On The Self-Cultivation Of A Favored Concubine - Chapter 53

The Head of the Xie Family reached out and deftly caught the small sparrow perched outside the window. Simultaneously, he leaned back slightly, watching a tiny feathered arrow thud into the edge of the mahogany carriage window, its tail still vibrating.

With his free hand, he pulled the arrow out, then lifted the gauze curtain. His gaze was dark as he looked toward the direction the arrow had come from.

Lin Yulang strode over, hurriedly bowing in greeting. “This was a gift intended for His Majesty; I have offended Lord Xie. I hope for your forgiveness. I wonder if…”

Lord Xie lowered his eyes to the small bird huddled in his palm. It was plump, with black bean-like eyes filled with fear, its entire body seemingly trying to shrink into his hand.

He stroked the little “fat finch’s” feathers and felt something foreign against his palm; there seemed to be something tied to the bird’s leg.

“This procession is filled with high-ranking officials and nobles of great status. How can you bend a bow to shoot birds like a reckless child?” Lord Xie’s expression was indifferent. Sitting beside the smoke-blue curtain under the glow of the candle, Lin Yulang dared not steal another look, his heart filled with dread.

Had he known, he wouldn’t have tried to catch this bird, lest he collide with this “Great Buddha.”

“This sparrow is innocent, you must stop this wanton killing. Return at once and reflect on your actions.” Lord Xie disliked these male favorites who used their looks to charm others. He felt they lacked backbone and were often vain and greedy, once they gained power, they would prey on the commoners and seize fertile lands. The trend of extravagance in the capital was largely incited by such sycophants.

Lin Yulang looked at the little fat finch unwillingly, knowing there was no hope of getting it back. He could only retreat dejectedly.

Lord Xie lowered the curtain and finally began to examine the bird in his hand.

The little finch gave him a crisp chirp, then spread its small wings, attempting to fly out of his palm, only to be pressed down by Lord Xie.

The little finch was forced onto its side, lying across the back of Lord Xie’s hand, exposing its two tiny legs.

Lord Xie skillfully untied the section of reed from its legs, extracted the rolled-up letter inside, and then released the bird.

He treated the little fat finch entirely like a carrier pigeon.

Looking at the warm candlelight nearby, the little finch didn’t want to fly away just yet. She tucked in her wings and huddled next to the lamp, perhaps this human man would need her to deliver a letter to Boss Liu later!

Lord Xie quickly finished reading the letter, and his expression turned grave. The appearance of “plague energy” in Qingfeng Town was no small matter. That the local magistrates and investigating censors had concealed this and failed to report it was alarming; he wondered who behind the scenes had given them such audacity.

Mindful that Xie Xuanzhao was currently alone and might encounter trouble, he hurriedly opened the carriage window and summoned a confidant, whispering a few instructions.

Seeing that she was being completely ignored, the little fat finch gave another chirp to remind him that there was still a bird here!

Lord Xie patted her little head and looked at her again, recognizing her as a Long tailed Tit. He didn’t know who was keeping her or why they were using her for mail, feeling it was a bit of a waste of such a delicate creature.

Thus, he decided to use one of his own trained carrier pigeons for the reply instead of this tiny bird.

The little fat finch watched with wide eyes as he summoned a large white pigeon, tied the newly written letter to it, and watched as the proud white pigeon took flight.

The little finch thought: That big white pigeon doesn’t even know Boss Liu, and it hasn’t even gained sentience. It definitely isn’t as good as me. I’m not worried. I have to follow it.

Having made up her mind, she fluttered her wings, preparing to chase the white pigeon. Suddenly, her wing was tugged, and before she could even fly out the window, she was pulled back.

Lord Xie held her in his palm and said, “It is too dangerous outside, it is better if you do not go out. Just stay here.”

He knew a sparrow couldn’t understand him, so he simply shut the carriage window tight so she couldn’t fly away.

The little fat finch huddled by the candle with teary eyes. So, am I being detained?! Boss Liu, come quickly and save me…

At that moment, her “Boss Liu” was curled up in the beautiful Empress’s arms, fast asleep.

Xie Xuanzhao traveled through the night under the stars and moon, finally arriving at Qingfeng Town before dawn. The entire town was shrouded in early morning mist. The sky was a deep blue-purple, likely due to the impending rain, the air was so damp it felt as if one could wring water from it just by reaching out.

This humid weather caused the book spirit, Huaidan, to wake up uncomfortably. He crawled out from a pile of medicinal herbs, and seeing they had reached Qingfeng Town, he quickly transformed into human form. As Xie Xuanzhao dismounted, he said, “I will take you to my current residence to rest for a while. You can go to the yamen to investigate once it’s light out.”

Xie Xuanzhao nodded, surveying the desolate town. “As I rode here, the weather was dry. Why is it that as soon as we arrived, the mist is so heavy and it’s so damp?”

“This is the power of that plague evil spirit, it can change the weather and manipulate the clouds and rain. With every downpour, the plague spreads further and becomes more severe.” Huaidan urged, “We shouldn’t linger here for long, lest we get infected as well.”

As he spoke, a green light suddenly radiated from Xie Xuanzhao’s bosom. Following that, a snow white little beast leaped out, and under the dawn light, a young girl transformed.

Liu Qinglan had specifically manifested a “heroine” outfit, hair tied high and a short sword symbolically hidden in her sleeve.

This look was quite different from her refined lady attire in the palace, she looked much more playful and cute. Xie Xuanzhao’s eyes lit up as she stood by, smiling.

Liu Qinglan sniffed the evil aura lingering in the air, feeling it was strange. It was remarkably similar to the aura of that infant spirit, almost as if they came from the same source. She decided she had to find “Black Egg” to ask about it when she had the chance.

Huaidan’s residence was a small courtyard on the east side of Qingfeng Town.

He opened a guest room and said, “You two rest here first. The room is a bit small, but it is clean and tidy. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not. Thank you for the hospitality.” Xie Xuanzhao knew she couldn’t be too picky while traveling.

After Huaidan left, Liu Qinglan entered the room. She looked around, closed her eyes, and cast a spell.

The tiny guest room instantly transformed. Gauze curtains draped to the floor, a large canopy bed appeared, along with an antique vanity mirror. The air was filled with a faint floral scent, dispelling the dampness from outside.

Xie Xuanzhao looked at this scene in surprise, except…

She coughed and looked at the massive canopy bed that occupied the center of the room, taking up nearly the entire space. “Why did you make the bed so big?”

Liu Qinglan had already kicked off her shoes and socks and jumped onto the bed. “The two of us are sleeping here! And it’s not that big; compared to the palace, it’s actually quite small.”

Xie Xuanzhao reached out and touched the soft gauze curtains. Though she knew it was an illusion, the touch felt incredibly real.

“I think you should make the bed a bit smaller. With just the two of us, we won’t need that much space.”

Liu Qinglan was already wrapped in a small blanket, sitting in the middle of the bed. She looked around. “Ah, is it not good? With it being this big, it’s more comfortable!”

In truth, it was more convenient for her to roll around. She knew she had terrible sleeping habits. Come to think of it, tonight was the first time she was truly “sharing a bed” with the beautiful Empress. If she were in her original form, she’d be a curled-up ball, perfectly behaved and sleeping soundly. But in human form… that was another story.

Xie Xuanzhao, unaware of the little cat’s poor sleeping form, said again, “Change it back to a normal size.”

If the bed was smaller, they would have to share one quilt and they could sleep in each other’s arms!

Liu Qinglan didn’t know what the Empress was plotting, but she eventually followed her wish and shrank the bed back to a normal size, just enough for two people.

Thus, the blanket was split, half for you, half for me. The pillow was split, half for you, half for me.

The two of them lay down.

Liu Qinglan took a deep breath. The beautiful Empress was right beside her, her warm breath was close at hand, and her spiritual energy was continuously nourishing her.

Although they had already done the most intimate of things, “purely chatting under the covers” was a first. The thought made her feel a bit shy.

Xie Xuanzhao turned on her side, looking at the stiffly lying little demon. Knowing she was nervous, she reached out and squeezed her finger. “It’s late. We have important matters to handle tomorrow, so rest early. Don’t worry.”

She had ridden for half the night and felt tired, her voice was soft and gentle, her breath lengthening. As soon as her head hit the pillow, drowsiness washed over her.

Ah, so it really is just simply sleeping in the same bed…

Where did this feeling of disappointment come from? Refusing to admit she was so “thirsty,” the little demon took another deep breath and stammered, “O-okay… let’s sleep then!”

Xie Xuanzhao propped herself up with an amused smile, leaning down to leave a goodnight kiss on the fair forehead of the little beauty. “Not tonight. When we return to the palace, I will certainly… satisfy you properly.”

Her voice was low and lingering, full of meaningful intent.

Liu Qinglan turned on her side, staring blankly at the beautiful face beside her. Her paws restlessly moved here and there, touching lightly, for fear of waking the sleeping beauty.

After a while of “petting,” the little cat couldn’t hold back her sleepiness and began to doze off.

Blanket? Mine. Pillow? Pull it over.

Xie Xuanzhao was woken up by a sudden chill. She felt around groppily, good grief, the small blanket had been entirely snatched away by a certain someone, and even the pillow was being held possessively in her arms.

Xie Xuanzhao poked her waist with a chuckle, then silently watched as a leg was draped over her own stomach, with little toes wiggling in the air.

Xie Xuanzhao weighed her options, she probably couldn’t win the blanket back. She simply opened her arms, pulled the entire little beauty into her embrace, and drew warmth from her body.