An Eight-year-old Princess novel Chapter 208

As they stepped into the front Hall, Qian Yin helped Yun Shang into a chair. The Princess hadn't married Prince Jing yet, so Qian Yin draped a curtain made of crystal beads in front of the chair. As she settled into the chair behind the beads, Yun Shang wondered about Lord Hua Guo's true intentions.

Not long after, the chamberlain escorted Lord Hua Guo into the room. Yun Shang turned to study the man. Although she could only see a silhouette through the curtain, she could tell that the man was in his seventies. Despite his age, Lord Hua Guo still radiated a majestic demeanor. He seemed healthy as he kept his back straight and steps steady. He didn't seem to be afflicted with the symptoms of old age.

Yun Shang flashed him a smile and ordered the chamberlain to bring a chair and a cup of tea for Lord Hua Guo. Then Yun Shang said gently, "What a nice surprise. His Highness should've hosted you himself, but he is not home. As his betrothed, I'm bound by propriety. As I cannot unveil my face in front of a male guest, I must apologize to you for the discourteousness."

When he heard her explanation, Lord Hua Guo emitted a loud laughter. He bowed slightly to Yun Shang, "You flatter me, Princess Hui Guo. As an unexpected guest, I should be the one asking for forgiveness. My visit today is driven by curiosity. I've heard of the Prince's forthcoming wedding. Prince Jing is a prestigious man. Although I am from the State of Xia, I've heard a lot about the Prince's skill on the battlefield. It's quite a shame that I couldn't meet him on the battlefield in person. Considering his nature and achievements, I wondered what kind of woman had tamed him. Today, I heard that His Highness's betrothed has moved into his mansion. Curious as I was, I was so bold as to pay a visit. It's very kind of you to meet with me, Your Highness."

A gleam flashed in Yun Shang's eyes as she listened to his words. Although a generous smile was plastered on her face, the Princess sneered inwardly as she now knew Lord Hua Guo's true intention. Since Lord Hua Guo had identified Prince Jing to be the late Xia Empress's child, he wanted to know whether Yun Shang was good enough for his extraordinary grandson.

"You are too kind. His Highness would be overwhelmed by your praise. He used to say that Lord Hua Guo is gifted at military affairs. The Prince also said that Lord Hua Guo is better than him at marching an army. In His Highness's opinion, it's quite a pity that he didn't meet you in your prime years. Although I'd see it as luck that His Highness and you haven't fought on the battlefield." Yun Shang returned his compliments. She didn't dare to offend Lord Hua Guo at this crucial point as Prince Jing's identity was still unconfirmed. Yun Shang also didn't have the opportunity to speak with the Prince and understand how he felt about his supposed identity. However, the meeting with Lord Hua Guo reminded Yun Shang of the soldiers hiding in Mount Kirin, as well as the fight in the forest, and her injury. Although she had restrained her real emotions, complex feelings surged in Yun Shang's heart as she gazed at the old man. Placing soldiers on Mount Kirin wasn't a rushed plan, and surely Lord Hua Guo was involved.

"Really? He said that? Hahahaha..." As Yun Shang had expected, Lord Hua Guo was pleased. "Please tell Prince Jing that I would openly welcome the opportunity, should he so desire to test his skills."

Yun Shang chuckled and covered her mouth with her hand. She nodded to Lord Hua Guo, "I will relay your words to him."

Lord Hua Guo nodded. He tapped the armrest in satisfaction and smiled, "You are such a delightful girl, Princess Hui Guo. You could've been a good wife. If only you were not a Princess of Ning."

Yun Shang raised her eyebrows. It sounded as though Lord Hua Guo didn't think she was good enough for Prince Jing. But he made a point. If Prince Jing was truly the eldest son of the Xia Emperor, according to lineal primogeniture, he would be the Crown Prince by default. And if Prince Jing wanted to be Xia's Crown Prince, he needed to build a sound political foundation. Since he had grown up in the State of Ning, Prince Jing's status in Xia was unestablished. Thus, the only way for Prince Jing to thrive was through political marriage. In that case, even a random high born lady from Xia would be a more suitable match for Prince Jing. Although Yun Shang was an honorable Princess in the State of Ning, her status would be of little help to Prince Jing in the State of Xia. On the contrary, it might be detrimental given the tense political conditions between the two states.

Yun Shang smiled. "You are so candid and straightforward. His Highness and I both like your characteristics. However, it's a pity that you are a Lord of Xia, or else, you'd make for a good friend to His Highness. But I have heard that you have encountered the late Ning Emperor on the battlefield many times. His Highness was raised and mentored by the late Emperor since the Prince was a young boy. It would be safe to assume that he was the late Emperor's student. If you too have a student. His Highness would love to compete with him in a war."

Hearing her reply, Lord Hua Guo was enraged, but he was also rendered speechless. He intended to vent his anger, but couldn't find any flaw in Yun Shang's logic. It was commonly known that in his prestigious military life, Lord Hua Guo had only suffered defeat twice on the battlefield. And both times, he had lost to the late Ning Emperor. Besides, the biggest disappointment in Lord Hua Guo's life had been his failure to find someone to learn the art of war from him. Since Yun Shang had subtly brought up two failings from Lord Hua Guo's life, each word angered him more than the previous one. He became even more resentful when he felt unable to refute her claims.

Lord Hua Guo had no choice but to keep his mouth shut. He was aware that in the State of Ning, women were not allowed to participate in politics. If he confronted the Princess, she could easily explain that she had no knowledge of these things and that her statements were spoken with the best of intentions. In this situation, his anger would have no effect except for making himself look petty.

He raised his head and fixed his eyes at the young girl through the curtain. After a long while, he picked up the teacup, took a sip, and put the teacup away.

As Lord Hua Guo remained silent, Yun Shang waited patiently for him to speak.

After another long while, Lord Hua Guo spoke, "I've heard that when you were younger, Your Highness lived in Ning'guo Temple for a few years. At the time, you submitted to Buddhist discipline. Contrary to tradition, you did not shave off your hair. Are you a Buddhist, Your Highness?"

That was an interesting question. After hearing his words, Yun Shang looked at Lord Hua Guo and sneered inwardly. He intended to trap her when he mentioned "submitted to Buddhist discipline."

Yun Shang glanced at Lord Hua Guo before smiling and fixing her eyes on a crystal bead. She noticed that Lord Hua Guo seemed cautious and tentative as he waited for her answer.

"Submitted to Buddhist discipline? You must've heard wrong. When I was young, I accidentally gave away God's design and was doomed to die young. By then, I was severely ill, and in order to change my fate, Master Wu Na harbored me at Ning'guo Temple for a few years. He allowed me to bask in the grace of Buddha until I recovered. I wasn't living at the Temple because I submitted to Buddhist discipline."

Lord Hua Guo frowned as he asked, "But after so many years in a Buddhist temple, Your Highness must have observed and followed the precepts of the Temple and acquired a deep understanding of Buddhism."

Yun Shang shook her head, "I'm ashamed to mention it, but I have to confess. I am not pious. As I was still a young girl, I was rebellious of the circumstances in which I found myself. Unable to stand the plain vegetarian food in the Temple, I would sneak out to get meat from the town, or ask others to bring meat for me. Moreover, because of my poor understanding of the world, I couldn't interpret nor memorize a simple word despite having transcribed many Buddhist texts. Perhaps, I was not meant to be a Buddhist."

Frustration flashed in Lord Hua Guo's eyes. The Princess was more thorough than he had imagined. She looked gentle and obedient, but her words were reasonable and her arguments were flawless. However, he was determined. Though the Princess looked smart, she didn't have much wit, and was not a good match for Prince Jing.

Thinking it through, Lord Hua Guo lowered his eyes and contemplated the matter. But he couldn't come up with any rebuttal to Yun Shang's words. He coughed to conceal his discomfort and changed the subject, "But the wedding day is forthcoming, Your Highness, I wish you would forgive me, as I'd like to ask a bold question. My wife is an ordinary woman who has no knowledge about war and army, and I have always felt that I had nothing to talk about with her. What do you normally talk about with Prince Jing, Your Highness?"

Yun Shang was amused by Lord Hua Guo's question. To her, he was like an anxious grandfather who was trying to separate his grandson and evil granddaughter-in-law. She almost couldn't restrain her urge to laugh out loud as he tried almost every angle. First, Lord Hua Guo claimed her to be a Princess of a hostile power and then, a Buddhist who broke the Buddhist disciplines, and now, he was claiming that she was a superficial woman with whom the Prince had nothing to talk about.

She became more and more impressed with his tactics.

Yun Shang was about to answer, but a deep voice stopped her. Since no one had entered the room, Yun Shang presumed someone outside the room had overheard their conversation and had chosen to respond. "But I heard you and your wife have good relations, Lord Hua Guo, " the person said. "Or perhaps what I heard is merely gossip, " the person added after a brief pause.

Lord Hua Guo was startled and turned his head. He saw Prince Jing enter the room. The Prince's posture was upright and the expression on his face was solemn and arrogant.

Taken aback, Lord Hua Guo hurriedly flashed a smile to him. Yun Shang had noticed the change in Lord Hua Guo's expression. She covered her mouth with her hand and started to giggle. It seemed Lord Hua Guo had met his match.

Despite the change in Lord Hua Guo's demeanor, Prince Jing didn't even glance at him. Ignoring Lord Hua Guo, the Prince strode across the room, lifted the crystal curtain, and studied Yun Shang from head to toe. He frowned as he said, "You haven't recovered yet. Why did you get up from bed? Have you forgotten about the imperial physician's advice?"

Yun Shang smiled and answered softly, "I am well. And I'm bored in bed. Since Lord Hua Guo paid a visit, it was a good chance for me to get up and move around."

"Oh?" Prince Jing lifted his eyebrows. He turned to the chamberlain, "From now on, random people are not allowed to call on Her Highness."

The chamberlain hurriedly bowed in acknowledgement. Yun Shang was surprised and her face flushed crimson at Prince Jing's words. Although all the servants had addressed her as the Princess Consort, but it was the first time for Prince Jing to address her as Her Highness in front of other people.

But Lord Hua Guo was displeased. Cursing in his heart, he coughed several times to attract Prince Jing's attention.

Prince Jing continued to ignore him. Instead, he took out a package wrapped in oiled paper from his sleeve, and handed it to Yun Shang. "I had a meeting at Yuman Tower. They recently made a new pastry called Jasmine Blossom. It is made with taro and jasmine. I ate one and thought it tasted good. So I brought some for you. Feel free to have some whenever you want. But you can't eat too much. After all, you are taking medicines, and shouldn't have too many sweets."

Yun Shang bowed her head and accepted the package with a smile and a slight nod. "I see. Thank you."

Prince Jing nodded before helping Yun Shang stand. He asked softly, "Have you taken your medicine yet? I'll escort you back to your chamber. Please try to get some rest. You didn't sleep well last night either. You kicked your quilt off your bed many times. Although the weather is warm now, you still have to protect yourself or you might catch a cold."

Despite Yun Shang's ability to stay calm in difficult situations, she could no longer maintain her composure. She flushed red at Prince Jing's words. She glared at him, bit her lower lip, and didn't say a word as she turned toward her chamber.

Prince Jing grinned as he escorted Yun Shang to her chamber. Lord Hua Guo was still waiting when the Prince returned to the front Hall. Prince Jing pulled up a chair for himself and sat down. He then asked the servants to remove the crystal curtain. Then he frowned as he gazed at Lord Hua Guo. He said, "I've heard about the disturbances in the State of Xia. I'm surprised you had the time to visit Her Highness."

Lord Hua Guo coughed to conceal his feelings. He glared at Prince Jing before speaking plaintively, "When we happened to meet the other day, I felt that you are a promising young man with rare talents. Thus I paid a visit today."

As they were talking, the servants handed a cup of tea to Prince Jing. He lifted the lid and blew the tea several times before speaking calmly, "The late Emperor was a good teacher and a good father. He treated me like his own son and taught me everything he knew. But I don't think I have to elaborate on how extraordinary a person he was. I'm sure that you are fully aware of his military prowess."

Although Yun Shang wasn't entitled to know about political affairs, the Prince was, and he was intentionally wounding Lord Hua Guo with the facts and the praise. Shamefaced and angered, Lord Hua Guo said bitterly, "Father? But I heard you were merely his adopted son, Prince Jing."

Upon hearing that, Prince Jing turned his gaze to Lord Hua Guo. He smiled mockingly, "I am an adopted son, indeed. But he cared for me deeply. I am fortunate to have been raised by the late Emperor. Sometimes foster parents are kinder than biological parents. In my case, it is clear which was better and which is worse."