The Pearl on the Emperor’s Crown

Chapter 8 – Just Like Meeting for the First Time

Xie Ying felt no better than Zhu Yi. The girl’s body was soft and pliant, and the fragrance of honey lingered. He slowed down, but said, “Don’t let go.”

“Just what gives you the right to not release me?” Zhu Yi grumbled irritably.

“The right of having a relationship with the princess where I’ve picked up your earring.” Xie Ying lowered his head, and as the man’s low voice and warmth of his breath brushed against her ears, she couldn’t help but shiver.

“But it’s really hot.” Zhu Yi knew that she couldn’t beat him nor match his strength, so she started to twist and wriggle her body.

Xie Ying’s body gradually tensed and tightened, and he stared down at oblivious Zhu Yi who had not noticed anything…

Zhu Yi discovered that Xie Ying had quickly dismounted his horse, and she looked at him in surprise.

Xie Ying smiled at Zhu Yi, before he slowly walked to the front and took the reins. He was afraid that if he frightened Zhu Yi too much, she would hide whenever she saw him later.

Zhu Yi watched as the dignified Prince Wei Ning led the horse for her and had a sudden thought. If she stole the horse and galloped away now, what would happen to Xie Ying? Would he fall, or would he get dragged along? If that’s the case, she would love to see his embarrassment if she brought that up to him in the future. Zhu Yi, who was immersed in her imagination, burst out laughing unconsciously.

Xie Ying turned his head to watch Zhu Yi. Since entering the capital this time, Zhu Yi’s smiles towards him were all tight-lipped and false. It was rare for her to genuinely laugh with happiness, and even her voice was particularly lively.

When she had laughed enough, Xie Ying playfully said, “So that’s how You Highness wants to see me make a fool of myself? Can I make the princess happy like this by smashing my mouth and chewing on the mud?”

Zhu Yi stopped laughing at once. He actually knew what she was thinking? She also immediately realised that she was being silly just now. With Xie Ying’s ability to be as fast as lightning when he was abducting her, how would he fall?

“I’m just truly happy to follow Your Highness wherever you’re going,” she said hastily.

It was Xie Ying’s turn to laugh happily, and he suddenly said, “It turns out that the princess really  likes to be alone with me, so I’ll definitely bring Your Highness out more often in the future.”

“Who wants to go out with him more?” Zhu Yi muttered following his words, before she decided to look past this first and return to it later.

Xie Ying suddenly reached out to her. “Come down.”

Zhu Yi hesitated for a moment before she jumped off the other side of the horse without his help. Xie Ying was not annoyed and the two walked in silence for a while. When Xie Ying saw a big rock next to him, he ordered, “Sit down.”

The scenery there was nice, so Zhu Yi nodded and sat down on the rock. 

“Princess, are you thirsty?” Xie Ying asked. “Do you want to drink some water?” He took off the water bag hanging from the back of his horse.

“I haven’t drunk it,” he assured her when he saw her hesitation. When she heard that, she naturally took the water bag. She was thirsty and drank in a hurry. Her petal-like lips gently undulated, and a thin stream of water leaked from the corners of her lips and dripped down along her delicate chin and into her collar. She quickly returned the water bag to Xie Ying, took out her handkerchief and wiped at her collar.

Xie Ying took back the water bag and pointed out thoughtfully, “Is Your Highness not afraid that I might have added something into the water?”

The two of them had been taken into the depths of the forest by the horse, and the shadows of the trees were everywhere. Except for the chirping of cicadas and the occasional snorting of the horse, the forest was quiet. It was a good place to do evil deeds. Zhu Yi’s heart jumped. She stopped her movements and stared at Xie Ying warily.

“If I really wanted to do something, wouldn’t it be too late for Your Highness to be on guard?” Xie Ying scoffed. No wonder she was always fooled.

Zhu Yi felt aggrieved. She was usually very careful. But she only discovered now that she was defenceless against Xie Ying. She thought about it for a while, and deliberately flattered Xie Ying by saying, “That’s because, in my heart, the prince is not one of those scoundrels.”

“Oh?” Xie Ying smiled. “Then tell me, in your heart, what kind of person am I?” 

Zhu Yi didn’t want to think about it, because she actually spent very little time with Xie Ying. Her affection for Xie Ying began with the last time Xie Ying returned to the capital. She, Zhu Chuo, and Zhu Ning ran behind the eunuchs in the square of the Hall of Supreme Harmony to peek at him. It was reported that there were a lot of the common folk waiting outside the palace, all for a glimpse of the Prince Wei Ning who defeated the earth.

On that day, Xie Ying, dressed in a black military uniform, was bestowed the gift of a special decree of ‘Do Not Dismount’1 to enter through the Dawn Gate. He rode his horse through Double Lion Avenue and entered the palace. There was no trace of fatigue in his appearance, and with his shoulders stretched and his back straight, his posture was upright and towering. Perhaps he didn’t like being watched by the crowd outside the palace for he had concealed most of his face under the silver silk cover of the general’s helmet, revealing only his beautiful lower jaw.

And when he finally reached the Hall of Supreme Harmony, he turned over and dismounted his horse. The moment he took off the general’s helmet, everyone couldn’t look away from him.

But she now remembered that she was also superficial at the time. She had approached him just because of his appearance and aura. In fact, she didn’t know exactly what Xie Ying was like as a person. Only now did she know that he was simply a frivolous libertine, and since he had nothing to do in the capital recently, he decided to take pleasure in bullying her.

“Your Highness looks like a good person. I thought he should be the same inside as what he looks like outside.” Zhu Yi said deliberately.

Xie Ying clicked his tongue in admiration, thinking that Zhu Yi was really interesting. Her words were both a reminder for him to be more disciplined and a mockery of him.

Xie Ying didn’t say whether she was right or wrong and Zhu Yi was surprised. She watched as Xie Ying lifted the water bag and bit open the stopper. Without wiping it, he raised his head and poured water from the spout she had just drank from. Zhu Yi’s jaw dropped, but in the end, she didn’t make any sound. She turned her head, and just pretended not to see it. Anyway, he didn’t drink it before she did.

“Even the water that the princess drank tastes sweeter than before,” Xie Ying said.

Zhu Yi blinked, thought for a while, before looking at him. 

“Didn’t you say you didn’t drink it before me?”

Xie Ying looked at her but didn’t smile. Zhu Yi took a deep breath and squeezed her fingers. She had clearly realized that after Zhu Xiu Li, she had met another magic star2. Moreover, she could scold Zhu Xiu Li if she wanted to, but she couldn’t do the same to the man in front of her.

“I’m going back,” Zhu Yi declared, standing up. “Since Your Highness let my horse go, I will ride your horse. You can find your own way back.”

Xie Ying thought that it was almost time to emerge, and he agreed. “Very well.”

Xie Ying’s horse didn’t have stirrups. This horse was too tall, so it was inevitable that it wouldn’t be easy to mount. Xie Ying consciously stepped forward and grasped her waist to lift her onto the back of the horse, and Zhu Yi rode away without looking back.

Zhu Xiu Li was having a good time with Shen Xing Liu when he saw Zhu Yi.

“Elder Sister! Haha, are you back?” He called out happily. “Wait, why are you riding our elder cousin’s horse? You switched horses? Where is our elder cousin?”

Zhu Yi was angry when she saw Zhu Xiu Li. He turned his elbows outward3 to bring that bastard Xie Ying over here. Zhu Yi glared at him, jumped off the horse and stalked away without saying a word. Zhu Xiu Li was left dumbfounded.

Zhu Yi didn’t return to Joyous Hope Pavilion, but instead headed over to Zhu Chuo’s place. Her heart was in a mess because of Xie Ying, and she didn’t want to be alone when she returned.

“Zhu Chuo!” Zhu Yi looked at the figure in front of her who was skulking in the dark.

Zhu Chuo was startled. She turned around and pointed her finger at her. “Shhh, Old Third, why are you being so loud?”

Looking at Zhu Chuo, who was dressed as a little eunuch in front of her, Zhu Yi could only feel that her luck was bad today since she didn’t meet anyone who wouldn’t give her a headache.

“Where are you going?” She frowned.

Zhu Chuo’s eyes flickered, not daring to look at her but Zhu Yi already knew the answer in her heart.

“Deputy Head Han4 came here today to report the details of a case to our imperial father, so he’ll be staying in the guesthouse?” She guessed.

The palace was still divided into the front and back bedrooms. The emperor and his harem lived in the back bedrooms. The princes’ Blue Creek Forest was between the front and back bedrooms, while the Resting Goose Pavilion of the previous dynasty was designated for officials staying there overnight.

Seeing that Zhu Chuo didn’t speak, Zhu Yi sighed. 

“Ah Chuo, Han Yun Rong is to be married, don’t be foolish. Didn’t you tell me yourself last time that our imperial father will have us married to the vassal states?”

“I just wanted to take a look, but I wasn’t going to do anything,” Zhu Chuo said defensively. She shook Zhu Yi’s hand. 

“Old Third, I just want to see him for the last time. Please let me go. I swear- I swear that if I die today-”

“Alright, alright!” Zhu Yi interrupted. She was afraid that the nonsense that spewed out of Zhu Chuo’s mouth might come true.

Zhu Chuo was overjoyed, but then Zhu Yi added, “You can go if you want to, but I will follow you.”

Zhu Chuo was taken aback. Zhu Yi clearly wanted to monitor her. She didn’t want Zhu Yi to follow along, but she also knew that this person was more stubborn than her. 

“Well…alright then,” she agreed reluctantly.

“Your Highness,” Mian Feng urgently pulled at Zhu Yi’s sleeve.

“Don’t worry, Mian Feng,” Zhu Yi reassured her. “Ah Lu will follow us.”

Ah Lu was naturally a genuine eunuch standing on the side.

Zhu Chuo was anxious, so she pulled Zhu Yi into her room and helped her change into the clothes of the little eunuch.

Zhu Chuo was quickly taken aback. She looked at Zhu Yi’s chest and said, “Old Third, what have you been eating in the past two years that made you grow up like this?”

It was already eye-catching enough when she had her top on. So, when she took her top off, it was really…

“You have to wrap it up well,” Zhu Chuo went to pick up a white silk band and brought it over with ease.

“I’ll do it myself,” Zhu Yi said hastily.
 

When Zhu Yi finished cleaning up, the two of them led Ah Lu forward.

TRANSLATOR’S RAMBLES:
I like how we’re first introduced to Xie Ying as a cold and aloof individual but we get to see that he’s actually a cheeky bastard. Well, maybe that part is exclusively for Zhu Yi. XD This push and pull dynamic will carry on for a while as Xie Ying shamelessly pursues while Zhu Yi reluctantly deflects. 

I also love the friendship between Zhu Chuo and Zhu Yi. More often than not, women in novels set in ancient China tend to be bitter rivals over a man and there are rarely any healthy female friendships portrayed. Here, Zhu Yi at least has her two sisters Zhu Chuo and Zhu Ning (who was briefly mentioned in this chapter) on her side.