An Eight-year-old Princess

Chapter 77 The Banquet At Jinxiu Palace

"Your Highness, what color of clothes would you like to wear today?" As soon as Qian Yin entered the

room, she saw Qin Yi styling Yun Shang's hair. She asked about the clothes with a smile.

Yun Shang thought about it and said, "Today's banquet celebrates the pregnancy of the Empress.

Since it is a happy occasion, we should dress accordingly. Shangyi Bureau sent some clothes earlier

and I saw a dress in Indian red. I'll wear that one."

Qin Yi smiled and pulled Yun Shang's hair up, "It's drizzling today. I'll fetch a cape. The other day,

Prince Jing found a white fox while hunting and he gave the fox fur to His Majesty. His Majesty said that

of all the royals in the imperial household, the color suits Your Highness the best, so he rewarded it to

you. You were reading a book that day and weren't paying attention, so I put it away for you. I think the

color matches your Indian red dress. Qian Yin, fetch it for Her Highness."

"Prince Jing? White fox?" Yun Shang was surprised and asked, "Is Prince Jing also coming today?"

Qin Yi smiled and looked in the mirror. She giggled at Yun Shang's expression. "Your Highness seems

to be very interested in Prince Jing. Yes, he is coming. I heard that he is needed at the northwest

frontier to settle the recent chaos there. He will be leaving with his troops in two days. His Majesty

invited him to the banquet to comfort and encourage him."

"I see." Yun Shang nodded. In her pervious life, this was also the time when war broke out in the

northwest. The country of Yelang had launched an attack. They gathered all the strong men in their

country and formed an army of nearly 2, 00, 000 warriors. In her previous life, the war had lasted for

several years. Hua Jing's royal husband had died in that war.

In this life, Yun Shang had already cut off the soldiers' supply of food, and tricked the Emperor's Son-in-

law into staying in an empty city. She had even carried him off. So, in this life, Prince Jing, who was

supposed to go to the frontier three years from now, was being sent there earlier.

The men from the country of Yelang practiced Kung Fu from an early age. They were all tall and good

at fighting. An army of 2, 00, 000 strong warriors shouldn't be underestimated. Even though Prince Jing

is the God of War in the State of Ning, it would not be easy for him to win the war.

"By the way, the master asked me to tell you that both Hua Jing and her Mother-in-Law have gone to

the frontier in the northwest. Hua Jing only took four guards and two maids with her. The master said

this would be a great chance." Qin Yi added.

Yun Shang turned around at Qin Yi's words, "Hua Jing? Is she out of her mind?"

Qin Yi smiled, "I also think it's unbelievable. But according to the master, it was the Empress who sent

her there..."

Yun Shang shook her head, "Not likely. The Empress has always been careful and meticulous. It's not

possible that she sent her daughter to die. However... After what had happened to the Emperor's Son-

in-Law, Lady Zhao must have done everything she could to go to the frontier, which is not good for Hua

Jing. In that case, it's understandable that the Empress sent Hua Jing there too. In doing so, Hua Jing

would not have to suffer from constant rumors. But if the Empress really did that, she would have

prepared for it and wouldn't let Hua Jing go alone."

"Is it possible that this is just a lie where the Empress sends Hua Jing to the frontier with few servants

on purpose but secretly sent guards to protect her?" Qian Yin asked as she entered the room. She

carried Yun Shang's selected attire in her hands. She spread out the dress for Yun Shang to see as

she waited for the Princess to reply.

"Your Highness, see? This is the one right? Indian red with a cape. This cape is stunning. I've never

seen such pure white fox fur." Qian Yin spread out the cape and ran her hands over the snowy white

cape with a white coat around its neck. It looked very warm.

Yun Shang nodded, "It is beautiful indeed. I'll wear this one."

Qian Yin put the clothes away and stood aside as Qin Yin finished making Yun Shang's hair. "Protected

or not, it would not be difficult to kill Hua Jing when she is in a place like the battlefield. Your Highness,

why not let me notify Ning Qian and send her there to take a chance?"

Yun Shang smiled, "It is a good chance, indeed. How can I miss such a good one? However, I must

take Hua Jing's life myself. Since she's already at the front, tell Ning Qian that I need her to keep Hua

Jing there as long as possible. I'll find an opportunity to go there after I finish dealing with the affairs

here."

"The affairs here?" Qian Yin thought for a while and couldn't figure out what Yun Shang meant. So she

asked, "Your Highness, is there anything else you need to deal with here? Are you planning to wait for

Lady Jin to deliver her baby safely?"

Yun Shang shook her head. "No. I'm confident that she will have a smooth delivery, and I won't wait for

that long. My top priority now is to deal with the Empress's pregnancy... I'm not happy about that."

Suddenly a strange noise was heard by the three women. It sounded as if someone had tripped over a

chair. Yun Shang squinted at the direction where the sound came from. Qian Yin disappeared into the

inner hall. A moment later, Qian Yin dragged a maid into the bedchamber. She had covered the maid's

mouth to stop her from screaming. "Your Highness, it is maid Ya Zhi. She is in charge of cleaning the

outer space of our Palace."

"Cleaning the outer space of our Palace? Then why is she here in the inner Palace?" Through the

bronze mirror, Yun Shang saw that the girl was ordinary-looking. Fear was written all over her face.

Although held and steadied by Qian Yin, the maid kept shaking her head, but could only make a

muffled cry.

"Let her speak." Yun Shang turned around and said to Qian Yin.

Qian Yin let go of her hand and the maid hurriedly said, "Your Highness, I didn't do anything. Earlier

there was a maid who asked me to serve you tea. She told me to bring the teapot to you. Your

Highness, I didn't hear anything."

Yun Shang smiled a little, "Shut her mouth." Qian Yin hurriedly covered the maid's mouth again. Then

Yun Shang continued, "Get rid of her. Tell the others that she got caught stealing my jewelry and to

avoid consequences, she killed herself by banging her head on the wall."

Qian Yin nodded and left with the flailing maid in her hands. Yun Shang smiled coldly, "What a scene! It

really makes me curious about tonight's banquet. We've just started, but someone else has already

made their move. I wonder how exciting tonight will be."

Qin Yi helped Yun Shang put on two simple but elegant jade orchid hair sticks into her bun before

helping her dress. Qin Yi said, "Qin Meng is almost ready. I went to see her practicing yesterday, and

she took it really seriously."

"Given that she wanted to be at the top, there's no reason that she won't take it seriously."

It was getting dark. Yun Shang took Qin Yi and Qian Yin to Jinxiu Palace with her. When they arrived at

the door, Yun Shang noticed that this was the closest Palace to Qinzheng Hall, even though it had

been empty for many years. Of course Yun Shang knew Jinxiu Palace is where Lady Jin used to live,

so she sighed in her heart. Just when she was about to step in, a figure in purple robes walked towards

her.

Yun Shang waited for the figure to walk nearer to her. Then she called gently, "Uncle."

Prince Jing nodded as his eyes rested on Yun Shang for a while. Then he complimented, "It looks good

on you." Then he stepped inside Jinxiu Palace without saying another word.

Yun Shang was surprised. She thought for a moment and figured out what he meant. It must be the

cape. According to Qin Yi, Prince Jing was the one who gave this fox fur to the Emperor.

Yun Shang felt a slight burn on her face. She lowered her head and walked into the Palace. As soon as

she entered, she heard many concubines chatting around her. "This Jinxiu Palace is splendid. Even the

Empress's Palace is not better when compared to this."

"I agree. Besides, the Palace is close to His Majesty's Qinzheng Hall. I wonder how popular the

concubine was to deserve a Palace like this."

Yun Shang stood there and listened for a long time before she felt someone walk up to her. Turning her

head, she saw the quiet and gentle face of Lady Jin. The latter seemed to be thinking. Yun Shang

called in a low voice, "Mother", then felt others gazing at them.

"Today's banquet seems to be livelier than usual." Lady Jin lowered her head and kept her voice so low

that only Yun Shang who was standing beside her could hear. Saying only that sentence, she raised

her head and walked into the Hall with Madam Zheng.

"Your Majesties, thank you all for coming. Don't just stand outside waiting. It's getting cold, please,

come inside." The madame who served Lady Shu walked out, bowed to everyone, and said loudly.

All the people standing outside went into the main Hall, which was lined with tables on both sides. From

the jade inlaid in the pillars and the ground, the guests could tell that this Palace was luxurious in the

past.

Yun Shang chose the second seat on the left and sat down. As soon as she looked up, she saw Prince

Jing sitting opposite her.

As soon as everyone had taken their seats, the Empress entered. She was wearing a big red Phoenix

robe and carried a hairpin shaped as a Phoenix on her head. She smiled elegantly.

Yun Shang looked at her outfit and smiled. It was an ordinary family dinner, but the Empress was

dressing rather too loudly, presumably because it was a banquet held by Lady Shu. She must have

deliberately selected her dress to rattle Lady Shu.

Generally speaking, in the imperial household, only the Empress had the right to host banquets. But

this time, the right was given to Lady Shu by the Emperor. Consequently, she must have been flattered

by many. Here, the Empress was sending a subtle message that she, Li Yiran, was still the lead in the

imperial household.

"Hail Your Majesty..." The Empress came to her seat at the center and turned. The guests fell to their

knees to show their respect.

The Empress looked around the Palace and smiled, "Get up, everyone. It's just a family dinner. Don't

be strained by rules too much."

The guests stood at the Empress' words. Lady Shu was sitting on the first seat on the left side. She

looked up and noticed the Empress' outfit, then smiled and said, "Your Majesty looks great today. I

thought you only wear something like this on important occasions. I didn't know that you would put on

the Phoenix robe at today's banquet for me. What an honor to be treated like this. I'm flattered."

Yun Shang heard her and slightly raised her eyebrow. She glimpsed at Prince Jing. He was looking

down at his cup nonchalantly. Working for Prince Jing must have taught Lady Shu a lot. Under her

indifferent disguise, she had a quick response to a sudden attack. It was apparent to everyone that the

Empress was trying to discomfit Lady Shu. But the Lady had smiled and thanked the Empress, as if the

Empress was dressing up because she valued this banquet.

The Empress forced a smile and looked at Lady Shu, "Don't be so polite. We're all concubines in this

imperial household, and we both serve His Majesty. You have helped me a lot before my pregnancy.

Now that I am carrying his child, His Majesty wouldn't allow me to work hard. I'm afraid your help is still

needed in the following months."

Lady Shu eyes lightly swept across the Empress's belly. She smiled, "Your Majesty is being polite.

Helping you is part of my duties."

The Empress smiled too. She turned her eyes to Lady Jin and said with concern, "Lady Jin is pregnant

as well. You should pay more attention to your food at the banquet." Then she changed the topic. "The

moment I stepped in, this place brought back many memories. In the old times, Jinxiu Palace was Lady

Jin's Palace. Now, even by looking at it, I can feel its beauty. Lady Jin, in your opinion, is it still the

same as it was ten years ago?"

Everyone's attention fell on Lady Jin. She smiled peacefully, "It's been so long that I forget what it was

like in the past. Being here again, I do think it's a nice Palace. Even after all these years of abandon, its

inferior decoration is still elegant and breathtaking. Just now when I was standing at the door, I noticed

that His Majesty's Qinzheng Hall can be seen here from just across the garden."

The Empress smiled warmly but coldness reflected in her eyes, "Yes, but too bad you don't live here

anymore."

As soon as she finished speaking, a majestic voice came from the door, "If Shu Jin still likes this

Palace, tomorrow I'll send someone to clean it up. You can move in whenever you want."

The guests stood quickly and bowed. "Long live Your Majesty."

Emperor Ning walked to another seat at the center and sat down, "Get up, everyone."

After they got up and took their seats, Emperor Ning added, "When I arrived, I stood at the door for a

long time and felt as if you still live here. I thought about why I didn't let anyone move in here all these

years, and realized that it was because I thought you were the only one who deserves to live here.

Without you, I don't even want to come to Jinxiu Palace."

The Empress's face darkened at his words. Yun Shang looked at Lady Jin, and saw her lower her head

with a thoughtful look.

After a good while, Lady Jin said softly, "When I was young, I enjoyed a luxurious life. But now, as time

has passed, I prefer a quiet lifestyle. Jinxiu Palace is too much for me."

The Empress was not happy to see the Emperor spoiling Lady Jin. Now that Lady Jin had turned down

the Emperor's offer in front of all the guests, the Empress got even more upset. It felt like a fishbone

had gotten stuck in her throat. But she still put on a smile and said, "It's not bad for Lady Jin to live in

Qiwu Palace for now. After her delivery, it's up to her to choose her favorite Palace. Since Your Majesty

likes her so much, you can accommodate her request."

Emperor Ning turned to the Empress and smiled brilliantly, "That's for sure."

The Empress was shocked. After a while, she finally realized that her Qiwu Palace might also be an

option for Lady Jin. And what the Emperor meant was that even if Lady Jin asks for Qiwu Palace, he'll

give it to her.

The Empress panicked. She felt a chill spreading down her back, and that feeling was eating her alive

piece by piece, cruelly.

Seeing this, Lady Shu stood up with a smile. "Your Majesty, we have singing and dancing

performances at every banquet. Today, I'd like to do something different."

Emperor Ning raised his eyebrow on her words, "Something different? Enlighten me."

"What I'm thinking is a game where everyone passes round a silk ball in drumbeats. I've prepared a Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

ball. The drummers turn their back on us and start beating their drums at will. When the drum stops,

the one who has the silk ball gives us a show of talent. What do you think, Your Majesty?" Lady Shu

suggested in a soft voice.

Emperor Ning nodded and smiled, "Lady Shu's idea is a good one. It's interesting."

"Then I'll get started. We're not sitting in a circle now. I suggest that Your Majesties join us in the game.

It will add to the fun." Lady Shu added as the maids took the cue to begin moving the tables so that the

royals were placed in a circle.

Emperor Ning nodded, "All right, we'll join you."

"The silk ball is in my hand now, so let's start with me. Everyone, please get ready." Lady Shu raised

and clapped her hands and the drummers began to beat their drums. Lady Shu quickly passed the ball

to Yun Shang, who paused for a second before passing it to the person sit next to her.

The silk ball was passed around quickly by everyone. When the drumbeats stopped, it was being held

by a concubine dressed in cyan. Lady Shu smiled, "Lady Lan, you're the first one. What are you going

to perform?"

The lady in cyan was not shy. She smiled and said, "I have no special talent. I can only play a few

pieces of music and I'm not very good at it. But since I'm the first one to perform, I'll show you as much

as I can. Please don't laugh at me."

As soon as she finished her sentence, a maid quickly brought a desk and put a Qin on it. Lady Lan

played a piece of music, and just as she had said, it was nothing special.

After her performance, the game started again with drumbeats. This time, Qin Meng held the ball.

Yun Shang smiled and looked at Qin Meng with interest in her eyes. Qin Meng seemed nervous. She

knocked over a cup as she stood up.

Lady Shu covered her mouth so the others wouldn't see her smiling. "Looks like Lady Meng is nervous.

I wonder what kind of a talent she'll show us."

Qin Meng lowered her head and thought for a while, then she said, "I'll just perform a dance."

Lady Shu nodded, "Okay. We happen to have a free space in the middle. You can dance there. But it is

a pity that you will be dancing without music. I've heard that Prince Jing is good at playing the flute.

Prince Jing, why not perform for us too?"