An Eight-year-old Princess

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."

and I still can not control myself. But now, I feel it's also okay to

that her mother had her own plans, so she didn't try to persuade

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

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

"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

maid tried to remember, and answered after thinking. "Lady

sat down in a chair, closed her eyes, and

the Empress' face, and paused. She had been serving the Empress since she was a child. She knew at a glance that

bat her eyes wearily. When she saw Xiu

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

she want?" The Empress got angry, but then she thought of something and grinned. "Are you clear

promptly. "Yes, Your Majesty. The party will be held in three days at

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

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.

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,

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

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

do now? Princess Hua Jing is so impulsive. She left the Imperial City in such a hurry. I'm afraid that she will find

time to calm down. "Send a message to the

a succession of things, and was about to

"Lady Ming?"

tried to calm down, she asked her maids

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

hand and beckoned

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?

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

beads. "Your Majesty,

Empress nodded. "Yes,

in the Palace.

paused, and then answered. "It's a

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