"Madam." The maid draped a cloak over Lady Shen's shoulders: "Aren't you going to give her some advice?"
"What advice?" Lady Shen turned back toward her room: "Children have their own blessings. Too many words will only breed resentment."
Just as Lady Shen returned to the courtyard, Jiuzhu arrived in a new outfit: "Mother."
"Why didn’t you go when Prince Chen came to take you to the palace?" Seeing her daughter, Lady Shen was surprised.
"I wanted to tell you first." Jiuzhu took Lady Shen’s hand and swayed it playfully: "Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll take good care of myself."
"With the Imperial Consort and Prince Chen there, I doubt anyone would dare mistreat you." Lady Shen glanced toward the courtyard gate, where Prince Chen stood tall and elegant, his handsome features unmistakable.
Prince Chen took after his mother in looks, so of course, he was striking.
"Go on." Lady Shen adjusted the ornaments at her daughter’s waist: "This new outfit suits you well."
"Really?" Jiuzhu twirled in front of her mother, beaming: "I love it too."
"As long as you’re happy." Lady Shen removed a bracelet from her wrist and slipped it onto Jiuzhu’s, then led her toward the gate: "Don’t keep Prince Chen waiting."
Prince Chen’s ability to leave the palace this time was surely due to His Majesty’s special favor. She understood—this was the royal family’s way of showing their regard for Jiuzhu, sending the prince himself to escort her to the annual banquet attended by nobles and royals.
The imperial family had granted the Ming family great face, so the Mings could not afford to embarrass them in return.
Holding Jiuzhu’s hand, she approached Prince Chen and curtsied.
Prince Chen returned a half-bow: "Lady of the House."
Lady Shen paused slightly—had it not been for this address, she might have forgotten their family now held a noble title.
"Your Highness, if my daughter acts improperly in any way, please forgive her." Lady Shen sighed: "I apologize in advance for any offense."
"You honor me too much." Prince Chen stole a glance at Jiuzhu: "Looking after Jiuzhu is only natural for me."
In a month, she’d be his wife!
Lady Shen smiled and curtsied again: "It’s getting late. Your Highness should not linger outside the palace for long. Please return soon."
"Then I shall take my leave." Prince Chen’s fingers twitched, wanting to take Jiuzhu’s hand, but under her mother’s gaze, he restrained himself.
Seizing the moment as they stepped over the threshold, he subtly steadied Jiuzhu’s arm before quickly withdrawing his hand.
Lady Shen stood inside the courtyard gate, watching the two young people—timid yet irresistibly drawn to each other—and smiled.
Once outside the Ming residence, Prince Chen took Jiuzhu’s hand and helped her into the carriage.
"Your Highness." Before entering, Jiuzhu lifted the curtain and grinned at him: "Wait a moment."
She then waved to Chunfen, who stood nearby: "Sister Chunfen!"
Chunfen handed Jiuzhu a wooden box hidden in her sleeve, suppressing a smile as she glanced at Prince Chen before stepping aside.
"This is for you." Jiuzhu shoved the jewelry box into Prince Chen’s hands and ducked into the carriage.
Prince Chen mounted his horse, a royal guard holding the reins for him. He opened the box—inside were scattered silver coins and a few golden peanuts. He chuckled.
This silly girl—did she really think he had no money in the palace?
He glanced at the carriage beside him, closed the box, and handed it to a guard: "Keep this safe. Don’t lose it."
This was his future wife’s hard-earned allowance for him.
As the year drew to a close, the streets bustled with activity. The royal guards remained vigilant around Prince Chen and the carriage, not daring to slacken for a moment.
The capital was a place of shrewd minds—not only officials but even common folk had sharp wits. No one dared approach Prince Chen’s entourage.
But in a crowd of hundreds, there were always exceptions.
Inside the carriage, Jiuzhu heard a woman’s cries and a heated argument. She lifted the window curtain to look: "What’s happening?"
"County Princess, a ruffian is harassing a woman up ahead. His Highness has already sent men to intervene," a guard replied. "The scoundrel speaks crudely. If the noise bothers you, please rest inside for now."
"It’s fine." Jiuzhu leaned out further: "Is the woman alone?"
"I’m not sure," the guard said, eyeing the crowd gathered around. "With so many people watching, even if she is, that rogue wouldn’t dare continue."
After a pause, Jiuzhu gathered her skirts and stepped down from the carriage.
"Watch your step." Prince Chen bent to lift the hem of her dress, signaling the guards to disperse the onlookers.
At the sight of armed guards, the crowd scattered, though they still craned their necks from a distance, no longer daring to chatter.
As Jiuzhu approached, she heard the ruffian spewing filth—"Who can prove I touched you?" and "You’re so ugly, no one would want you anyway."
Before she could speak, Prince Chen clicked his tongue: "What mangy mutt is yapping here?"
The ruffian turned, saw Prince Chen’s fine attire and armed escort, and immediately deflated, bowing obsequiously: "My lord, I swear I didn’t touch her. Look—there are far prettier women on the street. Why would I bother with her?"
Prince Chen arched a brow at the guard beside him, who nodded in confirmation.
"Bold enough to do this in broad daylight? Clearly, your brain’s as rotten as your morals." Prince Chen pointed to the nearby river: "Wash his head. Maybe it’ll clear the filth."
"Your Highness." Jiuzhu tugged his sleeve: "It’s so cold..."
"Hm?" Prince Chen raised a hand, halting the guards mid-motion: "What is it?"
"Take off his coat first, or it’ll be harder to fish him out later," Jiuzhu suggested earnestly. "Tie a rope around his waist too, so no one has to jump in after him."
Most importantly, it would prevent the scoundrel from escaping.
"An excellent point." Prince Chen grinned. "Our guards are our own. No need to tire them over trash."
Amid cheers from the crowd, the ruffian was tossed into the water, to widespread applause.
The man was a local bully—idle, thieving, and notorious for harassing women if anyone crossed him. Now that someone had finally dealt with him, the people praised the handsome young lord for ridding them of a menace.
"I thought you might plead for him," Prince Chen remarked, watching the floundering rogue before leading Jiuzhu back to the carriage. "If you had, I’d have listened."
"Why plead for him?" Jiuzhu looked at Prince Chen with confusion. "One reaps what they sow. He committed a crime, and Your Highness, as a prince of Dacheng, is eliminating evil for the people. If I pleaded for him, wouldn’t I be aiding a villain?"
Raised in a Taoist temple, Jiuzhu had been taught by her two masters to follow her heart from a young age. External opinions and judgments rarely influenced her decisions.
"Life is short. One should follow their heart to make the most of their time in this world." Jiuzhu smiled at him. "I know what Your Highness is doing is right, so of course I wouldn’t stop you."
"You trust me that much?" Prince Chen chuckled.
"Yes." Jiuzhu nodded.
"What if one day I make a mistake? Would you follow me into wrongdoing?" Prince Chen shook his head with a laugh. "Then you’d suffer for it."
"If Your Highness is wrong, I’ll tell you," Jiuzhu explained earnestly. "Supporting you in what’s right and stopping you from doing wrong—that’s not hard to do."
"True, it’s not hard," Prince Chen said, swaying the hem of her skirt he held in his hand as he laughed.
Simple, yet not so simple.
Actions could be judged right or wrong, but people’s hearts weighed interests and consequences.
"Who’s causing trouble here?"
A sharp shout rang out as Yu Jian led the Imperial Guards through the crowd. Glancing at the man flailing in the water, he vaguely sensed something familiar about the scene, and an uneasy premonition rose in his chest.
"Lieutenant Yu," Prince Chen greeted the newcomer with a smile. "What a coincidence. On duty again today?"
Hearing Prince Chen address him by his surname, Yu Jian felt an odd surge of emotion—Prince Chen actually remembered his name!
"Your Highness, did this man harass a woman, attempt to kidnap a child, or… perhaps pretend to sell himself to bury his father?" Yu Jian carefully recalled the past offenders Prince Chen had dealt with and the crimes they were later found guilty of.
"He harassed a woman in public," Prince Chen said, calculating the time. "By now, his mind should be clear enough. You’ve arrived just in time—fish him out and take him to the Capital Magistrate."
"At your command," Yu Jian replied, looking at Prince Chen expectantly.
"Something else?" Prince Chen arched a brow.
"I’ll go right away," Yu Jian said, sighing inwardly. Judging by Prince Chen’s attitude, he wouldn’t get the chance to become a loyal subordinate of Prince Chen’s household.
The generous benefits of Prince Chen’s estate would remain out of reach.
When he and his men went to retrieve the man, they noticed Prince Chen had been unusually considerate this time—not only had he tied a rope around the criminal’s waist, but he’d also stripped off his outer robe.
This way, they didn’t have to wade into the water or find dry clothes for the man, saving them a lot of effort.
Perhaps because Prince Chen had been so troublesome in the past, this rare display of thoughtfulness made the Imperial Guards feel an unexpected surge of gratitude.
Such was the humble nature of human beings.
An official passing by in a sedan chair saw the Imperial Guards pulling a man from the river and asked his bearers, "What happened out there?"
Having overheard the commotion, one bearer replied, "My lord, this man committed some offense and was thrown into the water by Prince Chen."
"Wasn’t Prince Chen confined to the palace by His Majesty? How did he get out?" The official frowned. "On such an important day, he’s still causing trouble."
Thinking of the Emperor’s favoritism toward Prince Chen, he sighed heavily. The Emperor suppressed the other princes at every turn, indulging only Prince Chen. Yet how could the future of Dacheng be entrusted to such a willful and reckless man?
Lifting the curtain in annoyance, he was about to order his bearers to leave when he saw Prince Chen following closely behind a young girl, even holding up the hem of her skirt for her.
The girl took out a handkerchief, gently comforting a weeping woman—wasn’t that… the daughter of Vice Minister Ming?
All talk of willfulness and arrogance… seemed rather misplaced.
Stepping out of the sedan, he asked an elderly man selling spring couplets, "Elder, what crime did that man commit to be thrown into the water?"
"That scoundrel got what he deserved!" The old man rolled up his sleeves as if itching to kick the criminal himself. "Harassing women, stealing—he’s done every vile deed imaginable."
The official steadied the agitated old man, feeling a pang of guilt. He had misjudged Prince Chen.
A man willing to humble himself to rid the people of a wicked ruffian… couldn’t be all that bad, could he?
