An Eight-year-old Princess novel Chapter 211

The news distressed Yun Shang greatly and she almost fell down in fright. She could not figure out how something like this could have happened as she thought she had taken all the necessary precautions.

Qin Yi and Qian Yin noticed the Princess's distress and helped support her. Determined to investigate, Yun Shang gritted her teeth and shook off their assistance. "Qin Yi, you're coming with me to the Imperial Palace. And Qian Yin, you are staying to take care of Prince Jing. When he wakes up, tell him what happened and where I am."

Both the maids nodded in acknowledgement. Yun Shang left the bridal chamber in a hurry. She noticed a strange silence in the hall. As all the guests had left, the servants were using the opportunity to clean. As she passed by, Yun Shang couldn't help but feel as though something was strange. However, the Princess had no time to think about this as she needed to get to her mother in a hurry.

Yun Shang mounted Cai Yun and headed for Qiwu Palace.

Lord Zheng who had been ordered to stand guard outside Qiwu Palace was shocked to see the Princess. "Your Highness, what's wrong?" He asked in surprise.

"How's my mother?" Yun Shang asked as she dismounted.

Lord Zheng shook his head as he spoke, "I'm sorry. I don't know."

Yun Shang's anxiety increased and she rushed into the Palace where Lady Jin lived. As she turned the corner, Yun Shang noticed that the door was closed. When she looked around, she saw that the Emperor and the Empress were waiting nearby. Their eyes glazed over as they stared at the door.

Yun Shang walked passed the Emperor and the Empress as she headed for the door. However, she was stopped by some guards. "Your Highness, you cannot enter!" said a guard.

Yun Shang gritted her teeth and took a deep breath as she tried to calm herself. "Father, how's my mother? What happened to her?" She turned to the Emperor and asked.

The Emperor didn't answer. His eyes filled with tears at her question. His hands clenched the arms of his chair so tightly that the tendons stood out under his pale skin.

"Ah!" A painful scream came from inside the room. Both Yun Shang and her father trembled with anxiety. Yun Shang got cold feet and doubted her decision to enter the room. Fearing the worst, she didn't know if she'd like to see what was happening inside. 'No, no, no...! How can this be?! I hope she's okay...'

The baby was due in a month. Since Lady Jin had gone into premature labor, the chances of survival for the baby were slim. If only she hadn't gone into labor this early then everything would have been fine.

Yun Shang thought of her son, Huan'er, from her previous life. Reminded of her own premature labor and her own near-death experience from the subsequent complications, Yun Shang felt a greater sense of concern. She could hardly contain herself.

"Your Highness, it's going to take a while. Would you like to take a seat?" asked Qin Yi. She was worried about Yun Shang. 'She is young. So she must be nervous for she has never experienced something like this before, ' thought Qin Yi.

Yun Shang bit her lip so hard, it almost bled. When she finally composed herself, she found that her whole body was covered in sweat.

Determined to not repeat the mistakes from her past life, the Princess vowed to not sit by and wait for anything horrible to happen.

She took a few deep breaths to help calm down before walking to her father. She knelt in front of him, so as to force him to look at her. Then she spoke softly, "Father, when I lived in Ning'guo Temple, I learned some medical skills. Since I have always been sickly, I thought it would be beneficial to understand diseases and cures. May I go in to help mother?"

The Emperor looked at her, and paused for a while. "You learned some medical skills?"

Yun Shang nodded. When she was about to continue, the Empress interrupted the Princess. "You mean to say that you have medical knowledge? Why do you still need physicians when you fall sick? You must be lying. This is no ordinary cold that we are dealing with. This is premature labor! And the life of the heir to the throne is at risk. It's a big deal. Don't make trouble for Lady Jin!"

The Empress was shocked to find that Yun Shang was glaring at her. With a grim smile, the Princess responded calmly, "Don't make trouble for Lady Jin? Everything was fine before she left Laifeng Palace. Bad things happened as soon as she returned to the Imperial Palace. Can you explain this? You promised my father to protect Lady Jin and her baby after we all learned of her pregnancy. If anything untoward happens, how will you redeem yourself? My mother and her child were your responsibility!"

The Empress closed her eyes and a sarcastic smile slowly grew on her face.

The Emperor turned and glanced at the Empress. He was silent for a long time. Eventually, he turned to his daughter. "You can go in."

Hearing this, the Empress was shocked and confused. Her eyes widened in surprise, "Your Majesty, please don't believe her. She is just an ignorant child! She will certainly make more trouble if you let her go inside!"

"Shut up!" An angry voice echoed through the Hall. Prince Jing rushed to Yun Shang's side. He was still dressed in his ceremonial robe. An old woman hobbled behind the Prince. She was bent over a rough walking stick. Her spine had curled unnaturally, giving her a hunched appearance.

The Empress stared at the Prince as he had just offended her.

Before she could retort, the Prince tenderly held Yun Shang's hand. Then he turned to look at the Empress. "Leave my wife alone."

Then he turned to the Emperor, who pretended indifference to the squabbling happening in the hall. "Brother, I have brought the best midwife in our State. Would you please allow her to go with Yun Shang?"

The Emperor looked the woman up and down before eventually agreeing. He nodded as he spoke, "Yes, she can go with the Princess."

The Empress was nervous. She was about to say something to stop them, but she kept quiet when she saw the subtle threat in Prince Jing's glare. She trembled in fear.

Then Yun Shang held the midwife's arm and rushed toward Lady Jin's room. Before she walked through the door, Yun Shang glanced back and nodded at Prince Jing in gratitude.

Lady Jin was lying in bed. Her face was bathed in sweat and tears. Two midwives and several maids were standing by the bed. Yun Shang's heart ached when she saw her mother. She ran to her at full speed. However, she was stopped by a midwife.

Yun Shang frowned. When the Princess turned to the hunchbacked midwife, she found the midwife was shaking her head. "Your Highness, if you want your mother to get through this, you'd better stay away from her. The scent on you might weaken her."

Yun Shang was surprised. 'The scent?' She was totally confused.

However, there was no time to deliberate on the issue. Yun Shang frowned when she stared at the midwives and maids who were standing by the bed. She shouted at them, "Get away from her now!"

Since the maids and midwives had never seen Yun Shang before, they didn't know who she was. Even though they just heard the hunchback woman address the young girl as Your Highness, they couldn't figure out who this person was. They stared at each other aghast, and refused to listen to her.

Yun Shang gave them a sardonic grin as she guessed most of these women had been placed here by people who had nurtured schemes to kill the baby. "All of you leave! Now! Or..." She pulled out a dagger from her boot as she spoke. "Or, I'll kill whoever doesn't leave!"

The maids and midwives were daunted by the threat in Yun Shang's voice. They look flurried, and ran away hastily. One of the midwives hesitated. "But... Lady Jin..."

Before the midwife could finish her sentence, Yun Shang threw the dagger at her. The woman howled in agony as the dagger embedded itself in her leg. The Princess had finally run out of patience. The midwife screamed. Yun Shang opened the door and pushed the midwife out.