An Eight-year-old Princess

Chapter 85 A Secret Letter From Qingsu

"My Lord." Someone stood outside the tent requesting a presence. Yun Shang was startled as she was

lying on the bed. Fortunately, she just only recently dozed off and hadn't taken off her clothes. So, she

jumped out of bed and stretched to where her shoes had been placed. But before she could get them,

she heard Prince Jing speak, "You are tired from the long journey. You must rest now. As there are men

in every corner of the camp, it is not convenient for you to stay in other tents. Spend the night here. I

have ordered that no one will come and disturb you."

It seemed that Prince Jing could read her mind even with a screen between them. Yun Shang was at a

loss at his thoughtfulness and flushed. She uttered a gentle "yes, " but still went out after putting on her

shoes.

Prince Jing could not help curl his lips at the sight of the drowsy Yun Shang. He smiled as he spoke,

"Soon it will be time for supper. Our food is limited. So, please make the best of it."

Yun Shang returned his smile and said, "Uncle, please don't worry for me. As this is the border area

and it is far from the inland, such little hardship is within my expectation."

Then she recalled the question that had come to her mind earlier, and continued, "Uncle, I have noticed

that our camp is flanked by two mountains. This would be to our disadvantage if the Yelang army

launches a surprise attack against us. We could even suffer tremendous losses if they do something as

simple as throw stones and rocks at us from the mountain."

Yun Shang spoke as if she knew a lot about military tactics. This, of course, had come to Prince Jing's

attention. He walked nearer to the table and pointed at the map. He said to Yun Shang, "Come and

have a look."

Yun Shang walked nearer and studied the map carefully. The map were circled with many drawings,

which confused Yun Shang. To give Yun Shang a clue, Prince Jing pointed at one of the circles on the

map and said, "This is where we are, and this is Yelang's camp."

Yun Shang bent forward to get a closer look of the densely dotted markings and curves. Prince Jing

watched her in silence. At last, he heard Yun Shang speak, "I know."

"Oh? What do you know?" Prince Jing asked, raising his eyebrows slightly.

Yun Shang pointed at a vast flatland far from the circles and said, "This is the country of Yelang, which

is typically flat. I think Yelang soldiers must be comfortable while fighting in flat areas, and there is a

greater chance for them to win in flatlands. However, they would have a disadvantage if the war takes

place in mountainous areas. There are only two mountains around us. Yelang soldiers would never

think of launching an attack from on top of the mountain. But we can."

Prince Jing felt delighted that Yun Shang could get to this point without his help. He said with a nod, "I

have sent soldiers to study the land. The two mountains are shrouded in heavy fog. No one can see

beyond five steps once in the thick forest. I don't think Qingsu would take such a risk."

Yun Shang understood the situation after hearing Prince Jing's explanation. In terms of military

strategy, she was, of course, no match for the Prince who was an experienced general after having

fought in many battles. However, she knew what had happened in her previous life. That was her only

advantage. Qingsu was by no means a weak opponent in the previous life. Even the Prince had

suffered defeats while fighting him. Yun Shang lowered her head as she tried to figure out how could

she warn the Prince about this in a way that would not arouse his suspicion.

"How I wish to know what Qingsu behaved during a battle." Yun Shang murmured, as if speaking to

herself.

Prince Jing's eyes swept across Yun Shang swiftly. "He is a rushed man. Aggressive. But that is not all.

He is also treacherous and good at trickery."

Yun Shang tried to recall something useful about this battle from her previous life. She had barely

finished her wedding before the battle started. Mo Jingran began to reveal his nature as a playboy

shortly after the death of Hua Jing's husband. He was involved in romantic affairs wherever he went,

and even committed adultery with Hua Jing. She was so upset with Mo Jingran's unfaithfulness that

Yun Shang had shut herself in her room. Her focus had been on finding methods to regain Mo

Jingran's love. So, Yun Shang had paid no attention to anything else, including Prince Jing's battle

expedition.

However, amidst the blur in her mind, she vaguely remembered something from the time she had gone

to visit the Empress. Hua Jing had been crying at the Empress's Palace and airing her grievances to

the Empress. She said she was a poor woman and should not have had to marry a general who was

destined to die on the battlefield. She also mentioned Prince Jing, who had been trapped by Qingsu on

a mountain after the Yelang Prince had set fire to the mountain. Prince Jing had managed a narrow

escape from the fire but had been badly hurt.

The mountain... Yun Shang took a closer look at the map, and was quite sure that there were no other

mountains within a hundred li* radius.

(*TN: li, also known as the Chinese mile, is a traditional Chinese unit of distance. One li is usually about

a third as long as the English mile.)

Were the mountains...

After pondering for a short moment, Yun Shang said in a soft voice, "People who are good at trickery

often disguise themselves as reckless. There are only two high mountains within a hundred li radius,

but you chose to camp here. Qingsu must know why you made such a decision. Though our soldiers

can march in the fog with some safety measures, a fire would land us in great calamity. If Qingsu also

thinks of setting fire to the mountain..."

Prince Jing burst into a smile at Yun Shang's words, and praised her. "That's right. It doesn't matter if

he is truly reckless or not. It will be to our advantage if we takes some precautions."

The Prince's approval relieved Yun Shang. Then she continued, "I have heard that Qingsu has been

challenging us repeatedly with a group of soldiers. But, when you pick up the gauntlet and are ready to

fight with him, he withdraws. I believe that would be one of his tricks to deceive you into thinking it is his

weakness. If you believe that he is a coward, you will relax your vigilance. Then, he can take

advantage by launching a surprise attack."

Prince Jing said to Yun Shang with a smile, "I thought girls from the Imperial City would know nothing

more than embroidering and playing the Guqin. I didn't expect that you would be such an expert at

military tactics. The map alone... is hard to crack. And it is impossible for you to learn this in the

Imperial Palace. It is beyond my expectation that Master Wu Na is versatile enough to teach you

something about the art of war. Do you learn all this from him?"

Yun Shang felt so surprised that she was at a loss for what to do. It was, of course, impossible for her

to learn the art of war at the Imperial City as it was forbidden for women in the Imperial City to get

involved in politics. However, it was also improper to tell the Prince that she learned it from Master Wu

Na. There would be no problem if she learned the Four Arts from Master Wu Na. But it would be

inappropriate for a monk to teach about war, and Master Wu Na would be under suspicion of

insurrection if the Emperor thought there was a reason for a monk to know about war.

So, Yun Shang lowered her head in silence. Noticing that Yun Shang was reluctant to reply, Prince Jing

somehow felt a sense of loss. He didn't mention it again, and changed the topic to escape the

embarrassing moment. Then he said in a casual manner, "That day at the banquet, the melody,

Courting A Phoenix..."

Yun Shang felt her heart miss a beat when she heard the first word uttered by the Prince. She didn't

know what love was in her previous life. She just thought she was in love with Mo Jingran after she had

been set up by the Empress and Hua Jing. Therefore, she begged His Majesty to let her marry Mo

Jingran. In this life, she had decided not to marry. She was, however, still at a loss while hearing Prince

Jing mention the melody that they had performed together. She recalled how the Prince said, it must be

her, on that day. Now, Yun Shang felt so disturbed that she interrupted the Prince in a hurry, "Lady

Meng planned to dance to the melody of Phoenix on the Hairpin and asked me to play the melody for

her. As she was my maid and had served me for quite a long time, I could not turn her down. But it was

out of my expectation that Lady Shu would ask you to perform too..."

"Oh? So you mean there is a misunderstanding between us..." Prince Jing looked at Yun Shang. He

had known from her expression that she didn't want to talk about the performance. His heart sank at

the thought that she didn't feel the same way. He could not remember when it had started, but he had ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

begun caring for Yun Shang genuinely. She had meant nothing to him before, but now he cared about

her more and more. Looking at Yun Shang, he knew he had been a little rash in assuming how Yun

Shang felt. Prince Jing didn't even know for certain how he felt about Yun Shang. He had just blurted

out the first thing that came to his mind at the banquet. He had even felt light-headed as soon as he

had finished speaking those words. Yun Shang, after all, was his niece, even though they were not

biologically related. But their formal relations as uncle and niece was a fact that could not be changed,

and the love between uncle and niece was against morals. Besides, he was so much older than her...

A bitter smile emerged on the Prince's lips. He said, "I will send someone to bring some food for you.

You'd better go to bed early." He walked out of the tent while speaking.

Yun Shang was saddened as she watched the Prince leave. She had been so distracted that she didn't

notice Qian Yin step out from behind the screen until the maid was in front of her. Qian Yin smiled at

Yun Shang and said, "Your Highness, as far as I can tell Prince Jing admires you from afar. Why didn't

Your Highness let the Prince finish? I really think Your Highness and Prince Jing are a perfect match."

Yun Shang was startled at Qian Yin's words. She realized that Qian Yin had been in the tent while she

and Prince Jing were talking. Qian Yin must have heard every word. Yun Shang flushed. She glanced

at Qian Yin before walking toward the bed and sitting on it.

"Doesn't Your Highness feel any affection for the Prince? But it's natural if Your Highness doesn't like

the Prince. The Prince looks quite cold, and he is more than ten years older than Your Highness..."

Qian Yin nodded while murmuring, as if speaking to herself.

Qian Yin's words enraged Yun Shang so much that she shouted at the maid, "You wretched little girl,

what are you talking about? Are you pushing me into selling you to the butler of my grandfather as his

daughter-in-law?"

Qian Yin waved her hands desperately and begged, "Please don't, Your Highness. His son is a cripple.

I don't want to marry him."

Yun Shang hadn't grown any smarter when it came to love affairs even though she had been given a

new life. She was upset as she had felt the difference in Prince Jing's treatment. But she didn't dare try

to figure it out. And she was too timid to have thought about it. Yun Shang let out a sigh and scolded

herself for her weakness.

She went to bed early after the supper. This was Yun Shang's first night in a military camp stationed in

the border area. As there was so much noise around, she didn't fall asleep until quite late in the night.

Yun Shang was awakened early the next morning by the soldiers' shouting during their morning drill.

She finished her breakfast, dressed like a man, and walked out of the tent. As soon as she stepped

out, Yun Shang saw the attendant whom she had met yesterday. "You are Luo Ding, right?" She

recalled his name. "Is this a drill?"

This delighted Luo Ding very much as he didn't expect the young master to remember his name. He

was, after all, an important guest of the Prince. Luo Ding replied immediately, "Yes. The Prince is

conducting the drill. Alas! They are so noisy that Mister Xiao must not have slept well."

Yun Shang shook her head and walked toward the direction from which the shouting could be heard.

She saw many soldiers practicing fighting skills with spears. In the front of the soldiers stood a

magnificent figure in a silver-white armor. It must have been Prince Jing.

The Prince had caught sight of Yun Shang before she approached him. He walked to her and said,

"You got up so early? You must have been awakened by us, right?"

Yun Shang shook her head with a smile, "This is my first time witnessing a military exercise. I feel so

excited."

Prince Jing grinned at Yun Shang and turned to cast a look at his soldiers. Then he recalled something

he needed to discuss with Yun Shang. So he said, "There is something I need to talk about with you.

Please return with me to the tent."

Yun Shang was afraid at the thought of being alone with Prince Jing. But she could not turn him down.

So, she walked behind him into the tent. The Prince said to Yun Shang with a frown as soon as they

were inside the tent, "Our spy got a secret letter from Qingsu. It was written to His Majesty..."

"To His Majesty?" Yun Shang was taken by surprise as she, as a Princess, was not supposed to know

anything about the war, especially something like a secret letter. However, Prince Jing assumed a

serious attitude and seemed to not be joking. Then, she realized that this must concern her. So she

inquired, "Is the letter about me?"

Prince Jing nodded and said, "Qingsu is asking for a marriage between Ning and Yelang. He will

request the Emperor to marry you to him..."

"Anything else?" Yun Shang asked in a cold tone. She was quite aware that the request of marriage

must be Hua Jing's trick.

After staying silent for a while the Prince continued, "He wrote in the letter that as Princess Hui Guo

has had intimate relationship with him, it would be better for Emperor Ning to give his consent to this

marriage."

Prince Jing felt so furious while speaking those words that he clasped his hands into fists. Although he

knew that the Princess Hui Guo mentioned in the letter was not Yun Shang, he still could not help

getting angry.

Yun Shang was also surprised by the content of the letter, though she had more ore less anticipated it

would not be something nice. She was also clear that the Princess Hui Guo captured by the army of

Yelang was Hua Jing... Was Hua Jing shameless enough to... commit adultery with Qingsu?

"How vile this trick of Hua Jing is..." It was indeed a vile trick. Had Emperor Ning received this letter, in

which no details about time and venue were mentioned, he would have suspected Yun Shang although

she was his favorite daughter. After all, it was a letter from Prince Qingsu, and Princess Hui Guo's

name was the only name mentioned in it. Even if Yun Shan were innocent and had nothing to do with

Qingsu, she would be deemed as a dissolute girl as long as Qingsu insisted on their love affair. It would

be a great shame for a girl to have sex before marriage. As the Princess of Ning, the shameful scandal

would be more than a stain on the family. Besides, the marriage between the royal families of Ning and

Yelang would not be a fruitless union for Emperor Ning. At any rate, the two countries would keep

peace for a short while. So, Emperor Ning would probably consent to the marriage if this letter had

been delivered to His Majesty successfully.

Yun Shang stayed silent for quite a long time. She was neither too startled nor did she panic. Judging

from her calmness, Prince Jing knew that she must have thought of something. So he said to Yun

Shang, "It's not proper for me to get involved in this matter. What's your plan?"

Yun Shang curled her lips and her eyes flashed a ray of coldness. "As sister and Prince Qingsu love

each other so much, I'm quite willing to make them a happy couple." Then she raised her head to look

at Prince Jing, and said, "Please do me a favor, Uncle. Please replace my name in the letter with my

sister's."

After finishing saying that, Yun Shang lowered her head lest the Prince catch the coldness in her eyes.

She was aware that His Majesty would consent to this marriage if it had been her who had been

mentioned in the letter. But if it was Hua Jing... Hua Jing was already married. Her adultery would win

no pardon from His Majesty, and even the Empress would be unable to save her. And, what was

worse, she was staying with Qingsu in the enemy camp. Thinking of all this, Yun Shang raised her

heard to look at the Prince and requested, "There's one more favor I want Uncle to do for me. Please

ask a painter to paint a picture of sister and present it to His Majesty. And please tell His Majesty that

there is a woman in the enemy camp, who resembles Hua Jing very much. She is in the company of

Prince Qingsu almost every day. You should also tell His Majesty that you've heard that Princess Hua

Jing came to the border to save her husband. You dare not launch an attack, as you are unsure

whether this woman is Princess Hua Jing or not. So, you have to report this to His Majesty and wait for

His Majesty's order..."

Prince Jing burst into a fit of laughter upon hearing Yun Shang's plan, and exclaimed, "Excellent! I will

spread the story of Hua Jing and Qingsu among the populace. Then the story will spread to the

Imperial City, and will be heard in every alley and every street in the Imperial City..."

"That would be wonderful. Thank you very much, Uncle."

As they spoke about Hua Jing, Yun Shang suddenly thought of another woman. She said to the Prince,

"Uncle, I have heard that Lady Zhao, mother of the Emperor's Son-in-law, has also come to the border.

But I haven't seen her..."

"Lady Zhao heard that her son had been attacked in Linguan Town, so she went there with some men

in search of him. She said she would not give up searching her son until she finds him alive or dead."

Prince Jing continued after pondering for a moment, "Is your maid prudent in running errands? In order

to get information about her son, Lady Zhao would have turned Linguan Town upside down. It would be

bad if she finds out that you are involved. Though she is just a lady with an official rank that could not

be deemed high, His Majesty respects her very much as the Zhao family has always been loyal for

many generations. It would be troublesome if she finds out that you arranged this."

Yun Shang was quite confident of Ning Qian's abilities. So she replied, "There is no cause for concern.

She won't find out about my involvement."

"Is Zhao Yingjie dead?" Prince Jing asked with his eyebrows raised.

Yun Shang pondered for a moment and said, "No. He is in Xiyi Town, which is quite nearby. I planned

to send him back to the Imperial City in case he would be of help in the future. The check on the

borderline is very strict, so we have been delayed from taking any action. But, I have changed my mind

as Hua Jing is here too. I think Zhao Yingjie might be more useful here, so I hid him in Xiyi Town."

Prince Jing nodded, "I understand. I think you'd better set him free as soon as possible, if you are well

prepared. At any rate, Zhao Yingjie is a good general. He is not stupid. If he gets suspicious we cannot

let him go."

Yun Shang nodded at the Prince and said, "I know." While speaking to the Prince, Yun Shang was still

devising her plan. She was also planning how to spread the Hua Jing scandal in Xiyi. Then, she would

relax the guard on Zhao Yingjie on purpose thus offering him a chance to escape. The rumor about his

dissolute wife would be the first thing Zhao Yingjie would hear after his escape. Then he would, of

course, go to the Yelang encampment and challenge Qingsu to a fight. If Qingsu brought Hua Jing to

the battlefield and Zhao Yingjie saw her even from a distance, he would know that the woman by

Qingsu's side was Hua Jing. After all, they had been married for several years...

No man would accept the unfaithfulness of his wife. And Hua Jing was by no means a gentle woman.

She must have treated Zhao Yingjie arrogantly in their daily life. As their marriage was arranged by the

Emperor, Zhao Yingjie dared not refuse. However, as long as there was evidence that Hua Jing was

immoral as a woman, she would be despised by all even though she was the Princess of Ning.

Prince Jing glanced at Yun Shang and was aware of what she was thinking. He said to her with a

smile, "Zhao Yingjie is stubborn and very loyal to the Emperor. He would not divorce Hua Jing just

because of her adultery with Qingsu. But he is a filial son to his mother. Lady Zhao has sacrificed a lot

to educate him and see him grow to the position of a general. So, he would bear anything except for

the maltreatment and disrespect towards his mother..."

On hearing the Prince's words, Yun Shang's eyes sparkled...