Chapter 444: June 6, the Fragrance of Lotuses Fills the City

Chapter 444: Chapter 444: June 6, the Fragrance of Lotuses Fills the City

The man reached out and shoved. The shop assistant didn’t dare to defy him and was pushed so hard she stumbled, falling right at Shen Ningning’s feet.

A sharp glint flashed in the little girl’s eyes. She immediately set down her teacup to help the assistant up.

"Are you all right?"

"Thank you, Princess. I’m all right." The shop assistant’s face was pale as she shook her head.

Shen Ningning stood up and saw that the newcomer was none other than the Ninth Prince, with Mo Zhirou trailing behind him.

’What a small world for enemies.’

The Ninth Prince’s angry expression immediately froze when he saw Shen Ningning.

Even Mo Zhirou, who had been standing behind him with an air of arrogance, looked as if she had seen a ghost when she realized the esteemed guest was Shen Ningning.

Remembering King Shu’s reprimand, she inconspicuously lowered her head and scurried to hide behind the Ninth Prince.

The commotion from the shop assistant’s fall quickly drew the Shopkeeper out from the inner room.

The Shopkeeper came out, took one look, and immediately fell to his knees in terror.

"Ninth Prince, please forgive me! I didn’t realize it was you gracing us with your presence. We received word from Princess Funing that she would be coming for a fitting today. Fearing we might neglect the Princess, our humble shop prepared to close for the day to entertain her as our sole honored guest."

The Ninth Prince’s eyes darkened. He glanced at Shen Ningning, knowing he couldn’t afford to offend her right now.

He then turned to the shop assistant, redirecting his anger. "Since the Princess was here, you should have just said so. Why were you hemming and hawing at me? I see now. You were clearly throwing your weight around, trying to bask in borrowed glory."

The shop assistant’s face turned deathly pale, and she dropped to her knees with a THUD.

"Ninth Prince, please understand, I had no such intention!"

The Shopkeeper, sweating profusely, hurried to explain. "She’s new, Your Highness. She didn’t recognize you or your Jade Pendant. I beg your forgiveness."

The Ninth Prince needed a way to back down without losing too much face.

He nodded and said coldly, "I ought to punish you severely for such an offense, but seeing as this is your first time, I’ll let it go."

"How about this: have this shop assistant kowtow to me thirty times, and I’ll spare her. I brought my cousin Zhirou here today to give your shop some business, but my perfectly good mood has been ruined by an ignorant clerk. It’s only right that you make amends."

Hearing she had to kowtow thirty times, the shop assistant didn’t dare beg for mercy and immediately moved to prostrate herself.

Just then, a slender little hand cupped the shop assistant’s head from below, stopping her.

Shen Ningning was bent over, her dark eyes clear and bright. Her lips parted as she said slowly, "Is that really necessary? She was perfectly polite when speaking with you and had no intention of throwing her weight around. Besides, she apologized. Ninth Prince, why insist on humiliating her by making her kowtow?"

With that, the little girl straightened up, positioning herself in front of the shop assistant. She fixed the Ninth Prince and Mo Zhirou with an icy glare.

’Princess Consort Qi is awful, and the Ninth Prince she bore is awful too!’

’And Mo Zhirou is no saint, either.’

Shen Ningning didn’t bother giving them a pleasant look.

The Ninth Prince hadn’t expected this. He was trying *not* to make things difficult for Shen Ningning, yet she dared to interfere and lecture him.

His brow furrowed. "Funing, you didn’t hear the whole story. Before I had revealed my identity, I tried to enter the shop, but this assistant deliberately blocked my way and was insolent."

The Ninth Prince then turned his sharp, severe tone on the shop assistant. "Isn’t that right? Tell the Princess the truth."

Terrified of his status, the shop assistant nodded tremulously. "Yes, yes... It’s all my fault. I offended His Highness. Princess, you mean well, but I was in the wrong. The Ninth Prince is right to punish me."

By the end of her sentence, she looked as if she was about to burst into tears from fright.

With Princess Funing and the Ninth Prince at odds, a commoner like her was caught in the middle, and she was terrified.

Shen Ningning knew exactly why she was so willing to submit. Commoners couldn’t afford to offend the powerful; their only option was to appease them and keep the peace.

’In her past life as a commoner, she had been bullied far too many times!’

This time, Shen Ningning refused to back down.

"With you putting it like that, how could she dare to plead innocent? I’m afraid that under such coercion, she wouldn’t dare deny it even if you accused her of murder."

The Ninth Prince’s eyes blazed with anger. "You!"

’This Shen Ningning has become more and more difficult to deal with as she’s grown up.’

’He still remembered feeding a sika deer with her when she was little.’

Mo Zhirou stepped out from behind the Ninth Prince and said meekly, "Actually, I heard it too. It was clearly the shop assistant who was insolent and offended His Highness. Princess, His Highness wasn’t abusing his power."

Shen Ningning shot her a sharp glare, and Mo Zhirou immediately shrank back behind the Ninth Prince.

Just then, Fang Qingdai and Xu Jingxi heard the commotion and came out from the inner room.

"What’s going on?" Fang Qingdai frowned. She and Xu Jingxi both looked with confusion from the kneeling assistant and Shopkeeper to the Ninth Prince.

As soon as he saw Fang Qingdai, the look in the Ninth Prince’s eyes changed.

Fang Qingdai commanded a portion of the military—a force he was keen to win over. The Xie family was close to the Crown Prince, but General Fang always kept her distance from them.

Therefore, to the Ninth Prince, winning over Fang Qingdai seemed like a viable strategy.

He had long since learned that Fang Qingdai disliked profligate people. Furthermore, as a General, she cared deeply about the common folk. It was best he didn’t lose his temper at them in her presence.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he abruptly changed his expression, sighed, and adopted a milder tone.

"Forget it. Since the Princess has pleaded on your behalf, I won’t hold it against you. Just remember, your Brocade Manor is the largest textile house in the Capital City. If you get a reputation for bullying customers, you’ll run into trouble sooner or later."

With that, he clasped his hands in a brief salute. "Since today is inconvenient, I’ll take Zhirou to shop elsewhere. Funing, General Fang, farewell."

As the Ninth Prince led away a crestfallen Mo Zhirou, Shen Ningning stuck her tongue out at his retreating back. "So pretentious!"

Xu Jingxi stepped forward and took his little sister’s hand.

"Next time something like this happens, don’t confront him alone."

Shen Ningning thought Xu Jingxi was about to scold her, but to her surprise, his next words were, "Just call for me. I’m not afraid of offending him."

The little girl let out a laugh, her eyes sparkling and shallow dimples appearing on her cheeks.

"Okay, I’ll remember, Third Brother. How did you do with picking out your clothes?"

Fang Qingdai smiled. "He picked out three outfits. Ningning, let me pay for the clothes this time. Your mother and I were bosom friends, so it’s only right that I buy these for you."

Shen Ningning didn’t feign reluctance and agreed immediately.

Seeing his sister happy, Xu Jingxi also smiled warmly. "Then we thank you, General Fang."

Before the three of them left, the shop assistant was overcome with gratitude.

If Shen Ningning hadn’t stepped in to help, she would surely have been humiliated today.

After the incident with the Jade Token, Princess Consort Qi and King Shu had been on their best behavior. Even Mo Zhirou would go out of her way to avoid Shen Ningning.

「The days passed peacefully. Before long, it was June, and the Capital City was greeting the first days of summer.」

The scorching sun beat down through emerald leaves, and heat shimmered up from the ground. Shen Ningning had long since switched to wearing light, gauzy dresses.

It was around this time that King Shu ordered the many scenic ponds in the Capital City to be filled with lotus flowers.

It was simply because Princess Shu loved them, and besides, her birthday was fast approaching.

To flaunt his love for his wife, King Shu booked the largest restaurant in the Capital City and threw open its doors. For three days leading up to her birthday, anyone who came could eat their fill at a never-ending banquet.

At night, he even had fireworks set off from a high vantage point for Princess Shu, bathing the entire Capital City in a brilliant glow.

When Princess Shu’s birthday finally arrived, King Shu held a grand banquet at the Shu Royal Mansion, inviting Princes, nobles, and other prestigious elites to attend.

Shen Ningning and Mo Lingwei were among those invited, so they arrived at the Shu Royal Mansion together.

The Shu Royal Mansion was already filled with all kinds of lotus flowers for the summer season. Mo Lingwei held Shen Ningning’s small hand as they walked through the grounds.

The little girl kept shaking her head with a "tsk, tsk."

Mo Lingwei raised an eyebrow. "What is it? Do you have some objection to these lotus flowers?"

Shen Ningning pouted, her words pointed. "The flowers are beautiful, but the one who planted them did so for all of us to see, not just for the one he supposedly loves."

Mo Lingwei’s eyes narrowed, a flicker of confusion crossing his handsome, cool features.

’Why has this little girl been speaking in riddles ever since we arrived?’

Just then, a gentle female voice called out from ahead.

"Ling Wei, Ningning, you’re here."

They both looked up to see Princess Shu approaching with a smile, her eyes crinkling with bliss.

’It looks like Princess Shu has been won over by King Shu’s sweet-talking.’