An Eight-year-old Princess

Chapter 184 Where Is Prince Jing (Part Three)

Qin Yi nodded and said, "Something big has happened. Just now, Lady Ya, Lady Meng, Lady Fu, and

Empress Yuan Zhen were all poisoned. And His Majesty has ordered that we need to return to the

Imperial Palace at once."

"What?" Yun Shang was a little surprised. Why were the four ladies poisoned at the same time? What

was the culprit's intention?

Qin Yi nodded. "It's said that His Majesty is outraged. He almost killed the messenger in anger."

Nodding to her maid, Yun Shang ordered, "Let's pack up." With that said, she walked out of the

chamber.

But she suddenly stopped at the door and said, "No, let's not...wait for a moment...I sense something is

wrong."

Qian Yin pouted, "Of course, it seems weird. We all smelled a plot. Why were the ladies poisoned at

the same time? Who did it? And for what reason? Why did he choose to poison the ladies when the

Emperor was not around? And what good could it do for him?"

Yun Shang thought for a while and realized that it was a trap. Just like what Qian Yin had mentioned. It

wouldn't do the person any good to poison the ladies. Among the poisoned ladies, the Empress was

the only one of importance. And the Grand Councilor cared a lot about her. But the other three ladies

were insignificant. They meant nothing to anyone. However, the coincidence happened.

"It's a trick to lure us away from the temporary imperial palace." Biting her lower lip, Yun Shang

snapped. "I can't return to the Palace now. I have to wait here. Perhaps the Prince is still here. And the Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

culprit poisoned the ladies to drive father away. And if father returns, at least three quarters of the

guard in the temporary imperial palace would follow him. With such little force guarding the palace, it

would be a great chance for the culprit to escape."

Doubt appeared in Qian Yin's eyes. "Your Highness, since Prince Jing was abducted, the Yulin Guard

have searched every corner of the temporary imperial palace, but they found nothing. If the Prince was

here, why couldn't we find him?"

Yun Shang flashed a sneer, "It's difficult for the culprits to dig a tunnel direct to the bottom of the

mountain. And it also takes a lot of time. Besides, there are many ordinary people living down there.

They would be caught. But it's pretty easy to dig a hole and hide inside. Say no more, Qian Yin. I am

determined. I will stay here, and you will send for Ning Qian. Ask her to dress in my clothes, and go

back to the Palace with father."

Qian Yin paused for a while before she nodded. She took out the bamboo whistle and blew several

times.

Before long, Ning Qian jumped in through the window. Yun Shang told her about the plan, and

exchanged clothes with her. She watched as Ning Qian put on a special mask, changed into her

clothes and combed her hair. Then she smiled, "You are a master of disguise, Qian Qian. It's like

looking in a mirror."

Just as Ning Qian finished her make-up, a eunuch knocked on the door. He urged the Princess to

leave. Yun Shang nodded to her maids, and hid behind the folding screen in the middle of the room. In

her stead, Ning Qian strutted out, followed by Qian Yin and Qin Yi. Yun Shang held her breath and

listened for noises outside. After a long while, the clamor dwindled.

Suddenly, a cold female voice came from the roof, "The Emperor has left the mountain."

Yun Shang nodded and whistled. As the whistle sounded, a dozen young women knelt in front of her,

all dressed in black. Yun Shang quietly ordered, "The Prince was abducted at Qingsi House. We will

wait there and watch."

She then led her guards to Qingsi House. They lurked behind the trees or on the roof. As still as

statues, the women waited for the rat to come out of its nest. Time passed and day broke. In the early

morning silence, a figure carrying a cloth bag emerged from Qingsi House. A little surprised, Yun

Shang gazed at the bag before smiling.

"Your Highness..." A woman quietly asked for her opinion.

Yun Shang gestured to her. She didn't want her guards to chase the figure. She shook her head, and

explained, "It's a decoy."

The girls were stunned by her judgement. They looked at the bag, but saw nothing. Why would Yun

Shang say it was a decoy?

Yun Shang flashed a smile. Although these girls were clever, they had made some omissions in the

details. The sack was in a still shape, as if inside which a man had been tied straightened-up. But its

length was a mere five feet, whereas Prince Jing was seven feet tall. The length didn't fit.

After a while, several other men carried out another bag. Looking at the bag up and down, Yun Shang

shook her head. The length was right, but the man in the bag was much fatter than the Prince.

They waited for another long while until two other men opened the door and walked out.

Narrowing her eyes, Yun Shang ordered, "Follow them."

"Your Highness, they didn't bring anything with them." A girl looked down, but didn't see any cloth bag.

She asked with a frown.

A sharp gaze appeared in Yun Shang's eyes. She said, "One of them is being puppeted. But he walks

the same way as Prince Jing."

"Your Highness, should we just take him back?" A girl softly asked.

Yun Shang thought for a while, but was amused by her own thought. At that moment, she did not feel

any panic or anxiety. Instead, she felt like a robber, looking down at the streets from a height, waiting

for an opportunity to kidnap her prey.

"We have no idea how many people they have. And how many of them have hidden in the dark. We

can't risk it. So, what we will do, is follow them, and find out where they are going. Don't act rashly and

alert the enemy."

Quietly, they followed the two men out of the temporary imperial palace. Soon, a few men emerge from

the dark to join them. The newcomers seemed to be the previous people who had carried the decoys in

cloth bags. Yun Shang sneered at the scene, as she wondered about the identity of this audacious

culprit.