Chapter 89 Countermeasures

When Yun Shang woke up, it was 7 p.m. It was getting dark outside. Yun Shang stayed in bed with her eyes wide open. She didn't want to move. She stared at the top of the tent and wondered why she was still upset.

"Luo Ding. Luo Ding." It was Prince Jing's voice. Yun Shang was surprised. Her heart skipped a beat.

Then there were faint footsteps. Prince Jing spoke again. "Is there anything strange about Princess Hua Jing and her servant today?"

"Your Highness, the Princess came to find you several times. And every time, she came here, she snuck around your tent. As for the servant, there's nothing odd about him today. He stayed in bed at the surgeon's tent. He hasn't moved." Luo Ding answered softly.

Hua Jing? Something suddenly struck Yun Shang. She recalled Hua Jing's odd behaviors after her arrival at the camp, and made her guess.

After Luo Ding took his leave, Yun Shang got out of bed and walked to the front of the screen. She hesitated for a moment and said, "Hua Jing has been looking for something these past two days. Yesterday when she was here, I noticed her staring at the parchment on the table. Then after the fire, I went into the Deputy Commander's tent. Nothing was missing, but his personal attendant told me that the books on his table had been moved."

Prince Jing heard her voice and froze. He spent some time calming himself before turning to see her. Yun Shang kept her hair down. She was wearing only her tunic and looked charming. The Prince saw her tunic and froze again. Then he found his peace and said, "Prince Qingsu must have asked her to steal something. Something that interests him. And among the things on my table, there is the Map of Army Distribution, Map of Army Deployment and the Operation Map......"

As Yun Shang listened, an idea suddenly came to her. Her eyes flashed. "If that's what they want, then why don't we fake the maps and let Hua Jing take the wrong map to Prince Qingsu?"

Prince Jing nodded, "That is an alternative. However, we have to plan it carefully and throughly. If it's too easy for Hua Jing to get the map, Prince Qingsu will doubt its authenticity."

"That's for sure. And if we can get evidence of Hua Jing giving the map to Prince Qingsu, then she'll be charged with treason. By that time, even God won't be able to save her." Yun Shang smiled and felt her heart fill with excitement. How could she have not thought about this earlier? Hua Jing and the Empress value power and fame the most. If she could drag them down from the top, and frame them with eternal infamy, then it would be the cruelest revenge for them.

Isn't that what they did to Yun Shang in her previous life? She valued her mother's and father's love the most, so they took it away from her little by little. They also took away her baby and her husband. In this life, she swore to let them suffer the same pain.

Prince Jing kept his eyes on Yun Shang. He noticed her murderous look and frowned. There was something that he didn't understand about Yun Shang. She was just a Princess raised in the Palace, but why did she always carry that much hatred in her eyes? He couldn't help but shiver every time he saw that look. What was it that she hated so much? She seemed to have been targeting the Empress and Princess Hua Jing. But what did they do to her that made her hate them so much?

"Your Highness. The Generals are here. Princess Hua Jing also came with them." Luo Ding's voice came from outside and interrupted Prince Jing's thoughts. He was surprised that they had all come at this time. And before he could say anything, the curtain of the tent was lifted.

Prince Jing quickly stood up and went to Yun Shang. He held Yun Shang in his arms.

Yun Shang went stiff at his sudden behavior. Then they heard a husky voice rising from behind. "Son of a bitch burned my tent! I've been cleaning it up for a long time. I can even smell burnt cloth in my sleep......"

Prince Jing lowered his head and whispered to Yun Shang, "Go, put on your mask and pull up your hair. Hua Jing is here."

Yun Shang lifted her hand to touch her hair. Only then did she realize that she had left her hair down all this time. Surprised and embarrassed, she turned to rush further inside the tent. Prince Jing quickly stopped her and kept her in his arms to keep her from being recognized. Then he led her to the screen.

"Your Highness......" Someone was calling them. But Yun Shang didn't have the time to identify whose voice it was. She stayed frozen until Prince Jing had led her behind the screen. Then Yun Shang took a breath of relief.

"Were you holding someone in your arms just now? I saw the head." The people outside the screen were talking in a low voice. But they spoke loud enough for Yun Shang to hear them.

Prince Jing released his hands on her and coughed a little. He walked outside and caught someone trying to peek inside. Prince Jing frowned. He stood at the screen to block him. "What are you looking at?"

The Deputy Commander touched his bushy beard and asked in doubt. "I saw you holding someone just now. But there's no woman in our camp. And I've confirmed from Luo Ding that it's just you and Mister Xiao here...... Oh...... So Mister Xiao......"

Before he finished speaking, he saw Prince Jing glaring at him.

there in silence. Her eyes followed the sun. She watched as it seemed to sink into the desert. After the sun disappeared in the horizon, it left brightly colored clouds hanging over the dunes.

"Splendid." Yun Shang was still shocked at what she had seen. After a long time, she murmured that one word.

Prince Jing looked at her face. The red glow had painted her fair cheeks as well. He smiled. "I remember that when we were at the Imperial City, you asked if I wanted the Royal position. I've been longing for that position for more than a decade now. I don't want it as much anymore. I've been at the border for more than ten years, and I am afraid that such beauty cannot be seen in the Imperial City or the Palace."

Yun Shang smiled, "I agree. The only thing that people in the Palace can see is power and fame. They don't have time for such beautiful scenery. Being the Emperor is exhausting. Even I feel tired for my father. When he is in Court, everyone obeys him and praises him loyally. But no one can tell how many of them mean it. When he goes from the Court to the Palace, he is also welcomed by his concubines. But those women are not being loyal to him. They are only being loyal to his title. Even if someone else becomes the Emperor, they would remain unchanged and treat the man like he is everything."

"You, as an outsider, can really see through things. But as an insider, we don't look at things that way." Prince Jing smiled and turned his eyes to the fading glow. "Don't forget that you are also part of the Royal Family."

Yun Shang raised her eyebrow. "I'm just a Princess. It's a whole lot easier for me to leave the Palace. My fief is in Jinling. I've heard that it is a fertile region where fish and rice are abundant. It's also a land of picturesque scenery. And the people there are honest and hospitable. When I'm done with the affairs at the Palace, I will go to Jinling to spend the rest of my life......"

Prince Jing squinted his eyes. He clenched his hands in his sleeves and kept silent.

When they returned to the camp, it was completely dark. As soon as Prince Jing entered the camp, he was called away to deal with something. Yun Shang had nothing to do, so she wandered to the stable and tied her horse there. When she was about to go back, she heard someone gossiping.

"Do you know that Mister Xiao is such a beautiful young man that even women can't match his beauty?"

Another voice said with curiosity, "You mean the Mister Xiao who wears a mask?"

"Yes, but he wasn't wearing his mask when he first arrived here. Anyway, I've heard that he has a special relationship with Prince Jing......" The man who started the conversation lowered his voice and said with disgust.

"What kind of relationship?" The other man seemed to miss his point and asked again.

"You know, the kind of relationship where two people do something in bed......" Then he spat and said, "My mate who is on duty at the Prince's tent told me that Mister Xiao lives in the Prince's tent with him."

"No way. Isn't Mister Xiao also a man?" The other voice quickly doubted him, "Men and men can do that?"

"Of course. Why not? You just need to......" The two seemed to get closer together and started to whisper. After a while, Yun Shang heard the other guy say, "Ah...... So His Highness doesn't like women? He has a thing for men?"

Yun Shang frowned. She picked up some stones and threw them at the two soldiers. Then she heard them shouting in pain. She turned and left the camp through the back ...