Chapter 93 The Odd Cat

In Changchun Palace, Li Fuyi was standing behind Lady Ming. As she massaged Lady Ming's shoulders, Li Fuyi said, "I think Princess Yun Shang is too weak to merit any compliment. The other day I stayed with her for a short while and she coughed incessantly. Moreover, she is too young. She even behaves like a little baby in the presence of her maids-in-waiting. I think she is much worse than Princess Hua Jing."

Lady Ming closed her eyes and sighed. "You are not as discerning as the Empress. I have been observing all the people in the imperial household before I took charge of the the imperial household. I can see through all people to some extent except Yun Shang. Every time I see her, I find she is different from before. She is the one that we really should keep an eye on."

Li Fuyi's eyes betrayed a hint of satire. But she humbly bowed her head and said gently, "Yes, my Ladyship. I will keep an eye on her."

"Your father sent you to the Imperial Palace for two purposes. For one thing, your elder sister is recuperating. You have to do something for her. I am too old to do anything good for her. Your other task is to help your sister deal with the ladies in the imperial household. They are all smart and crafty. It doesn't matter if it is in the Royal Court or in the imperial household, we, the Li family must be the dominant family." said Lady Ming, looking ambitious.

"I see. My father has told me about this. I will do everything within my power to support you and my sister." said Li Fuyi, smiling gently.

Lady Ming straightened up and waved her hands to stop the massage. "I think I should find an opportunity to meet Princess Yun Shang."

At Qingxin Palace, Qin Yi drew aside the curtain after entering the room. As she blew on her stiffened fingers, she said, "Princess, it is snowing outside. This is the first snow this year. I suppose Lady Ming will hold a gathering and send for you."

"The first snow?" asked Yun Shang with astonishment. It snows earlier in the borderland than in the Imperial City. Yun Shang continued, "What day is it today?"

"The thirteenth day of the first lunar month." said Qin Yi with a smile.

That's right. The thirteenth day of the first lunar month. Yun Shang smiled as she rested her hands on her belly.

"Princess, I heard that Princess Hua Jing returned to the Princess Palace last night. If the gathering is held today, Princess Hua Jing will, in all likelihood, come. But I don't know why Princess Hua Jing didn't come to the Imperial Palace today to pay her respects to the Empress. Maybe she doesn't know what happened to the Empress." said Qin Yi as she tidied up a cloak.

How could Princess Hua Jing not know about the Empress? She must know. Hua Jing must be very pleased. The letter she asked Prince Qingsu to write sought peace-making marriage between Yelang and Ning. It must have reached the Emperor by now. If Hua Jing learns that the letter asked for her hand in marriage to Prince Qingsu, she would not react kindly.

"Princess, Lady Ming's maid called Bi'er has brought a message for you. She said that according to tradition, a family feast will be held at the first snow and that the Princess is invited to the family feast in Meiying House later." said Qian Yin with a smile. As she saw only Qin Yi accompany the Princess, she stepped into the room and said gently, "Princess, I just saw the attendant who works in our Palace chat with Bi'er. I have never seen the attendant before."

"Really?" Yun Shang lifted her eyes to Qin Yi. The maid replied, "The attendant is a newcomer. He has been sent by the Emperor, not by Lady Ming. The Emperor has selected attendants for every Palace."

Yun Shang nodded and said, "Lady Ming has not been in charge of the imperial household for long. So the attendant must be sent by my father. Since the attendant is an informant of my father, he won't harm me. But he is not one of our people. We should keep an eye on him."

It was snowing harder and harder. Yun Shang rested her head on the windowsill and looked at the snowflakes attentively.

"Princess, it seems that the snow isn't going to stop. We might as well proceed to Meiying House. If it keeps snowing, it will be hard for us to travel. said Qin Yi as she stretched her head to look out the window.

Yun Shang nodded and let Qin Yi dress her. After slipping on a cloak, she walked out of the room with an umbrella. Meiying House was located in a secluded place to the west of the Imperial Palace. The west area of the Imperial Palace was covered in plum trees. In winter, it was a good place to enjoy the snow and the plum blossoms. On the way to Meiying House, Yun Shang and her attendants crossed a bamboo forest. Yun Shang was lost in her thoughts as she trod on the snow. All of a sudden, a white fluffy creature yowled before springing at Yun Shang. The Princess screamed in surprise. She glanced at Qian Yin who was holding the umbrella. She looked like she was about to attack the cat. Yun Shang caught Qian Yin's hand as she fell backwards.

A group of people surrounding Yun Shang had fallen to the ground. Yun Shang whispered to Qian Yin, "There are outsiders around here. Don't act rashly."

Qian Yin hastened to get up and said, "Princess, are you all right? Princess…" Qian Yin promptly helped Yun Shang to her feet. Yun Shang frowned and started to cough. She wheezed and gasped so much that she had to place her hands on her chest. It was not until a while later that Yun Shang waved her hands and said, "I am fine."

Qin Yi and Qian Yin quickly checked to see if Yun Shang had been injured.

On seeing this, the old maid made a move to catch the cat. But the cat hunched over and spun in the same place, looking as though it was about to attack again.

"Go, catch it now." The Emperor frowned. The eunuchs standing by rushed forward and caught the cat.

Lady Ming frowned and said, "Normally, the cat is docile. But why does it run wild today?"

Suddenly, a lady whose name Yun Shang didn't know said, "The cat was brought here by Princess Yun Shang. Maybe the cat has eaten something unclean or smelled something bad."

Yun Shang just smiled without saying a word. But Qian Yin couldn't help explaining, "Princess found this cat in the bamboo forest. The cat sprang at the Princess and she fell to the ground. The Princess can't touch cats due to health reasons. But she saw the cat had almost froze to death and she thought it must belong to a Lady because of its beautiful fur. So the Princess asked us to carry it here. Along the way, there was nothing to eat or smell. So how could the cat have eaten or smelled something bad?"

"I don't know. I have seen Yuan Bao several times before. It is by nature, docile. But why does it run wild today? More coincidentally, it rushed towards Lady Fu." said the Lady with her eyebrows raised.

"I don't care about whom the cat belongs to, where it comes from, or what it ate. It will be executed for it almost caused Lady Jin to fall down. Servant, come here. Take this cat away and kill it. After that, you should give its body to an imperial physician to check what's wrong with it." said the Emperor as he frowned. He grew impatient when he heard the ladies twittering and speculating.

At the moment, Yun Shang saw Lady Ming bow her head and look unhappy.

It should have been a good family feast. But now, everyone present was feeling anxious.

Lady Jin yawned and said gently, "I feel tired now. I will go back to Qiwu Palace and rest."

The Emperor nodded and said, "Be careful!" The he turned around to tell Lord Zheng, "You ask the servants who lift the sedan chair to watch their step." After this, he said to the woman in black, "You, follow Lady Jin."

After Lady Jin left, Li Fuyi sat on the chair. Her neck which had been scratched by the cat was still bleeding. Yun Shang coughed slightly and said, "Lady Fu's neck is still bleeding. Please call for an imperial physician."

A while later, an imperial physician came and checked Lady Fu's wound. Then the physician sid, "Well, it's very odd. There is a kind of aromatic substance on the wound. This kind of aromatic substance makes it difficult for the wound to heal and it also makes people restless."

"Aromatic substance?" "Restless?" On hearing this, the Emperor frowned and said, "What if a cat is exposed to this kind of aromatic substance?

The physician answered quickly, "I'm afraid the cat would go wild. This kind of aromatic substance is so pungent that any kind of animal that touches it, will go wild."

Yun Shang smiled. It occurred to her that the Empress had called for a Taoist Priest to hold an exorcism for her not long after she had been reborn. The Empress also claimed that the animal went wild. At the thought, Yun Shang couldn't help smile. These people really were family. They even thought of the same idea!

The Emperor thought for a while and said, "Physician, smell all guests here and find out who uses this kind of aromatic substance."

The physician instantly replied, "Yes, my Emperor. No offense, masters." After conveying his apology, the physician started to smell the people present, one by one. When he came near Yun Shang, he arrested his step and took a deep breath. Then he turned to speak to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, the smell is coming from this lady."