An Eight-year-old Princess

Chapter 212 The Wedding Night

"Shang'er?" Prince Jing frowned while looking at the pained expression on Yun Shang's face. He called

to Yun Shang softly and shook her to wake her up.

Yun Shang suddenly sat up with eyes wide open. She wasn't completely awake until Prince Jing asked

her in a deep and gentle voice. "Did you have a nightmare?"

Yun Shang turned to him and looked at him in bewilderment. It took her quite a while to remember

where she was. "Uncle?"

Prince Jing nodded. "We are back home."

Still confused, Yun Shang looked around and noticed that she was in a carriage. Her mind gradually

cleared. Today was her wedding day, but she had rushed back to the Imperial Palace upon hearing that

Lady Jin had entered premature labor. Shortly afterward, Prince Jing came with a dependable midwife

who saved Lady Jin and the unborn child.

Yun Shang gave a sigh of relief. "Are we back at your mansion?"

Prince Jing nodded as he opened the carriage door and alighted. He turned and offered the Princess

his hand. Yun Shang gently placed her hand in his before climbing out of the carriage slowly. They

continued to hold hands as they walked.

"The midwife said there was a strange scent coming from me today. Uncle, since you have offered to

conduct a thorough investigation, can you send the makeup I used this morning to a reliable physician

or someone who has good knowledge of this?" Yun Shang said softly. The wedding dress had been

made and preserved by Lady Jin. Once Yun Shang had received it, she had kept the dress close by. It

would have been impossible for anyone to tamper with it.

Prince Jing agreed as they entered the main yard.

While they were gone, Qian Yin had become anxious. She kept checking the entrance of the yard. As

soon as she saw Yun Shang and Prince Jing, she rushed to them. "Your Highness, how is Lady Jin?"

"She is alright." Yun Shang answered before telling her maid. "I need to bathe. Prepare water for me."

Qian Yin cast a glance at Prince Jing. Though puzzled, Qian Yin nodded and left.

After bathing, Yun Shang dressed herself in casual clothes. As she was a new bride, all her clothes

were red as the color symbolized joy and fortune.

"I'm still quite worried, Uncle. I need to return to the Imperial Palace. You must feel uncomfortable as

you drunk a lot earlier. I'll ask Qian Yin to make you some soup that will ease your discomfort. Please

do have some and rest well." Yun Shang looked at Prince Jing as she spoke.

After a short silence, Prince Jing said, "It's getting late. You might not even be able to enter the Palace

at this hour. Moreover, you are married now. If you show up at this time, people might gossip. After all,

Lady Jin's Palace is attached to Qiwu Palace. And the Empress always keeps an eye on everything."

Yun Shang paused. Certainly she understood the risk, but she was really anxious about her mother.

Every time she thought about the possibility that Lady Jin was put in danger because of her, the

Princess was flooded with guilt.

Lady Jin had never complained about anything. Yun Shang however, felt like an unfilial daughter. There

were so many things that Yun Shang should have done, but didn't. Most recently, she hadn't consulted

with her mother about the wedding date. Her mother on the other hand, had traveled all the way from

Laifeng Palace to attend the wedding. But Yun Shang had failed to protect her loving and kind mother.

"I will sneak into the Palace then. I'll leave once I make sure my mother is alright. I won't do anything

else." Yun Shang muttered.

A soft knock came from the window. Prince Jing walked to the window and opened it. Yun Shang saw a

man in black standing outside respectfully.

"Your Highness, Lady Jin has woken up and taken her medicine. She is safe and sound in His

Majesty's company." The man bowed. His hands were folded in front of his chest and he looked at

Prince Jing.

Prince Jing nodded and closed the window. "Do you feel better?" He asked.

Yun Shang hesitated as she thought. She didn't know what to say.

After a moment, she heard a bird tweeting outside the window. She was finally relieved as that was

how her people sent messages to her secretly. The message being relayed to her confirmed what the

mysterious man had just told her and Prince Jing.

"His Majesty must be really nervous as well after the incident. I think he will take Lady Jin to Laifeng

Palace when she is capable of traveling. And as for a dependable midwife who will attend to your

mother, I will make the necessary arrangements. Your mother will be alright. Don't worry." Prince Jing

comforted her patiently.

Yun Shang bit her lip and looked down. "I never thought that the Empress would take action against

Mother through me. Neither did my mother. Under no circumstances would Mother be on guard when I

am around her. I underestimated the Empress's shrewdness."

Prince Jing put his arms around Yun Shang and patted her shoulder in a gentle but awkward way. "It's

not your fault. Nobody could foresee this. Moreover, I had my servants scrutinize everything you used

today, but nothing was found. So we don't know how the Empress did this yet. You don't have to feel

guilty. Once the facts are known, all questions will be answered."

Yun Shang nodded and noticed a strong alcohol smell coming from Prince Jing. She asked with

concern. "How much did you drink, Uncle?" There was a hint of disapproval in her tone. Before he

could answer, Yun Shang asked Qian Yin to prepare bath water and soup to help him sober up.

Prince Jing was left speechless and his lips curved into a frown. He was trying to console his wife, only

to be cold-shouldered. He had no idea how much his subordinates made him drink during the

celebration. Prince Jing smiled. Yes, he was overjoyed to be her husband, even though their marriage

meant more than that. From today on, Yun Shang would be his wife. She might be too young and her

love wasn't that strong yet, but she had officially become his wife. After the incident at the Imperial

Palace, Yun Shang would understand that she could rely on him. This was progress considering how

hesitant and defensive Yun Shang had been when it came to their relationship.

As Yun Shang requested, Prince Jing drank the soup and cleaned himself thoroughly in a long bath.

When he returned, he found Yun Shang sitting in front of a lamp. She looked like she was in a daze.

Since she had a while to think over the day's events, Yun Shang could now see that her act of pointing

out the alcohol smell on Prince Jing was just a way to mask her nervousness. Although she had been

married in her previous life, the Princess couldn't help feeling nervous when facing Prince Jing.

Prince Jing, interestingly, found that Yun Shang seemed to be shivering. He raised an eyebrow. Wasn't

she always perfectly cool and collected? What was she nervous about?

"It has been a long day. You must be tired as well. Let's get some rest." Prince Jing walked to her and

looked into her eyes as he spoke.

Yun Shang hurried to lower her head and agreed. She stood up and walked to the bedside. Since she

had dressed in casual clothes after her bath, Yun Shang now found herself in a dilemma. Before

getting into bed, she would have to remove her outwear, which was alright since she was wearing her

nightclothes underneath. But it also meant that she would have to undress before Prince Jing. Although

they were married, she felt it would be too intimate to take her clothes off before him. And it was their

wedding night...

Somehow Prince Jing was amused to see her struggle silently. He decided to lighten her mood using

humor.

"Well. Are you are not sleepy anymore?" Prince Jing teased softly.

Embarrassed, Yun Shang bit her lip. She quickly slipped her feet out of her shoes and lay down on the

bed. She placed herself as far from Prince Jing as she could.

Prince Jing smiled at her girlish embarrassment. It was rare for him to smile. He looked at Yun Shang

and asked, "Is this what you usually wear to sleep? It seems... quite warm?"

Hearing his teasing and playful tone, Yun Shang blushed. She grunted, sat up and quickly took the

outwear off. Then she lay down again and huddled under the quilt.

"Ha-ha..." Prince Jing laughed joyfully. Instead of going to bed, he picked up a clean towel and began

to dry his hair carefully.

Yun Shang didn't hear anything for quite a while. Out of curiosity, she turned around and peeked at

Prince Jing from under the quilt.

Dressed in white night clothes, Prince Jing looked gentler than usual. The warmth from the dim

candlelight softened his appearance as well. He was carefully rubbing his long black hair with a white

towel.

Yun Shang found it impossible to take her eyes off him. 'He is a good-looking man, ' Yun Shang

thought with a smile.

Prince Jing knew that Yun Shang was watching him, but he pretended to be unaware. He continued to

dry his hair and when he was done, the Prince stood and walked to the bed.

Yun Shang closed her eyes immediately and pretended to be asleep.

Prince Jing was amused by her reaction, so he got into bed without saying anything.

Prince Jing sighed. Since Yun Shang had crawled in first, the bed and quilt felt quite warm. The thought

of Yun Shang in his bed made the Prince grin. Even though Yun Shang was behaving peculiarly, his

heart soared every time the Prince was reminded that she was now his wife. Although he used to camp

with soldiers when placed at the border, this would be the Prince's first experience of sharing his living

space with a woman. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Everything around him had a pleasant

scent.

Noticing that Yun Shang was still tense, Prince Jing put out the light with a flick of his wrist. The room

was enveloped in darkness at once.

Prince Jing was exhausted as well today. He had been busy receiving guests and drinking to celebrate

his nuptials. When he finally sobered up, he heard the news that Lady Jin's life was in danger. Afraid

that Yun Shang might need help, he rushed to find the best midwife in Imperial City and brought her to

the Imperial Palace.

Now at last, after all the bustling, he could finally relax. The Prince fell asleep as soon as he closed his

eyes.

Yun Shang was lying in bed with her eyes closed, but she was far from being relaxed. Instead, she was

focused on the man beside her. However, the only thing she heard was his slow and peaceful

breathing. Was he asleep?

Yun Shang opened one eye to peek, but in the darkness, she could see nothing but a vague silhouette.

Yun Shang observed for a while. He did seem to be asleep. Yun Shang turned around with great care

so as not to wake him.

She didn't feel sleepy at all, probably because Yun Shang had taken a nap in the carriage. On the

contrary, her mind was fully occupied. If Prince Jing, as he mentioned earlier, had checked everything

she used today, her makeup should be clean. So what on earth went wrong?

Yun Shang sighed in confusion. Ever since she had been injured on Mount Kirin, things seemed to be

out of her control. Prince Jing must have done a lot of things while she was unconscious. Because she

was still recovering, Prince Jing wouldn't allow anything to bother her. As a result, even her covert

guards couldn't report to her. As long as she was in his mansion, she would be not able to contact her

guards without his approval.

Yun Shang, again, sighed and decided to speak with Prince Jing about all this after she found out the

truth about her mother's premature labor.

The Princess furrowed her brows at another thought. She found that she had been troubled more

frequently with dreams about her previous life. Yun Shang was unsettled when she recalled her dream

in the carriage. She had never witnessed the scene in her previous life, but she knew it must have

happened. No wonder Huan'er was always in poor health. She was so careless and trusting that she

didn't suspect that the maid given by the Empress was slowly poisoning Huan'er. And it was Yun Shang

who was feeding Huan'er that medicine. It was heartbreaking to remember how

She used to coax her son into drinking the poisoned medicine when he didn't want to.

Yun Shang closed her eyes and swallowed the self-loathing and hatred.

After various thoughts flashed through her mind, Yun Shang gradually fell asleep.

When she woke the next morning, Prince Jing was not beside her. Yun Shang felt slightly relieved. She

remembered that the night had ended awkwardly and waking to find Prince Jing next to her would have

been equally embarrassing.

Yun Shang had never been an early riser, so she closed eyes again as she felt reluctant to get up.

Soon, she was flooded with thoughts about Lady Jin, and felt the need to visit her mother. So the

Princess finally opened her eyes and struggled to get up. "Qian Yin, " Yun Shang called.

Qian Yin entered the chamber with a rather strange smile. "Well, Your Highness... Or should we call

you Lady Jing now? Are you ready to get up, Lady Jing?"

Yun Shang cast an embarrassed glance towards Qian Yin. "Where is Prince Jing?" Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

Qian Yin grinned. "Marriage has worked its magic on you, Your Highness. You used to hate getting out

of bed, but today you have woken early. And the first thing that you ask is the whereabouts of Prince

Jing." Qian Yin laughed and covered her mouth with her hand. "His Highness said that he was going to

the military camp outside the Imperial City. He left instructions that when Your Highness wakes up,

please have breakfast first. He will return soon and will accompany you to the Imperial Palace to visit

Lady Jin."

Surprised and moved, Yun Shang lowered her head. He knew that she would still be worried about

Lady Jin. She smiled gently and got out of bed. "Get me dressed."

Qian Yin selected a bright red dress for Yun Shang and helped the Princess get dressed. Yun Shang

freshened up before sitting in front of the dresser. Qian Yin said with a comb in her hand, "I'll make a

Fairy Lady Bun for Your Highness today. Now that Your Highness is married, it will be inappropriate to

continue with hairstyles for young girls." As Qian Yin combed Yun Shang's hair, she said, "Your

Highness, do you know that there was no dresser or any other stuff for women in this room? His

Highness asked the craftsmen to prepare this just for you."

Yun Shang looked around and indeed found things that belonged in a woman's bedroom, such as bead

curtains, the dresser, and some delicate decorations.

Prince Jing's room used to be quite simply decorated. From her earlier visits to the mansion, she

remembered that he barely had essential furniture in the mansion. Every room had felt quite soulless to

Yun Shang. Now it was perfectly balanced by these feminine elements.

Qian Yin finished Yun Shang's hair quickly and put a gold hairpin in it. Then Qian Yin said, "I know you

don't like jewelry, Your Highness. But you just got married. It would be inappropriate not to dress

according to your status. I will make a simpler hairstyle for you in a few days."

Yun Shang nodded. She looked in the mirror and smiled. She looked quite different from her

appearance in her previous life. Yun Shang attributed the difference to the change in her character. In

this life, the Princess had a more stunning appearance and a more relaxed temperament. It was

possibly true that her outward appearance was reflecting the calm and peace she felt inside. In this life,

Yun Shang had more confidence in her abilities and she wasn't as distraught and depressed as she

had been in her previous life.

Since there was no other order from Yun Shang, Qian Yin left the chamber and asked the servants to

prepare breakfast. When she walked in again, Qian Yin murmured, "That's weird. There was a maid

here yesterday. I thought she had been sent by Prince Jing to look after Your Highness. But why can't I

find her today?"

Yun Shang's eyes widened as she suddenly thought of something. "What did you say?"

Qian Yin hurried to explain. "Does Your Highness remember the maid who delivered food to you

yesterday? I was wondering why there had been a maid in the mansion as it is widely known that

Prince Jing didn't keep any maids. I thought His Highness had sent her to serve you, but she has

disappeared after the wedding."

Yun Shang frowned. She said to Qian Yin in a hurry, "Go and find the chamberlain."

Qian Yin was confused, but she did what was required promptly.

The chamberlain was nervous. 'Why did Lady Jing need to see him so urgently in the morning? Was

she displeased with something?' He wiped the sweat from his brow. His Highness had emphasized that

Her Highness would always be a priority.

The chamberlain didn't have to wait long in the living room before Yun Shang entered. Without greeting

or even being seated, Yun Shang asked him, "Is there a maid in the mansion?"

The chamberlain didn't expect such a question, but he hurried to answer. "No, Your Highness. His

Highness doesn't want maids around, so we didn't employ any maids." Inferring that perhaps Her

Highness was offended by the lack of appropriate servants, he added. "I'm deeply sorry for my

negligence, Your Highness. Of course, Your Highness could use a maid. I'll find some reliable ones as

soon as possible."

Yun Shang shook her head. "No, I didn't mean that. Yesterday, His Highness said he would send some

food to the chamber before he left for the toasts. Afterward, a maid came with a tray of food. I am

asking because I know there shouldn't be a maid in this mansion."

The chamberlain frowned. He was pensive before he replied, "But Your Highness, there are definitely

no other maids in the mansion except the ones who accompanied you..."