After holding the panda, Wan Anran felt that her life was completely fulfilled. She gently stroked the black and white panda, completely forgetting the existence of Consort Xuan and Noble Lady Nara.

Going to the tiger park to see tigers, or going to the pear or bamboo grove to admire flowers—these things had absolutely nothing to do with her.

Wan Anran put everything else behind her.

Her eyes were now only on the red panda. Its black and white coloring was superb, its feel was even better, and the whimpering sound it made when it woke up was also superb! Wan Anran carefully held the red panda, afraid that she might accidentally drop this national treasure of the future on the ground.

The palace staff around them were somewhat puzzled.

Consort Qi's excited appearance made them secretly grumble, and for a moment they even wondered if the bamboo bear was something special, or if they had made a mistake? Otherwise, why would Consort Qi like the bamboo bear so much?

In Sichuan and other areas, the number of bamboo bears remains high. Because they are physically strong (after all, they are bears) and have sharp teeth (they can even bite a hole in an iron pot), ordinary people can't do anything about them even though they often break into farmers' homes to steal food. The only good thing is that they are not very aggressive and are mainly herbivorous, so they are quite common wild animals in Sichuan and other areas.

Zhaoxiang Garden houses animals from all over the world, including a few rare animals transported from overseas, such as the bamboo bear, which are just there to make up the numbers.

The palace servants watched the excited Consort Qi with amazement, quite bewildered.

The same applies to raising eunuchs.

Although he didn't know why Consort Qi liked red pandas, he immediately came up with a way to please her. The eunuch in charge of feeding the pandas bowed slightly: "Your Highness, if you like, you can take the little bamboo bear home and raise it for a while."

"Raise, raise pandas?" Just hearing Wan Anran's voice made her feel like she was going to faint.

“That’s right.” The eunuch in charge of feeding the bear answered respectfully, “If Your Highness likes it, you can keep it in the West Garden for half a month or a month. When you return to the Forbidden City, you can send the bamboo bear back to Zhaoxiang Garden.”

The plan to keep eunuchs was being meticulously devised.

If Consort Qi is willing to take the red panda with her, then a few people can be sent to the courtyard to serve it. If any of the palace servants catch Consort Qi's eye, they might receive more rewards, or even be allowed to return to the Forbidden City.

The thought of raising eunuchs makes my heart burn with excitement.

Unfortunately, Wan Anran's words immediately shattered his thoughts. Wan Anran shook her head and said, "Young cubs should live with their mothers."

Moreover, giant pandas are wild.

If you take a red panda away simply because you like it, how will it get along with the giant pandas when you return it? What if a tragedy occurs? How can you face your national treasures?

In addition, Wan Anran felt that if she got used to raising the panda herself, she might not be able to bear sending it back. What should she do then?

Keeping a cat in the Forbidden City requires registration and approval, let alone keeping a bear. It's likely that even the most lovingly raised panda will eventually be returned to its original owner.

The eunuchs who were in charge of the household felt somewhat embarrassed.

The masters in the palace actually thought of this? That surprised him somewhat. It wasn't uncommon for masters to take a fancy to animals in the past, play with them for a while, and then throw them back; as for what happened to the animals afterward…?

Who knows?

Just like in the palace, there were concubines who liked kittens. Each kitten was raised from one or two months old to eight or nine months old and a year old, and then they were given to the cat and dog shed.

Wan Anran had no idea what Wan Anran was thinking about keeping eunuchs.

Perhaps the conversation was too loud, or perhaps it was time to eat, but the little panda in the bamboo basket, like a black and white glutinous rice ball, began to move gently. Its two chubby little paws rested on the edge of the basket, and it tried to flip itself over without any fear.

Wan Anran was terrified.

She quickly grabbed the red panda by the scruff of its neck, lifting it like a cat. The red panda wasn't afraid of people at all; it even buried its chubby head in Wan Anran's arms, so adorable…

Wouldn't that be off the charts?

Countless little flowers sprouted behind Wan Anran as she hugged the baby panda tightly, unwilling to let go. Looking at the baby panda, she suddenly remembered something: "Baby panda... um, what does the little bamboo bear eat now? Milk?"

The eunuch in charge of feeding the animals nodded.

Wan Anran's eyes lit up, and she asked excitedly, "Then may I feed the bamboo bear?"

"Of course, no problem."

"No way." Consort Xuan, who was standing to the side, refused directly: "No matter how docile a bamboo bear is, it's still a bear. What if something bad happens when we feed it?"

Those big claws.

That could take away most of Consort Qi's life in an instant.

Wan Anran pouted.

The eunuch in charge of feeding the bear explained with a smile, "Your Highness, please rest assured, I wouldn't dare let Your Highness Qi into the large bamboo bear cage. At most, I'd pass carrots and bamboo shoots through the cage. As for the baby bamboo bear, it's still nursing!"

Wan Anran nodded vigorously.

Consort Xuan sighed and rubbed her forehead: "I just don't understand, what's so special about this bamboo bear? If you ask me, Da Hua and Er Hua are much cuter."

That's different!!

Kittens are cute, but compared to pandas... I'm sorry, kitties, you just can't compare QAQ

Wan Anran happily followed the eunuch in charge of feeding the pandas and watched the scene of the red pandas drinking milk up close... cough cough, it was just too wonderful. Wan Anran held her cheeks and felt that she could watch it every day without getting tired of it.

We also gave the big bamboo bear some snacks.

And it must be said that the animals in Zhaoxiang Garden were fed better than the servants and eunuchs.

For example, the pandas in the park have several varieties of bamboo specially planted for them, and they also receive fresh fruit and meat daily. The two pandas in the park are in good spirits and are not afraid of people. Even when Wan Anran offered them bamboo, the pandas accepted it happily.

As for the cubs...

Even the caretaker couldn't help but complain: "The bamboo bear cubs are too small, and the adult bamboo bears don't really care for them, so it takes several of us to feed them. They drink basins of milk every day until they get bigger before we can add some fresh bamboo shoots or leaves."

All Wan Anran could say was envy.

Even as night fell, Wan Anran refused to leave. It was only because Consort Xuan couldn't bear to watch that she forcibly dragged her away.

In the following days, Wan Anran, who never got tired of watching, also came to Zhaoxiangyuan every day to report.

As for everything else, the female protagonist put it all out of her mind. Think about it, what could be more noteworthy than a giant panda?

No, no, no!

There's no end to it! It was Consort Xuan who managed to hold Wan Anran back.

Seeing that Consort Qi was about to go to Zhaoxiang Garden to see the pandas again, Consort Xuan quickly had someone stop her: "Don't forget the purpose of our trip to Xiyuan. His Majesty has already issued an order for a hunt in a few days. Do you remember this?"

Wan Anran: ...

Of course I don't remember.

Forget about bringing back three roe deer from a horseback hunt; Wan Anran had almost forgotten about even Little Peach. Now, even though she wanted to continue petting the pandas, Wan Anran's expression turned serious, and she decided to wait until the hunt was over… no, until tomorrow.

I'm sorry, my little panda.

Mom will come to visit you tomorrow.

Wan Anran made up her mind.

She quickly took Xuan Pin's arm: "Sister Xuan, only you can save me now."

"Only now do you know how to speak properly." Consort Xuan glanced at her and shook her head. "Let's go, to the Empress Dowager!"

The Empress Dowager was the happiest person about the imperial concubines' hunting trips. After all, as the emperor's legal mother, she was actually not yet forty years old and was still in her prime.

After the emperor led his court officials and members of the imperial family on a hunt, the Empress Dowager's spirits rose even higher. When she saw Consort Qi, Consort Xuan, and Noble Lady Nara arrive, her face beamed with a smile: "I have been waiting for you."

Consort Yi was also with the Empress Dowager.

The fact that the Empress Dowager had arrived ahead of time naturally made Wan Anran and the other two feel extremely uneasy and apologize profusely. The Empress Dowager, however, did not take it to heart and, after waking them up, inquired about their preferences and habits.

Consort Yi was prepared.

Her long, glossy black hair was braided, and her fiery red riding attire made her look even more dashing. Consort Yi swung herself onto a fiery red steed, and with a light touch of her feet to the horse's belly, the steed neighed and galloped straight off.

Consort Xuan was not to be outdone.

Her gaze fell upon another chestnut horse. With a push of her hands, she leaped onto its back, gave a soft shout, and the horse galloped off, chasing after Consort Yi's fiery red steed.

Wan Anran and Noble Lady Nara stared wide-eyed.

The two men didn't dare to do that, and instead turned their attention to the slightly smaller horses behind them.

The Empress Dowager pointed to one of the white horses: "Pearl has a gentle nature, Consort Nara can give it a try."

The Pearl Horse lives up to its name.

Its entire body was as white as snow, without a single stray hair. The white horse's long mane flew about, shimmering in the sunlight, and Lady Nara was instantly captivated at first glance.

She responded softly.

Nara Guiren, accompanied by two female companions, attempted to mount his horse.

Seeing that Lady Nara had also begun practicing, Wan Anran, who was lagging behind, was getting a little anxious. She looked left and right, and finally her gaze fell on a horse that was completely black except for its four hooves treading on snow.

Wan Anran took a carrot from the basket and carefully offered it to the black horse's mouth. The black horse was dismissive of the sudden offer of hospitality, snorting and trotting away to the side.

Wan Anran harbored rebellious thoughts: You don't like me? I'll still like you! Wherever the black horse Ta Xue went, she followed, one in front and one behind, for a very long time.

Perhaps Black Horse had never seen such a shameless person before, or perhaps it was very pleased with the carrots offered by Wan Anran. In any case, after a quarter of an hour, Black Horse reluctantly allowed Wan Anran to go up.

The feeling of sitting on horseback... ugh.

Wan Anran froze, unsure where to put her hand holding the reins—was she really planning to hunt roe deer like this? Consort Xuan, who rode over on a chestnut horse, was both amused and exasperated.

She had someone lead the horse by the reins, and the black horse slowly strolled along the grass. Only when Consort Qi gradually relaxed did she signal for her to follow her.

Wan Anran: ...

One, one, together what?

Xuan Bin:…………

The fear in Consort Qi's eyes made her lips twitch: "What else can we do? Run."

Wan Anran fell silent.

After a long while, she dismounted and laughed, "I... I'll go practice my archery first QAQ"

Horse riding is too difficult.

Wan Anran decided to entrust the glorious task of hunting three roe deer to Consort Xuan and Noble Lady Nara.