Xi Xizhi raised her eyes blankly. What had this cold and ruthless emperor just said?
They released them?
An Honghan gripped the little sable's pointed ears tightly with his large hand, looking rather helpless. "I have already conceded a step. If you still refuse to eat, don't blame me for taking back what I just said."
The faint pain in her ears clearly told Xi Xizhi that An Honghan had indeed said he would release the group of palace maids and eunuchs.
Unexpectedly, victory came so easily, and Xi Xizhi kept giggling.
An Honghan released its ears, a hint of helplessness in his eyes. This little ferret was so easily satisfied; he had only said one sentence, and it was already laughing like this. The ferret's warm body temperature traveled through An Honghan's palm and directly into his heart.
He picked out another pastry that looked good, crushed it, and held it to the little ferret's mouth. "Eat it quickly. Don't let people say that Fengze Kingdom is stingy and let a weak and incompetent little ferret starve to death."
Xi Xizhi didn't hold back at all, disregarding the taboo against men and women touching hands. She buried her head in An Honghan's palm and began to eat right there in his hand.
As Xiao Diao ate the pastries, his tongue occasionally brushed against An Honghan's palm, reminding him of Xiao Diao's drunken state the previous night. Lost in thought, An Honghan's lips gradually curved into a barely perceptible smile.
His Majesty has never liked to laugh; usually, when he does laugh, someone is about to suffer.
Wu Jianfeng had been serving An Honghan for several months and naturally understood a little. He shrank back, taking two steps back. The Emperor's smile was far more terrifying than when he wasn't smiling.
No time to notice An Honghan's changing expression, Xi Xizhi's mind was entirely focused on the pastries. Seeing a large piece, she used both paws to hold it and slowly began to nibble.
Its eyes revealed satisfaction and enjoyment, as if what it was eating was the most delicious food in the world.
Everyone looked at the pastries on the plate. They were clearly desserts that were often served after meals in the palace. Why did they have such thoughts?
The old man stroked his beard, a smile never fading from his lips. The phoenix-cloud sable was truly adorable; of all the animals he had ever seen, this little sable was the most endearing.
After the ferret had eaten its fill and let out a burp, An Honghan took the handkerchief handed to him by the eunuch, gently wiped the ferret's mouth, and then cleaned its paws as well.
The little sable lay on its back in An Honghan's arms, its eyes half-closed, looking extremely relaxed and comfortable.
An Honghan gently stroked the little ferret's bulging belly, having heard from others that doing so could promote the animal's digestion.
Enjoying the emperor's service, Xi Xizhi's young heart burst forth with an unprecedented sense of pride.
Who has such good fortune as her? Not only does the king of a country personally take care of her daily life, but look at her now, he is even 'virtuously' stroking her fur.
"Chirp chirp..." As if as a reward, Xi Xizhi let out two shouts at An Honghan.
"You think you can do whatever you want just because I gave you a little credit?" An Honghan tightened his grip on Xiao Diao's hand as he looked at her.
Under heaven, who wouldn't be afraid of him? Yet this little sable showed no fear whatsoever and even dared to treat him like a servant!
He wasn't really angry; An Honghan was just deliberately trying to scare Xiao Diao.
But the moment An Honghan's expression turned even slightly cold, his entire aura of authority and power was revealed. Xi Xizhi, startled, immediately dropped her composure and muttered under her breath, "Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger—that's absolutely true." His ability to change his expression was far more impressive than any Sichuan opera acrobatic act.
"Your Majesty, should Little Marten continue to be punished?" Wu Jianfeng asked, bowing his head low.
Those palace maids and eunuchs were no longer in mortal danger, so why would they want her to continue being punished? That was impossible. As the saying goes, if it doesn't concern you, don't bother. Now that this matter was no longer related to Xi Xizhi, she had no intention of staying in the dark and gloomy confinement room any longer.
With her little paws pointing towards the door, Xi Xizhi called out to An Honghan.
"Haha..." The old man was amused by the little ferret's actions and laughed, "It can understand what we're saying."
He winked at the old man; of course he understood. If he didn't understand, how could he fight for his own interests?
"Enough. If it goes on a hunger strike again, I don't have time to waste with it." After saying this, An Honghan turned and left with the eunuchs.
The pitch-black confinement room suddenly became completely silent again.
The old man followed An Honghan to the Panlong Palace. He remained remarkably calm throughout, seemingly unfazed by the grandeur and majesty of the palace. It was precisely because of this that Xi Xizhi became even more convinced that this old man was no ordinary person.
If he were just an ordinary citizen, entering the palace for the first time, he would probably look around like a commoner, marveling at the palace's splendor. Don't ask Xi Xizhi why she thinks this way, because it's based on her own experience.
Even now, when she sees palaces and halls everywhere, she still has a sense of unreality.
It is beautiful, but it is full of danger.
"I see your medical skills are quite good, so you can stay in the palace to serve from now on." An Honghan sat on the throne covered with tiger skin, holding the little sable in one hand and tapping the table with the other.
"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty." The old man knelt down before An Honghan.
Wu Jianfeng looked somewhat troubled. He was the one who had brought this man, and he had just called the old man a quack doctor. Unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, this man had received a favor from His Majesty. Wu Jianfeng disliked him, even though the old man had just displayed some skill. But a single success might just be luck, and didn't prove anything.
"Wu Jianfeng, take him to the Imperial Hospital later. Even though you treat animals, not humans, as long as you practice medicine in the palace, you are an Imperial Physician and under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Hospital." An Honghan waved his hand, indicating that they could go quickly.
It was getting late; the round sun was gradually setting behind the western mountains, and the sunlight was growing dimmer. The buildings and corridors were all lit up, their lights flickering and reflecting the stars in the sky.
After Tong An Honghan finished showering, Xi Xizhi once again crawled into her own little nest. The nest had changed; the basin was carved from jade, entirely emerald green and semi-transparent. As soon as she crawled in, Xi Xizhi felt a wave of warmth.
Xi Xizhi rolled around excitedly inside; this nest was incredibly valuable. If she could pawn it someday, it would be worth at least a thousand or eight hundred taels of silver.
If everyone knew what Little Mink was thinking, they would all roar in unison: That's priceless!
The Jade Phoenix Basin is a unique piece in the entire world. Apart from the royal palace of Fengze Kingdom, no other country can produce such pure and beautiful jade.
Using such a precious jade basin as a nest for a sable would be a terrible waste.
A cotton quilt embroidered with a white mink was placed under Xi Xizhi's head. The embroidery was incredibly lifelike, especially the mink, which was so realistically embroidered that it looked exactly like Xi Xizhi. It was clearly made in a hurry. Xi Xizhi rubbed the quilt against it, thoroughly enjoying it.
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