Faced with the cat’s hoarse cries, Bai Fuxue couldn’t turn a blind eye.
Liang Chongrong’s face flushed red and pale with anger as she cursed under her breath.
“Damned beast! Ever since this thing was sent here, His Majesty hasn’t visited my palace even once! Such an ill-omened creature!”
Liang Chongrong’s delicate and elegant features were now completely twisted with hatred and coldness, as if she wished she could skin the cat alive.
Just as she picked up a pebble and prepared to throw it,
Bai Fuxue emerged from behind the rockery and immediately scooped up the white cat from the ground.
Bai Fuxue said coldly, “Stop.”
The moment Liang Chongrong saw Bai Fuxue, she froze in terror, the pebble in her hand clattering to the ground.
Bai Fuxue’s expression was filled with disgust as she said, “I could hear Liang Chongrong’s shouting from afar. I thought it was just complaints about His Majesty, but I never expected you would dare lay hands on a tribute from the Northern Frontier. How bold of you.”
Liang Chongrong immediately dropped to her knees, her back drenched in cold sweat.
She was only a Chongrong, while Bai Fuxue had already attained the rank of Consort.
Liang Chongrong’s face turned deathly pale as she said, “Your Highness, this beast is unruly and scratches people. This humble consort merely intended to teach it a lesson.”
The Maine Coon cat in Bai Fuxue’s arms had its claws cruelly filed down, leaving a bloody mess.
Seeing that Bai Fuxue remained silent, Liang Chongrong grew even more anxious.
Her mouth dry and her teeth chattering, Liang Chongrong said, “Your Highness, may I have Little Bai returned to me?”
If word got out that she had abused a tribute like this, she would surely be accused of a crime!
If this matter reached His Majesty, the consequences would be unimaginable!
Bai Fuxue gently stroked the cat in her arms and said, “Liang Chongrong, for your cruelty and lack of compassion, you shall kneel here and reflect on your actions.”
As a modern person, Bai Fuxue’s upbringing made her reluctant to force others to kneel in apology, but this was the ancient era, and she needed to communicate in a way that people of this time would understand.
The large white cat in her arms meowed softly, its rough tongue licking her neck.
Liang Chongrong’s expression grew even uglier. Gnashing her teeth, she said, “Your Highness, Little Bai was a gift from His Majesty to this humble consort. You have no right to take it away.”
Was her dignity worth less than that of a cat?!
The look Liang Chongrong gave the white Maine Coon was filled with such hatred that it seemed she wished she could skin it alive.
Bai Fuxue replied, “Then let His Majesty come to me to retrieve it.”
Feeling deeply unsettled, Bai Fuxue turned and left with Songluo.
Not far away, Xiao Shizhi witnessed the entire scene.
Bai Fuxue summoned the imperial physician to treat the cat. After its wounds were bandaged, she gave it some water.
The imperial physician said, “Your Highness, this cat is large in size and lacks human understanding. What if it injures you?”
The large cat in Bai Fuxue’s arms let out a soft meow and exposed its soft, snow-white belly.
The imperial physician: “…”
Songluo, standing beside Bai Fuxue, felt a pang of heartache. “That Consort Liang is truly awful! How could she bring herself to harm such a well-behaved cat?”
The imperial physician cautiously took his leave, forming a new impression of Consort Bai.
He had initially thought this consort was as willful and spoiled as Consort Rong, but he never expected her to be so fond of animals.
The genuine affection in her eyes was unmistakable.
All creatures possess a nature, and even a cat as fierce-looking as a little lion was so docile in her embrace.
Just as Bai Fuxue was gently stroking the cat’s head, the young empress lifted the curtain and slowly entered.
The weather outside was sweltering, but this spot was pleasantly cool.
Large blocks of ice were placed in every corner of the room, with palace maids fanning them from behind.
The entire palace was refreshingly cool, and the outside was lush with greenery, making it even more serene under the shade.
Songluo, upon seeing Her Majesty the Empress arrive, quickly alerted her mistress.
Bai Fuxue glanced up at Xiao Shizhi, who was dressed in a deep blue outer robe, and bowed slightly in a shallow curtsy.
Songluo gave her mistress a meaningful look: Her Majesty is likely here to address the matter of Consort Liang being punished to kneel today.
Songluo felt a pang of anxiety for Bai Fuxue.
Although Consort Liang was not favored, she was, after all, a long-serving attendant by the Empress’s side.
She held some degree of influence within the palace.
As soon as Xiao Shizhi entered the Pearl Mirror Hall, her attention was immediately captured by the snow-white cat.
She slowly walked over to the chaise lounge where Bai Fuxue was seated and gently stroked the large cat in her arms.
Xiao Shizhi: “Do you like cats?”
Bai Fuxue: “In response to Your Majesty, I am merely bored in the deep palace. Having a cat for companionship would surely bring me comfort.”
The palace maids tactfully withdrew, leaving the entire hall to the two of them.
While petting the kitten, Xiao Shizhi observed Bai Fuxue’s expression.
Too many people in the harem tried to curry favor by keeping small pets, pretending to be avid animal lovers.
In reality, who knew how many misdeeds they had committed behind the scenes.
Recalling the details from the novel, Xiao Shizhi firmly believed that Bai Fuxue was an exceptionally kind person so kind that she would weep over a cat’s injury.
Xiao Shizhi: “What is its name?”
Bai Fuxue tugged at the cat’s ear. “It’s called Little Bai.”
Xiao Shizhi: “That violates your name taboo. Change it.”
A faint smile touched Bai Fuxue’s lips as she softly suggested, “Since it looks so round and plump, how about calling it Tangyuan (sweet rice ball)?”
In the real world, Bai Fuxue had also called the stray cat downstairs Tangyuan. It was similarly snow-white, though not as expensive as the current Maine Coon.
Bai Fuxue was dressed in thin, sheer clothing, cradling the snow-white cat. It was hard to tell whether the cat’s fur was whiter or her skin more radiant.
Xiao Shizhi waited for Bai Fuxue to weep over the cat’s tragic fate.
Instead, Bai Fuxue sneered and said, “Consort Liang abused a cat in front of me does she have a death wish?”
Xiao Shizhi: Huh?
Bai Fuxue: “Making Consort Liang kneel on the stone path was letting her off too lightly. With such a twisted mind, we ought to thoroughly investigate what other vile deeds she has committed in the past.”
Bai Fuxue: “If she can abuse a cat today, she might abuse a palace maid tomorrow. The day after, she could poison the drinks of the harem consorts, and eventually, even Your Majesty might fall victim to her schemes.”
Bai Fuxue stroked the cat’s head and said coldly, “With such wickedness, she should fear being reborn as a pig or a dog in her next life.”
Xiao Shizhi: ????
Shouldn’t she be weeping like a pear blossom bathed in rain, lamenting the cat’s misfortunes? And subtly complaining about Consort Liang while appearing gentle?
The little beauty is quite fierce when angered.
Xiao Shizhi’s lips moved slightly, but she remained silent for a long while.
Noticing Xiao Shizhi’s silence, Bai Fuxue tugged at her sleeve with her delicate, boneless fingers.
In a fragile voice, Bai Fuxue asked, “Does Your Majesty think I am malicious?”
Xiao Shizhi smiled faintly. “Not at all. What you said makes some sense.”
Xiao Shizhi had not been without doubts that Bai Fuxue might not be the person from the book, or that she might be that girl with the same name and surname.
But Bai Fuxue was vastly different from the person in reality.
That person… is way too obsessed with work, either working or on the way to work, with their mind completely occupied by it, as if work is the sole meaning of life.
Drinking coffee like water is the norm, and sleeping directly at the office is also the norm so much so that even their direct supervisor is driven crazy by their workaholic behavior.
Big companies are indeed competitive, but being as extreme as that person is just abnormal.
Even Xiao Shizhi suspects that one day, she might just drop dead at her workstation.
Xiao Shizhi hugs the cat, and in doing so, ends up holding Bai Fuxue as well.
In this unfamiliar environment, it is only beside the delicate, boneless beauty in her arms that Xiao Shizhi’s mind can truly relax.
It feels like the only familiar presence in this strange time and space.
Liang Chongrong’s gaze, filled with venomous resentment, stops at the entrance of Zichen Hall.
She suppresses the flash of crimson in her eyes, and tears immediately well up again.
Liang Chongrong grits her teeth and says to the palace maid beside her, “Bai Fuxue is simply going too far! Not only did she take the cat His Majesty bestowed upon me, but she’s also using it to seduce His Majesty!”
“Why is it that when the cat was with me, His Majesty never once visited, but as soon as Bai Fuxue got her hands on it, His Majesty goes to Pearl Mirror Hall every day?”
Liang Chongrong spits out a quiet curse, “First, she bewitched the late emperor, and now she’s trying to seduce His Majesty utterly shameless.”
Being too close to Zichen Hall, Liang Chongrong refrains from continuing her tirade.
Immediately, her entire demeanor shifts to one of fragility and pitiful vulnerability, like a willow swaying in a gentle breeze.
Li Dequan, standing at the entrance, happens to see Liang Chongrong dabbing the tears at the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief.
“Chief Steward Li, is His Majesty inside?”
Liang Chongrong’s voice is hoarse from crying, her tone so full of grievance that it could melt even a eunuch’s heart.
Li Dequan replies, “Your Highness, His Majesty is currently handling state affairs.”
Liang Chongrong forces a bitter smile, “Then I shall wait here.”
Xiao Shizhi is in the midst of discussing the latest developments in gunpowder and repeating crossbows with officials from the Ministry of War.
She can only offer general suggestions, as gunpowder is currently only used for fireworks, which is, by all accounts, a waste.
After deliberating for over an hour, Xiao Shizhi wearily takes a sip of strong tea, and the image of the beautiful young woman holding the cat resurfaces in her mind.
The cat’s trimmed claws had left a faint red mark on that delicate neck, making it appear even more slender and fragile, like a swan’s.
Xiao Shizhi shakes her head helplessly, trying to dispel such frivolous, ruler-like thoughts from her mind.
Guided by a eunuch, Liang Chongrong slowly approaches the young empress.
With a thud, she kneels on the ground, her sobs choked and sorrowful.
Xiao Shizhi: ???
She had just finished her work and was about to go see the beauty and the cat.
Liang Chongrong cries out with heart-wrenching despair, “Your Majesty, you must uphold justice for your humble servant!”
A throbbing pain pulses at Xiao Shizhi’s temples, “What is the matter?”
Liang Chongrong, her voice hoarse from weeping, replies, “Your Majesty, Consort Bai forcibly took the cat you bestowed upon me. That cat was like family to me, and now that it’s no longer by my side, I don’t know how I can go on living.”
Liang Chongrong continues to sob pitifully, her tone alone enough to evoke profound sympathy.
In contrast, Bai Fuxue is painted as a heinous villain.
Tears streaming down her face, Liang Chongrong adds, “Consort Bai, being so delicate and refined, is probably unaccustomed to the cat’s willful nature. Yesterday, from a distance, I saw her throw the cat into the water.”
“That cat is the apple of my eye!”
While pouring out her grievances, Liang Chongrong carefully observes the emperor’s expression.
Xiao Shizhi knew that Bai Fuxue was a lazy, brainless salted fish who couldn’t be bothered with anything.
Just yesterday, while giving the cat a bath, Bai Fuxue had gotten a scratch on her neck.
After its bath, the cat became soft and fluffy, and immediately jumped onto her little beauty’s bed.
Xiao Shizhi had never imagined she would one day be competing for affection with a cat.
The noise was giving Xiao Shizhi a throbbing headache. “That cat is only temporarily staying with Consort Bai for now.”
Just as Liang Chongrong was about to feel pleased, she heard Xiao Shizhi continue, “As for you spreading malicious rumors about a high-ranking consort behind her back and cruelly mistreating a tribute animal, you are unfit to be a palace mistress. You are demoted to Cairen and will be moved to reside in Jingmiao Hall.”
That was nothing short of the cold palace remote, isolated, and rarely visited.
Liang Chongrong was in disbelief and cried out heart-wrenchingly, “Your Majesty !”
Xiao Shizhi had already left and said to Li Dequan, “In a few days, bring Tangyuan to reside in Zichen Hall. Don’t let that cunning cat cling to Xuexue anymore.”
Li Dequan asked, “Will Your Majesty still be going to Pearl Mirror Hall tonight?”
Xiao Shizhi sneered, “Of course I’m going. She deliberately let the cat scratch her neck wasn’t it just to make me visit her more often?”