An Eight-year-old Princess novel Chapter 70

Yun Shang replied with a tender smile, "Sure." Yun Shang thought to herself, 'He hasn't changed a bit. Still so competitive.' All of a sudden, Hua Jing's face flashed through her mind. She remembered how clearly she could see people's expressions and movements through the mist when she first stepped into the pavilion. Somehow, she had a really bad feeling. If she was right, Hua Jing was alone in the pavilion when she and Mo Jingran left.

"Your Highness, what are you thinking about?" Mo Jingran leaned forward and asked with a gentle smile. His handsome face softened as he stared at Yun Shang.

"Not much. I was just thinking about how marvelous the Qianxin Tower is. We had the perfect view from the pavilion, yet we can hardly see anything along the lakeside." As Yun Shang replied, she secretly held and squeezed Qian Yin's hand as a warning.

Mo Jingran didn't see what she had done in the thick fog. He simply led the way, "Your Highness, this way, please. I came from this path earlier, and I saw a parchment hidden in the rockery alongside the gravel."

Yun Shang followed Mo Jingran quietly towards where he estimated the hidden parchment to be. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Yun Shang noticed that something was wrong. She could smell a faint but sweet fragrance that wafted through the air.

"Mister Mo, have you noticed? The scent..." Yun Shang decided to ask Mo Jingran.

Mo Jingran stopped and looked around before taking a deep breath. He then agreed with a slight nod, "Right, I can smell it too. But I saw some flowers blooming over there. Perhaps it is just coming from those flowers?"

Yun Shang stared at Mo Jingran as he tried to explain. She couldn't help but notice how his hands shook even though he was hiding them behind his back. They had been married for many years in her previous life, and it had been long enough for her to be familiar with some of his habits. She knew his hands shook when he lied. Earlier, Yun Shang didn't have the opportunity to see his hands because he had been following her when they left the pavilion. Now that Mo Jingran wanted to show her the parchment and was leading the way, Yun Shang finally had the chance to notice this detail.

Why was Mo Jingran lying to her? Perhaps something was wrong with the scent.

Anxious but unsure, Yun Shang frowned and wondered what could be wrong. She thought she was quite familiar with common poisons. Yet, she had no idea what kind of poison the fragrance might have been extracted from. Yun Shang stepped forward cautiously. Perhaps the fragrance was, as he said, only the nearby flowers. But things could not be as simple as they looked. Besides, it seemed that she and Mo Jingran were the only souls wandering in the area at the moment.

The only souls?

Yun Shang stopped abruptly at the thought. She didn't need to look back, as she could feel that there was nobody behind them. Where were Qin Yi and Qian Yin? She couldn't be more certain that, just a moment ago, Qian Yin was standing near her.

Yun Shang tried to sort things out in her mind. The only thing she knew for sure was that she could not look back. Hua Jing was still in the pavilion, and she could see everything. Once she turned around, Hua Jing would know that Yun Shang had noticed something was wrong. She couldn't risk alarming her sister until she found out what Hua Jing was up to. She could not strike Mo Jingran for the same reason.

Yun Shang looked around and found the rockery Mo Jingran had mentioned earlier.

Pointing at the rocks, Yun Shang asked, "Is that the rockery you spoke about, Mister Mo?"

Following the direction that Yun Shang was pointing at, Mo Jingran nodded hastily, "Right, that's it. I'm not lying to you, am I? There is a riddle hidden behind the rocks. I'll fetch it for you." Mo Jingran then hurried towards the rockery.

Yun Shang followed him. She had hardly turned the corner when she found Mo Jingran lying on the ground. It looked like he had fainted. Acutely aware of her surroundings, Yun Shang felt as though someone was trying to sneak up on her. She turned sideways and aimed for where she estimated the person's throat would be. Her hand latched onto its intended target. She then swung her other hand and hit the person in the face. Her assailant passed out within a second.

Yun Shang frowned and glanced at Mo Jingran before studying the strange man. All of a sudden, she felt something was wrong as a fire started to burn inside her. Knowing that she couldn't stay with them for long, Yun Shang looked around and saw a path behind the rockery. She pulled herself together and ran towards the path with the hopes of finding a place to hide.

Never before had Yun Shang felt as thirsty as she was at that moment. Trying to ignore her thirst, Yun Shang let out a bitter smile. The effects she was feeling made her think that she had been exposed to an aphrodisiac. But there were differences. Maybe it was not an ordinary aphrodisiac, and it had something to do with the flower?

Never had she thought she'd find herself in such an awkward situation. She thought that she had been extremely careful, and yet, Hua Jing had been one step ahead of her from the very beginning. Yun Shang had been to the Qianxin Tower several times as she helped Hua Jing prepare for the feast. However, the place was never misty, not even once. She was surprised to see the thick fog when she walked into the Tower that morning. But she soon rationalized that it was a natural phenomenon since the lake had frozen. She didn't think it would be a trap. Yun Shang thought about the morning again, and was now certain that the mist was a strange occurrence.

But it was too late. Qin Yi and Qian Yin had disappeared. Without the rockery as her shield, she would be seen by Hua Jing once she left the path.

"Hmm..." Yun Shang heard a voice. She managed to sit upright and look over her shoulder. Behind the rocks, she could see Mo Jingran stirring. He seemed to be affected by the strange scent as well. He waved his hands restlessly in the air until he grabbed something. It was the man who tried to attack Yun Shang. Mo Jingran brought the hand eagerly to his face before leaning forward to reach the body lying beside him.

Yun Shang gritted her teeth while watching Mo Jingran. It seemed that he had completely lost control. 'No, it's not enough. I need more, ' A voice was looping in Mo Jingran's mind and lured him to continue. He took off all of his clothes then undressed the man under him before he piled on top of him.

Yun Shang had seen enough. She turned around and sat against the handrail. The fire burning inside her was increasing in intensity. She needed to find a way to quench it before things got worse.

"Luo Qingyan, Luo Qingyan. Look! There's a rockery over there. Do you see all that food on the rocks?" As Yun Shang struggled to fight the burning desire, she heard voices from the other side of the rockery. She bit her lips hard to clear her mind. The sharp pain brought her back to her senses. Hua Jing might be able to see what happened from the pavilion, but there was no way she could hear people talking. Yun Shang came up with an idea.

She gritted her teeth again and spoke, "Uncle, save me..."

The two figures in the mist stopped abruptly. Yun Shang heard Prince Jing asking calmly, "Did you hear that?"

"What? I didn't hear anything. What's wrong?" Wang Jinhuan had stuffed his mouth with food and could barely speak. Yet he grumbled for being made to chew fast.

Yun Shang bit her lips again. She wouldn't dare to raise her voice any higher in case she attracted too much attention. She spoke again, "Uncle, save me. I'm behind the rockery..."

Wang Jinhuan heard Yun Shang as well this time. Prince Jing asked hesitantly, "Yun Shang?"

"Uncle..." Yun Shang whispered. She felt her strength was slowly draining from her body. The man in purple robes quickly turned in the direction he estimated the voice was coming from.

Yun Shang thought of how the scent had affected her and hurried to warn them, "The mist is poisoned. Hold your breath. Hua Jing can see you from the pavilion. Don't come straight to me. Just hold your breath and keep walking..."

The two men heeded her warning and immediately held their breath. Then they adjusted their pace and pretended to step forward casually. Gathering all her strength, Yun Shang raised her arm and bit herself. She dashed forward under cover of the handrail and stopped as soon as she couldn't smell the strange fragrance. She managed to catch her breath while keeping herself hidden behind the rockery. However, seconds later, she collapsed on the ground. As she struggled to stay awake, she saw Prince Jing heading towards her.

No sooner had Prince Jing approached the handrail when he saw Yun Shang lying weakly on the ground. He rushed forward and lifted Yun Shang in his arms, "What's wrong? Where are your maids? Weren't you with Mo Jingran? Where is he now?"

Yun Shang gave him a feeble smile. She tried to wipe the sweat off her forehead, but she was too weak to lift her arms. Yun Shang took a few deep breaths before she finally found her voice. Then she spoke hoarsely, "There is a strange scent in the mist near the rockery, and I think it's an aphrodisiac. My maids disappeared. Mo Jingran passed out behind the rockery."

Prince Jing frowned but stayed quiet. He sat Yun Shang up and was about to take her away when Yun Shang grabbed his sleeve and asked, "Uncle, do you have any antidote with you?"

Prince Jing thought for a second before pulling out a pill and slipping it into Yun Shang's mouth. "It works for common aphrodisiacs. I don't know what kind of poison you have been given, so I'm not sure whether it will help or not. Let's see how it works."

Yun Shang nodded, "You have been here for a while. I suppose Hua Jing might be getting suspicious about what you are doing here. Can Mister Wang find a way to distract Hua Jing? I need to deal with the aphrodisiac first. After all, the show is not yet over and I can't just leave."

Yun Shang looked up at Prince Jing again and said, "I've been here before. I know there's a small spring not far from here. Can you take me there?"

Wang Jinhuan glanced at Prince Jing and Yun Shang before sighing heavily and walking away. He looked around and then pulled up his robe as if he was about to pee. Surprised by how he was planning to distract Hua Jing, Yun Shang looked away. Wang Jinhuan casually unhooked his pants. Seizing the opportunity, Prince Jing carried Yun Shang towards the spring she mentioned.

It didn't take Prince Jing long to find the spring. Though the pool had frozen, there was still a small jet of water gushing out of the ice. Yun Shang hurried forward and knelt down before the spring. She scooped a handful of icy water and splashed it over her face. The fire burning inside her settled a bit. Yun Shang took a piece of ice and slipped it through her collar and into her clothes. She shivered as the cold spread through her body. The change in temperature helped her sober up.

"What is your plan? Let me help you." Prince Jing stood behind the Princess and asked calmly. Yun Shang slipped another piece of ice into her clothes before turning to Prince Jing, "I will make her suffer."