After walking far from Lower Gui City, when they could no longer see the city walls behind them, Wei Xun took out the lacquer box and handed it to Bao Zhu, saying: “It’s for you.”

Bao Zhu was stunned: “This is what the craftsmen gave to repay you. You won’t even leave your name – isn’t this all you have left?”

“I said from the beginning that commissioning the lacquer box was to give to someone.”

Wei Xun forcibly pressed the box into her hands and hurried forward leading the donkey, not daring to look back. His meaning was clear – it had always been intended for Bao Zhu.

He added: “You heard what the craftsmen said – Wei Da has thin fortune and light fate, unable to bear precious objects. Among this group, you’re the most noble, so you should keep it.”

Huo Qi Lang quickly called out: “You two stop being polite with each other! Let me, Huo Qi, take it to sell and split the money – everyone gets a share. Wouldn’t that be perfect for everyone?”

Bao Zhu opened the lacquer box lid and held the pearl in her palm, rolling it around to examine it, saying softly: “If only it could actually be sold.”

Seeing her looking thoughtful as if holding back many words, Shisan Lang asked loudly: “Is Jiu Niang disgusted by the blood stains? I can take it to wash in the stream for you.”

Bao Zhu immediately denied this: “That stone carver ignored his disability and injuries, using every means to clear his daughter’s name and seek revenge, hiding the pearl in his own flesh and blood with unwavering determination. He can be considered a fierce warrior among men. How could a warrior’s blood be dirty? It’s just that this pearl is really strange…”

Huo Qi hurriedly asked: “Strange how?”

Bao Zhu sighed: “Hard to say exactly, but it’s different from all the pearls I’ve handled.”

Because Princess Wanshou’s personal name was Bao Zhu, whenever treasures were presented to the palace from across the realm, anything containing the character “pearl” would generally be directly bestowed upon her by the Emperor. On birthdays and festivals, she would receive pearls by the bushel. Therefore, she had seen countless precious pearls in her lifetime, unmatched by anyone in the world.

Wei Xun knew her eye was good and said: “You’ve seemed off ever since seeing this thing. Since we have a long journey ahead, we have plenty of time to hear you explain.”

Huo Qi and Shisan Lang also gathered around, looking very curious.

Bao Zhu sighed: “Then I’ll explain briefly – just listen casually. This pearl has a pearlescent surface. Pearls are divided into two types: sea pearls and snake pearls…”

Shisan Lang said in wonder: “There really are such things as snake pearls in the world? Do snakes spit them up from their bellies?”

Bao Zhu said: “Snake pearls are pearls produced in rivers and fresh water. Because ancient legends often told of great serpents carrying pearls from rivers to give to people, freshwater pearls are always referred to as snake pearls. Snake pearls have less intense luster than sea pearls and aren’t as dense in texture, so they’re less valuable than sea pearls, though still quite beautiful. But this pearl has dim luster and uneven texture – it’s inferior to either type.”

Huo Qi said: “But it really does glow! That night I specifically went close to look – it had a faint, hazy fluorescence.”

Bao Zhu sighed: “That’s exactly what’s strange. Pearls and night pearls are actually completely different things. Pearls grow inside living creatures like oysters and mussels, while night pearls are a type of jade stone polished into round shape. When not glowing during the day, they’re blue-green in color with no pearlescent surface.”

Huo Qi said in surprise: “Night pearls aren’t actually pearls?”

Bao Zhu shook her head: “Night pearls, also called Suihou pearls, are dug from stones. They’re divided into constantly bright and non-constantly bright types. Constantly bright ones are rare – most are non-constantly bright.”

Shisan Lang asked: “Do they flicker on and off?”

Bao Zhu smiled and shook her head: “Not exactly. Those pearls need to absorb the sun’s essence during the day to glow at night. If wrapped up and stored in treasury vaults, they soon become ordinary stones and need to replenish sunlight. The imperial treasury once had cases of night pearls being stolen and replaced, but investigation revealed they had simply been covered too long and needed sun exposure – they hadn’t actually been switched.”

Everyone listened to her clear and systematic explanation, truly impressed by her vast knowledge.

Bao Zhu said: “Chen Yu’s family heirloom pearl combines both qualities, but its color and luster are inferior to pearls, and its nighttime brightness is less than Suihou pearls – it’s neither one thing nor another. That’s why I found it strange, but it wasn’t convenient to say so at the time.”

Yang Xingjian, who had been silently listening from behind, now spoke up: “Though this old man doesn’t understand treasure appraisal, I know a thing or two about human nature. When the stone carver said the pearl was purchased at high price from a Hu merchant by his late father, I became suspicious. An amateur who didn’t want to depend on his family’s traditional craft for living, with no business experience, daring to invest everything in the highly speculative jewelry trade – he really lacked self-awareness.

Though Hu merchants might have rare treasures seldom seen domestically, one needs sufficient discernment to dare trade with them. When it comes to deceiving amateurs, they’re most skilled. That Chen Yu’s father found the pearl extremely difficult to resell after buying it is circumstantial proof.”

Bao Zhu said in surprise: “You mean his father was cheated by the Hu merchant?”

Yang Xingjian shook his head and sighed: “I dare not say for certain – it’s only speculation. The man died over thirty years ago – where could we verify it?”

Everyone found his analysis reasonable and felt melancholy.

Wei Xun suddenly reached out and gently took back the pearl from Bao Zhu’s hand, then gripped it between two fingers and squeezed with force. Amid Huo Qi’s startled cry, a crack clearly appeared on the pearl’s surface.

Bao Zhu was even more shocked. Whether pearls or night pearls, they have no core – even if ground to powder, there would at most be a grain of sand inside. No matter how strong Wei Xun’s finger strength, as a mortal body, he couldn’t possibly crush such dense material out of thin air.

Huo Qi Lang wailed: “Senior Brother, why use deadly force? Even if it’s not genuine, we could sell it at discount for drinking money!”

Wei Xun laughed: “This can’t be verified, that can’t be verified – my heart really itches. Today I must have one thing figured out clearly.”

With his rebellious and stubborn nature, how could he be dissuaded? He applied force again, and after a second application of his stone-crushing finger strength, the pearl could no longer withstand it. The surface shattered into pieces, with the pearlescent outer layer flaking off like damp wall plaster, revealing inside an ordinary glass bead.

Such things could be bought by the bushel for five hundred coins in Chang’an – toys for children and raw material for glazed roof tiles. A single bead wasn’t worth even one coin.

Bao Zhu hurriedly took the remaining fragments from Wei Xun to examine closely, discovering that what had flaked off the glass bead were pieces mixed with pearl powder and mineral powder, somehow bonded together, wrapped around the glass bead and polished smooth to create this neither-fish-nor-fowl “night pearl.”

Huo Qi Lang watched his chance to get rich crumble under Wei Xun’s fingers, completely dejected. After receiving several sharp glances, she knew this wasn’t a place to linger, said a few casual words, and took her leave.

But Wei Xun felt satisfied at personally identifying a years-long fraud, his face showing a triumphant smile. Only when he saw Bao Zhu looking disappointed and melancholy did he say: “Sorry, I already gave it to you, then couldn’t resist crushing it.”

Bao Zhu shook her head and sighed: “I have many pearls this size – I don’t feel sorry about that. I just think how fate toys with people – Chen Yu had his family destroyed by a fake pearl. It’s pitiful and lamentable.”

The stone carver family’s tragedy and the treasure theft case that swept the entire city all stemmed from a fake night pearl created by a Hu merchant. Three generations of the Chen family, the Changzhou craftsmen, Bao Lang, and even Regional Commander Cui Keyong – none had sufficient discernment and experience to identify it.

Even if someone vaguely felt something was amiss, no one was as recklessly bold as Wei Xun, daring to violently squeeze precious objects to verify their authenticity. Only when it came into her hands was the truth finally revealed.

Yang Xingjian, seeing Huo Qi depart in the distance and only people who knew Bao Zhu’s identity remaining, finally spoke his long-suppressed thoughts with contempt: “That Bao Lang was a barbarian slave with wolfish ambitions. Even if he had successfully gained promotion through presenting the pearl, in his entire lifetime he would never have been qualified to see the princess even once. Truly foolish beyond measure, harboring impossible delusions.”

Bao Zhu thought that even if she hadn’t encountered murder attempts and was still peacefully living in the palace, and this “night pearl” had successfully reached Chang’an, it would probably still have ended up in her hands through imperial bestowal – truly fate had its predetermined course.

And she would have only thanked the Emperor’s grace, then casually tossed it aside due to its poor quality without further thought. Yet such a trifling plaything insignificant to the imperial family could stir up bloody storms among the people, with countless deaths resulting – showing how harsh and unpredictable worldly affairs can be.

But Chen Yu and Ying Niang would never know any of this.

After long contemplation, she finally understood.

“To help the Chen family, the Changzhou craftsmen risked capital punishment to pour their heart and soul into creating this Seven Treasures glazed box. Thinking it over, in this whole pearl theft incident, the most precious treasure was actually this empty box filled with chivalrous spirit. I never expected that ‘buying the casket and returning the pearl’ could be quite delightful.”

She thought of how she had wandered the martial world, enduring many hardships and going barefaced all this time – finally she had a proper cosmetic case. Though small, it was quite handy. When they passed through the Eastern Capital Luoyang, she must buy some brightly colored rouge and powder to put inside. With limited space in the lacquer box, should she buy Great Red Spring or Tender Wu Fragrance for lip rouge? Regardless of anything else, Pomegranate Beauty was essential.

Thinking of dozens of rouge colors waiting for her to choose from, Bao Zhu was filled with anticipation, her face showing a purely happy smile. Under the bright sun, her glancing eyes sparkled and her skin glowed like rosy clouds.

Holding the Seven Treasures glazed box, she smiled graciously at Wei Xun: “I really like this gift. Thank you.”

Wei Xun was dazzled by her radiance and couldn’t meet her gaze directly, hurriedly lowering his head to continue leading the donkey forward. He thought that all the world’s jewels, whether real or fake, precious or cheap, were just dead objects – how could they match the dazzling light emanating from a living person? Only such a person was worthy of the name “Bao Zhu” (Precious Pearl).

If any more strange cases were falsely pinned on the Blue-Robed Guest, the only charge he would gladly accept would be “pearl theft.”

The End of “White Snake Princess”