A Precious Pearl in the Imperial City-Chapter 63

Yun Yanze stood beneath the towering palace walls, watching Yun Duqing and Ming Jiuzhu in the distance. The night breeze carried their laughter, so vibrant that even the crackling of firecrackers couldn’t drown it out.

Such was the way of the world—joy and sorrow forever intertwined.

He slumped down against the wall and gazed up at the fireworks bursting across the sky, his mind blank. Those dazzling explosions had buried his mother’s death, yet he hadn’t even mustered the courage to see her one last time.

"Yanze, you must study hard and become the most outstanding prince."

"Be obedient, and only then will your father favor you."

"Yanze, you are all of your mother’s hopes. You must become the Crown Prince, the most exalted man in the Great Cheng Empire."

"How I hate this… how I hate it all…"

By the time the firecrackers faded and he snapped back to reality, Yun Duqing had already left. Ming Jiuzhu stood holding a palace lantern, followed by a few eunuchs and maids.

"County Princess, there seems to be someone over there."

A eunuch spotted him: "This lowly servant will go and see."

"Don’t." Jiuzhu stopped the eunuch. She looked at the indistinct figure huddled by the wall. On a night meant for reunion, leaving someone alone in their solitude was the greatest kindness one could offer. "Let’s go. No one should disturb him."

Watching the young girl and her attendants depart, Yun Yanze rose to his feet. He glanced once more at the fireworks still blooming in the sky before turning and vanishing into the night.

At Qianyi Pavilion, Zheng Lanyin clutched a white silk cord in her hands, staring at the flickering fireworks outside the window, her heart still seething with resentment. But the burly eunuchs paid no heed. They dragged her forward, looping the cord around her neck.

Terrified, she clawed at the silk, tears and snot streaming down her face, all traces of her former elegance and dignity gone.

"Concubine Zheng," one eunuch sneered, his voice dripping with mockery. "Make your peace. If you keep struggling, you’ll only bring ruin upon the Fourth Prince."

"How dare you kill me? I am the Fourth Prince’s birth mother!" Zheng Lanyin seemed to find a shred of defiance. "You lowly, worthless dogs—none of you can touch me!"

Unfazed by her insults, the eunuchs tightened the cord with brutal force. As her struggles weakened, one of them smirked. "Ah, we forgot to tell you earlier. Not only has His Majesty stripped the Fourth Prince of all his titles, but tomorrow, he will take the Noble Consort to the ancestral temple to be crowned as Empress!"

Zheng Lanyin’s eyes bulged. She thrashed violently for a moment before her body stilled, her lifeless eyes staring wide.

"Even in death, she thought she could use the Fourth Prince as a shield. With a mother and maternal family like hers, that prince is truly cursed." The eunuch checked her pulse. "She’s dead. Let’s report back."

"Honorable Eunuchs, please!" Bai Shao rushed in, pressing silver into the lead eunuch’s hands. "Grant this servant a moment to tidy my mistress’s appearance."

The eunuch tossed the silver in his palm, smirking. "Loyal to the end, aren’t you? Fine, go ahead."

"Thank you, Honorable Eunuchs." Bai Shao bowed before approaching Zheng Lanyin’s corpse.

The eunuchs scoffed. Once a proud palace matron, now no different from a drowned dog.

Outside the Vermilion Bird Gate, Ming Jingzhou and Lady Shen waited for some time before their daughter came skipping toward them, trailed by a few eunuchs carrying lanterns, their steps cautious and deferential.

"Careful, don’t trip," Lady Shen said, steadying Jiuzhu. Catching the faint scent of gunpowder on her, she guided her to sit. "Did you have fun with Prince Chen?"

When Jiuzhu nodded, Lady Shen wasn’t surprised. Of course, it was Prince Chen who had delayed her daughter’s departure.

"Sit properly. Let’s go home." Lady Shen drew the carriage curtains, shutting out the eunuchs’ prying eyes.

The wheels creaked as the carriage rolled forward. Remembering the events at the banquet, Jiuzhu turned to Ming Jingzhou. "Father, why did so many plead for the Fourth Prince’s mercy, even though his mother and maternal family committed such grave crimes?"

"They weren’t pleading for him—they were pleading for their own futures," Ming Jingzhou answered honestly. "What do you think of the Fourth Prince?"

Jiuzhu shook her head. "He is fair-faced, refined, and courteous—a true gentleman. But I don’t like him."

"Because you recognized that steward from the Zheng family who tried to harm you?"

"No." She frowned. "Even the first time I saw him, something felt… off."

Though she couldn’t explain why.

"In life, you’ll always meet people you dislike at first sight—or those you can never forget," Lady Shen said, stroking her daughter’s hair. "Don’t dwell on it. Stay close to those you like, and keep your distance from those you don’t. There’s no need to force yourself."

Jiuzhu smiled. "I understand."

Sometimes, fate simply didn’t align.

"To those officials, the Fourth Prince is the epitome of propriety—gentle, scholarly, and respectful of civil officials. To them, he is the ideal candidate for the throne." Ming Jingzhou chuckled dryly. "Prince Huai is close to the military, Prince An and Prince Jing are unremarkable, and Prince Chen’s temperament…"

Jiuzhu looked up at him.

"Prince Chen is… self-assured and not easily controlled by the civil officials." Under his daughter’s gaze, Ming Jingzhou softened his words. He knew the games these officials played, but his loyalty lay solely with the Emperor.

"So they don’t truly admire the Fourth Prince—they just think he’s… suitable?"

"Perhaps the Fourth Prince merely lets them believe he is." Ming Jingzhou sighed. "All men have their own ambitions."

Himself included.

Jiuzhu ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‍was silent for a moment. "But if the Fourth Prince isn’t what they imagine, won’t they regret it?"

"Jiuzhu, have you heard of an emperor in history who, in his youth, was humble, benevolent, chaste, and frugal—a paragon of virtue? Yet once he ascended the throne, he squandered wealth, indulged in pleasures, and ruled with cruelty?"

"What… happened to him?"

"The empire fell." Ming Jingzhou watched as his daughter’s eyes widened. "The past is a lesson for the future. The Great Cheng needs a truly wise and benevolent ruler like His Majesty—not a madman in a gentleman’s guise."

"Father thinks the Fourth Prince is such a man?"

"I don’t know." Ming Jingzhou smiled. "But I do know my daughter doesn’t like him."

Jiuzhu blinked. Did her dislike really matter?

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"What?" Ming Jingzhou raised a brow.

"Nothing, it’s just…" She took a deep breath. "Doesn’t that seem a bit… arbitrary?"

"Not at all." He chuckled. "It’s what a father should do."

Besides, the Emperor was still in his prime. The matter of succession was far from urgent.

Ming Jiuzhu rubbed her face—was this the happiness of being unconditionally trusted by her father?

She lifted the curtain of the carriage window. Outside, there were night stalls yet to be packed away, children playing with firecrackers in clusters, and lion dancers holding their lion heads while eating noodles by a small stall. Amidst the bustling world of fireworks and mortal life, they were savoring this quiet New Year's Eve.

Peace and prosperity were hard-won—why were there those who, blinded by selfish desires, failed to see the common folk toiling for their livelihoods?

"Master, Zheng Lanyin is gone."

"Dead? Good. She should have died long ago."

"Before her death, His Majesty went to see her."

"That’s just like His Majesty—clear-eyed yet sentimental. If her poisoning of Concubine Wang and her plot against Prince Chen at the horse grounds hadn’t been exposed, His Majesty wouldn’t have let her die in such an undignified manner."

The palace had countless ways to make a woman die quietly, yet His Majesty personally issued the edict sentencing Zheng Lanyin to death.

Edicts were to be recorded in the archives, preserved for centuries to come.

"For His Majesty, who cherishes old sentiments, to give her such a disgraceful end—just imagine how many blunders she must have made. If Prince Chen had actually died back then, things might have turned out differently. But instead, he survived, alerting His Majesty and deepening his suspicions toward the princes. Tell me, wasn’t she utterly useless?"

"Master, what should we do now?"

"Wait, of course."

"The allure of the throne is too great. There will always be those who throw themselves at it, losing all reason."

"But once Ming Jiuzhu and Prince Chen marry, his chances will only grow stronger."

"Marry?"

A scoff.

"They say when husband and wife are of one heart, they can cut through metal. But what if this couple becomes a pair of resentful spouses?"

In the fourteenth year of Longfeng, on the first day of the new year, Emperor Longfeng, accompanied by Consort Su, visited the ancestral temple to recite prayers. Shortly after, a royal proclamation was posted across the land, declaring Lady Su as the new empress.

Though there were dissenters in court, Emperor Longfeng remained resolute, setting the coronation ceremony for the fifteenth day of the month.

After fourteen years without a ruler, the imperial harem finally welcomed its first empress of the Longfeng era.

On the day the proclamation was posted, Ming Jiuzhu was confined to her courtyard, learning wedding etiquette from the matrons sent by the Ministry of Rites.

Every step, every gesture, even whether to lead with the left or right foot—all were strictly dictated. As the daughter of the Vice Minister of Rites, Ming Jiuzhu studied with all her might, determined not to disgrace her father.

"The County Magistrate’s daughter carries herself with such grace," praised the matron. "Among all the future princesses, you learn the quickest and best."

Ming Jiuzhu didn’t quite believe it.

Ever since His Majesty took Lady Su to the ancestral temple on New Year’s Day, she had noticed a dramatic shift in how people treated her.

When she went out with other young ladies, they deferred to her on everything—what tea to drink, what pastries to eat.

Shopkeepers practically begged her to take their goods at half price.

Invitations flooded the house like snowflakes, nearly all specifying that her mother should bring her along.

Even princesses and noblewomen now called her "little sister" with unsettling warmth.

"Miss," Chunfen entered with a visiting card. "Princess Roude has sent an invitation."

"Princess Roude?" Ming Jiuzhu thought for a moment. "The one whose husband’s family injured the Fourth Prince?"

Chunfen nodded. "That’s her."

"What does she want?" Ming Jiuzhu flipped open the card. "The princesses all reside in the palace now. Leaving isn’t easy—why waste time on me?"

"Will you see her?" Chunfen studied her mistress’s indifferent expression, guessing she might not favor this princess.

"I will." Ming Jiuzhu sighed. "Since she’s come, I can’t very well turn a princess away."

"Miss… do you dislike her?"

"Yes." Ming Jiuzhu nodded matter-of-factly. "I heard she once angered His Highness in public."

Chunfen: "…"

Wasn’t it Prince Chen who had publicly humiliated Princess Roude?