A Precious Pearl in the Imperial City-Chapter 111

Apart from Yun Duqing, which other prince dared to treat the Imperial Guards as personal attendants?

Back in the palace, after dinner, Prince Chen sidled up to Jiuzhu, sharing a basin to soak their feet together.

The servants of Kirin Palace had long grown accustomed to the sight of their feet playfully splashing in the water. Once their antics subsided, a fresh basin of hot water was brought in.

After soaking, a maid moved to dry Jiuzhu’s feet, but Prince Chen took the soft, absorbent cloth instead. "Leave it. I’ll dry Her Highness’s feet myself."

The maids stifled giggles and retreated to the side.

"Your Highness, do it properly. It tickles."

"This is the first time I’ve ever dried someone’s feet, and you’re complaining?" Prince Chen feigned sorrow. "Quick, feel my chest. Isn’t my heart weeping?"

Jiuzhu laughed and pressed her ear to his chest, then shook her head. "I don’t hear anything."

"Ungrateful little thing." Prince Chen tossed the cloth into the basin, scooped Jiuzhu up, and lightly tossed her onto the bed. "It seems I’ll have to enforce household discipline."

With that, he tickled her under the arms, sending them both into fits of laughter.

The maids swiftly lowered the bed curtains, cleared the washing supplies, and quietly closed the door behind them.

Maid A whispered, "His Highness and Her Highness are so close."

"When the masters are happy, it’s a blessing for us servants," Maid B replied softly once they’d returned to their quarters. "I heard from the maids at Zhangliu Palace that the Fourth Princess Consort cries alone in her room despite being pregnant. The servants there don’t even dare to speak above a whisper."

"Fourth Prince is so gentle. How could he make his pregnant wife cry?" Maid A couldn’t believe it. "The Fourth Princess Consort comes from a noble family and is stunningly beautiful. Could she really fail to win his favor?"

"Who knows?" Maid B shook out her blanket and undid her hair. "If they were truly happy, why would a pregnant woman cry in secret? Earlier, when Her Highness seemed down, His Highness kept serving her food, coaxing her to talk, and even dried her feet—until she was laughing again. That’s what a good marriage looks like."

Maid A fetched water, and after washing up, they settled into bed. "Her Highness is such a kind person. It’d be unbearable to see His Highness treat her poorly."

Maid B turned over, drowsy. "True."

Not just Prince Chen—even the palace maids adored serving Jiuzhu and making her happy.

In the palace, where everyone was bound by rules and steeped in unseen schemes, encountering someone so pure and bright stirred the last remnants of humanity in their hearts.

Exhausted from laughter, Jiuzhu sprawled on the bed, refusing to move. Prince Chen poked her back, but she only whined and stayed put.

Amused, he flopped down beside her, their faces inches apart, staring into each other’s eyes.

"Were ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‍you trying to cheer me up tonight?" Jiuzhu blinked, her dark eyes glistening like polished black onyx.

"Finally noticed my efforts, have you?" Prince Chen ruffled her loose hair. "Feeling better now?"

"Mhm." Jiuzhu wriggled into his arms. "Back then, the Ming family of Lingzhou abandoned me in the wilderness. My two masters found me and took me to their temple. During Emperor Xian’s reign, countless loyal officials were demoted or executed. Seeing the fine cloth I was wrapped in, my masters suspected I might be the child of a wronged family, so they didn’t report me to the authorities. After searching Lingzhou and finding no one looking for me, they raised me themselves."

"They often treated villagers for free in exchange for goat’s milk or breast milk." Jiuzhu chuckled. "My masters used to say that while others ate ‘a hundred families’ rice,’ I drank ‘a hundred families’ milk’—which is why I’ve always had a big appetite. They joked the temple went broke feeding me."

"Sounds like you were quite the glutton." Prince Chen stroked her hair, amused.

"Though I suspect the temple was poor because my masters were lazy." Jiuzhu, reminiscing, grew talkative. "On sunny days, they’d lounge in a tree for hours, refusing to wash dishes."

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"So you washed them instead?"

Jiuzhu paused. "...No. I dragged a recliner under the tree and napped."

Prince Chen raised a brow. What a diligent, filial trio they must’ve been.

"After rain, the mountains were full of mushrooms. My masters took me foraging, and we’d sell the extras for money." Jiuzhu sighed. "Once, Second Master dug up a ginseng root meant for sale, but First Master mistook it for radish and stewed it. I drank the whole pot, then had nosebleeds for days. First and Second Master fought, smashing the temple’s only intact table."

These two masters… sounded utterly unreliable. That Jiuzhu grew up healthy was likely sheer luck.

Wait—smashed the table?

Prince Chen’s eyes widened. "They broke a table?"

"Mm. It was old, and my masters knew some martial arts. Breaking things wasn’t hard for them."

Fair enough. Two women running a temple in the mountains would need some self-defense skills.

Still, shattering a wooden table wasn’t exactly easy.

"Did your two masters ever teach you martial arts?"

"I learned some basic skills," Jiuzhu whispered softly into Prince Chen's ear. "But both masters said I had no talent for martial arts. They told me not to mention it to anyone after coming to the capital—my clumsy skills would embarrass them."

No wonder she had never brought it up in all the time they'd known each other.

Her painting skills were terrible, yet her masters could praise them lavishly. Just how awful must her martial arts be for them to not even attempt a compliment?

"Little Pig," Prince Chen gazed into her eyes. "I don't care about what that woman said, and neither should you."

Jiuzhu blinked her large eyes at him.

"Our little pig is kind, adorable, pure, and lovely—it doesn’t matter where you grew up," Prince Chen said earnestly. "All I care about is whether you were happy before, whether you suffered, whether anyone ever hurt you."

"If someone did, I’ll make them pay. If your past wasn’t good, I’ll make up for it, bit by bit." He smiled. "The fact that we met so long ago proves heaven meant for us to be together."

Jiuzhu wrapped her arms around Prince Chen and buried her face in his chest. "Mm."

Only now did she realize that Ming Zhenyu’s words had bothered her, just a little.

Many things in this world don’t truly exist, but if someone spreads rumors, they can become real in others’ eyes.

That was the power of baseless gossip.

But His Highness had erased even the last trace of unease in her heart.

As Jiuzhu drifted off to sleep against him, Prince Chen slowly sat up, draped his outer robe over his shoulders, and stepped out of the inner chamber.

"Your Highness?" The eunuch on duty was startled to see Prince Chen emerge with his hair still loose. He hurried forward. "Why are you awake at this hour?"

"Light the lanterns. We’re going to Taiyang Palace." Prince Chen’s expression was dark, his eyes filled with killing intent.

The eunuch was so frightened by his gaze that he quickly gathered others to fetch lanterns and a cloak, while one moved to tie up Prince Chen’s hair.

"No need." Prince Chen waved off the eunuch. "Straight to Taiyang Palace."

None dared ask why he was going so late. They hastily prepared a palanquin and sent word ahead to the palace.

Emperor Longfeng had just removed his outer robe and settled onto the dragon bed when a servant announced Prince Chen’s arrival.

He sat up. "Let Du Qing come in directly."

When Prince Chen entered, the emperor saw his son’s unbound hair and icy expression. His heart ached. "What’s wrong? Come, sit."

"Father." Prince Chen stepped forward and bowed. "I ask that you reopen the investigation into the Ming family of Lingzhou."

Emperor Longfeng paused, then sighed. "You’ve learned about Jiuzhu’s past?"

"You knew already?"

"When the Ming family found their daughter, I considered arranging a marriage alliance with them," the emperor admitted. "They confided in me, so I sent men to investigate. The girl grew up in a Taoist temple—pure-hearted and kind. Don’t let this cause misunderstandings between you."

"How could I ever misunderstand her? I only despise the Ming family’s cruelty. If Jiuzhu hadn’t been rescued, she’d be nothing but bones in the wilderness—never even given the chance to grow up." Prince Chen’s eyes burned with anguish. "She might not even have been left whole—scattered by wolves or bears, her remains lost to the wild."

"Father, you once told me that evil will always meet retribution." Prince Chen bowed deeply. "I will be their retribution."

Emperor Longfeng looked at his son and smiled with pride.

His child had finally grown into a towering tree, capable of sheltering those around him.

He stood and placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. "Du Qing, if you are willing to become Crown Prince, you can achieve all this with ease."