Rebirth of the Phoenix Princess novel Chapter 8

"Where did the beasts come in from? Get them out of here! Agh!" Only a faint cry could be heard from Hua Jing before the barking of the dogs drowned her out. Craning her neck to see, Yun Shang saw a courtyard full of people running in panic. Several wild dogs ran wildly around the yard, jumping and people and occasionally biting them.

The Taoist priest had fallen to the ground, and his face was covered with wounds. Hua Jing's gown had been ripped and soiled and there were visible scratches oozing blood on her arms. The phoenix crown was tilted on the empress' head. She was hurriedly running around the yard shouting at servants to get rid of the dogs.

With a smile on her face, Yun Shang hid behind a tree, watching the scene unfold. After the eunuchs and maids had finally driven the remaining dogs from the yard, she came out and in a fake panic cried out, "Mother, sister, are you OK? Where did these mad dogs come from? Why are they biting everyone? Hurry, you stupid servants! Chase them away!"

The eunuchs and maids quickly beat the remaining dogs unconscious and whisked them away. The yard was finally quiet, the ground now covered in a mix of human and canine blood.

With the help of her servant, Princess Hua Jing finally made it to her feet. Her whole body was in pain. Especially.. Her butt! A dog had bitten her square on the butt! Embarrassed at the sensitive nature of the wound, Hua Jing dared not call attention to the wound. She winced as she endured the throbbing pain. In a terrible mood she called out to the empress, "Mother, where did those beasts come from? How did they get in here all of a sudden?"

The empress was also a mess, her ropes ripped to pieces. But she was better at controlling her emotions. She snapped at the attendants around her. "Keep all of the beasts! Call Ming! I want to know where these crazy beasts came from!" The empress shot a cold glance at Yun Shang, who was totally unhurt, before walking away with her maids.

Yun Shang pulled her face into a pout. She walked over to Hua Jing. "Sister, are you hurt? Let me have a look." Yun Shang pressed her hand firmly onto the bite wound on Hua Jing's backside.

"Ahhhh!" Hua Jing let out a shriek and pushed Yun Shang away. However, as she did so, Hua Jing let go of her maid and fell to the ground. Yun Shang fell too and landed on top of her. Hua Jing shrieked again.

"I'm so sorry sister, I didn't mean to.... I just wanted to help.." Muttering apologies to Hua Jing, Yun Shang didn't budge, pressing the other princess into the hard ground.

"You... Ahhh... Get off me!" Hua Jing sounded feeble and weak.

With just the slightest hint of a smile, Yun Shang cried out, "Qin Yi, Qin Yi! Help me up!"

Qin Yi quickly hurried to the princess' side and pulled her up. The rest of the maids helped Hua Jing to her feet. When Hua Jing was pulled to her feet, she lacked the spirit even to rebuke Yun Shang.

"What about the priest, Your Highness?" Qin Yi asked, looking at the Taoist Priest covered in dog bites and still on the ground.

"Send him to the Supervisory Office. I will ask my father to deal with him later. I'll speak to him myself about the matter." Yun Shang smiled. She altered her gaze between the woobling Hua Jing and the palace behind her. "With this much fresh blood, I dare say the yard has been cleansed. No need for an exorcism after all."

After entering her chamber, she spoke again to Qin Yi, "Lin has been orchestrated this whole this masterfully. He has been invaluable this time, but I don't fully trust him. Keep your eyes on him, Qin Yi. By the way, the Queen had asked for my bracelets. Have you given them to her yet?"