Phoenix Reborn: the Prime Minister’s Scheming Daughter - Chapter 354

Shen Ninghua stood in place until the fire burned the house down. Only then did she nimbly turn around. “Have someone clean up this place. If Baili Jinze’s corpse hasn’t been burned to ashes, find a place to bury his body. If it is burned to ashes, scatter his ashes somewhere. Let’s go.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Shen Ninghua walked out step by step. With every step she took, the hatred in her heart dissipated a little. In the end, her obsession with the past faded away.

Bai Ruo, Qing Que, Hong Ling, and the others followed her until they got on the carriage. Then, they asked, “Miss, you seem to have… changed a lot?”

Seeing their cautious and curious expressions, Shen Ninghua could not help but smile. “Like what?”

“We can’t tell, but we can feel that there is something different about you. It seems that you feel relieved from inside out.”

“Now that the matter that has been weighing on my heart has finally been resolved, of course, I feel very much relieved,” Shen Ninghua said as she leaned against the soft pillow and closed her eyes.

Her answer did not clear Bai Ruo’s and the others’ curiosity, but they knew that this was a good thing, so they did not ask any more questions.

After returning to the prefectural prince’s residence, Shen Ninghua first went to take a bath, and then changed into a new set of clothes. “Bai Ruo, burn this dress. It’s an eyesore.”

She wore the red dress when she married Baili Jinze. At that time, Shen Dong did not bat an eye on her at all, and Baili Jinze’s status in the Palace was also extremely awkward. Although she was marrying a prince, she did not even have a decent wedding dress. She made that red dress herself.

At that time, she felt that love could conquer everything. Now, when she looked back at her past, everything was so ironic. She had done her best and showed him the utmost mercy by killing him with this red dress. From then on, she had nothing to do with the past.

In Huajun Pavilion, Baili Junyi quickly put down the book in his hand under the pillow when he heard Shen Ninghua’s footsteps.

Big Boy, who was frowning and grimacing at the side, quickly got up, crawled to the side of the pillow, and stretched out his small hand to grab the book. Baili Junyi quickly hugged him and put him aside.

“Ah, bad!”

As soon as Shen Ninghua entered the door, she heard Big Boy’s loud voice and chuckled in amusement. “What did you do to provoke him? He has never said the word ‘bad’ so loudly before.”

Baili Junyi glanced at Big Boy, who wanted to climb up the bed, and stopped him with his legs. “I don’t dare to provoke him now. He is stronger than me.”

When Shen Ninghua saw their interactions, the smile on her lips deepened. “Don’t stop him. Just let him do whatever he wants to do.”

Baili Junyi moved his legs calmly and watched as Big Boy crawled to the side of the pillow and pulled out a book from below.

Shen Ninghua laughed secretly. “Did you read for him again?”

Their two children were very smart, but they hated to listen to people reading. Baili Junyi doted on Baby Girl very much, so after knowing that she didn’t like it, he didn’t even show her the books. However, he was extremely strict with Big Boy. No matter whether Big Boy understood him or not, he would read one article for him every day.

Shen Ninghua went forward to pick Big Boy up, but Baili Junyi hurriedly stopped her. “You still haven’t recovered from your injury. Don’t carry him.”

Before Baili Junyi could finish his words, Big Boy had already retreated, leaned his chubby little body against the wall, and blew on Shen Ninghua’s arm. “Huff… huff… Mother… huff…”

He could not say it clearly, but Shen Ninghua already understood what he meant. That day, when she came back with the injuries on her shoulder, Big Boy was so frightened that he wailed sadly. Shen Ninghua comforted him, saying that she would not feel pain if he blew on it. He remembered it. From then on, the first thing he did when he woke up was to blow on Shen Ninghua’s shoulder.

“Okay, you’re my good boy.” Looking at his chubby face, Shen Ninghua felt her heart almost warm up to the verge of melting.

Baili Junyi grabbed Big Boy’s small foot and pulled him over. “Finally, you look like a grown man. You love your mother so much.”

Big Boy kicked his hand away in disgust and gently leaned a foot away from Shen Ninghua. He lay down on the bed and tore his books to have fun.

Big Boy’s disdainful stare annoyed Baili Junyi. “Ninghua, look at him. He doesn’t look considerate at all. Baby Girl is the best.”

Shen Ninghua looked at Baby Girl who was sleeping on the small bed next to the big bed. She walked over and touched her little face. “Baby Girl was so scared that day. She hasn’t been in high spirits these two days.”

As she spoke, Baby Girl opened her eyes. She had wanted to cry, but when she saw Shen Ninghua by her side, her tears instantly turned into smiles. “Mother…”

Baili Junyi got up and carried Baby Girl to the bed. He complained to Shen Ninghua with some dissatisfaction, “Ninghua, they had called you mother long ago. Why haven’t they called me father?”

Speaking of this, Shen Ninghua couldn’t help but laugh out loud. For some reason, the two children would puff up their cheeks in unison when they saw Baili Junyi. It was extremely cute.

When Big Boy saw that Baby Girl had woken up, he stopped tearing the book and patted his younger sister’s arm, “Sis… Sis…”

Baby Girl yawned delicately and kicked away the book. “Brother…”

Grinning from ear to ear, Big Boy fished out a jade pendant from his pocket and placed it in front of Baby Girl with a smile. He seemed extremely perturbed as if he was worried that his sister would not like it. “Gift…”

The caring Baby Girl took the jade pendant and looked at it. Then, she nodded her head in a decent manner and carefully placed it in the small pocket that was specially sewn outside her clothes. Seeing that the things he sent were kept away safely, Big Boy wiggled happily. He smiled his eyes into a slit.

Baili Junyi patted Big Boy in the butt, which earned him another disdainful glare. “Big Boy, you’re such a big brother now. You love your sister so much. You’re a good boy!”

Shen Ninghua chuckled at the sight. “How many jade pendants have you changed?”

From the moment Big Boy started to crawl, he liked to collect things everywhere. It was not because he liked the items, but he gave everything he collect to Baby Girl. After Baby Girl accepted the things she liked, he threw away the rest of the things he had taken. Moreover, his memory was exceptionally good. If Baby Girl didn’t keep the thing that he gave her, he would not give her the same thing again.

Baili Junyi shrugged and beamed smugly, “It doesn’t matter. My son snatched things and gave them to his sister. It’s just a few pieces of jade! I can afford it. This is a good habit, and he has to keep it.”

Shen Ninghua smiled helplessly, “As long as you are happy.”

The two people in the residence were quietly taking care of the children and their injuries, but the Palace was in a storm.

The officials had heard about what had happened that day. After all, Baili Jinze and Baili Junyi had gathered their people in such a grand manner. They had been paying attention to the movements in the capital at all times and guessed it correctly. Even a fool could tell that something big had happened especially after the Emperor suddenly announced that the Sixth Prince had died, after which they didn’t see Baili Junyi in the imperial court anymore.

Baili Qingcang was extremely irritable. Looking at the group of officials in the court, he was always checking if the people had masterminds controlling them from behind. He wondered how many of them were pretending to listen to his orders in fear while secretly mocking him in the back.

Before Baili Junyi left the capital, he had tasted the feeling of having great power in his hands. Now that he began to doubt the loyalty of the officials, he couldn’t help but wonder if the previous embezzlement incident was just a show that Baili Junyi had staged. He couldn’t help but be deeply suspicious of Baili Junyi’s actions that day.

Many officials were in horror, so they trembled even more. However, their frightening behavior convinced Baili Qingcang that they were hiding something. Many officials had been implicated for no reason. Many people had been dismissed from their positions, and some had even been punished.

More than half a month had passed. The wounds on Shen Ninghua’s body had been mostly healed with the ointment she had carefully prepared. The injuries on Baili Junyi’s body had mostly healed, too, but his voice was still very hoarse due to the injured throat.

Hong Ling and Ye Yi stood on one side, reporting on the situation these days.

Shen Ninghua looked at the reports in her hand and could not help but laugh bitterly. “Anning is right. Father Emperor is suspicious of us.”

“So be it. The situation was so urgent that we didn’t have time to think about it.” Baili Junyi did not regret his actions at all as he made the right decision that day. He would bear the consequences. He would have regretted for the rest of his life had anything happened to Ninghua and their children due to his fear and hesitation. “Ninghua, the disaster relief in the northwest has ended. In a few days, Baili Jinchuan will be back.”

Shen Ninghua nodded. Thinking of Baili Jinchuan, she felt a headache. “Now, Father Emperor does not trust us, but he is displaying his care for the Crown Prince everywhere. Now, the Crown Prince is much more glorious than before. I think that when Baili Jinchuan comes back, the situation in the capital will be even more lively.”

Baili Junyi threw the reports in his hand to the side. “I will slowly make arrangements for these things. Right now, the most important thing is our children.”

Shen Ninghua’s expression relaxed slightly. “You’re right. In two days, it will be their first birthday celebration.”

“Yes. I also need to prepare well.” Baili Junyi’s expression was serious.

Seeing him like this, Shen Ninghua teased him, “What will you prepare? Are you teaching them to call you daddy?” These days, Baili Junyi had been working hard on this matter. Unfortunately, the children refused to call him even when they could speak more and more fluently now.

“No, I am going to teach them some homework.” A trace of awkwardness flashed through Baili Junyi’s eyes. He stood up and instructed Ye Yi, “Go and carry Big Boy to the study room. I want to teach the two children to study.”

He refused to admit it. Big Boy refused to call him, and even Baby Girl, whom he doted on, refused to call him too. He was determined to put all his effort for the next few days to make them call him.

Shen Ninghua smiled. She didn’t expose him and let him do as he pleased. Actually, the children had already said the word “Father” when Baili Junyi was not around, but when he was, they refused to say it no matter how he threatened or tempted them. There was nothing she could do.

On the day before their first birthday celebration, Baili Junyi personally wrote the invitation cards and had people send them to all the mansions of various officials. After receiving the invitation card, the officials were worried and in a dilemma. If they went, they couldn’t predict what the Emperor would do to them. If they didn’t go and offend the prince, they might end up in trouble one day.