The Pearl in the Palm – Chapter 10
When Ye Lizhu woke from her slumber, her body felt delightfully languid. Half-opening her eyes, she murmured softly, “Tea.”
Hearing her voice from the outer room, Yusha hurriedly brought over a cup of clear tea. “Miss.”
Ye Lizhu’s robes were loosely draped, and the hair at her temples was slightly, delightfully messy. Having just woken up, a trace of sleepy languor still lingered in her expression. “What time is it?”
Yusha replied, “You slept for half a shichen (an hour). The hour of Shen is almost over.”
Leaning into Yusha’s hand, Ye Lizhu took a sip of tea. “Jiayou should be back from the academy by now.”
After she rose and had her hair combed, Yusha heard a noise outside. Pushing open the window to peek, she turned to Ye Lizhu, “Miss, the Madam has come to see you.”
Ye Lizhu stood up. “The Madam is here?”
Yusha said, “This morning, the Madam had someone send over two plates of pastries. Since they were hard to digest and Nanny Li was afraid they would upset your stomach, she didn’t mention it earlier.”
Ye Lizhu nodded. “I understand.”
Just as they were speaking, a little maid outside announced right on cue, “Miss, the Madam has arrived.”
Ye Lizhu stepped into the outer parlor. Lifting her gaze, she saw a middle-aged woman dressed in dark robes.
Madam Wu was only in her early thirties. With gentle brows, soft eyes, and fair skin, she looked every bit the picture of amiable warmth.
Nanny Chen whispered to Ye Lizhu, “Miss, this is Madam Wu.”
Ye Lizhu greeted her with a polite, “Madam.”
Beaming, Madam Wu stepped forward and took Ye Lizhu’s hands. “The Miss surely doesn’t remember me. When you left, you were only five years old, looking so pitiful. But now that you’ve returned, you’ve blossomed into a fine young lady! Today, Auntie Lanxin from Her Majesty the Empress’s side even remarked on how much you’ve grown. Her Majesty wishes to see you.”
Ye Lizhu smiled softly. “I have troubled the Madam to worry. Please, take a seat. Yusha, pour tea for the Madam.”
Yusha gave a crisp “Right away,” and soon brought over two cups of pre-rain Longjing tea.
Madam Wu quietly and scrutinizingly sized up Ye Lizhu.
She had originally assumed that a girl raised in a temple would be a clueless, unrefined wild child. Yet looking at her now, Ye Lizhu’s bearing was dignified, her speech elegant—she was truly the perfect picture of a Prime Minister’s daughter.
But the most crucial threat was Ye Lizhu’s face, and that heartbreakingly fragile, pitiable figure.
Ye Lizhu’s mother, Lady Jiang, once held the title of the number one beauty in Wanzhou. With her city-toppling looks and illustrious family background, she had the privilege of marrying Ye Fu’an as his main wife. It was no exaggeration to say that over a decade ago, Lady Jiang was the woman most envied by every unmarried maiden in the capital.
Now, laying eyes on Ye Lizhu, that old, familiar sensation of being pricked by a thousand needles returned to Madam Wu’s heart.
Taking a sip of her tea, Madam Wu smiled. “Since the Miss has returned, I didn’t prepare anything too extravagant. Here is a set of jewelry as a gift for you; it will be perfect for your visit to the palace tomorrow.”
With that, Madam Wu signaled Xing’er to present the jewels. Xing’er smiled sweetly, “Miss, the Madam specifically had craftsmen forge this set. It cost a great deal of silver, proving just how much the Madam values you.”
Ye Lizhu smiled, expressed her thanks, and had her maids accept the gift.
Madam Wu had been sitting there for less than two quarters of an hour when Ye Jiayou returned from the academy.
At school today, Ye Jiayou had been entirely distracted all day long. He was terrified that the Prince of Qin and the Crown Prince had come to propose marriage. Although his father was perfectly capable of handling it, Ye Jiayou couldn’t shake his worry.
He didn’t want his sister to marry so early. If she married the Crown Prince and was bullied, the Crown Prince was the sovereign and the Ye family were subjects—it would be terribly difficult to stand up for her. Thus, the moment classes ended, even though the Prince of Chen’s heir, Tao Hanwen, wanted to chat, Ye Jiayou just tossed his book satchel to his servant boy and marched right out.
Arriving back home at Ye Lizhu’s Jingshui Pavilion, before Ye Jiayou even stepped inside, the maids at the door whispered, “Eldest Young Master, the Madam is inside as well.”
Ye Jiayou nodded and walked straight in.
All along the way, the maids’ continuous greetings of “Eldest Young Master” naturally announced his arrival to those inside.
Today, Ye Jiayou wore a sky-blue brocade robe. A gleaming golden collar rested around his neck, from which dangled a golden qilin pendant. His ink-black hair was bound by a small gold crown. With picturesque features and a lingering childishness in his expression, he was, after all, only a seven-or-eight-year-old child.
Madam Wu beamed with a wide smile, “Jiayou, you’re back. Running straight to your sister’s courtyard the moment you return—aren’t you afraid of disturbing your sister’s rest?”
Ye Jiayou offered a formal bow. “Paying respects to the Madam. Is the Madam’s health well?”
Madam Wu replied, “Well, all is well. Come, sit down quickly.”
Ye Jiayou sat right next to Ye Lizhu. Ye Lizhu raised a hand and gently wiped his forehead. “You’re covered in sweat. Did you run all the way back, or did you take the carriage?”
Ye Jiayou answered, “The carriage stopped at the front yard, and the servant boys can’t enter the inner courtyard, so I ran the rest of the way.”
Ye Lizhu took her own handkerchief to dab his face while instructing Yusha, “Go pour a bowl of sweet basil soup for the Young Master to dispel the heat.”
Watching this deep display of sibling affection, Madam Wu stroked the ring on her finger and smiled. “It’s getting late, I should head back. Jiayou, tonight I specifically had the kitchen roast your favorite venison. Since your sister’s place doesn’t serve meat, why don’t you come back with me?”
Ye Jiayou replied politely, “I deeply appreciate the Madam’s kind intentions. However, the weather is hot and dry, and I have no appetite for heavy meats. I will just eat vegetarian dishes with my sister.”
The moment Madam Wu stepped out of Jingshui Pavilion, the smile vanished from her face.
Xing’er muttered under her breath, “The Young Master is really something. He grew up by your knee for all these years, yet the moment that one returns, he instantly forgets all about you! Isn’t that just a white-eyed wolf?”
Madam Wu shot Xing’er a sharp glare.
Xing’er hastily clamped her hands over her mouth and glanced around. They were out in the open, after all; it wasn’t safe to say such things.
Madam Wu felt terrible inside. On the surface, Ye Jiayou was utterly respectful to her, but in reality, he avoided her like the plague. It was all because she had slipped up last time, alerting the snake by beating the grass, and making the brat suspicious. Ye Jiayou was just like Ye Fu’an—young in age, but unbearably heavy and deep in his schemes.
Madam Wu had no children of her own. It wasn’t that she was barren; it was simply that Ye Fu’an never gave her the chance to conceive. Ye Fu’an favored this pair of golden children born to Lady Jiang far, far too much. As long as these two siblings were around, even if Madam Wu managed to have a child, they would always be crushed underfoot.
Ye Fu’an absolutely abhorred the idea of brothers fighting within the family walls. Over the years, the number of his concubines had increased, yet his heirs remained strictly these two. The implications were blatantly obvious.
Pinching her Buddhist beads, Madam Wu softly murmured an “Amitabha” and headed back to her own quarters.
Seeing Madam Wu leave, Ye Jiayou immediately yanked off his gold crown and changed into comfortable everyday clothes, letting Ye Lizhu tie a forehead band for him. He warned, “The Madam is deeply scheming, though she hasn’t made any overt mistakes over the years. Zhuzhu, just don’t trust her. If she gives you food, don’t eat it; if she gives you things to play with, don’t play with them. If you need anything, just come to me and Dad.”
Ye Lizhu nodded.
Seeing that nothing else was amiss on Ye Lizhu’s end, they sat down for dinner together. After shoveling a few bites of rice, Ye Jiayou decided Ye Lizhu’s food was entirely too plain—without a single drop of rich oil or fat—and bolted straight to Ye Fu’an’s courtyard to crash his dinner instead.
…
Far away, Ti Xiao was dreaming of Ye Lizhu. She was leaning languidly against a beauty couch, her silken robes fluttering in the wind, revealing a pair of delicate, jade-like bare feet.
As Ti Xiao walked toward her, Ye Lizhu lifted her eyes. Her snow-white face gradually bloomed with a flush of crimson as she gazed deeply into his eyes.
Ye Lizhu’s beauty was soul-stealing and breathtaking. Tearing his gaze away, Ti Xiao growled, “Put your clothes on properly.”
Her gauze robes drifted in the wind, highlighting her incredibly slender waist. Cupping her snowy cheeks with her jade-like hands, she coaxed, “Your Highness, look at me.”
Ti Xiao couldn’t resist casting a glance her way. To his shock, Ye Lizhu suddenly rose and threw herself right into his arms! “I fell in love with Your Highness at first sight. Will you marry me? Take me back to Xianzhou, won’t you?”
Held tightly in her embrace, Ti Xiao’s entire body instantly went rigid.
Since he could remember, it was the very first time he had ever been hugged by a woman.
Ti Xiao wanted to scold her for her insolence, to force this audacious little woman out of his embrace. She was truly too brazen! No woman had ever been able to get close to him, yet she had dared to worm her way right into his chest.
Keeping his face icy cold, Ti Xiao commanded, “You are not allowed to deliberately get close to this Prince. This Prince does not like such presumptuous behavior.”
Hearing his cruel rejection, Ye Lizhu’s eyes instantly brimmed with tears. “So Your Highness does not like me after all… Then I won’t stay with Your Highness anymore! I’m going to go find my Crown Prince Brother!”
With that, she turned to leave.
The moment those four words, “Crown Prince Brother,” hit Ti Xiao’s ears, a blazing inferno of jealousy erupted in his chest. He forcefully grabbed Ye Lizhu, pinning her in place. “This Prince forbids it!”
His hand, calloused from years of wielding weapons, roughly yet gently caressed Ye Lizhu’s cheek. “This Prince forbids you from calling him ‘Brother’.”
Before Ye Lizhu could even utter a word, Ti Xiao violently pressed her down against the daybed.
The Ti Xiao in the dream was as impulsively hot-blooded as a green young boy. He relentlessly forced Ye Lizhu to cry out “Good Brother” countless times before he finally let her go.
Ye Lizhu wept like pear blossoms bathed in spring rain, shedding an utterly ridiculous amount of tears. Gathering her into his arms, Ti Xiao chuckled huskily, “Little Lizhu, you might as well change your name. Since you love to cry so much, I’ll just call you Little Crybaby.”
…
When Ti Xiao opened his eyes, the sky outside was still pitch black.
Ti Xiao realized there was something seriously wrong with him.
That Ye Lizhu was truly a little demoness! Having only met her twice, she had already lured him into such a disgraceful loss of composure!
Though Ti Xiao never claimed to be a noble gentleman, he was absolutely not a man governed by lust. Sitting at the very epicenter of supreme power, countless people had tried to curry his favor by gifting him peerless beauties. Yet Ti Xiao abhorred those women and had never accepted a single one.
Now, after merely two fleeting encounters with Ye Lizhu, he was a total wreck. Naturally, a profound sense of restless frustration stirred in Ti Xiao’s heart.
He knocked sharply on the edge of the bed. A male servant rushed in to help him dress. Though it was obscenely early, the servant was completely used to it, knowing His Highness had a habit of practicing his martial arts before dawn.
Ti Xiao was exceptionally tall and naturally possessed a magnificent physique. His muscles were lean and powerful—neither grotesquely bulky nor weak. In the dream, it was precisely this dominant build that he had relied on to bully Ye Lizhu until her eyes swam with tears.
But regardless, a dream was ultimately just a dream.
He couldn’t feel her warmth; he couldn’t hear her heartbeat.
And he didn’t even know if she was truly that delicate and prone to crying.
The servant was, after all, a man. He fumbled clumsily with the sash, tying it wrong twice. Ti Xiao’s mind gradually cleared of its groggy haze.
Was he expending far too much mental energy on Ye Lizhu? It was only two meetings, yet he was obsessing over her like this. That woman was truly a little disaster.
Still… if Ye Lizhu were the one dressing him, she definitely wouldn’t be this clumsy.
Impatiently snatching the belt, Ti Xiao snapped the golden buckle shut himself and sneered coldly, “Idiot!”
The terrified servant instantly dropped to his knees, trembling as he listened to Ti Xiao storm out.
Translator’s Anecdote: Ti Xiao is really out here inventing spicy fake scenarios in his sleep just so he has an excuse to be violently jealous of his own nephew! 🤣
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