When Jiuzhu appeared, Prince Chen turned his head and glared at the eunuchs accompanying him. He had already told them to quickly help the maid back, but now how was he supposed to explain this to Little Pig Ming?
"Did this palace maid fall?" Jiuzhu noticed two eunuchs standing beside the maid and smiled softly as she praised Prince Chen: "Your Highness is so kind, seeing the maid fall, you specifically arranged for someone to help her up."
"Of course, I am not the kind of person who would ignore someone in need." Prince Chen straightened his back slightly, his chin raised, exuding the demeanor of a noble gentleman. He noticed that Jiuzhu was dressed in plain clothing: "Why are you here to pay your respects?"
"Mother said that our family originally didn’t need to come, but since I am engaged to Your Highness, it’s different for us." Jiuzhu glanced at the maid still lying on the ground: "Mother is well-read, so listening to her is always the right thing to do."
Hearing the word "engaged," Prince Chen awkwardly turned his head away: "Then, let me take you there. Consort Yang's funeral is being kept simple. You can just come with me to offer incense."
"Wait a moment." Jiuzhu tugged at Prince Chen's sleeve.
Prince Chen turned back, thinking she didn’t want to go with him: "Do you want to go with your mother instead?"
"No." Jiuzhu pointed to his waist: "Your Highness, please take off this jade pendant first."
The jade pendant itself was nothing special, but its tassel and cord were a bright red color.
Prince Chen wanted to say that for a consort he had barely even met, changing into plain clothes to offer incense was already showing respect to the deceased. There was no need to pay attention to the red cord on a jade pendant.
But when his eyes met Jiuzhu’s dark, glistening ones, he sighed and quickly untied the pendant, placing it in her hand: "You hold onto it for me."
"Alright." Jiuzhu nodded with a smile and carefully placed the pendant into her plain white pouch.
As Prince Chen started walking forward, he almost tripped over something. Looking down, he saw the same maid still lying on the ground.
What was going on? If she wanted to frame him for pushing her, she didn’t need to be so obvious about it.
"Miss, are you alright?" Jiuzhu bent down and effortlessly pulled the maid up with one hand.
The maid: "..."
How had she just stood up so easily?
"Are you hurt?" Jiuzhu bent down again and gently brushed the dust off the maid’s skirt.
The maid shook her head in a daze.
"Little Pig Ming, let’s go." Prince Chen stood a few steps away, his fingers behind his back subtly gesturing for Jiuzhu to follow.
"Coming!" Jiuzhu responded to Prince Chen and then turned to the maid: "Be more careful when walking."
With that, she jogged over to Prince Chen and walked side by side with him.
The maid stared at their retreating figures, realizing that this wasn’t a story of a domineering prince and a clever maid, but rather a domineering prince and a delicate young lady.
She looked down at the skirt Jiuzhu had brushed clean, her cheeks slightly red. Without waiting for the eunuchs to help her, she covered her face and hurried away.
Consort Yang’s memorial hall was set up in a palace hall to the west of the imperial palace. The noblewomen who had come to pay their respects had already left, leaving only a few members of the royal family standing idly outside the hall, clearly just going through the motions.
Jiuzhu didn’t understand the intricacies of imperial funeral etiquette, so she didn’t know that, according to custom, the funeral of a consort should be one rank higher than her actual status, or she should be posthumously promoted by one rank.
However, Consort Yang’s funeral had no such honors, and she wasn’t even granted a posthumous title.
The Ministry of Rites had prepared a posthumous title, but the Emperor had rejected it, stating that Consort Yang had preferred simplicity in life, so her funeral should be kept simple as well.
This made it clear to everyone that the Emperor did not hold Consort Yang in high regard.
The memorial hall was quiet and cold. Prince Chen leaned down and asked Jiuzhu: "Are you cold?"
Jiuzhu shook her head. She took some incense, bowed respectfully in front of the memorial tablet, and placed the incense in the burner.
A maid kneeling on the ground, quietly weeping, kowtowed once to her and Prince Chen.
Prince Chen glanced at the memorial tablet placed above. In his memory, Consort Yang had been quiet and frail, rarely appearing at palace gatherings.
The wind rustled the funeral banners. He turned around, pinched a corner of Jiuzhu’s sleeve, and led her out of the memorial hall.
"Come, I’ll take you to Bright Moon Palace to change your clothes." A young girl shouldn’t be dressed all in white—it didn’t look good.
"Your Highness," Jiuzhu hesitated, "my mother is still waiting for me outside..."
"Don’t worry, Fuguai has already gone to inform Madam Ming." Prince Chen continued to lead Jiuzhu forward: "Have lunch at Bright Moon Palace, and then I’ll take you back."
"Your Highness, don’t you have to go to the Ministry of Rites?" Jiuzhu asked hesitantly: "Won’t this delay your official duties?"
"Today is the memorial service for Consort Yang. All the princes and princesses in the capital will be coming to the palace to pay their respects. I’ve already requested leave from the Minister of Rites, so I don’t need to go today." Prince Chen looked up at the sky: "Little Pig Ming, today is not a day for discussing official matters."
"Fifth Brother."
"Greetings to His Highness Prince Chen, and to Miss Ming."
Prince Chen let go of Jiuzhu’s sleeve and raised an eyebrow as he looked at Prince Qi and Sun Caiyao: "Ah, Fourth Brother."
Since the last time he had forced Prince Qi to yield to him, the two had only seen each other in court and hadn’t spoken privately.
Jiuzhu curtsied to Prince Qi, who nodded slightly in return. He glanced at their attire: "Fifth Brother, have you already paid your respects to Consort Yang?"
On Yun Duqing, he didn’t see any bright colors, a stark contrast to his usual flamboyant style.
"Fourth Brother, you’re a bit late today." Noticing Yun Yanze glancing at Jiuzhu, Prince Chen casually pulled her behind him: "You two go ahead. I’ll take Miss Ming back to Bright Moon Palace."
Back?
Sun Caiyao noticed the word. She looked up at Prince Chen. Taking Ming Jiuzhu to see Consort Su, and using the word "back"?
The recent stories of the domineering prince circulating in the capital had even reached her ears. Perhaps because Prince Chen was usually so arrogant and overbearing, people were often too intimidated by him to notice his appearance.
But today, Sun Caiyao realized that Prince Chen had an exceptionally handsome face. He had inherited the best features of both the Emperor and Consort Su, and even in plain clothes, he still radiated a dazzling presence.
"Fifth Brother, please go ahead." Prince Qi withdrew his gaze and turned to Sun Caiyao with a gentle smile: "Miss Sun, let’s go in."
As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of clapping came from nearby. Prince Qi’s expression turned serious, and he bowed his head, stepping aside.
Jiuzhu peeked in the direction of the clapping and quickly lowered her head.
It was the Emperor.
Emperor Longfeng saw his two sons and stepped down from his dragon carriage.
Before the two could bow, Emperor Longfeng waved his hand to dismiss the formalities: "Why are you standing in the wind? Aren’t you cold?"
The eunuchs behind him, quick to understand, brought over two cloaks and prepared to help the princes put them on.
Prince Chen took one of the cloaks and draped it over Jiuzhu, then turned to Emperor Longfeng: "Father, why didn’t you bring a cloak suitable for a girl? Look, it’s dragging on the ground."
Prince Qi glanced at the cloak he had just put on, then at Sun Caiyao beside him, his hand stiffening slightly as he adjusted the cloak.
Emperor Longfeng laughed at his son’s words: "These are newly delivered cloaks from the Imperial Household Department. I haven’t even worn them yet, and you’re already complaining."
Jiuzhu was wrapped in the fluffy cloak, only half of her small face visible. She tugged at the cloak, looking like a little turtle struggling under its shell.
Prince Chen couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.
"Your Highness." Jiuzhu heard him laughing and widened her eyes, looking at him pitifully.
"I wasn’t laughing at you, I was laughing at someone else." Prince Chen coughed awkwardly and adjusted the cloak for Jiuzhu, finally letting her whole face show.
Jiuzhu muttered under her breath: "Your Highness, that lie wasn’t very convincing."
Even a fool could tell he was laughing at her.
Emperor Longfeng pretended not to notice the two whispering to each other. He turned to Prince Qi: "Yanze, your wedding is approaching. It’s not appropriate for you to be in mourning, so just pay your respects outside and then return."
"Yes, Father." Prince Qi bowed respectfully.
His wedding with Sun Caiyao was in seven days. Consort Yang’s death at such a critical time seemed to cast an ominous shadow over the ceremony.
But the wedding date had been set by the Imperial Astronomers long ago, and changing it would be inauspicious. Neither he nor the Sun family could afford to show any concern over Consort Yang’s death. Fortunately, Consort Yang’s rank wasn’t high, and her funeral wasn’t being held on a grand scale.
His mother had said that the Emperor didn’t want to hold a large funeral for Consort Yang because he was considering the upcoming wedding.
He didn’t know if his mother’s words were true, but since the Emperor had mentioned the wedding now, it at least showed that he cared about the event.
“Duqing, where are you taking the young lady from the Ming family?” Emperor Longfeng noticed the two children whispering to each other and decided to interrupt.
“Father, I was planning to take Miss Ming to the Bright Moon Palace to change her clothes,” Prince Chen replied, his hands clasped behind his back, his expression suggesting he was merely casually looking after the young girl.
“It just so happens that I am heading to your mother’s quarters as well. You two may accompany me,” Emperor Longfeng glanced at the funeral banners hanging outside the mourning hall but quickly averted his gaze, refusing to look at the hall again.
“If Your Majesty takes the palanquin, we won’t be able to keep up on foot,” Prince Chen glanced at Jiuzhu’s oversized cloak and shamelessly added, “Perhaps Your Majesty could grant us the favor of allowing us to ride the palanquin as well.”
“You’ve always been fond of taking shortcuts since you were a child,” Emperor Longfeng chuckled helplessly. “Very well, you may both ride the palanquin.”
“Thank you, Father.”
Seeing Prince Chen express his gratitude, Jiuzhu quickly followed suit, curtsying and saying, “This humble subject thanks Your Majesty.”
Prince Chen reached out to steady her arm, worried she might topple over.
Soon, strong eunuchs arrived with the palanquins. Prince Chen helped Jiuzhu into one before stepping into another.
Emperor Longfeng watched this scene with a smile. His proud son was finally showing concern for a young lady.
“Farewell, Father,” Prince Qi bowed, watching the imperial procession depart before removing his cloak and handing it to a eunuch.
“Your Highness…”
“I’m not cold,” he turned and gazed gently at Sun Caiyao. “Miss Sun, after paying our respects, I will escort you back to your residence.”
Sun Caiyao blushed under his tender gaze. “Thank you, Your Highness.”
The palanquins came to a stop at the Bright Moon Palace. Prince Chen stepped out gracefully and extended his arm to Jiuzhu. “Hold onto me as we walk.”
The maid standing nearby quietly stepped back, pretending not to exist.
Jiuzhu took his arm and tiptoed to whisper in his ear, “Your Highness, I’m feeling a little warm.”
Prince Chen glanced at Emperor Longfeng walking ahead. “Bear with it for now. Once we’re inside, I’ll help you take it off.”
Jiuzhu nodded eagerly, quickening her pace.
Consort Su was dozing in her chambers when the trio entered. She rose with a smile, but Emperor Longfeng swiftly took her hand, preventing her from bowing.
“Why have you brought Duqing and Jiuzhu along, Your Majesty?”
“I ran into them on the way and thought to bring them here,” Emperor Longfeng replied, leading Consort Su to sit on the chaise lounge.
Consort Su glanced at their attire and immediately understood where they had been.
“I brought Miss Ming here to enjoy a meal, Mother,” Prince Chen explained as he helped Jiuzhu remove her heavy cloak and handed it to a maid. “And to ask if you could find her a suitable change of clothes.”
Consort Su laughed. “So, it’s about free food and drink. If it weren’t for Jiuzhu, I wouldn’t have allowed you to stay. But for her sake, I’ll let you have a meal.”
Jiuzhu giggled behind her hand, though she kept her distance from Consort Su, mindful of her plain mourning attire.
“Xiangjuan, take Jiuzhu to freshen up and change,” Consort Su stood and took Jiuzhu’s hand. “We don’t stand on ceremony here. You may act as you always do.”
She then turned to Prince Chen. “You go and change as well.”
“Thank you, Your Grace. I shall take my leave now,” Jiuzhu caught a whiff of Consort Su’s delicate fragrance and smiled sweetly at her.
Consort Su couldn’t resist pinching her cheek. Such an endearing young lady.
Xiangjuan led Jiuzhu into the inner chamber and presented her with a brand-new outfit. “Miss Ming, this dress was made for you by the Imperial Workshop under Her Grace’s orders. Please try it on and see if it fits.”
“Thank you, Auntie,” Jiuzhu changed into the new clothes. A maid brought water for her to wash, and Xiangjuan removed her silver hairpin, redoing her hair. “You look truly lovely, Miss.”
“It’s the beautiful dress Her Grace prepared for me,” Jiuzhu smiled at her reflection in the mirror.
“Beautiful clothes suit a beautiful lady perfectly,” Xiangjuan set down the comb. “Is there anything else that needs adjusting, Miss?”
“Your hands are very skilled, Auntie,” Jiuzhu tilted her head slightly, causing the hair ornament to sway gently.
“Auntie, how is the maid who fainted the other day?” Jiuzhu recalled the incident a few days prior.
Xiangjuan paused for a moment before replying with a smile, “Don’t worry, Miss. She’s out of danger.”
“That’s a relief,” Jiuzhu sighed. Seeing the pool of blood beneath the maid, she had feared the worst.
“You’re very kind-hearted, Miss. Thanks to you sending for medicine from the Imperial Hospital, she woke up the very next day,” Xiangjuan said. Though she and Bai Shao served different mistresses and were not on good terms, she never imagined Bai Shao, the head maid of Lanxu Palace, would be so severely injured.
In the palace, if a servant was injured and dared not speak of it, there was only one explanation—their own master was the culprit.
Xiangjuan kept these dark secrets from the innocent Miss Ming, not wanting to frighten her.
Prince Chen, having changed his clothes, stepped out just as Jiuzhu emerged from the opposite room. He nodded approvingly at her aqua-blue dress. This was much better—young ladies should wear such colors.
“Your Highness,” Jiuzhu beamed upon seeing him.
Prince Chen struggled to resist but ultimately gave in, stepping forward to pinch the adorable little bun atop her head.
“Your Highness, Auntie Xiangjuan specially styled this for me,” Jiuzhu was quite pleased with her new hairdo. Though she winced slightly at his touch, she didn’t pull away.
“Xiangjuan’s skills have improved,” Prince Chen remarked, noticing Jiuzhu’s pained expression and withdrawing his hand.
“You flatter me, Your Highness,” Xiangjuan smiled. “Miss Ming is naturally beautiful. Any hairstyle would suit her.”
At this, Prince Chen took a step back, scrutinizing Jiuzhu thoughtfully. Indeed, she was quite striking.
Jiuzhu looked at him in confusion. Why was he staring at her so strangely?
“Hmm, not bad,” he said.
Just then, he noticed a few maids in the corner sneaking glances at him. When caught, they quickly looked away.
What was going on with the maids today? They were all acting so oddly.
“Xiangjuan,” Prince Chen asked, “Have there been any strange rumors about me circulating in the palace lately?”
Xiangjuan stifled a laugh. “There are a few odd rumors, but they didn’t originate in the palace. They came from outside.”
Prince Chen frowned. “From outside?”
Xiangjuan nodded, barely containing her amusement. “If Your Highness is curious, you might want to visit a teahouse in the city. You’ll find out soon enough.”
“Do you know anything about this?” Prince Chen turned to Jiuzhu.
Jiuzhu stared at her shoes, her expression suggesting she might know something—perhaps something that involved her.
“Little Pig Ming?” Prince Chen narrowed his eyes.
“Your Highness, I know nothing,” Jiuzhu shook her head vigorously. “I haven’t heard a thing.”
“Really?” Prince Chen looked at her guilty face and nearly laughed. She might as well have written “I’m lying” across her forehead.
Jiuzhu shook her head even more emphatically.
Oh no, she had just lied to the kind and gentle Prince Chen.
She was a sinner!!
