An Eight-year-old Princess novel Chapter 209

Prince Jing's subtle rebuke shamed Lord Hua Guo and caused him much embarrassment. Lord Hua Guo grasped his fist tightly before he stood. He tried to justify himself, but failed. He fell on his chair with a bitter smile on his face. Lord Hua Guo couldn't blame Prince Jing for the way he spoke about his birth and foster parents. Prince Jing didn't know the truth about his lineage, so what he said made sense.

Seeing Lord Hua Guo's odd behavior, Prince Jing stopped smiling. He asked coldly, "Lord Hua Guo, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"

Lord Hua Guo couldn't deny the observation. He nodded, "Yes. I'm feeling uncomfortable. I'll take my leave and return to the inn."

Prince Jing looked down at his teacup. He watched as the tea leaves floated in the water. He avoided eye contact with Lord Hua Guo, "In that case, I'll see you another time. Chamberlain, walk Lord Hua Guo out."

After Lord Hua Guo left, Prince Jing put down the teacup and frowned. He stayed in his chair for a long time before standing and walking to the inner room. He acted as though nothing had happened.

Yun Shang was leaning on the couch. In her hand, she held a medical book. Prince Jing sat beside the table and looked at the beautiful girl. Yun Shang seemed to be at ease. Prince Jing spoke after a while, "Lady Jin has returned to the Palace."

"What?" Yun Shang raised her head, half surprised and half worried, "Mother is back in the Imperial City? Why haven't I heard of this? She can't be in the Palace right now. There are too many things happening here. She is pregnant and in a delicate situation. It's not safe for her to stay in the Palace."

Prince Jing put a smile on his face to comfort Yun Shang, "I asked my people to pick her up secretly. I knew you would be worried, so I didn't tell you. Our wedding is drawing near, and I want your mother present. I know that you will not consider our wedding perfect without her presence."

It was unexpected for Yun Shang to hear Prince Jing mention their wedding. Her ears burnt from shyness. Yun Shang smiled, "I'd love to have my mother present, too. But I'm not in the Palace, and the Empress has regained her power. I'm afraid something might happen to mother. Can we let mother stay with us in the mansion?"

Prince Jing smiled. Love and tenderness reflected in his eyes, "Your mother is a Lady. It's against the rules for a Lady to live with a Prince. If we allow your mother to live with us, I'm afraid it would reflect poorly on us. You don't need to worry so much about her."

Yun Shang was disappointed and her expression conveyed her feelings. She knew it was impossible to let her mother live with them. But somehow, she had a feeling that something bad was about to happen. She felt insecure when her loved ones were unprotected.

Knowing what Yun Shang was possibly worried about, Prince Jing thought for a while before he said, "Don't worry, please. I will send more guards to protect your mother. Your father must care a lot about her, too. He hasn't had a child in many years. I believe he will do his best to protect Lady Jin and their unborn baby. I'm sure nothing will happen to her. Don't worry. Your father is the Emperor. If he wants someone to be safe in his state, nothing will happen to that person for sure."

Yun Shang remained silent after Prince Jing's reassurance. After a while, she nodded, "Fine. But I haven't seen my mother in ages. Can you arrange a meeting so that I can see her?"

Prince Jing shook his head, "Your mother is too far along in her pregnancy now. She has been carrying the baby for eight months. I saw her today and was surprised at how big her belly had become. She was exhausted after the long trip from Laifeng City. It is unrealistic for her to come and see you now. Besides, your health is not good either. You are not supposed to move too much. She'll be fine. You can rest assured. You will see her when it's time."

Yun Shang knew Prince Jing was right. Under the circumstances, it was truly imprudent for her to meet Lady Jin. Yun Shang sighed and decided to stop thinking about this situation.

Then something else came to her mind. She hesitated before she asked, "The issue between Lord Hua Guo and you......"

Prince Jing's expression suddenly changed. Yun Shang noticed and stopped to rephrase her question. She hesitated again before she continued, "If Lord Hua Guo was telling the truth the other day in the woods, then you are......" Yun Shang lowered her voice and carefully examined Prince Jing's expression, "According to the rumor, the last Empress of the State of Xia fell off the cliff when she was pregnant. People from the Palace only found a skull under the cliff, and no one could be sure whether it belonged to the Empress or not...... Lord Hua Guo's hair turned white overnight when he heard the news. It wasn't his fault......"

Prince Jing took a deep breath. His expression was still cold. Yun Shang sighed and stopped talking. There were certain matters where she couldn't be of help......

After a long time, Prince Jing started talking. Instead of changing the subject or pretending that he didn't hear what Yun Shang had said, he faced Yun Shang's question directly, "What do you expect me to do? Should I claim to be the Prince of the State of Xia and return to my home country? The State of Ning and the State of Xia are at the brink of war. Any upheaval, no matter how small, can complicate relationships between the two states. If I really do so...... How do you think the State of Ning will treat me?"

Yun Shang had thought about this dilemma before. But she believed that Prince Jing's attitude mattered more than anything else. Yun Shang had imagined their discussion over the sensitive topic to have gone differently. She didn't expect that Prince Jing would bring it up bluntly.

Now Yun Shang was the one who didn't know what to say. Prince Jing smiled coldly and stood to walk toward the door.

Yun Shang sighed and murmured, "You have always been alone. I'm afraid that you will now be lonely as well......"

Prince Jing paused. But he didn't turn to face Yun Shang. Prince Jing sneered, "So what? I am going to marry you soon. I won't be alone after the wedding."

Yun Shang shivered at Prince Jing's words. She watched Prince Jing walk out of the inner room, and smiled bitterly before she opened her book. Prince Jing was right. She didn't want Prince Jing to claim that he was the Prince of the State of Xia. She shouldn't have brought up the topic. They had shared such a wonderful moment before. Now, he was irritated.

During the days that Yun Shang had been unconscious, Prince Jing took charge of all details pertaining to their wedding. The Empress also made some arrangements in the Palace. Even though Yun Shang was unavailable, the wedding had been planned to perfection.

Given that Yun Shang's upper body had been badly injured, the Princess needed time to recover. Although she felt terrible when asked to stand or move about, she thought she'd be able to walk steadily during the wedding ceremony.

On the day of their wedding, Yun Shang was woken early in the morning. She looked around and found a familiar face. It was Qin Yi. Yun Shang smiled at her maid, "How have you been all these days? How is everything at the Palace?"

Qin Yi nodded, "Everything is going well." Then Qin Yi took the wedding robe and helped dress Yun Shang, "Your Highness, His Majesty has made an exception and allowed Lady Jin to come to Prince Jing's mansion. As a Lady, she isn't supposed to be here by herself. But it's your wedding day, so His Majesty made this provision for you. Lady Jin will arrive with the Empress soon. But Your Highness still needs to let the Empress comb your hair."

Yun Shang nodded. She was worried, "Is mother in a good condition? She is quite far along in her pregnancy. I don't know whether she can hold that much weight. It must be hard for her to travel such long distances......"

Qin Yi smiled, "Your Highness, please don't worry. Madam Zheng is accompanying your mother. She will take good care of Lady Jin. Everything should be fine."

Yun Shang agreed. Just then a eunuch could be heard, "Long live Your Majesty!"

Yun Shang turned to the door and saw the Empress entering. She wore a ceremonial robe with nine phoenixes embroidered on it. Lady Jin entered the chamber after the Empress. Yun Shang smiled with love and affection when she saw her mother. The size of Lady Jin's belly surprised her. She almost stood and offered her seat to Lady Jin so she could rest, but stopped when she remembered that the Empress was also present. Yun Shang curtsied to the Empress and Lady Jin before sitting on her chair.

The Empress smiled, "Shang'er has grown up so fast. I can't believe today is your wedding day. Come here, let mother comb for you."

Yun Shang would have preferred Lady Jin to comb her hair, but since the Empress was nominally her mother, she held back her dissatisfaction and smiled back at the Empress, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

The Empress took the comb from a maid and casually combed Yun Shang's hair as a madam stood beside chanting. Then the Empress handed the comb to a madam who quickly made a bride's bun for Yun Shang before helping the Princess with her makeup.

"Your Highness's beauty is one in a million. No wonder Prince Jing fell for you. You are already stunning without makeup. Now, with makeup on, I believe no other woman in all of Ning will be able to match your beauty!" The madam complimented Yun Shang with a big smile on her face. Yun Shang returned the smile, but only partially. Her eyes didn't gleam with happiness.

After the makeup, the madam handed an apple to Yun Shang, and told her to hold it carefully.

Yun Shang looked up at Lady Jin who was standing next to her. She smiled to Lady Jin and lowered her head in the brief moment before the Empress pulled down the bridal veil for her.

After the veil was in place, all Yun Shang could see was red. She stared blankly at the color. In her previous life, she was both expectant and nervous on her wedding day. As a protected and spoilt young girl, she had romanticized married life. Unfortunately, her married life was nothing like her expectations.

In this life, Yun Shang had sworn not to fall in love. She had wanted to dedicate herself to enacting her vengeance. Marriage was hence, least expected. She consoled herself by rationalizing that her marriage with Prince Jing had an ulterior purpose. She was not doing this for love. On the contrary, marriage to Prince Jing would help her gain more power and security. With such thoughts, Yun Shang thought she could be calm about this event, but after seeing the red color and all that it signified, her heart couldn't help but beat fast.

Despite the justifications Yun Shang thought of, she was terrified. She knew that there were variables that were beyond her control. She felt nervous about the unknown future.

Suddenly, Yun Shang felt something warm touch her hand. Her thoughts were interrupted. She looked down and found her hand being held by a thin, white hand. She smiled at Lady Jin's affectionate and reassuring gesture.

"Shang'er, are you afraid?" Lady Jin softly asked her.

Yun Shang hesitated before nodding.

Lady Jin smiled and comforted her in a soft voice, "Shang'er, you're smarter than mother. I have been a failure in my relationships, so I don't have anything useful to teach you. But there's one thing you need to keep in mind. The most important thing between a couple is not love, but trust." Lady Jin sighed before she continued, "I've watched Prince Jing grow up. He is a good man. I know that after you marry him, you will have a good life. Remember to support and love each other. I want you to be happy, both of you."

Yun Shang kept her head low and said in a soft voice, "I understand."

Lady Jin nodded and tried to blink back her tears, "You still need to greet your father at the Palace. Prince Jing is waiting for you. It's time to begin the ceremony."

Yun Shang stood and said, "Mother, I hope you can be happy, too." Then Yun Shang put her right hand in the madam's hand and walked out of the room.

As soon as she left the chamber, Yun Shang felt a warm hand slide into hers. Standing to her left, the person seemed to be supporting her. She paused. As a sweet and earthy smell enveloped Yun Shang, her lips curved into a smile. 'It's Prince Jing, ' she thought.

"It's time to start the ceremony. Ready the palanquin*."

(*TN: A palanquin is a covered seat carried on poles held parallel to the ground on the shoulders of two or four people. It was used to transport persons of importance in Ancient China.) Yun Shang climbed onto the palanquin. The servants sang in a melodious chorus to announce the beginning of the wedding ceremony. After a slight shake, the palanquin was lifted.