Chapter Thirteen: The Gift of the Precious Pearl

Sometimes he would stroll through the bustling streets, ostensibly to replenish Ti Ti’s supply of snacks, but in truth, hoping he might run into Baozhu. At least, that was the order he gave himself; how truthful it truly was, only he knew. Unfortunately, he never managed to encounter Baozhu, though he did run into Zhang Cheng once. Zhang Cheng’s impression of him had improved; he greeted him politely, exchanged a few pleasantries, and they parted ways. One could hardly ask why his sister hadn’t come out to play; perhaps in the future such a question would be harmless, but in the Ming Dynasty, to ask it would be to invite offense.

His imperial grandfather’s health was failing, so his father had brought him and his younger brother, Zhu Youjian, to pay a visit. Of course, to call it a visit would be inaccurate—it was an audience. To be fair, the emperor was considerably more attentive to him than his father was. The emperor asked about his studies; at his age, as the eldest imperial grandson, he should have had ministers instructing him in governance, but since his father had not enjoyed that privilege, neither could he. When the emperor learned he was reading the "Record of the Transmission and Practice," he paused, then remarked, “It is well to read by oneself, but one must reflect deeply and discern with clarity. Do not believe everything in books; you must form your own opinions.” At his age, he should have been assigned a daily lecturer, but his father had only received one long after becoming crown prince, and he had yet to be granted that right. Or perhaps his grandfather simply did not wish him to have that right. And so, nothing further came of it.

On the thirteenth day of the eleventh month, in the forty-seventh year of the Wanli reign, it was already bitterly cold. The sky was overcast and heavy. Tomorrow would be Zhu Xiao’s birthday—the first since his rebirth. Strictly speaking, it was Zhu Youxiao’s birthday, but he already considered himself Zhu Youxiao, so he wanted to buy himself a gift, a token to mark his crossing into this new life.

They wandered through countless shops, aimlessly searching, yet found nothing to his taste. At last, he encountered not the object of his desire, but the person. There, at the entrance to the sachet shop, he ran into Baozhu.

Both were heading inside. Zhu Xiao stepped aside and bowed to her, saying, “It’s been some days since I last saw you, miss. To meet by chance today—truly, chance encounters are better than planned meetings.” Whenever he saw her, he couldn’t help but tease. Baozhu’s eyes lit up at the sight of him, her cheeks flushed, and at his words she spat lightly, “You rogue! Who wishes to meet you?” Yet her tone held no reproach, but rather a hint of delight.

Zhu Xiao could hardly miss the meaning, and pressed his advantage. “Though we’ve met several times, I’ve yet to learn your name. Isn’t that rather discourteous of me?” A young lady would never give her name so freely, so Baozhu ignored him, shot him a sidelong glance, and walked inside. Zhu Xiao hurried after her. Within the shop, she and her maid picked out silk threads, discussing as they went. From their conversation, he gathered that Zhang Cheng’s birthday was approaching, and she was choosing threads to make a sachet for her brother.

He sighed heavily, catching Baozhu’s attention. Then, with a sorrowful expression, he said, “Zhang is truly lucky. As for me, tomorrow is my birthday, yet here I am, buying a sachet for myself in a shop.”

Baozhu replied, “Don’t you have any sisters at home? Let them make you one.”

“My little sister—didn’t you see her last time? Do you think she’s the sort who could embroider a sachet?”

Baozhu hesitated, struggling to find words. “Actually, some of the sachets in the shop are quite lovely.” Perhaps even she didn’t believe it, for her voice faltered and she lowered her head. Zhu Xiao said nothing more, just gazed at her with mournful eyes.

Baozhu, unable to bear it, searched for something to say. “I ran out of silk before I could finish embroidering the characters on my brother’s sachet, so I’m here to buy more.”

“How many days until your brother’s birthday?”

“Twelve days,” she said, not quite sure why she was telling him all this. Perhaps it seemed rude not to reply.

“How many days did it take you to make the sachet?”

“Three.”

Zhu Xiao coaxed gently, “If you were to give this sachet to me, you’d still have plenty of time to make a new one for your brother.”

At last, Baozhu realized what he was getting at. “Why should I give this sachet to you?”

Zhu Xiao pressed on, his performance worthy of the best actor: “Because I’m so pitiful! My birthday is tomorrow, and I’m still searching for a sachet. But you, miss, happen to have an extra one. Isn’t this just one of those fortunate accidents, like searching for iron shoes in vain only to stumble upon them by chance?”

Baozhu was at a loss as to when her sachet became “extra,” but she understood his meaning now. This rogue just wanted her sachet. It should have been embarrassing and infuriating, and yet, for some reason, she felt a secret delight rather than annoyance. As if compelled by some unseen force, she lowered her head and murmured, “It’s not finished yet. I’ll finish embroidering it tonight.”

Zhu Xiao’s face lit up with joy, feeling as though the gods themselves were on his side. “No matter, I’ll come by tomorrow morning to collect it.”

“No, no, I’ll have Xiaoqian bring it to you. Where do you live? No, that won’t do—Xiaoqian will bring it to the shop door tomorrow, you can send someone to fetch it.”

Zhu Xiao immediately secured the arrangement. “Tomorrow, at three-quarters past the hour of the Dragon, I’ll wait here for Miss Xiaoqian. If we don’t meet, we don’t part. That’s settled. I must take my leave.” With that, he turned and left, quick and decisive, darting into a nearby alley.

Once he’d left, Baozhu finally came to her senses. What was she doing? A young lady agreeing to give her sachet to a man she’d only met a few times? A sachet—a token reserved for a husband! And yet she’d agreed to give it to him. She must have lost her mind. No, she couldn’t possibly do it. She hurried out the door, but Zhu Xiao was already gone. She turned back, her gaze meeting Xiaoqian’s, and her face turned crimson once again.

Baozhu could not recall how she got home. Only upon entering did she regain her senses, hastily composing herself. Xiaoqian followed in silence, head lowered. Once in her chamber, Baozhu exclaimed, “What should I do, Xiaoqian?” She didn’t realize that by asking, she’d already decided to give Zhu Xiao the sachet.

“Miss, I don’t know,” Xiaoqian replied, head still bowed.

“Of course I can’t give it to him—it’s a sachet, not just anything.” Baozhu declared, and Xiaoqian nodded repeatedly.

“But I’ve already promised to send it tomorrow. If I don’t, isn’t that rather wrong? Didn’t the ancients say, ‘A person without trustworthiness is not to be considered’? ” Baozhu glanced at Xiaoqian as she spoke. Xiaoqian froze, unsure whether to nod or shake her head.

Poor Baozhu, caught in a dilemma; and even poorer Xiaoqian, unable to keep up with her mistress’s vacillations. Just as she agreed to give him the sachet, her mistress changed her mind; then, deciding not to, her mistress insisted on keeping her word. After an hour of such torment, Baozhu finally announced, “It’s decided. I’ll give it to him.” Xiaoqian, thoroughly worn out, kept her head bowed, expecting her mistress to change her mind at any moment. But as she waited, she looked up to see her mistress had already begun to embroider the sachet.

On the fourteenth day of the eleventh month, in the forty-seventh year of Wanli, the sky was clear and cloudless. There was no wind, so the cold was not biting. As the hour of the Dragon arrived, Li Jinzhong was already waiting at the sachet shop’s door. By three-quarters past the hour of the Snake, no one had come. He stamped his numb feet, about to return, already thinking of how to comfort His Highness. Just then, Xiaoqian hurried over, placed a small cloth bundle in his hand, and left without a word. Li Jinzhong gave thanks, but before he could rise, she was already gone. He dared not keep the bundle on his person, but carried it by hand as he ran back to the Eastern Palace.

Upon entering the palace, he found Zhu Xiao pacing nervously. As soon as he saw Li Jinzhong and the bundle in his hand, his face brightened. He took it, turned to leave, and after a few steps, stopped to say, “Well done. Thank you for your trouble.” Li Jinzhong immediately knelt and replied, “Your Highness flatters me. This is my duty.” Zhu Xiao waved him off and entered his chamber. He opened the cloth bundle at once. Inside was a small square sachet, embroidered with a lifelike tiger’s head, and in the lower right corner, a tiny character for “Qi.” Inside, dried flowers released a gentle fragrance, soothing and pure. Gazing at the sachet, thinking of its maker, Zhu Xiao was lost in a daze.

In his past life he’d had a girlfriend, though not for long, so he wasn’t inexperienced. In this life, though only fifteen by traditional reckoning, he had the restless heart of an eighteen-year-old, so it was only natural to be moved by a beautiful girl. The key was that Baozhu was the first girl in this world to catch his eye, and she was so lovely. If she had not liked him, he would never have forced her by virtue of his status, but since she had given him a sachet, he knew well what it meant in this era. He’d known what he was asking for when he requested it. Since Baozhu liked him, and since in less than a year’s time he would become master of all under heaven, he was determined to make this girl his empress.

At that moment, Zhou Yuji came in quietly and reported, “Chongwen Gate, Shajia Alley—the house appears to belong to an official family.” He had left with Li Jinzhong but kept his distance, following Xiaoqian home. This was an idea Zhu Xiao had thought of just last night: since Baozhu had given him a sachet, he needed to know where she lived. In a city as vast as Beijing, it would be impossible to find someone without an address.

Zhu Xiao bowed to him. “Thank you for your trouble, senior brother.” Zhou Yuji quickly stepped aside and returned the gesture. “I dare not accept Your Highness’s courtesy. I am honored to serve you!” Zhu Xiao responded solemnly, “This was a personal matter, so my thanks are due.”