A Precious Pearl in the Imperial City-Chapter 64

Roude had no desire to meet the daughter of the Ming Family who had been raised outside the capital. In her eyes, those who grew up in small towns carried an unshakable rustic air about them.

Yet reality forced her to swallow her pride.

Ever since the incident involving the family of her Imperial son-in-law uncle, she and her own Imperial son-in-law had been implicated. Some even suspected her involvement, given her strained relationship with the birth mother of the Fourth Prince.

Today, Consort Su—no, Empress Su—had granted her permission to leave the palace to visit her Imperial son-in-law. Only then did she learn that his entire family had been placed under the control of the Imperial Guards. Even her request to summon him to the princess’s residence had been denied.

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She knew the matter was far-reaching, and few dared to intervene. The only ones she could turn to were Empress Su and Prince Chen.

Empress Su had never treated the princes and princesses harshly, but neither was she particularly warm toward them. As for Prince Chen, he was even less likely to give her face—he might even publicly mock her for wishful thinking.

So, she had no choice but to pin her hopes on Ming Jiuzhu.

By now, the entire capital knew how pleased Empress Su was with her future daughter-in-law. Not only did she elevate Ming Jiuzhu at every opportunity, but she had also explicitly instructed noblewomen to look after her.

On New Year’s Eve, Prince Chen had personally escorted Ming Jiuzhu into the palace. Their affectionate behavior made it clear they were deeply attached to each other.

Some speculated that Empress Su and her son treated Ming Jiuzhu so well to court Bu Wenchen’s favor, signaling their goodwill toward the civil officials. But whether out of genuine affection or political necessity, it was undeniable that Ming Jiuzhu held a special place in their hearts.

If she couldn’t appeal to Prince Chen, she could still try Ming Jiuzhu.

A girl from a small town would surely be easier to manipulate than one raised in an aristocratic family.

"Your Highness," Jiuzhu glanced at Roude, then at the gift box on the table, unsure of her intentions.

"The county mistress’s wedding to my fifth brother is approaching, and I have little to offer. This set of head ornaments shall be my contribution to your trousseau," Roude said with a warm smile. "I hope you won’t find it beneath you."

A trousseau gift?

But trousseau gifts were traditionally given by the bride’s relatives. Roude was His Highness’s sister—why would she give one?

"Would the county mistress like to open it and see if it pleases you?" Roude expertly masked the disdain in her eyes. She had heard that this county mistress, eager to win Empress Su’s favor, had rushed to the palace at dawn to offer birthday congratulations—clearly a girl with shallow tastes. Surely this exquisite set of black cat’s eye jewelry would dazzle her...

"Thank you, Your Highness." Jiuzhu opened the box and glanced inside. The ornaments were inlaid with some kind of dark, murky stones. Nothing compared to the hairpins His Highness and Her Majesty had given her.

She closed the lid and handed it to Chunfen behind her. "You’ve been too generous, Your Highness."

That was it?

Just… that?

Roude’s anticipation of awe and admiration was met with indifference. Suppressing her irritation, she forced a smile. "Does the county mistress like this set?"

"Mm, it’s quite nice." She couldn’t outright reject a kind gesture—that would be hurtful. Jiuzhu smiled gratefully at Roude and thanked her again.

I don’t believe it!

Her eyes showed no trace of admiration!

Roude took another deep breath. "I’m glad you like it."

An awkward silence followed. Roude pretended not to notice and struggled to keep the conversation going. "Where are Lord Ming and Lady Ming? I don’t see them."

"Father is still at the Ministry of Rites, and Mother is attending a tea gathering," Jiuzhu replied, sipping her tea. "If Your Highness wishes to see them, you may have to wait a while."

"No, I came specifically to see you today." She had deliberately chosen a time when Ming Jingzhou and Shen Ying were absent. With them around, how could she coax Ming Jiuzhu into agreeing to her request?

"Oh." Jiuzhu nodded.

Roude: "..."

Why just "oh"?

At this point, shouldn’t any normal person ask, "What did you come to see me for?"

Why wasn’t she asking?!

"County mistress." Since Jiuzhu refused to bite, Roude had no choice but to press on. Gritting her teeth, she continued, "I came today to ask a favor of you."

Jiuzhu blinked at her but still didn’t inquire further.

Roude nearly crushed her teeth in frustration. Fine. She could still persist.

"I’m sure the county mistress has heard that my Imperial son-in-law is entangled in a certain case..."

"What case?" Jiuzhu blinked innocently, smiling. "I don’t know anything about it."

She didn’t know?

She didn’t know?! Even a three-year-old wouldn’t believe that.

"It’s understandable if the county mistress is unaware." Roude forced a smile and explained how her Imperial son-in-law’s uncle had been implicated in the assassination plot against the Fourth Prince. "My Imperial son-in-law is a simple man with no ambition—how could he possibly dare to conspire in a prince’s murder? Yet the Imperial Guards have surrounded his family day and night, making commoners believe he was truly involved. Such a mess..."

"Chunfen, refill Her Highness’s tea." Jiuzhu listened with keen interest, gesturing for Roude to continue.

Roude met her curious gaze. "..."

Was she being treated like a storyteller?

"So, I was hoping the county mistress could put in a good word for me with my fifth brother, to see if he might… ease things along." Roude maintained her ingratiating smile. "Of course, I wouldn’t let you go to such trouble for nothing. Once the matter is resolved, I’d gladly add another two thousand taels to your dowry."

Two… two thousand taels?!

Jiuzhu’s heart skipped a beat. This princess was truly wealthy.

"But..." She shook off the thought of the silver. "Your Highness is His Highness’s sister. If you have something to say, why not speak to him directly? Why ask me to relay it?"

And to spend so much money on it—what a waste. Did people in the capital really spend so extravagantly?

Hearing this, Roude nearly lost her composure. She suspected Ming Jiuzhu was mocking her.

Yet the girl’s expression was so convincingly clueless—though raised in the countryside, she had mastered the art of feigned innocence as well as any capital-bred noblewoman.

Roude strained to keep smiling. "My fifth brother is stubborn. He rarely listens to others, but you’re different—you’re his future princess consort. Whatever you say, he’ll surely take to heart."

Jiuzhu understood now. This was what her mother had called "the capital’s famous flattery tactic."

First, inflate someone’s ego until they’re too dizzy to think straight, then trick them into running errands...

"Come to think of it, two thousand taels is too meager for a dowry gift. For a sister-in-law as distinguished as you, I ought to offer at least three thousand taels to make it proper. What do you think?"

Jiuzhu thought it was an alarming sum. What kind of message required three thousand taels to deliver?

"Your Highness jests. I’ll mention today’s matter to His Highness, but the dowry gift is unnecessary." Jiuzhu lifted her teacup, signaling the end of the audience.

Roude’s face darkened. Mention it to Yun Duqing?

Was this something to be spoken of so bluntly?

"If the county mistress finds it inconvenient, I won’t insist. As for today’s discussion… there’s no need to trouble my fifth brother with it." Roude rose to her feet. "I take my leave."

Once outside the Ming residence, Roude stepped into her carriage, her smile collapsing. She turned to her maid and snapped, "Tell me—is that Ming Jiuzhu out of her mind?!"

She tells Yun Duqing everything, truly believing he would remain devoted to her?

She wanted to see—when Yun Duqing was surrounded by concubines—if Ming Jiuzhu could still trust him so blindly.

Outside the city gates.

"Sir, we've arrived in the capital," the coachman announced, hopping down from the carriage. He glanced toward the gate and added, "There seems to be something posted over there, and a crowd has gathered to look."

"Send someone literate to see what it says," the man inside the carriage instructed. He lifted the curtain and noticed the proclamation was written on bright yellow paper, guarded by the Imperial Dragon Guards. His expression shifted slightly.

What major event had occurred in the palace to warrant an imperial edict posted outside the city gates?

"Sir!" A young servant who had read the proclamation rushed back, beaming. "It's good news! His Majesty has elevated Prince Chen’s birth mother to Empress!"

"What?" The man leaped from the carriage and pushed through the crowd to read the edict himself.

The Emperor had actually made Lady Su the Empress? That would make Prince Chen the legitimate heir!

He ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‍stood frozen for a moment, stunned.

"Are you done looking?" Someone shoved past him. "If you’re finished, move aside."

"Who is this Consort Su? She’s managed the imperial harem for years without complaint, even when His Majesty neglected her."

"I know, I know! They say Consort Su is a peerless beauty, like a celestial maiden."

"That’s nothing. Not only is she beautiful, but she also raised an exceptional son—Prince Chen. Have you heard of him?"

"Of course! The dashing prince who’s like an immortal descended to earth—suppressing bandits, topping the imperial exams, and even having a lovely fiancée. No wonder the Emperor made her Empress. Raising such an outstanding son, she must be extraordinary herself."

Suppressing bandits?

Topping the imperial exams?

A lovely fiancée?

A dashing prince?

The man in the blue robe listened in disbelief, wondering if his ears were deceiving him.

Had he really only been away for two years on official duty?

How had Prince Chen’s reputation among the common people become so… favorable?

When had he topped the imperial exams? The current top scholar was someone he knew—certainly not Prince Chen.

And suppressing bandits? His family’s letters had never mentioned such a thing. Why were these commoners so convinced?

Was this still the same capital he remembered?

"Hey, I’ve heard a rumor. Have any of you caught wind of it?"

The man in blue pricked up his ears, glancing at the expressionless Imperial Dragon Guards.

Was it really appropriate to spread palace gossip right in front of them?

"What rumor? Spit it out!"

"They say something earth-shattering happened on New Year’s Eve."

"Go on, don’t keep us waiting."

"A wicked consort was executed. She was jealous of Prince Chen’s brilliance and tried to kill him. But the wise and mighty Emperor discovered her plot—not only against Prince Chen, but also that she had murdered a princess’s mother. So His Majesty sentenced her to death."

"Tch, I thought it was something shocking. Just the Zheng Family’s usual mess. How dull."

A wicked consort executed?

The Zheng Family?

The man in blue grew more confused. What connection did the wicked consort have with the Zheng Family? Some officials in the capital used to privately refer to Consort Su as the "wicked consort."

But from the way these commoners spoke, it didn’t seem to be about her at all.

"Third Young Master!"

"Third Young Master!"

Several attendants dressed in steward uniforms hurried toward him, their faces alight with joy. "We’ve finally found you! Greetings, Third Young Master."

"How are Father and Mother?"

"They’re well, very well. The Madam guessed you’d arrive soon and sent us to wait at the gate these past few days. We didn’t miss you."

The man pressed further, "And my younger sister—has she adjusted well since returning to the capital?"

"The young mistress is also doing well," the attendant replied. "She often speaks of you at home. When it snowed recently, she worried the roads would be treacherous and your journey difficult."

The man in blue—Ming Jiyuan, third son of the Ming Family and elder brother of Ming Jiuzhu—gazed at the bustling capital, his heart swelling with emotion. He would finally see his sister again.

Yet just as he returned, she was about to marry—and to Prince Chen, no less.

"Ahead there—is that Ming Jiyuan of the Ming Family?"

Ming Jiyuan turned toward the voice and saw Prince Chen astride his horse.

He was taken aback. Prince Chen was… greeting him?

He glanced at the sun in the sky—still rising from the east, as it should.