A massive Night-Luminous Pearl gleamed with radiant light, sparkling translucently beneath the night sky—colder even than the icy moon overhead.
Yinghong’s eyes lit up at once. She’d never seen such an enormous Night-Luminous Pearl before. She’d only been teasing the Prince Consort, never expecting to unearth a treasure like this.
“This is too much trouble. This servant thanks the Prince Consort.”
Tao Siqing had obtained the Night-Luminous Pearl from somewhere else. It was huge and perfectly round—a true rarity in the world.
Her father had given it to her, and she’d cherished it ever since. Now she was using it to learn her sister’s preferences, and she didn’t feel like she’d lost out at all.
Yinghong had said that her sister liked flowers.
Tao Chuyi decided to make a flower crown for her sister. Taking advantage of the moment when the mansion’s servants weren’t paying attention, Tao Chuyi sneaked off to the garden. The peach blossoms weren’t in full bloom yet at this time of year, and the plum blossoms were already fading. Tao Chuyi picked and chose among them, selecting some small flowers whose names she didn’t know, and wove them into a flower crown while Nangong Yunshang wasn’t looking.
“Young Master, what are you fiddling with?”
Xichan glanced at the flowerbed again and spotted a bald patch. She cried out in alarm. “Young Master, you…”
Tao Chuyi paid it no mind. She shoved Fifteen off to the side and focused on weaving a beautiful flower crown, saying nothing about her ruthless destruction of the flowers.
When Nangong Yunshang returned, Tao Chuyi scampered over and gently placed the flower crown on her head. After securing it, Tao Chuyi circled around her twice, admiring her own handiwork.
“Sister, do you like it?”
Nangong Yunshang paused for a moment and touched the flower crown. Then she glanced at the ravaged flowerbed behind Tao Chuyi and couldn’t help but smile in exasperation.
“I like it.”
The flowers were the ones suffering.
Tao Chuyi circled Nangong Yunshang once more, practically bouncing. “If Sister likes it, then Chuyi likes it too.”
With that, she held out her hand to Yinghong. “Give me the Night-Luminous Pearl.”
This time, it was Yinghong’s turn to freeze. She hesitated, looking shocked and uncertain, before slowly pulling out the Night-Luminous Pearl. Who ever heard of giving a gift and then asking for it back?
Pearl in hand, Tao Chuyi whirled around and handed it straight to Nangong Yunshang.
“It’s all for Sister.”
Nangong Yunshang couldn’t keep the smile from tugging at her lips. “What’s this new trick of yours?”
Tao Chuyi beamed with pride. “Yinghong told me Sister likes flowers. So I lent it to her just to look at.”
“What? Lent it to this servant?”
Yinghong was dumbfounded. She hadn’t realized she’d been fooled by this little simpleton. She turned to Nangong Yunshang to complain. “Your Highness, look at the Prince Consort.”
Nangong Yunshang couldn’t hold back her laughter. She reached out and patted Tao Chuyi’s head. “Our Chuyi is so clever.”
Tao Chuyi puffed up with pride. Of course she was—she was a genius.
Since her sister liked flowers, Tao Chuyi would make her a few more flower crowns.
When Nangong Yunshang wasn’t watching, Tao Chuyi crept toward the flowerbed once more, her mischievous hands reaching out toward the delicate blooms again.
“Chuyi.”
Nangong Yunshang’s voice turned stern, carrying an effortless authority that needed no anger to command respect.
Tao Chuyi immediately dropped into a squat, lining up neatly beside Fifteen. One person and one dog sat there in perfect harmony, heads perfectly still but ears twitching.
Nangong Yunshang shook her head. “Don’t pluck the flowers anymore. I like seeing them bloom on the branches too. Understood?”
Tao Chuyi nodded vigorously. “Understood!”
Fifteen nodded too. “Woof!”
Everyone could see how much Your Highness the Princess doted on the Prince Consort. But no matter the indulgence, the Prince Consort still needed to be skilled in both civil and martial arts. Martial arts might be a stretch for Tao Chuyi at the moment, but some scholarly education could certainly be arranged.
The Elegant Poetry Academy was the most renowned institution of learning in the Capital City. Its instructors were all prominent scholars of high standing. The students who attended were invariably children of official families—wealthy or noble without exception.
Most students entered between the ages of fourteen and eighteen. At her age, Tao Chuyi was right at the upper limit, but her status as Prince Consort granted her entry all the same.
Nangong Yunshang had to plead and promise all sorts of unequal concessions before Tao Chuyi finally agreed.
“Don’t cause any trouble at the academy. If anyone bullies you, come tell me right away. Study hard, all right?”
Nangong Yunshang could support Tao Chuyi for life if she wished, but she couldn’t guarantee her absolute safety forever, nor could she stay by her side every moment. There would always be times when Tao Chuyi was on her own, so a bit of book learning could only help.
Tao Chuyi agreed, though deep down she had no desire to study. She just didn’t want to disappoint her sister, so she reluctantly went along with it.
As Xichan packed up the Four Treasures of the Study for her, she said, “Don’t worry, Young Master. You’ll only study for three hours a day—two in the morning and one in the afternoon. You’ll be back by the hour of Shen, and this servant will be waiting right outside the academy to pick you up.”
“Oh.”
Tao Chuyi was unhappy. She didn’t want to listen to her sister anymore. In petty revenge, she plucked a small flower and crushed its petals to bits.
“The Princess only has your best interests at heart, Young Master. Don’t blame her.”
Xichan turned around, but there was no one behind her.
“Young Master?”
Tao Chuyi had already flipped herself over the wall and vanished, a stalk of Dogtail Grass clutched in her hand. No one knew where she was headed.
She was running away from home!
She made it to the entrance of a teahouse, where the rich aroma of tea wafting from inside stopped her in her tracks.
Tao Chuyi rubbed her belly. She was starving, and she had no money.
She stared longingly at the teahouse sign—Fragrant Pavilion Teahouse. The pastries inside must be delicious. If only someone would treat her to a meal.
Just then, four men emerged from the doorway. Their clothes marked them as ordinary commoners, but they were tall and broad-shouldered, with the light steps of trained fighters.
One of them, a man wearing a headscarf, spoke up. “Little Young Master, out here all alone? Didn’t bring any silver? My brothers and I will treat you to a meal.”
Tao Chuyi’s eyes widened. Was her wish coming true?
She followed the four men to a nearby eatery. The headscarf man told her to order whatever she wanted—he’d cover the bill.
Tao Chuyi happily took him at his word and didn’t hold back. She ordered four dishes and a soup. When the food arrived, she dug in without a care for those around her.
She polished off an entire table’s worth of food by herself, leaving the other four dumbfounded.
“Little Young Master, where do you live? We’ll walk you home.”
Tao Chuyi began to space out. She did miss her sister, even if she was still a bit mad. She wanted to see her.
The men led her into an alley. There was a perfectly good sunlit main road they could have taken, but they chose narrow side paths instead.
Tao Chuyi walked into a dead end. There was no way forward.
“You took the wrong way.”
The four men dropped their pretense, their faces twisting into snarls as they cracked their knuckles.
“You’re out of luck. You dared offend the Third Prince—today my brothers are going to teach you a lesson you’ll remember.”
“A real idiot. Way too easy to fool.”
“I say one of us could’ve handled it alone.”
Tao Chuyi clenched her fists and lowered her gaze. Hidden from the others’ view, a cold glint flickered in her eyes.
The Princess Mansion was thrown into chaos once more. Servants searched high and low, inside and out, even combing the streets of the market. Still, they couldn’t find the Prince Consort.
Nangong Yunshang slammed her hand on the table, and everyone dropped to their knees.
“How do you people watch over one child? Lost again and again—what good are you!”
“Your Highness, please calm down!”
Just as everyone prepared to search anew, the Third Prince showed up at the door. He strolled in grinning, clearly there to gloat.
Nangong Yunshang shot a glance at his smug expression. How could she not understand?
“Where did you take the Prince Consort?”
“Your Highness the Third Imperial Sister, that’s hardly fair. Your mansion’s servants lost the Prince Consort— what does it have to do with Your Highness?”
The Third Prince held out for only a moment before he couldn’t resist spilling.
“But I do happen to know where the Prince Consort is. Out on the street, near the Fragrant Pavilion Teahouse. Only, three friends from the streets are keeping him company. They’re probably having a little spar right about now.”
In the blink of an eye, everyone from the Princess Mansion and the Third Prince’s entourage rushed to the area around the Fragrant Pavilion Teahouse.
“Your Highness, there’s blood at the mouth of the alley nearby.”
Nangong Yunshang’s brows twitched. She hurried over with the guards. The alley stretched deep, almost bottomless. As they ventured inside, the overpowering stench of blood nearly made them retch.
Yinghong, who was out front, suddenly cried, “Prince Consort!”
Ignoring everything else, Nangong Yunshang rushed forward. Her skirt hem stained red with blood, but she paid it no mind as she raced to the figure sprawled in the pool of blood.
“Chuyi, wake up! Chuyi!”
The Third Prince and his men sauntered over. “What are you shouting for, Imperial Sister? It’s just some blo—”
His voice cut off. The Third Prince’s eyes bulged as he processed the scene. The pool of blood held not only Tao Chuyi but also his four underlings.
“What is this? Who did this!”
Nangong Yunshang cradled the blood-soaked Tao Chuyi. “It was Sister’s fault. I shouldn’t have forced you to go to the academy. Chuyi, wake up—we won’t go. We won’t go.”
“Sister… too tight… cough cough… can’t breathe.”
Nangong Yunshang started in surprise. She looked down to find Tao Chuyi already awake, her eyes clear as ever. Joy flooded her. “Chuyi, you’re awake! How do you feel? Where does it hurt?”
With Nangong Yunshang’s help, Tao Chuyi sat up and flexed her arms and legs. “My hand hurts.”
“Your hand?”
Puzzled, Nangong Yunshang examined Tao Chuyi’s hand. Ignoring the blood, there were indeed red marks on her fingertips.
“Good child, let’s go back to the mansion. The Imperial Physicians will take a look—it’ll be fine right away.”
The Princess Mansion’s people split into two groups: one escorting the Princess and Prince Consort, the other heading to the palace for the Imperial Physicians. The Third Prince remained behind, howling in place and demanding to know who had killed his four prized men.
Tao Chuyi had changed into clean clothes and no longer looked disheveled. She bore not a single injury. After taking her pulse, the Imperial Physicians prescribed a few doses of calming medicine and declared her fine.
Nangong Yunshang was still shaken and refused to leave her side, staying right there without budging.
“No other discomfort anywhere?”
Tao Chuyi tilted her head and patted the bed. “Nope!”
“That’s good.”
Nangong Yunshang let out a long breath of relief. This sort of thing couldn’t be allowed to happen again.
“Chuyi, we’re not going to the academy anymore. If you don’t want to go, then we won’t.”
However, Tao Chuyi replied, “I’ll go to the academy. I want to make Sister happy—I can go.”
“Chuyi…”
Nangong Yunshang cooed soothingly to Chuyi for a while before setting the rattle drum by the bedside. By that time, the results from the Dali Temple coroner’s examination had arrived. She tucked Chuyi in neatly and tiptoed out of the bedroom.
Yinghong escorted the Dali Temple guards to the reception hall. The moment Nangong Yunshang stepped inside, her demeanor shifted entirely from the tenderness she’d shown Chuyi earlier. Now she was cold and imposing.
The guard dropped to one knee and reported, “Your Highness, the coroner examined the bodies. All four victims had shattered skulls and ruptured meridians. This was undoubtedly the work of an expert.”
Nangong Yunshang arched a delicate brow. “An expert again?”
