A Precious Pearl in the Imperial City

T/L: I just realized that I forgot to schedule this chapter… Sorry! 

“Zhuzhu ah.” Eldest Uncle Ming pressed his wide sleeves and raised his hand to pour a cup of tea for Chen Wang: “His Highness Chen Wang came to discuss something with Uncle. So… ”

 

“Eldest Uncle, the matter must be really important. You should take your time to speak with His Highness.” Jiuzhu stood up: “I will go get some fruits and light refreshments.”

 

“Meimei.” Ming Cunfu chased after Jiuzhu and discovered her skillfully climbing up the wall and jumping off to the other side. He wordlessly covered his face with his sleeves and sighed.

 

“Little Young Master.” A servant walked up to him from behind: “Master wishes for you to go to his study and take out his books on the art of war.”

 

“Books on the art of war?” A bad premonition emerged in his heart. Father is not talking about those things he wrote himself, right?

 

“Did he specify exactly which one?”

 

“Master said that those books are the ones on the top third row of the fifth shelf from the left.”

 

It is indeed those things.

 

Ming Cunfu went to his father’s study, found the top third row of the fifth shelf from the left, took out all the books in it, and patted away the dust on it. The flying dust made him cough again and again.

 

“Does he wish to lend books to His Highness to read or to throw them away as garbage?” Ming Cunfu was very worried that one day his dad would be exiled to the border again because he had offended Chen Wang.

 

He took down a carved wooden box from the adjacent shelf. After the books were all fully packed in the box, they barely seemed to be a rare and valuable collection of original works.

 

When he came to the yard with the books in his arms, the stone table was already filled with fruits and other refreshments. His little cousin sister was holding a teapot and pouring tea for Chen Wang, who had peeled a tangerine segment and was about to deliver it straight into her mouth.

 

“Father, Son has brought the books.” Ming Cunfu put them down and easily took the teapot from his little cousin sister’s hand: “Your Highness, please drink some tea.”

 

Chen Wang glanced at Ming Cunfu, handed the peeled tangerine segment to Jiuzhu, and turned to Ming Jinghai. He asked, “Lord Ming, is your esteemed son planning on taking the imperial examination?”

 

Ming Jinghai nodded.

 

“A scholar’s time is as precious as gold. So you don’t need to accompany me, little Ming gongzi.” Chen Wang lowered his head and peeled the rest of the tangerine and stuffed it into Jiuzhu’s hand: “Ming gongzi, you can go and review your lessons first.”

 

After rushing back to the study, Ming Cunfu touched the banknotes on his body and glanced at the wall outside the window. He rolled up his sleeves in order to climb out through the window.

 

Although it was unseemly for a scholar to climb windows and walls, there was no need to be so particular for the woman he admired.

 

“Master!” A servant hurried into the yard, “Little Young Master fell and hurt his leg!”

 

“How did it happen?” Ming Jinghai usually disapproved of his son verbally, but now, he had already stood up reflexively and started walking toward the servant.

 

“Young Master missed his footing and fell down while climbing the wall.”

 

“His bone was dislocated but this old man has already shifted it back to position.” The imperial physician wrapped a bandage around Ming Cunfu’s leg and washed his hands: “Lord Ming, don’t worry. Your esteemed  son is fine but he is just unable to move around for the time being and needs to recuperate at home.” 

 

“Thank you for your trouble, Lord He.” Ming Jinghai accompanied the imperial physician out of the room and had the steward see off the latter before he sighed. Young people are too weak nowadays.

 

Chen Wang did not expect that the first time he stepped into Ming Jinghai’s residence, his son would fall and injure himself. He silently glanced at Ming Jinghai: Did Ming Xiaozhu’s eldest Uncle believe in those ignorant superstitions and suspect that he was the reason why this incident took place…

 

“You’re really something to fall off a wall that reaches your waist.” Ming Jinghai walked back inside and covered Ming Cunfu with a quilt while scolding him mercilessly: “Even Jiuzhu’s dog can jump over our yard’s wall.”

 

Ming Cunfu: “……”

 

It is not a dog, it is Jiuzhu’s most beloved white pony. And it can’t jump over the fence either. 

 

Chen Wang silently picked up the heavy box of books, stood up and said, “Take good care of your esteemed son, Lord Ming. Ben Wang will take his leave now.”

 

He should leave early so that Ming Jinghai would not start feeling that all this was his fault.

 

Scholars loved to overthink1T/N: Am I a scholar too then? :’), so he must be careful around them. 

 

“Your Highness, I’ll see you off.” Jiuzhu stood up.

 

“Jiuzhu, wait.” Ming Cunfu stretched out his hand from under the quilt, and grabbed Jiuzhu’s sleeve tightly: “Do sixth Brother a small favor.”

 

Jiuzhu turned to look at Ming Cunfu. Chen Wang stopped in his tracks too. 

 

“Sixth Brother, you just have to open your mouth if you want me to do something.” Jiuzhu was rather fond of this elder brother of hers called Ming Cunfu. He took care of her wholeheartedly on the way back to the capital from Lingzhou. Worried that she would find it difficult to adjust after returning, he also told her about the people in the family, the plants and trees in the residence every day, and even how they missed her.

 

“It’s not some big deal.” Although Ming Cunfu felt a little embarrassed in front of his father and an outsider, Chen Wang, he took out an anthology of poetry from under his pillow: “A few days ago, Zhou guniang was looking for this book. I just happened to have it so I planned to send it over today but unfortunately, I hurt my leg. Help me pass it to her.” 

 

“No problem.” Jiuzhu stuffed the book into her arms: “I’m going to give it to her now.”

 

“Also, don’t go to the Zhou residence. You will find Zhou guniang in Qingyun Teahouse instead.” Ming Cunfu fished out the banknote worth forty taels of silver that hadn’t even warmed up to his body temperature, and then another twenty taels of silver which he had saved after a month’s effort: “Accompany her to pick out some jewelry. If you like something, you can buy it too. It will be… on sixth Brother.” 

 

“Thank you, sixth Brother.” After Jiuzhu took the pouch and then again took the twenty taels, she discovered there was no longer any tugging.

 

“Take it and spend however you like. Particularly, you must buy something if it catches Zhou guniang’s attention. Don’t try to save money on my behalf.” Ming Cunfu let go of his hand and closed his eyes: “You can leave.” 

 

“Alright.” She put away the banknote and pouch: “Sixth Brother is really generous.”

 

In response, Ming Cunfu silently pulled the quilt over his face.

 

“I have forty taels on me. Sixth Brother gave me sixty taels, so it adds up to one hundred taels.” Jiuzhu clutched the heavy pouch and strode out of the entrance with unusually brisk footsteps.

 

Chen Wang, who was following her, snorted softly. Only a hundred taels of silver made her forget about him. Could he not even compare to a hundred taels?

 

“So happy?” Quickening his pace and walking up to Jiuzhu’s side, Chen Wang crossed his arms across his chest and said: “Ben Wang is leaving ah.”

 

“En en.” Jiuzhu nodded with a big smile: “Take care, Your Highness.”

 

“Have something you want to say to Ben Wang?” Chen Wang took two leisurely steps and looked back at Jiuzhu.

 

“Ah?” Jiuzhu looked at him blankly: “Say what?”

 

“It’s nothing.” He turned around and mounted his horse. “Have fun with your friend. Ben Wang is going back to the Ministry of Rites.”

 

Women are all little liars. Didn’t she previously say that Your Highness Chen Wang is the best? Now that she has a hundred taels and a close friend, she didn’t even wish to speak a few words to him.

 

Hmph, he was a grown man. He would rather save trouble by speaking fewer words than bother to squabble with this little guniang. 

 

Holding the pouch, Jiuzhu looked at the dust blown by the horse’s hooves and waved to Chen Wang’s departing figure.

 

Chen Wang turned his head. He looked at the waving figure at the entrance, raised his horsewhip and swung it twice perfunctorily before disappearing at the corner of the street.

 

“His Highness seemed a little unhappy.” Jiuzhu frowned: “Could it be that work at the Ministry of Rites is too arduous?”

 

Touching the poetry anthology in his arms, she felt that she should better deliver it on her sixth Brother’s behalf. She couldn’t possibly make Zhou jiejie doubt his affection because of her own sluggishness.

 

Upon reaching the teahouse, Jiuzhu immediately spotted Zhou Xiao looking towards the door.

 

“Zhou jiejie.” She rushed all the way to Zhou Xiao, panting a little: “I kept you waiting for a long time.”

 

Zhou Xiao glanced behind her and replied with a slightly lonely smile on her face: “First, sit down and have some tea. Now tell me, why are you in such a hurry and not even accompanied by a maid?”

 

“I am running errands for sixth Brother today.” Jiuzhu took out the anthology and handed it to Zhou Xiao: “After he heard that you were looking for this book, he scoured most of the bookshops in the city and was finally able to find it.”

 

This process of embellishing how her older brother found the book should not be considered a lie since she, his younger sister was just helping him out. 

 

Zhou Xiao opened the book and took a glance with a shy smile: “It’s such a trivial matter. You didn’t need to rush from so far especially for this.”

 

“I originally didn’t have to make this trip.” Jiuzhu drank tea: “Brother didn’t want me to tell you, but I don’t think this kind of thing should be hidden. This morning, he accidentally fell down and hurt his leg. The imperial physician asked him to rest at home for a few days, so he pulled my sleeve and refused to let go, asking me to make sure that I hand over this book to jiejie.”

 

“He is hurt?” Zhou Xiao threw the book aside and grabbed Jiuzhu’s hand, “How is the injury? What did the imperial physician say?”

 

“Jiejie, don’t worry. He just dislocated his bone. The imperial physician has already set it back.” Jiuzhu quickly patted the back of Zhou Xiao’s hand, and shook the pouch Ming Cunfu gave her: “Before I left, sixth Brother specially asked me to take you to buy something. He gave me all this money, so if you don’t spend it, I will fail to give him a satisfactory answer after I return.”

 

Hearing that Ming Cunfu was fine, Zhou Xiao’s complexion gradually recovered, but all her interest in shopping was gone.

 

“Please, jiejie. Just accompany me.” Jiuzhu tugged her arm: “If you don’t spend anything, I won’t be able to do so too. Then today will be tantamount to making a trip on my legs for nothing. Have pity on me, okay?”

 

“Alright. I cannot let meimei suffer losses.” Zhou Xiao was amused by Jiuzhu: “Then let’s go.”

 

She carefully stowed the poetry anthology into her arms and left the teahouse hand in hand with Jiuzhu.

 

Seeing this, Jiuzhu squinted and smiled, dragging Zhou Xiao into a jewelry shop.

 

“It took so much effort to plant people into Yun Duqing’s residence and now you are telling me that he no longer uses incense?”

 

“Master, us subordinates also didn’t expect Chen Wang to abruptly change his hobby and throw out all the spices from his residence. Could it be that he got information in advance and made this move?”

 

“You mean to say that there is a mole among you?”

 

“Master misunderstood. This subordinate meant to say that our people found Qi Wang’s people in Chen Wang’s residence.”

 

“Could it be that Yun Yanze secretly helped Yun Duqing?”

 

“This subordinate doesn’t think it is impossible.”

 

“I recall that Yun Yanze has gone to search the residence of a certain official. If a member of his family suddenly gets violent and tries to injure someone, what do you think are the odds of injuring him?”

 

“Jiejie looks really pretty wearing this bracelet.” Jiuzhu and Zhou Xiao walked out of the jewelry shop: “It’s a pity that I was the one to see this beautiful scene. Do you think sixth brother will envy me?”

 

“Don’t try to make fun of me. Your marriage with His Highness Chen Wang will be held on the second day of next year’s second month.” Zhou Xiao squeezed Jiuzhu’s tender cheeks: “Who will laugh at whom then?”

 

“What’s so funny about marriage?” Jiuzhu asked in confusion, “It’s a joyful thing for two people who like each other to live together ah.”

 

Her eyes were clear like the lake water that had never been contaminated. And when she uttered the word ‘like’, there was no desire or selfish thoughts, only pure happiness and innocence.

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1T/N: Am I a scholar too then? :’)