An Eight-year-old Princess novel Chapter 200

Night fell. Yun Shang lay on the bench, sleepless. She was already dressed as she was expecting Prince Jing to come and lead her out of the Palace. But she had blown out all the lamps in her chamber. Yun Shang stared into the darkness in the room. Her eyes were wide open. Somehow, the moment reminded Yun Shang of her previous life. Jingran exposed his nature as a playboy shortly after their marriage. He fooled around with prostitutes in brothels day and night, and seldom returned home.

At first, Yun Shang cried and smashed things to vent her anger. She even went to the Empress to air her grievances. 'Although the Empress consoled me with gentle comforting words, she must have been glad in her heart of hearts when she heard all my pitiful stories, ' Yun Shang thought to herself. However, Yun Shang only incurred vicious blames from her mother-in-law for her cries and desperate behavior. Then Yun Shang gradually came to realize that there was no use in doing so. She finally accepted defeat. But she could no longer fall asleep at night. On those nights, Yun Shang could only stare into the pitch darkness in her room with a broken heart.

Spoiled by the Empress on purpose in her previous life, Yun Shang had never felt misery nor distress before her marriage. She had never imagined that she would sink into such an abyss of suffering one day. In her darkest moment, desperation was the only thing she could feel. However, her life worsened further as Jingran married many concubines. All of them were so vile and cunning that Yun Shang had suffered a lot at their hands.

"Bang!"

A strange noise originating near the window caught Yun Shang's attention. Yun Shang sat up and turned to look at the window. In the dim moonlight, she saw a person in white jump in from outside.

"Hmm? I thought you would be asleep. Why are you sitting here? You scared me." Prince Jing said. He seemed exhausted. That surprised Yun Shang. She wondered what had happened to make the Prince so tired. She knew that His Majesty hadn't sent the Prince on any errand recently. How could he be so exhausted...

Yun Shang took off the quilt and left her bench. "I have told Qian Yin and Qin Yi about our plan. Have you thought of how we're going to explain my absence?"

"Don't worry. I have thought of something." Prince Jing said as he walked toward Yun Shang. She could not help but frown after she took a closer look at the Prince. Prince Jing sat down on the bench and let out a sigh. "I heard that Ning Qian is very good at changing her facial appearance. How about letting Ning Qian stay at the Palace and impersonate you for a couple of days?"

Yun Shang wrinkled her brow as soon as she heard the Prince's suggestion. It seemed Jing Ying had indeed told the Prince everything about her. Yun Shang curled her mouth a bit in anger, and said, "I have sent Ning Qian on another errand."

Yun Shang could not afford to relax her precautions against the Li family when she was away from the Imperial City. She understood that the Empress would never be happy if her marriage was a success. She felt the need to take action before the Empress could hurt her. Yun Shang wanted to find such an opportunity to ensure that the Empress and Hua Jing faced a heavy setback. So, she sent Ning Qian on an important task.

Prince Jing nodded, "Okay, let's go. But I'm a little tired. We will go to my mansion first. I'm in need of sleep."

Yun Shang became more curious after hearing that. Although she had noticed Prince Jing's weariness, she hadn't expected that the Prince would admit to it candidly. And he even said he was in need of sleep! What had happened to make the Prince so exhausted? The Prince looked normal. They had met earlier in the day and she hadn't noticed any changes since their last meeting.

But Prince Jing didn't explain any further. He simply held Yun Shang by her waist and took her out of the room through the window before she could raise any questions.

Yun Shang felt uneasy with the intimate distance between them. She frowned and said softly, "Uncle, please put me down. I can walk."

Instead of removing his hands, Prince Jing pulled Yun Shang closer into his arms. Yun Shang had no choice but to suppress the discomfort she felt. Fortunately, a carriage was waiting outside the Imperial Palace. Prince Jing carried Yun Shang into the carriage as soon as they approached it. There was a lamp in the carriage. By the light of the lamp, Yun Shang could clearly see the Prince's bloodshot eyes.

Prince Jing closed his eyes to rest as soon as he stepped inside the carriage. This increased Yun Shang's curiosity. What the hell had happened? She wondered.

However, Yun Shang found no chance to raise any questions as Prince Jing kept his eyes closed for the whole journey to his mansion.

The Prince didn't open his eyes even when they arrived at his mansion. Yun Shang turned to look at the Prince, who seemed to have fallen asleep. Yun Shang frowned and addressed the Prince softly, "Uncle."

Prince Jing opened his eyes all of a sudden. He looked straight at Yun Shang, with a sharp cold gaze. It was so scary that Yun Shang shuddered.

But Prince Jing soon regained his composure and realized who he was staring at. He rallied himself from his irregular behavior, and raised the window curtain to peep out. "We've arrived?" Then he stretched out his hand toward Yun Shang. It seemed that he intended to help Yun Shang dismount from the carriage. But Yun Shang insisted that she didn't need help, "Uncle, I can walk."

Prince Jing insisted no more. He pushed open the door of the carriage, and dismounted. Then Yun Shang climbed down from the carriage, and followed the Prince into his mansion.

"I didn't plan on returning. So, I didn't tell my chamberlain to prepare a guest room. There is a bench in my room. You can sleep on the bed, and I will take a nap on the bench, " said Prince Jing gently.

Yun Shang studied Prince Jing carefully. It seemed he was not injured. Then why did he look so weary?

"Is something wrong? Uncle, you seemed well in the day. Why are you so tired now? Did something happen after we met?" Yun Shang asked after thinking for a moment.

Prince Jing stopped at Yun Shang's questions, and curled his lips into a smile. But what a smile it was! Pitiful, helpless, and sad! Yun Shang could not help but feel worried. As a tough man, the Prince seldom smiled. It was even more unusual for the Prince to force such a complicated smile. But the Prince seemed somewhat relieved when he smiled. This confounded Yun Shang even further.

"I heard some news. But I don't know how should I respond to it. Ha-ha..." Prince Jing laughed awkwardly before sighing. Then he stopped talking.

The chamberlain had prepared water before they stepped into Prince Jing's room. Yun Shang sat in front of the table after Prince Jing walked into the bathroom to wash. She just sat at the table watching the flickering flame in the lamp and listening to the noise of washing coming from the bathroom. All these events seemed so unreal as if she were in a dream.

"Princess Consort, I have prepared some food. Would Your Highness like to eat something now?" Yun Shang was a little startled as she wasn't expecting the chamberlain. Princess Consort?

Yun Shang pondered over who the chamberlain was addressing. Princess Consort? It must be her!

Yun Shang's eyes sparkled as she thought of something. Yun Shang turned to look at the bathroom. "Has Uncle had supper?"

The chamberlain shook his head. "His Highness received an invitation after he returned from the Imperial Palace. Then he left to see the person who sent the invitation. But His Highness shut himself in the study ever since his return. Princess Consort, would you please..." The chamberlain stared at Yun Shang with a look of appeal before turning his gaze toward the bathroom.

Yun Shang immediately understood what the chamberlain meant. 'He must be worried about the Prince. But he didn't dare to persuade the Prince to eat. So, he's requesting me to eat something with the hope that I will ask the Prince to dine with me.'

Yun Shang nodded slightly after a long silence. "Bring in the meal."

The chamberlain burst into a brilliant smile at that. He hurriedly ordered the servants to bring the dishes and serve them on the table by Yun Shang's side. Yun Shang took a look at the dishes. Just some simple home-made food that was enough for three to four persons.

Then Prince Jing walked out from the bathroom. He wore a simple white tunic and a robe. As he didn't tie the robe tightly, his muscular chest could be partially seen.

Seeing the Prince half-dressed, Yun Shang tried to remain calm. However, she still felt flushed on her face. She had to remove her gaze from the Prince. Then she spoke softly, "It's almost midnight. I'm starving as I had my supper too early. It's nice that the chamberlain has prepared something for us to eat. Uncle, will you sit and dine with me? There are so many dishes that I will not be able to eat them all."

Prince Jing turned to look at Yun Shang, and then at the chamberlain behind Yun Shang. Then he turned his gaze to the meal on the table.

A midnight snack? Who would eat this kind of food as a midnight snack?

Prince Jing was puzzled when he looked at Yun Shang and noticed her flushed face. It seemed that the Princess had been keeping her head down for a long time and dared not to lift her eyes to look at him. After Prince Jing had taken a look of himself, he immediately understood the Princess's reaction. Instead of feeling embarrassed at his exposed chest, the Prince, somehow, felt a little elated for the unexpected intimate moment between them. Then Prince Jing took a seat opposite Yun Shang. But his robe was tied in such a casual manner that it slid further open and exposed more of his chest.

Yun Shang was stunned at that sight. She just stared at Prince Jing in amazement and forgot everything that she had intended to say.

"You said you are hungry. Why don't you eat?" Prince Jing, of course, had noticed Yun Shang's behavior. Though still a young girl, the Princess always remained calm. Her behavior showed maturity beyond her age. But she looked so differently today. How charming the Princess was with her girlish shyness! Although the Prince had tried his best to behave as normal as possible, he still grinned with delight when he picked up his bowl.

The chamberlain felt relived when he saw the Prince had begun to dine. He said with a smile, "As I didn't know what the Princess Consort favors, I prepared some ordinary dishes. If there is anything that the Princess Consort wants to eat, please let me know."

The chamberlain's words brought Yun Shang to her senses. She could not believe that she had lost herself in a trance while looking at Prince Jing just now. Her face flushed some more. To cover her shyness, Yun Shang shook her head, "The food is very good."

The chamberlain cleaned up the table as soon as Yun Shang and Prince Jing had finished dining. After he left, silence dominated the room. Prince Jing walked to the bench and lay on it. He said gently, "It's late. We'd better retire now. We have to leave early tomorrow morning."

Yun Shang was taken aback at Prince Jing's words. She had intended to rest after the Prince had fallen asleep. But she lost herself again after she got a glimpse of the Prince. The Prince was lying on the bench. His long black hair was unrestrained. As his hair danced in the gentle breeze, Yun Shang could not help but wonder at his allure. Set off by his hair that was as dark as the night, the Prince looked more handsome and more graceful. And his loosely tied robe continued to reveal part of his bronze-colored chest. Just as she was about to turn her gaze elsewhere, Yun Shang noticed some terrifying scars on the Prince's abdomen. She remembered that the Prince had been injured on his abdomen not long before. It seemed as though his wound was healing well, but those scars really looked dreadful.

Suddenly, Prince Jing moved, and turned his back toward Yun Shang as if to avoid her gaze.

Yun Shang was at a loss while watching Prince Jing's back. Then the Prince spoke all of a sudden. It was so unexpected that Yun Shang was startled. "If you keep staring at me in that way, I'm afraid it would be impossible for me to fall asleep." The Prince's voice clearly revealed a trace of exhaustion in spite of his teasing.

Yun Shang blushed after hearing that. She hurriedly blew out the lamp and walked to the bed.

Prince Jing's breath finally became peaceful. Yun Shang lay in the bed and listened to the Prince's rhythmic breathing. As she pulled his quilt up, his scent surrounded her. Yun Shang couldn't help but close her eyes and inhale deeply. Yun Shang felt at peace for the first time in her life. The Princess nuzzled her head closer to the quilt to enjoy the moment. Soon she fell asleep with a sweet smile.

Noticing that Yun Shang had fallen asleep, Prince Jing's eyes fluttered open. He was in a joyous mood. Then he turned to look at the woman sleeping in his bed. They were under the same roof tonight. How wonderful it felt! The Prince could not help but curl his lips into a smile before he closed his eyes again.