Rebirth of the Phoenix Princess novel Chapter 721

When Ning Qian and Yun Shang hurried to Xiang Zhu Palace in the rain, they didn't see Xia Huanyu. Ning Qian frowned and looked up at the attendant standing quietly aside. "Where is His Majesty?"

Hearing this, the servant replied in a hurry, "Your Highness, His Majesty has just been sitting in the palace before leaving in a hurry when the female official came to report that there was an urgent report from the frontier.

Urgent report from the frontier? Yun Shang frowned slightly. Has Cangjue Qingsu taken actions?

Ning Qian sighed and turned to Yun Shang, "His Majesty has left, but I don't want to go back to the bleeding banquet in Weiyang Palace. Your Highness, since you've been pregnant, it's not safe for you to return to your mansion in the dark and rainy night. Just rest in my palace tonight. Perhaps it was because Ning Qian was so annoyed in the Wei Yang Palace just now that she became a little irritable.

Rest in your palace? Yun Shang shook her head slightly. "If I sleep here tonight, people may gossip about me tomorrow. Don't worry. I have many secret guards around me. I'll be fine."

Ning Qian looked up at Yun Shang. After a moment of silence, she said, "If the Empress knows that you are leaving the Palace now, I'm afraid it's not appropriate. Why don't you stay for a while? I'll ask the servants to prepare some cakes. You didn't eat anything in the Wei Yang Palace just now." It was raining heavily outside. The raindrops dripped from the eave and splashed, even wetting the ground under the eave. Ning Qian frowned and asked the servants to close the door.

Yun Shang thought for a while and nodded. She walked to a chair and sat down. She took out the hairpin from her sleeve and looked at it carefully.

"Do you have any plan?Your Highness." Ning Qian kept looking at Yun Shang and asked.

Plan? Gently stroking the hairpin in her hand, a cold grin crept onto her face. "I'm going to beat her at his own game." I'll just act as the Empress expected. She thought that I would be panicked when I saw the hairpin and knew something might've happened to my mother. Now she might think I was just pretending to be calm in the Weiyang Palace and I might be overwhelmed by the sudden change with no one to discuss with and rely on as His Highness is still in coma. I'd like to see what she's up to."

After a brief pause, she looked up at Ning Qian and asked, "To which concubines the Empress has closely connected recently?"

Ning Qian thought for a while before answering, "Among the five candidates for female officials the Empress personally selected from the new ladies, only Wang Wanzhi has been chosen by the Emperor. But, the other four often visited Wei Yang Palace recently. And I'm afraid that the Empress has spent so much energy that the four ladies have been conferred the title one after another. The lady named Qin Xianglan ranked highest among the four.

"Oh?" Yun Shang tapped gently on the armrest of the chair, and a cold light flashed through her eyes. "Except for Su Luo, you can choose two smart ladies to secretly contact with them and find a way to make them change sides." It sounded simple, but the Empress was the master of the imperial household after all. Being attached to the Empress was much better than being attached to a concubine. Moreover, they had just received benefits from the Empress. Therefore, it would not be that easy for Ning Qian to do it.

But Ning Qian just nodded and didn't ask Yun Shang the reason.

"Su Luo..." Yun Shang slightly narrowed her eyes and looked up at Qin Yi. "Ask Su Luo to make the Empress know that Lady Shu has allied with the seven prince. She could just say that she heard someone talking about it by accident and she doesn't know if it's true or not."

Qin Yi replied softly.

Ning Qian gave Qin Yi a glance before she said with a smile, "By the way, Your Highness, did you send for some senior maids who've been in the Palace for decades?"

Thinking of the rumor about Lady Shu and Lady Xian heard in the Imperial Garden the other day, Yun Shang nodded slightly and asked, "Have you found them?"

Ning Qian nodded, "In fact, I've found them and bribed them earlier, but I've never got a chance to let them meet Your Highness. The Empress is suspicious. I have to be more careful. Now that I've been diagnosed to be pregnant, and it happened to be a good opportunity. I told His Majesty that I knew nothing about pregnancy thing and child care and begged him for some senior maids who were well-known in the Palace for being good at taking care of princes and princesses."

While explaining to Yun Shang, Ning Qian ordered the servants to bring them in.

Before they arrived, Ning Qian told Yun Shang about their background, "They are all senior maids in the Palace. I specially some who've served the high consorts."

As Yun Shang nodded, a maid's voice came from outside, "Your Highness, the four madams have come."

Yun Shang thought for a while and said, 'Til meet them one by one."

Ning Qian nodded and asked Qian Xin to bring one of them in. The madam who came in was a little thin, but she looked smart and capable. Ning Qian smiled and said, "This is madam Li, who served Lady Liu before."

Yun Shang nodded slightly and smiled, "I just talked with Lady Xiang about an anecdote I heard a few days ago. It happened more than 10 years ago. I'm curious, so I asked you here to ask if it's true."