Chapter 86 Hua Jing‘s Sudden Arrival
No one had thought that Hua Jing would be released until she appeared at the camp. Early in the
morning, before Yun Shang was full awake, she heard a sound from outside. "Mr. Xiao, Mr. Xiao..."
Then Qian Yin got up and went out to see what happened. She returned in a jiffy. "Master, Prince Jing
sent word that Princess Hua Jing is at the gate of the camp and is moring to see him, " said Qian
Yin. She looked serious.
"Hua Jing?" murmured Yun Shang in surprise. "Wasn''t she captured by the Yng army? Why is she
here now?"
She immediately got up, dressed, put on her silver mask, and went out of the tent. No sooner had she
stepped out than she saw Prince Jing standing not far away. She hurried toward him. "Do you know
why Hua Jing is here?" asked Yun Shang.
Prince Jing batted his eyelids without emotion. "Indeed, Qingsu is sophisticated. If I didn''t know the
truth that the person he had captured was Hua Jing, I might have been deceived. He is clever enough
to send her back without being exposed, " said Prince Jing.
They walked to the gate of the camp together. Yun Shang walked behind deliberately so as not to be
noticed by Hua Jing. Hua Jing stood at the gate, dressed in aquamarine silk. Two attendants stood at a
distance.
"Oh...dear?" Prince Jing frowned in surprise. "How did you get to the camp?"
Hua Jing looked at Prince Jing, and then nced at Yun Shang. "My husband is trapped at the border,
so I''m here to help him, " answered Hua Jing with a sad face.
"Really? If memory serves, you set out before me." Prince Jing lifted his eyebrows when he spoke.
"So... you mean you arrived here today?"
Hua Jing''s eyes flickered scrupulously. "I was born in the Pce and have never been far away before.
When I set out, I was in a hurry and did not take enough attendants, so I got into a lot of trouble along
the way. And when I arrived at the border, I heard that you had been stationed here. So I''m here to ask
you to lend me some soldiers to help me find my husband, " sighed Hua Jing.
"Really?" grinned Prince Jing, sardonically. "There are no women in the camp, so I''m afraid it''s not
proper for you to live here. Besides, your husband got into trouble in Linguan town. So if you want to
find him, you''d better go to Linguan town. The enemy''s army has withdrawn from the town, which
makes it safer than my camp. And if you still don''t feel it is safe, I can send someone to protect you."
Prince Jing turned his head and looked at Yun Shang. "This is my military counsellor, Mister Xiao. He is
resourceful and highly skilled in martial arts. How about I send him to protect you?"
Hua Jing nced at Mister Xiao and frowned. "But he''s thin and weak...Besides, since he''s your
counsellor, you will need him in battle. I don''t think it''s a good idea to take him with me..." responded
Hua Jing unhappily.
Hearing her words, Yun Shang grinned and tried to speak like a man. "No, no...Ability can not be
measured by body size. I promise, even fifty strong men could not defeat me."
Hua Jing was d to hear this as she already knew that a military counsellor was of great importance
to an army even though she had not fought in any battle.
"Then I happily ept your kind offer." smiled Hua Jing. "I heard that my Mother-in-Law came to the
border too. Do you know where she is?" asked Hua Jing sullenly.
"Oh, she''s in Linguan town, " answered Prince Jing. Hua Jing was disappointed as she thought her
husband''s mother would cause her trouble.
But when she realized that Linguan town was far from Prince Jing''s encampment, she smiled again.
"She was excellent when she was young, so I believe that she will find him if he''s in Linguan Town.
Now that she''s already there, I think I''d better search Xiyi Town."
"As you see fit, " answered Prince Jing impatiently. Then he turned to Yun Shang and spoke to her.
"Please, the Princess''s safety is in your hands now."
Yun Shang made an obeisance by cupping one hand in the other before her chest. "You may rest
assured that I will spare no effort to keep Her Highness safe."
After Prince Jing returned to his tent, Mister Xiao walked to Hua Jing. "Your Highness, let''s go. There
are a few inns in Xiyi Town. However, they are all shabby, and I''m afraid you will have topromise
for several days, " smiled Mister Xiao.
"It doesn''t matter. My husband is in danger, and I have to find him, " sighed Hua Jing.
When they find an inn in Xiyi Town, Hua Jing frowned unhappily. She nced at her attendants. She
was about to speak, but decided to say nothing. After Yun Shang checked in, a waiter led them upstairs
to their rooms.
Three rooms had been appointed. Two were adjacent to each other, while the third was separated by
several rooms. Hua Jing told Mister Xiao that her attendants had to take turns keeping vigil, so it didn''t
matter where they lived. Then, Yun Shang arranged herself for the room next to Hua Jing''s.
Hua Jing beckoned Mister Xiao into her room and sat down. Yun Shang followed as she didn''t dare to
refuse her. The room was sparse. It had a bed, a table, two benches, and a tub. Although the outside
looked terrible, the room was even shabbier than Hua Jing thought it would be. Hua Jing frowned as
she sat down on the bed. "Sit down, please, sir." She said and smiled at Mister Xiao.
As soon as they sat down, Hua Jing asked curiously, "Why are you wearing a mask?"
"When I was a child, I was too naughty. I was scalded and disfigured by boiling water. People were
scared to see my face, so I put on a mask, "ughed Yun Shang. She raised her hand to touch her
silver mask when she spoke.
"Really? Where are you from? I find that you have the ent of someone who grew up in the Imperial
City. But I''ve only seen Mister Wang follow my Uncle to the Imperial City. I mean, I haven''t seen you in
the Imperial City before." Hua Jing sized her up, but she did not realize that her sister, who she thought
was far away in the Pce, was in front of her and dressed as a man.
"I did live in the Imperial City when I was a child." Yun Shang raised her hand and adjusted her
sleeves. "I have only been with His Highness in recent years, but I seldom go back to the Imperial City.
He has always acted with caution. Although he returns to the Imperial City, he still needs a trustworthy
man in his army to take care of daily affairs. Whenever he returns to his troops, if there is no war, he
sends me home to my family."
"Aha, " chuckled Hua Jing. "Who''s in your family?"
"Only my mother and I..." answered Yun Shang with her head lowered. She wondered why Hua Jing
tested her. So Yun Shang looked out of the window and pretended to be irritated. As if to emphasize,
Yun Shang tapped her hand on the table.
Seeing that the the man in front of her was bing impatient, Hua Jing became unhappy. He''s
monstrously audacious! How dare he be so impolite to me? Thought Hua Jing. But, she tried to be
courteous in appearance. "I''m sorry. I am so tired after my long journey. I need to rest now. Please go
about your business, sir."
Yun Shang nodded and stood up. "I will take my leave then." Seeing that Hua Jing nodded too, Yun
Shang left the room and headed to her own room.
As her room was next to Hua Jing''s, she opened the window to check if Hua Jing''s window was open
too. She then left the window open so that she would notice if anything was happening in Hua Jing''s
room. However, Hua Jing was silent all that morning.
At noon, she heard the waitere to the adjacent room to deliver lunch. After a while, silence
returned.
From morning till night, Yun Shang did not see Hua Jing leave her room, nor had she heard her sister
speak.
After dinner, Yun Shang went to the adjacent room to give her regards to Princess Hua Jing. When she
entered, Hua Jing was sitting on her bed staring at the wall nkly. Seeing Mister Xiao, she smiled at
him. "Good evening, sir."
Yun Shang nodded and spoke. "Though the enemy has withdrawn from Xiyi town, some spies were still
mixed among the people. Don''t forget to close the door and windows before you go to bed, and warn
the guards not to fall asleep by ident."
"You are staying next door, so I''m not afraid at all, " responded Hua Jing with a smile. "Even my uncle
praised you before. So I believe that yourbat ability is strong."
Yun Shang smiled without denying. After she asked Hua Jing to pay attention to her own safety, Yun
Shang turned to leave the room. However, the moment she opened the door, she saw an attendant
dressed in ck. She was startled by him. It took Yun Shang some time to regain control, and then Yun
Shang looked at the attendant before continuing to her room without saying a word.
She kept her ear next to her door all night, but nothing unusual happened.
Early morning the next day, Yun Shang had hardly stepped out when she saw Hua Jing leaving as well.
"Good morning, Mister Xiao. Let''s go downstairs and have breakfast!"
"Aye, " responded Yun Shang. No sooner had she climbed down the stairs when she caught sight of
two soldiers entering and saluting her. "Mister Xiao, the enemyunched an offensive. His Highness
wants you to go back to camp and discuss countermeasures with him."
Hearing this, Hua Jing''s eyes lit up. "Since it is so, you can go back to the army now. Don''t worry about
me, it''s daylight and there''s no danger, " said Hua Jing with a smile.
Yun Shang nodded hurriedly. "These two soldiers will stay and help you. I''ll leave now." Then she left
the inn and hurried back to the camp. When she got to the camp, Yun Shang found only a few soldiers.
A shout burst out in the distance, and she thought they were already at war, so she hurried off on
horseback to the ce where the armies had met earlier.
Prince Jing was delighted to see Yun Shang, and he hastened his horse to meet her. "Let''s go back to
my tent. It seems that Qingsu is not going to fight today either. We''ve been waiting a long time."
Yun Shang craned her neck to see the enemy. She saw a chariot in shining silver armor in the
distance. She grinned and proposed. "Why don''t you attack them before they are adequately
prepared?"
"I guess you don''t know that Cann City, which is easy to defend but difficult to attack, is ced just
behind their army, "ughed Prince Jing. "If I attack and chase them now, they''ll certainly run into
Cann City. I''m sure it''s definitely not a good idea." After a few pleasantries, Prince Jing asked Yun
Shang about Hua Jing. "Did anything unusual happenst night?"
Yun Shang shook her head. "If I have to say, I think she was too quiet. Quiet is unusual for her.
Besides, one of her attendants seemed to have strongbat ability."
"Really?" Prince Jing looked at Yun Shang in surprise. "Do you remember what the attendant looked
like?"
"I usually have a good memory, but I don''t really remember the attendant very well. The only thing I can
be sure of is that his eyes were brown and so bright, " answered Yun Shang as she frowned.
Prince Jing nodded. He seemed to be drifting in thought. "People in the country of Yng have brown
eyes. So her attendant might be from Qingsu''s army. I''m afraid that Hua Jing''s not here for her
husband, but for something else..." spected Prince Jing.
Yun Shang grinned sardonically. "I guess that my dear sister has forgotten that she is the daughter of
the Emperor."
After staying in the camp for a while, Yun Shang returned to the inn, but Hua Jing was not there. She
waited a long time before she saw Hua Jing returning with the two attendants and the two soldiers.
"Your Highness, where have you been? I was worried about you." Yun Shang walked to her sister
promptly.
"I went out and looked around the town. I was trying to find General Zhao. But I didn''t find him."
answered Hua Jing, with a tired look. It seemed that she didn''t want to talk at all as she walked straight
to her room and locked the door. Another afternoon passed, but Hua Jing had not yet been seen
leaving her room.
Then night came. Hardly had Yun Shang fallen asleep when she heard a rustle. Suddenly, she opened
her eyes. It was dark in the room, but she heard a soft breathing from the window. Then her mind
became alert and she held her breath nervously.
Before she could see what happened, she heard a scream from the next door. "Ah! Assassins! Help!
Help!" Hua Jing cried in fear. Her scream was followed by the sounds of a struggle.
Yun Shang was astonished and she thought for a few seconds. "Assassination? It was notte at night
and they made too much noise. How strange..." thought Yun Shang in confusion.
She sprang out of bed and opened the window. Then she made a sudden leap from the window and
jumped into the adjacent room. Of the two attendants, oney motionless on the ground, while the
other although wounded, was still fighting with a masked man. Four or five masked meny on the
ground too. She squinted and joined the fight, but she deliberately did not to exert all her strength.
Realizing that he had no chance to win the fight, the man quickly retreated to the door and ran out. At
that moment, the second attendant, who was not badly hurt, stood at the door. He looked at the
escaping assassin and pretended as though he could not follow as he was hurt. But in fact, he was
blocking Yun Shang''s way. She couldn''t give chase either.
"He escaped!" The attendant pretended to be sorry, then he rolled his eyes and fainted.
The sound of horseshoes filled the silence. The horses seemed to stop outside the inn. Soon Prince
Jing appeared. He looked anxious. "Dear Princess, are you okay?"
Yun Shang narrowed her eyes. She noticed that only a short time had passed between the assassin''s
attack and his escape. She knew it took longer to ride from the camp to the inn. Since Prince Jing had
"Her Highness is safe, " answered Yun Shang, looking back at Hua Jing who was still cowering on her
bed. After Yun Shang checked the breath of the two attendants, she continued. "One of the attendants
is dead, but the other one is still alive. Take him back to the camp for treatment."
Prince Jing nodded and told his soldiers to help the wounded attendant. Then he walked to Hua Jing.
"Can you walk? You know, It is improper for men and women to touch each other''s hands. But there
are no maids or eunuchs in my army. So I''m afraid you have to walk by yourself. It is not safe here,
please follow me back to my camp."
Hua Jing mumbled and nodded as though excessively frightened. After a long time, she came to her
senses, stood up cautiously, and went downstairs. Yun Shang observed her closely, and found that she
had no sweat on her forehead which didn''t match the terror reflecting on her face.
As soon as everyone had gathered outside the inn, they made the journey back to the camp. After
Prince Jing helped Hua Jing settle down, he returned his tent with Yun Shang. "Are you okay?" asked
Qian Yin as she hurriedly made her way to Yun Shang.
Yun Shang shook her head and looked at Prince Jing. "It''s okay for me to wear a mask, but I''m afraid
it''s not appropriate for Qian Yin to wear a mask too. Please ask someone to send her outter, " said
Yun Shang. Then she turned to Qian Yin. "Would you please tell Ning Qian to choose someone else to
serve me? By the way, Hua Jing is here too, and she has no maid now. I think we''d better bring two
women, who look honest."
"Aye, " nodded Prince Jing in agreement. Then he called a servant and repeated Yun Shang''s
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suggestion.
Yun Shang continued. "I think their purpose was to enter the camp. They thought you would refuse her
request if she asked you directly, so they enacted an assassination to create an excuse. This way they
can stay in our camp without being suspected."
"But I could actually use it to my advantage, " answered Prince Jing. He grinned cooly. "Now I have a
good chance to find the spies in my army." Then he paused and stared at Yun Shang. "Qingsu is so
shrewd that he set many spies in our army. I think some of them knew that you were always in my tent
and they must be wondering who you are. So, I told my soldiers that I''m gay, and that you and I are
lovers, to avoid their suspicion." He paused again. Yun Shang felt shy and bowed her head since she
knew what he meant.
"What''s more, Hua Jing and her unidentified attendant are here now. So we have to be more careful."
Prince Jing gave her a knowing nce. "You''d better share a room with me for some days and pretend
to be gay to dispel their doubts."