Chapter 208 Lord Hua Guo‘s Visit
As they stepped into the front Hall, Qian Yin helped Yun Shang into a chair. The Princess hadn''t
married Prince Jing yet, so Qian Yin draped a curtain made of crystal beads in front of the chair. As she
settled into the chair behind the beads, Yun Shang wondered about Lord Hua Guo''s true intentions.
Not long after, the chambein escorted Lord Hua Guo into the room. Yun Shang turned to study the
man. Although she could only see a silhouette through the curtain, she could tell that the man was in
his seventies. Despite his age, Lord Hua Guo still radiated a majestic demeanor. He seemed healthy as
he kept his back straight and steps steady. He didn''t seem to be afflicted with the symptoms of old age.
Yun Shang shed him a smile and ordered the chambein to bring a chair and a cup of tea for Lord
Hua Guo. Then Yun Shang said gently, "What a nice surprise. His Highness should''ve hosted you
himself, but he is not home. As his betrothed, I''m bound by propriety. As I cannot unveil my face in front
of a male guest, I must apologize to you for the discourteousness."
When he heard her exnation, Lord Hua Guo emitted a loudughter. He bowed slightly to Yun
Shang, "You tter me, Princess Hui Guo. As an unexpected guest, I should be the one asking for
forgiveness. My visit today is driven by curiosity. I''ve heard of the Prince''s forting wedding. Prince
Jing is a prestigious man. Although I am from the State of Xia, I''ve heard a lot about the Prince''s skill
on the battlefield. It''s quite a shame that I couldn''t meet him on the battlefield in person. Considering
his nature and achievements, I wondered what kind of woman had tamed him. Today, I heard that His
Highness''s betrothed has moved into his mansion. Curious as I was, I was so bold as to pay a visit. It''s
very kind of you to meet with me, Your Highness."
A gleam shed in Yun Shang''s eyes as she listened to his words. Although a generous smile was
stered on her face, the Princess sneered inwardly as she now knew Lord Hua Guo''s true intention.
Since Lord Hua Guo had identified Prince Jing to be thete Xia Empress''s child, he wanted to know
whether Yun Shang was good enough for his extraordinary grandson.
"You are too kind. His Highness would be overwhelmed by your praise. He used to say that Lord Hua
Guo is gifted at military affairs. The Prince also said that Lord Hua Guo is better than him at marching
an army. In His Highness''s opinion, it''s quite a pity that he didn''t meet you in your prime years.
Although I''d see it as luck that His Highness and you haven''t fought on the battlefield." Yun Shang
returned hispliments. She didn''t dare to offend Lord Hua Guo at this crucial point as Prince Jing''s
identity was still unconfirmed. Yun Shang also didn''t have the opportunity to speak with the Prince and
understand how he felt about his supposed identity. However, the meeting with Lord Hua Guo
reminded Yun Shang of the soldiers hiding in Mount Kirin, as well as the fight in the forest, and her
injury. Although she had restrained her real emotions,plex feelings surged in Yun Shang''s heart as
she gazed at the old man. cing soldiers on Mount Kirin wasn''t a rushed n, and surely Lord Hua
Guo was involved.
"Really? He said that? Hahahaha..." As Yun Shang had expected, Lord Hua Guo was pleased. "Please
tell Prince Jing that I would openly wee the opportunity, should he so desire to test his skills."
Yun Shang chuckled and covered her mouth with her hand. She nodded to Lord Hua Guo, "I will ry
your words to him."
Lord Hua Guo nodded. He tapped the armrest in satisfaction and smiled, "You are such a delightful girl,
Princess Hui Guo. You could''ve been a good wife. If only you were not a Princess of Ning."
Yun Shang raised her eyebrows. It sounded as though Lord Hua Guo didn''t think she was good
enough for Prince Jing. But he made a point. If Prince Jing was truly the eldest son of the Xia Emperor,
ording to lineal primogeniture, he would be the Crown Prince by default. And if Prince Jing wanted
to be Xia''s Crown Prince, he needed to build a sound political foundation. Since he had grown up in the
State of Ning, Prince Jing''s status in Xia was unestablished. Thus, the only way for Prince Jing to thrive
was through political marriage. In that case, even a random high borndy from Xia would be a more
suitable match for Prince Jing. Although Yun Shang was an honorable Princess in the State of Ning,
her status would be of little help to Prince Jing in the State of Xia. On the contrary, it might be
detrimental given the tense political conditions between the two states.
Yun Shang smiled. "You are so candid and straightforward. His Highness and I both like your
characteristics. However, it''s a pity that you are a Lord of Xia, or else, you''d make for a good friend to
His Highness. But I have heard that you have encountered thete Ning Emperor on the battlefield
many times. His Highness was raised and mentored by thete Emperor since the Prince was a young
boy. It would be safe to assume that he was thete Emperor''s student. If you too have a student. His
Highness would love topete with him in a war."
Hearing her reply, Lord Hua Guo was enraged, but he was also rendered speechless. He intended to
vent his anger, but couldn''t find any w in Yun Shang''s logic. It wasmonly known that in his
prestigious military life, Lord Hua Guo had only suffered defeat twice on the battlefield. And both times,
he had lost to thete Ning Emperor. Besides, the biggest disappointment in Lord Hua Guo''s life had
been his failure to find someone to learn the art of war from him. Since Yun Shang had subtly brought
up two failings from Lord Hua Guo''s life, each word angered him more than the previous one. He
became even more resentful when he felt unable to refute her ims.
Lord Hua Guo had no choice but to keep his mouth shut. He was aware that in the State of Ning,
women were not allowed to participate in politics. If he confronted the Princess, she could easily
exin that she had no knowledge of these things and that her statements were spoken with the best
of intentions. In this situation, his anger would have no effect except for making himself look petty.
He raised his head and fixed his eyes at the young girl through the curtain. After a long while, he picked
Content held by N?velDrama.Org.
up the teacup, took a sip, and put the teacup away.
As Lord Hua Guo remained silent, Yun Shang waited patiently for him to speak.
After another long while, Lord Hua Guo spoke, "I''ve heard that when you were younger, Your Highness
lived in Ning''guo Temple for a few years. At the time, you submitted to Buddhist discipline. Contrary to
tradition, you did not shave off your hair. Are you a Buddhist, Your Highness?"
That was an interesting question. After hearing his words, Yun Shang looked at Lord Hua Guo and
sneered inwardly. He intended to trap her when he mentioned "submitted to Buddhist discipline."
Yun Shang nced at Lord Hua Guo before smiling and fixing her eyes on a crystal bead. She noticed
that Lord Hua Guo seemed cautious and tentative as he waited for her answer.
"Submitted to Buddhist discipline? You must''ve heard wrong. When I was young, I identally gave
away God''s design and was doomed to die young. By then, I was severely ill, and in order to change
my fate, Master Wu Na harbored me at Ning''guo Temple for a few years. He allowed me to bask in the
grace of Buddha until I recovered. I wasn''t living at the Temple because I submitted to Buddhist
discipline."
Lord Hua Guo frowned as he asked, "But after so many years in a Buddhist temple, Your Highness
must have observed and followed the precepts of the Temple and acquired a deep understanding of
Buddhism."
Yun Shang shook her head, "I''m ashamed to mention it, but I have to confess. I am not pious. As I was
still a young girl, I was rebellious of the circumstances in which I found myself. Unable to stand the
in vegetarian food in the Temple, I would sneak out to get meat from the town, or ask others to bring
meat for me. Moreover, because of my poor understanding of the world, I couldn''t interpret nor
memorize a simple word despite having transcribed many Buddhist texts. Perhaps, I was not meant to
be a Buddhist."
Frustration shed in Lord Hua Guo''s eyes. The Princess was more thorough than he had imagined.
She looked gentle and obedient, but her words were reasonable and her arguments were wless.
However, he was determined. Though the Princess looked smart, she didn''t have much wit, and was
not a good match for Prince Jing.
Thinking it through, Lord Hua Guo lowered his eyes and contemted the matter. But he couldn''te
up with any rebuttal to Yun Shang''s words. He coughed to conceal his difort and changed the
subject, "But the wedding day is forting, Your Highness, I wish you would forgive me, as I''d like to
ask a bold question. My wife is an ordinary woman who has no knowledge about war and army, and I
have always felt that I had nothing to talk about with her. What do you normally talk about with Prince
Jing, Your Highness?"
Yun Shang was amused by Lord Hua Guo''s question. To her, he was like an anxious grandfather who
was trying to separate his grandson and evil granddaughter-inw. She almost couldn''t restrain her
urge tough out loud as he tried almost every angle. First, Lord Hua Guo imed her to be a Princess
of a hostile power and then, a Buddhist who broke the Buddhist disciplines, and now, he was iming
that she was a superficial woman with whom the Prince had nothing to talk about.
She became more and more impressed with his tactics.
Yun Shang was about to answer, but a deep voice stopped her. Since no one had entered the room,
Yun Shang presumed someone outside the room had overheard their conversation and had chosen to
respond. "But I heard you and your wife have good rtions, Lord Hua Guo, " the person said. "Or
perhaps what I heard is merely gossip, " the person added after a brief pause.
Lord Hua Guo was startled and turned his head. He saw Prince Jing enter the room. The Prince''s
posture was upright and the expression on his face was solemn and arrogant.
Taken aback, Lord Hua Guo hurriedly shed a smile to him. Yun Shang had noticed the change in
Lord Hua Guo''s expression. She covered her mouth with her hand and started to giggle. It seemed
Lord Hua Guo had met his match.
Despite the change in Lord Hua Guo''s demeanor, Prince Jing didn''t even nce at him. Ignoring Lord
Hua Guo, the Prince strode across the room, lifted the crystal curtain, and studied Yun Shang from
head to toe. He frowned as he said, "You haven''t recovered yet. Why did you get up from bed? Have
you forgotten about the imperial physician''s advice?"
Yun Shang smiled and answered softly, "I am well. And I''m bored in bed. Since Lord Hua Guo paid a
visit, it was a good chance for me to get up and move around."
"Oh?" Prince Jing lifted his eyebrows. He turned to the chambein, "From now on, random people are
not allowed to call on Her Highness."
The chambein hurriedly bowed in acknowledgement. Yun Shang was surprised and her face flushed
crimson at Prince Jing''s words. Although all the servants had addressed her as the Princess Consort,
but it was the first time for Prince Jing to address her as Her Highness in front of other people.
But Lord Hua Guo was displeased. Cursing in his heart, he coughed several times to attract Prince
Jing''s attention.
Prince Jing continued to ignore him. Instead, he took out a package wrapped in oiled paper from his
sleeve, and handed it to Yun Shang. "I had a meeting at Yuman Tower. They recently made a new
pastry called Jasmine Blossom. It is made with taro and jasmine. I ate one and thought it tasted good.
So I brought some for you. Feel free to have some whenever you want. But you can''t eat too much.
After all, you are taking medicines, and shouldn''t have too many sweets."
Yun Shang bowed her head and epted the package with a smile and a slight nod. "I see. Thank
you."
Prince Jing nodded before helping Yun Shang stand. He asked softly, "Have you taken your medicine
yet? I''ll escort you back to your chamber. Please try to get some rest. You didn''t sleep wellst night
either. You kicked your quilt off your bed many times. Although the weather is warm now, you still have
to protect yourself or you might catch a cold."
Despite Yun Shang''s ability to stay calm in difficult situations, she could no longer maintain her
word as she turned toward her chamber.
Prince Jing grinned as he escorted Yun Shang to her chamber. Lord Hua Guo was still waiting when
the Prince returned to the front Hall. Prince Jing pulled up a chair for himself and sat down. He then
asked the servants to remove the crystal curtain. Then he frowned as he gazed at Lord Hua Guo. He
said, "I''ve heard about the disturbances in the State of Xia. I''m surprised you had the time to visit Her
Highness."
Lord Hua Guo coughed to conceal his feelings. He red at Prince Jing before speaking intively,
"When we happened to meet the other day, I felt that you are a promising young man with rare talents.
Thus I paid a visit today."
As they were talking, the servants handed a cup of tea to Prince Jing. He lifted the lid and blew the tea
several times before speaking calmly, "Thete Emperor was a good teacher and a good father. He
treated me like his own son and taught me everything he knew. But I don''t think I have to borate on
how extraordinary a person he was. I''m sure that you are fully aware of his military prowess."
Although Yun Shang wasn''t entitled to know about political affairs, the Prince was, and he was
intentionally wounding Lord Hua Guo with the facts and the praise. Shamefaced and angered, Lord
Hua Guo said bitterly, "Father? But I heard you were merely his adopted son, Prince Jing."
Upon hearing that, Prince Jing turned his gaze to Lord Hua Guo. He smiled mockingly, "I am an
adopted son, indeed. But he cared for me deeply. I am fortunate to have been raised by thete
Emperor. Sometimes foster parents are kinder than biological parents. In my case, it is clear which was
better and which is worse."