“The Empress won’t mind.”
Xie Chen said directly, then paused before adding, “If you ever have worries in the future, you may visit Fenghua Palace and seek the Empress’s guidance.”
His confident tone and trust were surprising.
“Alright.” Pei Tingyue suppressed the thoughtfulness in her eyes and cheerfully agreed, then waved the sachet in her hand, “After I finish embroidering this sachet, I’ll personally deliver it to Fenghua Palace.”
During these past few days since her arrival, all the kindness she had received came from this Central Palace Empress.
She had long wanted to test the waters.
Pei Tingyue didn’t believe that in this deceitful Imperial Harem, someone would be kind to her without reason.
She needed to figure out what intentions this Empress Cui had.
The two quietly attended to their own affairs in the Imperial Study, presenting a picture of peaceful tranquility.
When Xie Chen occasionally grew tired, he would set aside the memorials to rest.
During these breaks, his gaze would unconsciously drift to the side.
After looking over for what seemed like the umpteenth time, Pei Tingyue, holding the sachet, tentatively asked, “Should I make one for Your Majesty too?”
Xie Chen: “…”
That wasn’t his intention.
Normally, he didn’t often see imperial consorts doing needlework.
Seeing it now suddenly felt somewhat novel, which was why he had glanced over a few more times.
But she had misunderstood.
As the Emperor, Xie Chen was never short of items like sachets or fan pendants.
Yet somehow, instead of refusing, he found himself asking with interest, “Will you choose this color for me too?”
Pei Tingyue put down what she was holding, walked to the pile of fabrics, and picked out a silver-white Yunjin material.
She said with a smile, “This color would perfectly match Your Majesty’s casual attire.”
Xie Chen smiled and let her have her way.
It wasn’t until the afternoon, when court officials came to report state affairs, that Pei Tingyue left.
She resided in the rear hall of Changle Palace, usually entering through the palace gate and returning to her quarters by passing the West Side Hall.
When she was just steps away from the rear hall courtyard, Yun Shu suddenly blocked her path.
“Cairen, be careful!”
Pei Tingyue turned to look and saw a white figure darting rapidly toward them, evading Yun Shu and hiding directly beneath her skirts.
“…”
Pei Tingyue felt it—it seemed furry—and felt somewhat relieved.
Yun Shu, pale with fright, quickly extracted the white figure.
Pei Tingyue looked closely and found herself torn between laughter and tears.
Before her was an exceptionally beautiful cat.
It had fluffy, clean white long fur, a pink nose, one eye a crystalline blue and the other a clear yellow, as lovely as gemstone beads.
Pei Tingyue’s heart melted instantly.
She crouched down and tapped the kitten’s forehead, “You mustn’t come out and scare people. Be good, understand?”
The white furry creature let out a “meow” and persistently rubbed against Pei Tingyue’s hand, purring contentedly.
Pei Tingyue’s heart softened completely, and she whispered to it, “Whose cat are you? If you have no owner, how about following me?”
The furry creature meowed again.
Just as Pei Tingyue was about to carry it back to the rear hall, she heard Yun Shu say from beside her, “This servant has heard that Guifei Nianniang has a cat. It must be this one.”
“Guifei?”
Pei Tingyue’s stroking hand paused, and she felt a pang of regret.
If it was the Guifei’s cat, then she couldn’t adopt it.
The main hall of Changle Palace, where she currently resided, was occupied by the only Guifei of the current dynasty—Noble Consort Song.
In “The Empress’s Power Over the Palace,” extensive descriptions were devoted to introducing the various Pinfei, yet only a few brief sentences were written about this First-Rank Consort.
Song Lingyun, daughter of the Fuyuan General, was summoned to the palace in the first year of Xining to appease the border troops and was honored as a Guifei.
When Pei Tingyue read the book, she had thought this character would play a significant role, but it turned out she was merely a marginal figure who occupied a high rank.
After transmigrating, Pei Tingyue immediately sent someone to inquire about this Guifei Nianniang.
Very little information was obtained. It was only known that after entering the palace, she suffered from poor health, remained secluded year-round, and had no interactions with any other Pinfei.
Aside from those who entered the palace in the first year of Xining, none of the consorts who joined in the past two years had ever seen the true appearance of this Guifei Nianniang.
She could be described as utterly mysterious.
After stroking the fluffy ball for a while, Pei Tingyue picked it up in her arms, intending to return it to the Guifei.
As she approached the front hall, she faintly heard a commotion of hurried footsteps and shouts.
“Tuantuan!”
“Little ancestor, where are you? Come out quickly!”
“Tuantuan, there’s fresh fish here!”
“…”
Pei Tingyue looked down at the fluffy creature in her arms and smiled faintly. “Tuantuan—this name suits you well.”
The white ball, hearing its familiar name, lazily lifted its head and responded with a soft sound before nestling back into her embrace.
When the palace maids and eunuchs in the front hall saw her carrying Tuantuan, they were momentarily stunned, then quickly bowed in greeting.
Just as Pei Tingyue was about to hand over the ball in her arms, a young woman emerged from the West Side Hall.
This young woman wore a gown the color of green jade, her hair styled in a high chignon adorned with a single translucent jade hairpin—no other jewelry in sight.
Unlike the typical imperial consorts, her features held no trace of coy charm but instead exuded a spirited, heroic aura. When she lifted her gaze, her presence was strikingly formidable.
Pei Tingyue had already guessed her identity. As the woman approached slowly, Pei Tingyue performed a proper salute and said, “This humble consort pays respects to Guifei Nianniang.”
Noble Consort Song did not speak but scrutinized her from head to toe, her unrestrained eyes filled with disbelief and bewilderment. Her tone was somewhat peculiar as she asked, “Tuantuan… let you hold it?”
“Hmm?” Pei Tingyue glanced down at the ball and replied, “It’s very well-behaved.”
At these words, Noble Consort Song’s expression became indescribable. After a moment of silence, she tentatively reached out her hand and said, “Tuantuan, come to your mother.”
Hearing its name, Tuantuan lifted its head and stared at the outstretched hands for a long while before suddenly raising a pink paw and swatting fiercely at them.
Fortunately, the owner of those hands seemed to have anticipated this and swiftly dodged the attack.
Noble Consort Song withdrew her hand expressionlessly and looked directly at Pei Tingyue.
…
The atmosphere froze for a moment.
Pei Tingyue was astonished by the fluid, almost effortless motion of the ball in her arms—she hadn’t expected this cat to have such a temperament.
Now, under Noble Consort Song’s calm gaze, she felt a chill run down her spine.
Embarrassed, she averted her eyes, feigned a cough, and murmured, “Well… it’s normal for a kitten to have a bit of a temper…”
Seeing this, the Guifei’s palace maid hurried forward, attempting to carry Tuantuan back into the hall, but without exception, they were all swatted at.
Pei Tingyue hadn’t expected such a small ball of a cat to possess such a fierce temper.
Staying here wasn’t a solution, so she suggested, “Guifei Nianniang, perhaps this humble consort could carry it back to its room?””
Noble Consort Song rubbed her brow, sighed, and said, “It resides in the West Side Hall. I apologize for the trouble.”