Liu Chan’s eyes reddened with pleasant surprise.
Having been reborn, she had been constantly scheming this and that, her nerves stretched taut for over a day, and had actually forgotten about Xiao Cui, who had served her ever since she entered the palace.
In her previous life, after she was banished to the Cold Palace for the “bed-climbing incident,” only Xiao Cui kept thinking of her, sending her plenty of food.
Later, when Chun’er discovered she was pregnant and she was taken out of the Cold Palace, it was also Xiao Cui who voluntarily begged Jing Guifei to take care of her.
What a pity.
During that dark period, she trusted no one, not even Xiao Cui.
It wasn’t until later, when the child she gave birth to was about to be taken away by Jing Guifei’s people, that Xiao Cui, as if gone mad, rushed forward to snatch the child back for her. And when she suffered a postpartum hemorrhage, Xiao Cui kowtowed at the entrance of the Imperial Hospital to beg for a physician.
In the end, she still didn’t survive… So after her death, her spirit watched as the usually timid and cowardly Xiao Cui pointed at Jing Guifei and voiced grievances on her behalf.
The outcome was that Xiao Cui was dragged away by Jing Guifei’s order and beaten to death with clubs.
Liu Chan thought, in this life, she must protect those who truly care about her.
“Come in,” Liu Chan quickly composed herself and spoke as calmly as ever.
When Xiao Cui pushed the door open, her bun-like face was already smiling with pursed lips, her eyes sparkling.
She was holding a small porcelain bowl and hurried over to Liu Chan’s bedside. “Miss Liu, the evening is terribly cold. I went to the kitchen to get you a bowl of ginger soup.”
“You’re very thoughtful,” Liu Chan praised.
She took the ginger tea from Xiao Cui’s hands and drank it in one go, then said softly, “It’s so late, you should go rest too.”
Xiao Cui bowed and acknowledged with a soft “Mm,” casually tidied up the clothes Liu Chan had discarded nearby, found her clothes for the next day and placed them within reach, and only then picked up the bowl to leave.
Just as she reached the door, Xiao Cui suddenly stopped and turned back.
Hesitantly, she spoke up, “Miss Liu, the palace is crowded and complicated. If you wish to go out for a walk in the evening, please call for me to accompany you. Going out alone is… after all, inconvenient.”
She wanted to say it was dangerous but feared scaring her, so she changed it to “inconvenient.”
Warmth spread through Liu Chan’s heart again, and she couldn’t help but curl the corners of her lips.
She remembered something.
“Xiao Cui, do you know where to find Nepeta cataria powder?” Liu Chan asked.
Nepeta cataria powder is something cats love to approach. If they smell its scent or take a couple of bites, they become excited and roll around on the ground.
She knew the palace kept many cats, with dedicated caretakers.
Especially in the morning or evening, the palace cat handlers would release the cats to play in the Imperial Garden. Moreover, she knew that Xiao Lin often took walks in the Imperial Garden during the evening.
It wasn’t necessarily that Xiao Lin particularly liked cats at heart.
But the deceased Xu Jing’er did.
Though a bit puzzled by what Liu Chan was asking, Xiao Cui tilted her head and thought hard.
“Once when I passed by the southwest corner of the Imperial Garden, I think I saw palace attendants tending to Nepeta cataria. If you need some, I can go ask for some for you,” she offered proactively.
“Alright,” Liu Chan agreed.
After a moment’s thought, she added, “I know the Noble Consort doesn’t like cats. I just want to secretly pet one. Don’t tell anyone, okay?”
Xiao Cui nodded understandingly, unable to hold back a smile that curved her eyes.
Miss Liu is still such a child—so utterly adorable.
The next evening.
Xiao Cui brought Liu Chan a paper-wrapped packet of Nepeta cataria powder.
She advised, “If you use this, Miss, you must use only a small amount. Otherwise, it might agitate the cats and cause them to harm you, which would defeat the purpose.”
Liu Chan was naturally aware of this.
She had seen how Xiao Lin had a minor consort who liked cats and gained his favor. Later, that minor consort tried using Nepeta cataria to attract cats but ended up making them extremely agitated, and one scratched her face.
At that time, Liu Chan noticed the look in Xiao Lin’s eyes toward that minor consort clearly conveyed the word “fool.” Perhaps due to her injured face, the minor consort soon fell out of favor.
Pretending ignorance, Liu Chan asked, “I’ve only read in books that cats like Nepeta cataria grass, but how exactly should it be used?”
Xiao Cui smiled and said, “You can sprinkle a little on the hem of your skirt. That way, the cats will follow the scent and come rub against your legs, and you can pet their heads.”
As she spoke, she crouched down and applied it for Liu Chan.
Like an excited young girl, Liu Chan eagerly pulled Xiao Cui toward the Imperial Garden as soon as she finished applying the powder.
Along the way, Xiao Cui softly explained to her.
“The cats in the Imperial Garden were apparently kept by the Emperor’s decree because there were too many mice. But most of the ladies and consorts in the rear palace are afraid of cats, so the cats are only allowed out in the morning or evening…”
As she spoke, a large orange cat spotted them and darted into the distance, then watched them cautiously.
Liu Chan shushed her, stopping Xiao Cui’s chatter, and cautiously approached the cat.
Soon, the orange cat seemed to catch the scent of Nepeta cataria on her and began walking toward her.
Just as the orange cat was about to meet Liu Chan, they heard light, hurried footsteps from behind, accompanied by a woman’s complaining voice.
“Finally coming for a walk in the Imperial Garden, and there are so many beasts!” The minor consort stomped her feet as she walked. “What are the Imperial Cat House people doing, releasing so many beasts at this hour to ruin the flowers and plants? Go summon the Imperial Cat House staff. Tell them this minor mistress wants to question them.”Perhaps because the minor consort’s voice was shrill, the large orange cat beside Liu Chan darted away.”
Then.
Liu Chan heard the minor consort’s scream. Her heart sank, thinking “this is bad,” and she instinctively frowned as she looked over.
In the blink of an eye, after bumping into the consort, the large orange cat tried to flee but was grabbed by the fur by the consort’s maid. Instantly terrified, its tail puffed up into a thick bush.
“Miss,” Xiao Cui whispered nervously, “This is Sun Guiren.”
After a moment’s thought, she couldn’t help but add quietly, “The Emperor dotes on her quite a bit.”
Hearing it was a noble named Sun, Liu Chan roughly knew who she was.
Sun Guiren was the granddaughter of the Minister of Personnel. She entered the palace six months ago during the selection. Pretty and skilled at acting coy, she was precisely the consort who had gained the emperor’s favor through cats, though she didn’t actually like them.
The large orange cat, pinned to the ground by Sun’s maid, sounded quite pitiful.
“Greetings, Sun Guiren,” Liu Chan sighed inwardly, stepped forward, and curtsied. “I startled you by playing with the cat just now. I apologize and beg you to be merciful and spare this large orange cat.”
Sun Guiren glanced at her disdainfully, pacing around her with measured steps. “So you’re the Liu family’s illegitimate daughter that Jing Guifei brought into the palace to stay?”
She clicked her tongue and shook her head. “They all say Jing Guifei has hidden a delicate beauty in Weiyang Palace to secure the emperor’s favor, but in my humble opinion, she’s nothing extraordinary.”
As she spoke, her gaze fixed upon Liu Chan’s delicate face, and her heart skipped a beat in surprise.
This face… was truly exceptional even within the palace walls. Her jade-like features were translucent, with clear eyes that sparkled with intelligence, cherry lips, and an elegant nose. While she shared many similarities with Jing Guifei, she surpassed her in beauty by three parts.