Chapter 430: Chapter 430: Death Exemption Token

On the ninth day of the locust plague, the Emperor and his court officials, having reached a dead end in their discussions, decided to seek a solution from the divine.

The first person he thought of was Shen Ningning.

The little one was summoned to the palace.

As Shen Ningning arrived outside the Imperial Study Room, she heard a clear, feminine voice from within.

"Imperial Uncle, Zhirou heard from Father that you’ve had a poor appetite lately, so I learned how to make this heart-clearing old duck soup. I woke up at dawn to stew it, and it’s delicious. Please, Imperial Uncle, won’t you try some?"

Inside the Imperial Study Room stood a thirteen-year-old girl dressed in a lotus-colored gown. She was graceful and gentle in her beauty.

But the look in her eyes as she gazed at the Emperor was full of sycophancy.

Mo Zhirou was the adopted daughter of King Shu. At the age of four, she was on the street selling herself to pay for her mother’s burial. Princess Shu, who was childless, saw the little girl and, finding her utterly pitiful, brought her back to the manor.

To please his wife, King Shu adopted her and gave her the Royal Family’s surname, Mo.

However, as she was not of true Imperial Family blood, she had not even been granted the title of Commandery Princess.

Mo Zhirou had come to the palace this time hoping to leverage the brotherly bond between her adoptive father, King Shu, and the Emperor to secure the title of Commandery Princess for herself.

Then, when it was time for her to marry, she would be able to take her pick from among the Princes and nobles.

Unfortunately, she had chosen a bad time. The Emperor, who was usually kind and pleasant toward her, was distracted today, frequently glancing outside the Imperial Study Room.

This continued until the Chief Eunuch announced in a loud voice, "Princess Funing has arrived!"

The Emperor’s worried brow smoothed over. "Quick! Quickly, show Ningning in. Zhirou, you may go for now. Just leave the soup here; I will drink it when I have a moment."

Having failed to achieve her goal and been interrupted, a flash of dissatisfaction naturally crossed Mo Zhirou’s eyes.

She slowly packed her food container, her gaze darting toward the doorway.

A little girl in a light purple gauze dress walked in.

Her fair face was as delicate and fresh as a budding flower.

Her features were exquisite, with dark eyes, pink lips, and hair as black as lacquer.

The moment she walked in, Mo Zhirou felt how different they were.

Princess Funing possessed a confidence that came from never having to live by pleasing others. It allowed her to always hold her head high, a faint smile playing on her lips, revealing shallow dimples.

Mo Zhirou had known from a young age that her wealth and status had not come easily, so she was always carefully reading people’s expressions.

Now, understanding the difference between herself and Princess Funing, she felt a greater sense of displeasure.

As Shen Ningning entered, Mo Zhirou dawdled, only departing gracefully after the Emperor had urged her to leave three times.

The doors to the Imperial Study Room closed.

The Emperor immediately walked over, inviting Shen Ningning to sit on a cattail cushion by the window for their talk, and poured the little girl tea with his own hands.

"Ningning, Uncle has run into some trouble this time. I have no choice but to ask for your help."

Shen Ningning held the teacup in her small, jade-white hands and saw that it was her favorite flower tea.

A bright smile immediately lit up her face. "Just say it, Uncle Emperor. Is it about the locust plague?"

The Emperor nodded. "After discussions and investigations, the court officials discovered that the locusts took advantage of the light rainfall this spring to lay their eggs in the exposed riverbeds nearby."

"So, I was thinking of having you increase the rainfall to raise the water levels again. Perhaps that could stop the emergence of these locusts at the source."

Shen Ningning blinked her big eyes and thought for a moment.

Inside her Immortal Realm, her little dark clouds were indeed growing more numerous. As she grew older, the Immortal Realm was also constantly expanding.

’It would be nice if I had better jade to eat,’ she thought. ’Maybe then more dark clouds would grow.’

’Unfortunately, the little Immortal Realm is very picky now. It won’t grow even if it consumes ordinary Jade.’

’It needs top-grade jade to work.’

Right now, the four trees in her Immortal Realm had a total of over forty dark clouds.

Even if she used a few every day, she could keep it raining for an entire month.

Having thought it through, Shen Ningning nodded decisively. "I can do it. Leave it to me!"

A look of joy appeared in the Emperor’s eyes. He grasped Shen Ningning’s small hand in his large one. "Ningning, with those words from you, Uncle can finally rest easy."

Suddenly, he remembered.

His son, Mo Lingwei, wouldn’t let him hold Shen Ningning’s hand!

He’d said that he was an uncle and Shen Ningning was a little girl, so he shouldn’t take advantage of her.

The thought of his son’s sour face startled the Emperor, and he quickly let go of her hand, pouring her more tea to dispel the awkwardness.

The little girl didn’t seem to notice anything amiss.

She just smiled sweetly. "The locusts have affected Xiangyun Village, too. The village uncles and aunties cry every day. The loquat trees they worked so hard to maintain have had all their fruit eaten. I hate them so much it makes my teeth grind."

Shen Ningning’s dark, glistening eyes darted about.

"But, Uncle Emperor, every time I help you, you give me a reward. What will you give me this time?"

The Emperor was taken aback for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter. "Ningning, as long as it’s something I can do, feel free to ask for anything."

Without hesitation, Shen Ningning crossed her arms and said, "Then I want a Death Exemption Token."

The Emperor froze.

"What do you want that for?"

Shen Ningning’s status was now noble, and she was his son’s closest friend.

Besides, the Emperor was growing more and more fond of this child, and had gradually pushed the State Preceptor’s words to the back of his mind.

Moreover, since Mo Lingwei had been with Shen Ningning, his old ailment had never acted up again.

A Death Exemption Token was completely unnecessary. The Emperor would never do anything to her, and when Mo Lingwei ascended the throne in the future, he would likely dote on her even more.

Unexpectedly, Shen Ningning was very firm this time.

"I’m afraid that one day, some accident might happen, and with a single word from you, Uncle Emperor, my head or the head of a loved one could roll."

She was doing it for her darned second brother.

Because Shen Ningning absolutely refused to believe that a treacherous person like Princess Consort Qi would ever give up.

She would surely do everything in her power to frame Xie Ming’an.

To save Xie Ming’an’s life, Shen Ningning was determined to keep a Death Exemption Token on hand to prevent Princess Consort Qi from using someone else to do her dirty work.

The little girl grabbed the Emperor’s sleeve and shook it. "Uncle, please just give me one. I promise I’ll do a great job making it rain for you."

The Emperor looked at her round, pink, chubby little face, then smiled and nodded, agreeing at once. "Alright! Someone, send for the Palace Affairs Department. I shall bestow a Death Exemption Token upon the princess."

But Shen Ningning quickly said, "No, you have to give it to me secretly. Otherwise, everyone will find out. What if every meritorious person starts asking Uncle Emperor for a Death Exemption Token?"

The Emperor pointed at the little one with a grin, shaking his head in helpless adoration.

"Oh, you. You don’t seem to realize that in this entire court, even in the whole Capital City, you’re the only one I allow to be so impudent with me. Alright, we’ll do it your way. After all, Uncle needs Ningning’s help."

The Emperor arranged for his confidant, Lord Lu, the head of the Imperial Guards, to secretly retrieve a Death Exemption Token from the Palace Affairs Department.

After handing it to the little girl, the Emperor smiled. "This should be acceptable, right?"

Shen Ningning nodded decisively. After a moment’s thought, she held out her small hand. "Uncle Emperor, let’s pinky promise. This business with the Death Exemption Token has to be a secret that only we two know. You can’t tell Brother either, okay!"

The Emperor raised his eyebrows in surprise, wondering what this clever little girl was plotting now.

However, he wasn’t worried in the slightest, because Shen Ningning was not a child who caused trouble senselessly.

"Pinky promise. I absolutely will not tell anyone else."

A large palm covered a small hand, and the pact was sealed.

A triumphant smile flashed in Shen Ningning’s eyes.

Gazing at the gleaming golden Immunity Token, she felt an immense sense of security.

’Now I don’t have to worry about my darned second brother being framed!’

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