Rebirth of the Phoenix Princess novel Chapter 132

Emperor Ning fixed his eyes on the Empress. He glared at her coldly. The Empress shivered and bent her body lower.

Yun Shang glanced over the people who were present. She noticed that other than the non-participating ministers, notable ladies from different clans and the contestants who escorted Hua Jing back were also present.

"Shang'er, that's enough." Prince Jing came close to Yun Shang and whispered to her.

Yun Shang pondered. After this moment, Hua Jing's secret was known to all. And even though Emperor Ning would forbid them from leaking the news, word will spread across the Imperial City. In less than two days, the whole City will know that Princess Hua Jing had a miscarriage. But the Royals have to maintain their dignity too. Yun Shang needed to stop before she crossed the line.

Thinking about that, Yun Shang stood and walked to the Empress. She bowed to Emperor Ning and said, "Father, today's competition is to welcome the Prince from the State of Yelang and the Prince from the State of Xia. To show our respect, I suggest we put this issue behind us and deal with it after the competition is over."

Emperor Ning's face changed. He looked at the people present and found that everyone avoided eye contact with him. They all kept their heads bowed low. Emperor Ning felt even angrier. His face turned completely dark. "Shang'er is right. My Empress, why are you still kneeling?" The Empress bit her lip and said slowly, "My apologies, Your Majesty." Then she stood and walked to the stage.

Prince Jing turned to the participants who escorted Hua Jing and asked, "The men's competition isn't over yet. Gentlemen, would you like to proceed?"

The participants looked at each other before shaking their heads.

Prince Jing nodded. Then he turned to Prince Qingsu who seemed absent-minded and asked him, "What about you, Prince Qingsu?"

"Pardon?" Prince Qingsu shuddered at Prince Jing's question. Then, he regained his composure and shook his head. "No, thank you. Men from the State of Ning are all excellent hunters. I'm not comparable."

Prince Qingsu's abnormal behavior caught Emperor Ning's attention. Noticing that Qingsu had been staring at the blood stains on the ground, Emperor Ning suddenly recalled something. He thought about the proposal for political marriage that was sent from the border a few months ago. Then, his eyes darkened. In the proposal, Prince Qingsu had mentioned that he had already had intimate relations with Hua Jing. So the father of Hua Jing's unborn baby is probably....Him....

Emperor Ning rolled his eyes. He felt a bit on edge. 'Prince Qingsu, How dare you? I will never forget about the shame you brought to me today.'

Seeing that no one dared to break the silence, Prince Jing stood and smiled to all. "Lady Wang is really good at riding. I am impressed."

Yun Shang heard the praise and raised her eyebrow. She looked at Wang Jinyan with curiosity. "Did Lady Wang win the first place in the game?" Prince Jing nodded. Yun Shang looked at Wang Jinyan again and found that the latter seemed calm at her accomplishment. Wang Jinyan didn't look proud. She just returned a smile to the Princess. Yun Shang appreciated her modesty. 'Lady Wang seems like someone that I can be friends with.'

Before Yun Shang left the temporary imperial palace, her mother had told her to make some genuine friends. Yun Shang didn't feel anything when she heard those words. But now, looking at Wang Jinyan, Yun Shang felt a little excited about making new friends. She had been too proud to make any friends in her previous life. Some girls had approached her and offered to be her friends, but they all came for her wealth and position. She felt better off without such friends. And now, given the circumstances that Yun Shang was in, she didn't have many chances to get acquainted with many people. So if there was a chance to be friends with Wang Jinyan, she would love to take it.

Seeing that Prince Jing and Yun Shang handled the situation well, Emperor Ning felt relieved. He was grateful for their presence. They had prevented the situation from spiralling.

"Your Majesty, it's time for the hunting game to come to an end. Shall I beat the drum to inform the contestants?" Prince Jing looked up at the sun before asking Emperor Ning.

Emperor Ning nodded. "All right."

Prince Jing clapped his hands. The drummers took his sign and started beating the drums. Dozens of huge drums were beaten at the same time. The loud noise made everyone's ears ache. Prince Jing raised his hands and covered Yun Shang's ears. He looked at her with tenderness. Emperor Ning noticed their silent communication. He hesitated, and turned his head away.

A short while later, the thundering of hooves muffled the sound of the drums. Several horses galloped out from the forest. They were all carrying preys.