Rebirth of the Phoenix Princess novel Chapter 76

On a warm afternoon, Yun Shang felt sleepy as she lay on her couch. Instead of enjoying the gentle winter sun on her bed, she went for a walk with Qin Yi and Qian Yin in the garden.

After wandering about the garden for a while, Yun Shang felt tired. She sat down in a nearby arbor to rest. The lake had already begun to freeze. She glanced at the sunlight that dazzled on the ice before looking away.

"It's too windy here. Don't stay for long." A soft voice came from behind her.

Hearing that, Yun Shang turned around in surprise. "Mother?" Then Yun Shang realized that she was still in the Palace, and she shouldn't speak to her mother out in the open for all to see. Her heart thumped as she looked around. She was certain that many people in the Palace must be watching her. But she didn't want to be cold to her beloved mother.

Lady Jin nodded and sat opposite Yun Shang. She smiled at her daughter for a while before speaking. "Dear daughter, I have to say that every time I see you, I feel you become more and more beautiful. You truly have grown into a beautiful lady!" said Lady Jin.

"I am your daughter. Father always said that I look like you. So to say that I am beautiful means that you are beautiful," answered Yun Shang with a chuckle.

Lady Jin was silent. She lowered her head as she thought. It occurred to Yun Shang that her mother still harbored resentment against her father after all these years. Although Yun Shang had helped her leave the Cold Palace, she still rarely spoke with him. She was afraid that her mother was even more upset as the Empress was now pregnant.

Sure enough, Lady Jin stayed silent for a long time. "The other day, you told me that you had sent a maid to your father. Will she work for you?" asked Lady Jin softly.

Yun Shang had no idea why her mother asked about that incident. But she told her mother the truth. "Qin Meng used to be a spy who worked for the Empress. After she broke her legs, the Empress took her away and intended to kill her. After that, the Empress sent me a new maid who she thought would spy for her. When Qin Meng turned to me for help, the Empress had been in the middle of selecting someone from her own Palace to send to my father. So I pushed the boat with the current and sent Qin Meng to my father instead. After that, she said that she would always obey me. But I perceive her nature to be restless. I cannot believe her completely. Even if she works for me, I still need to be careful. I know that I should only regard her as a tool that can be discarded at anytime."

Lady Jin smiled, and nodded. "You are right! She betrayed you once, and she might do it again."

She paused and looked at Yun Shang. "You know, Lady Shu has always been a thorn in the Empress' side. Now the Empress is pregnant, which is not a good thing. This is an opportunity for Lady Shu. There have been no pregnancies in the Palace for many years. Your father must be very happy. So a few days ago, I suggested to him that Lady Shu should hold a party for the Empress and her baby."

"Lady Shu?" Yun Shang was surprised. "Oh, mother... I'm wondering when did you two..."

Lady Jin burst out laughing. "Oh, you silly girl. There is no eternal enemy in the Imperial household. Lady Shu will appreciate me as I gave her the chance. But she is still a danger for us. Besides the Empress, I'm the one she wants to triumph against. And once she has power, she will become unfriendly again. In the meanwhile, I hope that we have one more helper."

"You mean..." Yun Shang turned her head towards the lake.

"She doesn't have to do anything special. Just accost the Emperor at the party to be held in a few days, " whispered Lady Jin as she placed her hands on her lower abdomen.

Yun Shang looked at her for a while and sighed. "Mom, are you and my father..."

Lady Jin lowered her head and glanced at her abdomen, which was not yet visible. "He has collected more and more concubines over these years. Since your father married Li Yiran, and Hua Jing was born, I have been disheartened and lost hope. I came out of the Cold Palace because I was afraid you would be bullied. I left you when you were an infant because I was young and ignorant. And now, I have learned of all the difficulties you've suffered. It's all my fault. I have thought it over since your return from Ning'guo Temple. The Empress is very insidious and I'm afraid that you may lose. I will never be a coward again. I want my children to be happy."

"Mother..." Yun Shang said after a long silence. "After all, your husband is an Emperor."

Lady Jin nodded. "I know. Maybe I'm just stupidly obsessed, and I still can not control myself. But now, I feel it's also okay to lose control, so I just let it go."

Yun Shang believed that her mother had her own plans, so she didn't try to persuade her. She just nodded in approval.

"What? Lady Jin and Yun Shang?" The Empress turned in surprise and looked at the maid who had come to tell her. She frowned. "How did they meet? Was it Lady Jin who went to Yun Shang, or did Yun Shang approach Lady Jin? What did they talk about?"

Hearing the Empress' displeasure, the maid bowed her head, and answered hurriedly. "Your Majesty, they came across each other while walking by the lake. The Princess was resting in the lakeside arbor, and Lady Jin went to talk with her when she saw the Princess. I'm sorry that I didn't hear what they were talking about. I was too far away from them.

The Empress muttered to herself as she paced up and down the room. "How scheming she is! She never spoke to Yun Shang voluntarily after leaving the Cold Palace. But when she heard that I was pregnant, she went to her daughter to get support. Thinking about what all they must be planning, I cannot relax for even one moment." After a long time, she turned her head toward the maid again. "Did you see their faces? What were their expressions?"

The maid tried to remember, and answered after thinking. "Lady Jin kept her head down while the Princess kept frowning."

Then the Empress sat down in a chair, closed her eyes, and frowned.

Xiu Xin came in, saw the Empress' face, and paused. She had been serving the Empress since she was a child. She knew at a glance that the Empress was now in a sullen mood. She was about to speak, but decided not to. She stepped aside and looked at the Empress quietly.

After a long time, the Empress began to bat her eyes wearily. When she saw Xiu Xin, she sat upright.

Xiu Xin walked up to the Empress and whispered. "Your Majesty, I've just asked some people about the party. It's true. According to Lord Qi, who serves the Emperor, Lady Jin suggested the party to the Emperor. Lady Jin told His Majesty that there had not been a happy event at the Palace in a long time, so it must be celebrated. Now that Your Majesty is pregnant, you should not exhaust yourself with planning such things. Therefore, His Majesty asked Lady Shu to do it."

"Lady Jin! Everything has happened because of her. But she always pretends to be innocent. What exactly does she want?" The Empress got angry, but then she thought of something and grinned. "Are you clear about the party now? When and where?"

Xiu Xin answered promptly. "Yes, Your Majesty. The party will be held in three days at the Jinxiu Palace."

The Empress knocked over the teacup she had at hand as she flared up. Her eyes were filled with hatred. "Jinxiu Palace..? Good place! That's where Lady Jin lived when she was most favored. It has been empty since she went to the Cold Palace. There is no shortage of places for a party. We can find a spare Palace here, and we can also choose a place on Penglai Island to hold the party. Why did she choose Jinxiu Palace? It seems that she is deliberately against me!"

Xiu Xin lowered her head even lower and answered softly, "Lady Shu said that it's a party not a big banquet. She said that there was no need to hold it in Jinluan Hall. And the lake is frozen because of the cold weather, so it is not easy to go to Penglai Island. Most of the Palaces and mansions are inhabited, and empty Palaces are abandoned except for Jinxiu, which has been kept clean although it has been empty. So they chose Jinxiu Palace."

"All right. It doesn't matter. I don't believe that Lady Jin will feel comfortable when she sees it. Lady Shu succeed in doing two things through this one decision. She chose that place to make both, Lady Jin and I unhappy. What would Lady Jin's face look like if she knew that the party she helped to arrange was being held at Jinxiu Palace? Lady Shu chose the place to make Lady Jin unhappy after Lady Jin helped her, that's interesting..." Although the Empress gnashed her teeth, she was also grinning.