The Pearl on the Emperor’s Crown

Chapter 3 – Imperial Brothers

Xie Ying looked at Zhu Yi but did not speak immediately.

Zhu Yi was anxious. She had only used a cotton cloth to do a simple clean-up in the washroom earlier. Tugging nervously at her skirt, she urged him on. “What do you have to say, Your Highness?”

Xie Ying had long noticed Zhu Yi’s situation, and seeing her scrunched-up face, he spoke briefly.

“Some things may not be as they seem.”

Really? 

Zhu Yi had to wonder in her heart. Seeing how Xie Ying went out of his way to explain to her, the feeling in her heart was a bit indescribable. Xie Ying and Zhu Jing may have no affair, but it really had nothing to do with her. She was about to speak but Xie Ying spoke up first.

 “You may go.”

Zhu Yi could feel her words remain stuck in her throat. Xie Ying didn’t seem to want to hear her speak, so she decided to let it go. Regardless of whether Xie Ying would see the stain on her skirt, she turned around and ran away.

After she stepped through the entrance of Joyous Hope Pavilion, Xie Ying’s figure also disappeared into the darkness.

~~~~~

Since childhood, Zhu Yi always had stomach cramps and body fatigue during her period, so she was in no mood to do anything productive. Instead, she spent the whole day on the couch and reading books.

“What book are you reading?”

Zhu Chuo was familiar with her room, and she had quietly sneaked in and snatched Zhu Yi’s book away. It turned out to be a tea sutra.

“Boring!” Zhu Chuo groaned. She threw the book back to Zhu Yi and frowned. “I have interesting books; would you like them?” 

“Bring them over!” Zhu Yi agreed, amused.

Zhu Chuo called over her palace maid and whispered to her.

After the palace maid left, Zhu Chuo pulled Zhu Yi onto the bed and sat next to her.

“Is your period really difficult to bear? You stay in bed every day. If I didn’t know any better, I would think that you’re pregnant. Come on, let me feel it. Is there really something in there?”

“Get off!”

Zhu Yi knocked away Zhu Chuo’s hand as it reached into her inner clothes. “Feel your own stomach!” She laughed. “Unlike some people, I have several top candidates for marriage. Who should I choose?”

Zhu Chuo snorted.

“Xie Ying, your princess has a lot of suitors-”

“Ah Chuo, I really don’t have any thoughts towards Xie Ying,” Zhu Yi interrupted her with a smile. 

Especially after I saw him and Zhu Jing together.

“Really?” Zhu Chuo was startled. She paused for a moment before she spoke.

“But let me tell you this, Old Third; our father will definitely marry us off to the vassal states. In half a year’s time, there will be a five-year tribute from each clan. At that time, the feudal kings and princes will enter the Capital, and the marriage of you, me, and Zhu Jing will be settled.”

Hearing Zhu Chuo mention Zhu Jing, Zhu Yi had to ask, “Then do you think father will betroth Zhu Jing to Xie Ying?”

“That’s hard to say.” Zhu Chuo seriously considered it for a while. “But Xie Ying must first be agreeable to the marriage. Many men in Wei Prefecture have Persian girls, and King Wei Ning also takes in beauties from the Sultan of Sudan. They are all voluptuous. Xie Ying is probably not interested in Zhu Jing. She’s thin enough to be blown away by the wind.”

Zhu Yi thought about that for a while as Zhu Chuo also calmed down.

Even though they were princesses, they were not in charge of their marriage and destiny. In the previous dynasty, how many princesses were able to raise their heads and do whatever they wanted? Most of them were married off for the benefit of their fathers and brothers, or for the prosperity of their mother’s clan. There were also many relatives who had to marry abroad to serve the country.

It was good enough if they could be married to a decent man. 

After a while, Zhu Chuo’s palace maid arrived with an inconspicuous small black lacquered box.

Zhu Yi glanced at it and laughed. “Do you still use a padlock? I thought Princess Rong Yu was not afraid of anything.”

Zhu Chuo was embarrassed for a rare time, and she took the opportunity to open her box.

The two of them rustled through Zhu Chuo’s collection while making fun of each other. Finally, when Zhu Chuo had to leave, Zhu Yi also picked out two books to pass the time.

~~~~~

After three days, Zhu Yi’s body was refreshed, and she immediately went to the Traceability Pavilion of Noble Consort Tong to greet her.

Noble Consort Tong was holding the mirror to look at herself, and anyone could tell that she was in a good mood. Zhu Yi knew that the emperor must have rested there last night.

Seeing Zhu Yi, she smiled and said, “Xi Zhen, you are just in time. Quick, help me with my makeup. I have to go to the Empress to greet her in a while.”

The rule in the palace was that the concubines and consorts had to greet the Empress every Monday and Friday.

Noble Consort Tong had her hair up in a sleeping fairy bun and her hair was decorated with pearls and jewels. The strings of golden phoenix pearls on her hairpin made a crisp sound as she turned her head. Her crimson-purple satin dress was patterned with golden begonias and the moon. The fit of it was perfect in highlighting her graceful and charming figure.

Zhu Yi looked and picked out a pair of hairpins with golden begonia branches inlaid with red jewels from the jade plate. “This daughter thinks that your hairpin looks a little hot for summer. If you change it to this, it will match nicely with your dress.”

Noble Consort Tong took the hairpin, casually measured it against her head, and then looked at Zhu Yi.

“Are you afraid that I will dress up too nicely and outshine the Empress?”

Whether she was lazy or easily satisfied, her niece had been compliant since she was a child and never quarrelled with others. But with such a temperament, could it be that she was blind to the appearance that God had given her?

Noble Consort Tong threw the hairpin back onto the jade plate. 

“Xi Zhen, did you know?” Her tone was light. “I have been honoured as a noble consort, and yet I am still walking on thin ice just like in the past. It is really tiring.”

Zhu Yi was startled; she didn’t know the difficulties of Noble Consort Tong over the years. But what could a Noble Consort do? Even if there were an Imperial Noble Consort1, as long as the Xie family was there, the harem would still be dominated by the Empress. 

Knowing that Noble Consort Tong was no longer happy, Zhu Yi still had to advise her. “When all is said and done, the Empress is still in charge of the Phoenix Seal2, and the Xie family is very powerful. For the sake of her seventh brother, Mother should also avoid angering the Empress.”

“You are right,” Noble Consort Tong acknowledged. “Everything I do is for your seventh brother. But among the princes, except for the crown prince, all of them have developed into idle bums! The empress worked hard to ensure this.”

This was true; her seventh brother was an ignorant dandy, and that was part of the plans of the empress and the crown prince. She once thought that this was good. If her seventh brother displayed extraordinary talents, he would inevitably arouse suspicion and misfortune. If something happened to the emperor one day, the crown prince’s ascension to the throne would be justified. 

All Zhu Yi wanted was for her younger brother to emerge from this safely and to live his life as a prince of leisure.

But obviously, Noble Consort Tong didn’t think so. Her ambitions would not be satisfied with this.

“My child,” Noble Consort Tong took Zhu Yi’s hand. “Whenever it rains, my kneecap still hurts, and I will think of how the empress used to treat me. But it’s just me and your seventh brother. You love him, so can you bear knowing that he will be subjugated to others’ will in the future?”

Zhu Yi lowered her head. She felt uncomfortable, but what could she do when she herself was an orphan girl living under the will of others?

“The empress is confident but isn’t it because she relies on the Xie family?” Noble Consort Tong pointed out. She then deliberately hinted, “It so happens that Xie Ying lives in the west hall of Mountainous Cloud Pavilion, opposite to your brother. When you visit Ah Li, you can talk to Xie Ying.”

When Zhu Yi didn’t respond, Noble Consort Tong was indignant. “My child, do you know how diligent Zhu Dai has been these days?” She asked softly. “I am allowing you to do this, what are you so worried about?”

Zhu Yi was reluctant to disclose anything about Xie Ying and Zhu Jing, so she ended up agreeing.

“Do you hope that I will win Xie Ying’s affection and marry him?” She asked.

Noble Consort Tong’s eyes flashed. What the emperor told her last night was that Xi Zhen’s consort candidate was not necessarily Xie Ying. But she still replied, “Yes.”

“However, don’t be tempted by Xie Ying, just associate with him,” she warned. “You can give Xie Ying some sweetness, but you must not let him succeed, understand? Men are the best if they can’t have you.”

When Zhu Yi heard this, she stared at Noble Consort Tong in disbelief. Instead of blushing, she turned pale. It was only then that she understood that Noble Consort Tong was actually asking her to throw away her virtue.

In her heart, Noble Consort Tong thought that Zhu Yi was still young and immature. After all, if a woman does not gain power by conquering a man, could she still fight officials on her own?

“My child, haven’t you understood the current state of affairs yet? Since the Crown Prince renewed his vow to make the girl from Yongnan Palace the crown princess, there has been a rift in the relationship between the crown prince and Xie Ying.”

Zhu Yi naturally knew this, but she felt that the interests of the crown prince and Xie Ying were inextricably linked and would not be easily broken. 

“I understand, Mother,” She replied.

Only then did Noble Consort Tong smile. 

“Well, it’s hot, so go back. Remember to visit Ah Li more often.”

~~~~~

Zhu Yi went over to Mountainous Cloud Pavilion in the afternoon, only to find it empty. She waited there for a while before she went outside. At that moment, she saw a large group of people walking by in twos and threes, with the crown prince leading the long entourage at the front.

When the Crown Prince saw Zhu Yi, his eyes lit up, and he quickly walked up to her.

“Xi Zhen, you must be here to visit seventh brother.”

Zhu Yi was caught off-guard. The princes were all settled in an area of Blue Creek Forest, but she did not expect that she would meet so many imperial brothers at once.

All of them were thinly dressed, and their long, semi-wet hair was tied behind their heads instead of their usual hair knot with their crowns. What were they doing?

Zhu Yi flushed and retracted her gaze, and the crown prince immediately helped Zhu Yi block the view from behind. Zhu Yi did not see the other brothers, but the crown prince was too close to her. His wet hair had dampened his clothes, which in turn highlighted the unique silhouette of the male physique. 

Zhu Xiu Ze, the Fourth Prince, was already walking by as well, and when he saw Zhu Yi, he also ran over.

Zhu Yi was very flustered, and she stepped back twice. “It’s good to see you both, Imperial Elder Brothers. I came to find Ah Li, so I will leave now.”

At the end of the entourage, Xie Ying was slowly walking. Zhu Xiu Li was surrounded by his cousin Xie Ying and his elder brothers, and they were all taller than him. Xie Ying suddenly looked ahead and narrowed his gaze. “Ah Li, your sister is in front.”

Zhu Xiu Li and Zhu Yi were close as siblings, so he immediately turned his head to look ahead. He couldn’t see her, but Zhu Xiu Li was clever, and he knew that his view was being blocked by the crown prince or Zhu Xiu Ze.

“Elder Sister!” Zhu Xiu Li was only six years old. Although he was still small and short, he had the speed of a monkey, and he rushed to the front while roaring:

“Get out of the way, my sister is here to find me!”

The Crown Prince and Zhu Xiu Ze were both pushed aside, but neither would bother to berate this short melon-head in public.

Zhu Xiu Li took Zhu Yi and left. He looked up at her and asked, “Why haven’t you come to see me for so many days?”

Xie Ying followed the two siblings into the yard, leaving the Crown Prince and Zhu Xiu Ze behind.

Zhu Yi followed Zhu Xiu Li into the house, frowned and asked, “Did you go down to Sheng River to swim?” 

Zhu Xiu Li shook his hair. “Elder Sister, you’re so strange. What’s wrong with going down to the river with the menfolk? We’re just having fun.”

Seeing that Zhu Yi still disapproved, Zhu Xiu Li said, “Imperial Father always said; Don’t forget your ancestors. Our world was built on horseback, and we even crossed the river, enduring the wind and the waves. Only then did we have our foundation.” He looked at Zhu Yi imperiously and said, “At that time, even you women used to go down to the river to bathe!” 

Look at this boy, he sprouted so many grandiose words, but his last sentence revealed the truth of it – it was just a simple matter of going down to the river to take a bath on a hot day. Zhu Yi rolled her eyes speechlessly.

“Elder Sister, wait for me to change my clothes first.”

“Go ahead.” Zhu Yi shook her head.

Zhu Xiu Li only changed into a pair of trousers and ran out, revealing his fair and thin chicken-like figure in front of Zhu Yi. The fairness of his skin almost blinded her.

“Elder Sister, look closely,” Zhu Xiu Li pointed his thumb at himself. “My goal this summer is to swim more and develop a physique like Elder Cousin Xie Ying! His muscles are so beautiful! They aren’t exaggerated but still well-defined. It’s really beautiful!

Zhu Yi couldn’t help hitting him.

“Hurry up and put on your clothes!”

TRANSLATOR’S RAMBLES:
So we finally meet Noble Consort Tong and the little monkey Zhu Xiu Li officially! I can actually understand Noble Consort Tong’s way of thinking as that’s always been the way she survived within the imperial harem. Despite her precarious position, Zhu Yi was brought up relatively safely as an imperial princess so she wouldn’t have experienced the power struggles that comes from being a part of the imperial harem. Still though, we see how Noble Consort Tong has no regard for what she would have her niece do to gain political power, and that’s gotta hurt.