Chapter 69 Who’s the Wirepuller?

Madam Su knew that there was nothing she could do even if she was anxious about the situation. In the end, she chose to listen to Shen Ninghua’s suggestion to restrain the servants and quietly waited for the storm to arrive.

There were many merchants in the Jiangnan region, and of the merchants in the capital, there were especially many from Jiangnan. When they learned that the Zhao family and the Shen family had jointly found a cure for the plague, everyone was very grateful. Every day, they gathered at the gates of the two mansions. Some knelt on the ground and kowtowed in gratitude, and others offered their belongings, worshiping the two families as if they gave them another life.

Under their influence, many ordinary people came to express their gratitude. The Shen and Zhao families closed their gates and sent people to explain at the entrance to let the people leave. However, those people did not leave, and more people gathered here.

In Yingyue Courtyard, the four maids had already recovered a lot, especially Qing Que and Hong Ling. The two of them had a strong physique, and Shen Ninghua had given them the best medicine. Now, they fully recovered.

When Hong Ling heard of the scene at the door, she hurriedly ran to report to Shen Ninghua. “Miss, the entrance is full of people, and they almost block the entire front door. There are even people gathering at the back door. Master was escorted out by guards to go to court. This is crazy.”

Shen Ninghua smiled and said, “What’s there to be surprised about? Father offered a prescription for curing the plague. In the eyes of those people, the credit is so enormous that they are willing to revere him for generations by setting up a Longevity Memorial Archway for father.”

Hong Ling turned her head and said, “But why do I have the feeling that these people are not just here to thank Master?”

The smile in Shen Ninghua’s eyes deepened. “You’re not stupid today. Your guess is right.”

“Miss, did I really guess correctly?”

“I told you to carefully report the situation outside these days. Can’t you tell why? Bai Ruo, do you understand?”

Bai Ruo stood out and gently massaged Shen Ninghua’s shoulder. “Let me try to analyze. If I say something wrong, please correct me. According to Hong Ling’s report these days, I noticed that every time the crowd at the door showed signs of dispersing, someone would jump out and talk about the tragic situation in Jiangnan, or cry about the destruction of their hometown and their homelessness. After persuading people to stay, there would be people constantly reminding them of the Shen and Zhao families’ contribution, and of what they should do. As a result, those people did not leave, and more people gathered here. ”

Shen Ninghua nodded. “Bai Ruo is right. Then can you guess who is manipulating the people behind the scenes?”

Bai Ruo thought for a while and said, “If I guess correctly, there should be people from the Second Prince and the Third Prince’s teams. The Zhao and the Shen families were supporters of the empress and the Crown Prince. They posed the greatest threat to the two princes. The Fourth Prince had always been indifferent to the world and did not want to get involved in these matters. If the other princes wanted to manipulate the people, they might not have the ability. Miss, am I right? ”

“You’re right, but why didn’t you think of the Fifth Prince?” Shen Ninghua looked at her.

Bai Ruo paused. “The Fifth Prince? The Fifth Prince has always been obsessed with poems and books. He treats people gently. Moreover, his mother died early and his status is too low. He was raised by Imperial Concubine Duan, who is in the empress’s team. This means that the Fifth Prince and the Crown Prince are tied together. Miss, do you think the Fifth Prince is behind this matter?”

Shen Ninghua shook her head in amusement, but she did not explain anything. “Just watch.” Baili Jinze had been playing down his existence, and he indeed succeeded. Did he think that he could be the wirepuller? Humph, even if you wanted to be a yellow bird behind the mantis that was catching the cicada, you had to see whether the bow and arrow in the hunter’s hand agreed.

Hong Ling’s curiosity was aroused, but no matter how she asked, Shen Ninghua did not say anything. She could only try her best to pay close attention to all kinds of news every day, fearing that she would miss out on any news.

In the evening, a green-feathered bird quietly landed in Shen Ninghua’s courtyard. Qing Que whistled softly, and the bird landed on her hand. Qing Que took out a small piece of paper from its feet and hurriedly sent it to Shen Ninghua.

Shen Ninghua finished reading the note, and it took her a while to wear a smile on her face. “Qing Que, take the things I prepared. We will go into the Palace to pay our respects to Princess Anning.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Last time when Shen Ninghua came out of the Palace, Princess Anning gave her a token to facilitate her entry into the Palace to treat her illness. Therefore, this time, Shen Ninghua’s entrance to the Palace was extremely smooth.

Hearing that Shen Ninghua was coming to the Palace, Princess Anning dressed up and waited in the main hall before her arrival.

“Greetings, Your Highness.”

“Ninghua, you’re here. Quickly sit down and talk to me. Someone, serve tea.”

A palace maid quickly brought up the tea and then withdrew with a light movement.

Princess Anning was somewhat restless. “Ninghua, have you prepared the medicinal ingredients?”

Seeing her uneasy and hopeful expression, Shen Ninghua smiled and nodded. “That’s right, I’ve already prepared the antidote for the early stage.”

The smile on Baili Anning’s face suddenly blossomed. Her beautiful face was exceptionally brilliant. “Great, great.”

Shen Ninghua did not keep her in suspense. She took out a jade bottle from her sleeve and said, “Here are fifteen pills of antidotes. Take one each day. After eating the pill, you may have some uncomfortable symptoms. Please don’t give up.”

“As long as I can get rid of this stench, I can endure anything.” Princess Anning stood up and took the antidote. She did not ask anyone to test the antidote and directly poured out one pill and swallowed it.

Shen Ninghua was slightly surprised by her action. But when thinking of how anxiously Anning wanted to get detoxified, she understood. Regardless of anything else, this feeling of being trusted was not bad.

“Your Highness, besides delivering the antidote, I have something else that needs your help.”

Baili Anning swallowed the pill. She felt that the pill instantly melted into her mouth and her entire body became warm. She said in a very good mood, “Ninghua, if you want anything, just say it. As long as I can do it, I will definitely help you.”

The smile on Shen Ninghua’s face became faint. “Your Highness should have heard that the plague in Ping City has spread to more than half of the Jiangnan region. People are suffering. Everyone in Da’an hopes that this disaster will be over quickly.”

“You’re right. A few days ago, my father and second brother were in great anxiety. Fortunately, the prescription has been developed. It’s all thanks to your family.”

Shen Ninghua frowned slightly. “The old doctor who treated me was an expert hermit. When he passed away, he left me some things. Most of them were made-up pills. My second sister broke her leg and I gave her some pills. When my father knew about this, he took away quite a few bottles. My younger brother, Shen Xuanye, learned medical skills from Master Liao Chen and developed quite some prescriptions by analyzing these pills. ”

Princess Anning widened her eyes. “I thought that they had found some missing medical book, or that a doctor had come up with a solution, but they actually worked out the prescription by studying your pills. Why are you so stupid? You just let them take the credit for nothing?”

Shen Ninghua’s expression was slightly solemn. “Your Highness, I never thought of competing for credit. If there was nothing else, I would definitely not tell you about it. I’m just worried…I’m worried that there’s something wrong with the prescription!”

“What?” Baili Anning was shocked. “I heard from second brother that after obtaining the prescription, my father was very happy. He had already gathered the medicinal ingredients to make the medicine and sent the medicine to Jiangnan overnight. If there was any problem with the prescription, wouldn’t those people suffer?” Six or seven days had already passed. Now, it was too late to issue an imperial decree to retrieve the medicine. There were not just two people, but tens of thousands of people in Jiangnan region!

Shen Ninghua was very upset. “I’m just a girl. Father took away the pills but he didn’t trust me. I never had the chance to see the prescription that father and second brother worked out. Only a few days ago when the Zhao family discussed it with father did I have the chance to see the prescription. If I had seen it earlier, I would have been able to stop His Majesty from distributing the medicine.”

“After His Majesty obtained the prescription, he asked the Imperial Health Institute to study it. The Institute only said that the prescription was amazing, but didn’t know if it really worked for the plague. They only knew that it was harmless to the human body. In order to appease the people, His Majesty directly started gathering medicinal ingredients. Ninghua, what’s wrong with the prescription?”

‘”The prescription seems harmless to the body, and it has very quick effect. However, the people of Jiangnan region live close to water and often eat fish and seafood. When the medicine takes effect in the early stage, they will probably have serious diarrhea symptoms in less than two days. They are already very weak and their entire body will be exhausted.”

Princess Anning stood up and anxiously walked around in the hall. “Ninghua, what should we do about this matter? There are so many people in Jiangnan. We can’t just watch and let them die.”

Shen Ninghua nodded with a solemn expression. “Go find the Second Prince first, and then he will lead us to meet His Majesty.”

Baili Anning was stunned. The anxiety in her heart suddenly calmed down. She looked at Shen Ninghua with a complicated expression. Saving the people of Jiangnan would be such a big credit. Seeking help from her second brother was almost equivalent to giving this credit to the royal family. Why would she do this?

Shen Ninghua smiled faintly. “Your Highness, you must wonder why I didn’t personally go to see His Majesty and take this credit for myself, right?”

“That’s right. I also heard that although you are the first daughter of the Shen family, you are not favored. With this credit, you will no longer be underestimated.”

Shen Ninghua smiled without the slightest bit of care. “Being underestimated means I will not be made use of. That saves me a lot of trouble.”

Baili Anning suddenly raised her head and looked at Shen Ninghua’s face that was smiling faintly. Suddenly, she felt a little empathetic. She wasn’t favored either. Although she sometimes felt resentment, when she saw other sisters who were forced into political marriages, she was also glad that she was not favored. However, as a princess of the royal family, she should shoulder her responsibilities. She just had to wait and see.

“Ninghua, I’ll send for my second brother. Please wait a moment.”

The sound of steady footsteps came from the door. Baili Jinchuan walked in with a serious expression. “There’s no need to send for me. I’m here.”

Shen Ninghua’s eyes flashed. She was not surprised that he appeared at this moment. “Greetings, Your Highness.”

Baili Jinchuan walked in front of Shen Ninghua and looked at her seriously, as if he wanted to engrave her appearance in the bottom of his heart.

Shen Ninghua maintained a half-squatting saluting posture. Since Baili Jinchuan didn’t ask her to stand up, she maintained her pose without making any movement. Only the hairpin on her head made some crisp sounds.

Baili Jinchuan carefully looked at the girl in front of him. She was bowing respectfully and did not make the slightest mistake, but he felt emptiness in his heart. She was clearly right in front of him, but she made him feel as if she was on the other side of the world. Even if her etiquette was impeccable, it did not represent any obedience. She was beyond his reach, impossible for him to grasp and grip.

“Shen Ninghua, come with me to meet His Majesty.