On The Self-Cultivation Of A Favored Concubine - Chapter 36

Yan Mo looked at the cat, snow white all over with clean paws and said no more, turning instead to prepare the bed.

Xie Xuanzhao had been socializing at the banquet all evening while also looking after the Little Prince. Now that she had finally sat down, she felt a wave of exhaustion. She looked at the cat lying obediently in her lap, and her fingers paused.

The cat’s expression was one of pure bliss, seemingly relishing her touch. Its emerald eyes were closed, its face a picture of absolute rapture.

Inexplicably, Xie Xuanzhao was reminded of Liu Qinglan when she teased her, the expression was identical in its adorableness.

She couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile. Picking up the cat from her lap, she held it in her arms, unable to put down the sleek, silky fur. She leaned in and began to shower the furry cat face with a flurry of affectionate kisses.

Liu Qinglan’s limbs went limp, letting the Beautiful Empress do as she pleased. Drowning in the auspicious aura, her tail stood high, the tip curling with delight.

Seeing the tail wagging back and forth, Xie Xuanzhao reached out and stroked it all the way to the tip, feeling immensely satisfied.

“What an obedient cat,” Yan Mo remarked in surprise as she finished tidying the bedding and witnessed the scene.

Xie Xuanzhao nodded. “I really want to take it back to the palace. It probably belongs there anyway; I wonder who raised it to be so lovely.”

Hearing this, Liu Qinglan happily stuck out her pink tongue. With a splat, she raised her front paws, pressed them against the Empress’s fragrant shoulder and leaned in to give her face a frantic licking.

She had just eaten corn, so her breath was sweet. Liu Qinglan felt lucky she hadn’t touched that raw fish earlier, otherwise, she would have smelled too fishy for the Empress.

Watching from the side, Yan Mo saw how much the Empress adored the creature and remarked, “This little cat is so affectionate with Your Majesty; it seems quite… bold.”

Xie Xuanzhao gently tried to push back the encroaching cat face, saying, “It is quite enthusiastic. It probably smells the silvervine sachet in my sleeve.”

Taking advantage of the conversation, the little Liu-goblin shamelessly soaked up a great deal of spiritual energy. Realizing she could spend the entire night under the covers with the Beautiful Empress, she decided: No sleeping tonight!

While Yan Mo prepared the bed, she specifically set up a small nest nearby.

“Your Majesty, the warm water is ready,” Yan Mo said, standing by with a bath robe.

Xie Xuanzhao nodded, walked to the head of the bed, placed the cat in its temporary nest, and stepped behind the gauze curtains.

Liu Qinglan curled up obediently at first. Once they were gone, she immediately sprang up, landed silently on the floor, and crept stealthily toward the steam-filled bathtub.

A sweat scented outer robe fell to the floor. Liu Qinglan reached out a small claw to snag the edge. Soon after, a form-fitting silk garment followed.

Hiding within the robes, Liu Qinglan peeked out, her gaze traveling up the Empress’s long, straight legs…

Flop.

A thin, sheer inner garment landed right on the cat’s head.

Xie Xuanzhao was completely unaware that a lecherous little cat was currently hooking onto her clothes, lurking shiftily by the tub.

She entered the water, letting out a soft sigh of comfort as the warmth hit her. She scooped up water with her fingers, splashing it over her snowy shoulders.

Her thick hair, spread out like water plants, draped over the edge of the tub. A cat’s head popped up secretly, claws catching a strand of hair to bring it to its nose for a sniff.

Without her clothes, the Empress’s spiritual energy seemed even more concentrated.

Through the swirling mist, the water rippled at chest height, making two soft mounds appear indistinctly.

The cat’s paws daringly climbed the rim of the tub, the cat’s head poked out, the cat’s tail wagged happily.

Feeling something furry moving near her hand, Xie Xuanzhao sat up slightly with a splash and caught the little cat.

Liu Qinglan’s cat-face flushed red. Caught peeping! She turned to flee, but her tail was caught again.

Xie Xuanzhao gently pulled her back. “Little cat, do you want to bathe together?”

In her original form, she hated water. But at the Empress’s invitation? Anything was possible!

The cat’s head nodded.

Xie Xuanzhao carefully lowered her into the water. Cats are natural swimmers, and as a Feifei, she was no exception.

Liu-cat paddled her limbs, her tail shimmering beneath the surface.

Seeing the ancient patterns on the tail, Xie Xuanzhao leaned in to look. “So beautiful. You look like a little divine beast.”

Liu Qinglan was floating on air from the praise. Soaking in the bathwater filled with the Empress’s scent, she was utterly lost in bliss.

A short while later, the fragrant pair emerged.

Xie Xuanzhao donned her outer robe and wrapped the cat in a small towel, drying her fur and giving her a few more strokes.

Pampered to her heart’s content, Liu Qinglan lay comfortably in her arms before standing up to shake herself dry.

“So cute,” Xie Xuanzhao praised again, her heart itching as she scratched the cat’s chin.

She placed the cat back in its nest and lay down nearby. She patted the cat’s head. “Time to sleep. No more mischief.”

Liu Qinglan nodded her head under the pat, looking very well-behaved.

Outside, Yan Mo blew out the candles. The room fell into silence, save for the occasional chirp of insects outside.

Behind the curtains, it was quiet. Liu Qinglan couldn’t sleep. It was fragrant, warm, and a great beauty was right beside her, there was no way she was sleeping tonight. She loved being here far too much.

Moments later, the sound of steady breathing came from beside her. It seemed the Empress was truly exhausted; she had fallen asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

The night-owl Liu Qinglan began to stir.

Towel kicked off. Blanket lifted. Position found. Then… snuggle, snuggle, snuggle.

Liu Qinglan burrowed into the scented covers, nestling comfortably against the Empress’s chest.

Now she was even less sleepy.

The spiritual energy mixed with Xie Xuanzhao’s natural scent was more intoxicating than catnip.

Liu Qinglan kept her cat-eyes open, staring at the chest just inches away. Faint moonlight glinted off a fiery red bellyband embroidered with twin lotuses beneath the inner garment the soft, rounded curves were like a trail of snow.

Remembering how that Persian cat had kneaded there before, Liu Qinglan twitched her nose. She leaned in curiously, she wondered what it would feel like to press her paws there…

Action beat thought.

The wicked little goblin raised a furry paw, licked it carefully, and then pat pressed a paw print onto the Empress’s snowy chest.

She was about to use her demonic power, but then a thought stopped her. She wouldn’t leave her mark on Xie Xuanzhao just yet.

Such a marking, claiming someone as her own should only happen with the Empress’s consent.

So, Liu Qinglan restrained herself, planning to wait until she had lured her to the Peach Blossom Tree to tie their fates together.

“In the future, we can be together forever. You must say yes,” Liu Qinglan thought. She curled her tail contentedly and waited for dawn in the Empress’s embrace.

At the quietest hour of early morning, Liu Qinglan reluctantly crawled out from the covers.

She stood at the head of the bed, watching the sleeping Empress for a moment before turning away. She leaped through the window and vanished into the gray dawn.

Back in her own room, she transformed into human form and fell into her own bed, still carrying the lingering scent of the Empress.

She slept soundly, the mountain breeze feeling wonderful.

“My Lady! Wake up! They’re about to head out for the hunt!” Lu Lu burst in, waking Liu Qinglan from her dreams.

She opened her eyes; it was broad daylight.

Lu Lu had a hunting outfit ready. “Even if you don’t actually hunt, you should wear this for the occasion. All the other ladies are dressing this way.”

Before every dressing session, Lu Lu always scouted what the other palaces were wearing.

Having slept so late and after such an… evocative night, Liu Qinglan was groggy. She could only nod in a daze, agreeing to whatever Lu Lu said.

Xie Xuanzhao had slept well, but she felt a sense of loss when she woke to find the white cat gone. However, thinking that they had met three times already, she felt they were fated and would surely meet again soon.

She washed up, and Yan Mo prepared her new hunting attire.

Every year, Xie Xuanzhao would join the hunt herself to enjoy the thrill. This time was no different. She curled her lips and asked Yan Mo, “Consort Yue will be attending, right?”

She heard the Consort had missed the banquet due to travel fatigue, but after a night’s rest, she should be recovered.

Meanwhile, the Liu-goblin, sitting under a canopy and yawning, was anything but recovered. In fact, she felt worse! It was all because she had indulged too hard in “beauty” last night. -_-

Today was the first day of the hunting grand assembly, the most formal day. Almost everyone in the entourage was present.

As Empress, Xie Xuanzhao sat with the Emperor for the formal proceedings.

The Emperor and Empress sat above, flanked by court officials on one side and the imperial harem on the other.

After some opening remarks, the Emperor gave the order, and the guards set off into the woods first.

The Emperor looked at Xie Xuanzhao. Seeing her in military dress, he knew she intended to hunt. Every year she stole the spotlight, as the daughter of a general, her skills were no joke. The Emperor felt disdain, but he couldn’t stop the flattery from his subordinates who praised the Empress to the skies.

This year, the head of the Xie family was also present. Under the gaze of the crowd, the Emperor looked at Liu Qinglan, the mountain girl he had brought back. She, too, was in hunting gear. Remembering how he found her, how she seemed to understand animal speech and lived harmoniously among wild beasts, he figured that if she joined the hunt, she would surely outshine everyone and take Xie Xuanzhao down a peg.

The Emperor spoke, “Consort Yue, you should try as well.”

Liu Qinglan was still reminiscing about the “taste” of the Empress when she heard her name. She was confused. Try? Try what?

“I know your hunting skills are great,” the Emperor said pointedly. “Go down there and show everyone what it truly means for a woman to outdo the men.”

Xie Xuanzhao understood his true intent. Without even glancing his way, she said coldly, “Then I shall compete with Consort Yue today.”

Liu Qinglan’s drowsiness vanished instantly. “I can do that! Yes, let’s do that!”

Going deep into the mountains together, just the two of them… the perfect chance to lure the Empress to the Peach Blossom Tree. Excellent!