Yan Liangrong looked at Zheng Chun. “Zheng Chun, Ke’er isn’t my child alone. You can’t place all the responsibility on me. He’s your son too. If you truly meant what you just said—that Ke’er is your highest priority in life—then I believe you. And while I’m doing everything I can to climb higher and have no time to spare, I hope you can make time to pick Ke’er up and drop him off with Nanny. Just as, when you were busy with official duties, I chose to sacrifice more of my time for Ke’er so that you could focus on your career and still have the energy to take him out to play whenever you wanted.”
Yan Liangrong gazed deeply at Zheng Chun. “Can you do that?”
Zheng Chun met her eyes for a long time before sighing. “You seem like a stranger now.”
Yan Liangrong gave a soft laugh. “Perhaps everyone goes through a period of growth in life. During that time, none of us truly understands who we are.”
Zheng Chun nodded. “From now on, I’ll spend more time with Ke’er.”
“Good. Then it’s settled.” Yan Liangrong smiled faintly. “It’s late, and I’m exhausted. You should go back.”
Zheng Chun rose and left.
Yan Liangrong let out a long breath, then turned and went back inside to keep Zheng Ke company.
Nanny brought hot water, while the maids prepared small mallets and gently massaged Yan Liangrong.
A servant handed over Zheng Ke’s schoolwork. Yan Liangrong lowered her eyes and checked it page by page. Only after confirming that everything was in order did she have the servant put it away.
…
The day after returning from the opera, Qin Yi entrusted Snowfluff to Lu Xi’s care.
On the second day, Lu Xi reported cautiously, “Your Majesty, Snowfluff won’t eat.”
Qin Yi continued reviewing memorials, barely looking up. “Is it sick?”
Bending at the waist, Lu Xi replied, “The imperial physician at the Beast Garden hasn’t been able to determine what’s wrong yet. He said they need to observe Snowfluff for a while longer.”
Lu Xi placed Snowfluff on the desk. The cat lay there listlessly, head drooping, its mismatched eyes full of grievance.
Qin Yi set down his memorial and scratched Snowfluff under the chin. Normally, Snowfluff would purr contentedly at a time like this. But today, it lifted its head, dodged Qin Yi’s fingers, turned away, and lay back down.
Something was definitely wrong with the little thing.
Qin Yi had Lu Xi bring over the dried fish left from last time. He poured one out and held it near Snowfluff’s mouth.
Snowfluff sniffed it and got to its feet.
Just as Lu Xi thought Snowfluff had finally perked up, the cat took a few steps to the edge of the imperial desk and flopped down again, looking utterly dejected.
Qin Yi’s brows drew together. It wouldn’t even eat the dried fish made by Yan Tongshu. Could the little thing be suffering from some serious illness?
On the third day, Snowfluff remained the same, barely drinking a little fish broth.
On the fourth day, Snowfluff’s spirits sank even further.
Just as Qin Yi was growing frantic with worry, the imperial physician from the Beast Garden finally reached a diagnosis.
Lu Xi opened his mouth, hesitated, closed it, then opened it again—only to hesitate once more.
Qin Yi slammed his memorial onto the desk and said impatiently, “What kind of illness is so difficult to talk about?”
Lu Xi struggled to find the words. “The imperial physician at the Beast Garden says it’s lovesickness.”
After saying this, Lu Xi secretly glanced at Qin Yi from the corner of his eye.
Since the day he had begun serving the emperor, this was the first time he had ever seen such an utterly unguarded expression on Qin Yi’s face—bewilderment, disbelief, and speechless distortion all at once.
The corners of Qin Yi’s mouth twitched several times. If not for his excellent upbringing and sense of decorum holding him back, he might have completely lost his composure and shouted on the spot: Lovesickness?!
Qin Yi’s gaze drifted toward Snowfluff in Lu Xi’s arms.
At last, he recovered from the shock and said, “Love…sickness? A cat?”
Awkwardly, Lu Xi replied, “The imperial physician at the Beast Garden says that animals have the seven emotions and six desires as well. So, based on Snowfluff’s current symptoms, it should be suffering from unrequited love and pining itself sick. In other words… it has lovesickness.”
By the end, Lu Xi’s tone had taken on the resignation of someone who had decided to let the chips fall where they may.
Qin Yi fell silent.
So his Snowfluff had fallen in love at first sight with Yan Tongshu’s ugly Yuanzi—and even developed lovesickness?
Qin Yi pressed a hand to his forehead.
When a cat disgraced itself, it was the owner who lost face.
His Majesty’s imperial cat had no business coming down with lovesickness.
Qin Yi said flatly, “Take it away and execute it.”
“Huh?” Lu Xi hugged Snowfluff tighter, uncertain whether the emperor was joking or serious. “Your Majesty, Snowfluff is only a cat. It doesn’t understand anything.”
Qin Yi rubbed his aching temples and waved a hand. “Have the imperial physicians examine it properly and cure it.”
But…wasn’t lovesickness incurable?
The words went around and around in Lu Xi’s mouth, but in the end, he still didn’t dare say them. He carried Snowfluff to the Beast Garden to find the imperial physician.
The next day, Snowfluff was on the verge of death—and still refused to take its medicine.
Qin Yi set down his brush and looked at Snowfluff, which had nearly worked itself to death on the imperial desk. He let out a long—an extremely long—sigh before asking, “What has Yan Tongshu been doing lately?”
Lu Xi answered softly, “The same as usual. She reports for duty and finishes her shift at the Kaifeng Prefecture every day, leaving work punctually at the hour of the Dragon.”
“Mm.” Qin Yi acknowledged this and continued reviewing his memorials.
That afternoon, Yan Tongshu flew home like an excited little bird.
“Pearl, it’s so hot! Go ask the kitchen whether they have any red-bean shaved ice today. The three of us can each have a bowl.”
“Yes.”
Jinbao went to park the carriage, while Pearl hurried toward the kitchen.
The steward quickly intercepted Yan Tongshu. “Young Master, you have a visitor.”
Yan Tongshu stopped and stared at him in confusion. “Who?”
The steward pointed toward the sky.
Yan Tongshu: “…”
Why was he here again?
Yan Tongshu asked, “How long has he been here?”
The steward replied, “Less than a quarter of an hour.”
Then he hadn’t been waiting long.
Yan Tongshu returned to her courtyard. Qin Yi was already waiting in the pavilion, holding a book and flipping through it leisurely.
Four pots of vibrant lychees had been placed in her courtyard, their branches lush with leaves and heavy with fruit.
On the wooden table inside the pavilion were three plates of chilled lychees. The lychees, red and green, rested atop crushed ice, looking plump, glossy, and irresistibly tempting.
Then there were two baskets of dried lychees at Qin Yi’s feet.
Yan Tongshu was stunned.
Were these all for her?
The dog emperor was being this generous?
No, no, no. If he could be this generous, then he wasn’t the dog emperor—he was the Sagely Ruler!
Yan Tongshu walked into the pavilion and knelt in a perfectly proper bow. “Your Majesty.”
Qin Yi’s brows lifted slightly. He set down his book, his tone unusually gentle, and pointed to the stone stool beside him. “Sit.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Yan Tongshu sat down properly beside Qin Yi, but her gaze kept drifting toward the pots of lychees in the courtyard. Unable to hold back, she asked eagerly, “Your Majesty, are those lychees in the courtyard for me?”
Qin Yi’s expression was gentle, a faint smile playing on his lips. “They’re yours.”
As he spoke, Qin Yi extended his long, jade-like fingers and picked up a fresh lychee from the ice-filled plate. He slowly peeled away its crimson skin, revealing translucent, glistening flesh, then held it out to Yan Tongshu.
“Try it. These are the new lychees sent as tribute this year. There were originally twenty pots, but because of the long journey, most of them were damaged. Only five pots remained in the end. I remembered that you enjoy them, so I had four pots brought here especially for you.”
Wow!
The dog emperor—no, the Sagely Ruler—had finally found his conscience.
Yan Tongshu accepted the lychee and bit into it. The flesh was full and juicy, its sweetness refreshing and fragrant.
To be able to eat lychees in ancient times was simply, unbelievably blissful.
Yan Tongshu spat out the seed and looked at Qin Yi with shining eyes. “Your Majesty, why did you suddenly send me lychees?”
A faint smile tugged at the corners of Qin Yi’s lips. He peeled another lychee and held it out to Yan Tongshu. “We’re friends. Friends should share.”
Yan Tongshu nodded excitedly.
So she had been too narrow-minded!
Friends were supposed to share, which meant that the last time they had gone to watch the opera, when Qin Yi had asked her to make room and squeeze in a little, he had been completely justified.
It was thanks to her kindness and friendliness that they had formed such a delicious exchange between friends.
Yan Tongshu accepted the lychee Qin Yi offered her. After eating it, she hurriedly peeled two more herself and respectfully presented them to him. “Your Majesty, you should have some too.”
“Mm.” Qin Yi accepted them with a smile and quietly watched as she ate seven or eight lychees in succession. Then he leisurely said, “However, this time they were not ‘given’ to you by Me.”
“Hm?” Yan Tongshu blinked at him in confusion. Then what were they?
Facing her, Qin Yi’s smile deepened. He enunciated each word clearly. “They are the betrothal gift I am offering Yuanzi’s family on Snowfluff’s behalf.”
The air froze for a brief moment.
Yan Tongshu immediately tried to spit out the lychee in her mouth.
Qin Yi was quick enough to react. He seized her wrist with one hand and firmly covered her mouth with the other. “Yan Tongshu, you’ve already eaten it. Eating it means you’ve agreed.”
“Mmph, mmph, mmph!” Yan Tongshu struggled desperately.
Who had agreed?
Who had agreed!
She would never sell Yuanzi off for a few lychees!
The dog emperor really was still the same dog emperor!
At last, the half a lychee in Yan Tongshu’s mouth was forced down her throat by Qin Yi. He released her, raised a hand, and Lu Xi immediately offered him a silk handkerchief. Qin Yi took it and slowly wiped the juice from his hand.
Yan Tongshu ground her teeth in anger. “Didn’t you say you were giving them to me?”
Qin Yi’s voice was relaxed, and he sounded quite pleased with himself. “When did I ever say the word ‘give’? I said I was ‘giving’ them to you in the sense of presenting them. A betrothal gift is something one presents, is it not? Unless you think it was something I was lending you?”
Yan Tongshu’s chest rose and fell violently. She challenged him word by word, “Aren’t friends supposed to share?”
Qin Yi pointed at the two baskets of dried lychees by their feet. “Those are what we’re sharing. The rest are the betrothal gift.”
Yan Tongshu clenched her fists.
She was going to fight the dog emperor!
Her eyes widened until they were round. “Then Your Majesty, please wait a moment. I’ll go find a plate and vomit the lychees out of my stomach.”
She would find a pair of chopsticks and make herself throw up. She would vomit every last one out and return them to the dog emperor.
Qin Yi grabbed her by the back of her collar and pulled her back. “Yan Tongshu, food that has been swallowed cannot be returned simply by vomiting it up.”
Yan Tongshu puffed up angrily. “I’ll buy some to pay you back.”
Qin Yi’s eyes gleamed with amusement. “Where are you going to buy them?”
Yan Tongshu was furious. Absolutely furious. Furious beyond words.
Damn this ancient world. There was nowhere to buy lychees.
How infuriating.
Yan Tongshu took several deep breaths in succession and finally managed to calm herself. “Your Majesty, your betrothal gifts are useless to me.”
Qin Yi raised an eyebrow.
Yan Tongshu lifted her chin, looking as though she were daring him to do something about it. “Yuanzi is a stray cat, not mine. We merely happen to live in the same place.”
Qin Yi narrowed his eyes. “Trying to wriggle out of it?”
“How is this wriggling out of anything?” Yan Tongshu said righteously. “If Your Majesty doesn’t believe me, you can send people to investigate. Yuanzi is a stray cat. I’m merely telling the truth.”
See? His wishful thinking had come to nothing.
Qin Yi’s gaze clashed with Yan Tongshu’s.
The matter had reached an impasse.
After thinking for a moment, Yan Tongshu asked, “Your Majesty, why exactly have you suddenly taken it into your head to go to such lengths to offer a betrothal gift to Yuanzi on Snowfluff’s behalf?”
The matter was far too embarrassing for Qin Yi to explain.
At the side, Lu Xi cautiously took Snowfluff from his robes and softly said, “Minister Yan, please take a look… Snowfluff is ill. In just a few days, she’s already lost a whole circle of weight.”
Earlier, Snowfluff had been hidden in Lu Xi’s arms, with only her head showing. Since Snowfluff had a pointed chin, Yan Tongshu had not noticed that she had grown thinner.
Now that Lu Xi brought Snowfluff out, her round body had practically flattened.
Yan Tongshu felt her heart ache. She reached out and took Snowfluff from Lu Xi, gently stroking her fur. “What’s wrong with Snowfluff? Didn’t you find a physician?”
“We did.” Lu Xi carefully glanced at Qin Yi’s expression. Seeing that Qin Yi did not look displeased, he continued softly, “But Snowfluff refuses to eat, and we can’t get her to take her medicine either…”
Yan Tongshu scratched Snowfluff’s fluffy chin. “So what exactly is the illness?”
“Well…” Lu Xi looked troubled, his eyes repeatedly darting toward Qin Yi.
Yan Tongshu was puzzled. What kind of illness was so difficult to talk about?
She looked at Qin Yi too.
Qin Yi’s temple twitched. With an indescribable expression, he gave the briefest possible answer.
“ lovesickness.”
Yan Tongshu’s hand paused on Snowfluff’s fur.
Then—
“Pfft—”
She really could not hold it in.
The veins at Qin Yi’s temples throbbed furiously.
Yan Tongshu tried and tried to restrain herself, but in the end, she still failed.
“Hahahaha…” Yan Tongshu pressed her lips together, her shoulders trembling. “No, Your Majesty, I’m not laughing. Hahahaha, no, Your Majesty, please don’t get angry yet. Listen to me explain. I really wasn’t laughing. Hahahaha… I’ve undergone professional training. No matter how funny something is, I won’t laugh. Hahahaha…”
Qin Yi’s face turned completely black. He raised his voice. “Yan! Tong! Shu!”
Yan Tongshu held Snowfluff up to cover her face. “I’m really not laughing.”
Hahahahaha.
Yan Tongshu was practically laughing herself silly. “…I really have undergone professional training.”
Qin Yi had completely lost face. He reached around Snowfluff and pinched Yan Tongshu’s cheek. “You! Silly! Fat! Goose!”
Yan Tongshu pressed her lips together and arranged her face into what was supposedly a solemn expression. She set Snowfluff down and sat upright. “Your Majesty, I won’t laugh anymore. Truly, I won’t laugh anymore.”
Qin Yi’s gaze was sharp as a blade. “You’re still laughing inside.”
What business was that of his?
Hahahaha.
Yan Tongshu clenched her teeth so tightly that she finally managed not to laugh aloud again.
She pulled Qin Yi’s hand away from her cheek and gazed at him with utmost sincerity. “Your Majesty, I believe this matter has not yet reached the point where Snowfluff and Yuanzi must marry.”
Qin Yi’s expression softened slightly.
Yan Tongshu put on a solemn air. “Snowfluff has lovesickness, not some incurable disease that will kill her if she doesn’t get married.”
Qin Yi nodded faintly. “That makes some sense.”
Seeing that Qin Yi was listening, Yan Tongshu pressed her advantage. “Lovesickness comes from falling ill because one cannot see the person one misses. As long as we make sure Snowfluff can see Yuanzi, won’t that solve the problem? Why force the two cats to become a couple?”
After saying this, Yan Tongshu gently placed Snowfluff on Qin Yi’s lap, then swiftly went away and returned with Yuanzi in her arms.
Sure enough, Snowfluff, who had been listless and dispirited, brightened the moment she saw Yuanzi. Her dim eyes lit up at once.
Yan Tongshu had also brought the cat food she had prepared for Yuanzi and divided it between the two cats on a single plate.
She lowered her head and whispered into Yuanzi’s ear, “Clever Yuanzi, I really have no other choice. Snowfluff likes you so much that she’s fallen ill with lovesickness. Please, please—just for my sake, be friends with her for a few days, all right?”
Yuanzi cast Snowfluff a glance and let out a soft, “Meow~”
Fine. He supposed he could tolerate her for a few days.
Yan Tongshu set Yuanzi down, and he went over to eat the cat food.
She tugged at Qin Yi and gestured with her eyes for him to put Snowfluff over there as well.
Snowfluff was placed on the table.
Its round, jewel-like eyes remained fixed on Yuanzi. After a long moment, it let out a soft, delicate “meow” and slowly crept closer. Then it gave another tentative call.
It seemed to be greeting Yuanzi.
Yuanzi cast it a sidelong glance and made room on one side. Snowfluff came closer, lowered its head, and began eating its portion of cat food.
The cat food was served on a single plate, divided between the two cats. Each ate its own share without disturbing the other.
Before long, they had finished eating.
Snowfluff gave a happy meow. Yuanzi rolled its eyes.
Snowfluff stretched out its head, trying to rub against Yuanzi. Yuanzi smacked it with one paw, then haughtily lifted its chin and pranced back to Yan Tongshu with light, graceful steps, as though saying, “Stupid cat, it is your honor that this princess allowed you to eat with me. Don’t push your luck.”
Snowfluff lowered its head dejectedly.
Yan Tongshu picked it up, leaned close to its ear, and said softly, “Snowfluff, feelings can’t be forced. But if you go home and eat your meals on time, I promise I’ll let you see Yuanzi more often in the future, all right?”
“Meow?” Snowfluff lifted its head and gazed at Yan Tongshu with its crystal-clear eyes.
Yan Tongshu nodded. “I promise.”
“Meow!” Snowfluff affectionately rubbed its head against Yan Tongshu.
Yan Tongshu rubbed it in return, then raised her head and smiled at Qin Yi. “See? Snowfluff has agreed to eat properly. Problem solved.”
Qin Yi stared at Yan Tongshu’s face for a while. Then he shifted his gaze to Snowfluff and watched it for a moment before moving his eyes again, this time fixing them on Yuanzi without blinking.
Yan Tongshu immediately pulled Yuanzi into her arms, blocking Qin Yi’s view.
Could this dog emperor still be plotting to forcefully take Yuanzi away?
Absolutely not!
Her Yuanzi had a will of its own. It had its own tastes and preferences. It would not accept an arranged marriage imposed by feudal tyranny.
Qin Yi withdrew his gaze. “Hmph.”
Yan Tongshu could not be bothered with him. She stuffed Snowfluff back into his arms, and Qin Yi handed Snowfluff over to Lu Xi.
With the matter settled, Yan Tongshu saw Qin Yi out.
When they reached the entrance, Qin Yi stopped and simply looked at her.
Puzzled, Yan Tongshu looked back. “Did you leave something behind?”
Qin Yi nodded.
Yan Tongshu said, “The lychee tree in the courtyard?”
Qin Yi shook his head. “Yan Tongshu, have you forgotten something?”
What?
Yan Tongshu racked her brains, but she could not think of anything.
Suddenly, he reached out and pulled her into his arms. His left arm wrapped around her shoulders and back, his palm resting lightly on her right shoulder.
“When friends part, they should give each other a hug.”
Yan Tongshu fell silent.
After a long while, Qin Yi’s hold grew tighter and tighter, and his breath brushed against her ear. Yan Tongshu gradually began to feel uncomfortable.
She shifted slightly.
“Don’t move.” Qin Yi pressed down on her head.
Yan Tongshu’s muffled voice came from against his chest. “Your Majesty, that ‘hug’ has gone way over time.”
“Mm.” Qin Yi’s voice was low and restrained. “We didn’t hug the last time we parted. I’m making up for it now.”
Yan Tongshu complained pitifully, “Your Majesty, I’m going to suffocate.”
Qin Yi lowered his eyes and gave an almost imperceptible smile before releasing her. “Don’t forget the palace pass I gave you before. Bring Yuanzi to the palace more often in the future. Snowfluff will miss it.”
Yan Tongshu said, “I know.”
Only then did Qin Yi leave with Lu Xi and Snowfluff.
Yan Tongshu raised her head toward the sky.
Daylight was fading.
Broken clouds drifted across the slanting sky.
In the distance, the lofty city walls stood beneath white clouds and red leaves, while the setting sun illuminated the long pavilion.
Yan Tongshu shook her head.
No thinking. No wild imaginings.
She was going back to eat lychees.
“Mother—” Yan Tongshu turned and went back inside, calling out cheerfully, “His Majesty gave me so many lychees! I’ll pick a plate for you, and some for Sister and Liangyu too. We should give them plenty. Oh, and we have to send some to Qian’s Silk Shop as well. Auntie has probably never eaten lychees before. They’re delicious!”
……
That night, Yan Liangrong and Yan Liangyu prepared the stage for the evening opera as usual.
While Yan Liangrong tidied the costumes, she glanced outside. “Liangyu.”
Yan Liangyu hummed in response. “What is it, Sister?”
Yan Liangrong pointed with her eyes toward the field ridge to the southeast. “Take a look at those two girls standing over there. Haven’t they come here many times?”
Yan Liangyu looked over. “It seems so. I remember seeing them before.”
Yan Liangrong asked, “Are they from Fish Village?”
Gao Qi came over carrying a trunk. He took a look and said, “No.”
Yan Liangrong and Yan Liangyu turned toward him at the same time. “How do you know?”
Gao Qi set down the large trunk. “I’ve been keeping order these past few days. Whenever I had nothing else to do, I chatted with the villagers, so I’ve gotten to know them all pretty well. I know how many households and unmarried girls each village has, which girls married into which families, and what their temperaments are like. I’ve got it all down pat.
“Especially the local ruffians from the surrounding villages. Whenever we put on an opera, they’d get lured into playing a few rounds of cards with me, and they’d tell me everything.
“The two girls are named Lin Shuang’er and Wan Jie. Both are from Rao Village next to Fish Village. Lin Shuang’er’s grandfather died two years ago, leaving her without anyone to rely on, so her uncles married her off to a distant place. Then, at the beginning of this year, she was suddenly divorced and sent back. She has kept her lips tightly sealed and hasn’t said why.
“Wan Jie’s father is a poor scholar who spent his entire life taking the examinations but could never advance beyond the prefectural exam. I suppose he lost heart and took to drinking all day, leaving everything unattended. Wan Jie was constantly harassed by local ruffians, but she was timid and didn’t dare to speak up. Then, in the latter half of the year before last, her temperament suddenly changed. She picked up a knife and attacked them.
“According to those ruffians, Wan Jie seemed like a completely different person. She was truly trying to hack them to death, as if she had killed someone before—ruthless and vicious to the extreme.
“Ladies, shall we call the two of them over and question them?”
Yan Liangrong shook her head. “Since they keep coming to watch, something must have moved them. And I believe there are many other victims among all the people watching the opera—people we haven’t noticed yet. So long as we do what we should, they will come to us.”
Gao Qi said, “Yes.”
Tonight’s opera told the story of a woman forced to commit murder.
The sisters Jiang Ling’er and Jiang Xin’er had gone into the mountains to gather medicinal herbs when they encountered bandits. The bandits abducted them and, because of their beauty, the chieftain took a fancy to them.
Jiang Ling’er refused to be violated. She slammed her head against a wall and fainted from blood loss.
The bandit chieftain was furious. How could a woman be so blind as to look down on a hero like him? It was simply outrageous.
If the two women thought themselves too good for bandits, then he would turn them into bandits himself.
Thus, the bandit chieftain ordered his men to drag over a wealthy merchant they had just robbed. One of the merchant’s hands had been chopped off, and he lay on the ground, barely clinging to life.
The bandit chieftain tossed a knife to Jiang Xin’er and looked at her with a vicious grin. “Go on. Give him one stab, and I’ll have a doctor treat your sister.”
Jiang Xin’er shook her head frantically. She was only a herb gatherer. Since childhood, the only blood she had ever seen was when chickens were slaughtered. How could she possibly dare to kill someone?
The bandit chieftain grew angry. He had his men drag Jiang Ling’er over, then ran the dagger across her face.
“I’ll count to three. If you haven’t stabbed that merchant by then, I’ll cut off your sister’s ear. Then I’ll count to three again. Every time I reach three, I’ll cut off another part of your sister’s body—until you do it.”
