An Eight-year-old Princess

Chapter 161 The Return Of The Empress (Part Two)

But at Qiwu Palace, the Empress felt puzzled at Yun Shang's behavior. She rubbed her forehead and

let out a sigh. Yun Shang seemed to have grown more calm and she seemed to have a more elusive

mind. Sometimes, it was difficult for her to guess Yun Shang's true intentions.

"Your Majesty, please take the medicine." An old maid entered with a bowl of medicine in her hand. The

Empress stared at the bowl for a while. A bitter smile emerged on her lips. "Take it away. I don't want to

drink it. What is the use of taking it..."

The old maid frowned and said hesitantly, "Your Majesty, this is the medicine prescribed by the

physician sent by the Grand Councilor. It is said that it is very effective. Your Majesty, please listen to

me. His Majesty's love is all but vanity. New ladies come into the Imperial Palace each year. His

Majesty's love is the last thing in the world that you can rely on. It is your own child that will be your firm

support..."

"Child..." the Empress murmured to herself. After a while, she burst into a fit of laughter. But tears ran

down her face. "What's the use of having a child? Jing'er is my daughter. But I cannot protect her."

The old maid intended to interrupt the Empress when she heard the Empress speak so. But the

Empress seemed so grieved that the old maid checked herself and only sighed, "Your Majesty, you are

so young. You have a long way to go..."

The Empress smiled and took the bowl. She downed it in one gulp. Then she said, "Yes. I'm still young.

The one who laughs last, laughs best. Let's wait and see who is the winner in the end."

The Empress seemed to have no intention of running the imperial household again, though she had

begun to meet with the ladies in the imperial household. Yun Shang looked at the beautiful flowers in Content © provided by NôvelDrama.Org.

the garden, and said with a smile, "The Empress was forced to hand over her seal in a humiliating way.

If His Majesty doesn't plead with her in person to take the responsibility, how will it be possible for her

to regain her dignity as the Empress?"

Two days later, Yun Shang heard that Grand Councilor Li had come to the Palace and had spent a long

time with Emperor Ning in Qinzheng Hall. It was said that they had discussed issues about the Flower

Show Banquet. Emperor Ning went to Qiwu Palace after Grand Councilor Li had left.

In the evening of that day, Emperor Ning issued an Imperial Edict to the Empress as Yun Shang had

expected. The Imperial Edict said that the Empress, who is morally perfect and virtuous, will take the

responsibility of running the imperial household again. The Emperor even handed over the seal to the

Empress in person.

But the Empress kept a low profile even after regaining her power in the imperial household. She only

summoned everyone on the first day after she had retrieved her seal. She told everybody that life

would not change in the imperial household, and all the people could lead their life as before. After that,

she didn't summon anybody.

However, as more and more ladies kept paying the Empress a daily visit, Qiwu Palace gradually

bustled. Among all the ladies in the imperial household, the Empress loved Lady Ya the most as she

visited the Empress every day. But Lady Fu, the Empress's younger sister, never appeared at Qiwu

Palace. This indeed captured the imagination of many people.

Flowers were in full blossom in April. Soon the annual Flower Show Festival would be held.

In the State of Ning, the Flower Show Festival was not only a festival, but also a grand contest during

which the most precious and most beautiful flowers selected from across the country would be shown

by the prettiest girls. After preliminary selections and re-selections, the most magnificent flower display

would be decided during the Flower Show Banquet. The whole Flower Show Festival, from the

preliminary selection to the final Flower Show Banquet, would last nearly half a month.

The Imperial City was bustling with noise and excitement because of the upcoming Flower Show

Festival.

"It is said that Ruyu has been chosen to show the flowers on behalf of the Imperial City. I wonder what

Yunqing did to cover the scandal about Ruyu, and how much he paid to buy such an important task for

Ruyu." said Prince Jing. He stared at the throngs of people outside the carriage, his expression

showed no sign of emotion.

Yun Shang nodded, "As I expected, she aims to marry His Majesty."

Prince Jing looked at Yun Shang, who seemed not too concerned about the topic. "If it is your wish to

destroy her plan, you could tell everybody what Ruyu has done. Then the Wen Clan would be reduced

to the point of no return. But you didn't..."

Yun Shang grinned, "Why would I do that? Ruyu is a vile woman. Life in the imperial household would

be full of excitement if she marries His Majesty."

Prince Jing could not help but burst into laughter, "Shang'er, I must warn you. His Majesty is your

father, and your mother is one of the ladies in the imperial household. It seems you are eager to help

some women crawl into His Majesty's bed..."

Silence was Yun Shang's answer to the Prince's question. Actually, she didn't know for sure how her

mother felt about His Majesty. Did she really feel nothing about His Majesty? However, as far as Yun

Shang had observed in the past six months, His Majesty was not a good husband. Her mother could

certainly not rely on him.

Yun Shang sighed, "It is the wish of a woman to marry a husband who will love her faithfully for their

whole life. Most women would have this wish, and mother is one of them. But that is a promise that His

Majesty cannot make. I don't know what will happen in the future. What I do know is that His Majesty

has not been the ideal husband in my mother's heart of heart for a long time. I do all this just because I

want to protect those that I love and care. I want them to live in peace. As for the future, I will face

problems when they come. I have always thought that the Imperial Palace is not a place suitable for

women like my mother."

Prince Jing felt touched by Yun Shang's words. While staring at Yun Shang, he suppressed the impulse

to ask her if she was one of the women she spoke so passionately about. 'Do you have such a wish as

well? Will you leave me if I cannot make you such a promise?'

However, he dared not ask Yun Shang though those questions kept looping in his mind. He could not

give her that promise. As she said, no one knows what would happen in the future.

"It's here." Prince Jing uttered gently before raising the door curtain of the carriage. He stepped down

first. Then he stretched his hands and helped Yun Shang to climb down from the carriage.

"Oh my! It's you, Prince Jing. I have prepared a nice compartment for you. Please, follow me upstairs."

The shopkeeper, who was busy receiving customers, noticed the Prince as soon as he set foot in the

restaurant. He scurried toward the Prince to welcome him with due respect.

Prince Jing nodded at him, and then led Yun Shang upstairs. Their compartment was the best one on

the second floor. From the window, the famous Moon Bay could be seen. As this was prime time for

willow trees along the river, the scent of willow could be smelled when there was a breeze.