Eight-year-old Princess: Phoenix Reborn

In the Princess' Mansion in the Imperial City of the State of Ning, a woman knelt on the ground in front of the highest turret. She didn't feel the cold the night brought nor the harsh drizzle that fell mercilessly.

She was beautiful, with her pale complexion and silken black hair. But her eyes seemed hollow. She clutched a baby in her arms. She seemed worried about his bruised face and his shallow breathing. Every breath seemed to be his last.

"Please go back, Princess Yun Shang. The Emperor's Son-in-law will not see you." Lian Xin was guarding the turret's entrance. She had been Princess Yun Shang's most trustworthy court maid since her childhood.

The sky tore open as Yun Shang's heart broke; drenching her and everything around her. Clenching her teeth, she pulled at the cloak. She wanted to protect the baby from getting wet. When did it start? Yun Shang thought in a trance. When did everyone she trust start to betray her one after another?

Her face remained unmarred from falling tears. Maybe all her tears had already dried up? She had cried so bitterly in the past that now, even at the severest pain she could feel in her heart, she couldn't shed a tear.

Yun Shang kowtowed before Lian Xin three times, "You have been my maid for over a decade, Lian Xin. I always treated you nicely. Now, please. I just want to see the Emperor's Son-in-law and ask him to send for a physician to cure my baby. It's my baby, and also his..." Yun Shang's voice was hoarse.

"Your Highness, there is no use in pleading with me. The Emperor's Son-in-law has already ordered that no one should interrupt him..." Lian Xin stood under the eave and looked at the kneeling woman. A sneer emerged at the corner of her mouth. That's all you deserve Your Highness.

Yun Shang held the baby's cold little hand in hers as she thought. All her mounting bitterness and anger culminated into impulsivity. She rose to her feet and dashed toward Lian Xin. This was beyond Lian Xin's expectation. She braced herself, but the Princess was strong. She fell over with an "aha." Yun Shang took the opportunity to open the turret door and dash upstairs.

"Oh, no, no, no. You are not allowed to go up..." Lian Xin frowned and touched the aching parts of her body, "Hum! What do you think you can achieve by going up there?" she shouted after the Princess. "Do you really think that the Emperor's Son-in-law and Princess Hua Jing will send for a physician for your child?"

Yun Shang ran up the stairs. As soon as she set her foot on the last flight, she heard Hua Jing, "Emm..." "Aha..." "Don't touch that. Ahh..." "Jingran..."

Yun Shang felt dizzy. Her hands felt so weak she thought she'd drop her baby. She had to lean on the wooden banister to support herself.

Eventually, she found the strength to climb the last flight of stairs. She elbowed the door open, and clenched her teeth to suppress her pain.

"Who dares enter..." A man's panting voice ricocheted off the stone walls. Yun Shang shrank back at the sight of the two naked figures.

"Get out!" Mo Jingran roared in fury after seeing Yun Shang standing at the doorway.

Yun Shang opened her mouth, only to find that she couldn't speak. After taking a few labored breaths, she managed to whisper, "Huan'er is sick. Please find a physician for him, my Lord."

"Hum." Mo Jingran took a second to consider her request. Before Mo Jingran could scold her again, the woman beneath him rubbed his chest playfully. He caught her somewhat malignant smile and returned the gesture. She said, "Jingran if my little princess sister wants to see us, then let her. Why not bind her to a chair so she can watch our lovemaking?"

Mo Jingran's mouth curled into a cold grin. He left the bed and found a rope. "Put Huan'er on the table. After you watch, I will send for a physician to treat Huan'er's illness."

Yun Shang hesitated for a little while. Knowing that there was no other way out, she numbly nodded. Nobody in the Princess's Mansion would support her now. Yun Shang put the baby on the table, and sat on the chair by the bedside. Mo Jingran strolled up to her and tied her hands with the rope.

When Mo Jingran returned to the bed, the naked woman reached out with her legs and hooked them around his waist. Her toes fondled his back gently. A fire ignited in his eyes. He gave a mighty thrust, and the woman beneath groaned as he entered her.

The woman looked at Yun Shang. She flashed her most charming smile, "Look, my little princess sister. Let your elder sister teach you how to wait on a man hand and foot."

Mo Jingran burst into a roar of laughter, before continuing with his quick rhythmic thrusts.

In an instant, the gasps and moans of lovemaking permeated throughout the room.

Yun Shang felt as if her heart was being sliced, one cut after another. In her trance, she could even hear the sound of the wounds being lashed upon her.

So, this is the Emperor's Son-in-law I picked for myself, and with him, lies my elder princess sister whom I have always worshiped and respected.

A long while had passed; long enough for a bar of incense to burn itself into ashes. Yun Shang looked at the baby on the table. His face seemed paler and his eyes were lusterless. She was getting worried. Tears finally fell from her eyes, "Please, Emperor's Son-in-law and Princess Sister. Please save my baby. He is dying, please..."

"You're so annoying. Why do you have to be so noisy?" Mo Jingran abruptly turned his head and shouted at Yun Shang. Getting off the bed once again, he walked towards Yun Shang but stopped to look at the baby on the desk, "Dying, right? " "If he's dying, then why did you bring him here? "

Having said those words, Mo Jingran took the baby, opened the window, and threw him out.

"No... !" Yun Shang was so shocked that she stood up. She had forgotten that she had been bound. The ropes pulled her back and she fell to the ground.

"Baby... My baby... Baby!" Regardless of the pain she felt, Yun Shang screamed. Her scream was so heartbreaking that anyone that heard it could feel her sorrow.

Hearing footsteps approaching, Yun Shang lifted her head. It's her Princess Sister. She was holding a sword in her hand. Yun Shang took a deep breath when her sister pointed the sword at her face. "Oh, my! I have no idea what's wrong with me today. Your face is as beautiful and delicate as a flower. I really want to know what would become of it if I made a few cuts."

Yun Shang was upset. In spite of the scoff and sneer in Hua Jing's eyes, Yun Shang pleaded, "You can do whatever you want to my face, sister. Just let me live." Her voice was as hoarse as a raven's.

Hua Jing blinked and raised the sword. Its point swept across Yun Shang's face. Yun Shang felt a burning pain. With it grew an overwhelming hatred in her heart. But she thought of her baby. She clenched her teeth to check the "hiss" that threatened to escape.

Hua Jing quickly tired of her game, "Not even a whimper? How boring!" She cut the rope binding Yun Shang's hands, and returned to the bed.

As quickly as her sore feet would allow, Yun Shang dashed toward the door. But she slipped and rolled down the stairs. At the base of the turret, she rose and ran out the gate, paying no attention to her injuries.

Her baby was lying on the ground. He was quiet. There was blood flowing from his head. The rain washed the blood away in tiny trickles as quickly as it pooled around his little head. Yun Shang gently scooped up her baby. "It's all right. It's all right. My little Huan'er is fine. Mommy will take you to see the Imperial Physician. Just you see. Mommy will take you there right now. My little Huan'er you will be fine..." Holding the baby in her arms, she rushed out of the courtyard.

"Is she really going to see the Imperial Physician?" Mo Jingran who had been standing by the window watching Yun Shang's fading figure seemed worried.

A soft, warm body leaned against his. "Don't be afraid, Jingran. You already have the Princess' Mansion under your control, don't you?" She cannot leave. Even if she manages to enter the Imperial Palace, she can only seek help from the Empress as His Majesty is not in court. However, as the Empress is my mother, not hers... "

Mo Jingran turned round, and, lifted the woman in his arms. He carried her to the bed.

"Aha..." Hua Jing shouted, "Jingran, you are so bad..."

"Your Majesty, Princess Yun Shang is here. She is covered in blood..." A court maid scurried into the inner chamber, and reported to a graceful noble woman who was sitting in front a bronze mirror selecting hair pins.

The Empress frowned, "Didn't Jing'er* say that Yun Shang is under house arrest at the Princess' Mansion?"

(*TN: In Chinese, the suffix 'er is added to show affection towards another person) How can she be here at my palace?"

The Empress barely finished speaking when Yun Shang's sobs and please could be heard. " Mother, mother, please save Huan'er. Please save Huan'er."

The Empress turned back to catch a glimpse of the thoroughly-wet woman rushing into her chamber. There was a terrifying scar on her face. It was so deep that she could see the bone. The young woman opened her cloak to reveal a baby who had long since drawn his last breath. His blood dripped everywhere.

The Empress shot Yun Shang a disapproving look. "Save what? He is definitely beyond help."

"No, mother. Huan'er is fine. Please save him. Mother, please send for an Imperial Physician to save Huan'er." Yun Shang knelt and kowtowed several times before the Empress.

The Empress winked at the court maid waiting at the chamber door. "Xiu Xin, go and fetch the Imperial Physician. On your way there ask someone to send a cup of wine for Princess Yun Shang. She needs to be warmed."

The court maid left in a hurry. She returned quickly with a cup of wine in hand. The Empress spoke with the young Princess in a gentle tone, "Take a seat, Yun Shang. I have sent someone for the Imperial Physician. You should drink some wine to get warm. It would be quite awful if you fall ill before Huan'er recovers. You must take care of him."

Yun Shang nodded and sat down. She muttered to herself, "That's right. I cannot fall ill. There wouldn't be anybody to take care of Huan'er if I am sick. Nobody..." With those words, she reached her blood-stained hand for the cup. She raised her head high and drank the liquid without hesitation.

The Empress revealed her most heinous grin "Good girl. What I hate the most is people who stain my Qiwu Palace. How dare you bring a dead kid here. What damned luck..."

Yun Shang was astonished. She was confused at the abrupt change in the Empress's tone. Before she could understand what changed, a sudden pain coursed through her belly. It was so acute that she could not even stand straight.

"Your Majesty. It seems the medicine is taking effect." The soft voice beside her seemed familiar. Yun Shang turned to look. Lian Xin! Was she also in the service of the Empress?

"Mother..." Yun Shang frowned, "Mother..."

"I am not your mother. Your mother has been dead for a long time now." The Empress spoke in a tone so cold, it scared Yun Shang. "It was not my intention to kill you, as to live is more painful. But it's a pity that your have smudged my Qiwu Palace."

Yun Shang could not help burst into laughter after hearing the Empress. Even though waves of pain coursed through her belly, she spoke. "I'm indeed the most stupid woman in the world. I trusted you, trusted Hua Jing, and trusted Mo Jingran. It never occurred to me that the people I trusted would treat me like this. How evil you are..." She let out a bitter laugh before continuing. "I, Yun Shang, would rather die than forgive you... Never forgive."

She spat a mouthful of blood before falling to the ground, "If there is an afterlife, I will certainly find all of you. I shall have my revenge, revenge..." It was only after she breathed her last, that the baby fell from Yun Shang's hands.

A court maid stooped to check Yun Shang's breath. When she felt no air escaping, she said, "She's dead, Your Majesty."

The Empress laughed, and turned around. She picked up a phoenix hair pin. She placed it in her hair and swiveled to see its reflection in her mirror. "Dead? Then drag the body to the thick grove on the western outskirt. Feed it to the dogs..."

The two figures walking the gardens at Ning's Royal Palace sweltered in the morning sun. It was one of the hottest days of that summer. They stopped under an eave for respite.

The maid in a simple black dress frowned in worry and said, "What's happening to the Princess? She has been quite shaken ever since she woke up. She barely talks and always sits in front of her mirror, staring blankly. She's been having nightmares almost every night. Is she still afraid after her accident?"

The eunuch looked around carefully and leaned forward to whisper in the maid's ear, "Lian Xin, I'd say the Princess is bewitched. I've seen something like this before I came to the Royal Palace. It was my sister's child. He found himself drawn to the river. After they pulled him out of the water, he started behaving strangely. They sent for a Taoist priest. He said something filthy was following my nephew. So the Taoist priest performed an exorcism to ward off the evil. My nephew recovered shortly after. Now what do you think... Should we send for a Taoist priest?"

Lian Xin frowned, "Really? Her Majesty took the blame for what happened to the Princess. She asked His Majesty for punishment and was in turn, grounded in the Qifeng Palace for three whole days. If what you say is true, the exorcism will be of great importance. Let's report to Her Majesty and ask for permission."

The eunuch grunted his approval. He paused for a second before continuing, "Her Majesty has taken great care of the Princess. Her Majesty is not the Princess' mother, and yet she has been quite benevolent. The Princess was being naughty and got injured as a result. Despite that, Her Majesty took the blame. Her Majesty is such a virtuous woman."

The eunuch and Lian Xin were still discussing these events when they felt someone approach. They turned around and saw a little girl in pink, walking the gardens barefoot.

Princess Yun Shang.

The eunuch hurried to greet the little girl, "Your Highness."

Yun Shang simply nodded and glanced at the other eunuchs in the yard casually. Then she turned and headed back to the palace. She had heard every word spoken by the two people. Virtuous? Yun Shang's lips curled into a sneer. The grim smile was not befitting her pretty and innocent face.

Yun Shang sat in front of the mirror once again. She studied her reflection. The delicate face of a young girl about eight or nine years old looked back at her.

Yun Shang raised her hand and gently touched her right cheek. She remembered the deep gash her favorite sister, Princess Hua Jing, had made. She was the Empress's daughter, who was famous for both, her beauty and talents.

Hua Jing had married a General. Unfortunately, he died in the war. Out of pity for her sister, Yun Shang brought Hua Jing to her house for company. Never once had Yun Shang thought that Hua Jing would have an affair with her husband. She remembered how her beloved sister and husband had tied her to the chair and forced her to witness their lovemaking.

And her husband, the man Yun Shang had loved and trusted with all her life, had thrown their child out of the window in her presence.

The little child. Her only darling child... Thinking of the innocent child, Yun Shang felt her heart being torn apart again.

Despite how her sister and husband had treated her cruelly and unjustly, the most challenging part was accepting that the Empress, the woman whom Yun Shang had always respected and considered as her mother, had deceived her as well.

Yun Shang closed her eyes as the painful memories overwhelmed her and tried to collect herself. She knew she had to hide all her feelings.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop thinking of how she swore vengeance as the life left her body on that cold and rainy night. Poisoned by her mother, hurt by her sister, betrayed by her husband and servants. It had all been overwhelming for Yun Shang. And yet, she had never imagined that she would return as her younger self to exact her revenge. Everything seemed so unreal that she believed it to be a dream. Ever since the moment she opened her eyes, she had done nothing but wait for death to wake her from this dream. However, as time went by, Yun Shang couldn't help noticing that everything she was experiencing was the same as when she was a child.

Did she truly get a second chance?

Yun Shang still remembered clearly that her younger self had fallen and blacked out for a few days. When she finally woke up, she heard that the Empress was so virtuous that she had taken the blame for her in front of the Emperor and asked to be punished. She was not Yun Shang's birth mother, yet she had protected her in more ways than Yun Shang could ever have dreamed of. After that accident, Yun Shang had become so grateful and grown a bond with the Empress. She accepted the Empress as her mother and did whatever she was told.

Now that Yun Shang had the opportunity to review all the events from her previous life, she accepted that the Empress had been in control of almost everything since the very beginning. Yun Shang's real mother had grown up with the Emperor and had later been conferred the title of Lady Jin. But she had somehow offended the Emperor and had been banished to the Cold Palace. It was then that Yun Shang had been taken in by the Empress as her ward.

The Empress had adored Yun Shang. She spoiled Yun Shang and pandered to her every need. Yun Shang, on the other hand, was becoming proud and arrogant, always making trouble. In the end, even the Emperor ran out of patience and at the first opportunity, married her to the man she had chosen soon after her Coming-of-age Ceremony. Yun Shang thought she would live happily ever after with the man she loved. But her mother-in-law didn't like her at all even though she was a Royal Princess. Given the fact that her mother-in-law always picked on her, Yun Shang had learnt to be very discreet.

Yun Shang sneered again. Even if it was only a dream, she would never allow herself to make the same mistakes. And everything they owed her, she swore to herself that she would take it back, bit by bit.

"Yun Shang, Yun Shang..." A melodious voice called to the young princess from outside. Shortly after, Yun Shang heard the servant's greeting, "Good day, Princess Hua Jing."

Startled, Yun Shang rose from her chair so abruptly that she accidentally bumped her dresser. As a trinket fell to the ground, Yun Shang realized that she had probably overreacted. Though it had been a few days since she had figured things out, Yun Shang still couldn't calm herself when she saw Princess Hua Jing.

"Sister..." A girl in purple soon ran into the room and stopped before Yun Shang. She took Yun Shang's hands and looked her up and down carefully before asking, "Are you feeling better? You are not fully recovered. How can you stand barefoot like this? Though it's pretty hot today, being barefoot will not help your health." Then she turned and ordered the maid standing behind, "Lian Xin, is this how you take care of your mistress? Quickly, go get my sister some shoes."

Yun Shang had been observing Hua Jing from the minute she walked into her room. Though she was just a little girl, Hua Jing looked exactly the way Yun Shang remembered her to be at that age. She looked adorable. One could hardly imagine that she would be capable of cruelty. Yun Shang then understood that it was impossible to really know other people only from their appearance.

Lian Xin was about to fetch shoes when Yun Shang disengaged Hua Jing's hands and went directly toward her bedchamber. She lay down on her bed with her eyes wide open.

Vaguely, she could hear Hua Jing's puzzled voice coming from outside, "What's going on? Is she still not feeling well?"

Then she heard Lian Xin's reply, "I'm not sure. Princess Yun Shang had been acting like this since she woke up. She's just been sitting there alone, motionlessly and she has hardly spoken. I was just talking to An, and he said that perhaps the Princess is possessed. We were discussing whether we should report to Her Majesty and find a good Taoist priest to expel the evil."

There was a moment of silence before Hua Jing agreed, "I'll talk to my mother at once..."

Then the world fell silent again. It seemed Hua Jing had left. Yun Shang closed her eyes and tried to pull herself together. She thought to herself, 'I must be strong enough if I want to take my revenge, starting with facing them calmly.'

The only problem was all the servants in Yun Shang's palace had been selected by the Empress. And she could trust none of them. Yun Shang knew clearly that she wouldn't survive if she was on her own, with not a single person by her side.

Who would help her?

In the dead of night, a small figure wrapped tightly in a black cloak quietly opened the door of the Nichang Palace and rushed out.

The figure crept through part of the inner court, and stopped at a secluded courtyard and knocked on the door. After a long time, a weary voice answered from inside, "Coming. Who is it?"

The door creaked open and an old maid in a grey dress looked out. The figure removed the cloak's hood and looked up at the old maid.

"Princess Yun Shang? Your Highness, why are you here at this time?" The old maid hurriedly looked around before pulling Yun Shang inside.

The interior was utterly bleak. There was nothing but a well and a tree in the yard, though everything was clean and in its proper order. Yun Shang had not been here in her last lifetime. But now, after a close look, she wanted to weep.

When she looked at the small building in the yard, she saw a dim yellow light from an oil lamp shimmering inside. Yun Shang paused, "You haven't slept yet?"

The old maid had been studying Yun Shang since she came in, and when she asked, she replied in a soft voice, "We are out of food. Her Highness intended to make some clothes for the eunuchs of the Shangshi Bureau*, in exchange for food."

(*TN: The ancient Chinese and Korean institutions responsible for the provision of royal meals.)

Yun Shang didn't ask any more questions. She walked towards the building and entered the door.

Inside the room there sat a young woman embroidering in the light of the oil lamp. She wore plain cyan clothes but still looked extraordinarily beautiful. As the door opened, she asked in a low voice, without raising her head, "Madam Zheng, who is knocking at the door at this late hour?"

Yun Shang couldn't help feeling sad. She walked forward, knelt on her knees and whispered, "Mother...... I am so sorry......"

The Empress had favored Yun Shang in her previous life. She had always hated her biological mother, a concubine in the Cold Palace*. Since losing favor with the Emperor, no one was allowed to speak about Lady Jin. When others asked Yun Shang about her mother, she always proudly claimed, "I am born with royal blood. And my mother is Her Majesty the Empress. How could that repulsive Lady Jin be my true mother!"

(*TN: the place where wives that have lost favor with the Emperor are sent.)

But now, she understood that criticism cut deeper than swords.

The woman heard Yun Shang's voice and quickly turned her head. She seemed to be in a daze when she saw the young princess. But then she stood up in a hurry, "Yun Shang! You must be Yun Shang!"

Yun Shang smiled and nodded. She had been separated from her mother at childhood. It was no wonder that her mother couldn't recognize her.

Before Yun Shang spoke, Lady Jin had already reached out to help her stand. When she saw the little princess was barefoot she exclaimed, "How can you run out of your palace at this hour? And you didn't even wear your shoes. What if you got ill due to the cold?"

Yun Shang lowered her head. Her eyes were sour with tears. However bad she been to her mother, Lady Jin still loved her. She couldn't help but think of her child, whom Mo Jingran had tossed out the window. He had was only six months old! Tears ran down her cheeks.

Lady Jin was worried when she saw Yun Shang's tears. She hurriedly raise a hand to help the young princess wipe away the tears, "Why are you crying? Were they bad to you? But I've heard the Empress treated you as she would her own daughter."

Yun Shang gritted her teeth and said, "No, mother, they were terrible to me. Their love is only a facade. A means to an end. By pampering me and spoiling me, they molded me into a proud and bossy girl. They taught me that the Four Arts* were boring so I would stop learning them. They pretended to be kind to me to make me more and more useless. The Empress personally selected my companions and caregivers so that she could watch me. They told me every day how generous and virtuous Her Majesty was, which blinded me to her faults. They also told me every day how her teacher was punishing princess Hua Jing. If I ever behaved well, the virtuous Empress would come and tell me that I could do whatever I want, that I could even beat or kill my servants if they displeased me. She also assured me that would always be under her protection. Mother, do you still think I am good? I'm eight years old now, but I still can't write, draw or play an instrument. Whereas Princess Hua Jing is already renowned in the Imperial City for her talents."

(*TN: In ancient China, high-born ladies were required to master skills in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.)

Lady Jin fell silent for a long time, and sighed, "It is all my fault."

Before she could speak more, a bell rang. Yun Shang rose in a hurry, "Mother, I have to go now. I'm merely visiting today. A few days ago, I had a bad fall and passed out for several days. When I woke up, I lied about having nightmares every night and forbade my servants from coming near me. Whenever the eunuchs and maids approached, I shouted curses at them. Now, they dare not come and check on me. I finally got the chance to visit you. But now they are about to get up, and I can't risk staying here any longer. I can't let you be punished because of me, mother." With these words Yun Shang hurried to the door.

"Yun Shang......" Yun Shang stopped and lowered her eyes when she heard her mother call. She turned back, removed a gold bracelet from her waist and handed it to Lady Jin, "Mother, I came out in a hurry, and didn't prepare anything for you. You can take this bracelet to exchange for some food. The servants in the palace are all greedy and heartless. I'm so sorry that you have had to suffer so. I'll find another chance to visit you again!" That said, Yun Shang slid her hood over her head and rushed into the darkness outside.

Lady Jin sat on the stool and watched Yun Shang leave. She didn't speak for a long time.

Madam Zheng asked, "Your Highness, what is the Princess's intention?"

Lady Jin sighed and raised her teary eyes, "Madam, am I too self-willed? In the beginning, I didn't want to see the Emperor taking new concubines into his harem. I didn't want to see him fall in love with another woman. So I chose to hide here, to be ignorant about everything. I thought I had escaped tough years. But I had forgotten about my little Yun Shang, who is of my blood, who is too young to protect herself from the others..."

Madam Zheng remained silent for a while, and said, "Your Highness, the harem has always been wicked and dangerous. You've despised meaningless disputes since childhood, and it was righteous for you to step aside from the ugliness. As for the Princess, I will try to find someone to protect her tomorrow. Your Highness was kind to many people before moving here. I'm sure I will find someone willing to help you. It would be better to have someone by her side."

Lady Jin nodded somewhat absent-mindedly.

Yun Shang breathed a sigh of relief when she snuck back into Ni Chang Palace undetected. She stopped at the gate and frowned as a thought struck her. She knew almost nothing about her birth mother and had never seen or asked about her before. All Yun Shang could only remember was that in her previous life, her mother had become seriously ill and had died before her Coming-of-age ceremony*. Yun Shang didn't know whether her visit would change her mother's fate or not. It didn't matter. Whatever little time she had with her mother, Yun Shang vowed to treat her mother well.

(*TN: In ancient China, when women are 15 years old, they use a hairpin to tie their hair to show that they have come of age.)

Returning to her chamber, Yun Shang put the black cloak into a chest, then sat on her bed. She thought of an idea, and in her excitement, Yun Shang ran out to the inner hall, barefoot. Yun Shang narrowed her eyes and glared at the lamps. She then raised her hand and pushed them down on to the carpet. Yun Shang hurried back to her chamber and crouched in her bed to feign sleep.

"The palace is on fire! The palace is on fire!" A cry of alarm called out. Before long, chaos overran Ni Chang Palace. A voice shouted, "Hurry! The Princess is still in her chamber!" "Find the Princess!"

Yun Shang got out of her bed. Standing at the door of her chamber, she looked at the fire with a smile.

She thought she had died with regret in her past life. But she had been reborn. Given God's arrangement, she would never again allow anyone to control her. Hadn't these two women been obsessed with power and wealth? She was going to take away what they had now, bit by bit.