Chapter 570: The Little Sparrow Delivers a Message

Chapter 570: Chapter 570: The Little Sparrow Delivers a Message

Shen Ningning froze.

Qing Yuan’s brows furrowed as well.

’What? Isn’t the Crown Prince unable to return because he’s busy with state affairs?’

’He actually went to dine with Meng Wanning, who just entered the palace!’

Qing Yuan quickly looked at Shen Ningning and saw the beauty’s fair, smooth face, looking somewhat dazed.

Her beautiful, jet-black eyes, which usually shimmered with light, now held a dim sadness.

Poor Princess Funing had been waiting for the Crown Prince for several hours, and she hadn’t even eaten yet.

Qing Yuan couldn’t help but defend Shen Ningning. "Lord Lu, it’s already late. The Princess was invited into the palace by the Crown Prince to pray for the Emperor’s well-being. You’re telling her not to stay in Zichen Palace, but where do you expect her to go?"

Lu Fu’s gaze was heavy as he looked at Shen Ningning and said, "I have no choice. I am merely conveying the Emperor’s wishes. I ask for the Princess’s understanding."

Qing Yuan wanted to argue further, but Shen Ningning gently tugged her back.

"Lord Lu, I understand." She was about to be betrothed to Lu Shaoyuan, while Meng Wanning was meeting with Mo Lingwei. It seemed the Emperor was quite satisfied with this arrangement.

The Emperor’s concern was that if Shen Ningning stayed here and Meng Wanning saw her, it would cause misunderstandings and jealousy.

It would be bad for both Shen Ningning’s and Mo Lingwei’s reputations.

"Princess!" Qing Yuan, who was usually composed, couldn’t help but feel anxious now.

Shen Ningning said to her, "Go help me pack my paper and brushes, and gather my clothes as well."

Qing Yuan was fraught with worry. "Where are you going?"

"To the presence of the gods and buddhas." Shen Ningning smiled, her expression gentle and lovely.

Carrying the packed belongings, Qing Yuan went with Shen Ningning to the Sunlight Tower.

The young woman seemed entirely unaffected by the Emperor’s orders and Mo Lingwei’s lie.

She sat at a table, surrounded by a hall full of divine and buddha statues. Only a single, bean-sized candle flame flickered on her table.

Seeing this, Lu Fu returned to report truthfully to the Emperor.

The window was open. Shen Ningning lowered her head to copy the Buddhist Scripture, hoping to entrust her chaotic thoughts to the tranquility of the sacred text.

But unexpectedly, at that moment, she once again heard the chattering of those two little sparrows.

This time, they were perched on the open windowsill. One hopped about, bobbing its head, while the other looked dejected in comparison, not forgetting to glare at Shen Ningning with its tiny, bean-sized eyes.

"Hey! Why are you so hopeless? Why don’t you go to the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion and fight Meng Wanning for him?"

"Stop with the regrets! Hurry up and give me what you lost to me!"

The sparrow that had lost the bet flapped its wings. "Shen Ningning, it’s all your fault! I lost a whole little pearl!"

Hearing this, Shen Ningning put down her brush and walked over.

The two sparrows were so frightened they were about to flutter away.

"Don’t go! I won’t hurt you." She quickly stopped in her tracks.

The little sparrows looked back, seeing that Shen Ningning was indeed speaking in their direction.

"Heavens above! I told you she could understand our bird language!"

"What do we do? Is it too late to play dead?"

While the two little sparrows were chirping away, Shen Ningning had already drawn near.

As if by magic, a handful of gleaming golden millet suddenly appeared in her hand, which she sprinkled on the windowsill.

"Go on, eat. You’ve gone to a lot of trouble following my relationship with him every day. I’m afraid I have to disappoint you. There won’t be any more romantic progress between us."

"Haha! She’s given up! You’ve totally lost to me!" The little sparrow supporting Meng Wanning hopped and chirped with glee.

The other sparrow looked at Shen Ningning. "Huh? You’re giving up just like that?! But the Crown Prince likes you! That pearl I found—it fell off the Crown Princess Consort’s robe that he secretly had made for you!"

Shen Ningning truly hadn’t known about this.

She was stunned for a moment, then lowered her gaze and smiled, hiding a trace of bitterness.

"I suppose I’ll never get to wear that dress."

To thank the little sparrow that supported her, Shen Ningning took off the pearl necklace from her neck, detached a perfectly round South Sea Pearl the size of her little fingertip, and gave it to the bird.

"Take it."

This made the other little sparrow burn with envy. "Is it too late for me to support you now?"

The sparrow that suddenly received the pearl was simply overjoyed.

"Really for me? Then it’s mine! You can’t take it back!" it said, snatching the pearl in its beak and fluttering away.

Shen Ningning smiled, then turned and sat back down at her table to continue copying the scripture.

’I’ll leave the palace tomorrow,’ she thought.

At that same time, the Emperor was leaning against his sickbed, drinking a bitter medicinal broth. His face was suffused with a sickly, depressed air from the fumes.

When he learned that Shen Ningning hadn’t caused a scene and had instead tactfully moved to the Sunlight Tower, he sighed.

"I have wronged this child." But for his son’s sake, he had no other choice.

Moreover, he couldn’t let Mo Lingwei see that Shen Ningning had been forced to leave him.

Otherwise, knowing his own son’s temperament, he was certain Mo Lingwei would go mad for Shen Ningning’s sake.

「Meanwhile, in the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion.」

Mo Lingwei had just arrived to see Meng Wanning, dressed elaborately, sitting at a table laden with fine dishes.

"Crown Prince." Seeing him appear, Meng Wanning couldn’t suppress her delight and quickly rose to greet him.

Mo Lingwei simply stood at the doorway, not even stepping inside.

"My father, the Emperor, said you had someone find a medicinal formula that can treat his illness. Give the formula to the Imperial Physician, and the Palace Affairs Department will give you the reward you deserve. If there’s nothing else, I will take my leave."

He had been summoned here suddenly. The Emperor had said that he should have come to thank Meng Wanning personally, but since his "dragon body" was unwell, he had sent Mo Lingwei to express his gratitude instead.

Mo Lingwei had been handling state affairs and had rushed over from the Imperial Study Room; he had to rush back soon.

Meng Wanning was a little flustered. "Your Highness, I heard you’ve been busy all afternoon and haven’t even eaten. Why don’t you have a little something before you go?"

Mo Lingwei’s brows knitted slightly. "My time is precious. I have no time to dally with you."

"Your Highness!" Meng Wanning grew anxious. She was about to take two steps to follow him when, unexpectedly, a small sparrow flew in abruptly through the window. It chirped and swooped up and down in front of Mo Lingwei.

Mo Lingwei frowned slightly, at first looking at the sparrow in confusion.

Suddenly, he noticed the pearl in the sparrow’s beak. Mo Lingwei held out his hand, and the sparrow landed smoothly in his palm, placing the pearl down.

"I can’t lose! Go find Shen Ningning right now, go on!" the little sparrow flapped its wings frantically, hopping back and forth as if its tail were on fire.

Its companion chased after it, landing on the windowsill and squawking angrily.

"I knew you wouldn’t give up! So you were going to cheat! You’re so cunning! I’ve been had for all my millet!"

Mo Lingwei, however, couldn’t understand their words. He could only tell from their frantic flapping that they were extremely agitated.

Meng Wanning shrieked, "These strange birds are so filthy! Hurry and shoo them away before they dirty the food! How is the Crown Prince supposed to enjoy his meal?"

But Mo Lingwei just turned and left, his pace quickening.

Meng Wanning panicked and chased after him. "Your Highness, where are you going?"

"This pearl is from Shen Ningning’s necklace. For these sparrows to bring it to me... I’m afraid something has happened to her." After saying this, Mo Lingwei was like a gust of wind, leaving Meng Wanning completely behind.

Meng Wanning stood frozen on the spot. When she came to her senses, she gritted her teeth in fury.

’Shen Ningning is so calculating! To actually use her gift of communicating with animals to have birds fight for the Crown Prince’s favor for her... she’s truly bewitched him!’