A Precious Pearl in the Imperial City-Chapter 96

"Who said that?" Prince An was utterly baffled by Prince Chen's question. "My mother told me. Is there... a problem with that?"

Though there had been a minor mishap, the scenery here was indeed quite lovely.

Princess Consort An and Jiuzhu both turned to look at him, while Prince Chen's expression grew inscrutable. "Consort Lü has long resided deep within the palace. How would she know the flowers here bloom so beautifully?"

Princess Consort An sensed something amiss. Seeing her husband still oblivious to the gravity of the situation, she quickly interjected, "Fifth Brother, my prince has always been a bit absent-minded. Why don’t we return to the palace and ask your mother directly?"

"Second Sister-in-law is right." Prince Chen nodded, glancing at the noble family heads who were now muffled by the Imperial Guards and could no longer wail. He motioned to one of the guards and whispered a few instructions.

"Little Piglet, let’s go back to the palace." Prince Chen turned to Jiuzhu and noticed her gaze lingering on the wine-serving maids. Leaning close, he murmured, "Don’t worry. The magistrate of the capital’s administrative office is a fair and upright official, born of humble origins. He won’t favor the noble families."

"I know." The first time she had walked the streets of the capital, she had recognized this as a prosperous and peaceful era.

Yet even in such times, some still suffered.

Fortunately, there were those who could bring them justice.

Suddenly, she understood why her father and uncles, even when their entire family was exiled, had refused to yield to corrupt rulers.

To serve a wise sovereign and protect the peace of the people—that was their choice.

When she was first reunited with her family, her parents had been full of remorse. But she knew that even if given another chance, they would make the same decision.

And she bore no resentment.

Only with more officials like her father and uncles could the common people enjoy true peace and stability.

"Your Highness." She placed her hand in Prince Chen’s palm. "His Majesty is a good emperor."

Prince Chen was momentarily taken aback before smiling. "You’re right. But you left something out."

"What did I miss?"

"Yun Duqing is an excellent prince."

"Yes." Jiuzhu nodded. "Your Highness is an excellent prince."

Yu Jian led the Imperial Guards up the mountain, trailed by two physicians carrying medicine chests.

"These noble families come all the way up here just to drink tea and wine, and now they’ve been ambushed. Getting them back down will be a nightmare," one guard muttered to his companion. "Wasn’t that scholar Prince Chen publicly mocked over a year ago also from a noble family?"

As he recalled, it had started when a noble-born scholar ridiculed a military officer, sparking a dispute. The situation had escalated so badly that the Imperial Guards had dispatched two full squads, fearing an outright brawl. But by the time they arrived, the officer hadn’t clashed with the noble family’s guards—instead, Prince Chen, astride a towering white horse, had verbally eviscerated the scholar until he slunk away in shame.

From then on, Prince Chen’s already shaky reputation among scholars and literati had plummeted further.

"I remember that! We were both there," the other guard chimed in. "Those noble scholars were silver-tongued. If not for Prince Chen, those officers would’ve been at a disadvantage."

"Wait—isn’t that Prince Chen coming down the mountain now?" The first guard squinted at the approaching entourage. "It really is him."

Yu Jian halted, his only thought: Not him again.

"Greetings to Prince An, Prince Chen, and their esteemed consorts." Yu Jian clasped his fists in salute.

"Perfect timing." Prince Chen, unsurprised to see him, gestured toward the mountain. "Arrest every noble family head up there."

"All ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‍of them?" Yu Jian hesitated. "Your Highness, you mean to take them all to the capital’s administrative office?"

"Investigate first. Release those proven innocent."

"Fifth Brother." Prince An tugged at Prince Chen’s sleeve, lowering his voice. "Du Qingke enjoys a sterling reputation among scholars, and he’s the elder brother of Third Brother’s wife. Wouldn’t detaining him cause complications?"

He had always known his younger brother was bold, but this was beyond reckless.

"If he’s innocent, the authorities will let him go. If guilty, his connections won’t save him." Prince Chen replied. "Second Brother, don’t worry. If Third Sister-in-law complains, she can take it up with me."

Whether he’d humor her was another matter entirely.

"It’s not just that. Since we’re in this together, we share the responsibility." Remembering the plight of the wine-serving maids—and his own need for Prince Chen’s support—Prince An steeled himself. "You’re right. Regardless of status, guilt or innocence is for the law to decide."

Prince Chen turned to him, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Second Brother, such valor."

Prince An managed a strained smile.

Valor was irrelevant. What mattered was that he couldn’t turn a blind eye now.

When the Imperial Guards reached the mountaintop, the two physicians examined the nobleman with a hairpin lodged in his neck—now unconscious from pain—and exchanged grave looks.

"Young Commander." One physician bowed to Yu Jian. "This injury is dire. His chances are slim."

"Do your best to save him." Yu Jian had little sympathy for this lecherous tyrant who oppressed the common folk. Were it not for the risk to the maid who’d stabbed him, he wouldn’t bother.

"Lord Du, please come with me." Yu Jian approached Du Qingke and saluted.

"Who dares authorize you to arrest me?" Du Qingke glared at this lowly sixth-rank guard, clasping his hands behind his back. "When servants assault officials, you target me instead?"

"I act by the law. I beg your understanding." Yu Jian’s hand brushed the manacles at his waist, their metallic clink deliberate. "Given Lord Du’s renowned virtue, I’d prefer not to resort to restraints."

Du Qingke sneered. "Very well, let’s go."

A mere guard wouldn’t dare this without backing.

Who was behind it?

Prince Chen?

Consort Lü was secretly enjoying a pungent but delicious street snack in her chambers when her son requested an audience. She hastily ordered the maids to remove the food, rinsed her mouth, and washed her hands.

"Light the incense too," she added, recalling the fragrant gifts from Consort Wei. "Those sachets from Consort Wei are quite pleasant."

The moment Jiuzhu stepped into the main hall, the overpowering incense sent her into a sneezing fit. Prince Chen immediately shielded her nose and mouth with his sleeve, guiding her back outside. "Consort Lü, my wife cannot tolerate incense. Please remove it."

"Quickly! Take the censers away and open all windows!" Flustered, Consort Lü waited until the scent dissipated before inviting them back in. "Is Her Highness feeling better now?"

"Thank you for your concern, Your Grace. My apologies for the trouble." Jiuzhu caught a faint, peculiar odor lingering in the room.

"Everyone, please take your seats, don't just stand there." Consort Lü secretly glared at her son. Inviting Prince Chen over without giving her any prior notice—what a useless boy.

"Mother, your daughter-in-law bought some trinkets outside the palace earlier. Would you like to see if you like them?" Princess Consort An cheerfully sidled up to Consort Lü, coaxing her into delight with just a few words, quickly making her forget about her son.

"Luckily, Mother told us about the scenic spot, or we wouldn’t have been able to enjoy such beautiful views." Princess Consort An handed tea to Consort Lü. "Mother is so impressive, knowing all the beautiful sights in the capital without even leaving the palace."

"It wasn’t me who knew about them." Consort Lü took a sip of tea and explained with a smile, "A few days ago, when Consort Xu fell ill, Consort Wei and I went to visit her. We heard about it from the people in Consort Xu’s palace."

"So it was someone from Consort Xu’s palace who mentioned it." Princess Consort An glanced at Prince An. "How is Consort Xu’s health now?"

"Still the same. She’s been bedridden for years, but fortunately, the Empress pities her and keeps her on good medicine. Though her spirits aren’t the best, at least her life isn’t in danger." At this, Consort Lü smiled at Prince Chen and Jiuzhu. "Over the years, the Empress has always treated us well. If it were anyone else, our lives wouldn’t be so comfortable and carefree."

Half of this was flattery for the Empress in front of Prince Chen, and the other half was genuine.

More importantly, she had made mistakes in the past while still in the imperial household, and all these years, she had been too guilty and uneasy to approach the Emperor.

"We won’t disturb Your Highness and Second Brother’s family time. We’ll take our leave now." Prince Chen stood up to bid farewell.

"Stay for lunch before you go," Consort Lü offered politely.

"Alright, thank you for your hospitality." Jiuzhu immediately accepted.

Prince Chen gave her a puzzled look but didn’t question her, sitting back down instead.

Consort Lü was momentarily stunned—wasn’t that just a polite remark? Who actually takes those seriously?

"It’s my honor to have the two of you dine here." Consort Lü quickly composed herself and ordered the kitchen to prepare the meal.

Though she couldn’t help but wonder—Prince Chen never dined in other consorts’ palaces. What was different today?

Prince An, however, was inwardly thrilled. Did Fifth Brother’s willingness to dine here mean he had successfully latched onto the right person?

"You young people chat among yourselves. I’ll go change my clothes." Consort Lü leaned on her maid’s arm and left the main hall. Only after stepping out did her smile fade. She turned to the eunuch who had accompanied Prince An earlier. "What happened when His Highness went out today?"

They had specifically gone out to enjoy the scenery, yet they returned before noon. Something must have occurred.

The eunuch glanced back at the main hall and quietly recounted the events to Consort Lü.

"It’s hardly surprising that those noble families would do such things." Consort Lü’s tone dripped with undisguised disdain. "Back in the late Xiande era, the noble families were even more arrogant. I thought they’d learned to behave after His Majesty ascended the throne, but it seems they still haven’t learned their lesson."

The eunuch whispered, "Princess Consort Jing’s uncle was also taken to the capital’s magistrate office. That was… His Highness and Prince Chen’s decision."

Consort Lü fell silent for a moment before replying, "My son did well."

All these years, she and her son had stayed out of court and harem affairs, not because they were weak, but to avoid repeating the mistakes of the Xiande era’s end.

"The order has been given. If Princess Consort Jing holds a grudge, I’ll take responsibility." Consort Lü glanced at the slightly uneasy eunuch. "Besides, Prince Chen is backing us up. What is there to fear?"

"Sister-in-law," Jiuzhu said to Princess Consort An after Consort Lü left, "the incense in Consort Lü’s palace smells a bit odd."

"R-really?" Princess Consort An hesitated to explain that her mother-in-law secretly indulged in street snacks, so she simply replied, "Thank you for the reminder. I’ll have the imperial physician check the incense."

Prince An, unaware of his mother’s habits, paled at Jiuzhu’s words and immediately sent for a physician skilled in medicinal herbs.

"When I entered earlier, I also thought the incense smelled off," Prince An murmured to his wife. "Could someone have tampered with it?"

Princess Consort An’s smile stiffened. There was no tampering—it was just that Consort Lü had been sneaking snacks and hadn’t fully aired out the smell.

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As for how she knew? Well, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law shared the same guilty pleasure of eating in secret.

When the physician arrived and saw Prince Chen and his consort present, he paused briefly.

The last time he was called to examine Consort Zhang’s problematic sachet, these two had also been there.

What kind of fate was this?

"Your Highness, don’t worry. The incense shouldn’t be a major issue," Princess Consort An reassured her husband, whose face was still tense. "Perhaps Her Highness just changed the blend, and you’re not used to the scent—"

"Your Highnesses, this incense does have a problem," the physician interrupted, setting down the incense and bowing. "Due to the preparation method, two of the herbs counteract each other. Prolonged exposure could weaken the spleen and stomach, leading to weight loss."

"What?" Princess Consort An blurted out. "The odd smell wasn’t because Mother was secretly eating?"