An Eight-year-old Princess

Chapter 75 Lady Jin Visits

"Xiu Xin..." Hearing the Empress call her softly, Xiu Xin put the lit storax that she was holding into the

censer and hurried into the bedroom. The Empress was leaning on her pillow, frowning. "It's getting

colder.I just wanted to take a nap, but as soon as I lay down, I didn't want to get up."

Xiu Xin took the Phoenix robe and began helping the Empress to dress. When she heard the Empress

say this, she smiled and said, "It doesn't matter, Your Majesty. You get up early every day. You've often

said that it is beneath your dignity to get up late. You work the hardest besides His Majesty. Now you

should take advantage of this opportunity and rest. Sleep and eat whenever you want."

The Empress touched her flat belly and allowed herself a wry smile. "Yes, I am now pregnant with the

most noble child in Ning'guo. I should rest, but... The power struggles in the Imperial household will not

allow me to rest. There's no telling what mischief the concubines will get up to if I become inattentive

for even a little bit."

Following the eyes of the Empress, Xiu Xin also looked at the Empress' belly. Her eyes flashed as she

helped the Empress to dress.

"Pregnant concubines are allowed to call their families to visit them at the Imperial Household. I have

not seen my father and mother for a long time. Will you tell them to come tomorrow?" The Empress

stood up, spread her arms, and closed her eyes. Xiu Xin slipped on the Empress' robe. After that, the

Empress walked to the dressing table.

Xiu Xin responded, but the Empress shook her head in a hurry. "Forget it, just inform my mother... You

don't have to inform my father..."

Xiu Xin was slightly stunned. She bowed her head and answered, "OK."

The Empress looked at herself in the mirror and raised her hand to caress her face. Her fingers

lingered at the corner of her eye. Then she sighed and said to Xiu Xin, "I seem to be... getting old. You

see these wrinkles?"

Xiu Xin looked carefully at the Empress' face and smiled. "You are not old at all, Your Majesty. I don't

think any of the new concubines that have come into the Imperial Household over the years can

compare with you."

The Empress smiled slightly. "Only you will comfort me... I remember that I entered the Palace almost

the same year as Lady Jin. It is only now when she is living in Qiwu Palace that I realize I look as if I

am ten years older than her. She had been living in the Cold Palace all these years, but sometimes it's

also a good place because there is no intrigue. Although I am the Empress, I have many annoyances

every day. Besides, who would have thought that I am a pawn in the hands of others."

Xiu Xin did not respond as she was busy styling the Empress' hair.

"Lady Jin plays her cards well indeed. Although I seemed to be the winner when she left for the Cold

Palace a decade ago, I have not been able to do her the slightest harm in all these years, and I even

had to help raise her daughter. Concubines that are sent to the Cold Palace only come out when they

die. But Lady Jin didn't. His Majesty personally went to escort Lady Jin when she left the Cold Palace.

What's more, as soon as she got out, she came to live in Qiwu Palace, a place I have been guarding

for twenty years. I even have to take care of her!" The Empress touched her belly and sneered

somewhat. "I believe I can beat her. This time, I must make her suffer."

Thinking of the calm and sanctimonious countenance of Lady Jin, the Empress secretly gnashed her

teeth and could not help but clench her fists.

The tinkling sound of ornaments came from outside. The Empress frowned and raised her voice. "Who

is it?"

The door curtain opened and the Empress saw Hua Jing's reflection in the mirror. She was wearing a

bright red dress. When Hua Jing saw that the Empress was getting dressed, she smiled and came

forward. "You are so beautiful today, Mother. People say that pregnant women are the most beautiful.

It's true!"

The Empress became unhappy at Hua Jing's sycophancy. She frowned and glanced at Hua Jing. "Your

husband is trapped and it's hard to tell whether he is alive or not. But you are dressed like this. What a

scandal! If your behavior is seen by others, they will definitely gossip behind your back."

Hua Jing pouted and raised her voice. "Why should I care about other people's opinions? Mother, I am

your daughter, and you are the Empress of our country. Besides, you are now pregnant with the future

prince. Who dares to say..."

A loud sound interrupted Hua Jing. It was not until a moment later that Hua Jing said with a trembling

voice, "Mother... Mother, why did you hit me?" Hua Jing looked at the white foundation on her dress.

She couldn't believe that the Empress had thrown a box of foundation at her.

The Empress gnashed her teeth and sneered. "Why did I hit you? Because I think that you have no

other qualities except arrogance. Go and change your clothes right now! From today on, as long as

there is no news of the Emperor's Son-in-Law, you can only wear plain clothes."

Hua Jing bowed her head and tried not to let her tears run. She replied humbly, "OK..."

Hua Jing was ready to leave the bedroom when she suddenly thought of something. She stopped and

said softly, "Mother, my Mother-in-Law took a few guards with her and went to frontier this morning..."

The Empress was stunned. She turned and looked at Hua Jing. "What did you say? Did she really go?"

Hua Jing nodded. "Yes, she left early this morning. Last night when I went to greet her, I saw her

packing her things. And when I went out this morning, I saw her leaving with some guards."

Another loud sound echoed through the otherwise quiet room. The Empress had thrown a gold hairpin

at Hua Jing's face. Although the hairpin had hit her forehead and left a bloody wound, Hua Jing did not

dare to move.

The Empress stood up angrily and walked up to Hua Jing. "A woman in her forties rushed to the

frontier anxiously, but you are swaggering through the Palace in such bright-colored clothes! Jing'er, I

think you are constantly regressing. If you keep behaving like this, do you know what women in the

Imperial Household will say about you? Do you know how the commoners will gossip behind your

back? It doesn't matter if you are ridiculed by the people. But you are my daughter. You are a child from

the Li family. If you dare to tarnish the reputation of the Li family, I will never admit that you are my

daughter! Put on your plain clothes immediately and go after her! Ask your grandfather to give you

twenty guards with excellent skills and set off right now."

Hua Jing's mouth was agape with shock and confusion. After a while, she said, "But... that is the

frontier... Mother..."

The Empress sneered. "There is nothing wrong with the frontier. This time, His Majesty has sent Prince

Jing and his troops to rescue the Emperor's Son-in-Law. If you can successfully rescue him from the

frontier, then the commoners will say that you rode for thousands of miles to save your husband, and

this act will naturally be praised by the commoners. Even if you can't save him, you shall escort his

coffin for thousands of miles and weep for him the whole way back. At that time, the commoners will

say that you are affectionate and righteous."

After pondering Hua Jing lowered her head and left the bedroom.

The Empress stood still, frowning. She was quite disappointed with Hua Jing. Xiu Xin came to check

her hand and saw that the Empress' hand had been hurt by the gold hairpin. Xiu Xin quickly took out

the medicine bottle and began applying the ointment on the wound. She said sadly, "There is no need

to do so, Your Majesty. Why did you hurt her and also hurt yourself like this?"

The Empress smiled bitterly. "I used to think that Jing'er was cute and obedient. But now, I see more

clearly that she is thoughtless when she does things. She is not even as good as Yun Shang."

After a pause, she thought of Yun Shang again and felt a little uneasy. "I always felt that something was

a little peculiar after her return from Ning'guo Temple. I feel that she is not going to be easy to control

as we had assumed. Her performance at her Coming-of-age Ceremony was definitely premeditated.

Recently, every attempt by Hua Jing to frame Yun Shang has failed. Although Hua Jing didn't tell me, Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

and although it looks like a coincidence, don't you think it's bizarre how Yun Shang escapes every

time?"

After hearing this, Xiu Xin stopped applying the ointment. She thought for a moment and said, "But

Princess Yun Shang looks so delicate, and it seems that even the wind can blow her down. I don't think

she's a scheming person."

"It will be nice if she isn't. If she is a scheming person but can disguise herself so well, then I should be

more cautious." The Empress narrowed her eyes and pondered.

Just as Xiu Xin finished applying the ointment, the two women heard footsteps outside the room. The

Empress thought it was Hua Jing, so she said, "Didn't I tell you to run after your Mother-in-Law right

now? Why do you come back again?"

The person outside paused for a while and said softly, "It's me, Sister. I came here to visit you."

Lady Jin! The Empress was stunned for a moment, but recovered quickly. A flicker of coldness

appeared in her eyes.

The Empress went to the door. The moment the door curtain opened, a smile appeared on the

Empress' face. "Why are you here? It's cold and you still wear so little. What if you catch a cold?" The

woman at the door was dressed in elegant white. The entire dress was plain except for one branch of

plum blossoms that had been embroidered with silver thread on the hemline. She has an unusually

attractive oval face and a suitable smile.

"After you left yesterday, I felt a little uncomfortable, so I went to rest quite early. I heard from Madam

Zheng today that you are pregnant. This is really great news. I don't have anything else to give you.

This is the warm jade that His Majesty gave me a few days ago. It is said that it is good for health. It's

getting colder and you just got pregnant, so I bring this to you." Lady Jin held a piece of jade that had

been carved with plum blossoms. Lady Jin had spoken softly and she had looked very sincere.

However, the Empress was unhappy. It is true that Lady Jin did rest early. Her explanation, however,

was misleading. Yesterday, when the Emperor heard that the Empress was pregnant, he didn't come to

talk to her first. Instead, he rushed directly to Qiwu Palace and did not come out all night. As the owner

of Qiwu Palace, the Empress did not even see the Emperor's shadow.

"You are so polite, Lady Jin. This jade was gifted by His Majesty. How can I accept such a present?"

The Empress did not smile. Instead, she walked past Lady Jin. She found an empty chair in the outer

Hall and sat on it.

Lady Jin smiled. "I don't have anything else valuable. Do you dislike it?"

The Empress smiled faintly. "Since you put it like that, I will accept your gift. Otherwise, His Majesty will

blame me for bullying you again." She reached out and took the jade which was quite warm. She

frowned slightly before handing it to Xiu Xin.

Lady Jin smiled. She turned to the Empress and asked softly, "Sister, I just saw Princess Hua Jing rush

away. What happened?"

The Empress secretly clenched her hands in her sleeves. "The Emperor's Son-in-Law is trapped at the

frontier and Hua Jing was so worried that she begged me to allow her to take someone to the frontier to

save her husband. I was worried about her safety, so I scolded her. But she seemed to be determined

to go to the frontier. I did not agree, and she rushed out."

Lady Jin frowned and said worriedly, "I heard the Emperor's Son-in-Law is trapped at the northwest

frontier. The country of Yelang is ready to fight, and His Majesty is also quite worried about it. The men

of this country are brave and they are as ferocious as wolves. Princess Hua Jing is a delicate woman,

how can she go to the frontier at will? If anything happens to her, you and His Majesty will be very sad.

Please advise her not to go. His Majesty said that he would send Prince Jing to the frontier to fight

against Yelang's attack. But he is still preparing for it. Prince Jing hasn't left for the frontier yet. So the

situation at there is extremely dangerous."

The Empress was stupefied for a while. Then she asked, "Is that what His Majesty told you?"

Lady Jin nodded. "Yes, His Majesty has been saying for a few days that the country of Yelang has

recruited 2, 00, 000 soldiers this time and they are approaching our frontier step by step. His Majesty

has asked Prince Jing to intensify his military training, and dispatch his troops as soon as possible."

"Really?" Lady Jin's words sent chills up her back. The Empress smiled somewhat arduously, "Really?

Fortunately, I did not let her go to the frontier. It's so dangerous, and she is only a delicate woman......"

Lady Jin smiled, "Yes." She changed the topic again and said softly. "Well, Sister, Lady Shu's court

maid came to tell me that in a few days, Lady Shu is going to give a banquet in her Palace. I heard that

His Majesty will also attend. I asked the court maid if there was any good news, but she did not tell me.

Do you know of any good news, Sister?"

The Empress was stunned again. "Is that true? Lady Shu is going to give a banquet? I didn't know at

all."

Hearing this, Lady Jin seemed to be in a daze for a while, but she quickly smiled again. "Oh! I'm so

silly. The biggest good news in the Palace is definitely Your Majesty's pregnancy. Now that His Majesty

knows, it must have been him who advised Lady Shu to hold a banquet, and to keep it a secret from

you. His Majesty must have wanted to surprise you, Sister."

The Empress thought Lady Jin's explanation to be ludicrous for the Emperor seemed very indifferent to

her unborn child. Nevertheless, the Empress felt a tinge of excitement. She smiled. "Really?"

Lady Jin nodded and smiled in return. "Sister, please don't tell anyone that I have spilled the beans.

Please pretend that you don't know anything. If Lady Shu says it's to congratulate you on your

pregnancy, can you pretend to be very surprised? You won't give me away, right?"

The Empress smiled slightly and said, "Of course."

They continued to chat for a while before Lady Jin requested the Empress' permission to leave.

As soon as Lady Jin left, the Empress stopped pretending to be congenial.

"Your Majesty, since Lady Jin began living in Qiwu Palace, she had never behaved more than

lukewarm towards His Majesty and you. But today, she came to greet you so affably and talked to you

in such a gentle tone. Why is she so different today?" Xiu Xin looked at the door as she spoke. She

seemed worried.

The Empress sneered. "You also found it odd, right? I was surprised by her behavior, too. We always

mind our own business. In the time that she has lived in Qiwu Palace, we've never spoken as much as

we did today. Now that she's willing to disguise herself, I will play her game."

Xiu Xin paused for a moment and said hesitatingly. "But... Your Majesty, was Lady Jin telling the truth?

If the situation is really as urgent as Lady Jin says, then Princess Hua Jing... Do I need to go to the

Princess Palace?"

The Empress snorted coldly. "Her story was full of loopholes. How can we believe her? That day, I

heard His Majesty say that he would send Prince Jing to the frontier only to rescue the Emperor's Son-

in-Law, but she said that he is going to fight against the Yelang army. It a small country. How can they

send out an army of more than 2, 00, 000 soldiers? She said this just to prevent Hua Jing from going to

the frontier. Judging from the Imperial City's commoners' comments about Hua Jing, if she doesn't go

to the frontier, she will be completely ruined by the reprimand of every commoner."

Xiu Xin nodded. "You are so intelligent, Your Majesty. Lady Jin is really too..."

The Empress sat in the chair, lost in thought. She murmured, "But she said that Lady Shu is going to

hold a banquet in the Palace. What does she want to express?"

Xiu Xin also frowned. They thought for a long time, but couldn't come up with anything. The Empress

raised her head, and said to Xiu Xin, "You should investigate. Is Lady Shu going to hold a banquet or

not? Does His Majesty really know about this? Who did she invite? When and where will the banquet

be held? The more details the better..."

Xiu Xin nodded at once. "OK, I'll do it right away."

The Empress nodded and said, "Don't forget to invite my mother to the Imperial household tomorrow.

By the way, tell my mother that I want to eat the hibiscus cake made by my old housemaid."

Xiu Xin responded, "I will keep that in mind. Do you have any other instructions, Your Majesty?"

"Go to the Imperial Household Department later, and ask the Master to send me more pots with flowers

and plants."

"Flowers and plants?" Xiu Xin was stunned for a while and then asked, "Your Majesty, the flowers you

love have withered away in this season. How about asking the Master of the Imperial Household

Department to send us some daffodils?"

The Empress shook her head. "No, I don't want daffodils. Tell the Master of the Imperial Household

Department that I want to put them in my bedroom. I want big flowerpots, more dirt..."