Chapter Thirty: The Grand Alliance Ceremony of the Five Kingdoms (Part Ten)

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“How did they get here?” Emperor Baixi wondered in his heart, though his expression remained unreadable.

“Your Majesty, I pay my respects. When Yuan’er heard the Princess Royal had arrived, he rushed over to pay his respects as well. I was worried he might overstep, so I came along to keep an eye on him.” The empress smiled as she curtsied.

“Your son pays respects to Father Emperor… and to the Princess Royal.” Gu Nanyuan was most reluctant to come to the imperial study, but he could not go against his mother’s will. Even his bow was perfunctory, and the smile on his face was forced.

Emperor Baixi glanced at them coldly, then lazily said, “You may rise.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Thank you, Father Emperor.”

The two stood respectfully aside. Although she was the empress, the mother of the realm, in the presence of Emperor Baixi and Princess Royal Suhua, her status was still lower.

Feigning a glance at the sky, Suhua smiled and said, “Surely Your Majesty did not summon a mere commoner like me into the palace just for a cup of tea? If that is all, I shall take my leave, lest I overstay and trouble the palace rules.”

“How can you say that, Princess Royal? This palace is your home. Where would you go?” The empress fawned with a sycophantic smile.

“If you address me as Princess Royal, then is it not overstepping for you to interrupt when I am speaking with His Majesty?” Suhua lifted her teacup, her gaze cool as she looked at the empress; her voice was gentle yet carried an unspoken authority.

Though she had left the palace, she knew its affairs inside and out. She disliked throwing her weight around, but she truly had no fondness for this empress, and so treated her with utter disregard.

The empress came from humble origins. If not for her beauty and cunning, how could she have risen so swiftly, seized the phoenix seal, and sat upon a throne countless women could only dream of?

Though Suhua’s words made her seethe with rage, the empress’s “professional” instincts warned her that impulsiveness was the devil. Thus, she continued to offer humble smiles and courteous bows to Suhua.

Seeing this, Emperor Baixi rolled his eyes at her as well.

Gu Nanyuan was utterly baffled. What was happening now? His mother actually bowed to that woman? When had his mother ever suffered such indignity? But since even his father deferred to Princess Royal Suhua, he dared not say a word.

“I invited you here, Aunt, first to catch up, and second to return what is rightfully yours,” Emperor Baixi said righteously.

“What things? Your Majesty, please speak plainly.” None noticed the slight tremor in Suhua’s expression.

Of course, she knew what he meant, but she acted as if she were ignorant.

“There are things of mine still with you, Aunt. I have missed them over these long years. If you return them to me, I shall return what belongs to you as well.”

Gu Nanyuan pouted. Return what belongs to whom? This sounded more like a transaction, an exchange of goods.

“I do not know what Your Majesty refers to. Since we have caught up, I will take my leave,” Suhua said as she bowed and turned to go.

Outside, the rain had stopped, and a bright, clear moon hung in the night sky.

Just as she stepped down the stairs, the sound of shattering porcelain rang out from within the hall. She paused and glanced back at the imperial study, then swept her sleeves and walked away.

“Outrageous!” Emperor Baixi smashed all the teaware on the table, frightening everyone in the room to their knees.

The empress now regretted coming to join the spectacle. She had hoped to flaunt her power, but instead, she was thoroughly humiliated, and to make matters worse, now had to face the emperor’s wrath.

Emperor Baixi, so genial moments before, was now smashing things the moment Princess Royal Suhua left. What was it that he longed for? And how could it be in her possession?

After nearly half an hour, Suhua was already back at the inn, delivered by the palace carriage.

Approaching her room, she saw candlelight flickering inside and guessed that her two junior sisters were waiting for her. Smiling, she pushed the door open.

Inside, there was only one man and a cat. As for the cat, whether it was male or female she could not tell—anyway, it was black and passably handsome.

The man wore a half-mask. Seeing Suhua return, he rose to greet her.

“What brings you here?” She was surprised by his sudden visit.

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“I had nothing pressing to attend to, so I came by to see you.” The man stroked the cat’s fur, his tone light and casual.

“This evening, I met with Emperor Baixi, and also the empress.” As she spoke, Suhua poured him a cup of tea.

“Emperor Baixi… is he well?” The man paused slightly, gazing into his tea.

“He is unharmed.”

“He must have summoned you about that matter, then?”

“Yes. He wishes for things to be returned to their rightful owners.”

The man gave a wry smile and asked nothing more.

“You’ve had a long day. Rest now. I’ll go check on the others.”

With those words, the man picked up the cat and headed toward Zhangsun Chengmin’s quarters.

Upon returning, Zhangsun Chengmin and Su Qingfeng had busied themselves in the kitchen. With seamless cooperation, they quickly brought several steaming dishes to the table—a perfect combination of statesmanship and culinary skill.

Given his noble status, Zhangsun Chengmin ought to have everything done for him, but since the Wanxu Pavilion never hired servants, he and Su Qingfeng had to cook for themselves. Over time, it became second nature.

As for the Pavilion Master, he could take or leave food—after all, spiritual energy sustained him. But both Zhangsun Chengmin and Su Qingfeng were mere mortals; skipping meals left them hungry, and let’s be frank, it could be fatal.

As a result, their cooking skills had improved dramatically, and they could no longer stomach food prepared by anyone else.

The two sat down eagerly, exchanged a glance, and pounced on the food like starving beasts. Image meant nothing to them.

Good thing no one else was around; otherwise, onlookers might wonder in disbelief, “How long has it been since they last ate?”

Truth was, Zhangsun Chengmin had eaten four bowls of rice that morning and plenty of fruit at the training ground. Seeing Su Qingfeng eating slowly, he nudged, “Hurry up, or there’ll be nothing left.”

Su Qingfeng glanced at him and found his words reasonable, so he quickly filled another bowl, afraid he’d miss out if he was too slow.

Thus, the revered crown prince and his attendant competed fiercely for food, like two ravenous beasts suddenly unleashed, swallowing mouthfuls without pause.

Soon, the plates were empty, and both their gazes fell upon the large bowl that still contained a little fish soup.

The air grew tense.

In a flash, both reached out, each intent on snatching what little soup remained.

Indeed, in the battle for food, there was no master or servant—only survival, where speed determined the victor.

So engrossed were they in their competition that neither noticed the man carrying the black cat enter the room.

The man was clearly used to such scenes, but seeing them squabble so fiercely, he couldn’t help but cough several times.

Only then did they notice his presence.

Zhangsun Chengmin grinned, still refusing to relinquish his hold. “Please, have a seat. Make yourself at home.”

“Don’t mind me. Carry on,” the man replied, covering the cat’s eyes.

At his words, the two dove right back in.

Suddenly, the black cat meowed, leaped up, wrapped its front paws around the bowl, landed gracefully, and drank the remaining soup in one go.

When it looked up, all three pairs of eyes were fixed on it. Its master seemed surprised and speechless, while the other two looked as if they might devour the cat itself.

The cat, unfazed, ran behind its master, tail waving with smug delight.

In the next moment, Zhangsun Chengmin and Su Qingfeng had to restrain each other, both gritting their teeth as they said in unison, “Don’t do anything rash.”

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The black cat, seeing their reaction, even stuck out its tongue! Zhangsun Chengmin could stand it no longer. “You damned cat! You owe me fish soup. I wasn’t done! Spit it out, now!”

The man stepped forward, glanced at the cat, and said to Zhangsun Chengmin, “And if it does spit it out, would you eat it?”

No sooner had he spoken than the cat made a retching motion, and both Su Qingfeng and Zhangsun Chengmin’s throats worked involuntarily as they turned away in disgust.

A moment later, Zhangsun Chengmin straightened his clothes and, with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, replied, “Of course not. I was only joking with it.”

The man gave a noncommittal “Oh,” then cradled the cat in his arms, stroking its fur gently. “You ate enough for two this morning, and still you’re not full? Fighting these two for soup—are you trying to kill yourself?”

The black cat meowed twice more, rubbing against his arms, then blinked its large, bright eyes up at him.

Zhangsun Chengmin laughed, but inwardly he thought, “Stealing my soup and bullying me—you just wait, I’ll get you back someday.”

This cat was the man’s new favorite, forever competing with Su Qingfeng for food. Suddenly inspired, Zhangsun Chengmin said, “Pavilion Master, since it’s eaten so much, why don’t I take it out for a walk?”

“Yes, its belly’s round as a drum. It could use some exercise,” the man replied, patting the cat’s stomach solemnly.

“Alright then.”

At this, Zhangsun Chengmin pinched Su Qingfeng hard, flashing a wicked grin.

Su Qingfeng got the message and walked over to pick up the cat.

Perhaps sensing ill intent, the black cat clung tightly to the man’s clothes, meowing in protest.

Ignoring its resistance, the man gently pried off its paws, rubbed its head, and said softly, “Go on.”

“Good kitty!” Su Qingfeng scooped it up. By then, the cat wore an expression of utter despair.

Once Su Qingfeng left with the cat, Zhangsun Chengmin sat down to talk with the man. Gone was his earlier levity; now he looked grave. “Fuhua knows you’re still alive.”

The man nodded. “Yes, I know.”

“Then you know what happened today?”

“I do.”

“There was murderous intent in his music, and he’s never gotten along with either of us. He’s going to be a formidable obstacle.”

“It’s fine. We were bound to cross paths eventually.”

“He seems even stronger than we anticipated.”

“Is that so? We’ll find out soon enough.”

…

Bathed in silvery moonlight, Su Qingfeng took the black cat out for a stroll, a leash made of string trailing behind—cat walking, in short.

Though night had fallen, the shops lining the street were still lit, and people bustled to and fro.

The black cat strutted with an air of haughty defiance, but to avoid getting hurt, it sensibly behaved and made no fuss.

After all, as the old saying goes: “Under another’s roof, one must bow.” The same logic applied to it.

Swallow your pride for now—revenge for today’s abuse would come in time.