Phoenix Cries Return to Court

How did you know...?

Shen Jueyan's teacup suddenly stopped, and a few drops of scalding tea splashed onto his moon-white brocade robe, but he was completely unaware. His deep eyes were fixed on the woman in front of him, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

"I don't know why, but I always find that the pearls in the East are not natural, nor are they as precious as rumored," Lin Xihe murmured thoughtfully.

She paused, looked up at Shen Jueyan, and suddenly her expression turned serious. "If it is truly the 'Treasure of Xi Kingdom,' it is extremely precious. Why then was it transported to our Great Sheng territory in such a clandestine manner? To this day, the royal family does not possess a single Eastern Pearl, yet it is 'blooming everywhere' among the common people. It seems somewhat like an attempt to cover up the truth."

"I always felt that the pearls from the East had a shadow of the South Sea pearls from my Great Sheng."

Upon hearing this, Shen Jueyan's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the woman in front of him.

The image of the Eastern Pearl flashed into his mind instantly, and in his memory, the South Sea Pearls offered as tribute in Haizhou... the two were indeed somewhat similar!

Shen Jueyan's Adam's apple bobbed as he calmed himself. The details he had overlooked now seemed to become clear one by one.

Lin Xihe took in his reaction and understood. She sighed softly and said with feigned regret.

"If we could find a South Sea pearl in the city for comparison, we would know the answer. Unfortunately, South Sea pearls are precious and probably not easy to find."

"What's so difficult about that?" Shen Jueyan blurted out instinctively.

But then, as if he had thought of something, his eyes darkened. "It's not yet the Emperor's birthday, so Haizhou probably hasn't offered its tribute yet. If we send someone to Haizhou at full speed to get the South Sea pearls now, it will be time-consuming and laborious, and we might alert them."

He sighed deeply, his expression grave. "Moreover, the Dongzhu case is urgent. If it is allowed to develop unchecked, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Lin Xi listened quietly, and seeing this, she said meaningfully, "To say that this city is so prosperous, is it really true that there isn't a single South Sea pearl?"

"It's not that there isn't one." Shen Jueyan suddenly realized, "Now that you mention it, I do recall something. When the late Empress Dowager was alive, she had a court robe with a South Sea pearl embedded in it."

"Of the South Sea pearls that followed, some were bestowed upon Princess Ding'an, and some were given to the legitimate princess who went to Yucheng. The East Sea pearl that the late Empress Dowager possessed should be the only one remaining in the city. But... now that the late Empress Dowager has passed away, finding that South Sea pearl without disturbing the nobles in the palace would be even more difficult."

As soon as he finished speaking, the person in front of him slowly got up, walked to the table, picked up a piece of Xuan paper, and then took a wolf-hair brush. He dipped it in ink and wrote something in a flamboyant style. Then he carefully let the ink on the paper dry and folded it up.

She handed it to the man, speaking calmly, "The Empress Dowager has passed away, and her court robes must be sealed in a secret room in the Bureau of Imperial Clothing. Give this to Wang Siyi; she will help you."

Shen Jueyan frowned as he took the exquisitely folded piece of paper, his gaze towards the woman becoming even more probing.

Wang Siyi was known for his aloof and cold nature in the palace, and he was unyielding to reason.

He doesn't even respect the imperial concubines in the palace, nor has he ever been known to be on good terms with anyone. How did he end up having a connection with this Minister's wife?

Seeing the suspicion in the man's eyes, Lin Xihe did not argue, but said slowly and deliberately, "Young Grand Secretary, in my opinion, today's audience with the Emperor may be a bit rushed. It would be better to first investigate the situation of the Eastern Pearl and the Southern Pearl, obtain conclusive evidence, and then make a plan."

Shen Jueyan remained silent for a moment, then nodded, carefully put the piece of paper in his hand into his bosom, and said in a more serious tone, "In that case, I will leave the palace first."

After saying that, he turned and walked to the desk. Fu Chen was so engrossed in his article that he didn't even notice Shen Jueyan walking up to him.

"Your Highness, I have important matters to attend to, so I must take my leave now," Shen Jueyan said in a low voice.

Fu Chen waved his hand, "Young Grand Secretary, please go quickly, we can arrange to meet again another day."

He assumed that Shen Jueyan had just stopped by to "see" him early in the morning, so he didn't think much of it and let him go.

The study returned to quiet.

Lin Xihe held her teacup, her gaze falling on her grandson, and a faint smile appeared on her face as she looked at his focused expression.

After a short while, Fu Chen finally put down his calligraphy brush and stretched.

He rubbed his sore wrists, then eagerly picked up the article he had written from the desk and ran over to Lin Xihe, eager to show off his achievement.

"Master, how do I look now?"

Lin Xihe put down her teacup, took the article he handed her, and read it through it bit by bit. Although there were still some flaws, she had to admit that Fu Chen had a strong understanding of things, so she felt a little gratified.

However, when she saw the messy handwriting on the paper, she couldn't help but frown.

This Crown Prince is talented, but his calligraphy is really not up to par. We'll have to supervise him to practice more in the future.

Fu Chen looked at the woman in front of him, her expression focused, sometimes frowning, sometimes smiling, and his heart was like a rollercoaster.

Suddenly, Lin Xihe's eyes lit up, and she parted her lips slightly, "Not starting a war lightly, nor showing weakness to others, using defense as offense, waiting for change with stability—this is an excellent saying!"

She looked at Fu Chen, whose face was full of expectation, nodded, and praised, "Your Highness the Crown Prince is very clever. If only your father had been half as smart as you back then. Look at the test your father set; he could only solve the problems I already had!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she was speechless.

"Are you very familiar with my father?" Fu Chen was indeed stunned, his clear eyes filled with confusion as he tilted his head to look at Lin Xihe.

Lin Xihe's heart tightened, but her expression remained calm. She coughed lightly and said, "In the whole country, who doesn't know the king?"

Then, changing the subject, she said, "Your Highness, this article still has some flaws, as you see..."

Although Fu Chen was puzzled, he still obediently moved closer to her and listened attentively.

Lin Xihe's patient and persuasive guidance greatly benefited Fu Chen, and his respect for the person in front of him increased.

After explaining, Lin Xi handed the article back to Fu Chen, saying, "Your Highness, please make appropriate additions and revisions to the article as we just discussed, and strive to make it as perfect as possible."

She paused, then said, "From now on, I will come every day at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM). At this time, you must wait in the study diligently, reading, practicing calligraphy, and studying articles. If you continue like this, I guarantee you will make progress."

"If I can't get up... this time it's tea, next time it could be something else entirely."

Upon hearing this, Fu Chen recalled the tea soup he had received that morning and broke out in a cold sweat. He had never been treated like this before in his entire life.

But why is it that he just can't seem to get angry at this woman in front of him?

He was even a little afraid of her.

But! Fu Chen's brow twitched. How did she get in?

He suddenly looked up, intending to ask for clarification, but found that there was no one in front of him. He couldn't help but sigh in amazement, "This woman is truly like a fairy, a truly wonderful person..."