"Your Highness," Lady Zhao walked briskly into the room. Suddenly catching sight of Xiao Yi sitting upright to the side, her expression shifted slightly, and she hurriedly bowed in greeting.
"Your Highness."
Xiao Yi gave a faint response and looked behind Lady Zhao.
Consort Liang, seated in the position of honor, quickly shot a look at Lady Zhao. The master and servant exchanged a flurry of meaningful glances.
Xiao Yi spoke lightly, "How long are you and Auntie Zhao going to keep exchanging these looks, Mother? Are you hiding something from me?"
"No, no, of course not." How could Consort Liang dare tell him that she had someone take his precious darling to watch a bloody caning?
Lady Zhao immediately chimed in, "You misunderstand, Your Highness. This old servant came to report that the eldest Miss of the Cui family has accompanied the second Miss here. They are currently waiting at the palace doors."
Cui Yunchu?
The name acted like a magic spell, instantly plunging Consort Liang's palace into silence.
Consort Liang looked at Xiao Yi. "The Cui family isn't trying to do a buy-one-get-one-free deal, are they?"
That girl was absolutely unacceptable. She feared that before anyone even attacked, that girl would sell her son out.
Such a character would be much better suited entering the Crown Prince's estate.
Xiao Yi shot Consort Liang a somewhat speechless sidelong glance, tossed the white cat in his hands to Lady Zhao, and said, "Go, send her far away."
Lady Zhao looked at the white cat in her arms, then at Xiao Yi, before curtsying in compliance and backing out.
Consort Liang urged uneasily, "Yi'er, that eldest Cui girl probably can't be pawned off on anyone. For Yunfeng's sake, we can agree to any condition, but this particular one absolutely cannot be married into our family."
"Did Mother forget to take her medicine today?" Xiao Yi raised his eyes indifferently.
Consort Liang replied, "I am perfectly fine, what medicine?"
When she realized her son was mocking her, Consort Liang instantly grew a bit angry. "Fine. Later, when she clings to you and won't let go, don't come asking me for help."
Xiao Yi's expression remained cold.
At the palace entrance, Cui Yunchu stood with Cui Yunfeng, quietly instructing her on something. Cui Yunfeng's face was still a bit pale.
"Don't be afraid. Your surname is Cui, no one will dare do anything to you. Remember that?"
Cui Yunfeng nodded. "Rest assured, Eldest Sister, I know what to do."
As the two sisters were speaking, Lady Zhao walked out. They both looked up, but suddenly a flash of white light darted past their eyes and vanished out of the palace courtyard in the blink of an eye.
Cui Yunchu paused. "Yunfeng, did you see what just darted out?"
Cui Yunfeng replied, "I think so. It went 'whoosh' and disappeared."
While the sisters were still dazed, Lady Zhao curtsied and invited Cui Yunfeng inside. Cui Yunchu immediately tried to follow, but was stopped by Lady Zhao.
Female officials serving the imperial concubines were all remarkably tactful and smooth. Lady Zhao's face was full of smiles. "Eldest Miss Cui, His Highness has asked you to go and catch the cat."
"..."
Cui Yunchu looked a bit dumbfounded.
She glanced at Lady Zhao, then at Cui Yunfeng, who had reached the palace doors but stopped to look back at her.
"The cat... where is the cat?"
Lady Zhao maintained her beaming smile. "It just darted out. Did you not see it, Eldest Miss?"
Cui Yunchu thought: I only saw a streak of light.
Did Xiao Yi have to be so obvious about telling her to get lost?
Furious, Cui Yunchu clenched her fists at her sides and glared unhappily at Lady Zhao.
The cat had just darted out, but the order must have been given beforehand. Did they have to be so blatant about bullying her?
Then why let her follow them into the palace at all?
Cui Yunchu gave a forced smile. "It's quite a stretch for your Highness, actually bothering to find an excuse."
He didn't just say outright, Cui Yunchu, get the hell out, which was at least leaving her a bit of face.
Cui Yunchu gave a sarcastic curtsy and pinched her voice, saying, "Yunfeng, you must thank him on your sister's behalf later. Don't you forget."
Lady Zhao felt a bit awkward at Cui Yunchu's series of reactions.
Cui Yunfeng wasn't stupid; she naturally understood what was going on. Displeasure immediately showed on her face, but this was Consort Liang's palace after all, not Prince An's estate.
"Eldest Sister, just walk around anywhere and wait for me. I'll come find you in a bit."
Cui Yunchu nodded. "Mmhmm."
The scalp-numbing tone, coupled with the fierce glare Cui Yunchu shot her, made Lady Zhao shudder involuntarily.
Cui Yunchu had always been dramatic; how could she let her off easily? Lady Zhao saw her pull a silk handkerchief from her bodice, flick it forcefully, and snap it right in Lady Zhao's face.
She spoke in a whiny, coquettish tone, "Lady Zhao, then I'll be off to catch the cat. Once I catch it, I'll stew it into a soup for your Prince An."
"..."
The usually slick Lady Zhao could no longer smile. Like a choking chicken, she squeezed out a few stiff chuckles from her throat.
Immediately after, Cui Yunchu turned and walked outward. Her delicate, sickly-sweet voice suddenly transformed into an ear-piercing roar: "You damn cat, where did you run off to?! When your grand-auntie catches you, I'll skin you alive!"
Lady Zhao was so startled by the extreme contrast that her legs trembled, and she stumbled.
A young palace maid nearby quickly stepped forward to support her. "Auntie Zhao, are you alright?"
Lady Zhao shook her head, glanced at Cui Yunchu's aggressively retreating back, and patted her chest. "Mother of God, that scared me to death."
Cui Yunchu, holding in her anger, yelled as she walked, "Prince An's cat, where the hell are you?! Come out quickly, your master wants you to go back and accept your death!"
Never mind the cat getting scolded; even the grass along the path suffered, with quite a bit of it being yanked up by Cui Yunchu.
Her embroidered shoes stomped on the ground, deliberately making loud thuds to express her intense dissatisfaction.
"Damn it, just you wait. When I get back, I'll instigate Yunfeng to beat you to death."
"Where is the cat..."
She practically squeezed the last few words through gritted teeth.
Xing'er had been quietly following behind her and comforted her softly, "Don't be anxious, Miss. Let's look slowly. Once the Second Miss finishes speaking, she will surely send people to help us look."
Cui Yunchu naturally knew this.
The cat had been like a streak of light earlier, vanishing in a flash. The imperial palace was so huge; where could she possibly find it?
"Let's go, we'll look in the Imperial Garden. Maybe it went to look at the flowers."
Xing'er, "..."
She didn't know if the cat wanted to look at flowers, or if her lady did.
"Yes."
Cui Yunchu hadn't been to the palace many times, but she had visited the Imperial Garden a few times. Relying on her memory, she navigated through various turns. However, the further she walked, the quieter it became, and the palace paths grew wider and wider.
Meanwhile, the previously furious and blustering Cui Yunchu had returned to a dignified and composed demeanor once she was far from Consort Liang's palace. Even her footsteps seemed perfectly measured, and her face bore a gentle, graceful smile.
The words she muttered under her breath were all about proper conduct for women.
The imperial palace was unlike anywhere else; Cui Yunchu at least had the brains to know that.
Her face changed faster than flipping the pages of a book, but fortunately, Xing'er was already long used to it.
"Miss," Xing'er looked around, shrinking back slightly. "Are you sure this is the place? Why does this servant feel like it isn't?"
The palace path was broad, with flowers and plants forming a small forest. It was quiet and solemn. The palace architecture alone gave off a majestic, unapproachable aura.
Cui Yunchu stopped in her tracks and tilted her head to look at the palace standing not far away. "It probably... isn't."
"But there are flowers." Beside the palace, there were quite a few precious potted plants. Palace maids and eunuchs stood guard on both sides of the building, as quiet as statues.
Cui Yunchu's subconscious told her that this place was dangerous and she must not enter.
"Let's go, let's go." Cui Yunchu grabbed Xing'er and tiptoed backward.
The classic cliché from the storybooks—"Halt! What are you doing here?"—did not happen either.
Xing'er asked, "Miss, is that Her Majesty the Empress's Fengluan Palace?"
Cui Yunchu shook her head; how was she supposed to know?
However, she did know that the imperial palace was not a place for her to wander around recklessly, so she simply found a rock on a nearby path and sat down.
Xing'er frowned. "Are you not going to the Imperial Garden to catch the cat, Miss?"
She certainly wanted to go. It was the Imperial Garden, after all! A hundred flowers were in full bloom, filled with all sorts of rare and precious plants regardless of the season, all of which were worth an absolute fortune.
