Phoenix Reborn: the Prime Minister’s Scheming Daughter - Chapter 369

Baili Qingcang had been very happy these two days. After the New Year banquet and before the New Year Festival ended, he had issued multiple imperial decrees to promote his consorts and offsprings in the harem. Consort Li, who had given birth to the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince, had been conferred the title of Noble Consort. Consort Qi, Baili Jinchuan’s and Baili Anning’s birth mother, had also been conferred the title of Noble Consort. The vacancies of the positions of consorts were filled up with the imperial concubines who had been promoted. Those who had not been promoted had also received additional rewards. For a time, the harem was in harmony and joy.

When the news reached Baili Junyi’s residence, Shen Ninghua put down the teacup in her hand and smiled slightly. “Yes, everyone is happy now, but they won’t be happy for long.”

Hong Ling asked, “Miss, are you saying that something will erupt in the harem soon?”

Shen Ninghua looked at Big Boy and Baby Girl who were playing by the side and lamented softly, “After Empress Zhao passed away, Mother had been conferred the title of Noble Consort Xian. She was the number one person in the harem. After she passed away, the highest position in the harem is the position of an imperial consort. There are a total of four imperial consorts: Consort Li, Consort Qi, Consort Jing, and Consort Rong. Consort Jing and Consort Rong do not have any children, so their existence in the harem is not important, and no one takes them seriously, but it is different for Consort Qi and Consort Li. Consort Li gave birth to the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince, and Consort Qi gave birth to Second Prince and Princess Anning. Originally, there were people suppressing them, and the conflict between the princes was not obvious, so they could coexist peacefully. Now that they have both been conferred the title of Noble Consort, I think they will begin to feel greedier now that they have more power.”

“Miss, are you saying that the two Noble Consorts will start a fight?”

Shen Ninghua answered, “Their attentions are all on their own sons. During this period of time, the Third Prince has made a lot of moves, especially with the Great Yue Kingdom’s secret support, many people in the court support him. The Fourth Prince seems to be a person who does not fight over anything. He only wants to live a peaceful and quiet life, and he shares a good relationship with the Third Prince. He seems harmless for now. The Second Prince, on the other hand…”

Hong Ling could not help but feel strange. “Miss, you told me to keep an eye on the Second Prince Mansion’s movements. However, the Second Prince’s martial arts have been crippled, and his body was scarred as a result. He has lost his military power, and his face has been disfigured. Can he still ascend to that position?”

“Yes, you’re right about Second Prince’s situation, but it may be a blessing in disguise. He lost his martial art skills and handed over his military power, but he gains Father Emperor’s absolute trust and guilt. With this trust, he can easily develop and manipulate his own power secretly. Father Emperor would not keep an eye on him all the time and would be tolerant and generous to him. If the power in his hands was strong enough, he could stride toward the throne even if he was a sickly person!”

Hong Ling felt her heart in her mouth. “Now that His Highness has restored his position of a Royal Prince, he should have more power now. Will the situation be better?”

Shen Ninghua shook her head. “His position as a Royal Prince should have been restored earlier on, but it hadn’t due to Father Emperor’s suspicion. Although the prayer ceremony has come to a perfect end, we’re standing in the eye of the storm, so it’s not really a good thing to restore his position now.”

Thinking of Shen Ninghua’s analysis just now, Hong Ling widened her eyes as a light flashed in her mind. “Does His Majesty intend to put the three princes and their allies in the imperial courts into a stalemate?”

Shen Ninghua smiled slightly. “That’s right. Although the Second Prince’s martial art skills were disabled and he was disfigured, he has Father Emperor personally supporting him. The Third Prince is impulsive and lacking in schemes, but he has support from Consort Li and the Great Yue Kingdom. Junyi has just returned to the capital and rejoined the royal family recently, and he doesn’t have the support of his maternal family, but he has the stealthy guards left behind by Bu Yunqing and the Xia Family, and Huajun Pharmacy, which has been progressing very well. The three forces are evenly matched. Only then can the imperial court form a balance. No one can shake Father Emperor’s position.”

“Wouldn’t that be dangerous?”

“No one will be safe now that everyone is caught up in the vortex of power.”

At this moment, Bai Ruo walked in with the pastries that had just come out of the pot in her hands, and the two of them stopped talking.

“Miss, I made some pastries. They’re your favorite taste. Hurry up and try them.”

Hong Ling hurriedly went forward to take the pastries. “Miss, the pastries that Sister Bai Ruo made are the most delicious. You should hurry up and eat a bit.”

Shen Ninghua took a piece off the plate and took a bite when she felt someone tugging the hem of her skirt. When she looked down, she found that it was actually Big Boy.

“What’s the matter?”

Big Boy stared at the pastry in Shen Ninghua’s hand, his black eyes sparkling. “Pas… pastry…”

Shen Ninghua tore a tiny bit of crumb and stuffed it into his mouth. “Is it delicious?”

Big Boy opened his eyes wide and reached out to reach for Shen Ninghua’s hand. “Mother, Baby Girl…”

Did he want to give it to his sister? Shen Ninghua looked up at Baby Girl.

Baby Girl was fiddling with the jade pendant that she had plundered from Baili Junyi. When she heard Big Boy’s voice, she looked up and then lowered her head. Shen Ninghua couldn’t help but feel helpless, wondering from whom she had learned to be so leisurely and lazy. Baili Junyi loved her so much that she was almost spoiled rotten. No one dared to say anything about her, which made her lazier and lazier. Only she could occasionally correct her bad habit.

“Baby Girl, come here.”

Hearing Mother’s voice, Baby Girl got up from the ground and slowly walked forward. The nurse and maids at the side were so shocked by the sight that they hurriedly followed her, afraid that she would fall.

After taking two steps, Baby Girl fell to the ground. She wore thick winter clothes, so she didn’t hurt from the fall, but the wet nurse, who was watching her from the side, turned pale in horror.

Shen Ninghua simply waved her hand to dismiss them and encouraged Baby Girl, “Come on, come to Mother.”

Big Boy got up and trembled as he tried to help his sister up. In the end, both of them fell together. Big Boy even rolled on the ground. When he stopped, he still had a confused look on his face, not knowing what had happened.

Bai Ruo and Hong Ling were startled on the side. After a while, they hurriedly stepped forward to help the two children up, but Shen Ninghua stopped them. “Don’t help them. If they can get up on their own, let them do it and move on their own.” The two of them could only watch from the side.

Just as they were worried that the two Little Masters would cry, Big Boy chuckled and then rolled two rounds in the direction of Shen Ninghua while lying on the ground.

Shen Ninghua did not expect that he would react like this. Then, she laughed out loud. Hong Ling and Bai Ruo held back their smiles so hard that their faces turned red and their shoulders kept shaking.

Big Boy did not mind. After rolling twice, he found that it was easier than walking, so he rolled towards Baby Girl. “Sister… sister… come…”

Baili Junyi strode in from the door and said in a serious tone, “If you want to roll on the ground, do as you please, but don’t teach your sister to do the same.” As he spoke, he bent down to carry Baby Girl up and sat down in a seat at the side.

Baby Girl sat on Baili Junyi’s lap, pursed her small lips, and delicately yawned. The dimples on her cheeks were especially cute.

Suddenly discovering that his sister had disappeared, Big Boy quickly got up and stared at Baili Junyi with his big black eyes.

The stubborn father and son kept staring at each other, causing Shen Ninghua to laugh so hard that her stomach was aching. Hong Ling and Bai Ruo had already quietly left, leaving only the family of four in the room.

After laughing for quite a long while, Shen Ninghua picked up Big Boy and pinched a bit of cake crumbs to let him have a taste. She looked at Baili Junyi. “How was the court today?”

“Father Emperor is in a good mood, so the court was naturally harmonious.”

Shen Ninghua smiled. “All thanks to your indispensable contributions.”

Baili Junyi chuckled. “Speaking of which, it’s a coincidence. Those white cranes were originally discovered by Huajun Pharmacy’s people. When they heard that I was going to help Baby Girl build a garden, they sent them to the capital and kept them in a warm room. I didn’t expect that the things used to worship the heavens would be destroyed…

So, I thought of the cranes and came up with this plan. It was a lucky coincidence.”

Thinking of the scene that day, Shen Ninghua still felt shocked. “It’s good that Father Emperor is happy. If he is happy, he can stop nitpicking on us for a while.”

“It will be the Lantern Festival in two days. I have already asked people to make preparations. I am afraid that Father Emperor will not be happy soon,” Baili Junyi quipped.

“Baili Jinchuan is too vicious. He will be more unscrupulous if we don’t teach him a lesson.”

“You’re right.”

The Lantern Festival soon arrived. Baili Junyi and Shen Ninghua entered the imperial palace together. There were lanterns hanging everywhere. The exquisite palace lanterns covered the entire imperial palace with a layer of warmth. It calmed down the usual dignity and made people feel much more comfortable.

The atmosphere of this banquet was as warm and happy as New Year’s Day. Baili Qingcang always had a warm smile on his face. All the officials praised him, making Baili Qingcang feel like he was floating in the air, and he rewarded the officials generously.

The banquet lasted for two hours. Then, a eunuch entered and reported, “Your Majesty, the fireworks and lanterns have been prepared. Your Majesty, this way, please.”

Every year, there was a fireworks display and a flower lantern show in the imperial palace. Every lantern had a riddle hanging on it. Whoever had the most correct answers would win the grand prize, which was personally prepared by the Emperor. It might not be something valuable, but all officials fought like crazy. After all, the prize was not their priority. It was rare for them to have such a chance to attract the attention of others.

The fireworks show began. The extravagant and colorful fireworks lit up the entire night sky. Shen Ninghua raised her head with a faint smile on her lips. Looking at the fireworks in the sky, she felt that the worries in her heart dissipated.

Baili Junyi covered his hand with his sleeve and gently held her hand. The two of them smiled at each other, and their eyes looked even more gorgeous than fireworks.

Baili Jinchuan saw this very scene and felt as if a sharp blade had stabbed into his chest, leaving only blood dripping from his chest. Just as his heart was dripping with blood, he suddenly heard a cry of alarm.

“Heavens, what is that?”

“It’s a white crane!”

“It’s exactly the same as when His Majesty prayed to the heavens on New Year’s Day. But this white crane is so big. I bet that everyone in the capital can see it, right?”

Baili Jinchuan looked up and saw a huge white crane flashing in the sky. It slowly flew over the imperial palace. What was that?

When Baili Qingcang thought of the white crane from that day, his eyes lit up. “Everyone, look at what is in the sky?”

Baili Junyi was the first to speak, “Father Emperor, at first glance, I thought it was a lantern that was placed in the sky. But now that I look closely, if it were really a lantern, there would definitely be signs of a candle flickering. But when I opened my eyes wide, I didn’t notice it at all. Could it be a real white crane?”

“Such a large white crane flies in the sky, and it is shining and sparkling. It can only be described as an auspicious omen from the heavens, right?”

“Yes, long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!”

All the officials knelt down to congratulate him. At this moment, they kept praising the Emperor with all their might.

Baili Qingcang laughed, “Guards, follow that auspicious white crane. When it lands, bring it back to me.”

“Yes!”