An Eight-year-old Princess novel Chapter 132

Emperor Ning fixed his eyes on the Empress. He glared at her coldly. The Empress shivered and bent her body lower.

Yun Shang glanced over the people who were present. She noticed that other than the non-participating ministers, notable ladies from different clans and the contestants who escorted Hua Jing back were also present.

"Shang'er, that's enough." Prince Jing came close to Yun Shang and whispered to her.

Yun Shang pondered. After this moment, Hua Jing's secret was known to all. And even though Emperor Ning would forbid them from leaking the news, word will spread across the Imperial City. In less than two days, the whole City will know that Princess Hua Jing had a miscarriage. But the Royals have to maintain their dignity too. Yun Shang needed to stop before she crossed the line.

Thinking about that, Yun Shang stood and walked to the Empress. She bowed to Emperor Ning and said, "Father, today's competition is to welcome the Prince from the State of Yelang and the Prince from the State of Xia. To show our respect, I suggest we put this issue behind us and deal with it after the competition is over."

Emperor Ning's face changed. He looked at the people present and found that everyone avoided eye contact with him. They all kept their heads bowed low. Emperor Ning felt even angrier. His face turned completely dark. "Shang'er is right. My Empress, why are you still kneeling?"

The Empress bit her lip and said slowly, "My apologies, Your Majesty." Then she stood and walked to the stage.

Prince Jing turned to the participants who escorted Hua Jing and asked, "The men's competition isn't over yet. Gentlemen, would you like to proceed?"

The participants looked at each other before shaking their heads.

Prince Jing nodded. Then he turned to Prince Qingsu who seemed absent-minded and asked him, "What about you, Prince Qingsu?"

"Pardon?" Prince Qingsu shuddered at Prince Jing's question. Then, he regained his composure and shook his head. "No, thank you. Men from the State of Ning are all excellent hunters. I'm not comparable."

Prince Qingsu's abnormal behavior caught Emperor Ning's attention. Noticing that Qingsu had been staring at the blood stains on the ground, Emperor Ning suddenly recalled something. He thought about the proposal for political marriage that was sent from the border a few months ago. Then, his eyes darkened. In the proposal, Prince Qingsu had mentioned that he had already had intimate relations with Hua Jing. So the father of Hua Jing's unborn baby is probably...... Him......

Emperor Ning rolled his eyes. He felt a bit on edge. 'Prince Qingsu, How dare you? I will never forget about the shame you brought to me today.'

Seeing that no one dared to break the silence, Prince Jing stood and smiled to all. "Lady Wang is really good at riding. I am impressed."

Yun Shang heard the praise and raised her eyebrow. She looked at Wang Jinyan with curiosity. "Did Lady Wang win the first place in the game?"

Prince Jing nodded. Yun Shang looked at Wang Jinyan again and found that the latter seemed calm at her accomplishment. Wang Jinyan didn't look proud. She just returned a smile to the Princess. Yun Shang appreciated her modesty. 'Lady Wang seems like someone that I can be friends with.'

Before Yun Shang left the temporary imperial palace, her mother had told her to make some genuine friends. Yun Shang didn't feel anything when she heard those words. But now, looking at Wang Jinyan, Yun Shang felt a little excited about making new friends. She had been too proud to make any friends in her previous life. Some girls had approached her and offered to be her friends, but they all came for her wealth and position. She felt better off without such friends. And now, given the circumstances that Yun Shang was in, she didn't have many chances to get acquainted with many people. So if there was a chance to be friends with Wang Jinyan, she would love to take it.

Seeing that Prince Jing and Yun Shang handled the situation well, Emperor Ning felt relieved. He was grateful for their presence. They had prevented the situation from spiralling.

"Your Majesty, it's time for the hunting game to come to an end. Shall I beat the drum to inform the contestants?" Prince Jing looked up at the sun before asking Emperor Ning.

Emperor Ning nodded. "All right."

Prince Jing clapped his hands. The drummers took his sign and started beating the drums. Dozens of huge drums were beaten at the same time. The loud noise made everyone's ears ache. Prince Jing raised his hands and covered Yun Shang's ears. He looked at her with tenderness. Emperor Ning noticed their silent communication. He hesitated, and turned his head away.

A short while later, the thundering of hooves muffled the sound of the drums. Several horses galloped out from the forest. They were all carrying preys.

Yun Shang squinted and examined the people who were approaching them. It seemed like Grand Councilor Li had also taken part in the hunting game......

Emperor Ning glanced at Grand Councilor Li, but kept silent. After a while, Prince Jing said, "Your Majesty, all the contestants of the hunting game have arrived."

Emperor Ning nodded. "Everyone, please rest. Prince Jing, check the number of their preys and make a record."

Prince Jing nodded and asked some servants to check the contestants' preys one by one. After he collected the results, he walked to the center of the ground and reported to the Emperor. "Your Majesty, the three winners of the hunting game, are Wang Jinhuan, Grand Councilor Li, and the Prince of the State of Xia."

Yun Shang was surprised at the result and raised her eyebrow. 'Well, Minister Wang raised his children well. Both his daughter and son won the game. Wang Jinhuan always appeared like a playboy who could achieve nothing. It was quite unexpected of him to be so good at hunting.'

Emperor Ning seemed surprised, too. He smiled at the Minister of Defense and War, and said to him, "Minister Wang, you have raised excellent children. They both won the game! I'll reward them. Wang Jinhuan and Wang Jinyan, what do you want for your prize?"

Minister Wang took his son and daughter with him and bowed before the Emperor. Wang Jinhuan smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I am not interested in either politics or money. But if you are generous enough to reward me with some beautiful women, I will be grateful."

Minister Wang frowned and pulled Wang Jinhuan's sleeve. He scolded him, "Son! Mind your behavior!"

Among the people present, many were good at Kung Fu, so they heard Minister Wang's reprimand even though he kept his voice low. Emperor Ning hesitated before he smiled. "Well, Mister Wang is straightforward. That's rare. Well, if that's what you want, I'll let my servant send some beautiful women to your mansion."

Wang Jinhuan was delighted and expressed his gratitude to the Emperor. "Thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty."

Everyone else despised his reaction. 'What a good chance to ask for prize! And it was wasted by an idiot like him!'

Yun Shang noticed their contemptuous looks. She smiled. Is Wang Jinhuan really an idiot? She doubted it. Being around the Emperor is as dangerous as accompanying a tiger. The officers needed to be extremely cautious at every step. Now, with two children winning the game, the Wang clan had caught too much attention. Wang Jinhuan's request seemed immature, but that also left the impression that he was just a playboy. In that way, no one would see him as a threat, thus guaranteeing the safety of the Wang clan.

When it was Wang Jinyan's turn to ask for her prize, she pondered before she said, "I've always liked swords and spears. I hate it when I have to be an ordinary woman who stays in the mansion all day and achieves nothing. I hope that Your Majesty will offer me a chance to fight in the battlefield......"

Her words surprised everyone again. They wondered what was wrong with Minister Wang's children. They had both asked for something ridiculous. A girl asking for a place in the army? Not to mention that the Emperor wouldn't agree. Even if he agreed, no one would dare to marry Wang Jinyan if the word spread.

Minister Wang looked even more embarrassed.

Emperor Ning tapped the table and said nothing. Yun Shang squinted before speaking, "Father, I've heard that there was a female general among the founding ministers of the State. Even though she was a woman, she was wiser and more courageous than most men. And she had contributed a lot to our State. I believe that Lady Wang is really good at martial arts. In that case, why not allow her to devote herself to our State?"

A female general had indeed, helped found the State of Ning. Her name was Ji Yunyi. Despite her gender, she was quite a legend. Ji Yunyi's father was a general, too. Starting from an early age, Ji Yunyi followed her father in wars everywhere. After her father died on the battlefield, she took over her father's responsibilities and followed the founding Emperor of the State of Ning in more wars and won them all. She was truly a legend.

Hearing Yun Shang's words, Emperor Ning nodded at Wang Jinyan. "Well, if that's your ambition, then I'll allow it. I appoint you as a captain. You can follow Prince Jing and work in his army. You may stay in the Imperial City and train your soldiers. If war breaks out, you can go to the battlefield with Prince Jing."

Wang Jinyan felt grateful. She expressed her gratitude, too. "Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty."

But their joy didn't affect Grand Councilor Li. He sensed that something strange must have happened during his absence. Grand Councilor Li looked at the Empress, who was standing on the stage, and found that she seemed pale and unfocused. Grand Councilor Li had a bad feeling. He recalled that Li Yaoqi was already in his seat although the Grand Councilor had only just returned. And it seemed that Li Yaoqi had been there for some time.