Zi-ning left the manor early in the morning to make the trip to the jeweller's like she had planned. She hadn't seen any sign of Lady Min or Meiyan before she left, although she did overhear some of the maids grumbling about having to clean up the mess in Meiyan's room last night. Clearly her sister hadn't been too pleased with the outcome of yesterday's gathering and had taken out her frustrations on the household décor.

Her lips curled up in a slight smile as the carriage trundled down the cobbled streets, making its way towards the heart of the city where all the big shops were.

Han Meiyan, this is only the beginning.

If her sister thought that this little setback was the worst that could happen to her then she was sorely mistaken.

Fifteen minutes later the carriage came to a stop in front of the jewellery shop and the driver called out to inform her that they had reached the destination. Hana lifted the curtain of the carriage and Shujin quickly helped their young mistress alight.

He's Jewellery was the most famous jewellery shop in the capital because it carried the latest and most exquisite pieces that any woman could desire. The shop was run by a portly man called He Jun, although he was not the designer of any of those sought-after pieces. The creative mind behind He's Jewellery remained one of the kingdom's greatest mysteries and although many people had tried to uncover the identity of the person behind the scenes, Hong had kept his lips tightly sealed, always having one excuse or the other to evade the question. Eventually people just gave up trying to find out. After all, what mattered was that the shop remained open and new pieces of jewellery filled the shelves every now and then.

"Good morning, young miss," the young shop assistant greeted Zi-ning politely when she entered. "Are you looking for any in particular today?" The boy looked no more than fifteen and kept staring intently at Zi-ning as if dazzled by her beauty. It was quite amusing to watch, and Shujin and Hana couldn't resist bursting out in light giggles behind her.

Zi-ning shot them a warning glare before turning back to the assistant and saying, "I'm here to see Mr. He. Is he around?"

"Oh, you're looking for the boss?" The boy took a brief glance at the door leading out back. "Well he doesn't usually meet clients unless it's a special circumstance," like when royals or high-ranking members of the nobility showed up, "but..."

"Please. There is something I need his help with," Zi-ning said, smiling warmly.

The boy's cheeks immediately flushed bright red. "In that case, just give me a second. I'll see if he's available." He bobbed his head and rushed through the doorway, disappearing into the back room.

"Miss, he's so cute," Shujin laughed. "I think he thinks you're a fairy from the heavens!"

Zi-ning smacked her maidservant lightly on the arm, though a tiny smile danced at the corners of her lips.

After a short wait, the assistant returned with the owner of the shop following behind. He Jun was in his forties, although his receding hairline and large paunch made him look a little older.

"Good morning, Miss..."

"Han. I'm the second daughter of Minister Han," Zi-ning replied, returning his greeting politely.

"Ah of course. Welcome, Miss Han. How may I be of assistance today?" Hong asked.

Zi-ning was certain that He Jun had seen her before, because this was not the first time she was stepping into this shop. The difference was that the girl who came here before had been decked from head to toe in everything and anything that sparkled, determined to put everyone else to shame by behaving like a walking jewellery rack. Today, she was wearing a dark green and ivory dress with her silky hair pulled back neatly and held in place by a single silver hairpin. But if the owner of the shop was surprised at the change, he made no show of it whatsoever.

Zi-ning took out the white jade pendant from a small pouch and placed it on the counter in front of the man. "Have you seen this before? Might you be able to tell where it came from?" she asked.

He Jun was well known to be the resident expert on jewellery, old and new, as various rare, antique pieces had passed through his hands and made it to the shop's exclusive collection. If there was someone in the capital who might know the history of this pendant, he would be the man.

Zi-ning noticed a flicker appear in the man's eyes the moment he set his sight upon the pendant. He's definitely seen it before, she thought to herself. She waited patiently as he picked it up, examining it carefully with his magnifying glass.

After a while, he set it back down, looking up at her. "I'm sorry," he said apologetically, "but I'm afraid I don't know where this came from. It's a piece of top-quality jade—you'll be hard pressed to find a piece of jade of this quality even in here—and it seems fairly old, but if you're hoping to find its original owner then I'm afraid I can't help you." He studied her face carefully, watching for a reaction. "If I may ask, where did you get this from?"

"Someone gave it to me," Zi-ning replied vaguely, not saying any more than that. The owner obviously recognised the piece of jade, which meant that he had some inkling of its origin, yet he was lying through his teeth and telling her otherwise. It seemed like the history of this pendant was far more complicated than she had expected, or it had value far beyond her expectations. Did it have something to do with the royal family? It had been an unwise decision to have worn it into the palace, she thought.

"I see. Might you be willing to part with it, by any chance?" He asked, watching her expectantly. "I can offer you a good price for it, considering the quality and workmanship."

Zi-ning smiled, picking up the pendant and putting it back into its pouch. "I'm afraid I'm not intending to sell it," she said. "Thank you, for your help."

"Not at all. Might I be able to interest you in any other pieces of jewellery? We've just had a new collection hit the shelves just this week, made from the highest quality pearls from the eastern seas."

"Perhaps another time," Zi-ning replied, turning to head for the door. "Thank you again, Mr. He."

He Jun accompanied Zi-ning to the door, watching as she boarded her horse carriage. The driver steered them down the street and round the corner, disappearing from view. Only then did the man step back into his shop, his smile vanishing from his chubby face. "Remind me again when the young master said he would return?" he asked his assistant.

"Next week, sir," the boy replied.

"Next week..."

#

After leaving the jewellery shop, Zi-ning didn't head back to the manor immediately. Instead, she took a detour to pick up some other daily necessities from the town centre such as new brushes and inks that she needed for calligraphy and painting. Since she never used to like these things her quarters were devoid of them and the supplies used by the other members of the family were not the sort of quality that she liked.

She was waiting in the shop selling calligraphy supplies for the assistant to wrap up the brushes, inks and parchment papers that she had ordered when a couple of male voices interrupted her peace. Three men walked in. The moment she turned to look at them, she immediately regretted doing so. They were not faces that were unfamiliar to her—she had only seen all three yesterday.

Prince Ru-quan, Prince Ru-an and Huang Nansheng.

None of them were dressed in palace attire today, choosing instead to blend in with the townsfolk by wearing regular clothing of the local nobility. The crown prince stood in the middle, once again wearing the maroon shade that he favoured. The colour worked well on him, Zi-ning thought, because it complemented his fair skin and dark eyes. Ru-an and Nansheng were also dressed expensively, although their blue and black outfits paled in contrast to the crown prince's. Even when in casual attire, they took care not to outshine the crown prince. That was something that she realised about Ru-an after spending so many years by his side—that he was more than willing to pretend to be subservient and subordinate, hiding his dangerous ambitions beneath that innocuous demeanour.

"Miss Han!" the crown prince exclaimed, his eyes lighting up when he recognised her. "What a pleasant surprise. I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon."

"Your Highn—"

"No, no, that won't be necessary," the prince said quickly, catching Zi-ning by the arm before she could finish her greeting and drop to a curtsey. "Out here, you can just call me Ru-quan."

"That wouldn't be appropriate," Zi-ning said quickly, keeping her gaze lowered so she wasn't looking directly at his face.

"You're right, it probably isn't." The prince rubbed his chin thoughtfully, trying to think of a better alternative.

"How about 'Young Master Quan'?" Nansheng suggested helpfully.

"That's right! Young Master Quan it is." Ru-quan grinned. "Anyway, what brings you here today? Are you buying calligraphy supplies?"

Zi-ning nodded her head. "I came to pick up some brushes and ink," she said. She could see Ru-an taking a step forward and she instinctively backed away. Just being near him made her grossly uncomfortable and she wanted to get out of here as quickly as she could.

"Is that so? Do you enjoy calligraphy? If you do, there are some rare calligraphy books in the palace library. I could have them sent over to you if you'd like."

"That would be far too much trouble, Your H—"

"Ah?" Ru-quan held out his hand, the left corner of his lips tilting upwards in a crooked smile.

"Young Master Quan," Zi-ning corrected herself.

The crown prince beamed, walking over to the counter to look at the rows of brushes that were on display. He picked up one with white mink bristles and a smooth bamboo stem with an ivory in-lay, holding it up in front of Zi-ning. "I recommend this one. Mink brushes wear out easily but they produce the smoothest strokes, I find."

Zi-ning shook her head. "I've already picked out my brushes," she said quietly. At that moment the shop assistant returned with her package, which she quickly gestured for Shujin to take.

"Nonsense, one can never have a shortage of good brushes." Ru-quan waved to the shop assistant, handing him the brush. "Put that in the package together with the lady's other supplies. You can charge this one to my account."

"But I can't possibly—"

"Miss Han, please. We all know whose painting should have won yesterday, so just take this as my way of showing my appreciation for sharing such a wonderful piece of art with me."

Knowing that nothing she said could deter the crown prince from gifting the brush to her, Zi-ning had no choice but to reluctantly accept. Once the shop assistant had added it to her package, she thanked the prince politely and quickly turned to leave. It wasn't until she was safely back in her own carriage did she finally let out a sigh of relief.

Although he hadn't said a word throughout, she could sense Ru-an staring at her from behind while she was conversing with the crown prince. She didn't like that sensation a single bit.