Rebirth of the Phoenix Princess novel Chapter 156

Prince Jing nodded, and then slowly closed his eyes again.

Xia Houjing didn't say anything more. He bowed to the two in the carriage, and left.

After Prince Houjing left, the coachman closed the door, and Prince Jing let Qian Hua out. Prince Jing was frowning, as if he was worried about something. After a while, he said in a low voice, "Just now the Prince raised doubts about us."

Yun Shang nodded, but didn't say anything. She warned herself, 'Xia Houjing is someone I must guard against and keep an eye on.'

Qian Hua tugged on Yun Shang's sleeve while she was lost in thought to tell her, "My lady, that is the woman that I saw."

Yun Shang looked to the direction Qian Hua was pointing. She saw a woman in green walking out of the Yuman Tower. The woman looked tall, and was wearing light make-up. She was a beautiful woman.

But just as what Qian Hua had decribed, the lady gave Yun Shang a weird feeling. The way she walked and the look on her face seemed strange. She behaved as though she was hiding something.

Yun Shang squinted, observing the woman for a long time. Suddenly it struck her, "That is not a woman at all!

"What?" Qian Hua hesitated, then asked, "My lady, I don't understand."

Prince Jing understood what Yun Shang meant. He looked at the woman for a short while, then he turned to Yun Shang, "That's a man in women's clothes and make-up."

Yun Shang nodded in agreement. That woman was a man. The man appeared good-looking, so even though he was taller than the average lady, he was able to pull it off. Maybe he was afraid to be found out, so he imitated women's behavior, but he was too cautious over each move as he walked. Even how he looked at others seemed like it had been practiced a thousand times.

The man was overdoing the acting, and did not come off as a natural woman. Perhaps that was how Yun Shang recognized he was disguised.

"Why did he disguise himself as a woman to meet secretly with Prince Houjing?" Qian Hua frowned, confused again.

Yun Shang considered why he might have, "Maybe, he wanted to conceal his identity, because he is well known. So he disguised himself as a woman to avoid attention and trouble."

Qian Hua understood and nodded. "If he is really someone well known, then it'll be easy for us to find out who he is. My lady, you don't need to worry about him. I will let you know his identity within two days."

Yun Shang said slowly, "Thank you."

Qian Hua left the carriage after that. Yun Shang lifted her head looking at Prince Jing. "We've had the Osmanthus cake, we can go back to the Palace now." Prince Jing agreed, ordering the coachman to resume to their original destination. Yun Shang noticed that Prince Jing seemed tired, so she lowered her head and kept silent.

When they arrived at the Palace gate, Prince Jing helped Yun Shang dismount the carriage. He said, "Let's go see His Majesty together. You've been lost for some time. He must be worried."

Yun Shang kept her head low as they walked to Qinzheng Hall together. Emperor Ning was not alone when Yun Shang and Prince Jing were shown inside. A girl was standing by the table. Yun Shang glanced at her before lowering her head again. It was Lady Ya.

"Shang'er, come here. Let me have a look at you, my

daughter....." Seeing that Yun Shang walked in with

Prince Jing, Emperor Ning smiled with relief. He hesitated, as though trying to think of how to word something, while not offending Lady Ya, "It has only been two days since I saw you, but it felt like forever. It makes me want to postpone you marrying Prince Jing and leaving me sooner."

Yun Shang kept her head low but smiled. Prince Jing, on the other hand, frowned. He said to Emperor Ning, "Brother, you've given me your word. Don't break your promise. A word from a man of honor cannot be withdrawn...."

Emperor Ning seemed unhappy about Prince Jing's words, and said, "So what? Shang'er is my daughter."

'Well, look how excited he was about his daughter.'

Prince Jing wasn't angry, instead, he smiled, "Well, soon we will all be confused. I've called you brother, and after I marry Shang'er, I wonder what should I call you. Should I call you father, as Shang'er always has? Or shall Shang'er call you brother, as I call you?" Prince Jing's questions silenced everyone, until Emperor Ning erupted in laughter, "I'm already confused."