“The Phoenix Golden Scale Fish is something I raised. Although it’s not a priceless treasure, it’s still worth a fortune. You ate half of it today, so no wonder you should pay me appropriate compensation?” An Honghan said slowly, his voice flat but with a hint of mockery.
Phoenix Golden Scale Fish live in cold ponds all year round. Its flesh is fragrant, tender and smooth, and has a better flavor than ordinary fish. Xi Xizhi's paws were covered in oil stains. When she heard An Honghan's words about demanding repayment, her little mouth that was biting into the fish gradually stopped.
Turning back, Xi Xizhi cried out. "It's just a fish! There are more than a dozen in that pond. How can an emperor be so stingy?"
An Honghan reached out again to stroke the ferret's fur, and as he had expected, it did not flinch this time.
An Honghan deliberately scrutinized the little sable, and asked, "Have you decided what you'll use to pay off the debt?"
He stroked the little mink's fur with his palm. Because Xi Xizhi had caused trouble in the imperial kitchen earlier, the fur was all grayish. However, An Honghan didn't mind. Even though his palm was dirty, he didn't stop what he was doing.
But this seemingly ordinary action set off alarm bells in Xi Xizhi's heart. Could it be that An Honghan still hadn't given up on skinning it to make a scarf? She fawned over him, sticking out her pink little tongue to lick An Honghan's arm.
My life is the most important thing; I can throw away all my pride and face.
An Honghan's lips curled into a smile. "Only now do you know how to curry favor with me? You wouldn't even share half of the fish with me earlier. Isn't it too late?"
Xi Xizhi gritted her teeth, but still pretended to be nonchalant. As it turned out, it was wrong to hog everything.
With utmost sincerity in admitting her mistake, Xi Xizhi raised her right paw, as if making a vow, expressing that she should remember to share any good things with An Honghan in the future.
Its clumsy posture, coupled with its adorable, goofy appearance, immediately drew laughter from the audience in the hall.
An Honghan was still not satisfied and deliberately shook his head, "It doesn't seem enough."
Xi Xizhi lowered her head and mumbled a few words. What else did he want it to do? It seemed that apart from its fur, it was promised to be the most valuable thing. Xi Xizhi racked her brains but couldn't figure out what An Honghan was planning.
The little ferret squatted on the table, its head hanging low in dejection. Seeing the fish bones beside it, it remembered the delicious meat of the Phoenix Golden Scale Fish and swallowed hard. For its future food supply, pleasing An Honghan was of utmost importance.
Disregarding everything else, Xi Xizhi suddenly propped herself up, using all four limbs to climb onto An Honghan's arm and sit on its shoulder.
All the eunuchs and palace maids in the room stared intently at the scene. How dare the little sable climb onto His Majesty's arm so casually! Even more astonishingly, His Majesty did not stop her at all.
The little sable seemed to be making an important decision, glancing between the eunuchs and palace maids, then staring intently at An Honghan. Its indecisiveness was written all over its face.
An Honghan was very patient, his fingers slowly tapping on the table, the rhythmic sound echoing in the hall like a human heartbeat.
Xi Xizhi was determined to go all out; so what if she lost face? At least judging from last time, An Honghan seemed to like this. Ignoring the surprised looks from the palace maids and eunuchs, Xi Xizhi gave An Honghan's cheek a quick kiss and licked it with her tongue.
After licking it, Xi Xizhi wished it could disappear into a hole in the ground. When it looked up, it saw all the palace maids and eunuchs staring at it without blinking. It became even more embarrassed, grabbed An Honghan's arm, and climbed behind him in a few steps, using An Honghan's broad shoulders to cover itself.
An Honghan's smile deepened, and he smiled meaningfully. This ferret had actually learned to take the initiative.
Pulling out the little ferret hiding behind him, An Honghan held it in his hands and said, "Seeing how hard you try to please me, I will treat you leniently."
Xi Xizhi waved its paws, trying to scratch An Honghan. What a waste of its feelings! It's already rubbed against him, kissed him, and now it wants to be punished! Does it think it's a sick cat if it doesn't show its power? Xi Xizhi's fur stood on end, its paws flailing wildly.
The little ferret's resistance was utterly ineffective against An Honghan. He gently pressed down on its paws with his palm. "I haven't given the order yet, what are you doing? From today onwards, whenever I handle state affairs, you will be responsible for grinding ink. Consider this task your punishment."
This would prevent the little sable from running off and causing trouble in the palace while he was reviewing memorials. Besides, he couldn't rest easy if he didn't see the little sable for an hour or two.
This solution is the best of both worlds.
Xi Xizhi gradually retracted its paws, its gaze shifting to the inkstone. Looking at the ink stick, it measured its size with its paws; it should be able to hold it. This simple task was something it could handle.
Lynn, whose job had been taken away, was instantly bewildered. As expected of His Majesty, he could even come up with such a method.
"Your Majesty, what should be done with the eunuchs at Qingyuan Pool?" Lin En flicked his whisk and bowed his head to report.
Judging from the interaction between His Majesty and Feng Yun Diao, it's clear that His Majesty won't blame Feng Yun Diao. Therefore, the ones who will suffer are the eunuchs at Qingyuan Pond.
"Your Majesty, spare us! We have done our best. This whole mess was caused by Feng Yun Diao, it has nothing to do with us!" The leading eunuch cried and begged, and the rest of the eunuchs followed suit.
The high-pitched, thin sound drifted throughout the entire hall.
An Honghan was not easily fooled. Despite the eunuch's cries and pleas, he didn't spare him a single glance. Instead, he asked the two palace maids who accompanied Xiao Diao, "When you entered Qingyuan Pool, did you see any eunuchs guarding the gate?"
An Honghan could not hide the thoughts of those eunuchs. Or rather, he had spies planted throughout the entire palace. Whatever he wanted to know, he could find out the truth in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
Both palace maids were taken aback. "No...no."
When they arrived at Qingyuan Pond, there was no one there. They had their sights set on this, which was why they planned to sneak in and bring the little ferret out. But when they found the little ferret, they saw it had caught a golden-scaled phoenix fish.
The eunuchs kneeling on the ground were all crying and screaming desperately.
An Honghan slammed his fist on the table in a fit of rage, “Shut up, all of you! If anyone cries again, I’ll cut out their tongue.”
His shout instantly silenced the hall.
Xi Xizhi was closest to him, and that domineering and awe-inspiring voice made his eardrums ache and his head spin.
An Honghan sat up straight with elegant grace, his voice like a cold winter wind, chilling one to the bone, "If you hadn't deserted your posts, would Feng Yun Diao have been able to sneak in so easily? You saw that Yuan Chi's job was easy, so you went to a secluded place to gamble in secret. Did you really think I didn't know?"
There are many people who try to profit from the chaos in the palace, and An Honghan doesn't like managing such trivial matters. As long as nothing goes wrong, he usually turns a blind eye.
But once things escalate to his level, there's no going back.
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