The Royal’s Little Lady

For a while, Zuo Xiuyan couldn’t take her eyes off the pearls.

 

When she got betrothed in northern Liaoning before, the betrothal gifts sent by the future groom’s family also had pearls. However, the quality, size, and number of those pearls were not as good as these.

 

Which girl could possibly not like lustrous and beautiful things such as these?

 

Gu Sui’er was also looking at the pearls.

 

She was not someone greedy for money and valuables but how many people could resist taking a few more glances at the plump and round pearls that exuded a soft light under the sun? Gu Sui’er was no exception; she stared at those pearls in amazement.

 

Seeing her staring at the box with wide eyes, Xiao Heng muttered lightly, “Today, Nanhai sent an envoy to pay tribute, these pearls were a part of it. I just happened to be there so His Majesty bestowed a box upon me, saying it was for the female members of the family.”

 

The female members of the family?

 

Gu Sui’er didn’t seem to pay much attention to these words. She was merely admiring the pearls. She didn’t want to monopolize them.

 

Zuo Xiuyan was different. Her eyes lit up when she heard those were for the ‘female members of the family’.

 

When she marries Xiao Heng in the future and becomes his main wife, she would become his female family member and this box of pearls would naturally belong to her ah.

 

Imagining this, she was inevitably a little excited. She gulped softly, suppressing her wildly beating heart, and tried her best to turn her face away so that she wouldn’t keep looking at those pearls.

 

Sooner or later, it would become hers. She didn’t need to stare at it.

 

At this moment, she suddenly heard Xiao Heng’s voice: “What do you want to make with these pearls? Bracelets? Head ornaments?”

 

Hearing his question, Zuo Xiuyan’s heart skipped a beat. Thinking that he was actually asking her what she wanted right then and there, she felt extremely shy. Just as she was about to answer, she heard Gu Sui’er say from the side, “I can’t think of anything for now. I don’t lack anything.”

 

Her shock was not small when she heard this. When she looked over, she discovered that Xiao Heng had actually asked Gu Sui’er.

 

The two people were standing quite close, so much so that Xiao Heng was even holding Gu Sui’er’s hand.

 

Zuo Xiuyan stared at their joined hands with an expression as if someone had stolen the little flower crown she liked the most during her childhood. She was itching to rush forward and separate them.

 

Xiao Heng didn’t seem to remember this person at all. He led Gu Sui’er to the box and conveniently grabbed a handful of pearls.

 

Those pearls were big and mostly white, not the boring white but the kind of simple yet graceful milky white. There were also a few rare lavender and faint golden pearls, which exudes a charming brilliance.

 

Zuo Xiuyan stared at Xiao Heng’s hand which casually threw the pearls back inside the box.

 

Her breath hitched; those were precious pearls ah!

 

“Are these beautiful?”

 

“They do look quite beautiful.”

 

Gu Sui’er couldn’t help but touch a few of those exquisite pearls. She even seemed to smell a faint fishy odor of the sea when she got close to those.

 

She couldn’t help but play with them a few times.

 

“The second Young Madam has a chai1T/N: ‘Chai‘ itself means hairpin but for ease of understanding, I used ‘chai hairpin. It has two pins and looks kind of like this: hairpin that is completely inlaid with pearls.”

 

There was no shortage of these pearl-embedded hairpins in the marquis’ residence but most of them were inlaid with only one or two pearls. Only the Second Young Madam’s hairpin was totally embedded with pearls.

 

“Then I’ll have a chai hairpin like that made for you later.” Actually, Xiao Heng wasn’t that mindful of the application of pearls but he could recall the occasional scenes he witnessed in the Palace. He continued after some thought: “It can be used on a skirt and possibly also on shoes to make a pair of pearl shoes.”

 

“Ah, I got it. I can make a pouch embedded with pearls!”

 

She envisioned a carefully embroidered pouch with dazzling pearls stitched to it hanging at the waist. The person wearing it must feel pleased to have such a lovely and extraordinary pouch.

 

Xiao Heng nodded: “That can be done too.”

 

Listening to their discussion about using her pearls, Zuo Xiuyan felt distressed as if they were cutting a piece of her flesh.

 

She wanted to remind Xiao Heng that he should save some for her since she was going to marry him soon; he couldn’t just use it all for Gu Sui’er.

 

But how should she do that?

 

At this moment, Xiao Heng asked for the pearls to be put away and was about to lead Gu Sui’er inside.

 

Zuo Xiuyan stepped forward: “Third Young Master.”

 

Xiao Heng raised his eyebrows slightly. He just seemed to have realized that she hadn’t left yet.

 

“Zuo girl?”

 

“His Majesty does indeed dote greatly on third Young Master. He even granted you so many pearls. All of these seem pretty rare, I’m afraid they weren’t obtained easily.”

 

She reminded him of their rarity so that he would save them now and use them later for the betrothal gifts ah.

 

However, Xiao Heng seemed to be completely oblivious: “Miss Zuo must be joking. It is but a mere box of pearls.”

 

After speaking, Xiao Heng raised his hand and stroked Gu Sui’er’s hair: “The shining white pearls would be a good contrast against your black hair.”

 

Gu Sui’er felt strange, Xiao Heng usually wasn’t this talkative.

 

The number of words he spoke together might be equal to what he did in the past three days.

 

But she still pursed her lips and said with a smile: “Then I will make a pearl zan2T/N: A zan is a type of hairpin with a single pin: hairpin, a pearl chai hairpin, and a guan for you?”

 

“En, that’s all up to you.”

 

Zuo Xiuyan’s eyes turned red with resentment once she heard these words.

 

What did he mean by that? What did he take her, his future wife, for? Was he trying to display how much he favored his concubine in front of her? Furthermore, he even had a bastard son before she married him!

 

Gu Sui’er also seemed to have suddenly noticed Zuo Xiuyan’s presence.

 

At once, she felt ashamed to not have thought of setting aside some pearls for the latter.

 

So she glanced at Xiao Heng meaningfully and gently tugged his sleeve.

 

Xiao Heng turned a blind eye to her movement and gesture: “Where’s Ah Chen? Yesterday I noticed that he was about to crawl, did he do it today?”

 

When he said this, Gu Sui’er immediately forgot all about the pearls and began to narrate interesting anecdotes about little Ah Chen, who was learning to crawl now. She said it with overflowing excitement and a smile of exultation while he listened to her with a warm gaze.

 

Zuo Xiuyan stood at the side blankly, she suddenly realized that she was superfluous in that scene.

 

She had always thought that she would have a place in Xiao Heng’s heart. After all, he couldn’t take his eyes off her the first time he saw her. However, now she suddenly realized that it was not the case at all.

 

He loves his little concubine, the one from the countryside.

 

After a final glance at the box full of pearls and at the figure with his back turned on her, she gritted her teeth and left with slow steps.

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1T/N: ‘Chai‘ itself means hairpin but for ease of understanding, I used ‘chai hairpin. It has two pins and looks kind of like this: 2T/N: A zan is a type of hairpin with a single pin: