The old steward sighed heavily inside, "The matter of urgency is to think of a way to find a suitable pearl to replace it."
The young master's eyes dimmed and he pulled at the corner of his mouth with a bitter smile, "The dragon-eye-sized pearl is unique to the East Sea. If it can't be procured from there, it can't be found anywhere else of the same size."
The old steward consoled gently, "Young master, do not worry. There is always a way out. We still have a month before the empress's fortieth birthday, maybe there will be a turn of events."
"If you ask me, that Noble Lord is nothing but trouble. Ever since he came to our Fengqi Empire, the empress became more and more incompetent."
The young master, young and vigorous, his speech grew more and more heated as his subject wandered further and further.
*******
The empress?
Her fortieth birthday!