CH 46

Chapter 46 - Birthday Present

Su Yu poked the golden fluffy head, he then stretched out his hand and pulled the warm furball to his neck, and rubbed against it.

The golden kitten yawned but didn’t open his eyes and fell asleep once more hugging Su Yu’s neck.

“Who let you keep your spirits up at night, are you sleepy now, ba? ” Sauce always wakes up in the middle of the night, and when he wakes up, he will play on the bed for a while before going back to sleep. Su Yu was used to it, no matter how noisy it was, he would not wake up.

“Niangniang, Wang Gonggong just sent word that you don’t need to cook breakfast.” Xiao Shun whispered from outside the door.

“Understood.” Su Yu answered and the action of getting up was killed in the cradle. He relaxed his limbs decadently. “Sauce, we can sleep in.”

His Majesty the Emperor thought he was noisy, he raised his paw to cover his soft lips. Suddenly, he felt something was wrong, so he opened his eyes a crack to take a look.

Seeing that they were a little red and swollen, he couldn’t help pursing his ears. Moving forward, he touched the corner of Su Yu’s lips with his cold cat’s mouth.

Su Yu cordially returned a firm kiss to Cat Daye, and then buried his nose in the Maomao’s fur and gave a deep sniff. The smell of warm sunshine, which one can never be tired of smelling, was the same as His Majesty.

There were no scents of perfumes, just the scent of clean and warm sunshine…Thinking about it, his head couldn’t help but start to steam up again, last night’s dream was full of this smell…

“Sauce, did you sit on my nose last night?”

“...”

He cooked a delicious shrimp porridge for the picky Cat Daye, then Su Yu leisurely finished the breakfast sent by the imperial kitchen. It was six dishes and four desserts course, but the red date porridge was a little greasy, so he also had a bowl of shrimp porridge with the kitten.

“Reporting to Niangniang, Guifei Niangniang has summoned you to go to Yuluan Palace to discuss the Empress Dowager’s birthday.” Before he had finished his porridge, Xiao Shun came in with a bitter face to report.

The birthday of the Empress Dowager? Su Yu looked up and said: “Is there such a thing?”

“Next month is the birthday of the Empress Dowager, all the concubines will have to present birthday gifts to the Empress Dowager.” Ye Yuan, the head palace maid, interrupted.

“Niangniang should go there and know what the others concubines will give, so you can consider what to gift.”

Su Yu thought it was reasonable, although he doesn’t want to get together with the women, he really doesn’t understand anything about gift giving. Just listen to what the other will present so he won’t lose face.

There was nothing to do, so Su Yu ate and drank to his heart’s content, put the cat in his pocket, then went to see Guifei Niangniang.

After Su Yu left, everyone in Yexiao Palace began to clean the palace as usual.

“Where are you taking this?” Ye Yuan stopped the little maid who was packing up and pointed to the wooden box in her hand.

“Reporting to Older Sister, Niangniang asked to put it away.” The small rosewood box contained the agarwood sent by Cen Cairen.

“Such a good incense, the scent won’t disappear for a long time.” Ye Yuan looked at the small box regrettably, after thinking for a moment, she waved the little maid away, leaving the agarwood behind.

Yuluan Palace looked bigger than Yexiao Palace, this was Su Yu's first visit.

A Buddha's-hand made of mutton-fat jade the size of a fist was placed on a table in the center of the main hall, as a treasure for people to admire.

“Aiya, every time I see this Buddha’s-hand I feel jealous. It’s really hard to find such a large mutton-fat jade.” Shu Fei was the most knowledgeable and intelligent, she praised it the moment she came in.

Lu Guifei’s eyes were slightly smug, but her expression was indifferent.

“What so valuable about it, every time you come here, you nag about it. If it was not bestowed from the Emperor, I would have given you as a present.”

Su Yu thought that the Palace Hall of the Guifei must certainly be more luxurious than his, seeing everybody praising that Buddha’s-Hand, he felt like he should follow the crowd and say something, but… considering the half-foot high white cabbage made of mutton-fat jade in Yexiao Palace that was just thrown to the Treasure Pavillion like an ordinary decoration, he thought it was better to keep a low profile.

“His Majesty and Niangniang are cousins, so they are naturally closer than us.” De Fei joked, then glanced at Su Yu who had been silent.

Su Yu frowned slightly when he heard those words, I almost forgot about this… He had to persuade the Emperor that it was not good to marry close relatives.

The kitten, nestled in Su Yu’s arms poked his head out and took a look at the so-called “Biaomei”. Pei-Pei, and spat out the fur it just licked. What Biaomei, he remembered that she was obviously a Biaojie.

“I heard that His Majesty has not gone to court again today.” Lu Guifei flicked her delicately manicured nails and glanced pointedly at Su Yu.

“The Empress Dowager hates those coquettish tricks that delay the Emperor’s official business.”

Everyone looked at Su Yu, it was well known that the Emperor stayed in Yexiao Palace again last night.

Su Yu thought it was rather baffling. The Emperor did not go to court, but what did it have to do with him? The Emperor didn’t come even come last night, okay?

The cat head hanging outside the coat jacket shrank back. Staring at the thin white tunic for a while, he then leaned over and rubbed against the slightly raised area through his clothes.

Hmm, this stupid slave’s seductive means are quite powerful.

After the usual practice of taunting and jeering, Lu Guifei finally started to talk about business. The Empress Dowager’s birthday next month is indeed true, but because it was not the complete birthday the Empress Dowager didn’t want to be extravagant.

She only said that she got a batch of high-quality bird feathers, and wanted to weave a blanket.

The birds' feathers were the fine down of a snow eagle, which was extremely valuable, and the Empress Dowager couldn’t decide what pattern to use. Lu Guifei summoned the other concubines to ask them to present designs.

“Bengong will talk about the ugly things upfront, this is for the Empress Dowager, if the pattern cannot catch the eyes of the Empress Dowager, you have to weave the blanket together with the people of the knitting department.” Lu Guifei took a sip of tea and glanced pointedly at Su Yu’s expression. She didn’t believe that a man who always held a fish-killing knife all year round could draw something good.

Other concubines were fine, whether it was painting or needlework, both couldn’t trouble these girls from respectable families.

The palace maids spread a large piece of paper on the long table, letting the imperial concubines each draw a picture with a brush, “Mandarin Ducks Playing In The Water”, “Luan and Phoenix Bring Prosperity”, “Jade Peach Blessings”...The rice paper was soon filled with beautiful and exquisite embroidery patterns.

“Xian Fei, why don’t you draw?” Shu Fei smiled and pushed the ink plate in front of Su Yu, looking like she was enjoying the show.

Su Yu picked up the brush and scratched his head with the brush shaft. He really can’t draw, it’s fine for him to carve radish flowers, but would really embarrassing for him to use a brush like he daubs sauce[TL_Note: Here I think he means sauce the condiment, like using a brush to daub sauce on meat]. After thinking about it, he put his hand in his coat and took out the golden furball that was still in a daze.

“Meow!” His Majesty the Emperor, who had just come to his senses, suddenly struggled when he realized that the stupid slave was holding his paw and pressing it into the ink plate.

“Sauce, do me a favor.” Su Yu held the soft meat pad, quickly dipped it in ink, and pressed it on the rice paper. A clear cat’s paw print suddenly appeared in the midst of the complex and gorgeous designs, looking particularly abrupt.

“You…” Shu Fei’s face suddenly turned livid. The cat paw print was patted next to hers “Hundred Butterflies Passing Through Flowers”, which instantly made her drawing look out of place.

His Majesty shook his black paw vigorously. Su Yu hurriedly picked him up, fearing that he might spatter ink dots and ruin other people’s drawings. As a result, the cat Daye retaliated by pressing several paw prints on his body.

Wretched Stupid Slave, how dare you dirty Zhen’s fur, today he must be punished by bathing Zhen for an hour tonight…Hmm, and there are no clothes allowed, hmph!

The author has something to say:

Small Theater:

Little Fish: It doesn’t matter not wearing clothes ╮（╯▽╰）╭

Cat Gong: What do you mean?

Little Fish: I heard that Meow Star People are small gentlemen XD

Cat Gong:（╰＿╯）#