An Eight-year-old Princess novel Chapter 76

On a warm afternoon, Yun Shang felt sleepy as she lay on her couch. Instead of enjoying the gentle winter sun on her bed, she went for a walk with Qin Yi and Qian Yin in the garden.

After wandering about the garden for a while, Yun Shang felt tired. She sat down in a nearby arbor to rest. The lake had already begun to freeze. She glanced at the sunlight that dazzled on the ice before looking away.

"It's too windy here. Don't stay for long." A soft voice came from behind her.

Hearing that, Yun Shang turned around in surprise. "Mother?" Then Yun Shang realized that she was still in the Palace, and she shouldn't speak to her mother out in the open for all to see. Her heart thumped as she looked around. She was certain that many people in the Palace must be watching her. But she didn't want to be cold to her beloved mother.

Lady Jin nodded and sat opposite Yun Shang. She smiled at her daughter for a while before speaking. "Dear daughter, I have to say that every time I see you, I feel you become more and more beautiful. You truly have grown into a beautiful lady!" said Lady Jin.

"I am your daughter. Father always said that I look like you. So to say that I am beautiful means that you are beautiful, " answered Yun Shang with a chuckle.

Lady Jin was silent. She lowered her head as she thought. It occurred to Yun Shang that her mother still harbored resentment against her father after all these years. Although Yun Shang had helped her leave the Cold Palace, she still rarely spoke with him. She was afraid that her mother was even more upset as the Empress was now pregnant.

Sure enough, Lady Jin stayed silent for a long time. "The other day, you told me that you had sent a maid to your father. Will she work for you?" asked Lady Jin softly.

Yun Shang had no idea why her mother asked about that incident. But she told her mother the truth. "Qin Meng used to be a spy who worked for the Empress. After she broke her legs, the Empress took her away and intended to kill her. After that, the Empress sent me a new maid who she thought would spy for her. When Qin Meng turned to me for help, the Empress had been in the middle of selecting someone from her own Palace to send to my father. So I pushed the boat with the current and sent Qin Meng to my father instead. After that, she said that she would always obey me. But I perceive her nature to be restless. I cannot believe her completely. Even if she works for me, I still need to be careful. I know that I should only regard her as a tool that can be discarded at any time."

Lady Jin smiled, and nodded. "You are right! She betrayed you once, and she might do it again."

She paused and looked at Yun Shang. "You know, Lady Shu has always been a thorn in the Empress' side. Now the Empress is pregnant, which is not a good thing. This is an opportunity for Lady Shu. There have been no pregnancies in the Palace for many years. Your father must be very happy. So a few days ago, I suggested to him that Lady Shu should hold a party for the Empress and her baby."

"Lady Shu?" Yun Shang was surprised. "Oh, mother... I'm wondering when did you two..."

Lady Jin burst out laughing. "Oh, you silly girl. There is no eternal enemy in the Imperial household. Lady Shu will appreciate me as I gave her the chance. But she is still a danger for us. Besides the Empress, I'm the one she wants to triumph against. And once she has power, she will become unfriendly again. In the meanwhile, I hope that we have one more helper."

"You mean..." Yun Shang turned her head towards the lake.

"She doesn't have to do anything special. Just accost the Emperor at the party to be held in a few days, " whispered Lady Jin as she placed her hands on her lower abdomen.

Yun Shang looked at her for a while and sighed. "Mom, are you and my father..."

Lady Jin lowered her head and glanced at her abdomen, which was not yet visible. "He has collected more and more concubines over these years. Since your father married Li Yiran, and Hua Jing was born, I have been disheartened and lost hope. I came out of the Cold Palace because I was afraid you would be bullied. I left you when you were an infant because I was young and ignorant. And now, I have learned of all the difficulties you've suffered. It's all my fault. I have thought it over since your return from Ning'guo Temple. The Empress is very insidious and I'm afraid that you may lose. I will never be a coward again. I want my children to be happy."

"Mother..." Yun Shang said after a long silence. "After all, your husband is an Emperor."

Lady Jin nodded. "I know. Maybe I'm just stupidly obsessed, and I still can not control myself. But now, I feel it's also okay to lose control, so I just let it go."

Yun Shang believed that her mother had her own plans, so she didn't try to persuade her. She just nodded in approval.

"What? Lady Jin and Yun Shang?" The Empress turned in surprise and looked at the maid who had come to tell her. She frowned. "How did they meet? Was it Lady Jin who went to Yun Shang, or did Yun Shang approach Lady Jin? What did they talk about?"

Hearing the Empress' displeasure, the maid bowed her head, and answered hurriedly. "Your Majesty, they came across each other while walking by the lake. The Princess was resting in the lakeside arbor, and Lady Jin went to talk with her when she saw the Princess. I'm sorry that I didn't hear what they were talking about. I was too far away from them.

The Empress muttered to herself as she paced up and down the room. "How scheming she is! She never spoke to Yun Shang voluntarily after leaving the Cold Palace. But when she heard that I was pregnant, she went to her daughter to get support. Thinking about what all they must be planning, I cannot relax for even one moment." After a long time, she turned her head toward the maid again. "Did you see their faces? What were their expressions?"

The maid tried to remember, and answered after thinking. "Lady Jin kept her head down while the Princess kept frowning."

Then the Empress sat down in a chair, closed her eyes, and frowned.

Xiu Xin came in, saw the Empress' face, and paused. She had been serving the Empress since she was a child. She knew at a glance that the Empress was now in a sullen mood. She was about to speak, but decided not to. She stepped aside and looked at the Empress quietly.

After a long time, the Empress began to bat her eyes wearily. When she saw Xiu Xin, she sat upright.

Xiu Xin walked up to the Empress and whispered. "Your Majesty, I've just asked some people about the party. It's true. According to Lord Qi, who serves the Emperor, Lady Jin suggested the party to the Emperor. Lady Jin told His Majesty that there had not been a happy event at the Palace in a long time, so it must be celebrated. Now that Your Majesty is pregnant, you should not exhaust yourself with planning such things. Therefore, His Majesty asked Lady Shu to do it."

"Lady Jin! Everything has happened because of her. But she always pretends to be innocent. What exactly does she want?" The Empress got angry, but then she thought of something and grinned. "Are you clear about the party now? When and where?"

Xiu Xin answered promptly. "Yes, Your Majesty. The party will be held in three days at the Jinxiu Palace."

The Empress knocked over the teacup she had at hand as she flared up. Her eyes were filled with hatred. "Jinxiu Palace..? Good place! That's where Lady Jin lived when she was most favored. It has been empty since she went to the Cold Palace. There is no shortage of places for a party. We can find a spare Palace here, and we can also choose a place on Penglai Island to hold the party. Why did she choose Jinxiu Palace? It seems that she is deliberately against me!"

Xiu Xin lowered her head even lower and answered softly, "Lady Shu said that it's a party not a big banquet. She said that there was no need to hold it in Jinluan Hall. And the lake is frozen because of the cold weather, so it is not easy to go to Penglai Island. Most of the Palaces and mansions are inhabited, and empty Palaces are abandoned except for Jinxiu, which has been kept clean although it has been empty. So they chose Jinxiu Palace."

"All right. It doesn't matter. I don't believe that Lady Jin will feel comfortable when she sees it. Lady Shu succeed in doing two things through this one decision. She chose that place to make both, Lady Jin and I unhappy. What would Lady Jin's face look like if she knew that the party she helped to arrange was being held at Jinxiu Palace? Lady Shu chose the place to make Lady Jin unhappy after Lady Jin helped her, that's interesting..." Although the Empress gnashed her teeth, she was also grinning.

Xiu Xin paused for a moment. "Just now, a servant of Princess Hua Jing told me that the Princess had left the Palace for the border with only four attendants and two maids to save her husband."

The Empress flared up and shouted. "What? She went to the border? No wonder I worry about that silly child so much! I suggested that she go to her grandfather for help and ask for an escort. But she did not listen to me. She sulks and ignores her own safety. How foolish!"

Xiu Xin responded promptly. "Your Majesty, calm you anger please. What should we do now? Princess Hua Jing is so impulsive. She left the Imperial City in such a hurry. I'm afraid that she will find herself in a dangerous situation..."

It took the Empress a long time to calm down. "Send a message to the Grand Councilor right now and ask my father to send someone to get her back."

Xiu Xin nodded and turned away. The Empress was distracted by a succession of things, and was about to rest when she heard Xiu Xin in the Hall. "Good afternoon, Lady Ming."

"Lady Ming?"

The Empress was surprised. After she tried to calm down, she asked her maids to straighten her collar before leaving to see Lady Ming.

In the Hall, an old woman with gray hair sat on a chair. She was dressed in blue brocade. She seemed calm. The Empress greeted her promptly. "Auntie, you haven't come to see me for a long time. I miss you so much! What can I do for you?"

The old woman turned her head and looked at the Empress. She raised her hand and beckoned to the Empress to sit down beside her. The Empress stepped forward immediately.

"Your father said that you called your mother but you didn't call him. He and I are worried about you, so I'm here to see what's going on. The moment I entered your Palace, I heard you shouting. How can you be grumpy or bad-tempered after all these years as an Empress? So what happened this time?" Said Lady Ming slowly, twirling prayer beads in her hands.

The Empress sighed and frowned. "You have loved me since I was a child, and I would not sit in this position without your help. Auntie, I'll not hide anything from you. Mostly, it's the same old things. Lady Jin is now pregnant and lives in Qiwu Palace. The Emperor threatened to punish me if anything went wrong with the baby in Lady Jin's womb. Lady Jin has became more presumptuous since. Lady Shu is hostile towards me. Lady Shu even chose Jinxiu Palace, a place I hate, to hold a party in honor of my unborn child. What's more, my daughter, Hua Jing also makes me worry. She and General Zhao's mother have been at odds with each other, and now their relations are even worse. She's worried as General Zhao is trapped at the border. So I suggested that she take some soldiers with her to the frontier, but she is upset with me and took only a few attendants and maids with her. That's so dangerous!"

Lady Ming smiled and stopped playing with her prayer beads. "Your Majesty, it seems that your mind is in a tangle."

The Empress nodded. "Yes, I admit."

Lady Ming turned and looked at the carved Phoenix on the pillar in the Palace. Pointing to the Phoenix, she asked, "Do you know what kind of bird this is?"

The Empress paused, and then answered. "It's a Phoenix."

Lady Ming nodded. "Yes, it's a Phoenix. Many women live in the Palace, but only you can have the Phoenix carving, as you are the only Lord of the Imperial household. The Imperial household is not simple or peaceful. Over the past forty years or so, I have suffered a lot, and I have seen many horrible things happening here. Every women in the Palace wants your position. You have it now, but if you let your guard down, you might lose it. Now your mind is in a tangle, and that makes you perplexed, utterly confused and disconcerted. If you do not keep a clear mind, someone else will have a chance to replace you."

The Empress listened in silence and did not speak.

Lady Ming looked at her niece and lowered her voice. "I heard that you're pregnant."

The Empress paused, and then nodded.

"Over the years, you are the only woman in our family to become Empress. The former Emperor favored me, but I still failed to become the Empress. Fortunately, I have helped you succeed. Remember, our family depends on you now. Don't let everybody down." said Lady Ming as she continued playing with her prayer beads.

"I know, please don't worry, " answered the Empress softly.

Lady Ming reached out and touched the Empress' lower abdomen. The Empress froze in her chair with the shock of Lady Ming's sudden movements. "The Emperor is no longer young. He is forty now. So it is a rare thing that you are pregnant. If you have a son, our family will do everything possible to help him become an Emperor. But now, you have to think about the baby Lady Jin is about to have. Things will get worse if she has a son. So you have to think carefully. Remember, it is okay to save one life at the expense of another if necessary. The child in her womb must never be born."

The Empress knew, of course, what Lady Ming meant when she said, one life for another. Even though it was early winter, the Empress broke into a cold sweat. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Hmm, " Lady Ming said as she stood up. "You have seldom spoken with your father since you came to the Palace. Even when something important happens, you ask someone to send him a message. You never dare talk with him in person. You don't have to be afraid of your father, after all he loves his daughter. It was not right for him to force you into the Palace, but he has his own reasons. He's the pillar of our family, and he has to toil and moil all the time. He did force you, yes. But he did it for our family. Although you are the Empress now, you should never forget your family."

The Empress responded promptly. "Yes, I know."

"By the way, I have heard that Lady Jin has been back for a while. I have not seen that wench and her daughter for many years. Now that the party is confirmed, send me a message when you know of the date. I want to see how the wenches are coming along!"

The Empress agreed as Lady Ming left the Hall.

After a long time, Xiu Xin peeked from behind the door. She searched the Hall carefully. Seeing that the Empress was alone, she stepped forward. "I see that Lady Ming has been here. Do I still need to visit the Grand Councilor?" asked Xiu Xin softly.

"Yes, " the Empress sighed. "Nothing will escape my father's notice as many spies work for him. In the morning, I sent you to tell my mother to visit me tomorrow. By afternoon, Lady Ming has came to see me."

Xiu Xin paused, and then asked softly. "Your Majesty, why did she come? As far as I know, she hasn't been out of Yongkang Palace, where she lives, for a long time."

The Empress laughed grimly. "For my baby, of course. Just two days after I announce my pregnancy, they've decided that my child is a convenience to them. They have considered all possibilities and thought through what might happen if I give life to my baby."

Xiu Xin stood by with her head lowered. A maid entered the Hall with a bowl of steaming Chinese medicine in her hands. "Your Majesty, your medicine for miscarriage prevention is ready. I tried the temperature. It is just right. Please drink it now."

The Empress looked up at the steaming medicine and waved. "Put it in my bedchamber. Then you can leave."

The maid nodded and hurried to comply. Soon, she exited the bedchamber, curtsied before the Empress and left.

The Empress glanced at Xiu Xin, and sighed. "Go to the Grand Councilor now. I'll rest."

After Xiu Xin left, the Empress turned and went into the bedchamber. She stared at the bowl of medicine for a long time. Then she took it and poured it into the potting soil of the flourishing manicured podocarpus beside her bed.