As Cui'er collapsed onto the bluestone, the Nine-Phoenix Pearl Hairpin rolled twice on the ground, its tassels sweeping across the moss, leaving a few wet streaks. Princess Shou'an cried out, and the wind from her skirt blew willow catkins, which fluttered onto the pearls on the hairpin—the nine round beads shimmered in the sunlight, a pale aqua halo. The phoenix-shaped head of the hairpin was crafted from filigree gold, its tail feathers inlaid with tiny rubies, which now reflected flickering light as the hairpin rolled.
"Look, Your Majesty!" The princess rushed over to pick up the pearl hairpin, and her little fingers carefully brushed across the phoenix's wings, "This is it! Yesterday in the Imperial Garden, Concubine Shu said that the phoenix's eyes were like sparks in the sky!" She held the pearl hairpin in front of the emperor, and the jade hairpin in her hair was completely tilted to one side, revealing the fine sweat oozing from her smooth forehead.
The emperor's beard curled up in anger, the cuffs of his dark formal attire wrinkled from his grip, and the soles of his dragon-patterned boots creaked against the moss in the cracks of the blue bricks. He raised his foot to kick Concubine Shu, the wind from the tip of his boot causing her hair to tremble wildly, but Su Jinli's outstretched arm gently stopped him. The sleeves of her dark blue palace dress brushed against the emperor's calves, and the black jade bracelet on her wrist clashed with a cool sound. "Your Majesty, calm down," she said, her gaze falling on Concubine Shu's belly, which was only slightly bulging, hard to see through the light yellow palace dress. "After all, the Empress is pregnant."
Shufei seemed to have grabbed a life-saving straw. She covered her belly with both hands and hit her forehead on the ground with a "bang": "Your Majesty! I am pregnant! It's only been one month. The imperial physician said that I need to take good care of myself..." Her voice was filled with tears, but when she looked up, she quickly glanced at Su Jinli. There was a hint of luck in her eyes that she had survived the disaster.
The emperor's feet dangled in mid-air, the golden embroidered dragons on his dragon boots dazzling in the sunlight. He snorted heavily, and as he pulled his legs back, the bronze bells in the corridor jingled. "Get out! All of you, get back to Yanxi Palace! Without my permission, you are not allowed to take a single step outside the palace!"
As if granted amnesty, Concubine Shu scrambled to her feet, the hem of her goose-yellow palace gown stained with moss. As she ran through the moon-shaped door, the coral pearl hairpin on her head was nearly knocked off by the doorframe. Princess Shou'an ran after her, clutching the hairpin, and cried in a childish voice, "Madam Shu! This hairpin is mine!"
"Here you go!" Concubine Shu said without turning her head. Her voice was obviously trembling as it floated over. "As long as the princess likes it..."
Su Jinli watched her hurriedly departing figure, her palm unconsciously resting on her belly. As if sensing her emotions, the fetus inside her belly gave another gentle kick. The force wasn't strong, but it made her smile. The emperor approached, his wide sleeves sweeping across the medicine stains on the stone table, his brow furrowed. "Jinli, your idea is truly brilliant—" He suddenly lowered his voice and leaned closer. "Tell me, how did you come up with the idea of having a palace maid comb your hair?"
"Your Majesty has forgotten?" Su Jinli took the handkerchief handed to her by Jiang Yan and wiped the medicine stains on the table with a smile on her lips. "Didn't Concubine Shu complain at the Dragon Boat Festival banquet last year that the Nine Phoenix Pearl Hairpin was too heavy and made her neck sore from wearing it that she always had to ask the palace maids to hold it for her while she rested?"
"That's right!" The emperor slapped his thigh, making the jade belt buckle at his waist clatter. "How could I have forgotten this!" He watched Princess Shou'an pin the pearl hairpin in her hair, her little face full of pride. Suddenly, he sighed, his hands behind his back, and looked at the flying willow catkins. "Jinli, why is it that this imperial palace of ours is full of intrigue and conspiracy? Yesterday, Lord Li submitted a memorial saying that the Censorate impeached the harem for interfering in government affairs..."
"Where there are people, there are rivers and lakes." Su Jinli helped the emperor sit down on the stone bench, her fingertips touching the cool stone surface. "But don't worry, Your Majesty." She looked at Princess Shou'an, who was looking in the mirror in the pool and fiddling with the pearl hairpins on her hair. "As long as I am here, I will not let you suffer any grievances."
"Sister Su is the best!" Princess Shou'an heard this and came running over, her skirt brushing Su Jinli's knees. "She's much better than Consort Shu! She even lied to me yesterday, saying I'd grow taller if I ate the sweet-scented osmanthus cake she gave me, but it turns out I didn't!"
As he spoke, a loud clang echoed from outside the moonlit cavern, accompanied by the shouting of a young man. Su Jinli didn't need to turn to know it was her brother—Young Marquis Su rushed in, carrying a broadsword inlaid with a copper rim. The hem of his dark tunic was stained with mud from the training grounds, and the ruby on the scabbard shone eerily in the sunlight.
"Sister!" He thrust his broadsword into the ground, the blade shaking so hard that the tiles under the porch fell to dust. "Who bullied my sister? I'll chop him!"
Princess Shou'an immediately pointed in the direction of the moon-shaped gate and said, "It's Consort Shu! But she was scared away by Sister Su!"
Young Marquis Su's eyes widened as he swung his broadsword in a circle with great force, the blade slicing through the air with a whirring sound. "If you dare to bully my sister again, I'll chop down her palace gate! Let her know how powerful I am!"
"Nonsense!" Su Jinli raised her hand to slap him on the back of the head, but Jiang Yan quickly stopped her. She glared at her brother angrily, "If you dare to talk nonsense again, I'll punish you by making you copy the "Legends of Women" twenty times!"
Young Marquis Su suddenly became dispirited, and the sword almost slipped from his hand: "Sister... I'm a man, why should I copy the "Lessons for Women"? Isn't that for girls to read?"
"I'll teach you how to behave!" Su Jinli put her hands on her hips, the fetus in her belly seeming to be startled by the scene and moved slightly. Jiang Yan chuckled softly beside her, and as he handed her a cup of warm water, his fingertips brushed her wrist: "Madam, calm down. My brother also means well."
Before she could finish her words, the eunuch in charge of the Cining Palace came in, lifting the curtain and holding a gilded tray. "Madam Su, the Empress Dowager invites you. She said she has prepared your favorite sweet steamed cheese in the warm room."
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