Chapter 30 Plot

Hua Jing decided to go to Ning'guo Temple half a month later. Yun Shang asked Qin Yi and Qin Meng to pack for the trip. However, she only took Qin Yi with her.

Just as Hua Jing had promised, they traveled to Ning'guo Temple at a comfortable pace. They made several stops to eat and rest along the way. So much so that a half a day's journey took them the whole day. It was getting dark when they arrived at the Temple.

After they had settled down, the two Princesses were presented with their meal. Just as they had started eating, a young monk reported that someone was asking to see Princess Hua Jing for an urgent matter.

Hua Jing frowned and agreed to see that person. On seeing Hua Jing, the man addressed her with a bow, "Your Highness, The General's mother injured her leg when taking a walk in the garden this afternoon. Right now the Palace is in chaos. The steward asked me to bring you back to the Palace."

"What? My mother-in-law injured her leg?" Hua Jing waited for confirmation before rising from her chair. She quickly turned and apologized to Yun Shang. "Sister, I'm really sorry. I asked you to come here to pray for my husband, but I didn't expect that there would be an accident at the Palace. I have to rush back tonight. Why don't you rest at the Temple for a few days? I will tell the stableman to stay at the Temple, and you can return to the Imperial City when you are ready."

Yun Shang nodded and replied with a soft voice, "Don't worry, sister. I am familiar with this Temple and everything will be okay. It's important that you return to your mother-in-law and take care of her. Be careful on the way since it is dark."

Hua Jing expressed her gratitude and then rushed out.

After watching Hua Jing disappear into the shadows of the night, Yun Shang sat down with a smile and continued to eat.

"Your Highness, it is such a coincidence that Princess Hua Jing's mother-in-law had an accident. I feel that there is something wrong. Is it possible that Princess Hua Jing wants to do something bad to you at this Temple? Qin Yi said with worry, still staring outside.

Yun Shang kept eating. She spoke after she had wiped her hands with the handkerchief Qin Yi had handed to her. "She knows that I have stayed at the Temple for many years. It would not be wise for her to scheme something here. She is not that stupid. I think there might be assassins waiting for me on my way back to the Palace once I tell the coachman that I am ready to leave."

Surprised, Qin Yi frowned and said, "Ning Qian and other people are in the Imperial City right now. You only have me to accompany you. Wouldn't it be very dangerous if there is an ambush on the way? Your Highness, what if we split up and go separately? I will go first to distract the assassins."

Yun Shang replied with a smile, "You silly girl, we still have time. Since Hua Jing said I could stay at the Temple for a few more days, I might as well. Besides, anything can happen during these days. I could use the time to put my learning into action. Let me show you what I have learned all these years." A murderous look flashed in Yun Shang's eyes but soon faded away.

"Your Highness, when will we go to the Palace then?"

Yun Shang silently counted the days. It was September 7th. She remembered that around this time in her previous life, a huge event had transpired.

Yun Shang smiled, "We will go back in four days."

She stayed at Ning'guo Temple peacefully for four days. On the morning of 12 September, she asked Qin Yi to inform the stableman to get ready to leave.

Hua Jing had left Yun Shang with two guards and one stableman. Once her carriage was ready, they moved slowly towards the Imperial City. About an hour into the journey, the carriage entered a thick forest. Then, it stopped abruptly. Curious, Qin Yi opened the curtains. Her face turned pale. She said, "Your Highness, the stableman and guards are gone…"

Hardly had her voice died when she saw around ten masked men on horses galloping to

wards them. She screamed, "Your Highness, it's an ambush!"

Yun Shang whispered calmly. "Close your eyes, Qin Yi."

Qin Yi closed her eyes as told. She heard the sound of fighting outside and panicked. Even though she was curious, she didn't dare to open her eyes. Instead, she reached out to hold Yun Shang's hand to make sure she was alright.

The noises outside gradually faded away. Qin Yi opened her eyes, pulled aside the curtains, and looked outside. She saw that the area was littered with corpses. She trembled out of fear for a long time. Realizing that she and the Princess were unharmed, she calmed down a little bit. She had hardly settled when she started screaming again. "Ah…" And then she released the curtains and turned to Yun Shang. "Your…Your Highness… There are still many… many people outside."

"Your Highness. There are so many dead bodies. I can even see the stableman and the guards who had run away. They are dead too." Suddenly a calm voice called from outside.

Qin Yi hadn't quite recovered from the shock. The she heard Yun Shang say, "Well done."

Yun Shang reached out and opened the carriage door. Qin Yi turned around and saw that there were many men in black kneeling on the ground outside. "Go get changed and do as I instructed."

"Yes." The men in black kneeling in the front slipped into the forest. Before long, they walked back out. Qin Yi noticed that they were wearing the same clothes as those of the stableman and guards. However, one man wore clothes similar to that of the dead men.

Yun Shang nodded in approval. "Have you found out where they meet these days?"

The leader who had dressed as the dead man in black, nodded and replied, "Yes, I have."

"Good. How long have Prince Jing's troops been gone for?" Asked Yun Shang.

"Two quarters of an hour." Replied the man in black. "Prince Jing's troops encountered an ambush here as expected, just a little ahead of your arrival. Your Highness, you really predicted that with miraculous accuracy."

Yun Shang smiled and said, "Nonsense, Prince Jing has many enemies in the court, who didn't get the chance to take such action at the border. Prince Jing came back with a great victory this time. He couldn't bring all his troops. He was accompanied by only some close guards. The forest here is very dense, which is naturally the best place to attack them. Do you know what to say when you meet her?"

The man in black nodded, "I will say that we set up an ambush at the original point, but unexpectedly we encountered the assassins who were ambushing Prince Jing. Therefore we were found by Prince Jing, and our people were killed by his guards. I pretended to be dead to escape Prince Jing's guards. That's why I am alive and able to report."

"Good." Yun Shang smiled. "Good job. Now go. You will be rewarded when you return."

"Yes, Your Highness." Then, the men just disappeared.

Yun Shang closed the door and said, "Let's go."

Qin Yi finally figured out what had happened. Her mouth was wide open, and her eyes filled with doubt and shock. She asked, "Your … Your Highness… Do these men in black work for you?"

Yun Shang turned around and smiled. "See? Did I stay here in vain for all these years?"

"No…" Qin Yi still had an incredulous look and thought to herself that the Princess had learned to think ahead and take care of herself. She was just amazing!

The carriage gradually moved out of the thick forest. Two men hiding in the forest walked out slowly. The man in front was dressed in grey clothes. He had a prominent nose, and thin lips. His eyebrows were long and sharp and extended to his temples. With a perfectly contoured face, he was handsome indeed.

As he watched the carriage leave, he looked to the forest floor and though of something. A glimmer flickered in his eyes.

Behind him stood a man with a big beard and a rough face. He whined. This little girl is really something. How dare she use you as a shield! Your Highness, do you want me to end her life?"