An Eight-year-old Princess novel Chapter 198

Shocked, Hua Jing turned to Yun Shang, only to be startled by the hatred in Yun Shang's eyes. Hua Jing suddenly understood. "It was you, wasn't it? It was you who framed me when my cousin was poisoned. In the hunting competition that day, it was also you who set me up. Several days ago at the temporary imperial palace, it was you who led to my..."

Yun Shang squinted with disdain. "What are you talking about, Sister? I don't understand a word. Actually, Sister, I have always been curious. Tell me, who is the father of your lost baby? I heard many people arguing about this when I was traveling through the Imperial City a few days ago. They were even gambling on the identity of this man in the tea houses. I bet five hundred taels on Prince Qingsu from the State of Yelang. Do you think I will get lucky, Sister? Oh, well, I understand if you want to keep it to yourself, Sister. Or maybe you have no idea either..."

Truly outraged, Hua Jing glared at her sister before throwing the court lantern at Yun Shang.

"Ha-ha ha-ha..." Yun Shang laughed cheerfully. "By the way, Sister, Prince Qingsu said that he would take responsibility to spare your reputation. But Father refused him. I suppose Father will not allow you to marry him. However, if you can't marry Prince Qingsu, who would want to marry you considering your reputation now? Do you know why Father refused Prince Qingsu's proposal of marriage?"

When Hua Jing heard the taunt, veins throbbed on her forehead. She gnashed her teeth. "Get out of here!"

Yun Shang shook her head and looked more joyful. "Let me tell you why, Sister. It is because your mother and Grand Councilor Li are loathe to agree so. If you marry Prince Qingsu, it would be known to all in the Imperial City that Princess Hua Jing was intimate with the third Prince of the State of Yelang not long after her husband had died. Moreover, the State of Yelang and the State of Ning were at war when this happened. What you did was treason, Sister. Do you think Her Majesty and the Grand Councilor would protect a Princess who is guilty of treason?"

Hua Jing's eyes turned red. Furious, she dashed towards Yun Shang. Yun Shang, however, dodged easily. Hua Jing couldn't manage to stop in time. She knocked over a vase. The vase shattered on the ground, and Hua Jing fell to the ground.

Yun Shang walked to her and bent to look at her sister. She said with a smile, "Be careful, Sister. What if you are bearing another baby now?"

"Yun Shang!" Hua Jing looked up at her fiercely. "I will have my grandfather kill you. Believe it or not, I swear I will send you to hell."

"Ha-ha..." Yun Shang laughed as if she had just heard the funniest joke in the world. "Sister, you are so naive. Do you know that I'm going to marry Prince Jing on the sixth day of the coming month? I will be both, a Princess and Princess Consort then. Do you think Grand Councilor Li will make trouble for me at this point?"

Hua Jing spat at Yun Shang. "Do you really think your plan will go smoothly? To tell you the truth, not only you, but Prince Jing will also die soon. Now that you are so in love with each other, why don't you be a happy couple in hell?"

Yun Shang wiped her face nonchalantly and smiled. "Really? Your confidence impresses me, Sister. Let's wait and see who the winner will be."

Then Yun Shang turned and left.

As Hua Jing watched Yun Shang leave, she bit her lip so hard that it started to bleed. After a while, Hua Jing stood and shouted. "Come in! Send a message to Mother. I want to see her! I need to see her! Yun Shang, I will remove your skin and drain your blood."

"Your Highness, why did you have to provoker her? I noticed that the Princess Palace is surrounded by martial arts masters. But they don't look like those under the command of the Imperial Commander. I'm afraid they were sent by either the Empress or the Grand Councilor. Although Princess Hua Jing is currently out of favor, it seems that the Empress and the Grand Councilor haven't given up on her completely. If the Grand Councilor takes action against Your Highness..." Qian Yin was worried.

Yun Shang was in good mood. She had just spent the morning teasing and taunting Hua Jing. She replied with a smile, "It's all right. I know Grand Councilor Li is protecting her secretly, otherwise I wouldn't have visited her today. The Grand Councilor is a patient and reserved person. He won't take my provocation seriously. All I wanted was to create unease in his mansion. Speaking of that, has Cangyang Yu'er moved into the Grand Councilor's mansion?"

Qian Yin shook her head. "Not yet. But I heard that Lady Li is protesting against it. She requested the Grand Councilor to keep a low profile in respect to their wedding, because it has embarrassed her in front of all the ladies in the Imperial City. She insisted that Lady Cangyang be collected in a small sedan chair, but Lady Cangyang disagreed resolutely. Lady Cangyang argued that as her marriage was granted by His Majesty and she would be a wife of the Grand Councilor, she deserved a grand wedding. If Lady Li wouldn't allow for the appropriate arrangements, Lady Cangyang would go to His Majesty and let him judge. Grand Councilor Li was annoyed by their bickering, so the matter hasn't been settled yet."

Yun Shang paused and smiled. "But it's time now. Ask Ning Qian to give Cangyang Yu'er some hints tomorrow. We'd better remind Lady Cangyang that her adopted father is the Chief Councilor of the State of Yelang."

Qian Yin understood Yun Shang's intention right away. She smiled with excitement as she thought of the upcoming dissension in the Grand Councilor's mansion. "You are a genius, Your Highness. I'll send your message to Ning Qian tonight."

Cangyang Yu'er was born and brought up in the grassland, so she had a tougher and more direct personality than girls in the State of Ning. Compromise was not in her dictionary. As for Lady Li, as the wife of the Grand Councilor, she was accustomed to the respect and admiration of the other ladies in the Imperial City. With her many years of experience in the household, Lady Li had become a master of schemes. Now that she had been humiliated by Cangyang Yu'er publicly, Lady Li must hate her guts. How wonderful would it be if they lived in the same mansion?

On the way back to the Palace, Yun Shang ran into Ning Qian, who was enjoying a boat trip on the lake. Ning Qian saw Yun Shang just after getting off the boat. She gestured to Yun Shang.

Yun Shang raised an eyebrow and stepped aside. She saw Ning Qian give orders to the maid beside her. After Ning Qian had finished speaking, the maid nodded and started to walk toward Yun Shang. She didn't stop when she reached the Princess. Instead, she turned and walked into an alley.

Yun Shang and Qian Yin followed her into the alley. Not many people were in the alley. The maid slowed down so that Yun Shang could catch up to her. The maid spoke to the Princess in a very low voice, "Prince Houjing of the State of Xia is now in a village at the bottom of Mount Kirin."

What? Yun Shang paused, but the maid had disappeared. Yun Shang frowned and didn't move for a long time.

Qian Yin had placed herself at the opening of the alley to guard against potential dangers. She didn't hear their talk. But from Yun Shang's expression, she knew that it must be something serious. After hesitating for a moment, Qian Yin asked softly, "What is wrong, Your Highness?"

Yun Shang squinted before an angry look flashed across her face. "We need to return to the Palace now."

Once at Qingxin Palace, Yun Shang changed into a formal dress and went to Qinzheng Hall. However, upon her arrival she learned that Emperor Ning wasn't there. Anxious, Yun Shang decided to look for Emperor Ning in the Imperial Garden. It didn't take her long to find Emperor Ning. She walked up to him and called softly, "Father."

Emperor Ning turned and that is when Yun Shang noticed the woman beside him. He was walking with Li Fuyi.

Yun Shang frowned. When did Li Fuyi win the Emperor's favor?

"Shang'er?" Emperor Ning beckoned her with a genuine smile. "Did you go somewhere today? I saw a really good piece of fabric, so I asked Lord Zheng to send it to you for your wedding dress. But you were not in the Palace."