The Pearl in the Palm – Chapter 2
Ye Lizhu received her father’s letter at dusk.
Ye Fu’an’s handwriting was as dashing and unconstrained as ever, his brushstrokes flying like dragons and dancing like phoenixes. Over the years, he had written hundreds of letters to Ye Lizhu. She had painstakingly preserved every single one, and had read each of them countless times over.
It was a pity that her mother had never once written to her. Ye Lizhu often dreamt of her mother, but because they hadn’t seen each other for far too long, even in her dreams, she could never clearly make out her mother’s face.
Ye Lizhu carefully read the letter her father had written.
Tomorrow, her father would finally come to take her home.
Ye Lizhu had completely forgotten what the Ye Manor looked like; the concept of ‘home’ felt somewhat foreign to her heart.
The sky gradually darkened. Ye Lizhu was originally planning to blow out the oil lamp and go to bed, but suddenly, a soft double-knock sounded at the door. She tucked the letter away. “Come in.”
Qinghui entered, pulling Qingshuang along with her. “Zhuzhu.”
Ye Lizhu stood up and poured them both a cup of tea. “It’s so late, why haven’t you gone to sleep yet?”
Qinghui said, “Master told us you’re leaving tomorrow.”
During her years at Mingfo Temple, Ye Lizhu had actually lived quite well. Master Wuxin took great care of her, and both Qinghui and Qingshuang were very good to her as well.
Now that she was leaving and didn’t know when she might return, Ye Lizhu was truly reluctant to part with them.
Ye Lizhu gently held Qinghui’s hand. “Don’t be sad. I will come back to see you. Whenever you want to visit the capital, just come straight to my house.”
Qinghui’s eyes grew red. “But… but we want to see you every day, Zhuzhu. Once you’re gone, there won’t be anyone to play the zither with us anymore. Who will I sleep next to when I have nightmares? And when Master punishes me by making me copy scriptures, there won’t be anyone to plead for me or help me copy them!”
Ye Lizhu placed Qingshuang’s hand over Qinghui’s. “Don’t you still have Qingshuang?”
Qinghui sniffled. “Qingshuang sleeps like a dead pig at night! She wouldn’t comfort me or keep me company. Plus, she’s always getting punished by Master, too!”
Smack! Qingshuang slapped the back of Qinghui’s hand. “Asking for a beating!”
Ye Lizhu gently rubbed Qinghui’s hand. “Don’t be sad. I’ll write letters to you.”
Qingshuang said, “Zhuzhu, just go home with peace of mind tomorrow. When we miss you, we’ll definitely go find you. Master will miss you too, she won’t just ignore you.”
Ye Lizhu nodded.
Qingshuang nudged Qinghui. “Hurry up and take out the hairpin you bought.”
Qinghui fished an exquisite little wooden box from her sleeve. “Zhuzhu, this is our gift to you.”
Ye Lizhu accepted it and, following Qinghui’s signaling gaze, opened the box.
Inside lay a pearl hairpin. The body was forged of silver, and the head was adorned with delicate pearl flowers—small, elegant, and exquisitely crafted.
“We don’t have hair, but you do! Zhuzhu, wear it when you comb your hair tomorrow, it will definitely look beautiful,” Qinghui said, her eyes shining brightly. “We’ve been wanting to give this to you for a long time.”
Ye Lizhu softly traced her fingers over the pearl hairpin and nodded.
Once Qinghui and Qingshuang left, Ye Lizhu stored the hairpin away properly. Only then did she grab her handkerchief, unable to suppress a sudden fit of violent coughing.
Snow-white fabric was once again dotted with crimson blood. Ye Lizhu pursed her lips, blew out the lamp, and lay down on her bed. Her body was growing weaker and weaker. Sometimes, the moment she opened her eyes, she would see heavy, dark shadows hovering over her, as if something foul and unseen was encircling her, slowly devouring her life force.
Ye Lizhu felt that even if she went home, she wouldn’t live much longer.
But, no matter what, she had to return.
Ye Lizhu missed her father and mother.
The next day, Ye Lizhu dressed and washed as usual. As she emerged from the dining hall after finishing her meal, a young nun hurried over. “Zhuzhu, your father is here.”
Ye Lizhu followed the young nun to the front hall.
Ye Fu’an was in his forties, tall and burly. Despite his incredibly high status, he didn’t put on any intimidating, majestic airs. Instead, he seemed amicable and approachable, naturally carrying a three-part smile whenever he saw someone. He was dressed in a dark purple brocade robe and wore a purple-gold crown, making him look exceptionally conspicuous within the plain, austere Buddhist hall.
The moment Ye Lizhu crossed the threshold, her eyes lit up brilliantly. “Dad!”
“Lizhu!” Ye Fu’an rushed forward, immediately gripping Ye Lizhu’s shoulders to look her up and down. “My precious daughter, you’ve grown taller again! You’ve blossomed into a big girl!”
The corners of Ye Lizhu’s lips tilted upward as she gave a heavy nod. “Mm!”
Master Wuxin walked over as well, casting a glance at Ye Lizhu. “Have you packed your things?”
“Everything is packed,” Ye Lizhu replied.
“Then it is time to leave,” Master Wuxin said, pressing her palms together, a string of Buddhist beads draped over her fingers. “Descend the mountain early, so you may arrive home early.”
Ye Fu’an patted Ye Lizhu’s back. “Lizhu, kowtow to your Master. She has taken care of you for all these years.”
Ye Lizhu knelt down and kowtowed three times to Master Wuxin. “Lizhu thanks Master for nearly ten years of teachings.”
With her parents absent, it was Master Wuxin who had taught her to read and write, and how to distinguish right from wrong. Her parents had given her flesh and blood, blessing her with the grace of life, but Master Wuxin had blessed her with the grace of rearing.
Master Wuxin sighed softly. “Lizhu, get up.”
Once she stood, Ye Fu’an supported Ye Lizhu by the arm and led her away.
A sedan chair was waiting just outside. Terrified that Ye Lizhu might be uncomfortable, Ye Fu’an had specifically arranged an eight-bearer sedan chair for the mountain descent, planning to switch to a horse-drawn carriage once they reached the bottom.
Sitting inside the plush sedan, Ye Lizhu hesitated for a moment before asking, “Dad, is my mother’s health still poor?”
A shadow instantly fell over Ye Fu’an’s face.
He had hidden this truth from Ye Lizhu for eight whole years; he couldn’t keep hiding it any longer.
“Lizhu,” Ye Fu’an said heavily, “Your mother… she passed away a long time ago.”
“What?” Ye Lizhu couldn’t believe her own ears.
For all these years, only Ye Fu’an had ever visited her at the temple. Ye Lizhu had secretly wondered at times if her mother despised her, if she simply didn’t want her anymore. But she always forcefully squashed that thought the moment it arose. And now, Ye Fu’an was telling her that her mother had been gone for years? For a moment, Ye Lizhu simply couldn’t process it.
A sudden, sharp tang of metallic sweetness surged up her throat. She quickly clamped her handkerchief over her mouth, staring at Ye Fu’an. “Dad, what did you say?”
Ye Fu’an also noticed that Ye Lizhu’s pale complexion had grown even more dreadful.
He hadn’t intended to tell her, but there were many things a man could hide for a moment, yet could never hide for a lifetime.
Besides, Ye Lizhu’s mother, Lady Jiang, had already been dead for over eight years.
Back then, Ye Lizhu was too young, and Ye Fu’an was terrified she wouldn’t be able to bear the shock. But now that she was returning home, even if he didn’t tell her, someone else would inevitably break the news. Ye Lizhu deserved to know the truth about her mother.
Ye Fu’an explained, “Back then, right after you left, your mother was pregnant with your little brother. During the delivery, your brother was saved, but your mother…”
Ye Lizhu’s eyes flew wide open.
It had been so long. Her mother had been gone for so long.
And yet, she was only finding out now!
Ye Fu’an raised a hand to wipe away Ye Lizhu’s tears. “Lizhu, don’t cry. You are born of your mother’s flesh; how could she possibly not think of you? After giving birth to your brother, she suffered a massive hemorrhage. Even then, she kept whispering your name. She said that if something happened to her, I wasn’t allowed to tell you. You’ve always been a filial child; she knew that if you heard she was gone, your fragile body definitely wouldn’t be able to handle it…”
Ye Lizhu instantly melted into a puddle of tears, sobbing so hard she couldn’t even speak.
By the time Ye Fu’an finally managed to coax his daughter to sleep, the sky was already growing dark.
They were still a long way from the capital and needed to spend the night at an inn.
Ye Fu’an summoned a tall, sturdy older female servant to carry the sleeping Ye Lizhu inside.
The carriages had stopped, and dusk was settling in. Ye Fu’an’s attendant hurried into the inn to order the waiter to prepare rooms. Barely a moment later, the attendant rushed back out.
“M-Master, all the rooms in the inn have been booked. There are vacant rooms, but they aren’t allowing anyone else to check in.”
Ye Fu’an glanced back at Ye Lizhu. She had cried until her eyes were rimmed with red, swollen like little peaches. Her skin was as pale and flawless as jade, looking devastatingly fragile and delicate. Traveling with such an adorable daughter, he naturally couldn’t allow her to suffer any grievances.
Ye Fu’an let out a cold sneer. “Who booked the inn?”
He was the dignified Prime Minister, an elder statesman spanning two reigns! Even the Emperor gave him face, and all the royal princes—except the Crown Prince—were practically throwing themselves at him to win his favor. Ye Fu’an really wanted to see which family had the audacity to deny him a room.
The attendant lowered his voice. “It’s the Prince of Qin…”
Ye Fu’an blew on his beard and glared. “The Prince of Qin’s people dare to shut me out?!”
The attendant corrected, “It’s not the Prince of Qin’s people, it’s the Prince of Qin himself! The waiter said the Prince of Qin is staying here. Master, why is the Prince of Qin coming to the capital?”
Ye Fu’an instantly froze.
The Prince of Qin was coming to the capital?
When did this happen?
He was practically at the foot of the Emperor’s throne, so why hadn’t anyone notified him?!
This had to be fake, right?
Ye Fu’an gave the older servant a few stern instructions to watch over the young miss properly, before striding into the inn himself.
…
Knock, knock.
Ti Xiao set down the brush in his hand. “Come in.”
A tall, middle-aged general clad in military armor pushed the door open and entered. “Your Highness, Prime Minister Ye is escorting his daughter back to the capital and needs to stay here for the night. Will you go down now?”
The lamplight was dim and yellow. From the general’s angle, the man sitting not far away had his ink-black hair slightly loose. His sharp phoenix eyes tilted upwards, their depths utterly unfathomable, naturally radiating a chilling aura that made people afraid to look too closely.
Less than a quarter of an hour later, Ti Xiao descended the stairs. Ye Fu’an had been waiting for quite some time. This was the first time the two of them had ever met face to face. Ye Fu’an had originally assumed that the legendary, ruthless, unblinking killer, the Prince of Qin, would be a brutish lout. Yet looking at him now, the Prince of Qin stood an imposing nine feet tall, with a startlingly handsome face. Accustomed to being in a position of supreme authority, he possessed an indescribably noble aura that casually crushed every aristocratic young master in the capital.
Ye Fu’an cupped his hands in greeting. “Your Highness, the Prince of Qin.”
Ti Xiao offered a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Prime Minister Ye. I have heard much about you.”
To be perfectly honest, Ti Xiao held no fond feelings for Ye Fu’an. The current Empress was Ti Xiao’s biological sister, making the Crown Prince his biological nephew. The Crown Prince was of noble and orthodox lineage, yet Ye Fu’an and the entire faction of civil officials under his command absolutely refused to side with him.
Of course, Ye Fu’an refused to side with anyone else, either.
Ye Fu’an said, “My beloved daughter has lived away from home for many years, and this Prime Minister is bringing her home. As it is getting late, we must stay here for the night. Your Highness, I heard you have booked the entire inn…”
Ti Xiao’s narrow, phoenix eyes squinted slightly.
Ye Fu’an actually has a daughter.
The Crown Prince just so happened to be unmarried. Ti Xiao had always heavily favored his clever and obedient nephew. If the Ye daughter’s character and looks were passable, and her age was right, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to arrange a marriage…
Translator’s Anecdote: Ah, yes, nothing sparks a great romance like two powerful men silently plotting to use the female lead as a political pawn the moment they meet.