Rebirth of the Phoenix Princess novel Chapter 80

Ever since she had made up her mind to teach Lady Shu a lesson, Yun Shang sought the perfect opportunity. One day, she ran into Lord Zheng and heard from him about the Winter Solstice* Sacrificial Ceremony. According to Lord Zheng, the Winter Solstice Sacrificial Ceremony was supposed to be hosted by the Empress, but as Her Majesty was pregnant, the Emperor considered Lady Shu as an alternative to avoid exhausting Her Majesty. The Emperor even mentioned the idea to Lady Shu who then began preparations for an appropriate dress for the Winter Solstice Sacrificial Ceremony*. Since then, Yun Shang had become a frequent visitor to Lady Shu's Palace.

(*TN: Winter Solstice is an astronomical event that indicates the arrival of mid-winter. It marks the day with the least amount of daylight and the longest night in the year. It is called the December Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, and referred to as the June Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere.)

Whenever she was free, Yun Shang would pay her respects to Lady Shu and chat with her. This surprised Lady Shu a little. However, since Lady Shu had started running the imperial household, more and more people had come to visit her. She didn't think much of Yun Shang's irregular behavior. As a result of Yun Shang's frequent visits, Lady Shu even got more opportunities to see Emperor Ning in her Palace.

Before long, Emperor Ning became curious. One day, the Emperor smiled at Yun Shang and asked her, "You come here so often. Why?" Yun Shang grinned and glanced at Lady Shu, who was busy supervising the servants as they prepared lunch. Lady Shu also glanced at Yun Shang after hearing the Emperor's question. Yun Shang said in a soft voice, "I have spent many years at Ning'guo Temple, so I am not familiar with the ladies in the imperial household. As a result, I am hesitant to share intimate problems with them. I have heard many things from Your Majesty about the good qualities and virtuousness of Lady Shu. I feel comfortable in her company. Now, as Lady Shu is running the imperial household, I am very eager to learn from her. It would not reflect well on His Majesty if I'm ignorant about issues in the imperial household."

Lady Shu turned toward Yun Shang and smiled at her, "You flatter me too much, Your Highness. In terms of feminine virtues, I'm no match for the Empress. As you were brought up by Her Majesty, there is no denying that you must have learned a lot by watching and listening to Her Majesty's virtuous conduct and instructions."

Emperor Ning shook his head. "Shang'er, you don't tell us the whole truth. I believe you told us part of your reasons, but not all the facts. If what you said is true, why didn't you come here before? I have noticed that you've only started coming here recently."

Yun Shang was happy that Emperor Ning had taken the bait after hearing her unconvincing story. She giggled and said with girlish shyness, "Alas, I'm a bad liar in Your Majesty's presence. I come here so often because..."

Yun Shang raised the cup in her hand and said with a smile, "Because of the sophora flower honey. The imperial cooks are very good at making delicious sophora flower honey. I once drank it at Qiwu Palace. The Empress knows it's my favorite. So Her Majesty has sent me some honey for several times. But I cannot drink the honey at Qiwu Palace now. I dare not bother the Empress with such a trivial matter. So I asked the imperial cook for some honey. The imperial cook told me the sophora flower honey is brewed from the sophora flower powder, and is a tribute from the Lu Family in the Sanmen Gorges. But we only get a few jars of sophora flower honey from the Lu Family each year. Her Majesty had such honey at Qiwu Palace before, but now, it is solely supplied to Lady Shu. I just come here to enjoy my favorite drink."

Lady Shu was startled at Yun Shang's explanation. She had not expected the Princess would say such words. What would the Emperor think of Lady Shu after hearing that explanation? His Majesty would probably think that she, Lady Shu, had taken advantage of her position as in charge of the imperial household. Fie would think that she supplied herself with luxuries to such an extent that even Princess Hui Guo had to pay Lady Shu a visit to get a drink of her desired honey. Lady Shu was frightened at the thought. She cast a hasty glance at Emperor Ning and saw him watching her coldly.

"Really? Is the sophora flower honey so tasty?" Emperor Ning moved his gaze away from Lady Shu in a casual matter. Though he was a little suspicious that this was Yun Shang's ploy to uncover Lady Shu's misconduct, he let go of the thought as soon as he saw her innocent face. Although the women in the imperial household were often found scheming against each other, Yun Shang was indeed an exception. After all, she was Lady Jin's daughter, and had spent most of her life at Ning'guo Temple. At any rate, Master Wu Na was a respectable person deserving of his trust, and there would be no intrigues and trickery at the Temple. So Yun Shang was simply a naive girl who dared to speak the first thing that came to her mind.

Yun Shang nodded and flashed her most innocent smile, "The sophora flower honey is especially delicious in Lady Shu's Palace."

Emperor Ning's eyes darkened a little. Spotting the change on the Emperor's face, Lady Shu walked toward him in haste and said earnestly, "That is quite surprising. The honey was sent by an eunuch from the Shangshan Bureau. He said it's a tribute. It helps women maintain their beauty and stay young. I thought every lady in the Imperial Palace would have a portion. After all, no woman would refuse a gift that would help her grow more beautiful. It is also my wish that Your Majesty would look at me more often once I have taken the honey and become prettier. So, I didn't refuse the honey."

Emperor Ning nodded while hearing Lady Shu's explanation. It was clear that since it was a gift from the eunuch of the Shangshan Bureau, Lady Shu might not be involved in this matter. It must be a personal gift from some eunuchs who wanted to please her after hearing that she was in charge of running the imperial household.

However, Yun Shang frowned at Lady Shu's words and spoke, "Why? I thought Lady Shu would also be in charge of Shangshan Bureau, Shangyi Bureau, and other bureaus once she had taken over the whole imperial household. Is that untrue?"

Emperor Ning smiled and said, "Of course she is. To manage the imperial household is to manage all matters such as eating, clothing, spending, and alike. Although trivial, it is quite exhausting to efficiently manage all these matters."

"Aha? So the eunuchs from Shangshan Bureau didn't submit the account book to Lady Shu? I remember that when the Empress was in charge of the imperial household, she would keep an account book for each bureau to record everything, no matter what it was. Everyone would understand what was going on in the account book just by looking at it. I also remember that the Empress praised the Shangshan Bureau for its detailed records in the account book. Those eunuchs are so audacious! They must want to feather their own nests by stealing from the Shangshan Bureau. As Lady Shu has only recently been responsible for the imperial household and is, perhaps, unfamiliar with the rules, they have played a trick on Lady Shu and hushed up about the matter of the account book."

Emperor Ning frowned again at Yun Shang's words. He could not disagree with Yun Shang. There would be a record for every spend in the imperial household, no matter how small the amount. As Lady Shu was running the imperial household now, she must have the account book in hand. But Lady Shu said she had no idea how many jars of honey there were and thought every lady in the Imperial Palace would be supplied with a share. In that case, either Lady Shu secretly arranged for all the honey to be sent to her Palace, or she was incapable of managing the imperial household as she could not even read the account book carefully.

Lady Shu was furious at Yun Shang. She was so enraged that she wished Yun Shang's mouth could be zipped as soon as possible. She wondered what was wrong with the Princess today, as she seemed to find fault with Lady Shu on purpose.

Then Yun Shang continued, "Your Majesty, you must punish those eunuchs in the Shangshan Bureau today. Lady Shu is fulfilling Your Majesty's charge to run the imperial household, but they dare play such a trick. It is fortunate that this sneaky matter has come to Your Majesty's attention. It would be awful for Lady Shu to be misunderstood and wronged if people knew of the honey matter."

Emperor Ning glanced at Lady Shu. Upon catching sight of her flushed face, he realized what Yun Shang had said might be true. Therefore he said with a nod, "Of course. They must be punished."

Lady Shu's heart missed a beat after hearing the Emperor's words. However, she didn't dare scold Yun Shang in the Emperor's presence. She had to squeeze out a smile and reply in a gentle voice, "Yes. Your Majesty is quite right." Yun Shang was so happy to see Lady Shu embarrassed that she downed the sophora flower honey in her cup in one gulp. Then she stood and said to Emperor Ning, "It is getting colder. And it's already dark outside even though it's not even five o'clock in the afternoon. I have to return to Qingxin Palace. It would be hard for me to walk in the darkness. So I will leave, Your Majesty." She rushed out of Lady Shu's Palace with Qian Yin before anyone could stop her.

Silence dominated the Hall as soon as Yun Shang left. Emperor Ning spoke after a long while. There was a touch of coldness as well as casualness in his voice. "Are you preparing the ceremonial garment for the Winter Solstice Sacrificial Ceremony? It is important. The dress must be magnificent."

Lady Shu was relieved at the Emperor's words. Her heart had been in her throat as she waited nervously for the Emperor to inquire about the honey. She hadn't been able to think of an ideal answer in all this time. She was delighted that the Emperor asked about the garment and felt secure again. It seemed that His Majesty didn't pay any attention to Yun Shang's words.

"It is almost done. According to tradition, the dress has to be black, the gravest color of all. The ceremonial garment for the Blessing Host is ready, but the one for the Blessing Hostess is being prepared..." Lady Shu said while smiling at the Emperor.

Emperor Ning nodded. Then, almost as an afterthought, the Emperor said to Lady Shu, "Well, considering the pregnancy, the Empress will get bigger around her belly in the days to come. Remember that the garment needs to be loose so that the baby won't get hurt."

Lady Shu was taken aback at the Emperor's words. What did His Majesty mean? She still remembered how His Majesty had mentioned the complicated procedures in the Ceremony and his worries about the baby if the Empress took part. Wasn't it an indication to let her partake in the Ceremony on behalf of the Empress? She had ordered the Blessing Hostess's ceremonial garment according to her measurements. But today, the Emperor unexpectedly mentioned the Empress's bloated belly and the loose garment for the Empress. What did he mean?

Lady Shu realized that Emperor Ning must have changed his mind after hearing Yun Shang. Lady Shu clenched her teeth hard to suppress her rage. Then she said to the Emperor in a gentle tone, "Yes. I understand, Your Majesty. Please don't worry."

Qian Yin helped Yun Shang take off her cloak once they had returned to Qingxin Palace. She took a cup of hot water from a maid, handed it to Yun Shang, and said with a smile, "Your Highness, you are so smart. The honey story was a lie, but His Majesty assumed a different attitude toward Lady Shu after hearing you. I saw with my own eyes how His Majesty was getting angrier with Lady Shu. I believe she must be having a tough time now. But, Your Highness, we have provoked Lady Shu so openly that she will definitely nurse a grudge. The Empress poses a big challenge already. If Lady Shu starts to find fault with us as well, it will become even more difficult to manage. Should we be more careful while making decisions?"

Yun Shang warmed her hands with the cup before putting it aside. She walked to a couch and sat on it. A maid came in carrying a basin of hot water. She took off Yun Shang's shoes and tested the water temperature before gently sliding Yun Shang's feet in it. The water was so warm that Yun Shang sighed. She grinned at Qian Yin and said, "It is certain that Lady Shu will report today's incident to Prince Jing. But she dares not provoke me without permission from Prince Jing. If a war breaks out between Lady Shu and me, I am not the only person who will face a new enemy. So will she.

Qian Yin studied Yun Shang for a while. Then she put her hands on her mouth and burst into laughter. "You are so naughty, Your Highness. Prince Jing is spoiling you so much that you are not willing to spare a thought for him."