Rebirth of the Phoenix Princess novel Chapter 50

The man on the roof jumped down. It was so dark that Yun Shang couldn't see his expression. All she saw was his particularly bright but cold eyes.

"If I hadn't been here, how would I have seen such an interesting thing?" Prince Jing circled Yun Shang. He stopped to face her. "I didn't expect you, a girl who has just had her Coming-of-age Ceremony, to be so familiar with these kinds of affairs. You've just stood there and watched for such a long time without being shy at all."

His words irritated her somewhat, but she laughed to cover up her annoyance. "I'm not a patch on you, my uncle." Yun Shang stared into his eyes as she continued, "Please don't forget that we have a deal. We are in the same boat now. So why should we be so tit-for-tat?"

Prince Jing nodded his approval. "Sounds reasonable, but I've been wondering how could there would be a woman like you in the Imperial Household. You are intelligent and courageous, and not like a royal child at all. Are you a fake one?"

"That's absurd. Show me how someone could masquerade as a Princess!" Yun Shang frowned and her tone became more unfriendly.

Prince Jing laughed again. "Forget it. You are a wild cat. It's impossible to tease you. By the way, I've heard that the Empress is going to coming after you during the winter solstice. Be careful."

His sudden change of tone made her a little uncomfortable. Yun Shang was stunned for a while. When she regained her composure she said, "Well, I already know. But thank you for reminding me."

Prince Jing nodded his head and added, "If you always try to hog the limelight, you may find yourself under attack from all sides. Learn to frame others when it's appropriate."

Yun Shang was stunned again. A dim figure flashed past; it was Prince Jing who had quickly disappeared into the dark. She had no time to respond. Yun Shang frowned as she carefully considered what Prince Jing had said. Finally she turned towards Qingxin Palace.

Qian Yin quickly stepped forward when she saw Princess Yun Shang return. "You are back, Your Highness. Your plan for tomorrow morning has been arranged. The plan is foolproof."

Yun Shang nodded and turned to look at Qian Yin. "You have been in the Imperial Palace for three years. What do you think of the Imperial concubines and their factions?"

Qian Yin pulled the Princess to the chair before replying, "You do ask the right person, Your Highness. I have already studied the concubines. There are not many concubines at the Palace in total. Seventeen of them enjoy high status. They are divided into three factions. The first is dominated by the Empress, which includes Lady Lu, Lady Li, Lady Lan, Lady Hua, and Lady Qin. Another faction includes another Lady Qin, Lady Xu, and Lady Wan. They pretend to be harmonious with the Empress. However, they revere Lady Shu. There is also a concubine called Lady Ying who is not willing to be harmonious with the Empress, even on a superficial level. She had been pregnant before. Once, she offended the Empress and was punished by her. Lady Ying miscarried because of this. From then on, Lady Ying started to hate the Empress. So much so that she has made it widely known that should anything happened to her, the Empress would be responsible. The remaining concubines don't have any obvious factions. Possibly because they are hardly in the Emperor's favor. I haven't paid much attention to them."

Yun Shang nodded and murmured, "Lady Ying..."

"Make a clear investigation of this Lady Ying and report to me. You must be meticulous because I need to know everything about her; what she likes, what she hates, what she usually does, which court maid she trusts..."

Qian Yin responded quickly, "I will send someone to inquire as soon as possible. However, it's late now. You should rest, Your Highness."

Yun Shang nodded and allowed Qian Yin to serve her as she freshened up before getting into bed.

The next day, Yun Shang's plan commenced at Qiwu Palace. It was the time for the Imperial concubines to panegyrize the Empress. As usual, the Empress welcomed the concubines who came to greet her.