Rebirth of the Princess Pearl

The morning sun shines on the red walls of the palace, adding a touch of gentleness to the majestic palace. The flowers under the palace walls sway gently in the breeze, and the petals are still covered with morning dew, crystal clear, like tiny pearls. The carriage of Xiaoyanzi and others slowly drives towards the gate of the palace, and the wheels make a rumbling sound when rolling on the stone road.

Xiaoyanzi sat in the carriage, looking at the scenery outside the window with curious eyes, muttering, "The palace is still the same. It makes me feel depressed just looking at it." Her fingers tugged at the corner of her clothes boredly, and her body swayed slightly with the swaying of the carriage.

Yongqi sat next to her, patted her hand gently and said, "Xiaoyanzi, now that you are back, you must abide by the rules of the palace." There was a hint of helplessness and a little worry in his eyes.

Ziwei and Erkang sat opposite each other. Ziwei whispered, "Xiaoyanzi, the Queen and Concubine Ling support us so much, we can't make things difficult for them." There was tenderness and determination in her eyes. She sat with her hands folded on her legs and an elegant posture.

Erkang also nodded and said, "Yes, this palace seems calm, but in fact, there are undercurrents. We all have to be careful." He held Ziwei's hand tightly, as if to give her strength.

The carriage stopped at the gate of the palace and everyone got off. Xiaoyanzi took a deep breath, as if to encourage herself, and then strode forward.

Walking into the palace, the familiar feeling of oppression hits you. The corridors of the palace are winding and deep, as if hiding countless secrets. As Xiaoyanzi walked, she whispered to Yongqi, "Why do I feel like everyone in the palace is secretly watching us?" She shrank her neck and looked around vigilantly.

Yongqi comforted her, "Xiaoyanzi, don't be so sensitive. As long as we do the right thing, we are not afraid of what others say." He straightened his back and his eyes were firm.

At this time, a young eunuch hurried over, bowed and said, "Princess Huanzhu, Fifth Prince, the Empress and Concubine Ling are waiting for you in the Imperial Garden."

Xiaoyanzi frowned and said, "Why are you looking for us so early?" But her pace unconsciously quickened as she walked towards the Imperial Garden.

In the imperial garden, flowers were in full bloom, and the fragrance of flowers filled the air. The Empress and Concubine Ling were sitting in the pavilion, and the palace maids around them stood quietly. When the Empress saw Xiaoyanzi coming, her eyes were full of love. She stood up and said with a smile: "Xiaoyanzi, you are finally back." She walked quickly towards Xiaoyanzi, took her hand, and looked at her carefully, "Did you have fun in the Huibin Building?"

Xiaoyanzi giggled and said, "Empress, it was really fun, but we encountered some small troubles at the end." Her eyes were shining and she waved her hands in the air.

Empress Ling Fei also came over and said with a smile, "Oh? What little trouble is it?" She wiped the corners of her mouth gently with a handkerchief, with curiosity in her eyes.

Yong Qi stepped forward, bowed, and said, "In reply to your Majesty, we encountered trouble with people from the Black Wind Village who came to cause trouble for Xiao Jian, but we have resolved it."

The Queen frowned slightly and said, "Xiao Jian? Is that the man from the martial arts world? Xiaoyanzi, you guys should not get too close to those martial arts people. There are many people in the palace who are gossipy."

Xiaoyanzi pouted and said, "Empress, Xiao Jian is a good man and he is very interesting." She rubbed her feet restlessly on the ground.

Concubine Ling smiled and said, "Xiaoyanzi, the Queen is doing this for your own good. The rules of this palace cannot be broken."

The Queen Mother went on to say, "Also, please don't leave the palace too often recently. I have received news that someone is already preparing to make a move in secret." Her eyes became serious, and she put her hands behind her back and paced slowly in the pavilion.

Xiaoyanzi opened her eyes wide and asked, "Empress, who is it? Why?" She moved closer to the Queen and stared at her without blinking.

The Queen stopped and looked at Xiaoyanzi and said, "People in this palace have complicated minds. I am still investigating. Anyway, you better be careful."

Xiaoyanzi grumbled in dissatisfaction: "This palace is really troublesome. You have to be careful in everything you do."

Yongqi said hurriedly: "Xiaoyanzi, the queen is concerned about us, we must be obedient."

Ziwei also said, "Yes, Xiaoyanzi. We can find other things to do in the palace."

At this time, a palace maid came over with some snacks, gently placed them on the table and said, "Madam, the snacks are here."

The Queen Mother said, "Come, let's all eat something." She sat down first, picked up a piece of dessert and ate it slowly.

When Xiaoyanzi saw the snacks, her eyes lit up. She reached out and took a piece and put it in her mouth, saying incoherently, "It's delicious." Her cheeks were puffed up like a little squirrel.

Concubine Ling smiled and said, "Xiaoyanzi, the way you eat doesn't look like a princess."

Xiaoyanzi swallowed the snack and said, "My Lady Concubine Ling, I will not be restrained in front of you. You are not a stranger."

The Queen looked at Xiaoyanzi with eyes full of love and said with a smile: "Xiaoyanzi is such a straightforward person, but you still need to be careful in front of other people."

Xiaoyanzi stuck out her tongue and said, "I understand, Madam."

At this moment, a eunuch came running in, bowed and said, "The Empress, Concubine Ling, and Concubine Shu sent someone to say that they want to invite the princess and the prince to her palace for a visit."

Xiaoyanzi frowned and asked, "Madam Shufei? What does she want us to do?"

Yongqi thought for a moment and said, "Xiaoyanzi, the Concubine Shu has never had much contact with us. She must have some purpose for suddenly inviting us."

The Queen Mother pondered for a moment and said, "You go and take a look first, but be careful. If there is anything wrong, come back and tell me immediately."

Xiaoyanzi and Yongqi nodded in response, then walked towards Concubine Shu's palace together with Ziwei and Erkang.

The palace of Concubine Shu was not as magnificent as that of the Empress, but it was also exquisite. When they walked into the palace, Concubine Shu was sitting on a chair. When she saw them coming, she smiled unnaturally and said, "Oh, Princess Huanzhu, Fifth Prince, you are here." She looked up and down at Xiaoyanzi, as if examining something.

Xiaoyanzi bowed and said, "Hello, Madam Shufei."

Yongqi also bowed and said, "Madam Shufei, what do you want to talk to us about?"

Lady Shufei smiled and said, "It's nothing big. I just heard that you encountered a lot of interesting things in Huibin Building, and I want to hear about it too." Her hand gently stroked the armrest of the chair, with a hint of cunning in her eyes.

Xiaoyanzi's eyes lit up and she said, "Madam Shufei, there are so many interesting things. We also met a very powerful man named Xiao Jian."

Concubine Shu pretended to be surprised and said, "Xiao Jian? How come I have never heard of this person? What does he do?"

Yongqi said, "To answer your question, Xiao Jian is a man of the world, traveling the world with his flute and sword, and he is a very chivalrous man."

The corners of Concubine Shu's mouth slightly raised as she said, "Oh? Chivalrous? It's hard to say about people in the martial arts world. You are so close to him, aren't you afraid that he has any bad intentions?"

Xiaoyanzi hurriedly said, "Madam Shufei, Xiao Jian is not that kind of person. He even helped us drive away the bad guys in Black Wind Village."

Concubine Shu snorted and said, "Why would the people from Black Wind Village cause trouble for you for no reason? Maybe it was Xiao Jian who caused the trouble and implicated you."

Ziwei said softly, "Madam Shufei, it's not like that. Xiao Jian couldn't stand the evil deeds of the leader of the Black Wind Village, so he taught them a lesson, and that's why he got revenge."

Concubine Shu said disdainfully: "You kids are too naive. This palace is not like the outside world. There are all kinds of people. Don't be fooled."

Yongqi said, "Madam Shufei, we will be careful. But Xiao Jian is a friend you can trust."

Concubine Shu looked at them and said, "Forget it, forget it. I am doing this for your own good. You have just returned to the palace, don't let these people from the underworld affect your reputation."

Xiaoyanzi said unhappily, "Madam Shufei, we know you mean well, but Xiao Jian is our friend, and we won't doubt him just because of a few words from others."

The face of Concubine Shu changed slightly and she said, "Little Swallow, you are really stubborn. I won't say much more. You can do whatever you want."

After Xiaoyanzi and the others came out of Concubine Shu's palace, Xiaoyanzi said angrily, "Why is Concubine Shu so annoying? She must have come here on purpose to cause trouble for us."

Yong Qi said, "Xiao Yanzi, she might be jealous of the Queen and Concubine Ling for being so nice to us. We don't need to take her words too seriously."

Ziwei said: "But it's not good for her to spread bad words about Xiao Jian in the palace."

Erkang said: "We have to think of a way. Otherwise, it will be bad if Xiao Jian is regarded as a bad guy."

As they talked, they walked towards the Queen's palace, wanting to tell her about this.

After listening to their story, the Queen frowned and said, "What is this Concubine Shu doing? I can't let her slander Xiao Jian like this. Although Xiao Jian is a man of the underworld and has nothing to do with the palace, he is your friend, and I can't just sit back and watch."

Concubine Ling also said, "The Queen is right. We have to find a way to let everyone know that Xiao Jian is a good person."

Xiaoyanzi's eyes lit up and she said, "Madam, we can hold a small party in the palace and tell everyone about Xiao Jian's story."

Yong Qi thought for a moment and said, "This is a good idea. But is Xiao Jian willing to come to the palace? He has always stayed away from the palace."

Ziwei said, "We can go ask him. If he doesn't want to come, we can also rewrite his story and only talk about his chivalrous deeds."

The Queen Mother said, "Let's do it this way. You go and make some preparations, and I will notify some people to attend the party."

Xiaoyanzi and the others happily prepared for the party. They set up a place in a garden in the palace, hung up colorful lanterns, and put out tables and chairs. Xiaoyanzi ran around directing the palace maids and eunuchs, saying, "Hang this lantern here, and move the table a little over there." Her face was full of excitement, and beads of sweat had already appeared on her forehead.

Yongqi smiled and said, "Xiaoyanzi, don't work too hard on yourself." He picked up a handkerchief, handed it to Xiaoyanzi, and asked her to wipe the sweat off her face.

Ziwei and Erkang were preparing the content of the story they were going to tell. Ziwei said softly, "Erkang, we have to make Xiao Jian's story vivid and interesting, so that everyone will believe that he is a good person."

Erkang nodded and said, "Ziwei, you are right. We can start from the time when he helped the people punish the bully."

On the night of the party, the garden in the palace was brightly lit by lanterns. Many people from the palace came to the party, sitting around the table, looking at Xiaoyanzi and others curiously.

Xiaoyanzi stood in the middle, cleared her throat and said: "Dear uncles, brothers and sisters, I invited you all here today to tell you a story about our friend Xiao Jian." Her eyes were shining and there was a confident smile on her face.

A minister smiled and said, "Princess Huanzhu, we are all waiting to hear it."

Xiaoyanzi began to tell the story of Xiao Jian: "Xiao Jian is a man of the world, and he has a chivalrous heart. Once, he came to a small town where there was a bully. This bully often bullied the people and robbed their property. The people were miserable, but no one dared to resist." As she spoke, she waved her arms, imitating the way a bully bullied people.

Everyone was attracted by Xiaoyanzi's story and stared at her.

Xiaoyanzi continued, "Xiao Jian was very angry when he saw this. He used his own method to punish the bully. He first used the sound of his flute to attract the bully. The bully thought he was a street performer and wanted to snatch his flute. When the bully approached, Xiao Jian gently tapped the bully's wrist with his sword sheath, and the bully screamed in pain."

Everyone couldn't help laughing when they heard this.

Xiaoyanzi also laughed and said, "But the bully refused to accept the defeat and called over a group of his men. Xiao Jian was not afraid at all. He used his Qinggong to shuttle among the men, tripping one and bumping into another. In the end, all the men were lying on the ground and couldn't get up."

A palace maid couldn't help but say: "This Xiao Jian is so powerful."

Xiaoyanzi said proudly, "Of course. Xiao Jian is such a righteous man. Although he is a man of the underworld, he has a kind heart, and he also helped us drive away the bad guys in the Black Wind Village."

At this moment, a voice suddenly sounded: "Huh, is what you said true? Who can prove it? Maybe you made it up."

Everyone turned to look and saw that it was Concubine Shu who was walking over with a few palace maids.

Xiaoyanzi frowned and said, "My Lady Shufei, everything I said is true. Yongqi, Ziwei, and Ertai can all prove it."

Yongqi stood up and said, "Madam Shufei, everything Xiaoyanzi said is true. We all saw it with our own eyes."

Concubine Shu sneered and said, "You are all in the same group, so of course you will protect each other. This Xiao Jian might just be a charlatan."

The Queen stood up at this time and said seriously: "Shufei, please don't make trouble here. I believe what Xiaoyanzi and the others said. Moreover, I have also investigated Xiao Jian, and he is indeed a chivalrous man."

Concubine Ling also said, "Concubine Shu, it's not good for you to suspect others without reason like this."

When Concubine Shu saw that Concubine Empress and Concubine Ling were helping Xiaoyanzi and the others, her face turned ugly. She said, "Humph, even if he is a chivalrous man, so what? He is a man of the underworld. What does he have to do with our palace? Aren't you afraid of causing unnecessary trouble by publicizing his affairs like this?"

The Queen Mother said, "Shufei, Xiao Jian is Xiao Yanzi's friend. I support them making friends. Moreover, I also hope that people in the palace can learn more from Xiao Jian's chivalrous spirit."

Concubine Shu said angrily: "Empress, if you do this, you will disrupt the rules of the palace."

The Queen said, "I know my limits. Today's gathering is to let everyone know about Xiao Jian. I don't want to hear anyone slander him anymore."

Concubine Shu looked at the Empress, then at the people around her, and knowing that she was outnumbered, she said, "Hmph, since you are so insistent, Empress, I won't say much." Then she turned around and left with the palace maids.

The party continued, and Xiaoyanzi said happily: "Thank you for your support, Queen Mother and Concubine Ling."

The Queen Mother smiled and said, "Xiaoyanzi, you must cherish this friend. However, you must also be careful not to let him get involved in the disputes in the palace."

Yongqi said, "Madam, we understand."

This night in the palace became lively and full of warmth because of this party. The friendship between Xiaoyanzi and others in the palace became stronger, and Xiao Jian's story spread in the palace, letting more people know about his chivalrous act. However, the intrigue in the palace did not stop. I wonder what kind of challenge will be waiting for them next time?