Rebirth of the Phoenix Princess novel Chapter 200

Night fell. Yun Shang lay on the bench, sleepless. She was already dressed as she was expecting Prince Jing to come and lead her out of the Palace. But she had blown out all the lamps in her chamber. Yun Shang stared into the darkness in the room. Her eyes were wide open. Somehow, the moment reminded Yun Shang of her previous life. Jingran exposed his nature as a playboy shortly after their marriage. He fooled around with prostitutes in brothels day and night, and seldom returned home.

At first, Yun Shang cried and smashed things to vent her anger. She even went to the Empress to air her grievances. 'Although the Empress consoled me with gentle comforting words, she must have been glad in her heart of hearts when she heard all my pitiful stories, ' Yun Shang thought to herself. However, Yun Shang only incurred vicious blames from her mother-in-law for her cries and desperate behavior. Then Yun Shang gradually came to realize that there was no use in doing so. She finally accepted defeat. But she could no longer fall asleep at night. On those nights, Yun Shang could only stare into the pitch darkness in her room with a broken heart.

Spoiled by the Empress on purpose in her previous life, Yun Shang had never felt misery nor distress before her marriage. She had never imagined that she would sink into such an abyss of suffering one day. In her darkest moment, desperation was the only thing she could feel. However, her life worsened further as Jingran married many concubines. All of them were so vile and cunning that Yun Shang had suffered a lot at their hands.

Bang! A strange noise originating near the window caught Yun Shang's attention. Yun Shang sat up and turned to look at the window. In the dim moonlight, she saw a person in white jump in from outside.

"Hmm? I thought you would be asleep. Why are you sitting here? You scared me." Prince Jing said. He seemed exhausted. That surprised Yun Shang. She wondered what had happened to make the Prince so tired. She knew that His Majesty hadn't sent the Prince on any errand recently. How could he be so exhausted...

Yun Shang took off the quilt and left her bench. "I have told Qian Yin and Qin Yi about our plan. Have you thought of how we're going to explain my absence?"

"Don't worry. I have thought of something." Prince Jing said as he walked toward Yun Shang. She could not help but frown after she took a closer look at the Prince. Prince Jing sat down on the bench and let out a sigh. "I heard that Ning Qian is very good at changing her facial appearance. How about letting Ning Qian stay at the Palace and impersonate you for a couple of days?"

Yun Shang wrinkled her brow as soon as she heard the Prince's suggestion. It seemed Jing Ying had indeed told the Prince everything about her. Yun Shang curled her mouth a bit in anger, and said, "I have sent Ning Qian on another errand."

Yun Shang could not afford to relax her precautions against the Li family when she was away from the Imperial City. She understood that the Empress would never be happy if her marriage was a success. She felt the need to take action before the Empress could hurt her. Yun Shang wanted to find such an opportunity to ensure that the Empress and Hua Jing faced a heavy setback. So, she sent Ning Qian on an important task.

Prince Jing nodded, "Okay, let's go. But I'm a little tired. We will go to my mansion first. I'm in need of sleep." Yun Shang became more curious after hearing that. Although she had noticed Prince Jing's weariness, she hadn't expected that the Prince would admit to it candidly. And he even said he was in need of sleep! What had happened to make the Prince so exhausted? The Prince looked normal. They had met earlier in the day and she hadn't noticed any changes since their last meeting.

But Prince Jing didn't explain any further. He simply held Yun Shang by her waist and took her out of the room through the window before she could raise any questions.

Yun Shang felt uneasy with the intimate distance between them. She frowned and said softly, "Uncle, please put me down. I can walk."

Instead of removing his hands, Prince Jing pulled Yun Shang closer into his arms. Yun Shang had no choice but to suppress the discomfort she felt. Fortunately, a carriage was waiting outside the Imperial Palace. Prince Jing carried Yun Shang into the carriage as soon as they approached it. There was a lamp in the carriage. By the light of the lamp, Yun Shang could clearly see the Prince's bloodshot eyes.

Prince Jing closed his eyes to rest as soon as he stepped inside the carriage. This increased Yun Shang's curiosity. What the hell had happened? She wondered.

However, Yun Shang found no chance to raise any questions as Prince Jing kept his eyes closed for the whole journey to his mansion.

The Prince didn't open his eyes even when they arrived at his mansion. Yun Shang turned to look at the Prince, who seemed to have fallen asleep. Yun Shang frowned and addressed the Prince softly, "Uncle."

Prince Jing opened his eyes all of a sudden. He looked straight at Yun Shang, with a sharp cold gaze. It was so scary that Yun Shang shuddered.

But Prince Jing soon regained his composure and realized who he was staring at. He rallied himself from his irregular behavior, and raised the window curtain to peep out. "We've arrived?" Then he stretched out his hand toward Yun Shang. It seemed that he intended to help Yun Shang dismount from the carriage. But Yun Shang insisted that she didn't need help, "Uncle, I can walk."

Prince Jing insisted no more. He pushed open the door of the carriage, and dismounted. Then Yun Shang climbed down from the carriage, and followed the Prince into his mansion.

"I didn't plan on returning. So, I didn't tell my chamberlain to prepare a guest room. There is a bench in my room. You can sleep on the bed, and I will take a nap on the bench," said Prince Jing gently.

Yun Shang studied Prince Jing carefully. It seemed he was not injured. Then why did he look so weary?

"Is something wrong? Uncle, you seemed well in the day. Why are you so tired now? Did something happen after we met?" Yun Shang asked after thinking for a moment.

Prince Jing stopped at Yun Shang's questions, and curled his lips into a smile. But what a smile it was! Pitiful, helpless, and sad! Yun Shang could not help but feel worried. As a tough man, the Prince seldom smiled. It was even more unusual for the Prince to force such a complicated smile. But the Prince seemed somewhat relieved when he smiled. This confounded Yun Shang even further.

"I heard some news. But I don't know how should I respond to it. Ha-ha..." Prince Jing laughed awkwardly before sighing. Then he stopped talking.