Shen Qingtang’s heart instantly leaped to her throat. She asked dryly, “Cousin, why have you stopped walking?”
Xiao Chengyu suddenly smiled. “Tangtang, you used to love running to the Eastern Palace to play with Tuantuan. Why haven’t you mentioned her lately? Could it be… you don’t like Tuantuan anymore?”
Shen Qingtang pressed her lips together, her heart aching with both sourness and panic.
How could she not like Tuantuan?
It was just that the Eastern Palace was Xiao Chengyu’s territory—a place she avoided like the plague. How dare she set foot there again?
Lowering her gaze, her voice as light as a feather, she said, “Even without seeing her, Tangtang knows that with Cousin taking care of her, Tuantuan must be very well cared for.”
“Well cared for?” Xiao Chengyu let out a long sigh. “Poor Tuantuan waits by the palace gate every day hoping you’ll visit. Meanwhile, you’ve long forgotten about her.”
He deliberately paused before adding seriously, “When I return to the Eastern Palace later, I’ll tell Tuantuan to stop waiting—that her cousin must have found another cat outside and doesn’t like her anymore.”
Shen Qingtang felt both angry and helpless.
How could Xiao Chengyu, the dignified heir apparent of a nation, be so childish? And deliberately driving a wedge between her and Tuantuan?
It wasn’t that she didn’t like Tuantuan—she was afraid of seeing Tuantuan’s owner!
Just as she was racking her brains for an excuse to smooth things over, Xiao Chengyu’s inner thoughts suddenly pierced her ears, carrying a sinister calculation: [If I have the imperial physician give Tuantuan some medicine to make her sick, surely Tangtang will come to the Eastern Palace to visit on her own?]
These words drenched Shen Qingtang in icy coldness, as if a basin of freezing water had been poured over her!
Tuantuan was a cat the Crown Prince had raised himself. How could he be so cold-blooded as to harm a cat just to force her to visit the Eastern Palace?
She couldn’t help but feel chilled to the bone—truly, the imperial family is heartless!
When the Crown Prince used to dote on Tuantuan, she often went to the Eastern Palace to play.
She remembered two years ago, when she and Tuantuan were playing in the Crown Prince’s study. Tuantuan, being lively and active, jumped onto a shelf and shattered the Celadon Vase bestowed by the emperor.
That vase was a unique piece from the previous dynasty and an imperial gift. The palace servants knelt on the spot, not even daring to breathe heavily.
Although she had enjoyed the favor of the Empress and the Crown Prince since childhood, she knew her limits—what could be touched and what couldn’t.
Shattering an imperial gift was no small matter!
At that time, holding Tuantuan, she was terribly frightened, her fingers trembling with nervousness, afraid that her cousin would order the servants to beat Tuantuan into a pancake.
But back then, Xiao Chengyu simply set down his brush and walked over leisurely.
He picked up both her and Tuantuan, moving them away from the mess, and instructed the servants to clean up the fragments to avoid accidentally injuring Tuantuan.
She and Tuantuan were safely settled on the soft couch, and the Crown Prince even gently scratched Tuantuan’s chin, his tone without a trace of anger, only smiling as he said, “This little thing is truly lively.”
Seeing that the Crown Prince wasn’t angry, Shen Qingtang finally let out a long sigh of relief.
She quickly quietly scolded Tuantuan, telling her not to be so mischievous in the future…
Thinking of this, Shen Qingtang tightened her grip on her handkerchief.
Back then, she had thought her cousin treated Tuantuan so well. But now, recalling it, she only felt a chill run through her entire body.
When the Crown Prince doted on Tuantuan, he didn’t even care when Tuantuan shattered such a precious imperial vase.
But now that he no longer favored Tuantuan, to force her to visit the Eastern Palace, he actually contemplated poisoning Tuantuan to make her sick!
How could he be so cruel?
Was his previous affection for Tuantuan all fake?
A terrifying thought suddenly emerged: if she were truly forced into the Eastern Palace, would her fate ultimately be the same as Tuantuan’s?
Once his novelty faded and his affection vanished, could he discard her as easily as a worn-out shoe?
Perhaps one day, when he found a new favorite or she became an obstacle, a single word from him could drag her from the clouds into hell, without even a chance to defend herself.
Shen Qingtang’s fingers clenched tighter and tighter, her breath trembling with a chilling coldness.
Fearing that Xiao Chengyu had truly mistreated Tuantuan, her heart flustered, and she hurriedly explained, “I—I do like Tuantuan, and I haven’t been keeping any other cats outside!”
“It’s just that the Marquis Manor has guests recently… Aunt Ding and Cousin have come. I’ve already made plans with Cousin to play the zither together this afternoon, and tomorrow I’ll accompany her to shop for jewelry… I really don’t have time to visit the Eastern Palace to see Tuantuan.”
As she spoke, she deliberately softened her tone, gazing at Xiao Chengyu with a hint of coquettishness, her eyes concealing a trace of pleading.
“Cousin, you mustn’t say nonsense in front of Tuantuan when you go back! If the next time I visit, it really throws a tantrum and ignores me, I’ll be truly angry!”
After finishing, she mustered her courage and cautiously tested the waters: “Has Tuantuan been mischievous lately and annoyed you, Cousin? If you find taking care of it troublesome, why not… why not give Tuantuan to me? I’ll take it back to the Marquis Manor and discipline it properly.”
Xiao Chengyu lowered his gaze to look at her, his tone unreadable: “Forget it. Since Cousin needs to accompany her own cousin, then I and Tuantuan will continue waiting in the Eastern Palace.”
He didn’t address the topic of “giving away the cat,” merely raising his hand and signaling to the eunuch following behind him.
The eunuch immediately understood, quickly retrieving a thick stack of silver bills from the brocade pouch he carried and respectfully presenting them with both hands to Xiao Chengyu.
Without even glancing at the amount, Xiao Chengyu casually took them and handed them to Shen Qingtang.
Indulgently, he said, “Since Tangtang wants to go out and buy jewelry, don’t hold back. Buy whatever catches your eye, and don’t hesitate to spend. If you run short of money or need anything, just let me know anytime.”
Shen Qingtang instinctively wanted to wave her hand in refusal, but meeting Xiao Chengyu’s unfathomable eyes, the words of refusal stuck in her throat.
Steeling herself, she reached out and took the heavy stack of silver bills. “Th-thank you, Cousin.”
Watching Shen Qingtang’s retreating figure, the smile on Xiao Chengyu’s lips gradually faded, a trace of cold ruthlessness flashing in his eyes.
That cousin of Tangtang’s was really quite a nuisance.
As soon as Shen Qingtang returned to the Marquis Manor and was heading toward Fangfei Courtyard, passing through the central courtyard, she spotted Madam Ding and Ding Ru Shan admiring flowers near the pavilion in the distance.
Madam Ding, sharp-eyed, noticed her first and quickly strode forward to greet her, her tone deliberately enthusiastic yet tinged with an indescribable sourness: “Oh~ isn’t this Tangtang? Just back from the palace?”
“Aunt Ding, Cousin.” Shen Qingtang stopped and nodded politely in greeting.
Madam Ding looked her up and down, her sarcastic tone growing stronger: “Returning at this hour, you must have been treated to Imperial Cuisine by the Empress again, right? Tangtang is truly blessed—able to enjoy the palace’s Imperial Cuisine whenever you wish.”
She changed the subject and looked at Ding Ru Shan beside her, deliberately sighing, “But as for your cousin, who knows if she’ll ever have the chance to eat it again in this lifetime.”
Ding Ru Shan’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She quietly tugged at her mother’s sleeve and whispered weakly, “Mother, why are you saying such things…”