Rebirth of the Princess Pearl

In the early morning, sunlight poured into the palace's bedroom through the carved windows. The emperor sat on the dragon bed, his eyes were full of complex expressions, his fingers gently tapped the edge of the bed, and his thoughts involuntarily drifted back to the depths of his past memories. In the bedroom, the green smoke from the incense burner rose, and the faint fragrance spread in the air. The surrounding maids and eunuchs stood quietly, they dared not breathe, and they could clearly feel that the emperor's mood today was a little unusual.

The emperor raised his head, looked at the eunuch Xiao Lizi beside him, and said slowly: "Xiao Lizi, have you ever heard of Xiao Jian?" The emperor's voice was low and calm, but there was a hint of imperceptible excitement in his eyes.

Little Li hurriedly bowed respectfully and replied: "Your Majesty, I have heard about it. Xiao Jian is a man of the world, and he is quite close to Princess Huanzhu and the others." After saying that, he lowered his head, looking at the ground, not daring to look directly at the emperor.

The emperor nodded slightly, thinking secretly in his heart. He stood up and walked slowly in the bedroom, and the dragon robe on his body swayed gently as he walked. The emperor knew that there was an inextricable connection between Xiao Jian and Xiao Yanzi. This secret was of great significance to him, and all of this came from his memories after rebirth. Deep in his heart, he always remembered various things in his previous life. These memories came like a tide, making him pay special attention to the affairs of Xiao Jian and Xiao Yanzi.

At this time, a little palace maid came in cautiously, holding a cup of tea. Her hands were trembling slightly, and with awe in her eyes, she said softly, "Your Majesty, please have some tea." Then she gently placed the tea on the table.

The emperor just looked at the tea, but he had no intention of drinking it. He continued to immerse himself in his own thoughts. He thought of the complicated relationship between Xiao Jian and Xiao Yanzi, about which Xiao Yanzi knew nothing, and he had been waiting for the right time to reveal this secret.

In the imperial garden, Xiaoyanzi was with Yongqi, Ziwei, Erkang and others. Xiaoyanzi was holding a freshly picked flower in her hand, waving it in front of Yongqi, her eyes sparkling, full of childish innocence, and she smiled and asked, "Yongqi, do you think this flower is beautiful?"

Yongqi responded with a smile: "Xiaoyanzi, you are naughty again. The flowers in this imperial garden cannot be picked at will." As he said that, he reached out and gently took the flower from Xiaoyanzi's hand and placed it on the stone table beside him.

Ziwei smiled and said, "Xiaoyanzi, you are always so naughty. Be careful or the Queen will nag you again." As she spoke, she gently combed her hair with her fingers.

Erkang also agreed: "Yes, Xiaoyanzi. There are many rules in the palace and they must be followed." He folded his hands in front of his chest with a serious expression.

Little Swallow pouted and said somewhat dissatisfiedly: "You are all so boring. This palace is already depressing. We can't even pick a flower." As she spoke, her feet kicked the pebbles on the ground restlessly, with an unhappy look on her face.

Suddenly, a eunuch came running over, bowed and said, "Princess Huanzhu, Fifth Prince, Princess Ziwei, Master Erkang, the Emperor invites you."

When Xiaoyanzi heard this, her eyes widened and she said in surprise, "What does the Emperor want us to do?" She unconsciously moved her body behind Yongqi, appearing a little nervous.

Yongqi patted Xiaoyanzi's shoulder gently and comforted her, "Xiaoyanzi, don't be afraid. Let's go together and see what's going on." He straightened his back, giving Xiaoyanzi a sense of security.

They followed the eunuch to the emperor's study. The study was filled with a faint scent of ink, and the bookshelves were filled with all kinds of books. The emperor sat behind the desk, holding a memorial in his hand, but his mind was obviously not on the memorial.

Xiaoyanzi and the others came in, bowed and said in unison: "Good luck to the Emperor, Father."

The emperor raised his head, looked at them, a smile appeared on his face, and said, "Get up." His gaze lingered briefly on Xiaoyanzi.

Yongqi asked respectfully: "Father Emperor, I wonder what you want from us?" He stood straight, his eyes full of respect.

The emperor put down the memorial and said, "I heard that you held a party in the palace and told the story of a man named Xiao Jianzhi." His eyes became deep, as if he was exploring something.

Xiaoyanzi's eyes lit up, and she took a step forward excitedly, waving her hands and saying, "Father Emperor, Xiao Jian is our good friend, and he is a very chivalrous man."

The emperor looked at Xiaoyanzi and found her expression amusing, so he asked, "Oh? Then tell me what chivalrous deeds he has done?"

Xiaoyanzi immediately started talking in a torrent of words: "Father Emperor, Xiao Jian helped the people punish the bullies, and he also drove away the bad guys from the Black Wind Village. He was so powerful that he could lure the bullies over with the sound of his flute, and then gently tap them with his scabbard, and the bullies would scream in pain. What's more, the bully called a group of men, but Xiao Jian was not afraid at all. He used his lightness skills to shuttle among those people and beat them to a pulp." As she spoke, she imitated Xiao Jian's movements, waving her hands in the air and jumping her feet.

The emperor listened to Xiaoyanzi's story and said, "It sounds like Xiao Jian is indeed a good person. However, I heard that he is a man of the underworld. Isn't it inappropriate for you to be so close to him?"

Yong Qi quickly replied: "Father Emperor, although Xiao Jian is a man of the underworld, he has a good character. We can learn a lot from him by making friends with him."

The emperor looked at Yongqi, then at Xiaoyanzi, and said, "I understand. However, you should also be careful. This palace is different from the martial arts world after all. Don't bring trouble to the palace because of his affairs."

Xiaoyanzi grumbled in dissatisfaction: "Father Emperor, we understand. You are always worried about this and that. Xiao Jian will not bring any trouble to the palace."

Ziwei said softly, "Father Emperor, we will be careful." She pulled at the corner of Xiaoyanzi's clothes, signaling her to stop talking.

The emperor smiled and said, "Well, I don't mean to blame you. You can leave now."

Xiaoyanzi and others bowed and left the imperial study.

After Xiaoyanzi walked out of the imperial study, she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "The Emperor is doing well today and didn't make things difficult for us." A smile appeared on her face again.

Yongqi said, "Xiaoyanzi, the emperor is concerned about us. We should still listen to him."

Ziwei also said: "Yes, although the emperor didn't say much, we should also be careful about our interactions with Xiao Jian."

Erkang nodded in agreement: "Ziwei is right."

In the imperial study, the emperor looked at their departing backs and sighed in his heart: "Xiaoyanzi, this child is always so innocent. She doesn't know the major events that are about to happen." He picked up the memorial again, but his mind was not on it at all. There was a hint of worry in his eyes.

At night, the emperor took a walk alone in the imperial garden. The moonlight sprinkled in the garden, as if covering the flowers, plants and trees with a layer of silver gauze. The pond in the garden sparkled in the moonlight, and lotus leaves floated quietly on the water. Occasionally, a frog jumped into the water, making a "splash" sound.

The emperor walked to the pavilion by the pond and sat down, his mind constantly resurfacing with memories of his previous life. He remembered the life stories of Xiao Jian and Xiao Yanzi. Xiao Jian, whose real name was Fang Yan, and Xiao Yanzi, whose real name was Fang Ci, had a father named Fang Zhihang and a mother named Du Xueyin. Fang Zhihang was originally a prefect, upright and kind, but he was framed by a traitor, involved in a literary inquisition and was wrongly killed. Those traitors were some powerful officials in the court. They were jealous of Fang Zhihang's integrity, so they fabricated charges and used the literary inquisition to put him to death, which led to the destruction of his family. Xiao Yanzi and Xiao Jian were also separated because of this. After the emperor was reborn, these memories were clearly imprinted in his mind. He had always wanted to make up for the regrets of his previous life, including letting Xiao Jian and Xiao Yanzi recognize each other as siblings.

"I must protect them and never let such a tragedy happen again." The emperor swore silently in his heart.

At this moment, a dark figure suddenly appeared in the imperial garden. The emperor stood up alertly and asked loudly, "Who?"

The shadow slowly approached, and it turned out to be Xiao Jian. Xiao Jian clasped his fists and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive me for disturbing you so late at night." His eyes were calm and frank.

The emperor looked at Xiao Jian and was a little surprised, but he quickly regained his composure and said, "Xiao Jian, how come you appear in the palace?" There was a hint of confusion and inquiry in his eyes.

Xiao Jian replied, "Your Majesty, I came to the palace to see Xiao Yanzi and the others. I know there are many rules in the palace, but I really can't let them go." He looked at the emperor firmly.

The emperor nodded slightly and said, "You are a man who values ​​friendship. However, do you know how dangerous this palace is? If you come here rashly and are discovered, it will be troublesome."

Xiao Jian smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I know the dangers in the palace, but I believe that with my martial arts, I can protect myself as well as Xiaoyanzi and the others."

The emperor looked at Xiao Jian, and after a moment's contemplation, he said, "Xiao Jian, I have sent people to investigate your background. You are the son of Fang Zhihang, the prefect Fang, and your name is Fang Yan. Xiao Yanzi is your biological sister. Your father was persecuted in the literary inquisition and was wrongly killed."

When Xiao Jian heard the emperor's words, his eyes widened, his face full of shock: "Your Majesty, this...how is this possible? I have been looking for my family, but I never thought..."

The emperor continued, "I know all of this, and I also know your experiences in the martial arts world over the years. You have been searching for the truth and your relatives, and Xiaoyanzi also doesn't know her own life experience."

Xiao Jian clenched his fists, a trace of pain flashed in his eyes: "Your Majesty, then my father, is he really wronged?"

The emperor sighed and said, "I can confirm that your father was murdered by a traitor and implicated in the literary inquisition. I have investigated it carefully and want to clear his name."

Xiao Jian knelt on one knee and said gratefully: "Your Majesty, thank you for telling me this. Doesn't Xiaoyanzi know about this yet?"

The emperor helped Xiao Jian up and said, "She doesn't know yet. Things in the palace are complicated. I want to find a suitable time to tell her. You should not make it public yet, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble."

Xiao Jian nodded and said, "Your Majesty is wise, I understand."

The emperor looked at Xiao Jian and said, "You should leave first. Be careful when you come to the palace next time."

Xiao Jian clasped his fists and saluted again, then turned around and disappeared into the night.

The emperor looked at the direction where Xiao Jian left, and thought silently in his heart: "Xiao Jian, I hope you can wait patiently. When the time is right, I will let you two recognize each other as brothers and sisters." He sat in the pavilion for a long time, and only slowly returned to the bedroom late at night.

The next day, Xiaoyanzi got into trouble again in the palace. While chasing a butterfly, she accidentally bumped into a palace maid, and the tea tray in the maid's hand fell to the ground.

Xiaoyanzi hurriedly said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She bent down to pick up the debris on the ground.

The maid turned pale with fear and said quickly, "Princess, it's none of your fault. It was my carelessness."

At this time, the Queen Mother heard the noise and came over. Seeing the mess on the ground, she frowned and said, "Xiaoyanzi, why are you in trouble again?" There was a hint of blame in her eyes.

Xiaoyanzi stood up and said aggrievedly: "Empress, I didn't mean it. I was just chasing butterflies." Tears flashed in her eyes and her hands were nervously tugging at the corners of her clothes.

Yongqi also ran over, and seeing this situation, he hurriedly said: "Empress, Xiaoyanzi really didn't mean it, please don't blame her."

The Queen looked at Yongqi, then at Xiaoyanzi, and said, "Xiaoyanzi, you are no longer a child. You need to learn to be more stable."