Sensing someone had entered, she suddenly opened her eyes and looked toward the door. After seeing Prince Jing, she gave a little pause and said, "Uncle." Her expression softened a little.
Smiling, Prince Jing went to Yun Shang. Then he sat down, and asked softly, "Are you all right?"
Yun Shang nodded, "I'm fine. I'm sorry to have worried you. I'm a bit sleepy because I didn't sleep yesterday. You rest in the room, uncle. I'll have someone show me to the guest room."
Seeing that Yun Shang was about to rise, Prince Jing lifted his hand and pressed her back on the couch again. He smiled, "Never mind, just sleep here. Didn't you sleep in my camp when we were on the frontier?"
After a moment's silence, Yun Shang nodded. She lay down obediently and closed her eyes. She soon fell asleep.
When she was asleep, Prince Jing got up, went out into the yard and said, "Jing Ying."
Then a woman in black knelt before him.
Prince Jing squinted at Jing Ying with displeasure, "Who kidnapped Princess Yun Shang?"
"Your Highness, it was the Deputy Minister of Revenue, Yunqing. His daughter Ruyu asked him to do it. From what they said, I learned that Lord Wen seemed to want his daughter to do something in exchange." Jing Ying replied with an air of indifference.
Prince Jing's eyes flickered over Jing Ying, "The Deputy Minister of Revenue, well, he is really a capable man. But you allowed it to happen. How would you make it up to Princess Yun Shang if something had happened to her? Besides, you've been with Princess Yun Shang. Why didn't you send someone to tell me?"
Jing Ying was silent for a moment before she knelt and said, "I'm to blame. Please punish me, Your Highness."
Prince Jing gave a sneering laugh. "You are the only woman in my secret guards, so I asked you to protect her. Now that you don't like the arrangement, there is no difference between your presence or absence. Go to your leader, take the punishment and get out of my shadow guards."
Jing Ying thought Prince Jing would beat or scold her at worst. She had not expected that he would try to dislodge her from the shadow guards. She gave a shudder and looked at Prince Jing in disbelief. Then she asked, "Your Highness, you want to remove me from the shadow guards for her?"
Prince Jing calmly stared at Jing Ying for a long time before he said, "You were all chosen and nurtured by me, and I cherish each of my shadow guards very much. However, no matter how excellent a person is, once unfaithful to me, he or she is a disaster, which will be fatal when a problem occurs. I will never allow such an uncertainty to exist. I've made up my mind. Go."
Jing Ying was stunned. Tears rolled down her face. She begged, "Your Highness, I will protect Her Highness. Please forgive me for being silly. From now on, I won't have any delusions. If Her Highness gets hurt even in the slightest, I will die for it."
Prince Jing shook his head and firmly said, "I've made up my mind."
"Uncle, I think her Kung Fu is wonderful. It's a pity to remove her from the shadow guards. Now that you don't want her anymore, give her to me. I'm short of a guard." A clear, cold voice came. Prince Jing and Jing Ying turned around, and saw a woman standing behind the door. Her face was as beautiful as jade, and her hair flew freely over her shoulders.
Prince Jing knitted his brows and said, "I have many shadow guards. If you want guards, just pick some."
Yun Shang refused with a smile, "But she's the only female shadow guard. I am a woman after all, so it will be a bit unseemly to be protected by several men." With that, she looked intently at the woman kneeling on the ground. She ignored Prince Jing, and asked, "Would you like to be my shadow guard?"
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