Chapter 463: The Increasingly Stranger Zhou City

The dishes prepared at the banquet were extremely exquisite. Many of them were unique to the northwest that were perfect in aroma, color, and taste. It was obvious that they had taken a lot of effort in preparing this.

Baili Junyi tasted the dishes and wine. The feeling of strangeness in his heart grew stronger and stronger. He felt that Zhou City’s officials were too enthusiastic and respectful. Even if the officials here were afraid of him, they didn’t have to be so cautious to curry favor with him.

Shen Ninghua did not think much of it. She heard the sound of flute and looked at the door with interest.

A woman in a red dress and a veil over her face walked in with a jade flute in her hand, illustrating her slender and fair fingers. Her skirt was slightly long, and she dragged it behind her. She walked lightly on the ground as if she was stepping on the clouds, looking like a fairy.

Everyone in the hall was attracted by the appearance of the woman. They had long heard of the gorgeous young lady of the Zhou Family, but not many people had actually seen her because Patriarch Zhou protected her well. Today, they could finally feast their eyes on her.

The melancholy tune from a Qiang flute echoed across the hall, expressing the woman’s delicate sorrow extraordinarily. It made people feel pity and be curious about her misery.

After the performance ended, the woman bowed. “Greetings, Your Highness, Princess, and gentlemen. My name is Zhou Jingshu.”

Zhou Jingshu was extremely nervous, and her palms were covered in sweat. Her gazes involuntarily swept over Baili Junyi’s handsome face, and her heart was in her mouth.

Although the tune she played was very good, it was far from stunning. After everyone heard it, they were somewhat disappointed, determining that the rumors of her were exaggerated. However, when she started speaking, they immediately felt their hearts tremble.

Her voice was extremely special. It was clear and transparent, without the slightest bit of pretense, but it attracted their attention. Her special voice was like a lover whispering in their ears, enticing them to listen to her wholeheartedly.

Shen Ninghua thought to herself, “I see.” Then, she greeted, “Please stand, Miss Zhou. Zhou Jingshu, your reputation precedes you.”

Zhou Jingshu hurriedly shook her head, “Princess, you flatter me. My undeserved reputation is not worth mentioning.”

With a polite smile, Shen Ninghua urged, “Please, take a seat just next to your elder brother.”

Zhou Jingshu paused and immediately agreed. “Yes, thank you, Princess.”

When she sat down in her seat, she looked up at Baili Junyi, and a wave of disappointment surged in her heart when she saw that he was turning his head to listen to what Shen Ninghua said.

Actually, she had specially designed her performance today. She would first play the flute, which was bound to cause everyone to be disappointed. Next, she would start to talk with her unique voice to turn the table and attract everyone’s attention. Then, when Shen Ninghua asked, she would take off her veil and sing. It would definitely leave a deep impression on Baili Junyi.

Unexpectedly, Shen Ninghua did not have the slightest intention of requesting and simply asked her to sit next to her brother. Even Baili Junyi did not look at her directly.

Zhou Jingshu slowly walked to Zhou Ziqing and greeted, “Elder brother.”

Zhou Ziqing’s face darkened slightly. He lowered his voice and chided, “How can you be so rude?”

“Rude? I’m not.”

Although Zhou Ziqing had lowered his voice, it was still loud enough for everyone to hear it clearly.

“How can you hide your face in front of Prefectural Prince Yi and Prefectural Princess? It’s so rude.” After that, he stood up and bowed to Shen Ninghua. “Princess, my younger sister doesn’t understand the formality. Please forgive her.”

Shen Ninghua raised her eyes slightly and saw that Zhou Jingshu, who was following behind Zhou Ziqing, had watery eyes. Her pair of clear, limpid eyes were sparkling. She could not help but smile, “Patriarch Zhou, you are being too cautious. Your younger sister didn’t do anything wrong, so you don’t have to apologize to us.”

Zhou Jingshu stepped forward and knelt down. “Thank you, Princess, for being so magnanimous and open-minded. I apologize for my misbehavior.” With that, she took off her veil and lamented in a humble tone, “I’m sorry. I was proud of my look and had heard of your beauty, so I had some thoughts of showing off in front of you and doing what I did just now. Now that I’ve seen your heavenly beauty and received your pardon and benevolence, I’m ashamed of myself.”

When these words came out, Baili Junyi secretly cheered on the side. They had seen many women with different thoughts in the capital, but Zhou Jingshu was the first one to mask her thoughts with such nice words.

The smile on Shen Ninghua’s face deepened. “Get up and look up. Let me see your face. Since you have already said that I am benevolent, I won’t mind your misbehavior.”

Hearing this, Zhou Jingshu slowly raised her head. She really lived up to her reputation. Her small face was delicate and exquisite. Her eyebrows were soft and her eyes were like water. She was a rare superior beauty.

Zhou Jingshu would indeed have mesmerized everyone had it not been for Shen Ninghua’s presence here. However, because of Shen Ninghua and her extraordinarily gorgeous appearance, Zhou Jingshu paled in comparison.

Zhou Jingshu did not care about the disappointment of the people around her. She focused all her attention on Baili Junyi. He finally looked at her!

Her eyelashes trembled slightly as she tried to reveal her most beautiful side.

Zhou Ziqing said, “Your Highness, Princess, my younger sister is young and has been spoiled by our parents. Please forgive her.”

“It’s fine. Please take a seat,” Baili Junyi ushered nonchalantly.

Although she could not sing in front of Baili Junyi, Zhou Jingshu was over the moon as Baili Junyi looked at her. Due to her excitement, she blushed timidly, and she sat in her seat with her head slightly lowered, not daring to look up.

You are reading story Phoenix Reborn: the Prime Minister's Scheming Daughter at novel35.com

A glimmer of light flashed in Shen Ninghua’s eyes. Zhou Jingshu looked extremely naive and pure, but she had taken a fancy on Baili Junyi. It was supposed to be the first time they had met today, but how could she fall in love with someone she had never met before? It seemed that the Zhou Family was indeed interesting.

However, Baili Junyi did not notice Zhou Jingshu’s thoughts. After she sat down, he no longer paid attention to her. Instead, he listened to Zhou Da and the others talking about Zhou City’s situation.

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside. Baili Junyi and Shen Ninghua looked at the door at the same time.

“What’s wrong?”

Zhou Da frowned with a puzzled expression. “I have no idea. I’ll send someone to take a look.”

The noise only lasted for a short while before it quieted down. A guard came to report, “Your Highness, Princess, there were a few people who fell outside Qilin Garden, and the fruits and vegetables they carried on their shoulders fell all over the ground, causing a commotion.”

“Well, is everything okay?”

“Yes, it has been dealt with.” As soon as the guard finished speaking, the noise of commotion was heard again, followed by several shrill screams.

Baili Junyi’s face sank. “I’ll go and take a look.”

Zhou Da’s expression changed. “How can we trouble you, Your Highness. I will handle it.”

“No need.” Baili Junyi directly stood up and walked out of the door.

Cold sweat drenched Zhou Da’s forehead. He must not get into trouble at this time. Thinking about this, he fiercely glared at the officials next to him. “Hurry up and follow.” He had clearly ordered his people to watch out, but how could there still be people carrying fruits and vegetables passing by? What were the soldiers doing?

Before Shen Ninghua got close, she smelled a bloody smell and frowned, while Qing Que stood in front of her spontaneously.

Just as Baili Junyi turned the corridor, the scene in front of him infuriated him.

He saw a few ordinary people dressed in plain clothes lying on the ground, and several soldiers were punching and kicking them. Some of them were bleeding profusely, creating several pools of blood on the floor.

“What are you doing?”

“Y-Y-Y-Your Highness! Princess!” Upon seeing Baili Junyi, the soldiers immediately knelt down and bowed their heads.

“Answer me. What are you doing?”

The soldiers’ faces were pale. When they saw Zhou Da walking over quickly, their eyes lit up.

At this time, Zhou Da wanted to beat these people to death. He had specifically asked them to watch out and take care not to start any chaos, but unexpectedly, a disturbance occurred.

“What is going on? No citizens are allowed to enter today. How did you sneak in, and what is your intention?”

Baili Junyi turned his head. “From what you said, these people deliberately caused a disturbance and plotted against us?”

“Yes!” Zhou Da affirmed in a serious tone, “Your Highness, normally, there wouldn’t be any commoners entering Qilin Garden. They must be sneaking in today because they heard that you are here. Fortunately, the soldiers are smart enough to stop them in time.”

Baili Junyi exhumed an eerily cold aura. “Oh, I see. You, look up. Who are you, and what are you doing here?”

Some of the people who were beaten could no longer get up, but those who could get up were all curled up and kneeling on the ground, trembling slightly, not daring to make a sound.

Baili Junyi furrowed his brows even more tightly, and Zhou Da heaved a sigh of relief. “Your Highness, these people look extremely suspicious. I’ll bring them back and interrogate them. I will inform you as soon as I find out the results.”

Baili Junyi sneered. “Do you take me as a fool? If these people have evil intentions, how can they be beaten to such a miserable state by a few soldiers? Moreover, they are dressed as ordinary people, and their bodies are exceptionally thin and weak. Even if we give them a few swords, they might not be able to hold them steadily. I’m curious, how did you find them suspicious?”

Zhou Da was tongue-tied. “I… I…”

Zhou Ziqing stepped forward and said, “Your Highness is right. These people are carrying fruits and vegetables, so they should be sending food to Qilin Garden. Maybe there is some misunderstanding. They accidentally broke into this place and were discovered by the soldiers, so the soldiers beat them up in order to protect you and the Princess. It is better to ask a doctor to take a look at these people first, lest they get too seriously injured.”

“Yes, Patriarch Zhou is right. You guys, quickly help these people to find a doctor to treat them. Your Highness, Princess, let’s get back inside. There will be people here to handle the matter.”

Shen Ninghua and Baili Junyi looked at each other and nodded slightly.

Then, Baili Junyi turned to Ye Yi who was following behind him. “Go and accompany them. Make sure that these people are okay before you come back.”

Zhou Da lowered his head and his face sank. However, when he saw that Baili Junyi and Shen Ninghua had finally returned to the main hall, his heart relaxed slightly. He glared fiercely at the soldiers and strode after Baili Junyi.

You can find story with these keywords: Phoenix Reborn: the Prime Minister's Scheming Daughter, Read Phoenix Reborn: the Prime Minister's Scheming Daughter, Phoenix Reborn: the Prime Minister's Scheming Daughter novel, Phoenix Reborn: the Prime Minister's Scheming Daughter book, Phoenix Reborn: the Prime Minister's Scheming Daughter story, Phoenix Reborn: the Prime Minister's Scheming Daughter full, Phoenix Reborn: the Prime Minister's Scheming Daughter Latest Chapter