An Eight-year-old Princess

Chapter 79 The Empress' Secret

Qiwu Palace became more tranquil after the Empress' pregnancy as the morning ritual of a courtesy

call to the Empress was suspended and the affairs of the imperial household were taken over by Lady

Shu. As it was getting colder, the Empress seldom left Qiwu Palace.

"Has it been half a month since the Empress left Qiwu Palace?" asked Yun Shang casually. She had

been lying on the couch reading a book.

"It has been 17 days, " answered Qian Yin. "I am thinking that we will not see the Empress for another

five days. Then it will be time for the celebration of the winter solstice."

Yun Shang smiled slightly and turned a page. Then she said, "She has more patience than I thought.

Lady Shu took power from her. Many people in the imperial household expected to see her fight back.

It is very unexpected for her to simply hand over the Empress seal to Lady Shu and hide herself in

Qiwu Palace. The Empress is not known to hide in her Palace."

Qin Yi was folding clothes. Hearing this, she replied with a smile, "I'm afraid the Empress knows what's

going on in the imperial household even though she stays indoors. She has too many spies."

Yun Shang frowned as she felt something very important was being missed. She thought for a while

but couldn't figure it out. She sighed, "Let's just wait. I am no less patient than her."

When footsteps could be heard nearing, the two women stopped talking. "Your Highness, an eunuch

from Huanyi Bureau has brought washed clothes." Content held by NôvelDrama.Org.

Qin Yi turned around to draw aside the curtain. Then she walked out the door. "Come in with the

clothes!" came the voice of Qin Yi from outside.

Come in? Yun Shang raised her eyebrows in surprise. Qi Yi never allowed any staff from Huanyi

Bureau to come into the inner hall before.

Lifting her eyes to the door, Yun Shang saw a skinny eunuch come in through the bead curtain which

had been drawn aside. "Your Highness, these clothes have been washed and dried. Where should I

put them?" asked the eunuch.

Qin Yin closed the bead curtain after entering the room.

"Lin?" Yun Shang straightened up and inquired gently, "Why do you come here today?"

Lin glanced at the two maids-in-waiting and understood that Yun Shang was not going to ask them to

leave. Seeing this, he understood that the two maids-in-waiting were her confidants. So he curtsied and

said, "Your Highness, I have something to tell you."

Yun Shang straightened up and said, "Say it. There is no outsider."

Lin nodded his head and said, "The other day, I heard about the Empress' pregnancy. However, I found

an underwear stained with menstrual blood. It had been mixed with the dirty clothes of the maids-in-

waiting from Qiwu Palace."

"It must belong to a certain maid-in-waiting who is in her menstrual period." said Qian Yin gently,

looking at Lin.

Lin shook his head and said, "But the underwear was made of high-quality silk. It is not like other

clothes that belong to the maids-in-waiting. Few ladies in the Imperial household have such kind of silk

fabric, let alone the maids-in-waiting."

With a fluid glance, Yun Shang said, "I know what Lin means. In the Imperial household, it's not hard to

get rid of a living man. But it's hard to get rid of an underwear stained with blood. So the underwear

was hidden in the clothes of the maids-in-waiting."

"But how can you identify that the underwear is made of high-quality silk?" Yun Shang continued.

Lin said with complete confidence, "I'm totally sure about that. And I dare say I am an expert in

identifying silk fabrics. I had been in the business of selling silk fabrics before I was framed by others

and reduced to a eunuch in the Palace. I have a good relationship with a maid-in-waiting in Huanyi

Bureau who is in charge of doing the laundry. The other day when I was chatting with her, she told me

the maids-in-waiting serving the Empress have the best food to eat and the best clothing to wear and

even the underwear they wear feels softer. She knows this as she does their laundry. I pretended to

disagree and asked her to show me the underwear. On touching it, I knew it was made of high-quality

silk."

Hearing this, Yun Shang whispered to herself for a while. A sudden thought seized her. Then the world

around her became silent. After a long pause, Yun Shang suddenly rose to her feet and exclaimed, "I

finally know what's wrong."

All the others in the room cast their eyes upon Yun Shang. Yun Shang smiled and said with firm eyes,

"All these days I felt that something important was being missed. When Lin just revealed the laundry

incident, it occurred to me that more than half a month ago Lady Shu went all out to make the Empress

eat the abortifacient at the banquet. I saw the Empress had eaten the abortifacient. Logically, the

Empress should have miscarried within half a month. But nothing happened until now. Qiwu Palace has

remained unusually quiet. Several Imperial Physicians have been there several times to check my dear

mother's health (Lady Jin) by pulse diagnosis. But there is only one Physician serving the Empress all

the time. Other Physicians have never treated the Empress."

"Your Highness, you mean that…" Qin Yi's eyes shone. She stared at Yun Shang with focused eyes.

"Putting these things together, I think that the Empress is in all likelihood, not pregnant, " said Yun

Shang with an ironic smile. "The Empress played a wonderful trick on us. That day when we learned

that she was pregnant, I was so shocked that I never doubted whether she was really pregnant." If Lin

hadn't told me this weird story, I would not have found the trick played by the Empress, even if I did

have some doubts."

"But, why did the Empress do it?" "If she is not pregnant, she will be unable to give birth to a baby.

What's more, she is forced to hand over the Empress seal to Lady Shu due to her pregnancy. Doesn't

she lose more than she gains?" said Qian Yin with a bewildered look.

Yun Shang calmed herself but a glimmer of excitement remained in her eyes. "I guess that the

Empress wants to create an illusion. She will most likely wait for a proper time to show that she lost her

baby because of an accident. Then she could blame my dear mother for the accident." "As we all know,

at present only my pregnant mother is her major obstacle in the imperial household. But my mother

lives in Qiwu Palace. She wouldn't be able to find a better way to get rid of my mother, overtly or

covertly. So she thought of this scheme."

"What a sinister scheme! Luckily, we found it out otherwise our Lady Jin would be in danger." Qin Yi

breathed out heavily before adding, "Do we need to tell our ladyship about this so that she can be on

her guard against the Empress?"

As Lin heard what Qin Yi said, he lifted his eyes to look at Qin Yi and then bowed his head again.

"I have to visit Qiwu Palace before I tell my mother about this scheme. Lin said that they found the

underwear stained with blood yesterday. So the Empress must still be in her menstrual period. I

remember that every time the Empress gets her period, she suffers from menalgia. Let's pay her a visit

and check. Without further ado, let's go check it now." said Yun Shang, rising to her feet instantly.

"Dress me now!"

Seeing this, Lin curtsied to Yun Shang and asked, "Your Highness, may I leave now?"

Yun Shang turned to him with a big smile. "Thank you for your message. Go back to Huanyi Bureau

now lest you cause suspicion. In a few days, I will send someone with some sweet wine with glutinous

rice balls for you."

Lin replied, "OK. Thank you, Your Highness." After this, Lin withdrew from the room.

Yun Shang changed her clothes and after putting on her cloak, she stepped out of Qingxin Palace

hurriedly. As Yun Shang stepped into Qiwu Palace, she saw Xiu Xin embroidering in the main hall. She

walked towards Xiu Xin and said with a smile, "What a leisurely life you live, Xiu Xin. By the way, is my

mother, the Empress in?"

Xiu Xin raised her head and found Yun Shang standing near her. She stood up quickly and spoke, "The

Empress does not feel not well today. She is resting in the inner hall."

Hearing this, a concerned look appeared on Yun Shang's face. "Does my mother, the Empress feel ill?

Why don't you call for an Imperial Physician? She is carrying the Emperor's baby. You should look after

her very carefully. Who will be able to bear the consequence if something bad happens? I will send for

a Physician."

Xiu Xin replied, "No, no, Your Highness. You don't have to do so. It's not a big deal. The Empress told

us that she just needed to rest."

Yun Shang disagreed. "We must call for a Physician. I will feel very worried if we don't call for a

Physician to check the health status of my mother, the Empress."

Hearing this, Xiu Xin was like a cat on hot bricks. Just before she could say something to stop Yun

Shang, the Empress' feeble voice came from the inner hall, "Is Yun Shang speaking out there? Come

in."

Yun Shang walked into the inner hall and found the Empress lying in the bed. Her face was pale. She

hurried to sit by the Empress' bedside, saying, "Mother, why are you looking so pale?"

The Empress smiled slightly and sighed, "I feel weak due to the cold weather."

"You don't call for a Physician even though you feel ill? If my father gets to know about this, he will feel

distressed and worried. I will sent for a Physician for you now. You are carrying a baby now. You should

be more careful." Yun Shang frowned. She looked genuinely concerned.

When she spoke of the Emperor, a trace of anger appeared in the Empress's eyes. She turned and

said to Xiu Xin, "You see, Shang'er cares about me. Call for a Physician or Shang'er won't let it go."

Xiu Xin glanced at the Empress and nodded. Then she left the hall.

Yun Shang smiled as she said, "Mother, you know me very well. By the way, do you know where my

elder sister has gone? I haven't seen her for a very long time."

The Empress kept looking at Yun Shang before she replied with a wry smile, "She has gone to the

border where her husband serves with complete disregard for my persuasion. Her husband got injured

at the border. She was worried about him and went to see him at once even though she has a history

with Lady Zhao - her husband's mother. I don't know how she is doing now. I wish everything goes well

with her."

Yun Shang tried to console her, "Mother, you should take care of yourself. You are having a baby now.

Don't worry about my elder sister. She was born smart. She is famous in the Imperial City for her

talents. She must have prepared well before she left for the border."

"I wish she was." At the mention of Hua Jing, the Empress betrayed a sincere concern.

"Your Grace, Your Highness, the Imperial Physician is coming." Xiu Xin's voice came from outside the

door. Subsequently, Xiu Xin led a middle-aged man in an official robe into the Hall. Yun Shang

recognized him. He was the Imperial Physician who said the Empress was pregnant in the side hall of

Qinzheng Hall.

Yun Shang rose to her feet and took a few steps back. "Physician, come see my mother. Why does she

look so pale?"

The Physician put down the medicine box and took out a silk handkerchief. Then he put the

handkerchief on the Empress's wrist and curtsied to her before he felt her pulse*. Yun Shang kept an

eye on the Physician. She saw that as he felt her pulse, he occasionally lifted his eyes to observe the

expressions of the Empress in a cautious manner. The Empress said nothing but looked at the

handkerchief motionlessly.

(* TN: pulse diagnosis, a traditional Chinese diagnosis method)

A while later, the Physician left the Empress's hands and curtsied to Yun Shang, "Your Highness, you

don't have to worry. Through my diagnosis, I believe the Empress is just physically weak. I can

prescribe some tonic medicine for her. But any medicine has its side effects. The Empress is pregnant

now so I advise the Empress to eat some tonic food plus a small amount of tonic medicine."

Yun Shang nodded and said with a smile, "OK. Do as the Physician said. Xiu Xin, you should urge the

cooks to make some nutritious dishes for the Empress. The most important thing is to restore the

Empress' health."

Xiu Xin replied, "Yes". Then the Empress said, "Now you can put your mind at ease. I said that I'm fine.

You see, you make such a fuss about nothing."

Yun Shang turned around and said to the Empress with a brief smile, "Being physically weak is also a

kind of illness. You should take care of yourself."

After giving a prescription, the Physician departed. Yun Shang said, "Mother, I will return to my Qingxin

Palace now. Please remember to take the medicine on time."

The Empress nodded. Yun Shang smiled happily and then left Qiwu Palace.

"Your Highness, …" Excitement overwhelmed Qian Yin. Just before she uttered some words, Yun

Shang interrupted, "This isn't a good place for us to talk. We'd better say nothing before we get back to

Qingxin Palace."

Qian Yin nodded and proceeded to follow Yun Shang to Qingxin Palace.

"Princess Yun Shang…." a gentle voice came from the side. Turning around, Yun Shang saw Lady

Shu, followed by a couple of maids-in-waiting, come up to her.

Yun Shang squinted at Lady Shu and thought that she was a capable and manipulative woman.

Although she had only recently taken over the imperial household, she had already arranged many

spies around Qiwu Palace. Their meeting was more than a chance encounter. Someone had informed

Lady Shu of her movements. Lady Shu hurried to see Yun Shang in order to get some information

about the Empress just as she was walking out of Qiwu Palace.

"Lady Shu…" Yun Shang curtsied to Lady Shu.

Lady Shu arrested her step before Yun Shang and said with a kind smile, "It's getting colder. I thought

only I, preoccupied with all kinds of things, would go out on such a cold day. I didn't expect that I would

run across you. Where are you going now, Princess Yun Shang?"

Yun Shang replied with a smile, "You are now in charge of the Imperial household so you are

undoubtedly terribly busy. Just now, I was loitering about. I chanced to remember that I hadn't visited

my mother, the Empress for a long time. So I came all the way here to see my mother. On arriving

there, I found my mother looked pale as she was not feeling well. So I sent for an Imperial Physician to

check her health. After he confirmed that she was well, I came out of Qiwu Palace."

"Well, " On hearing this, the smile disappeared from Lady Shu's face. She asked instantly, "Does the

Empress fall ill? How is she now? The servants in Qiwu Palace should be to blame. They didn't report

this news to me. I have to go see the Empress now."

Yun Shang added hastily, "There is no big deal. The Physician said that the Empress is just physically

weak and that the Empress just need to take some tonic medicine and eat some nutritious dishes to

regain her health."

These words allowed Lady Shu to feel some relief. She said, "Well, well. I will go to Qiwu Palace now. It

is cold. You should wear more clothes. Today, I have ordered the man in charge of Shangyi Bureau to

prepare a few winter clothes for you. In a few days, you will have your new clothes."

"Lady Shu, thank you for your consideration." said Yun Shang. Then she curtsied to Lady Shu who

turned for Qiwu Palace.

After a few steps, she stopped to look back at Yun Shang and said gently, "Next time you go to Qiwu

Palace, don't forget to see Lady Jin. Anyway, Lady Jin is your biological mother. You shouldn't ignore

her even if your adoptive mother, the Empress, treats you very well. You care about the Empress,

which indicates you are a filial girl. But you shouldn't have a prejudice against Lady Jin. Now, she is

also pregnant and the fetus is getting bigger and bigger. She is having a harder time than the

Empress."

In a daze for a second, Yun Shang smiled coldly and said, "You are right. Next time I will do as you

have told."

Lady Shu found Yun Shang didn't really pay attention to what she said but she had nothing more to

say. So she sighed and continued on her way.

Once Lady Shu was out of sight, Yun Shang, followed by Qin Yi and Qian Yin, set off again.

Upon returning to Qingxin Palace, Qin Yi helped Yun Shang take off her cloak, put it aside and drew

the stove nearer to Yun Shang.

"Princess, Lady Shu is heading to Qiwu Palace. What does she want to do?" said Qian Yin out of

curiosity.

Yun Shang said, "No mountain can accommodate two tigers, let alone two tigers who both want to rule

the mountain. Although Lady Shu has the Empress's seal now, she is just temporarily in charge of the

Imperial household. She is not the real Empress. Meanwhile, the Empress claims to be carrying the

Emperor's baby. If the Empress gave birth to a baby boy, everything Lady Shu has done would be in

vain. So Lady Shu managed to make the Empress take the abortifacient during the banquet. She did it

but nothing happened. She is anxious. Hearing me say that the Empress feels ill, she can't wait to see

whether the Empress really lost her baby just as she expected."

Qian Yin chuckled, "Lady Shu's plan will fail. The Empress is not pregnant. There is no way for her to

lose her baby."

Yun Shang was leaning against the couch. "You'd better keep that to yourself. Remember not to talk of

this in the days to come."

"Do we just let the Empress play this trick?"

Asked Qian Yin. At this time, Qin Yi was carrying the quilt from the bed to the couch. She said, "The

Princess has her own plan. The trick the Empress is playing won't go too far."

Yun Shang said with a smile, "Right. It won't go too far." All of a sudden, it occurred to Yun Shang that if

she hadn't taken precautions, her dear mother, Lady Jin would have taken the abortifacient at that

banquet. Lady Shu had planned to get rid of Lady Jin and the Empress once and for all. Her plan was

good but Yun Shang wouldn't let anyone hurt her dear mother, Lady Jin. Although Lady Shu worked for

Prince Jing, Yun Shang thought she should work out a way to warn Lady Shu.