The Pearl in the Palm – Chapter 6
An old maid happened to step out carrying a basin of water just as Ye Fu’an and Ye Jiayou entered the courtyard. Catching sight of them, she hastily called inside, “The Master and the Young Master have arrived!”
The maids at the door quickly went in to announce their arrival.
Ye Lizhu had just woken up and eaten a little plain white porridge. She was currently sipping her tea when she heard that her father and brother were here.
Ye Fu’an grabbed Ye Jiayou by the arm, tugging him along. “Hurry up and keep up. Your sister has a soft, gentle temperament, so don’t you go causing a racket in front of her.”
Ye Jiayou followed Ye Fu’an through a carved, openwork mahogany door. Going further inside, past a green gauze cabinet screen, Ye Jiayou saw a young woman dressed in pale cyan robes walking toward them, trailed closely by two maids.
This was Ye Lizhu.
Ye Lizhu looked first at Ye Fu’an, then lowered her gaze to look at Ye Jiayou. “Is this Jiayou?”
Ye Fu’an gave Ye Jiayou a slight nudge. “Hurry up and call her Sister.”
Ye Jiayou had tried to imagine his sister’s appearance in his heart, even secretly attempting to draw her. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life was Her Majesty the Empress, so Ye Jiayou naturally assumed his sister would be dignified and gentle just like the Empress. But now, laying eyes on Ye Lizhu, Ye Jiayou finally realized that his sister was vastly more beautiful than the Empress.
It was a kind of staggering beauty that he could never have conjured up, no matter how hard he imagined.
Ye Lizhu pulled Ye Jiayou close, gently stroking his cheek. “My little brother has grown so tall.”
Ye Jiayou had already grown to the height of Ye Lizhu’s shoulder. He lifted his eyes to look at her.
Ye Lizhu’s eyes were rimmed with red. She was thinking of their mother again; upon returning home, she could see her father, and she could finally meet the little brother she had never seen before, but she would never, ever be able to see her mother again.
But she didn’t want to bring up their mother again in front of her father and brother, lest she needlessly stir up their grief.
Ye Lizhu wiped away her tears and said, “You’ve grown so big, and Sister is only just now getting to see you.”
Seeing his sister cry, Ye Jiayou felt a sour tang in his own heart.
He had previously feared that Ye Lizhu might not like him, that she might act cold and distant. But now, looking at Ye Lizhu’s face and seeing the tender affection in her eyes, Ye Jiayou knew for a fact that Ye Lizhu truly loved him, her little brother.
Moreover, Ye Lizhu was entirely different from Madam Wu, Lady Liang, and Lady Zhou; her affection was entirely genuine, blossoming straight from the heart.
Ye Fu’an pulled Ye Jiayou back a little. “Your sister has a weak constitution, don’t keep pressing against her.”
Ye Lizhu continued to gently stroke Ye Jiayou’s hair. “It’s alright, Dad. I am just so happy to see my brother.”
Ye Fu’an asked Ye Lizhu what she had eaten since waking up and whether she had taken her medicine. Once he finished checking in, he turned to Ye Jiayou. “Come see your sister again tomorrow morning before you head to the academy. Go back to your own courtyard for today, your sister still needs to sleep.”
Ye Jiayou didn’t want to be separated from Ye Lizhu. He declared, “I am sleeping here tonight.”
“How can that do?” Ye Fu’an scolded. “If you start making a fuss in the middle of the night, you’ll end up keeping your sister awake.”
Ye Lizhu smiled warmly. “It’s fine. The maids are keeping watch, and there is a bed just outside the green gauze screen. Jiayou can sleep right there.”
Ye Jiayou was still young, after all, just a child; there wasn’t a need for so many strict taboos between a young brother and sister. Seeing the two of them getting along so splendidly, Ye Fu’an gave Ye Jiayou a few more stern warnings not to cause any trouble at night, and then finally allowed him to stay.
The moment Ye Fu’an left, Ye Jiayou pulled a small packet of pastries from his sleeve. “Zhuzhu, I specifically had a eunuch run an errand to Consort Xian’s palace! There’s an auntie in Consort Xian’s kitchens who makes the most delicious date-paste crispy cakes. They’re completely different from the ones outside; the dates aren’t from around here, they’re unique to a small desert kingdom in the northwest, so they taste exceptionally sweet and soft.”
The imperial concubines always had myriad connections to the outside world. Consort Xian was the Prince of Chen’s younger sister, and since Ye Jiayou was good friends with the Prince of Chen’s heir, the two young boys, with their sweet mouths and clever words, were quite favored by the Emperor. He often let them enter the palace, and whenever they did, they almost always went to Consort Xian’s place to beg for treats.
Standing to the side, Nanny Chen hastily intervened. “It’s the middle of the night, the Miss is absolutely not allowed to eat this! If she eats it, she won’t be able to digest it, and it will give her heartburn later. Young Master, please don’t coax the Miss into randomly eating things!”
Ye Lizhu smiled gently. “It is getting late, Nanny, why don’t you go out and rest for a while? I will be mindful of myself.”
Ye Jiayou asked, “Zhuzhu, are you not allowed to eat just anything?”
Ye Lizhu shook her head. “It’s no matter. I’ll just have a tiny taste. It’s something my brother brought especially for me; naturally, I have to try it.”
She picked up a piece of the date-paste crispy cake. The pastry was round, about half the size of a palm, with flaky crusts as thin as cicada wings layered upon one another. Ye Lizhu carefully broke off a tiny piece and took a bite.
The taste was indeed wonderful. The date paste was sweet, yet not cloying in the slightest.
After eating two small bites, Ye Lizhu took a sip of tea and asked, “You went to the palace today, did you have fun? Did you run into anything interesting?”
Ye Jiayou had been nervously anticipating his sister asking about his schoolwork, but surprisingly, Ye Lizhu didn’t bring it up at all.
The two siblings sat on the heated brick bed. Remembering Nanny Chen’s strict warnings, Ye Jiayou only allowed Ye Lizhu to eat a small half of the date cake before having the maids pack the rest away.
Ye Jiayou said, “I met the Prince of Qin today. Zhuzhu, the Prince of Qin is exceptionally good-looking! The Crown Prince is publicly acknowledged as a handsome man; everyone praises his transcendent grace, calling him a figure like a jade tree in a forest of jewels. But standing next to the Prince of Qin, his brilliance was actually overshadowed by a good thirty percent. One of these days when they come to our estate as guests, Zhuzhu, I’ll pull you over so you can secretly take a look!”
Amusement danced in Ye Lizhu’s eyes. “How do you know they will come to the Prime Minister’s estate as guests another day?”
Ye Jiayou sounded incredibly confident. “Trust me, they will definitely come.”
He possessed a rather sharp eye for these things; he knew full well that the Prince of Qin’s visit to the capital wouldn’t pass without an attempt to win over Ye Fu’an. Chatting with him in the main hall today was just the first piece of evidence.
Suddenly remembering something, Ye Jiayou pulled the string of small-leaf red sandalwood beads that the Prince of Qin had gifted him from his sleeve.
Ye Jiayou offered it to her, saying, “This is what the Prince of Qin rewarded me with today. You are Zhuzhu (Pearl), and these are also zhuzhu (beads).”
Ye Lizhu raised a hand and lightly tapped Ye Jiayou on the forehead. “Call me Sister.”
Ye Jiayou protested, “Zhuzhu sounds better! I’ll call you Sister in front of outsiders.”
Afraid that Ye Lizhu would actually mind, he hurriedly added, “Dad calls you Zhuzhu, so I want to call you that too.”
Ye Lizhu didn’t really care about such a minor title; she was never one to fuss over rigid formalities.
She smiled, “You can call me whatever you like when it’s just the two of us, just don’t let Dad hear you, or he will certainly scold you.”
Ye Jiayou grinned and nodded. “I know.”
Ye Lizhu found that this string of small-leaf red sandalwood beads actually made her feel quite comfortable. The sandalwood scent was faint, and the beads were brilliantly colored—it was likely a precious treasure that had been consecrated by a great master.
Ye Jiayou said, “Zhuzhu, keep this bracelet by your pillow. I often hear people say that small-leaf red sandalwood calms the nerves and aids sleep. It’ll help you sleep more sweetly at night.”
Ye Lizhu nodded.
Noticing that over the span of just a few sentences, her expression had grown deeply fatigued and she was now lazily leaning against the pillows, Ye Jiayou figured she couldn’t hold on any longer.
Ye Lizhu’s health was weak, and she visibly looked prone to sleepiness. Ye Jiayou asked, “Is Zhuzhu sleepy? I’ll call the servants in to help you lay down for bed. I have to go to the academy tomorrow anyway, so I’ll go sleep in the outer room.”
Ye Lizhu gave a soft “Mm.”
Once Ye Jiayou stepped out and called the nannies in, Ye Lizhu finally pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve. The moment she opened her mouth, the white cloth was instantly stained with crimson.
She wiped her lips, pressing one hand firmly against the table. When her fingers brushed against that string of beads, her heart actually felt a little bit of relief.
Her body was truly failing her. She constantly felt the urge to cough now, and if she suppressed the cough, she would end up coughing up blood shortly after.
Ye Lizhu honestly didn’t know if she could survive past this year.
Outside, after the maids helped him wash up, Ye Jiayou climbed into bed. Staring up at the gold-flecked canopy, he was too buzzing with excitement to sleep.
He had finally met his very own biological sister. Before Ye Lizhu returned, Ye Jiayou had imagined her to be perfect. Now that she was back, Ye Jiayou discovered that his sister had a wonderful temperament, a gorgeous face, and a soft, gentle voice that could melt a person’s heart—she was vastly more perfect than anything he could have ever dreamed up.
…
Meanwhile, at the Prince of Qin’s estate in the capital, lights blazed through the night. The residence hadn’t been lived in for a very long time, yet the architecture remained magnificently opulent, without a single trace of decay or desolation.
The estate was regularly cleaned, with a portion of servants permanently left behind to maintain it. Now that the Prince of Qin had arrived in the capital, the Crown Prince had also sent over a batch of highly capable attendants to help manage things. Combined with the troops the Prince of Qin brought himself, the entire estate was suddenly packed to the brim.
Inside the study.
Ti Xiao sat at a golden-thread nanmu desk. Beside him lay a stack of letters and seven or eight official memorials. The candles burned high on their stands, illuminating the spacious study as brightly as daytime.
Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door. Without pausing the tip of his brush, Ti Xiao said coldly, “Come in.”
A man dressed in black slipped in silently and dropped to one knee. His vision was obscured by a dense screen of phoenix-tail bamboo, making it impossible for him to clearly make out the figure sitting in the distance.
The man in black reported, “This subordinate just returned from a night scouting of the Prime Minister’s estate. The estate is heavily fortified; the inner courtyards are incredibly deep, intricately designed, and garrisoned by private family troops. A single misstep and one would easily get lost inside. Miss Ye’s quarters were too difficult to locate. I only managed to find the courtyards of Prime Minister Ye’s two concubines, and by eavesdropping on their conversations with the servants, I finally learned Miss Ye’s given name.”
It was the Prime Minister’s estate, after all; if just any ordinary martial arts expert could sneak in freely, Ye Fu’an wouldn’t have survived this long.
Ti Xiao asked, “What is her name?”
“Ye Lizhu,” the subordinate replied.
A pearl worth a thousand pieces of gold must lie in the nine-tiered abyss, right beneath the chin of the black dragon (Lilong).
“Ye Lizhu.” Ti Xiao slowly set down the brush in his hand. “Ye Fu’an truly treasures this daughter of his.”
The priceless pearl hidden in the nine-tiered abyss beneath the black dragon’s chin was not something an ordinary man could easily obtain. Ye Fu’an had named his daughter Lizhu simply because he cherished her too deeply.
The subordinate continued, “It seems what Prime Minister Ye said wasn’t entirely a lie; Miss Ye’s health is indeed genuinely terrible. His concubines were all whispering that Prime Minister Ye only brought her back this time because he was terrified she would die of illness on the outside. If she must die, she has to die at home.”
Ti Xiao’s eyes instantly darkened with an icy chill.
When he saw Ye Lizhu that day, she did indeed look sickeningly frail, swaying as she walked, looking as though a single gust of wind could blow her away.
But the concubines in the Ye estate are certainly bold. Mere servants, daring to casually gossip about their master behind her back.
Ti Xiao suddenly spoke, “Do you know the name of the treasured blade at this Prince’s waist?”
Ti Xiao’s black-gold curved blade was named Zhongyuan (Deep Abyss), and it ranked first among all weapons under heaven. Seeing Zhongyuan was entirely synonymous with seeing Ti Xiao; how could anyone by his side not know of it?
The subordinate replied, “This subordinate knows. The blade’s name is Zhongyuan.”
Ti Xiao gave a slow nod. “You may withdraw.”
After the subordinate backed out of the room, his heart was brimming with confusion. Bumping into his direct superior, General Xu, right outside the door, he casually asked about the cryptic exchange.
Xu Da was a burly, middle-aged man with a full face of whiskers, looking thoroughly rough and unrefined.
Hearing the story, Xu Da shot the subordinate a massive eye-roll. “Zhongyuan is missing a single precious jewel on its hilt. And that jewel is precisely the Black Dragon’s Pearl—Lizhu. Go figure out what His Highness means for yourself!”
The subordinate experienced an instant, blinding flash of enlightenment. “But wait—wasn’t His Highness planning to arrange a marriage for the Crown Prince?”
Xu Da ruthlessly slapped the subordinate upside the head. “Idiot! Whoever sets their eyes on her first, she belongs to them!”
Translator’s Anecdote:
Ti Xiao: Really went from “I’m scouting a political bride for my nephew” to “Ah, her name romantically matches my sword, guess she’s mine now” in record time. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯