A Precious Pearl in the Imperial City

It is well known among scholars that aristocratic families love to host refined gatherings where they don wide-sleeved robes, drink wine, and sip tea, all in an air of cultivated elegance.

Yet they look down upon scholars of humble origins, considering them vulgar and unworthy of sitting among their company.

"The imperial princes are all confined within the palace. We can only guess at His Majesty's intentions," Family Head A remarked, flicking his wide sleeve as he lifted a wine cup and admired the scenery. "The peach blossoms bloom late in the mountains—far more enchanting than the view below."

A maidservant at his side refilled his cup.

"Brother Du," Family Head A raised his wine cup. "Come, let us drink."

"Wine is unnecessary. The tea here is excellent, and the view even better," Du Qingke swirled the tea in his cup. "I wonder, are the esteemed family heads in good spirits today?"

"What do you mean by that, Brother Du?"

"Nothing in particular. Only that I’ve heard a certain prince in the palace has been assisting His Majesty in reviewing memorials lately," Du Qingke poured his tea onto the grass beside him. "If you keep debating like this, you’ll still have nothing useful to say by the time the new emperor ascends the throne."

"What a pity the Fourth Prince has fallen from favor. Had he remained, his temperament would have ensured our aristocratic families were treated with respect upon his enthronement," Family Head B sighed. "Ruined by the Zheng family—he’ll never touch the throne now."

"It must not be Prince Huai. Over the years, he has grown close to those upstarts from humble backgrounds, often ignoring us old aristocratic families altogether."

A servant poured Du Qingke another cup of tea. As the family heads murmured among themselves, he lazily observed a pair of butterflies flitting through the distant flowers.

"If it weren’t for the assassination attempt on the Fourth Prince, none of the subsequent troubles would have arisen."

"Who can say who was truly behind it? All four princes had their stipends reduced, and the Fourth Prince was demoted from prince to commandery prince—there must be more to it than meets the eye."

Du Qingke smiled faintly but paid them no mind. He reached out, attempting to catch a butterfly fluttering past him, but such beautiful creatures have wings—human hands can seldom grasp them.

His smile faded slightly as he noticed figures approaching along the distant path. His relaxed posture straightened into one of dignified composure.

"Well, Fifth Brother?" Prince An panted as he climbed the hill. "Isn’t the scenery here particularly splendid?"

He glanced at his composed younger brother and sister-in-law, then at his own energetic princess consort, before stiffening his back to feign ease. "The peach blossoms below have already withered, but up here, they’re still in full bloom."

Upon ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‍hearing that Princess Consort of Chen enjoyed peach blossoms, he had gone out of his way to find this spot and invited them for a hike.

Brotherly affection, after all, is nurtured through such gestures.

Jiuzhu looked at Prince An, whose legs were visibly trembling from exhaustion, yet he pretended otherwise. Unable to bring herself to deny the beauty of the place, she nodded. "The verdant hills and vibrant blossoms make for a rare and splendid sight."

Pleased by her praise, Prince An smiled in relief—his efforts had not been in vain.

The mountain wind was strong, their sleeves fluttering noisily. In the distance, Jiuzhu spotted a flat clearing where several men sat on the ground, dressed in loose, carefree robes that should have lent them an air of scholarly abandon. Instead, their hair was tousled wildly by the wind, some strands thinning so much they looked almost… unsavory.

A young attendant, unfamiliar with Prince Chen and Prince An, stepped forward to intercept them. "Esteemed guests, several family heads are holding a refined gathering here. Might you kindly take another path?"

"Ha!" Prince An stared at the attendant. "Under the Son of Heaven’s very feet, someone dares to shoo us away?"

"Is this mountain private property?" Prince Chen asked.

The attendant shook his head.

"Then why should we take another path?" Ignoring the attendant, Prince Chen took Jiuzhu’s hand and strode past him toward the family heads.

"Even if it were private, your masters should welcome us with open arms," Prince An chuckled at the attendant’s indignation. "All land under heaven belongs to the sovereign—don’t you know that?"

Even the Emperor’s bedchamber was open to Prince Chen at will, let alone a mere mountain.

"Noble guests, please sto—"

With a metallic hiss, the Imperial Guards drew their blades. The attendant fell silent at the sight of the gleaming steel.

Hearing the unsheathing of weapons, the conversing family heads startled, setting down their cups to scrutinize the unexpected arrivals.

"Your Highnesses Prince Chen, Prince An." Du Qingke rose and approached with a bow. "This humble official greets you and your princess consorts."

Prince Chen spared him a glance before looking past him at the seated family heads.

"How unfortunate," Prince Chen arched a brow. "I’ve interrupted your leisure."

The family heads hurried to their feet to bow.

"You honor us too much, Your Highness. We were merely enjoying tea and the scenery. If you would deign to join us, we would be honored to share a humble cup," one said, eyeing the armed guards. "But blades are perilous—spare the poor attendant his fright."

"Yet the moment we ascended, you demanded we detour," Prince Chen laughed softly. "One might think your presence alone bars others from passing."

"Lord Du, this empire bears the surname Yun," he stepped past Du Qingke. "The realm belongs to our Yun family, and to all its people. Your esteemed families act with undue presumption."

The family heads: "…"

Was it not excessive for him, backed by armed guards, to accuse them of overbearing behavior?

"The attendant was ignorant. I beg Your Highness’s forgiveness," Du Qingke clasped his hands in apology.

Prince Chen ignored him, turning instead to Jiuzhu. "Little Ming Pig, shall I have someone catch you a butterfly or two to play with?"

"Butterflies?" Jiuzhu reached up and effortlessly plucked one from the air, holding it out to Prince Chen but keeping it from his touch. "Though beautiful, this kind feeds on poisonous plants. The powder on their wings is toxic—best not to touch it, Your Highness."

With that, she opened her fingers, and the butterfly fluttered away in haste.

"You grabbed a poisonous butterfly with your bare hands?" Prince Chen’s expression darkened as he pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her hands clean. "Have you lost your senses?"

"You mentioned wanting to catch one, so I thought I’d show you," Jiuzhu replied, washing her hands with water poured by an attending eunuch.

Prince An gaped at the scene. His sister-in-law had caught a butterfly—alive!—with her bare hands. What manner of skill was this?

Prince Chen had seen palace ladies chase butterflies in the imperial gardens and assumed Jiuzhu might enjoy the same. He hadn’t expected this reaction. Fetching a fresh handkerchief, he dried her hands. "Very well, my mistake."

His mistake for bringing it up.

Jiuzhu’s gaze drifted to where the family heads had been seated. Wine cups and fruit lay scattered about, and several thinly clad women knelt on the ground, their foreheads pressed to the earth, their faces and ages indiscernible.

The mountain wind howled, and she feared it might sweep them away.

"Who are these women?" Princess Consort An also noticed the kneeling figures.

"Reporting to Princess Consort An, these are the wine-pouring girls purchased from Lingzhou," answered a drunken Family Head A with a tipsy grin. "Lingzhou boasts not only beautiful landscapes but even more beautiful women. The wine poured by their delicate, boneless hands carries an exceptional fragrance."

Hearing this, Du Qingke frowned. What an idiot—how could he say such things in front of the two princess consorts? Especially when Princess Consort Chen had grown up in Lingzhou.

"Speaking of Lingzhou women, their waists are soft, their beauty unmatched—"

Prince Chen kicked him hard, sending him tumbling across the ground, his drunkenness knocked out of him in an instant.

"Your Highness, forgive this lowly official! I spoke recklessly under the influence of wine!" The man scrambled to his knees, not daring to stand.

The other family heads fell silent, none daring to utter a word.

Du Qingke sneered inwardly at their cowardly display.

These useless, spineless fools still dream of restoring their families' former glory?

"Drinking harms the body, and drunkenness leads to loose tongues," Prince Chen said coldly, not even glancing at the man he had kicked. "Though you hold no high-ranking court positions, you are still officials of the court. Drinking and reveling in the wilderness—what kind of behavior is this?"

He gestured to the Imperial Guards. "Check who among them is drunk. Record their names and report them to the Ministry of Personnel—strip them of their positions."

"Your Highness—" Another family head gasped in shock.

"What?" Prince Chen arched a brow. "You don’t seem drunk. Would you like to join them in being dismissed?"

The man, who had intended to plead for his companions, immediately lowered his head in silence.

Prince An, standing nearby, glanced at the family heads and shook his head inwardly.

The saying "wine brings trouble" held truth. Had they not been drunk, who would have dared to speak of Lingzhou women in such a way in front of Prince Chen?

Was there anyone left in the capital who didn’t know of Prince Chen’s deep affection for his princess consort?

"The most beautiful scenery is meaningless without the right mood to appreciate it," Prince Chen turned to Jiuzhu. "Jiuzhu, let’s go elsewhere—"

Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream tore through the air.

Jiuzhu turned in surprise, but Prince Chen swiftly covered her eyes.

"Don’t look," he murmured, pulling her into his embrace as he watched the family head convulse on the ground, clutching his neck.

In extreme pain and terror, a person’s face could twist into something monstrous. Embedded in the man’s neck was a golden hairpin—its entire length buried deep, leaving only the ornamented tip visible.

The one who had stabbed him was none other than the "delicate, boneless" wine-pouring girl he had praised moments ago.

No one could fathom the depth of hatred that had driven this frail-looking woman to strike so viciously.

"Stay back!" The wine-pouring girl retreated to the cliff’s edge, her voice trembling. "When you bought me, you promised to treat my little sister’s illness. But the moment I signed the contract, you threw her from the carriage!"

"You beasts—you all deserve to die!" Her shoulders shook violently—not just from fear, but from fury. She had hesitated before, knowing that if she acted, the other Lingzhou girls would suffer.

But when this prince and his consort appeared, when Prince Chen kicked that beastly family head to the ground—she knew her chance had come.

With nobles like them present, these monsters wouldn’t dare retaliate against the other girls.

"You call yourselves noble families, lofty and untouchable, but you’re nothing but animals!" Her thin robes fluttered in the wind. "You will pay for this!"

With that, she turned to leap off the cliff.

"Stop her!" The Imperial Guards lunged forward—but they were too late.

Or so they thought.

Princess Consort Chen yanked her back.

Wait—

Princess Consort Chen had pulled her back?!

"No matter the grievance, it should be resolved by the authorities," Jiuzhu pinned the desperate girl to the ground, preventing another attempt. "Don’t you want to see these criminals face justice?"

"Princess Consort, this woman is a murderer," Du Qingke spoke up, studying the seemingly naive royal consort for the first time. "Even if handed to the authorities, as a servant who killed her master, she faces execution."

"Her guilt and punishment are for the law to decide," Jiuzhu replied without looking up.

"If she helps uncover major crimes, she may yet redeem herself," Prince Chen ordered the Imperial Guards to take the wine-pouring girls away. The convulsing family head was also restrained—shielded from the princess consorts’ view.

He leaned close to Jiuzhu’s ear. "You," he whispered, "are trying to scare me to death, aren’t you?" She had darted out faster than a monkey before he could react.

"Don’t worry, Your Highness," Jiuzhu whispered back. "I’m strong. These family heads should all be thoroughly investigated."

"Second Brother," Prince Chen approached Prince An. "Today’s scenery was indeed... unique."

Prince An’s face was ashen. He clung to his princess consort, unable to speak for a long moment.

He had only wanted to follow his younger brother for a pleasant outing—not witness a hairpin stabbing.

Du Qingke watched the arrested family heads being led away, his smile vanishing entirely.

What kind of fools were these?

Instead of being useful, they had only dragged everyone down.

"Second Brother," Prince Chen asked quietly, "who told you the peach blossoms here were in full bloom?"