Chapter 261: Foes on a Narrow Path
Shen Ningning patted the water from her small hands and skipped cheerfully toward Zichen Palace.
She knew what everyone was curious about.
What exactly was so magical about that soup?
The truth was, the little one had discovered by chance that the Spirit Grass from her Immortal Realm had a miraculous effect on Mo Lingwei’s illness!
If a normal person ate two stalks of Spirit Grass, they would feel feverish and hot.
But when Mo Lingwei’s illness acted up, two stalks of Spirit Grass in a soup directly counteracted his cold affliction.
It could actually help him slowly recover and regain consciousness.
Now, Shen Ningning was the talk of the entire palace. Everywhere she went, people treated her with the utmost respect.
After all, she was the only one who could treat the Crown Prince’s cold affliction.
At the main hall of Zichen Palace, two little eunuchs pulled the doors open for Shen Ningning.
The little one tiptoed inside.
Mo Lingwei, already unconscious, had been fed the medicinal soup by the eunuchs.
Shen Ningning brought over a chair, sat beside him, and read to him so he wouldn’t be bored.
From her past few experiences, Shen Ningning had discovered that although Mo Lingwei seemed to be unconscious, he could still hear what they were saying.
When he was occasionally lucid, she could even see his fingertips twitch.
Thinking of this, Shen Ningning couldn’t help but say, "This cold affliction is so strange. It’s as if a big, invisible block of ice has frozen you, Big Brother."
"But you can still hear the sounds outside. Hmm, that must be pretty boring."
As she spoke, Shen Ningning opened the book. "We’re still on Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio today. I’ll read you the story of the fox demon~"
However, out of the corner of her eye, the little one saw Mo Lingwei’s thin, cold, dark eyebrows twitch and furrow slightly.
"Huh? Big Brother, what does that mean? You don’t like it?"
She blinked her big eyes and tilted her little head, looking utterly adorable with her perfectly sculpted features.
Suddenly.
Shen Ningning remembered something and scratched her chubby pink cheek in embarrassment.
"Oh, that’s right, I remember now. I already told the fox demon story last time."
As she said this, Mo Lingwei’s tightly furrowed brow relaxed.
The little one flipped through the pages and said, "Then we’ll read something else. Hmm, let me see~"
She was in the middle of picking a story when the Emperor came in from outside.
"Ningning, are you busy?" the Emperor asked, his face wreathed in a warm smile.
The little one stood up, her cute little frame giving a slight curtsy. "Uncle Emperor, I was just about to read a story to Big Brother to help him pass the time."
"Oh, I see. I have something I’d like to discuss with you."
The Emperor glanced at Mo Lingwei on the bed and said with some reservation, "Shall we go to the side hall to talk?"
"Okay." Shen Ningning set down the book and followed the Emperor to the side hall.
At that moment, the Crown Prince on the bed, who seemed to be unconscious, gently clenched his fingertips.
"Ningning, the situation is this. As you’ve seen, the natural disaster has struck just as you predicted. Right now, the entire Cangyun Country, including the Jiangnan region, has had its cities sealed off by heavy snow."
"We just went through a drought and haven’t recovered, and now we’re hit with this cold disaster. The court’s national treasury and granaries are limited. At most, they can only last for half a year. If the cold disaster isn’t over after six months, it will all be over."
"So, I wanted to discuss something with you. I heard that you’ve stockpiled a lot of supplies. Do you think you could spare a little to contribute to the national treasury?"
"These supplies will ultimately end up in the hands of the common people, providing relief for the masses."
The Emperor spoke with great humility.
Like an elder asking a junior for advice.
Shen Ningning lowered her eyelashes. "Uncle Emperor, I’ve thought about this."
In fact, the little one had already thought about this when Xie Suzhi reminded her.
Her voice was soft and sweet, but her thoughts were clear. "I did think about donating some of my supplies to help everyone get through the disaster."
"But, I’m afraid that once I start, you won’t let me stop. I have so many people behind me to support. If you drain me of everything, what will my family, my villagers, and my friends eat and use?"
The little one was very blunt and direct.
The title of "blessed girl" was both a good thing and a bad thing.
It represented a responsibility she couldn’t shirk.
’I can donate this time, but what happens next time? When everyone runs out of supplies, will they just ask me to donate again?’
The Emperor nodded in agreement, his voice growing heavy.
"You have a point. So, Ningning, do you have a better solution?"
"I do," Shen Ningning said with a nod, explaining her idea. "I’ll donate anonymously. Uncle Emperor, don’t tell anyone the things are from me."
The Emperor was startled. "How can that be? You’re doing a good deed. We should publicize it and proclaim to the world that it is your good fortune that has blessed everyone."
But Shen Ningning shook her little head decisively.
"I don’t actually care for that kind of adoration."
The little one had long since experienced the world’s fickleness.
’Before, when no one believed the disaster was coming, they called me a fake blessed girl.’
’Now that they need me, they’ve put me back on the "blessed girl" pedestal.’
’This empty title of "blessed girl" isn’t as substantial as a bowl of meat!’
Shen Ningning continued, "Uncle Emperor, only by doing this can I protect myself while also ensuring everyone is taken care of."
The Emperor pondered for a moment before finally nodding.
"Alright, then We shall grant your wish. This matter will be known only to Heaven, Earth, you, and Us."
"We will never erase your contribution. Behind the scenes, We will certainly ensure you receive the credit and rewards you deserve."
Shen Ningning gave a sweet smile, only then starting to speak about the details.
"For this donation of supplies, you can say publicly, Uncle Emperor, that it was a gift from a certain young lady in Jiangnan. Her name... isn’t important."
"Alright, We will do as you say. Then, Ningning, how much do you plan to donate?"
"Ten storehouses of firewood, six hundred bolts of cotton cloth, and five granaries of rice and flour."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor was so excited that he grabbed Shen Ningning’s small hand.
He was so moved he was on the verge of tears.
"Good Ningning, you truly are Uncle Emperor’s good child. You’ve solved our most pressing emergency."
"If Chancellor Xie hadn’t beaten Us to it, We would have wanted to make you Our goddaughter!"
The moment the Emperor’s words fell, a cold, harsh rebuke came from the doorway: "Don’t even think about it."
The two turned their heads to look. Mo Lingwei’s black hair fell over his shoulders as he leaned against the doorframe, his gaze dark and severe.
Shen Ningning was overjoyed. "Huh? Big Brother, you’re awake!"
Mo Lingwei walked in on unsteady feet and snatched Shen Ningning’s little hand out of the Emperor’s palm.
He pulled the little one aside. "Why did you agree to donate just because he asked?"
Shen Ningning blinked her innocent, big eyes. "When I was preparing everything, I specifically set aside a portion to help the people of the world."
The little one had anticipated this all along.
Mo Lingwei furrowed his brow. His face was still somewhat pale, which made his eyes seem as dark as an abyss.
"You should have kept it for yourself. The people of the world didn’t believe you, so their lives and deaths have nothing to do with you."
But Shen Ningning shook her head and hugged his arm.
She looked up with her big, crystal-clear, bright eyes. "I have to help. If the natural disaster can go away sooner, your illness can get better faster too, right?"
Warmth spread through Mo Lingwei’s heart, but his body swayed right after.
The Emperor hurried over to support him. "Aiya, look at you! Why did you rush over right after waking up?"
Mo Lingwei shot him a cold glare. "You just had to take Shen Ningning to the side hall to talk. Was there something I wasn’t allowed to hear?"
"I was afraid you had ill intentions, so of course I had to come and listen."
Shen Ningning covered her mouth with her small hand, her eyes curving as she stifled a giggle.
When it was time for her to leave the palace, Shen Ningning rode in a decorated carriage, preparing to exit.
However, she happened to run into Consort Rong’s procession. Ye Shangyi walked at the very front, wearing the peacock-blue collared uniform of a female official, looking quite imposing.
Upon seeing Shen Ningning’s carriage, Ye Shangyi raised an eyebrow.
’Finally, my time to feel vindicated has arrived.’
Meeting on the palace road, both Shen Ningning’s decorated carriage and Consort Rong’s procession came to a stop at the same time.
One side had to yield.
But this time, the usually low-key little one lifted the curtain and said to the little eunuch, "It’s getting dark. My grandma will worry if I don’t get home soon. Go ask Consort Rong to let me pass."
The little one was no longer willing to be courteous to those who had shown her malice.
Unexpectedly, the little eunuch went and returned with Ye Shangyi following behind him.
The little eunuch had a troubled expression. "Commandery Princess, Consort Rong... says she is in a hurry to go worship."
Ye Shangyi forcefully pushed the little eunuch aside.
Through the hanging curtain, she stared smugly at Shen Ningning. "Commandery Princess, Her Ladyship is on her way to the Sunlight Tower to offer Buddhist Scripture and pray to the heavens for the disaster to pass quickly."
"If you don’t make way, you will only delay the auspicious time for Her Ladyship’s worship. So, get out of the way."