Rebirth of the Phoenix Princess novel Chapter 84

After leaving the camp, Yun Shang finally had the chance to check the landscape. They were surrounded by mountains on both sides, but there was a wide flat area in between, where the army of Prince Jing and that of Yelang were encamped.

Judging from the noise, the soldiers were facing off quite a distance away. Yun Shang mounted her horse and followed Prince Jing toward the noise.

As she approached, Yun Shang was shocked at the scene before her. She had never seen such an astounding spectacle in her previous life. Even though she had learned about military formations from her grandfather in this life, her knowledge was restricted to strategies and ideas. This was her first experience with a real military confrontation. The flat ground was crowded with tens of thousands of soldiers. That along with the deafening war drum, charged Yun Shang.

"Prince Jing is here. Prince Jing is here..." Prince Jing's presence was noticed by the soldiers. They made way for Prince Jing and Yun Shang so that they could reach the front. On the opposite side, Yun Shang could see the Yelang soldiers lined up. A man in black armor was standing on the chariot in front of the soldiers. Yun Shang couldn't see him clearly because of the distance. Beside him stood a young woman in bright red. Her face had been covered with a white handkerchief.

Yun Shang recognized her identity immediately. It was Hua Jing.

"Not surprising." Yun Shang smiled. Prince Jing turned and glanced at Yun Shang. He spoke, "Princess Hua Jing is disgracing you by using your name, and you don't care?"

Before Yun Shang could answer, the Yelang soldiers stopped beating their drums. They heard a man saying, "Prince Jing, I have Princess Hui Guo here. Surrender now or I'll kill her."

Prince Jing laughed and spoke equally loudly. "Do think you can fool me with just any masked woman? Kill her if you want. Please, show no mercy. If you can't hurt this young lady, I could do you a favor." Prince Jing reached for the bow and arrow being held by his servant. He aimed at the woman on the chariot.

"But Prince Jing, your brother will blame you!" Prince Qingsu was stunned.

Prince Jing sneered. "I just got a carrier pigeon from my agent yesterday and according to the message, Princess Hui Guo is safe at the Imperial City. Now that Prince Qingsu doesn't want to get rid of this fake Princess, I don't mind giving you a hand..." Then he let go of the arrow, which flew directly toward the woman.

When the arrow was only a meter away from Hua Jing, Prince Qingsu swung his broadsword and blocked the arrow.

"Oh, you seem quite nervous, Prince Qingsu. Is she your lover?" Prince Jing laughed as he threw the bow to the servant.

Prince Qingsu did not reply to Prince Jing. Instead, he lifted Hua Jing's head and said something to her. Yun Shang smiled, "Why does she use my name?"

Prince Jing put on a grim smile. "She must think that if she does something undesirable, she could always shift the responsibility to you. In her mind, your reputation is worth nothing." Then he said loudly to the soldiers. "This woman poses as our Princess Hui Guo. What should we do?"

The soldiers shouted, "Kill her! Kill her! Kill her!"

"And the country of Yelang slanders Princess Hui Guo. What about that?"

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

The Yelang soldiers were in a dilemma. After some time, Prince Jing heard Hua Jing's voice. Because of the distance, her words could barely be heard. "Uncle, help! It's me. Help..."

Prince Jing said flatly, "You don't sound like Princess Hui Guo at all. Prince Qingsu, if you wanted to find a counterfeit, you should have done some homework. Soldiers, line up!"

A huge cloud of dust rose as thousands of soldiers ran to make their formation. Soldiers on both sides of Prince Jing lined up as two wings, enveloping the enemy.

"Now, you have seen everything. Go back to the camp." Prince Jing turned and said to Yun Shang. "There are too many people. I'm afraid I won't be able to take care of you."

Yun Shang knew she would be of little help in battle. Moreover, Prince Jing might be distracted by her. So, she nodded and returned to camp.

Qian Yin was pacing restlessly at the gate of the camp when she saw Yun Shang. Qian Yin rushed to Yun Shang, "Your Highness. Finally you have returned. I was so worried when I heard the drum beats. I thought they had started fighting."

Yun Shang smiled. "Maybe we are too weak and this is too brutal a scene for us." Back at the tent, Yun Shang took time to observe her surroundings. The tent was bare to make packing and moving on short notice easier. In the middle of the tent stood a table with a map on it. Three chairs surrounded the table. Yun Shang assumed they were for officers during military meetings. There was a bed and a bathing tub behind the folding screen.

In spite of the roll of drums and loud shouts, Yun Shang felt very exhausted. She had been on the road for over ten days without good rest. Yun Shang thought it would take Prince Jing some time to get away from the fight. So, she took off shoes and lay on the bed.

When Prince Jing returned, he didn't see Yun Shang. So, he asked the guard who told him that the young gentleman never stepped out the tent and that his servant had gone out to fetch water.

Prince Jing paused to think before re-entering the tent. He found Yun Shang napping behind the folding screen. Her long hair was spread over the pillow casually and her eyelashes quivered slightly. Prince Jing stared at her for a long time before leaving.

Outside the tent, a few generals were talking loudly as they approached Prince Jing's tent. "Your Highness, when can we have a serious fight with Yelang? Today, we only yelled across the battlefield. We are so bored."

Prince Jing frowned. "Let's talk in General Yang's tent." Then he walked away.

General Yang looked puzzled. "But we are all here, Your Highness. Why can't we just discuss this in your tent?"

A cunning middle-aged man suddenly realized and said, "Have you seen that good-looking young man? Maybe he is in the tent..."

Prince Jing frowned. "Quiet. Don't talk so loudly here. Let's move." They all looked at each other in astonishment. "And, he must be sleeping..."

Having figured out the story, they laughed and followed Prince Jing. They waited for Prince Jing's confession. "Your Highness, you have never let anyone sleep in your bed and we haven't seen you with any girl. Are you..."

"Of a different sexual orientation?" They asked Prince Jing in unison.

Prince Jing turned back and gave them a cold stare. "Even if I am, you are not my type."

"So it's true?" They followed up curiously.

Compared to the joyful atmosphere at Prince Jing's encampment, the Yelang marshal tent was freezing. Cangjue Qingsu, the third prince of Yelang looked very displeased. He sneered. "You told me you were Princess Hui Guo of Ning, and I believed you. But you deceived me. Who are you?"

Hua Jing was trembling. "I am Princess Hui Guo! You have seen my token. It's authorized by my father, Emperor Ning."

Qingsu sat down lazily and put one leg on another chair. "You are a beautiful woman, but it seems that Prince Jing doesn't care about your life. What about you?"