Phoenix Reborn: the Prime Minister’s Scheming Daughter - Chapter 392

Chapter 392 Scared Out of Her Gut!

The Third Prince never thought that Yang Yingxue would actually conceal the matter of the adultery between Baili Jinchuan and Shen Ninghua at a critical moment like this! Did she not feel any sense of hatred when someone snatched her husband from her?

Hearing her words, Noble Consort Qi couldn’t help but shed tears again sadly. “Since you have admitted it, I will not break my promise. Your Majesty, after what she did, Yang Yingxue deserves the death penalty, but please forgive her and convict her for a lighter punishment.”

The corners of Baili Qingcang’s eyes twitched. He had never imagined that something horrible like this would happen in the palace harem, and the side concubine of a royal prince had become so bold! Not only did she want to have the prince to herself, but she also dared to scheme against a young lady of an aristocratic family. She had executed her plan under the strict palace security! How lax his palace harem had become that a series of unfortunate events had happened one after another? Was it possible that one day, someone wanted to plot against him, the Emperor, and easily succeed?

“Madam Yang, now that the Second Prince and Noble Consort Qi both plead for you, I can consider their plea and punish you accordingly. My only condition is that you must be frank and tell me why and how you killed Qi Ying.”

At this point, there was nothing she could do but come clean. Yang Yingxue grumbled in a deep voice, “I planned to kill Qi Ying and make Shen Ninghua the scapegoat, but I was not the one who killed her. Noble Consort Qi can be my witness. I’ve been at Chunlan Palace with her all the time and have not left her side. How can I have the chance to kill Qi Ying?”

“Not you? Who did it then?” Baili Qingcang could not help but look at everyone present. Who was the real murderer?

The Third Prince lowered his head slightly, unconsciously fidgeting his fingers under his sleeves. Seeing this action, Noble Consort Li gasped secretly, and her heart skipped a beat. This was his habit when he was nervous. Did he know who killed Qi Ying? Impossible! She had already strictly prohibited him from getting involved in the matters of the palace harem!

Lin Feiran began to panic too, and the emotions revealed in her eyes were noticeable. A trace of ridicule flashed through Bu Yonghan’s eyes as she noticed the change in Lin Feiran’s expression. Bu Yonghan originally thought that Lin Feiran was capable and brazen because she dared to come up with a plan to murder someone, but she didn’t expect her to freak out before the truth of the matter surfaced. The Emperor could tell that there was something fishy about Lin Feiran with a simple glance at her expression.

Sure enough, when Baili Qingcang glanced at Lin Feiran, he suddenly stopped and asked with a frown, “Lin Feiran, what’s wrong with you?”

Upon the mention of her name, Lin Feiran trembled, and her heart was in her mouth. “Y-Y-Your Majesty, I lost my composure because of Qi Ying’s murder. I’m sorry.”

Baili Qingcang narrowed his eyes. “Madam Yang, since you want Ninghua to be the scapegoat for Qi Ying’s death, you must know about the murderer because this is an important element in this matter. Who cooperated with you to accomplish this?”

Yang Yingxue swept her gaze over Lin Feiran, the Third Prince, and Noble Consort Li. She shook her head slightly and blurted, “Your Majesty, I should report this matter to you in private.”

The corner of Baili Qingcang’s eyes twitched. “In private? Are you sure?”

“Yes. I think it is better to report it to you in private. After all, this is a serious matter.”

“Noble Consort Qi, ask your maid to take Madam Yang to the side palace of Chunlan Palace. I’ll wait for her there. End the banquet now.” After Baili Qingcang finished speaking, he turned around and went straight to the carriage.

Hearing this, Lin Feiran felt extremely relieved. The breeze blew, and her back felt cold. Only then did she realize that she had broken out in a cold sweat without her knowing it. Her hands and feet were still shaking violently. Thanks to her layered and long skirt, she did not make a fool of herself.

Bu Yonghan turned to look at her with a mocking smile in her eyes. “Thank goodness that we followed them here, or there would be no one to bear witness if something happened to Princess Zhaohua. Anyway, I’ll go back with my brother first. Miss Lin, you look quite pale, so you should go back and take a good rest. Excuse me.” The scheme that they had racked their brains for finally ended up in nothing. It was such a waste of effort. Bu Yonghan suddenly felt very ironic when Lin Feiran suggested following Princess Zhaohua in case something happened. Haha! Now that she thought about it, it was so funny.

Lin Feiran gritted her teeth in hatred, but she was not in the mood to argue with her. With a slight nod, she followed Noble Consort Li to Changqiu Palace.

Shen Ninghua and Baili Junyi did not remain on the spot. Since the Emperor had called the banquet to be dismissed, they went out of the palace together. When they got to the carriage, Shen Ninghua pulled out the jade hairpin on her head. She carefully tidied her hair up before pinning the pin into her hair. Fortunately, she had prepared something beforehand, and she didn’t expect it to come in handy so quickly.

Baili Junyi pulled her into his arms and carefully tidied up her hair. Only then did he lower his head and rub his cheek against hers. He felt very fortunate and glad that she was okay. “The mastermind behind this should be Lin Feiran, Noble Consort Li, and the Third Prince. These three people must be related to the case.”

Shen Ninghua’s cheeks and ears were dyed red after he rubbed his cheek against hers. “Yang Yingxue requested to report to Father Emperor in private because she probably knew that if she exposed the mastermind directly, it would affect the marriage alliance between the two countries, and Father Emperor would probably take his anger out on her family by then. Now that she reported the matter to him in private, she could ask for mercy so that her family would not be implicated.”

“She’s smart, but it’s a pity that she doesn’t use it to do smart things.”

Shen Ninghua sighed slightly. “Who knows what she is thinking. Baili Jinchuan and I are innocent, and there is no trace of illicit relations between us. But she keeps treating me as her archenemy and wants to get rid of me all the time. Haha!”

Baili Junyi reached out and hugged her even tighter. “You are mine!” Ninghua treated Baili Jinchuan indifferently, and she was even a little disgusted toward him, but Baili Jinchuan was always coveting her. Baili Junyi saw this clearly.

Shen Ninghua chuckled and leaned against him, feeling at ease. The comfortable and reassuring warmth that came from behind her made her feel cozy and lovely as if she was bathing in the spring breeze. “You controlled those two kicks on Lv Rou exceptionally well.”

The medicinal powder she carried with her did not have much of an effect, and the effect on a strong-minded person would not be great even if they consumed it directly. However, when the person was injured, and their mind was in a trance, the kick from the medicinal powder would cause that person to hallucinate, and it would enlarge the fear inside them. If it weren’t for Baili Junyi to kick Lv Rou twice, thus severely hurting her, it would have taken a bit more effort to expose the matter.

Hearing her praise, Baili Junyi was extremely happy and pulled her into his embrace, hugging her like a cat hugging its beloved treasure. “It’s my honor to be at my wife’s disposal. Well, I didn’t think about asking for anything in return, but I’m sure you’ll be upset for owing me something, right? How about we discuss it when we return?”

Hearing Baili Junyi deliberately emphasize the word “discuss”, Shen Ninghua blushed timidly and wanted to push him away, but he grabbed her so tightly like there was a glue that stuck them together. After several attempts, she gave up pushing him.

The two of them were not affected so much, but Lin Feiran was scared out of her wits. Originally, when they were coming up with the plan, they had imagined how happy they would be when the plan succeeded, and they would be able to ruin Shen Ninghua’s reputation. Now that the matter was about to be exposed, she suddenly became extremely frightful.

She knelt in front of Noble Consort Li and grabbed the latter’s skirt tightly, regardless of her gorgeous dress. “Auntie, you must save me. You must save me.”

Noble Consort Li furrowed her brows into a knot, wishing she could kick her away. “What’s the use of begging me now? I know you’re witty and sly, but I didn’t expect you to be so foolishly bold! Do you know who Qi Ying is? She is Noble Consort Qi’s niece, the only daughter of her generation of the Qi family. Do you know how much the Qi family values her? They treated her like she was a priceless treasure! Look at what you’ve done! Not only did you kill her, but you also exposed the fact that she was pregnant before she was married! I… I…”

Seeing that Noble Consort Li was blowing a gasket, Lin Feiran panicked even more. “Auntie, everything is too late now since she’s already dead. When I came up with the plan, I aimed my target at one of those maids, but the Third Prince told me that he knew about Qi Ying’s matter. We came up with this idea after a discussion. You must help me!”

Noble Consort Li suddenly raised her head and stared at her with a pair of fiery eyes. “What? Are you threatening me by dragging the Third Prince into this?”

Lin Feiran trembled all over. “I dare not, Auntie! I’m just stating the truth. Also, you are my aunt, and we’re closely related. I’m going to marry the Prince of the Great Yue Kingdom soon. If something happens to me at this time, your painstaking efforts will be in vain. Please help me. You must help me.”

Noble Consort Li pulled the skirt out of her hand and forcibly suppressed the impatience in her heart. “Alright. I know. Get up and wash your face. If you go out looking like this, people will think that something is wrong. You don’t have to worry too much about this matter. You were personally conferred by the Emperor the title of Princess Anyue, and the two countries have confirmed the marriage between you and Bu Jinglan. Even if the Emperor knows that you ordered people to kill Qi Ying, he will not do anything to you. After all, you are now the key point of the relationship between the two countries.”

Lin Feiran’s eyes lit up, and Noble Consort Li snapped, “But, don’t act recklessly just because the Emperor’s hands are tied around you. If you force him to the corner, he can replace you with some random girl, give her the title of Princess Anyue, and marry her off in your place. Abrupt death is the best excuse!”

Lin Feiran trembled and hurriedly nodded. “Yes, I understand. Thank you, Auntie.”

“Alright, you can leave now. I have something to say to the Third Prince.”

Seeing Lin Feiran leave, Noble Consort Li coldly shouted at the Third Prince, “Kneel!”

The Third Prince quickly knelt down and respectfully lowered his head. “Mother, I’m sorry!”

“Sorry? What are you sorry about? Do you know what you did wrong?”

“I-I didn’t expect that the partner Lin Feiran found was so unreliable. They simply scared her a little, and she confessed everything…”

Noble Consort Li slapped the Third Prince in the face. “Do you know how much effort I spent to plot against the Qi family? Do you think that Qi Ying could get pregnant before marriage for no reason? Although the Qi family currently has very few members, and they don’t have many people of their own in the imperial court, don’t forget that Old Master Qi was once the Emperor’s Grand Tutor, and many of his disciples are in the imperial court now. He was also the reason why Baili Jinchuan has a firm foothold in the army. I planned this plot against Qi Ying because I want to suppress the Qi family’s reputation! Look at what you’ve done! You’ve ruined our trump card!”