Rebirth of the Phoenix Princess novel Chapter 111

Although Yun Shang felt relieved, she had nothing to say, and the silence in the carriage became awkward. Yun Shang remembered Emperor Ning's words from a few days ago, so she gave a little cough and said, "I'm going to send my mother to the Fenglai Palace* for recuperation. My father said you would tidy up the Palace first. We are going there in a few days. Uncle Jing, is the Palace already prepared?"

(*TN: Fenglai Palace is a temporary imperial palace.)

Prince Jing nodded, "The Palace is ready. You may rest assured. Please be careful on your way to the Palace and do not let others discover Lady Jin's secret, otherwise you would get in trouble."

Yun Shang nodded, and Prince Jing continued, "It's not a good idea to conceal Lady Jin's pregnancy. What if the Empress asserts that Lady Jin had an affair with someone else and got pregnant? How are you going to deal with that?"

Yun Shang was taken aback by his words. After much deliberation, she admitted that she hadn't thought consummately. Although Lady Jin was in her third or four month of pregnancy, the Empress could invariably stir up trouble. Yun Shang nodded, "Thank you for reminding me of that, Uncle Jing. I hadn't thought of it before. I'll deal with it as soon as I return."

Prince Jing nodded, and closed his eyes to rest.

Yun Shang had been thinking of her mother and rehearsing what she would say in the upcoming meeting with the Emperor. Prince Jing and Yun Shang had no other conversation during the rest of their journey.

As soon as they arrived at the Imperial Palace, Prince Shun Qing asked to see the Emperor. After a while, Emperor Ning sent a eunuch to escort Prince Shun Qing and his family in. Yun Shang was about to follow them, but Prince Jing grabbed her sleeve to stop her. Yun Shang went blank for a while, and didn't go in.

"Lady Gao is the daughter-in-law of Prince Shun Qing, and it is their family affair. It is improper for you to go in now. Let's just wait. The Emperor is sure to call us in later." Prince Jing explained to Yun Shang as he saw the doubt in her eyes.

Yun Shang went blank again and then nodded. She blamed herself for being hasty and decided to be more careful in the future.

Prince Jing saw her reaction and knew she was not vigilant against him now. So he asked, "Have you thought about the Xiu Xin situation? Where is the real one?"

Yun Shang gave a murderous look, "I've hidden her in a secret place and given her some medicines. I'm sure she will say whatever I want her to say."

The Empress relied heavily on Xiu Xin's service. If something suddenly happened to Xiu Xin, the Empress was sure to turn the world upside down. So Yun Shang didn't kill Xiu Xin. Lady Gao would identify the Empress as the person behind the attempted murder, and Prince Shun Qing and Lady Shun Qing would serve as their witnesses. Yun Shang and Prince Jing would also give their evidence. The Empress had no excuse to absolve herself from the blame.

Emperor Ning could not turn against Prince Shun Qing for a servant girl. Yun Shang was delighted at this moment. Although she was unable to condemn the Empress to death now, she could still kill one of her capable assistants.

As expected, after a while, Lord Zheng stepped out and asked Yun Shang and Prince Jing to enter. When they entered Qinzheng Hall, Lord Zheng didn't follow, instead, he left. Yun Shang realized he must have gone to call the Empress.