The Pearl on the Emperor’s Crown

Chapter 1 – Enemy

The month of May in the Capital was scorching hot and difficult to bear, so the imperial family travelled north to the Sheng River Palace. Naturally, they didn’t forget to bring along their delicate princesses.

The palace was built on the mountain, with a jade green roof connecting to the sky. The Sheng River encircled the mountain in several coils, and the wind came from three sides. It was indeed much cooler than the Forbidden City.

Zhu Yi was laying down on a meadow, feeling drowsy. She was completely unaware that a man was watching her nearby.

The hem of her aquamarine silk skirt embroidered with lotus flowers was blown up by the wind as if it was like a half-spread flower, and her thin waist rose and fell in a delicate curve. The fifteen-year-old girl was soft and delicate like water.

Zhu Yi was suddenly shaken awake. Her eyes fluttered open slowly, before they rounded in surprise when she saw the crown prince looming over her. She jerked and sat up immediately.

“Imperial Elder Brother!”

Her first instinct was to immediately inspect her body, and when she saw that her clothes were still neat and she wasn’t feeling strange, she felt relieved. The crown prince pretended to not notice her movements. 

There was a reason why Zhu Yi was so vigilant. She was not of the blood of the Imperial Family, but the orphan of the brave General Pei Qing. She was taken into the palace from an early age and raised by her aunt, Noble Consort Tong. 

Because of this, she had to be careful around her Imperial Brothers. Zhu Xiu Ze, the Fourth Son of the Emperor, had once even stretched out his pig’s paw to her when he was drunk. Even if she had wanted to get back at him after that, she still had to keep a low-profile to survive.

However, everyone knew that while the fourth prince was greedy, the crown prince had an excellent reputation. “Why are you here?” Zhu Yu asked.

“I always take this trail to Crane Pecking Pavilion,” the crown prince replied. “I made an appointment to meet someone there today. When I saw someone here, I came over to have a look.”

He then frowned and asked, “Why are you alone outside? Where is your palace maid?” 

Zhu Yi pursed her lips. She didn’t know where her palace maid was. 

Today, for the first time ever, Zhu Dai invited her to Time Pavilion to enjoy the lotus flowers. She told herself to endure it and in the end, she did suffer through the event. Who would have thought that there would still be another roadblock in her way?

However, Zhu Dai and the Crown Prince were both born to the Empress, and Zhu Yi wasn’t foolish enough to mention Zhu Dai in front of him.

When she got up, the crown prince also stood up in turn.

As he watched her brush off the grass on her body, she explained, “I went out for a walk by myself because I was suffering from the heat, but I’m alright now. I won’t delay your meeting with your guests. I’ll take my leave now.” Her tone is polite and alienating.

The crown prince didn’t detect Zhu Yi’s suspicion of him, so he said nothing and let her go.

Zhu Yi walked down the pebble path towards the corridor paved with bluestone square bricks. She quickly turned towards Joyous Hope Pavilion where she lived, not noticing that there were a few people approaching from afar on the other side.

On the other hand, her presence did not go unnoticed by them.

The man leading the group was slender and stalwart, dressed in a dark coloured silk robe patterned with a light purple sapphire flower, and there was a white jade hairpin in his dark hair. He looked towards the direction where Zhu Yi disappeared, his face expressionless. 

It was Xie Ying, the son and heir of King Wei Ning1, who had been invited by the crown prince to take a cool bath at Crane Pecking Pavilion.

At this time, the crown prince also walked out of the fork in the road where Zhu Yi came from.

The Crown Prince Zhu Xiu Xu was wearing an ochre-red robe and had an scholarly temperament. His royal status had long cultivated his dignity. As the son of the true dragon, he would not lose compared to the old emperor. 

Yet his brilliance was dimmed when Xie Ying stood beside him. God knew how much he preferred this man, for he was born so dazzling. It made people feel ashamed of themselves at first glance, yet they still couldn’t bear to not look at him. Ever since Xie Ying stepped into Sheng River Palace this afternoon, the little palace ladies never stopped sneaking timid peeks at him. 

The crown prince looked at Xie Ying, and then at the petite and exquisite Zhu Dai who stood beside him. “Ah Dai, where did you take your cousin? It took you so long to get here.”

The empress was a daughter of the Xie family, and she and King Wei Ning were siblings, making Xie Ying and the crown prince first cousins. 

“I didn’t take him around. Mother talked to him for too long.” Zhu Dai was only twelve years old, and her pretty face still had baby fat.  She smiled and her cheeks were like two small pears – sweet and adorable.

“Elder Brother, what were you and Xi Zhen doing behind the woods?” she asked curiously. “Oh, and why do you have so many grass clippings on your body?” Zhu Dai circled the Crown Prince, raised her hand, and patted at his vest. “There are also some behind. Did you roll on the ground? Hee hee, how old are you?”
 

Zhu Dai was naive, but apart from her, the confidantes who followed her and Xie Ying were all adult men and women. Princess Xi Zhen, who came out earlier, had gone through the woods alone with the crown prince. Not even a fool wouldn’t understand what that meant.

The temperament of the crown prince was not that of someone who would do such a thing, but when you took Princess Xi Zhen’s beauty into account, it was not implausible.

The crown prince did not answer. He only brushed the grass clippings off his lap, gave a slightly embarrassed smile, and then changed the subject.

 “Let’s go, Ah Ying. We haven’t had a drink together for a long time.”

The crown prince observed Xie Ying’s reaction while speaking. Zhu Yi had once secretly pursued Xie Ying. Not many people knew about this matter, but the crown prince certainly did. 

Xie Ying had rejected Zhu Yi a long time ago, but he was always worried that Xie Ying would change his mind. After today however, it may be assumed that this was unlikely. Xie Ying hated women who were frivolous, had no self-respect, and were obsessed with him. Zhu Yi fit the bill on all three counts.

 Xie Ying narrowed his eyes, and the slight smile on his face was a little cold.

~~~~~

After Zhu Yi returned to Joyous Hope Pavilion for some time, the two palace maids who had gone with her to Time Pavilion hurried back.

“Princess, are you okay?” Mian Feng asked. “This servant suddenly fell asleep earlier, and when I woke up, I was in the garden outside Time Pavilion.” She didn’t see Zhu Yi after she had woken up. Fearing that something had happened, she immediately came back to check the situation. 

 Geng Lu also nodded worriedly. 

“I’m fine, don’t mention anything about today,” Zhu Yi said. “In the future, the three of us will have to be more careful.”

Mian Feng understood in the palace, you shouldn’t ask anything that shouldn’t be asked. Seeing Zhu Yi’s calm appearance, she guessed that there had been a near mishap, so she kept quiet.

Zhu Yi knew that the crown prince’s appearance earlier was not as simple as he had said.  Zhu Dai’s sudden appearance had caught her off-guard as well. She must have wanted her to make a fool of herself, but Zhu Yi really couldn’t guess the true intentions of Zhu Dai and the crown prince. Maybe something might happen later? 

Zhu Yi squeezed her hand into a tight fist.

For now, she could only walk one step at a time. 

After Zhu Yi bathed and changed her clothes, Noble Consort Tong sent someone over to deliver a message, saying that a banquet would be held in Yi Great Hall that night to welcome Prince Wei Ning, and that all princes and princesses were required to attend. 

Xie Ying had returned to the Capital to declare his great victory over the Wu Highlands and receive his due awards. He was asked to join the imperial family at Sheng River Palace to have an audience with the emperor. Zhu Yi knew that the emperor would hold a banquet for him, but she didn’t expect it to be a family reunion banquet.

But it also made sense. Xie Ying was the nephew of Empress Xie after all, and the emperor had always shown affection for him. When Xie Ying was in the Capital before, the emperor summoned him into the palace to attend classes with the princes in New Era Academy, and he also rode horses and bent bows on the school grounds.  In fact, the emperor’s regard for him was so strong that there have even been rumours that Xie Ying was the illegitimate son of the Emperor and Queen Consort Wei Ning.

Speaking of Xie Ying, Zhu Yi just realised that she hadn’t seen him for over a year. 

Soon later, it was time for the dinner banquet, and she hurried over to Yi Great Hall.

The emperor was obese, and he was particularly sensitive to heat. Because of that, there were two rows of crystal basins in Yi Great Hall that were piled with hills of snow. The eunuchs were turning the handles of gilt fan-leaf windmills, and the cool breeze that filled the hall was refreshing. 

Except for the Empress, only Imperial Concubines Gui and Shu were attending the banquet from the imperial harem. In the main hall, there were imperial wives and concubines, princes, and the companions of the imperial family. Each one of them had their own personal table. The princesses also managed to gain permission to attend. In fact, only they were set up on the west side of the hall with their dining tables, and a bead curtain screen was placed in front of them to keep things proper. 

Zhu Yi’s gaze met Zhu Dai for a moment, and both looked away as if nothing had happened. Everyone was well versed in the way of getting along in the inner palace, and no matter how divisive they were, they could still set aside differences on such occasions. 

In addition to Zhu Yi and Zhu Dai, there were also two princesses sitting on the side, Zhu Yi’s friend, Zhu Chuo, and Zhu Dai’s sidekick, Zhu Jing. 

Zhu Chuo was standing, but at this moment she leaned over and whispered into Zhu Yi’s ears. “Hey, Old Third2, Prince Wei Ning is here!” 

Zhu Dai naturally noticed his arrival as well, and she immediately left the table and went to the centre of the hall to greet him. 

Zhu Chuo had no inhibitions and Zhu Yi was a little uncomfortable with her obvious train of thought. Xie Ying was already old news to her, after all. “Don’t be ridiculous,” she whispered back. “Elder sister has already been married off, so my own marriage will likely be settled soon.”

“Is that so? But Xie Ying isn’t married yet either.” Zhu Chuo looked out again with eager eyes. 

Zhu Chuo also coveted Xie Ying. A man like that would not take liberties with women or even behave rashly with a princess. He held such military power that even the emperor was afraid. He was a man of such imposing manner and great force that she could only flinch. Unexpectedly, Zhu Yi, who had always been well-behaved, once boldly pursued Xie Ying without hesitation. 

“I already told you that I’m no longer interested.” Zhu Yi peeled an iced lychee and placed it into her mouth. “If Ah Chuo is interested, you should give it a try.” 

Zhu Chuo had no intentions of doing so. “Are you kidding me? If he isn’t even interested in you, what chance would I have? Besides, I’m content with just admiring him from afar.”

Zhu Dai came back to their side. Zhu Yi and Zhu Chuo exchanged glances and ended the conversation tacitly. 

After a while, the empress also arrived, and she said something beautiful about the event. There was also a lot of excitement because there was a cabaret performance. While Zhu Yi enjoyed watching the cabaret through the bead curtain, she carefully controlled her gaze to not drift to Xie Ying. 

 If it had been a polite or kind rejection of her feelings, Zhu Yi would not be so bitter. The key lay in how she had been rejected. 

 Zhu Yi well remembered that she was very proactive towards Xie Ying at the time. She took the initiative to meet him by chance, to talk to him, and she even used the emperor’s will to make him teach her riding skills. She constantly changed her ways to attract his attention. Her life’s recklessness quota was probably used up at that time. 

 After many exchanges with Xie Ying, she calculated that it was time to strike. In the name of thanking him for teaching her riding skills, she arranged three private meetings with him. He met her outside three times, and during the last date he bought her a roasted pigeon stuffed with peppers.

When they met for the fourth time, in return for the pigeon, she boldly gave Xie Ying a sword spike as a gift. She told him that she made it herself. She was shy and expectant, thinking that Xie Ying would accept it. Instead, his expression had changed, and she could even feel his hidden anger. Xie Ying flatly refused, and then, that was it.

 At the subsequent palace banquet, Xie Ying didn’t even look at her again, let alone respond to her. 

 Zhu Yi didn’t know how she had provoked him. She just felt that this man was temperamental, unreasonable, and that he had a pit in his head. 

On the day Xie Ying quietly returned to Wei Prefecture, Zhu Yi covered herself with her quilt and cried for most of the night. The next day, she made up her mind to give up on him.

Once Zhu Yi made up her mind to do something, her willpower was extremely strong. She really drove Xie Ying out of her heart, and she never planned to have anything to do with him again. Thinking of this, Zhu Yi glanced at Xie Ying, and at almost the exact same moment, Xie Ying turned his head to look towards her, and their gazes met.

TRANSLATOR’S RAMBLES:

So the title of this chapter is pretty interesting as well: 冤家 (Yuānjiā) – this word has two meanings that are diametrically opposed to each other. It can mean ‘enemy’ in the literal sense of the word. It can also be defined as ‘one’s destined love’ meaning ‘A person who feels hate yet truly loves the person who is said to bring pain to themselves, and they won’t give up on that person’. Take those definitions as you will. 

The next three chapters will be released subsequently so chapter 2 will be up in about a day or so.