The carriage began to advance again.
Yun Shang wondered where they intended to take her. In the Imperial City, she had only offended a few men, and even fewer of them could afford to hire these men to kidnap her. However, she was a little unsure that her abductor was her enemy, given Prince Jing's encounter the other day. Perhaps they wanted to arrest her to threaten Prince Jing.
Yun Shang knew Prince Jing must be nearby for Wang Shunlai was checking at the City gate.
At that moment, above the City gate, Prince Jing sat in the place where the gate garrison rested. It was only large enough for four or five people. He leaned back in the chair with a grim expression, but his eyes reflected confusion. No one knew what he was thinking. Next to him stood a stunning woman.
A creaking sound filled the silence in the room as the wooden door was pushed open. Prince Jing raised his eyes to the door and saw Wang Shunlai enter.
"How's it going?" Prince Jing asked quietly.
Wang Shunlai looked toward Prince Jing and pondered for a moment before answering, "A carriage has just passed. In it lay a pale young man, and they said he was ill. But I saw he had holes in his ears, so he must be a woman in disguise. And according to the shape of his figure, he resembles Princess Hui Guo."
Prince Jing nodded and went on to ask, "Did you send someone after the carriage?"
"Yes. There are at least four shadow guards with Her Highness, and I also sent a few people to follow them." Wang Shunlai answered.
The stunning woman looked at them and said, "Her Highness is intelligent. Now that she didn't ask us to save her, she must have a plan. We just need to follow them. Don't startle the enemy. When she needs help, she will call us. Don't worry, Your Highness."
Prince Jing looked tentatively at her and asked, "You trust her? I have never seen her perform Kung Fu, nor do I know her strength. But she has no Neigong*, and if she meets a Kung Fu master, I'm afraid it will be very difficult for her to protect herself."
(*TN: It refers to any set of Chinese breathing, meditation and spiritual practice disciplines associated with Daoism and especially Chinese Kung Fu.)
The stunning woman was Ning Qian, of course. She smiled at his words. She continued to reassure Prince Jing, "Rest assured, Your Highness. Her Highness has no Neigong, but in addition to her Kung Fu, she carries many hidden weapons, and of course, a lot of poison."
Prince Jing did not speak after her words of consolation. After a long while, he stood and said, "Keep an eye on where Yun Shang's going. If there is news, let me know in time."
Wang Shunlai and Ning Qian promised to do so. Then Prince Jing opened the door and went toward the Imperial Palace. Yun Shang's disappearance was a secret, but Emperor Ning knew about it, so Prince Jing had to tell him what was going on.
"Here's what you asked for. Open the door." Yun Shang was a little alarmed when she heard a knock on the door outside the carriage. A moment later, the door was opened, and a voice said, "You're here. His Lordship is waiting in his study. First, send her to the side yard."
Reflecting on the path the carriage had followed since they had entered the city, and comparing the map which Ning Qian had given her before, Yun Shang thought that she was now probably in some remote part of the east side of the Imperial City.
Noticing that the light had suddenly become stronger, Yun Shang knew that the curtain of the carriage had been drawn.Then she was picked up. The person carrying her walked a little while before putting her down.
It was a long time before a voice spoke outside, "Is it her? Princess Yun Shang is a girl. Why does this person look like a man?"
No sooner had the speaker finished speaking then Yun Shang heard more than one men come in. And then someone whipped the thin mask off her face.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: An Eight-year-old Princess