A Precious Pearl in the Imperial City

For a while, Zhou Xiao was stunned; she didn’t know what to say.

 

“There is a snack vendor in front.” Jiuzhu let go of Zhou Xiao’s arm: “Zhou jiejie, I’ll go buy some. Wait for me.”

 

Zhou Xiao stood where she was and saw Jiuzhu buy several kinds of snacks after tasting each one. Finally, she returned with a full and bulging large oil paper bag.

 

“Why did you buy so much? Can you even finish it?” Zhou Xiao asked doubtfully.

 

“It’s not for me.” Jiuzhu held the oiled paper bag: “This is for His Highness and Father. They have many coworkers in the Ministry of Rites. There won’t be much left after sharing with everyone. Ah, come to think of it, Uncle Zhou is also an official of the Ministry of Rites, right?”

 

“Especially His Highness, he is a junior in the Ministry of Rites, sharing food with the other lords can promote good relations.” Jiuzhu explained seriously: “Master said, no matter how high or low one’s status is, one cannot follow a solitary path. Even if a person is quite versatile, if there is no support around him, he will not be able to succeed.”

 

Zhou Xiao nodded after a moment of silence: “Your Master must be a learned person.”

 

“Perhaps.” Recalling how her two masters compared each other’s laziness in order not to wash the dishes, Jiuzhu’s tone was a little uncertain.

 

In their opinion, books were not worth much. So whoever they taught her to write, they would always use a sand tray. 

 

One didn’t ask why. It was because they were too poor and needed to save paper and ink.

 

Hearing the noise of weeping and begging for mercy from afar, Jiuzhu asked Zhou Xiao: “Jiejie, do you hear the cries of women and children?”

 

“Don’t go over.” Zhou Xiao pulled Jiuzhu back: “Some guilty official’s residence is being raided there.”

 

Ming Jinghai had just returned to the capital yesterday, and today this official’s residence was searched. Anyone could guess that this person must have colluded with officials from other places and done something to harm the common people.

 

His title of the ‘Black-faced Fiend’ was not in vain. Of the corrupt officials he discovered, not one of them had a good ending.

 

“Raided?” Jiuzhu got even more curious. She had never seen a residence being raided before: “Jiejie, how about we stand at a distance and watch?”

 

“Okay.” Zhou Xiao didn’t want to admit it either, but she was also quite curious. 

 

Everyone likes to watch such lively scenes. There was nothing wrong with it, was there?

 

The people in the capital were not surprised by such things as searching and confiscating residences. Since Emperor Longfeng took the throne, he had many corrupt officials arrested. Anyway, this decrease in the number of corrupt officials ultimately resulted in the lives of the ordinary people getting better. 

 

The Imperial Guards had surrounded the entrance. The bystanders did not dare to get too close, so they crowded together and hid in corners to peek at the noisy affair.

 

“Who is that young gongzi standing at the door? He is really handsome.”

 

“The guan1Guan [冠] – A type of hair ornament worn by the adult men of the noble families. Looks like this: he is wearing is even inlaid with gems! He must be really rich.”

 

“Don’t talk nonsense. He is the well-known virtuous and kind prince, His Highness Qi Wang.”

 

“Is he the one who subdued bandits and topped the imperial examination?”

 

“The one who became the zhuangyuan and donated a lot of money to the academy is Chen Wang. Are you really from the capital? You don’t even know this clearly.” 

 

“If Chen Wang was the one who subdued bandits and donated silver to the academy, why is Qi Wang known as a virtuous prince? Is it because of His Majesty’s partiality ah?”

 

“Don’t talk nonsense. Do you not wish to live any longer?!”

 

“Your Highness, we have roughly confiscated 612,000 taels of fine silver and several pieces of jade jewelry from Wang residence. The exact numbers still need to be inspected carefully.” The officials of the Ministry of Revenue presented a record book to Qi Wang.

 

Qi Wang’s expression turned a little grave: “To accumulate so much silver of corruption as the imperial court’s official… How hateful!”

 

The officials did not dare to speak arbitrarily. This Lord Wang was the husband of Princess Roude’s husband’s paternal aunt and was thus, distantly related to the imperial family.

 

That was perhaps the reason why Lord Wang was brazen enough to collude with officials from other parts of the country and ultimately had to lose his head.

 

But in cases like this, a lot of people would be implicated from top to bottom. And if by any chance, a member of the imperial family was involved…

 

“Continue to investigate.” Qi Wang cupped his hands and bowed toward the imperial Palace: “Before Ben Wang set off, Father Emperor instructed that regardless of who is involved in this case, all will be severely punished.”

 

“Your Highness, there was a newborn in the Wang residence’s backyard. You see this…”

 

“The women, the elderly and the children are to be detained separately.” Glancing at the infant crying endlessly in the official’s arms, Qi Wang decided to do a favor for Princess Roude’s husband: “Put the child with its mother.”

 

“Yes, xiaguan understands.” The official turned around and conveyed the prince’s intention to the minor official.

 

Looking at these terrified people in manacles and leg-irons, Qi Wang thought back to his childhood. At that time, when he was imprisoned in a small courtyard with his Mother Consort, she would often sit in the room weeping and chanting something about regret.

 

Later, his Mother Consort stopped crying, and would often take out meat and pastries for him to eat inside the room. 

 

She told him that not only did his uncle sneak those into the backyard, but that he also had a way to rescue them.

 

But she never told him what he would do to save them, because not long after, there was news of a rebellion. Rivers of blood flowed in the Palace, countless princes were involved and the ultimate winner turned out to be his Father Emperor.

 

Later in the imperial Palace, when he asked her about this matter, his Mother Consort’s expression suddenly became particularly unsightly. And since then, he never inquired about that matter again.

 

He disliked watching women cry just as he disliked the two years he was confined in his father’s princely residence when he was young.

 

“Your Highness, Your Highness.” A shackled woman saw him and kowtowed again and again: “Please help me. My child is sick, please take pity on him and give him some medicine.”

 

The woman knocked her head too violently. Within a short period of kowtowing, blood oozed out of her forehead and dripped down beside her eyes, making her look both sinister and pitiful.

 

Qi Wang looked at this scene indifferently. However, under the watchful eyes of everyone, he had no choice but to put on a benevolent expression and walk over to the kowtowing woman.

 

“Jiuzhu, quickly help me to fix my hairpin, it’s gotten crooked because of all the push and pull.”

 

Jiuzhu?

 

When he was two steps away from the woman, Qi Wang suddenly halted at the sound of a familiar name and turned to look at the crowd.

 

At this moment, the woman who was still kowtowing suddenly brought her mouth near her sleeve, fished out a sharp knife, and charged at Qi Wang.

 

He took a step back subconsciously, narrowly escaping the sharp knife that was supposed to cut his throat. It only managed to slash his chest. 

 

Soon, blood stained his lapel red. He looked down at the injury and tapped the wound with his fingertips. The feeling of pain was quickly transmitted to his brain the moment he touched the blood.

 

“Protect His Highness!”

 

The onlookers were stunned by this sudden turn of events. Afraid of being marked as assassins by the Imperial Guards and put into prison, everyone lost the mood of watching and fled.

 

They still had the opportunity of witnessing such raids in the future but getting imprisoned due to one was not very worthwhile.

 

“Ss–” Seeing that most of Qi Wang’s chest was dyed red with blood, Jiuzhu gasped, and whispered to Zhou Xiao, “That woman does not seem to be an ordinary person.”

 

Is it too difficult to realize that it is unusual for an ordinary woman bound in manacles and leg-irons to kowtow repeatedly?

 

Is Qi Wang a fool who failed to notice such an obvious loophole?

 

“We need to leave quickly. Let’s not talk about it now.” Zhou Xiao was about to run and drag Jiuzhu along.

 

“Please wait a moment, both of you. Who are you?” Seeing that the onlookers had more or less all run away, but two young girls in brocade dresses still standing in place, the Imperial Guards promptly stepped in front of them.

 

“Be courteous. These two guniangs are the honored daughters of Assistant Minister Zhou and Assistant Minister Ming of the Ministry of Rites.” Qi Wang covered the wound on his chest, his face pale: “Zhou guniang, Ming guniang, this place is dangerous. Please leave as early as possible.”

 

Jiuzhu glanced at the woman who tried to assassinate Qi Wang, lying on the ground without moving. It was unknown whether she was dead or alive.

 

Suddenly, as if she had thought of something, Jiuzhu lifted her dress and started running.

 

“Ming meimei, where are you going?” Zhou Xiao chased after her.

 

“I’m worried that His Highness might also be in danger, so I’ll go to the Ministry of Rites and take a look first.” Jiuzhu said hastily. She had already run a long way, but she never let go of the snacks in her hand.

 

Qi Wang looked at Ming Jiuzhu who was running on the street without a care for propriety and frowned, putting a hand over his wound.

 

“Your Highness, please go to the yard and lie down first. The imperial physician will be here soon.” The deputy commander of the Imperial Guards turned deathly pale with fright. He even trembled when he spoke.

 

“It’s alright. This is only a superficial injury; she failed to stab. General need not worry.” With the support of the deputy commander, Qi Wang lay down on the soft couch temporarily prepared in the inner courtyard.

 

Hearing the panicked voices around him, he squinted. Which good brother of his plotted against him today?

 

Or was it some niangniang of the Palace who wanted to solve her son’s difficulties?

 

“Your Highness!” As soon as Chen Wang came out of the gate of the Ministry of Rites’ bureau, Jiuzhu rushed to him as fast as a gust of wind.

 

She pulled him behind the gate, and looked around nervously: “Your Highness, the guards of the Ministry of Rites are all very powerful, right?”

 

“Of course, these guards are carefully selected by the Longying Guards.” Seeing her gasp for breath, her flushed cheeks, and her forehead was covered with sweat, Chen Wang took out a handkerchief and wiped off her sweat. He pretended to be disgusted and said, “How did you get yourself into this state?”

 

Didn’t she leave to meet her friend in the morning and not even want to say a few words to him?

 

And now she knew to come to him?

 

“It’s nothing. I just ran a little too fast when I was coming.” Jiuzhu shook her head: “Your Highness, listen to me first. You must take your guards with you when you leave your residence in the future. Don’t approach unknown people alone, the capital is really too dangerous.”

 

Noticing her odd tone, Chen Wang stuffed the dirty handkerchief into his sleeve, turned around and let his attendant fetch a dry cloth handkerchief: “What’s the matter?”

 

“When I stepped out after buying some jewelry with Zhou jiejie. I joined in the fun and was looking at a residence being raided, but I unexpectedly saw Qi Wang being stabbed in the chest and bleeding a lot.” Jiuzhu spoke anxiously: “He is a prince, and so are you. What if a bad person wants to hurt you too?”

 

“You are coming from the Wang residence?!” Chen Wang voice rose, “You ran all the way from Wang residence to the Ministry of Rites?”

 

Perplexed, Jiuzhu blinked: “Wh-what’s wrong?”

 

She asked him what was wrong?

 

From Wang residence to the Ministry of Rites, even by carriage, it would take more than half a shichen.

 

She ran so far just to tell him this?

 

“I’m relieved to see that Your Highness is fine.” Jiuzhu stuffed the oil paper bag into Chen Wang’s hand: “Your Highness, take these snacks and share them with your colleagues. I tasted before buying them, they all taste very good.”

 

“Ming Jiuzhu.” Chen Wang stretched out his hand, gently wiped the dust on her cheek with his fingertips, and asked in a gentle voice, “Are you a little fool ah?”

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1Guan [冠] – A type of hair ornament worn by the adult men of the noble families. Looks like this: