Chapter 149 A Counterplot (Part Two)
Chapter 149 A Counterplot (Part Two)
Qian Yin stayed quiet. She carefully helped Yun Shang finish bathing, and helped her get dressed.
Then she wrapped Yun Shang's wet hair in a towel before the Princess stepped out of the bathroom.
Qin Yi scurried toward Yun Shang, untied the towel on Yun Shang's head, and helped the Princess dry
her hair gently.
Yun Shang squinted as Qin Yi's touches were so comforting.
"Your Highness, Master Zhao asked me to give this to you. As it was found in Your Highness's carriage,
it must be important. So Master Zhao ordered me to bring this for you." Yun Shang heard a soft voice
speaking to her. She lifted her eyes and saw a servant girl holding a sachet in her hand.
After taking the sachet from the servant girl, Qin Yi whispered to Yun Shang, "Your Highness, isn't this
the birthday gift that you prepared for Prince Jing? Inside the sachet is the sword tassel you made for
the Prince. Why is it here?"
Qin Yi's words reminded Yun Shang how careless she had been today. She was absentminded the
whole day as she had failed to recall something important to her. She didn't realize that she had lost
the sachet until this moment. But Yun Shang had been quite busy when she was at Prince Jing's
Mansion, and afterward, she had been kidnapped and brought to this place. How could she get any
chance to think about the matter of the Prince's gift?
"I was so busy that I must have forgotten about the gift for Uncle. But it doesn't matter. Keep it safe. I
will give it to him next time." Yun Shang grinned and said in a casual manner.
As Yun Shang had made up her mind to find the culprit behind the plot against her, she stopped
worrying about her current situation nor did she think of a plan to escape. As the rooms were decorated
similarly to Qingxin Palace, she felt comfortable. It was almost as though she were at home. She
chatted with Qian Yin and Qin Yi in a casual manner until she became sleepy. Then she went to bed as
usual.
It had been a hard day for Yun Shang. She was so tired that she fell asleep as soon as she lay on the
bed. Judging from Yun Shang's casual manner, Qian Yin and Qin Yi knew that the Princess must have
a plan. So they went to bed with relieved hearts.
In the dead of the night, a lamp was lit in a room in the west wing of the courtyard. The light cast the
shadows of two figures on the window. Two persons were speaking with each other in a low voice
inside the room. "How are things coming along? How did she respond?"
"In my opinion, she is a calm lady. It seems she hasn't panicked from the moment she realized that she
had been kidnapped. She stayed calm all this while. She only felt surprised when she stepped into the
room and saw the interior. The servant girls told me that she talked with her maids in a manner as if
she were in her own Palace. And she went to bed as usual." Master Zhao said respectfully.
"Oh? That is impressive. It seems that she is an able woman. Prince Jing would not fall in love with an
ordinary girl, " said a man. After a short pause, the man continued in a tone filled with admiration,
"Deliver a message to the Grand Councilor. Tell him that I have the Princess under my control.
Whoever wants to see the Princess may meet with her at anytime. If no one wants to see her, then tell
us what to do with the Princess. But remind him that I have eliminated one of his troubles for him. If he
dares to interfere in my affairs on other pretexts, I will never let him go." The tone shifted from soft to
menacing at the end of the speech. It seemed as though the man was speaking with a foe whom he
would kill with his own hands.
Master Zhao replied in a hurry, "I understand. I will send the message now." The light flickered before it
extinguished. Then silence permeated the room.
"Bang! Bang! Bang..." Strange noises filled the room. Yun Shang was a light sleeper. She sat up as
soon as she heard the noise. She saw a black figure standing in front of her.
The person didn't expect that Yun Shang would wake. She was at a loss for a little while before
kneeling before Yun Shang. "Your Highness."
Yun Shang was surprised to find that a woman stood before her. She nodded at the woman. While
looking at the woman's shadow on the ground, Yun Shang said, "Uncle told me he had arranged
several secret guards in our midst. You are one of them?"
The woman replied, "I'm Jing Ying, Your Highness."
Yun Shang frowned at Jing Ying's response. Maybe she was being too sensitive. But, somehow, she
felt a sense of discontent from Jing Ying in her tone and manner, though Jing Ying treated her with due
respect. Yun Shang knew Jing Ying must have followed her wherever she went. So Jing Ying would
have known every word and everything she had said and done. But Yun Shang wondered what she
might have said and done to upset this secret guard. Sometimes, when Yun Shang was alone in the
Palace, she grumbled about and spoke ill of Prince Jing. Did Jing Ying grow angry with her because of
this? 'Does she feel wronged on behalf of her master and is taking it out on me?' Yun Shang wondered.
"Have you seen who kidnapped me? As a secret guard, you must have been following me all this time.
The four servant girls seem to have knowledge of Kung Fu. As you are standing before me, you must
have escaped their notice. Why didn't you save me before I was abducted since you are so good at
Kung Fu?" Yun Shang asked softly.
Yun Shang could not see Jing Ying's expression in the darkness. She only heard the woman speak in a
low voice, "As a secret guard, I'm not allowed to expose myself unless Your Highness's life is in
danger."
"Oh?" Yun Shang uttered with her brows raised.
"I didn't see who kidnapped Your Highness because the kidnappers had worn heavy makeup to cover
their facial features." Jing Ying didn't raise her head while answering Yun Shang's question.
"Oh?" Yun Shang lifted her eyes to look at Jing Ying. Then she raised another question, "Then why do
you come to me now?"
This question reminded Jing Ying of what the secret guard headman had told her. The headman said
that the Prince was so enraged with the Princess's sudden abduction that His Highness had smashed
his study. His Highness even intended to kill the secret guards who were responsible for not stopping
the Princess's abduction. Jing Ying could not help but feel a sense of loss when she thought of the
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"I have made contact with other secret guards. The Prince ordered us to get Your Highness out of here
as soon as possible." Jing Ying spoke in such a calm manner that not even a trace of emotion could be
felt from her tone.