Chapter 211 Premature Birth


    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''reing with me to the


    Imperial Pce. 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 Pce.


    Lord Zheng who had been ordered to stand guard outside Qiwu Pce 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 Pce 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 zed 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 prematurebor, the chances of survival


    for the baby were slim. If only she hadn''t gone intobor this early then everything would have been


    fine.


    Yun Shang thought of her son, Huan''er, from her previous life. Reminded of her own prematurebor


    and her own near-death experience from the subsequentplications, 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 finallyposed 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 prematurebor! 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 ring at her. With a grim smile, the Princess


    responded calmly, "Don''t make trouble for Lady Jin? Everything was fine before she left Laifeng


    Pce. Bad things happened as soon as she returned to the Imperial Pce. Can you exin 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 nced 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 re. 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 nced 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 ced 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.


    After all this was done, she turned and pleaded with the hunchbacked midwife. "Please help her!"


    The woman hobbled to the bed and lifted the quilt. When she looked closer, she frowned with worry.


    "Your mother has been drugged with oxytocin. It causes contractions of the uterus. It is very painful.


    The amount of oxytocin she has taken is not enough for her baby to be born now. She needs


    something for her pain and rest. The effect of the oxytocin will eventually wear out and your mother and


    her child will be fine. However, it seems that those midwives intended to keep her in pain. If they hadn''t


    been stopped, in a few hours, the pain would have killed Lady Jin and her baby."


    Yun Shang shuddered at the hunchbacked woman''s exnation. The Princess didn''t dare to think of


    what might have happened had she not insisted on helping her mother. Yun Shang watched as the


    midwife helped Lady Jin. When Lady Jin lookedfortable, she breathed a sigh of relief. The


    Princess then opened the door and asked Qin Yi to help the midwife finish cleaning. As soon as the


    door closed behind Qin Yi, the Princess red at the maids and midwives who had been in the room


    with her mother. "Leave, before I order your deaths!" She shouted at them.


    As the women stumbled out in panic, Yun Shang took a deep breath to calm herself. Then she walked


    to the Emperor and reported what Prince Jing''s midwife had said.


    As the Princess spoke, the Emperor''splexion paled. "Damn it!" He roared like an angry lion.


    Yun Shang whimpered, "If...if I had not been bold enough to storm in, or if His Highness hadn''t brought


    the midwife...I would never have had the chance to meet my new brother or sister...I would not even


    have the chance to see my mother alive..."


    The day''s events along with the emotional trauma Yun Shang just endured climaxed and finally, the


    Princess broke into loud sobs. Prince Jing''s heart ached as he looked up to see Yun Shang''s tear-filled


    face. Then he walked toward her and held her in his strong arms. "Leave it to me, I will handle the rest.


    You need to rest now, " said Prince Jing gently.


    A sense of calmness overtook Yun Shang as she heard his words. But being in such an intimate


    position increased her breathing and filled her with a sense of shame at the same time. ''Calm down,


    calm down...'' She murmured to herself.


    "Brother, this is definitely not an ident. Someone is trying to kill your heir! This matter must be dealt


    with, and the criminals need to be punished. I volunteer to lead an investigation into the matter. May I?"


    asked Prince Jing.


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    The Emperor stared at the door with heavy eyes. He nodded after several seconds. "Well, do it,


    investigate this case."


    Yun Shang nced at the Empress who seemed pale. The Princess was overjoyed. She was sure that


    the Empress was involved in this scheme as no one else was capable of doing this except her.


    While it was a reasonable scheme, it had been implemented poorly most likely because the Empress


    felt pressured into taking this opportunity. Since Lady Jin had moved to Laifeng City, the Empress had


    no opportunity to hurt Lady Jin. On this day, Lady Jin hade to the Imperial City to attend her


    daughter''s wedding. It was the best chance for the Empress to kill the heir as after this day, Lady Jin


    would return to Laifeng City. The Empress was certain of the n''s sess. However, Yun Shang


    came to her mother''s aid and hence, the oue wasn''t as expected. If Lady Jin had died, the truth


    would never havee to light. Now, the Empress would have to worry about the evidence.


    ''This time, I won''t forgive you. You''re going to pay for what you''ve done!'' thought Yun Shang as she


    red at the Empress.


    After a long time, Qin Yi came out. She carried a piece of parchment in her hand. She bowed before


    the Royals. "After the midwife used acupuncture to relieve her pain, Lady Jin fell asleep, " said Qin Yi.


    "The midwife said that Lady Jin has to take prescribed medicine for at least a month. She wrote out a


    prescription. I''m going to the Imperial Hospital to get the medicines now."


    Both Yun Shang and the Emperor sighed in relief. Now they could be certain of Lady Jin''s recovery.


    The Emperor stood and walked into the room.


    Yun Shang turned and looked at the Empress. "Your Majesty, do you think what you have done today


    will be good for you, for Hua Jing, or for your parents'' family?"


    The Empress pretended to be calm. She looked at Yun Shang slowly before speaking in a calm and


    nonchnt manner. "Princess Hui Guo... No, it''s Princess Consort now. What did you say? I don''t


    understand what you were implying."


    "Haw-haw!" came Yun Shang''s sarcastic response. "Your Majesty, it doesn''t matter if you don''t


    understand now, as you''ll find out soon. By the way, do you know who fathered Hua Jing''s unborn


    child? Do you know the circumstances of her pregnancy? Did you ever wonder why she went to jail?


    And why she had a miscarriage? I have heard that Grand Councilor Li is going to have a beautiful


    young wife now. And his favorite son, Li Luo, fell in love with a prostitute ..."


    As Yun Shang recounted the trouble the Li n had recently found itself in, the Empress''splexion


    darkened in anger. Eventually, she could not help interrupting the Princess. However, Yun Shang


    smiled at her. "What''s wrong? Now do you understand what I meant? Over the years, you have done


    so much evil. Do you remember how many people you have killed? Or how many bribes you have


    epted on behalf of the Grand Councilor? Guess what will happen if my father finds out the truth!"


    "You wicked wench! Everything you''ve said is a downright dirty calumniation!" fulminated the Empress.


    She pointed at Yun Shang as she exploded in anger. However, she dare not speak loudly as the


    Empress did not want the Emperor to hear their conversation. As she had whispered, her wordscked


    impact.


    "Calumniation?" Yun Shang replied satirically. "Of course not. My usations are not unfounded. Don''t


    worry, even if there is no evidence now, I will find some."


    The Empress looked around and realized that many people had overheard Yun Shang. She was upset


    that she had been so openly used of wrongdoing. Exasperated, the Empress could do nothing more


    than wave her hands as if dismissing the ims. "Wait and see!" said the Empress, in order to stop Yun


    Shang from talking more.


    "Your Majesty, who do you think you''re talking to?" Prince Jing frowned. "It seems that you have


    developed a habit of bullying people and threatening my wife. It''s such bad manners. You make for a


    terrible Empress. Perhaps you should consider giving up your position. What do you think?"


    The Empress was transfixed with anger and terror. Prince Jing was an experienced general. His


    contributions in battles were numerous. His actual position was more prominent than her father''s. From


    her experience and from the rumors that she had heard, Prince Jing was heartless and cruel. She did


    not dare to offend him.


    ''How cunning she is! She found such a strong patron, '' thought the Empress as she gritted her teeth


    and left.


    "Since you alerted her, she''ll be more wary of you. Aren''t you concerned about it?" asked Prince Jing.


    He looked at Yun Shang as she clung to him.


    Yun Shang closed her eyes and shook her head. "So what? I am not afraid of her. I have enough


    evidence of her wrongdoings. I''ll send someone to keep an eye on her. If she tries to destroy any


    evidence that I don''t as yet know about, I''ll find out. That will only seal her fate further. Since the


    Empress doesn''t know what evidence I already have, her greatest dilemma will be whether or not to


    take action. She will be on tenterhooks for the next few days. I want her to suffer. It would be even


    better if she stays awake at nights. Then she won''t think clearly, " said Yun Shang, tiredly.


    "The midwife you brought told me that there is an odd scenting from me. When I read her


    expression, I got a feeling that my mother''s prematurebor might be rted to the scent." She paused


    for a moment. As guilt overwhelmed Yun Shang, her eyes filled with tears. "I''ll go home and take a


    bath..."


    Prince Jing nodded as he gently wiped away her tears. "Don''t worry, Qin Yi will take care of her. And I''ll


    send some servants here to keep watch. If anything happens, we''ll know it in no time. Let''s go home."


    Yun Shang clung to Prince Jing. She was so tired from the wedding and from tending to her mother


    that she could barely walk. Prince Jing lifted Yun Shang gently and left the Imperial Pce.


    Yun Shang had fallen asleep before they arrived at their mansion. Not only had she been on her feet


    since early morning, her body was exhausted from wearing the heavy wedding jewelry and attire. Also,


    her body was still recovering from injuries sustained on Mount Kirin.


    Her dreams were filled with horrifying memories. She saw her son, Huan''er, from her previous life. He


    had been smaller than most children of his age. She remembered how sickly he used to be. Since he


    was always in poor health, he was required to have lots of medicine. In her previous life, Yun Shang


    spent many days and nights by her son''s bedside. As soon as the memories of Huan''er''s pain and


    suffering surfaced, Yun Shang wept.


    Then she dreamed that she was in a kitchen. She saw Lian Xin was decocting medicinal herbs for


    Huan''er. She could heard what Lian Xin was saying. "It''s not going to kill him, I think. But I''m sure these


    drugs are enough to weaken his body, " murmured Lian Xin.


    Yun Shang stared at the maid and was confused about what she had just heard.


    Before she could figure it out, she saw Lian Xin open a small paper bag and pour some white powder


    from the bag into the pot. Yun Shang was rmed. But she was not able to speak in her dream.


    Lian Xin gave the soup a quick stir before pouring it into a bowl. She then carried the soup out of the


    kitchen and into a yard. The yard looked familiar to Yun Shang. Soon she remembered where she was.


    It was the mansion in which Yun Shang used to live with her son in her previous life. She followed Lian


    Xin as she carried the soup into a room. Yun Shang paused when she saw her former self sitting


    behind a cradle. She remembered that day and everything about it. Huan''er had been sick and she had


    been so worried that she refused to leave his side.


    "Your Highness, the medicine is ready." said Lian Xin in a soft voice.


    Yun Shang saw her former self taking the soup bowl and cooling the soup by blowing on it. Yun Shang


    became anxious when she saw her former self extending a spoonful of soup toward Huan''er.


    "No..no! The medicine is poisoned! Stop!" She cried out. But for some reason, in the dream, her voice


    could not be heard. "Don''t feed him! No!!"