Chapter 69 The Feast

Right after Yun Shang arrived at the Princess Palace, she went to find Hua Jing to inform her sister of her return. She had hardly reached Hua Jing's courtyard when she heard a noise coming from inside. It sounded like someone was smashing things.

Yun Shang raised her eyebrows in surprise and wondered what was going on. She stepped over the threshold and crossed into the yard.

"Princess Hui Guo is here." The maid standing by the door raised her voice to announce Yun Shang's presence as soon as she saw her.

The noise stopped abruptly. Yun Shang smiled at the maid, "I have just returned from the Palace and I wanted to greet my sister. What is she doing right now? I can come back later if it's inconvenient for her."

Then she heard Hua Jing calling out, "Shang'er, do come in."

As soon as she entered, Yun Shang saw jagged shards all over the ground. Surprised, Yun Shang stood still for a moment before asking, "Sister, what's going on here?"

Hua Jing snorted and ignored her question. She simply asked Yun Shang, "Did you have fun today? What did you do at the Palace?"

Yun Shang looked at Hua Jing discreetly. She was still frowning. Yun Shang whispered, "Not at all. Father wanted to marry me to that Wang Jinhuan. He looks like quite a dandy, and I don't like him at all. Luckily, it occurred to me that Master Wu Na had foretold my fortune. He said that bad things will happen to me if I marry before I turned 18. Only after father had seen Master Wu Na's handwriting did he drop the idea of forcing me into an ominous marriage."

Hua Jing frowned and calculated quickly in her mind, 'Wang Jinhuan and Prince Jing go back a long way. If Yun Shang does marry Wang Jinhuan, she will have Prince Jing on her side. And that, under no circumstance, is going to be good for me.'

Thinking of that, Hua Jing took Yun Shang's hands and consoled her, "Indeed, Wang Jinhuan is not an eligible husband. Rumor has it that despite being single, he has a long list of mistresses. He is a player. I'm sure that it will do you no good marrying such a worthless man."

Yun Shang agreed with a nod, "That's what I meant. True, he saved my life once, but I can surely find other ways to thank him instead of marrying him." Yun Shang thought for a moment as she studied Hua Jing. "Sister, you look quite vexed. What happened? Did the servants do something wrong and upset you?"

Still frowning, Hua Jing glanced at Yun Shang and replied, "A monk performed fortunetelling for my mother-in-law yesterday. Now the entire Imperial City is gossiping about how I am a bad omen for my husband and my mother-in-law. They say that Master Wu Na's disciple confirmed the prophecy."

"What?" Yun Shang looked at Hua Jing wide-eyed, "But there were only a few people present yesterday. Who could be so evil to spread a rumor like this? Sister, we can't let the person get away without reparation."

For a long while, Hua Jing fixed her eyes on Yun Shang as if she were trying to read her real thoughts. Then she spoke, "I sent my people to investigate. It turned out to be the butler's wife. He told her last night, and she spread the rumor this morning when she went out shopping for groceries."

"Did she?" To prevent Hua Jing from seeing the glint of slyness sparkling in her eyes, Yun Shang lowered her head and muttered.

"What do you plan to do now?" Yun Shang asked.

"What can I do?" Hua Jing snorted again, "Rumors stop at those who are witty. I will only make it worse if I try to refute the rumor. I have sent people to take word to the Emperor's Son-in-law. I'm sure the rumor will be scotched once they return with my husband's message."

With a smile, Yun Shang echoed, "You are doing the right thing, sister. We don't have to care. However, facts speak louder than anything. Speaking of which, I heard that Her Ladyship is quite pleased with the Buddhist Texts I sent over earlier. I can put in a good word for you if I visit her more often. After all, family is above all. It doesn't matter how people talk about you so long as your mother-in-law trusts you. Am I right?"

Hua Jing simply nodded and braced her forehead with her hand. She looked tired. Yun Shang hurried to stand up and said, "I'll leave you to rest, sister." Then she left the room.

Hua Jing covered her eyes and waited for Yun Shang to disappear. Then she sneered and mumbled, "I married into this clan years ago, yet I'm not a rival to her and her lousy books. Yun Shang is just a teenage girl, but she already knows how to buy Lady Zhao's approval. What kind of trouble will she cause if I leave her alone with Lady Zhao? She will only turn out to be a threat to me in the future. I must get rid of her. The sooner, the better."

Standing behind her, the maid, Qing'er quickly responded, "Yes, Your Royal Highness. I will take care of it."

Time flew by and the day of Hua Jing's banquet finally arrived. Hua Jing had put earnest efforts

to Yun Shang. He stared at her gently.

Were it not for what he had done to her in her previous life, Yun Shang would have been lost in his gentle smile again. But she was not the silly girl she used to be. She would not be worthy of a second life if she were stupid enough to be fooled by him again.

"Shang'er, I can manage from here. Why don't you take a walk with Mister Mo?" Hua Jing turned to Yun Shang and asked sincerely.

Yun Shang nodded. Eyes fixed on the ground as if she were shy, Yun Shang stepped slowly towards Mo Jingran and whispered, "Mister Mo, this way please."

Mo Jingran hurried to follow her.

Hua Jing stood still until both, Yun Shang and Mo Jingran had disappeared in the mist. She leaned closer to the handrails and soon saw the two figures emerging from the mist. From where she stood, she could even see Mo Jingran's shaky hands behind his back. Yun Shang was looking at the ground all the way, like a shy little girl.

Hua Jing sneered, cruelty reflecting in her eyes, "Yun Shang, let's see how you are going to get away this time."

"Your Highness... My name is Mo Jingran. I wonder whether you remember me." Mo Jingran who had been following Yun Shang, thought for a moment before finally asking with uncertainty.

Yun Shang let out a smile to hide the sadness in her eyes, "Of course I remember you." Yun Shang turned to Mo Jingran and continued, "I remember you played a song for me at my Coming-of-age Ceremony. I can't recall the name of your song, but it was really lovely."

"Did you like it? I can play the flute for you anytime you wish." Excited, Mo Jingran raised his voice.

Yun Shang smiled and said nothing. She pointed at a nearby tree and said, "Well, Mister Mo. Is that a riddle?"

"What? What did you say?" Mo Jingran was still thinking about playing the flute for Yun Shang. So he wondered why Yun Shang would mention a riddle. The second he spoke up he realized that she was thinking about the riddle game of the feast. Embarrassed, he cleared his throat, "Right, a riddle."

Mo Jingran was about to reach for the riddle when someone picked the fruit before him and peeled away the parchment. The man then waved the parchment high in the air and cried, "Hey! Luo Qingyan! Look, here's a riddle! They wrapped a parchment with a riddle around my favorite fruit. How annoying. Here you go."

Startled, Yun Shang looked up and saw a pair of cold eyes staring back at her. Yun Shang smiled docilely and greeted, "Uncle..."

Prince Jing nodded in return. He opened the parchment and read, "What is too much for two and just right for one? I think the answer is, a secret. Am I right, Mister Mo?"

Mo Jingran paused as Prince Jing said his name. He then hurried to comply, "Right, right. Your Royal Highness is truly brilliant."

Prince Jing said nothing. Instead he turned his eyes away from Mo Jingran, and cast a casual look at Yun Shang before leaving.

"Such a shame. It could have been ours. And to be honest, it was not very difficult." Mo Jingran sighed heavily as he saw Prince Jing leave. After a moment, he turned to Yun Shang and said, "Your Highness, I saw a riddle when I arrived in the morning. I wasn't quite sure what it was for back then. I still remember where it was. Shall we have a look together?"