The Pearl on the Emperor’s Crown

Chapter 5 – Really Can’t Explain It

Zhu Yi was dumbfounded.

 Xie Ying had actually accepted her?

The truth was that she had no expectations for his answer. In fact, she didn’t want Xie Ying to respond at all. She just needed an excuse to give Noble Consort Tong. But obviously she didn’t dare to tell Xie Ying, ‘You should continue to reject me.’

Zhu Yi said nothing, but the confusion in her eyes and her furrowed eyebrows had already revealed what she was thinking. Xie Ying smiled coldly and was about to speak when Zhu Dai’s voice suddenly sounded in the outer hall.

“Elder Cousin!”

Zhu Yi didn’t expect that Zhu Dai would come over, so she quickly pushed away the man in front of her and hid behind a wooden screen that had the Eight Immortals carved on it.

Her intention was to wait for Xie Ying to send Zhu Dai away before emerging, but she didn’t expect Xie Ying to follow her behind the screen.

Zhu Yi’s lips parted slightly in surprise, and her eyes burned at him in question.

What are you doing here? 

If Zhu Dai found them out, she really wouldn’t be able to explain it.

Xie Ying grinned at her. He pushed her a bit further inside and replied quietly, “I want to hide too.”

Outside, Xie Ying’s maidservant Tao Shan was speaking to Zhu Dai. 

“His Highness has gone out; it would be better for Your Highness to come back another day.”

But Zhu Dai wasn’t easily deterred.

“Get out of the way,” she ordered instead. “I’ll go in and have a look!”

It was fortunate that Tao Shan managed to delay Zhu Dai for a short while, so when she stormed into the room, they were already well hidden.

“Why does Elder Cousin keep running around?” Zhu Dai’s mouth flattened with displeasure. She walked towards Xie Ying’s bookcase and began to flip through the books.

In contrast to Zhu Yi’s nervousness, Xie Ying lazily leaned his back against the wall. He was relaxed enough to make Zhu Yi wonder if he really needed to hide.

Zhu Dai stayed a little longer than she usually did, but with Tao Shan there, Zhu Dai would not scurry around the room to check if Xie Ying really wasn’t there.

Xie Ying could see Zhu Yi in his sight as soon as he turned his head, so he was itching to do something.

Zhu Yi’s eyes widened as she watched Xie Ying get closer and closer to her, and she immediately looked away from him. She quickly bit her lower lip, because Xie Ying actually started caressing the fluffy hair on her forehead. His sword-calloused fingertips were slightly rough and when he stroked Zhu Yi’s delicate skin, a tingling sensation spread throughout her entire body.

Zhu Yi felt that Xie Ying seemed to like the baby hair on her forehead very much because he kept stroking it with his fingers. She didn’t dare to make any moves, fearing that they would be discovered by Zhu Dai.

Just when she thought that this was too much, her shoulders were unexpectedly gripped and Xie Ying was suddenly leaning down towards her, as if he wanted to kiss her. His characteristic light bluegrass scent and the warmth of his body made Zhu Yi breathless. 

How could Xie Ying dare to be so bold? 

Zhu Yi finally couldn’t help but push him away.

She did come to show her intentions, but she never thought that he would be so flippant about it. However, she didn’t dare to move too much because of Zhu Dai loitering outside. She had to be content with cursing Xie Ying bloody in her heart.

Zhu Dai finally decided to leave. She knew that Xie Ying sometimes went out for the entire day, so she could only give orders to Tao Shan. 

“I’ll leave first but when my cousin returns, you better tell him to be here tomorrow morning. I want him to take me horseback riding!”

Tao Shan hastily agreed.

While Zhu Dai was leaving, there was a sensation of a warm breath upon Zhu Yi’s forehead. She was unable to move away, so she could only put up with it, but the kiss she thought was coming did not happen.

A man’s chuckle came from above her head. 

“Princess,” Xie Ying’s voice was deep and pleasant. “There is a small red mole on your scalp.”

Zhu Yi was startled, and only then did she realise that she was being teased.

Zhu Dai had already left, so she didn’t have to restrain herself anymore. In her anger, she used all her strength to resist him, but instead she sent herself straight into his arms. Xie Ying pinched Zhu Yi’s chin with slender but powerful fingers, forcing her to raise her face.

Xie Ying studied Zhu Yi. Her facial features were already soft, but her slender forehead made her look even more delicate. Even though she was dazzling, there wasn’t a feeling of being unattainable, and it made people want to both protect and tease her.

Xie Ying let go and reached towards Zhu Yi’s left ear. Zhu Yi followed and touched her earlobe, only to find it bare.

In the palm of Xie Ying’s hand, there was a small earring with a light gold curled lotus leaf inlaid with pink pearls. Zhu Yi immediately tried to grab it back, but he squeezed it into a fist. Zhu Yi looked up at Xie Ying, lost for a moment at the smile in his eyes.

“I’ve taken one earring, and you can keep the other, Your Highness.”

Zhu Yi hummed softly. She was outwardly calm, but her heart was already surging with emotions. What did Xie Ying mean by his actions today? Did he actually have some feelings for her? But this man had once turned her down so coldly, and he had left with a terrifying indifference.

“I’m leaving now, Your Highness,” she said hurriedly.

“Alright.”

Xie Ying didn’t try to keep her longer. He knew that he was unsuccessful in holding back today and had frightened her. 

Zhu Yi was anxious to escape quickly and Xie Ying didn’t even see her out through the door.

Mian Feng lowered her head and followed Zhu Yi, looking up at her back from time to time as her thoughts turned in her head.

As Zhu Yi’s most trusted palace maid, she naturally knew that the princess had fallen in love with Prince Wei Ning. At that time, when the prince left the Capital, she had never seen her mistress cry like that, to the point where her eyelids were swollen like peaches the next day. At that time, she hoped that this prince would never appear again.

Who knew that the Princess would actually enter his rooms by herself today? Even if Zhu Yi had pursued Xie Ying in the past, the two of them had met outside respectably, and she had chaperoned them not far away. Men were different from women. The princess used to be happy with looking at the prince all day long, but what about the prince himself? Mian Feng was so worried, and she didn’t know what to do, but she knew that she couldn’t dissuade Zhu Yi.

Back at Joyous Hope Pavilion, Zhu Yi asked people to prepare pen and ink. Whenever the thoughts in her head were a chaotic mess, she would practice calligraphy to help clear her mind.

It was not herself that she was most worried about, but Zhu Xiu Li. Noble Consort Tong had already revealed her ambition in front of her, but she didn’t think it was a good thing to involve her young Seventh Brother in the battle for the throne. Zhu Xiu Li didn’t understand anything.

Zhu Yi wrote quickly, and the ink continuously flowed on the paper. What appeared was not the popular Hairpin Flower calligraphy style1 favoured by the daughters of the harem, but rather the carefully precise, round, and vigorous Yan calligraphy style2.

This was because both the Empress Dowager and the Emperor admired Duke Yan’s calligraphy style. In order to please the elders, she worked hard to cultivate her talents, so that she would be praised by the empress dowager. From time to time, Zhu Yi would rely on her calligraphy skills to lead the envoys who copied scriptures for the empress dowager, and the emperor himself occasionally asked her to write his documents. This skill could be regarded as a way to protect herself even more in the palace.

Zhu Yi didn’t stop writing until noon. After she got up from a nap, someone from the crown princess sent a message asking Zhu Yi to come over. Apparently, the Internal Weaving and Dyeing Bureau had delivered new fabric for that winter, and the imperial princesses could choose their clothes at their discretion. The fabrics were all situated at the residence of the crown princess, and several princesses were invited over to choose their favourite colours and styles.

This was a good thing. After all, which woman didn’t like beautiful new clothes?

Zhu Yi first went around to Zhu Chuo and together, they headed to Flower Heart Residence, the home of the crown prince and princess.

Flower Heart Residence’s architecture was considered spacious even within the palace. In the main hall, a long table had been specially moved in to lay out brocades for display. The materials presented to the princesses by the Internal Weaving and Dyeing Bureau were all carefully selected beautiful and bright colours, and the choice of floral ornaments were more vivacious and livelier than those of the imperial harem.

Zhu Dai and Zhu Jing had already arrived first, and they were browsing through an illustrated catalogue that the Sewing Bureau had prepared to present the styles of the new clothes.

“Imperial Elder Sister-in-Law.” Zhu Yi and Zhu Chuo greeted the crown princess.

The crown princess returned their greeting with a smile: “Quickly come and sit down, younger sisters.” She then ordered her palace maid, “Give the princesses kumquat in shaved ice to help relieve the heat.”

Crown Princess Ruan Lan Xun was the crown prince’s second wife. She was born in the Yongnan Palace. Compared with the beauty of some princesses, her appearance was only considered pretty and delicate. Her temperament, however, was gentle and elegant, and though she dressed simply, her style was not dull. People found her very pleasant to look at.

The late former crown princess was a jealous woman, but Ruan Lan Xun had a gentle temperament. She had been married into the imperial family for over two years. She was kind to the little prince borne by the first crown princess. After she became pregnant, she took the initiative to accept a beauty3 for the prince. Even after she miscarried the child, she did not grieve for long, and she kept the Eastern Palace4 in order. The crown prince was willing to show her respect, and the empress was even more satisfied with this daughter-in-law, and she even allowed her to handle some palace affairs.

Zhu Jing stood up and called out a greeting to her elder sisters. Zhu Dai didn’t even bother to raise her head. The emperor wasn’t there after all, so why would she bother putting up an act and actually treating them like her sisters?

It was the first time that Zhu Yi and Zhu Jing met since the night of the banquet.

Zhu Yi originally thought that Xie Ying would reject her, so she hadn’t taken Zhu Jing seriously. But seeing her now, Zhu Yi couldn’t help but remember that time behind the rockery.

Did Xie Ying treat Zhu Jing the same as he had treated her that morning?

Zhu Jing spotted Zhu Yi watching her and she smiled at her meekly. Zhu Yi greeted her briefly and looked away.

Zhu Dai liked wearing pink and light purple. Zhu Chuo liked all shades of red, but she didn’t like pink. Zhu Jing preferred green the most. Zhu Yi didn’t have any special preference, so she walked around the long table to take a look at what was available.

Zhu Yi held up the corner of a goose-yellow satin, considering it. Zhu Chuo pulled up a sheet of wispy orange-pink coloured brocade in front of her and contrasted the colour against Zhu Yi’s body. “Old Third, you should wear this colour!” she exclaimed happily. “It looks really good on you.”

Zhu Dai immediately pulled a long face. She looked at all the pink fabrics she had managed to pull out for her own and walked over without saying a word to tug at the material in Zhu Chuo’s hand.

Zhu Chuo was taken aback, and she glared at Zhu Dai. 

“What are you doing?” She demanded. Zhu Chuo was not afraid of Zhu Dai. Although the empress held authority, she took filial piety very seriously. Zhu Chuo’s maternal family was also the empress dowager’s maternal family.

“There are several younger sisters here,” the crown prince suddenly stepped in seemingly out of nowhere. Zhu Chuo and Zhu Dai glared at each other, and they both let go of the fabric.

The crown prince had been watching from outside for a while, ever since Zhu Chuo pulled the diaphanous light brocade against Zhu Yi. Zhu Yi did not usually wear such a delicate colour, and it was indeed beautiful on her. When he saw Zhu Dai going against Zhu Yi, he initially just wanted to watch. There was a hidden side in his heart where dark thoughts lurked. He wanted to see panic and even fear appear on Zhu Yi’s face, but for now he still wanted to give her the impression he was a good brother. 

The crown prince laughed quietly. He would have plenty of opportunities in the future to see Zhu Yi in distress.

Several princesses came over to greet their imperial brother.

Since the crown prince was here, he didn’t intend to leave. He sat down on a six-sided chair and asked the palace maid to serve tea. He pretended to be interested in conversing with the crown princess, but his eyes revealed his lack of interest. Instead, his gaze constantly drifted towards the princess.