Chapter 59 A Gift From Yun Shang


    "What? You mean Prince Jing had been in Yuman Tower before we got there?" Hua Jing stood up so


    abruptly that she spilled the tea on her hand. Fortunately it was not hot. Hua Jing waved to dry her


    hand before stretching it out towards the maid by her side.


    Her mind was racing in all directions all at once. "So Prince Jing lied to us at Yuman Tower? He had no


    reason to lie to us if nothing had happened. Is it possible that he heard us?"


    "Your Imperial Highness, what should we do?" Bing''er was getting nervous. "It seems that Prince Jing


    and Princess Hui Guo are on close terms. Is it possible that Princess Hui Guo knew about all this?"


    Hua Jing withdrew her hand, and considered her maid''s question. Then she shook her head, "No, it


    seems not. Had Yun Shang been aware of our ns, she wouldn''t havee to my Pce."


    Hua Jing sat on a chair and pondered. She frowned as she thought of something else. "Have your met


    with Brother Bai. What did he say?"


    Bing''er shook her head. She looked uneasy. "Your Imperial Highness, I haven''t seen Brother Bai even


    though I have asked everybody for his whereabouts. I ran into one of his underlyings who told me that


    Brother Bai, after learning of the failed n, escaped. He was fearful of being caught."


    "What?" Hua Jing mmed the table in her fury, "That rogue! I should not have trusted him! I would not


    have had him in my service but for my prudence to keep His Majesty from getting wind of this matter!


    Send someone to find him and then eliminate him."


    "Yes." Bing''er replied in haste.


    Hua Jing sighed, "Brother Bai is just a nobody. It will not be a problem removing him. But Prince Jing...


    If Prince Jing is aware of this matter, I can go straight to him to negotiate some conditions. But I''m


    afraid of the consequences if he knows nothing and I tell him everything. We cannot be rash in this


    matter. I have to seek an opportunity to test him before I can make a decision. After all, Prince Jing is a


    person we cannot afford to offend."


    Hua Jing winced and pondered for a little while. "We cannot tell this to mother. She already has enough


    to deal with now that the pregnant Lady Jin has asked to stay in Qiwu Pce for the sake of her


    pregnancy. I shall not make mother worry about me. I''ll write an invitationter, which you should


    deliver to Prince Jing. You must tell Prince Jing that many talented youths and fairdies in the Imperial


    City admire him. Since he is rarely seen in the Imperial City, they are longing for his presence at the


    monthly banquet. It would also be useful to make acquaintance with the versatile youngsters."


    Bing''er replied, "Yes, I will do it soon."


    Hua Jing nodded and waved to let Bing''er go. Then she turned toward Qing''er who was standing


    behind her. Hua Jing said softly, "Send someone to keep an eye on both Yun Shang and the old


    woman. If anything goes wrong, no excuse will win my pardon even though you have served me for


    many years."


    Qing''er nodded.


    "Go and fetch the lists of preparations for the banquet that will be held in seven days."


    Qing''er scurried into the bedroom and returned with the sheep skin parchment. Hua Jing thumbed it


    through and said, "Send a message to Madam Xi. Ask her to pay a visit to Princess Hui Guo early


    tomorrow morning."


    Qing''er nodded. Then Hua Jing stood up and walked towards the bedroom, parchment still in her hand,


    "Today has been a challenging day. We were so close to sess. But s, all our nning was for


    naught in the end."


    "Don''t be worried, Your Imperial Highness. Princess Hui Guo is staying in the Princess Pce, which is


    of course under the control of Your Imperial Highness. Wouldn''t killing her be as simple as waving Your


    Imperial Highness'' hand?" Qing''er followed Hua Jing and said with due respect.


    "Ha, do you really think it is as easy as waving my hand? Certainly not. It''s because she is living in my


    Pce that I need to be more careful and prudent. If she died here in my Pce, how would I defend


    myself when His Majesty looks into it? So... I have to make a smart n. I don''t have to kill her. But I


    can give her a miserable life. Being dead would pale inparison to the horrors of being alive!" Hua


    Jing''s month curled into a terrifying smile.


    Hua Jing lingered in her chamber for some time. She was reading books when a voice outside the


    room announced, "Princess Hui Guo is requesting a visit."


    Hua Jing lifted her head and winked at Qing''er. The maid went to the door, raised the curtain, and


    peeped. Then she turned around and said to Hua Jing, "Your Imperial Highness, Princess Hui Guo is


    here."


    No sooner had Qing''er finished her sentence than Yun Shang could be heard, "Is sister in the


    chamber?"


    Hua Jing stood up and walked outside, "Yes. I was reading something about the preparations of the


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    banquet. Did you rest well in your room in the afternoon?"


    Yun Shang shed a gentle grin, "Yes, I did." Then she turned around and fetched a couple of rolls of


    parchment from Qin Yi. She said with a smile, "Sister, I nned to pay a visit to Lady Zhao. However, it


    seems that Lady Zhao does not like me. So I have dyed my visit to her lest I invite trouble for you


    and the Emperor''s Son-inw. It''s by sheer coincidence that I overheard from you some time ago that


    Lady Zhao is a pious Buddhist. I know very little since I have only transcribed some Buddhist texts. A


    few rarely seen texts were among those that I reproduced while at Ning''guo Temple. It is said that


    Master Wu Na is the only one to own existing copies of these ancient Buddhist texts. Fortunately, I


    always carry some Buddhist texts with me. Since I brought them here, I would like to present them to


    Lady Zhao as a gift."


    Hua Jing smiled at Yun Shang''s exnation. She took the Buddhist texts from Yun Shang, unrolled


    them, and looked through them briefly. Then she said, "Your handwriting looks beautiful, no worse than


    mine. It seems those parchment have been preserved at Ning''guo Temple for a long time. They even


    smell of the particr incense used at the Temple. As you are so eager to do so, I cannot let you down.


    Well, I will take you to Lady Zhao right now."


    A ray of ecstasy shimmered in Yun Shang''s eyes. "Thank you very much, dear sister."


    "All right. As those Buddhist texts are so heavy, why not let the maids carry them? Qing''er, help


    Princess Yun Shang with those heavy Buddhist texts!" Hua Jing turned around to look at Qing''er.


    The maid nodded before stepping forward to take the rolls of parchments from Yun Shang.


    "Thank you, Qing''er." Yun Shang nodded at the maid with a smile, and then walked around to catch up


    to Hua Jing.


    A male servant was walking toward them as they stepped out of the courtyard. Hua Jing waved for him


    to approach, and then asked, "Where is Lady Zhao?"


    The servant replied in a hurry, "Lady Zhao has been in the Buddhist Prayer Room since she returned


    this afternoon."


    Hua Jing turned around to look at Yun Shang, and then said with a smile, "You are smart to prepare


    such a wonderful gift. My mother-inw spends every minute of her free time in the Buddhist Prayer


    Room. But, Shang''er, after so many years at Ning''guo Temple, do you really think that the Buddha can


    help every prayer to be true? Somehow, I doubt it."


    Yun Shang grinned, "It''s not so magical. As far as I know, the Buddha is an ideal, something that allows


    people to acquire peace for their heart and soul. If you believe, it will manifest extraordinary powers,


    and if your don''t, it will of course not."


    Hua Jing nodded at Yun Shang before heading toward the Buddhist Prayer Room.


    The humming of the Temple Block could been heard well before they reached the Buddhist Prayer


    Room. The two Princesses had a clear view of the interior from the doorway. In the middle of the hall


    stood a huge statue of Buddha. It must have been over 20 feet in height! Lady Zhao knelt before the


    statue. Her posture indicated that she was a woman who would not yield to anything.


    "Mother." Hua Jing called out to the woman from the door of the Buddhist Prayer Room. She didn''t


    show any inclination to enter the Room.


    The woman inside kept silent. She was looking at the Temple Block and reciting Buddhist texts. After a


    moment she said, "This is rare. You seldome to visit me. What happened today..."