disappeared completely. “Since you pretend that you don’t understand my hint, then I’ll make it clear to you. I won’t marry you.”

“Then who do you want to marry? Baili Jinze? I heard that he is also secretly approaching you. My fifth younger brother is the gentlest and is most considerate of women. However, he is considerate of too many people. Don’t be fooled.”

Shen Ninghua was silent for a while before suddenly laughing out loud. “You two are true brothers. Baili Jinze said that you have a wife. You said that he is gentle and romantic. Have you reached a tactic agreement to pull the rug from under each other’s feet?”

“Ninghua, did you really have a crush on him?” A trace of gloom flashed through Baili Jinchuan’s eyes.

Shen Ninghua restrained her smile and tilted her head slightly to look at him. She neither admitted nor denied. “Do you think whether I can firmly grasp his heart with my beauty and tactics?”

Anger rose in Baili Jinchuan’s heart. “You can have his heart for a while, but not for the rest of your life. When you lose your beauty, he definitely won’t even take a glimpse at you.”

“Haha, sounds like you would love me for the rest of your life. Your Highness, you really made me laugh.”

“You…” Baili Jinchuan clenched his fists. She made him so angry, but he still was unwilling to punish her. “Ninghua, I’ll make it clear today. You can only marry me. Don’t think about anyone else! Now you should hurry back. There are palace maids waiting to guide you. I’ll leave first.”

Shen Ninghua leaned against the railing and allowed the evening breeze to blow her hair. After a while, she raised her hand to press down the hair beside her ear. Her deep eyes were bright and clear, without the slightest bit of drunkenness.

Baili Jinchuan was extremely arrogant. She did not want to be in a hostile relationship with him now, so she wanted to make her rejection clear use under the disguise of drunkenness. She did not expect that he was even more stubborn than arrogant.

A light figure descended from a nearby tree, and the black clothes merged into the night. If one did not look carefully, it would be difficult to discover him. “I came at the right time and saw the most wonderful part.”

Shen Ninghua suddenly turned around and saw the appearance of the person. Her expression slightly relaxed. “So the person who had just attended the banquet was Ye Yi who masqueraded as you. Why didn’t you attend the banquet since you are back?”

The person was Chu Junyi. He had changed back to the appearance of the adopted son of the Xiao family. His extremely beautiful face had changed into a handsome one. She really wasn’t used to it.

“Because there are more important matters to attend to, of course. Tomorrow, people will be rewarded according to their contributions to the disaster relief. I am afraid there will be both rewards and punishments. A few days ago, someone went to visit your father and the others in the Heavenly Prison. Something unexpected will definitely occur tomorrow. You should get well prepared.”

“Who went to the Heavenly Prison?”

“The Crown Prince.”

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