A Precious Pearl in the Imperial City-Chapter 113

"In this world, only stones and the dead keep secrets." Yun Yanze pulled a small vial from his sleeve. Before Sun Caiyao could react, he pressed a cloth against her neck and forced her mouth open, tilting the vial toward her lips.

Weak from her miscarriage, Sun Caiyao had no strength to resist. Choked by Yun Yanze’s grip, she couldn’t even cry for help.

Her eyes widened in terror, fixed on him in silent accusation.

For the Fourth Highness, renowned for his martial and scholarly prowess, killing her would be effortless.

"Your Highness!" Bai Shao’s voice called from outside.

"What is it?" Yun Yanze’s tone was eerily calm.

"Princess Consort of Chen has arrived."

Why was she back? Remembering how Jiuzhu had knocked him down earlier, Yun Yanze released Sun Caiyao, folded the cloth neatly, and placed it beside her pillow. "Think carefully about your dear brother before you speak," he whispered.

"Let her in."

No sooner had he spoken than Jiuzhu swept aside the curtain and entered. "Fourth Sister-in-law, Her Majesty the Empress, moved by your loss and knowing you have no elder to care for you, has sent me to bring you to Bright Moon Palace to recuperate."

"As a junior, it would be improper for Caiyao to trouble Her Majesty," Yun Yanze said, narrowing his eyes. "Moreover, women should avoid exposure to wind after a miscarriage. It’s best she not be moved."

"Her Majesty is both kind and thoughtful. She has already considered that, Fourth Brother. Don’t worry—she’s prepared a covered palanquin to shield Fourth Sister-in-law from the wind." Jiuzhu walked to the bed and sat beside Sun Caiyao, whose shoulders trembled uncontrollably. She took her cold hands in hers. "Are you refusing because you distrust Her Majesty?"

Yun Yanze watched their clasped hands. "It’s not that I distrust Her Majesty, but my wife and I share a deep bond. I simply cannot bear to—"

"Fourth Brother, this is the Empress’s decree. Are you defying it?" Jiuzhu produced the phoenix token, making it clear she would not yield.

The servants of the palace stood frozen in shock. Even the other princes and consorts who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion were stunned. When had the usually cheerful and amiable Ming Jiuzhu ever been so unyielding?

Prince Huai, standing in the courtyard, tugged at Princess Huai’s sleeve. "Fifth Sister-in-law never seemed the petty type. Why is she making such a fuss over a few words from Fourth Sister-in-law, even invoking the Empress’s authority?"

Princess Huai shook her head slowly. The whole situation reeked of something far more sinister.

"Fourth Sister-in-law." Jiuzhu took a sheer red veil from her sleeve and draped it over Sun Caiyao’s face. "The wind outside is strong. Cover your mouth and nose so you don’t catch a chill. I’ll take you to Bright Moon Palace."

Sun Caiyao stared blankly for a moment before clutching Jiuzhu’s hand with desperate strength, refusing to let go.

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"Fourth Brother, step aside." Jiuzhu bent down and lifted Sun Caiyao into her arms.

Yun Yanze moved to block her, but Jiuzhu frowned. "Not only are you defying the Empress’s decree, but you’d lay hands on a woman too?"

Seizing his hesitation, Jiuzhu brushed past him.

"Whoa!" Prince Huai’s eyes widened. "Fifth Sister-in-law is stronger than she looks!"

"Quiet!" Princess Huai shot him a glare before hurrying forward to help Jiuzhu support Sun Caiyao.

Princess Consort An, snapping out of her daze, stepped up to adjust the veil, ensuring no wind could slip beneath it.

The three of them bundled Sun Caiyao into the palanquin. As the eldest among the consorts and fond of Jiuzhu, Princess Huai trusted that she wouldn’t torment Sun Caiyao over mere words.

And besides—

She noted how Sun Caiyao clung to Jiuzhu’s sleeve. This wasn’t fear of Ming Jiuzhu. It was fear of being left behind.

Princess Consort An, who usually cared only for leisure, saw the gravity in Princess Huai’s expression and kept her voice low. "Fourth Sister-in-law isn’t herself right now. Don’t take her words to heart."

"Second Sister-in-law, don’t worry. I’d never hold a grudge against her." Seeing Sun Caiyao still gripping her sleeve, Jiuzhu climbed into the palanquin beside her.

Once they had left the palace grounds, Sun Caiyao slowly lifted the red veil. "Why did you come back?"

"Because you were asking for help," Jiuzhu replied, puzzled. "You wept so bitterly, then pushed me away when Yun Yanze appeared—wasn’t that a plea for someone to rescue you?"

Sun Caiyao stared at her. Was it really that simple? That direct?

As a consort, didn’t she understand the need for caution and calculation?

"You were afraid, and I could help. So I did." Jiuzhu adjusted her seat. "If you’re feeling unwell, lean on my shoulder."

A thousand words swirled in Sun Caiyao’s heart, but all she could manage was a quiet "Thank you."

The moment her head rested on Ming Jiuzhu’s shoulder, the turmoil in her chest eased into unexpected calm.

"I don’t know what’s between you and Yun Yanze, but some burdens only grow heavier when kept hidden." Jiuzhu glanced at her silent companion. "If you can’t resolve something alone, seek out your elders. They’ve faced more than we have—they’ll know what to do."

"But I don’t want to worry them..."

"If they can’t help, then you stay silent. But your family, the Suns, are a house of honor. Your ancestors were loyal generals and ministers. Surely they’d serve you better than silence."

"Fifth Sister-in-law." Sun Caiyao tightened her grip on Jiuzhu’s sleeve. "I know the Fifth Highness is favored by His Majesty. Can you ask him to send word—to have someone protect my brother immediately?"

"Alright." Jiuzhu used her sleeve to cover Sun Caiyao's face, lifted the sedan curtain, and called over a young eunuch: "Send someone to inform His Highness that someone attempted to assassinate a scholar from the previous imperial examination. Request that he report to His Majesty and arrange for protection."

The eunuch hurried off, and Jiuzhu lowered the curtain, also pulling her sleeve away from Sun Caiyao's face: "Your elder brother was a scholar from the last examination. Matters like this should be reported directly to His Majesty."

Sun Caiyao froze—could matters involving a prince be handled so directly?

"His Majesty is a wise ruler." Jiuzhu, though naive about worldly affairs, understood human nature: "After you meet with your family tomorrow, you can decide how to proceed."

"Life is short. Overthinking and hesitation will only lead to regret and suffering." Jiuzhu adjusted the slipping cloak over Sun Caiyao’s shoulders: "Compared to the vastness of the world, humans are small and fleeting. It’s better to follow your heart and live without regrets."

Before, she had found Sun Caiyao strange and contradictory, as if wrestling with something. But in their recent encounters, that conflict had vanished—yet so had all her vitality. It was worse than before.

At least back then, despite her oddness, there had been a spark of life in her.

"Live without regrets…" Sun Caiyao stared intently at Ming Jiuzhu. The woman before her now was entirely different from the one in her dreams. The Ming Jiuzhu of her dreams had eyes filled with unfathomable darkness, unlike the present Jiuzhu, whose eyes shimmered with stars and light.

"Yun Yanze wants to kill me."

"He’s already gone mad."

Gazing into Jiuzhu’s eyes, she murmured, "Perhaps… he’s been mad for a long time."

The halls of Zhangliu Palace were eerily silent. Yun Yanze sat in the empty chamber, watching Bai Shao standing outside the door: "After tonight, His Majesty will no longer tolerate me. I am finished."

He was no longer a prince—perhaps he had forgotten.

"If I am ruined, so are you." Yun Yanze grinned, his smile chilling: "Since he won’t spare me, wouldn’t it be fitting to have his most beloved son accompany me in death?"

Bai Shao’s pupils trembled. She slowly lifted her head: "Your Highness, do you have a plan?"

"A plan?" Yun Yanze sneered. "Is it so difficult to make a maid from Kirin Palace willingly serve me?"

"Tonight, I won’t sleep. Let the entire palace descend into chaos—wouldn’t that be lively?"

Bai Shao’s heart pounded violently. She knelt: "This servant swears to follow Your Highness to the death."

"Bai Shao, your loyalty is what I admire most about you." Yun Yanze’s smile deepened. "That’s why I don’t wish for you to become another Hong Mei."

Hong Mei…

Had she been killed by His Highness?

"Leave now. Change into something clean and pretty." Yun Yanze looked at her as if she were nothing more than a tool. "You served by my side. When you die, you should at least look presentable."

"Yes." Bai Shao retreated from the main chamber. She recalled a maid from Kirin Palace who often blushed while stealing glances at the Fourth Prince whenever she accompanied Princess Consort of Chen to Zhangliu Palace.

Once certain Yun Yanze could no longer see her, she turned and ran—desperately, frantically, toward Kirin Palace.

Palace decorum, proper bearing—none of it mattered now.

Never before had the distance between Kirin Palace and Zhangliu Palace felt so terrifyingly vast.

The palace corridors stretched endlessly, the night sky oppressively dark. No matter how fast she ran, the path seemed to have no end.

Behind her, a squad of imperial guards stormed into Zhangliu Palace, surrounding Yun Yanze’s residence.

"Fourth Prince, by His Majesty’s order, you are to be arrested."

Yun Yanze strode out, hands clasped behind his back. He eyed the drawn blades of the guards and laughed mockingly: "You arrived faster than I expected."

If only he hadn’t hesitated last night—if he had simply killed Sun Caiyao then, none of this would have happened.

A pity. That meddlesome woman, Ming Jiuzhu, had dragged him into this abyss.

A distant memory surfaced—the day he was ambushed, it was the cry of "Jiuzhu" that had distracted him, giving the assassin an opening.

From that moment, misfortune had followed him, step by step, into the depths.

If the Ming Family had never reclaimed their daughter, he wouldn’t have fallen this far.

Bai Shao leaned against the palace wall, sweat drenching her back, her hairpins long lost. Kirin Palace was just ahead, yet her legs could barely move.

This palace had too many cold, dark corners. But on that day when she had collapsed in despair beneath a tree, certain she would die from the pain, it was Princess Consort of Chen who had draped her own cloak over her and summoned a physician.

When one had known so little warmth, even the smallest kindness became unforgettable.

The physician had said that because of the injury inflicted by her mistress, she would never bear children. Had treatment been delayed, she wouldn’t have survived.

She had served her mistress loyally for years, only for that mistress to rob her of motherhood. And yet, she had only betrayed her once.

Using her position as Consort Ning’s head maid, she had misled the Zheng Family into spreading rumors about the Ming Family and Princess Consort of Chen at the wrong time and place—ruining all of her mistress’s plans in one stroke.

"Aunt Bai Shao!" Yang Yiduo spotted her disheveled figure stumbling along the wall and rushed to support her. "What happened?"

"Take me—take me to Princess Consort!" Bai Shao gasped, clutching his arm. "I must warn her—it’s urgent!"

Seeing her panic, Yang Yiduo hesitated only a moment before guiding her inside.

Within the chambers, Jiuzhu wearily removed her hair ornaments. "I’m exhausted. All I want is to sleep."

Prince Chen massaged her shoulders. "Does this help?"

Maids entered with washing supplies.

"Princess Consort!" Bai Shao collapsed at the doorway, her eyes locking onto a maid barely two steps from Jiuzhu. "Beware! That maid means to harm you and His Highness!"

Before the words fully left her lips, the seemingly frail Princess Consort shoved Prince Chen onto the bed, swept her leg to knock the approaching maids to the ground, sending water basins and jade ornaments crashing.

Hidden guards burst through the windows, shielding the prince and Jiuzhu.

Dazed from being flung onto the bed, Prince Chen sat up just in time to see his wife snatch up an ornate wooden stool, brandishing it like a weapon—ready to smash anyone who dared approach, even the guards who had just appeared.

Jiuzhu didn’t strike the maids but kept a wary eye on them, demanding of Bai Shao: "Which one is it?"