On The Self-Cultivation Of A Favored Concubine - Chapter 42

Xie Xuanzhao returned to her sleeping quarters carrying the snow white little beast in her arms. She lowered the gauze curtains and fashioned a temporary nest using quilts.

She folded the palace skirt that Liu Qinglan could no longer wear due to transforming into her original form and tucked it away at the bottom of a chest. Only then did she return to the bedside, looking with a smile at the creature sleeping like a log.

Xie Xuanzhao lay on her side next to the little nest, propping her head up with her hand. Her eyes were fixed intently on the snoring little sprite; from time to time, she reached out to wiggle a small paw or fiddle with a tiny ear.

She thought to herself: How can my wife be this cute? I truly wish I could eat her up in one bite.

However, to avoid a mouthful of fur, the Empress Consort used her formidable willpower to restrain herself.

After admiring and playing with her for a while, Xie Xuanzhao suddenly realized that if Liu Qinglan woke up here the next morning, not only would Liu Qinglan suspect her secret was out, but Yan Mo outside would surely wonder: a cat went in, but Concubine Yue came out.

Xie Xuanzhao sat up, cooling her romantic fervor. Once a palace concubine was discovered to be a transformed sprite, the court would surely fall into a state of panic and endless impeachments. The Emperor already had no heart for the woman he had sought out; if such a thing occurred, he would certainly not be soft-hearted in handling it, let alone step forward to protect her.

At this thought, Xie Xuanzhao couldn’t help but pat Liu the little sprite’s cat ears. “You must hide yourself well!”

Liu Qinglan snored on, tail curled, immersed in a dream of frolicking with the Empress.

The Midnight Plan

Xie Xuanzhao rose, walked to the door curtain, and pulled the bell string. Footsteps approached immediately. Yan Mo stood with hands folded, asking respectfully, “What are your orders, Your Majesty?”

“Is your sister still here?”

Yan Mo coughed lightly and leaned closer to the gauze curtain, whispering, “Your Majesty, have you forgotten? The two letters.”

Only then did the Empress, who had been tangled in romantic thoughts all night, remember the matter at hand. She had instructed Yan Mo to mimic the handwriting of Lady of Trust Yu and Lin Yulang to write two letters, then had Yan Mo’s sister secretly deliver them. The date set in the letters was tonight.

Xie Xuanzhao quickly checked the water clock fortunately, it wasn’t yet the third watch.

For safety, Yan Mo had deliberately delayed the meeting time. The third watch was exactly when the patrol guards shifted, making it a time of high alertness.

“Tell your sister to come here before she sets out. I have a task for her.”

Yan Mo complied and summoned her sister, who was already fully dressed for the mission. Suddenly, a thud echoed behind the sister, the sound of a round little object hitting the floor.

Yan Mo looked over curiously. “What dropped?”

The sister massaged her forehead in frustration and stepped aside to let Yan Mo see for herself. A round, shiny black egg was rolling around on the floor, seemingly throwing a tantrum.

Yan Mo’s eyes widened. “How cute! Where did this little thing come from? Did you tie it with a string?” She assumed the sister was pulling it along.

“Since you like it, you can have it,” the sister said coldly, then turned and swiftly entered the sleeping quarters to see the Empress.

The black egg didn’t dare approach the room. Seeing two identical girls, it became confused, which one was its “wife”?

Yan Mo picked it up. “It’s alive?” The black egg lay in her palm, looked at the gentle woman, and decided: Nope, not this one. It hopped back to the floor and bounced toward the door to wait for the sister.

The Secret Transfer

The sister stood by the bed. Without asking a single question, she picked up the white cat. Following the Empress’s orders, she prepared to silently carry it back to Concubine Yue’s side chamber.

Xie Xuanzhao cautioned again, “Do not let anyone see you, and ensure she is delivered safely.”

The sister looked at the cub sleeping soundly in her arms and thought: Perhaps this is a gift from the Empress to Concubine Yue. But why not give it during the day? Ah, probably to create a surprise.

“Rest assured, Your Majesty.” Her voice was cold, though her inner thoughts were racing.

She leaped out the back window and expertly avoided the guards, heading toward the East Side Chamber. Behind her in the darkness, the black egg hopped along, fuming: She’d rather hold that cat demon than me!

The sister reached the chamber and entered through the window. The room was empty. She went to the bed, intending to place the cat next to Concubine Yue, but found the bed empty as well. She decided to leave the cat there anyway. Whether the Concubine would be frightened upon her return was none of her business.

After admiring the “elegant and pure” little beast for a moment, she set it down and leapt back out, heading toward the woods to track Lady of Trust Yu and Lin Yulang.

Thunk!

Something hit the back of her head. The sister narrowed her eyes and unsheathed a short blade, glaring at the mischievous black egg. A face appeared on the egg’s shell, looking aggrieved. The sister ignored it and ran.

The Confrontation in the Woods

In the silent forest, Lady of Trust Yu arrived wearing a veiled hat. She knelt and lit an incense burner. As white smoke rose, she whispered, “Come here, come here…”

The sister, perched in a tree, realized Yu was trying to summon the “black mist” the black egg. She signaled the egg to go. The egg, having recently broken its seal, stubbornly refused to return to its former master.

Instead of the mist, Lin Yulang arrived.

“Did you find the black mist?” Yu asked anxiously.

Lin Yulang looked grim. “No. It must have been captured by some master. Without that infant spirit energy, it will be hard to find another.”

Yu grew dejected. “What now?”

“We should stop seeing each other,” Lin Yulang said coldly.

Yu was devastated. “What? What about our… intimacy?”

Lin Yulang shoved her away. “I am the Emperor’s man. What are we? We are nothing. If you try to expose us, see if His Majesty stands by a mere Lady of Trust or me.” He sneered, “Blame yourself for never getting pregnant.”

As he walked away, the sister in the tree felt an urge to kill the man but held back. She followed him instead, the black egg perched on her head.

The Dark Truth

Lin Yulang didn’t head for the exit, he headed toward Concubine Yue’s chamber. The sister was shocked, what was he doing at a concubine’s residence?

The black egg suddenly spoke in a crisp, female child’s voice: “Want to know? That human was going to use me to create the illusion of pregnancy for the ladies of the palace. Since I’m gone, he’s following the Emperor’s orders to… ‘do it himself’.”

The sister shuddered and cursed under her breath: “That dog of an Emperor.”