Chapter 10 She Noticed the Cat Was Different Today…

The sun was just beginning to set, its light deepening into a burnt amber hue. Beams of light streamed through the latticed windows of the hall, creating a dazzling, hazy world like colored glass, yet also resembling a cage hanging from the eaves.

The intense sensory impact pushed his body to the brink of losing control—his eyes struggled to focus, his torso yearned to writhe, and his breathing refused to settle into a steady rhythm. This feeling was terrifying. Guan Xuan stared at the colors on the ceiling, feeling he was not a cat, not a fish, but merely a piece of meat.

The flesh on his face burned with heat, while the half-dried tears were cold. This was a fresh kind of pain, one he hadn’t yet grown accustomed to, so he cried whenever it struck. He would get used to it eventually; survival was built upon countless such adaptations.

Once his surging blood had calmed considerably, Guan Xuan’s expression turned silent again. He folded up the velvet blanket and washed himself clean. The Princess, now sated and weary, had fallen asleep on the cool daybed. He curled up in a corner of the beam, unwinding the bandages. The newly formed flesh had split, bleeding a little. Since it had stopped, there was no need to waste more medicinal powder. Guan Xuan quickly applied fresh bandages.

Zhao Rongzhang slept soundly and comfortably, waking to find herself cleanly dressed and lying inside the bed curtains. Ming Luo and the palace maids had carried her there. Judging by the sky outside and the sound of the water clock, it was roughly the fifth watch. Zhao Rongzhang stretched lazily, yawned, and settled into the bathtub, attended by the maids. Ming Luo brought her some mild fruits to eat.

She could sense that this bout of heat toxin had not been fully released, but it was much better than before. Zhao Rongzhang decided she would do this every night before sleep. She couldn’t let this poison stop her from enjoying meat. Little Cat was quite durable—clean, docile, and safe—so she had no intention of replacing him for now.

After bathing, dawn had broken. She held a book to read while Ming Luo combed her long hair. Zhao Rongzhang was in an exceptionally cheerful mood and said sincerely, “You were right to teach me—movement is key. Repeating the motion builds up the sensation layer by layer, until the final burst feels like fireworks exploding, so incredibly pleas—”

“Princess,” Ming Luo interrupted, tying her hair into a simple bun with a resigned tone, “I know you trust me, but there’s no need to share such details.”

Zhao Rongzhang set down her book and looked at Ming Luo through the bronze mirror. “Why? Do you avoid talking about this too?”

Everyone was born this way; everyone possessed the instinct for it. It was a daily activity second only to eating and sleeping. Moreover, whether in the imperial family or among commoners, marriage and childbirth were regarded as matters of utmost importance. The imperial family placed even greater emphasis on it—women’s menstrual cycles were recorded in official registers, and if the emperor visited the rear palace too infrequently, ritual officials would urge him. These were all routine aspects of their lives, so Zhao Rongzhang didn’t understand why Ming Luo would avoid the topic in her presence. To her, Ming Luo was both teacher and friend—the most important person besides her mother and father.

Ming Luo gazed at the Princess’s handsome eyes and elegant brows reflected in the mirror. In her eyes, the Princess was still a child, endearingly naive in certain matters. Yet it wasn’t just naivety; her upbringing had been vastly different from ordinary people’s, shaping her into someone so bold and disdainful of pretense or affectation.

The little princess thought she was reluctant to discuss it because she lacked common topics, so she suggested, “If you’d like, you can pick a man you fancy, and I’ll give him to you. You can have fun too. Don’t worry about strict palace rules. This is my Princess’s Mansion, you’re my person, and I have the final say.”

Ming Luo was amused. “I’ll definitely take you up on that in the future. For now, I just want to accompany the princess in accomplishing the important matters.”

Zhao Rongzhang was displeased and frowned. “Why don’t you want to hear me talk about these things? Don’t you listen to everything else I say?”

“With other matters, I accompany the princess in doing them, so naturally, I care. Only with this matter, the princess shares an intimate bond with another person. The feelings and experiences involved—telling me about them wouldn’t yield any useful response.”

Zhao Rongzhang immediately retorted in her heart: The cat is a mute cat, what could he possibly understand? She often even forgot that the cat was a person. As for intimacy, what did physical intimacy amount to? She slept in bed every day—she and the bed were intimately connected too.

But since Ming Luo didn’t want to talk about it, she wouldn’t force the conversation. She wished her mother were still here. In her mother’s eyes, there were no rules, no “shoulds” or “shouldn’ts,” only “wants” and “don’t wants.” Her mother would talk about everything with her.

The princess, who wanted to chat but was thwarted, was in a bad mood. She didn’t read anymore and ate two extra bowls of bird’s nest porridge, a small squab, and a plate of pickled goose feet for breakfast.

There were less than ten days left until the deadline Zhao Jue had set for Ren Ping to capture the “Mysterious Cat.” However, not many people paid much attention to this matter because the court and the public had been arguing for many days over the fire at Jinshen Hall and the marriage alliance with the Turks.

The words Zhao Rongzhang spoke yesterday at Renshou Palace had, to some extent, moved the Grand Empress Dowager. At noon, news came that the Grand Empress Dowager had met with Zhao Jue, and the grandmother and grandson had a long, heartfelt conversation all morning. Of course, the Grand Empress Dowager wouldn’t be so easily led by Zhao Rongzhang. This conversation seemed to be merely an admonishment to Zhao Jue. After returning, Zhao Jue dismissed the chief eunuchs of the Eastern and Western Depots, summoned Ren Ping, vented his anger at him, and then demoted him.

However, regarding the marriage alliance, Zhao Jue still showed no intention of changing his mind. In the afternoon, he even ordered officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Bureau of Imperial Attire to come and take Zhao Rongzhang’s measurements, saying they needed to start rushing the production of the princess’s wedding attire.

Zhao Rongzhang generously spread her arms, allowing the female officials from the Bureau of Imperial Attire to take her measurements one by one. This was the most cooperative she had ever been among the multiple betrothals, to the point where even Zhao Jue suspected she might actually be ready to compromise. After all, could the Turkic king really be someone she could just kill at will?

Ming Luo only silently made arrangements for her. A marriage alliance? Of course, there would be no marriage alliance. The princess had written a secret letter to Prince Su, which had already been sent by express courier. The journey escorting the bride would be their best opportunity to break free from Zhao Jue’s control.

Zhao Rongzhang still ate very well at lunch. After eating, she rested for her midday nap, sleeping for nearly two hours. When she woke up, feeling full of energy, she changed into Hu attire and went horseback riding in the outskirts of the capital. She was lucky and even hunted two wild rabbits. Due to observing mourning and being under house arrest, she hadn’t left the house for almost three months. Her daily activities were limited to stretching in the courtyard at most, and her muscles had grown lax from lack of use. After today’s ride, she worked up a full sweat and felt indescribably refreshed.

After returning, she ate roasted rabbit meat, took a bath, and ate two pieces of chilled cold melon. Zhao Rongzhang felt utterly content and had a very happy day. She summoned the cat to attend to the last important matter of the day.

As soon as she stepped out, the cat would follow her everywhere, so the cat had been quite active today as well. However, it seemed his constitution was different from ordinary people—one could say he was born with a body of ice and jade, as he hardly sweated at all. Zhao Rongzhang couldn’t be bothered to torment the palace maids by having them carry water back and forth. She had the cat wash his face, rinse his mouth, and kneel before her.

Following her instructions, the cat placed his four fingers neatly against the inside of her thigh, thumb pointing upward to support her. Zhao Rongzhang looked down at his dark, fluffy head, which occasionally twitched or moved, her eyes narrowing slightly as she leaned back in the chair and hummed softly, enjoying herself to the end. Then, she hooked her ankle around his waist and pressed him down.

Today, she had enough leisure and mood to take her time, so she began to appreciate his expressions. But it was at this moment that she noticed the cat was different from usual.

She pinched the cat’s face, examining it from all angles. The cat lowered his lashes, obediently letting her handle him. His face still bore an unyielding flush, and his eyes were dotted with glistening moisture, yet his brows were relaxed and peaceful. She deliberately tightened her grip, to the point where she had to bite her tongue to suppress a sound, and then looked at his face again. He merely tilted his head slightly and blinked, showing no other reaction. If not for the rapid rise and fall of his chest and the deep blush spreading across his chest, abdomen, and neck, it would have been hard to tell whether he was truly just a block of wood.

Zhao Rongzhang’s joyful mood throughout the day turned to irritation at this moment—an irritation mixed with restlessness. Restless because, what was wrong with him?

She pushed him to her limits, staring intently into his eyes.