A Precious Pearl in the Imperial City-Chapter 106

The courtyard, now devoid of its mistress, felt desolate. The white paper lanterns hanging from the eaves seemed stark and indifferent amid the vibrant vitality of spring.

The Nanny guided Jiuzhu and Prince Chen into the chamber and brought out a wooden box. "Her Ladyship prepared these things days ago. She had meant to give them to you on Qingming, but… circumstances delayed it."

Jiuzhu knew why it had been delayed. Two days earlier, what she had brought back for the Dowager Noble Consort had eclipsed all else in her mind.

Accepting the heavy box, Jiuzhu murmured her thanks.

"Your Grace." The Nanny took three steps back and knelt before her. The other palace maids and eunuchs in the room followed suit.

"Nanny—" Jiuzhu reached out to help her up.

"Your Grace, please allow this servant to complete this gesture." The Nanny’s gaze was unwavering. Slowly, Jiuzhu withdrew her hand.

With the other servants, the Nanny kowtowed three times. Jiuzhu heard the muffled sobs of a young maid.

"Her Ladyship left this world with a smile, in perfect peace," the Nanny said, rising with the maid’s support. "Though Your Grace and my mistress were but passing acquaintances, you crossed half the capital on Qingming to offer incense for someone long departed—just for her sake. Had it not been for you, my mistress would have carried regrets to her grave."

Thus, Jiuzhu deserved this reverence.

The imperial palace was the most exalted place in the realm, possessing everything one could dream of—power, status, wealth, beauty.

The only thing it lacked was genuine warmth of heart.

The arrival of Prince Chen’s consort in this palace of desires was like an anomaly—yet not entirely out of place.

Like a lantern appearing in the dark of night.

Or a breeze sweeping through a sweltering summer evening.

She was so different. That was why the Dowager Consort, who had always avoided meddling in affairs, had dragged her ailing body to the peach grove to warn her and Prince Chen.

A moment of compassion from the Dowager Consort had been repaid with Jiuzhu’s sincerity—bringing back what Changsheng had left behind.

A faint, plaintive mewing sounded. Jiuzhu saw the cat Consort Dowager Zhao had kept, crouched by the foot of the bed, occasionally glancing up as if puzzled by its mistress’s absence.

"Since Her Ladyship’s passing, this cat has stayed here, waiting for her return," the Nanny said, tears falling anew. "It barely eats what we offer. At night, it wanders the courtyard, searching for her."

The poor creature did not understand its master would never come back.

Jiuzhu handed the wooden box to Prince Chen and crouched before the cat, extending her hand.

The plump feline mewed, circled the room several times, then finally leaped into her arms.

Yet as Jiuzhu carried it toward the gate, the cat struggled free and jumped away.

"Your Grace, this servant will retrieve it for you," Yang Yiduo said, rolling up his sleeves.

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

"No need." Jiuzhu shook her head. "Tell the Nanny I’ll return for it another day."

"As you command."

"Want to keep it?" Prince Chen asked.

Jiuzhu shook her head again. "With the Dowager Consort gone, this cat has no master in the palace. It may not survive."

Once, when it had strayed into Zhangliu Palace, someone had broken both its legs. Without an owner’s protection, its fate would be worse.

"Don’t worry. The old ladies in the Western Palace will look after it," Prince Chen said, taking her hand again. "If you’re still concerned, we can visit in a few days."

"Mm." Jiuzhu nodded. She always trusted his words.

"Come, I’ll take you somewhere." Noticing her lingering melancholy, Prince Chen leaned close and whispered, "Your prince will take you out of the palace."

"Now?" Jiuzhu asked.

"Yes, now." He pinched her nose playfully. "Want to go?"

"I do." She nodded.

"If you want to go, smile for me first." He handed the wooden box to the attendant specially assigned by his father, the emperor, and pinched her cheeks. "Why such a gloomy face at such a young age?"

The softness of her skin was too tempting, and Prince Chen couldn't resist giving her cheeks a few more squeezes.

Now Jiuzhu not only refused to smile but also got angry with him.

Seeing this, Prince Chen quickly withdrew his hand. "Don't be mad, don't be mad. Let's go out right now."

When ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‍Jiuzhu ignored him, he pulled her into his arms. "I was wrong, don't be angry, alright?"

Jiuzhu stood on her tiptoes and took the opportunity to pinch Prince Chen’s cheeks in return. Satisfied by his stunned expression, she nodded. "Alright, I’m not angry anymore."

"Little Ming Pig, you’ve learned mischief from your sisters-in-law," Prince Chen sighed in mock dismay. His Jiuzhu used to be so well-behaved—how had she picked up such tricks after just a short time in the palace?

Truly, the palace was a dye vat, turning his once pure and innocent little pig into a colorful troublemaker.

The two rode a carriage out of the palace. When Jiuzhu stepped down, she finally realized where Prince Chen had brought her.

The once modest mound of Changsheng’s grave was now completely gone, replaced by a large pit.

Jiuzhu turned to Prince Chen. "Your Highness?"

An ordinary person might suspect Prince Chen had desecrated a grave, but Jiuzhu’s first thought was—was he rebuilding Changsheng’s tomb?

Seeing the trust in her eyes, Prince Chen smiled. Such a little fool—good thing she had met him.

And good thing it was her, or else his efforts to secure this favor from his father and mother would have been wasted.

"Bring the things from the carriage," Prince Chen ordered. "Dowager Noble Consort Jing was a consort recorded in the imperial jade register, so her funeral was handled by the Imperial Clan Court and the Ministry of Rites. I couldn’t bring her remains out of the palace, so I took some of her personal belongings, jewelry, and clothes to build a cenotaph and bury her with Changsheng."

His grandfather had committed many sins—sending him a cuckold’s hat in the afterlife was the least his ancestors could tolerate.

"This can’t be done openly, so we’ll keep it simple," Prince Chen whispered, taking Jiuzhu’s hand. "Let’s hurry before anyone notices."

"Did His Majesty and Her Majesty approve of this?" Even though Jiuzhu had grown up in a Taoist temple and wasn’t well-versed in worldly affairs, she knew this wasn’t exactly filial.

"Shh, don’t ask, don’t ask," Prince Chen said, retrieving a spirit tablet hidden beneath the carriage. Instead of an official title, it bore the name Zhao Taohua.

According to folk customs, reopening a grave for a joint burial required bone-washing rituals, auspicious dates, and precise timing. But Jiuzhu knew that if Changsheng and Dowager Noble Consort Jing had spirits in the afterlife, they wouldn’t mind the lack of grandeur.

They warmed the grave with paper money ashes, then swept the pit clean with their robes—a task meant for descendants. But since neither Changsheng nor Consort Dowager Zhao had heirs, Jiuzhu and Prince Chen used their own outer garments, laboriously fanning the ashes out until the pit was spotless.

By the end, both were covered in soot, their pristine white robes now a mess of black and gray.

"Before coming, I asked around—this step is essential," Prince Chen said, helping Jiuzhu climb out of the pit. "It symbolizes a life of abundance and peace in their next incarnation."

"Oh," Jiuzhu nodded, still a little confused. "What do we do next?"

"Place Consort Dowager Zhao’s belongings in the grave," Prince Chen said, clasping his hands behind his back. "Other burial customs are for the living’s benefit. Since they have no descendants, why trouble them further?"

As the coffin was lowered and covered with earth, Jiuzhu’s melancholy gradually lifted.

When Prince Chen had the newly carved tombstone erected, a smile finally returned to her face.

"Feeling better now?" Prince Chen took out a handkerchief to wipe the soot from Jiuzhu’s face, though his own hands weren’t much cleaner.

"Yes," Jiuzhu nodded. "They couldn’t be together in life, but sharing a resting place is something."

"Here, light incense for them, then we’ll go home." Prince Chen handed her the incense sticks and bowed three times before the tombstone.

A breeze swirled the smoke upward, carrying it into the sky.

Changsheng, Taohua.

May they live long, vibrant lives in their next incarnation.

Back in the carriage, the two burst into laughter at the sight of each other—muddy feet, soot-streaked faces, and filthy clothes.

"That’s more like it. A young lady should smile," Prince Chen said, pinching Jiuzhu’s cheek and leaving two more black fingerprints on her already dirty face.

He averted his gaze guiltily and coughed. "It’ll be dark soon. The palace maids and eunuchs won’t dare look directly at us. If we walk fast enough, no one will notice our clothes."

(Though the real issue was their faces. But he didn’t dare say that.)

Covered in paper ash, changing clothes outside the palace would only invite suspicion. Better to return boldly—less room for gossip.

"But what if someone sees us?"

"If anyone sees us, just say I took you out of the palace to grill fish, and we accidentally fell into a pile of ashes," Prince Chen said calmly. "Don’t worry—once we give them an answer, no one will dare to question us further."

Given his usual way of handling things, it was likely no one would even suspect he was lying.

As night fell, Prince Chen draped two thin black cloaks over himself and Jiuzhu, striding confidently down the palace path with unshaken boldness.

"Her own mother’s bones aren’t even cold yet, and she’s already pregnant. So much for virtue and filial piety—seems like it was all an act before."

"With a mother like that, the son must be just as fake."

From behind the palace gate, the voices of eunuchs drifted out, their tones laced with malice and a hint of glee.

Hearing this exchange, Jiuzhu immediately halted in her steps, while Prince Chen frowned and turned his gaze toward the gate.

Some people were simply born to revel in others’ misfortune.

The world never lacked those who would kick a man when he was down.