The palace maid hurriedly bent down and searched frantically among the flowers.
The Imperial Garden was a dense thicket of branches and leaves, making it nearly impossible to walk anywhere except for the designated flower-viewing paths. Each flower here was extremely precious, and any palace maid who damaged even one would be punished.
Taking advantage of her small size, Xi Xizhi hopped and skipped among the flowers, glancing at one flower after another. Since the gift was for the old man, brightly colored flowers like roses and peonies were definitely out of the question.
The white flowers also seemed too solemn.
She didn't know how long she had been running through the flowers. When Xi Xizhi remembered the two palace maids behind her, she turned around and looked, but they were nowhere to be seen. But then she thought that it wouldn't be too late to go out and meet them after she found a flower that suited her taste.
She didn't disappear this time, so An Honghan shouldn't hold a grudge against them.
Xi Xizhi carefully darted among the branches and leaves, her little head tilted back at a 45-degree angle. The flowers in the Imperial Garden were truly abundant, so many that Xi Xizhi was overwhelmed and didn't know which one to pick for the old man.
After strolling leisurely for about fifteen minutes, Xi Xizhi's eyes suddenly lit up. On the stone table in the pavilion ahead, there was a potted flower, standing out among the various famous flowers. A cool breeze blew gently, causing the green branches and leaves to sway. The flowers were in full bloom, and from the stamens to the petals, they seemed to undergo a transformation, gradually changing from light green to deep blue.
Xi Xizhi was immediately captivated by this gift. Its aura suited the old man quite well. It would be perfect as a gift for him.
The flowers she had just seen paled in comparison to this one. She jumped onto the stone bench, then with a powerful leap, effortlessly bounded onto the stone table, circling the flowerpot several times.
Xi Xizhi carefully examined the flowers, growing more and more fond of them with each look.
This pot of flowers has only one bloom, but that one bloom is enough to make it stand out from the crowd and lead all the other flowers.
Having made her decision, Xi Xizhi didn't hesitate, reaching out her claws to break off the branch. A flower in full bloom, under her merciless destruction, was torn apart from its stem.
Satisfied with the flower between its two paws, Xi Xizhi chuckled and chirped.
"The Blue Feather Flower was a token of love bestowed upon me by the late Emperor. He went to great lengths to find it back then. We waited patiently for four years before it finally bloomed. That's why I've specially summoned you all to the Imperial Garden today to see it." A slightly aged voice rang out, and she spoke with a smile and a hint of pride.
Several melodious voices chuckled, "The Empress Dowager just wants us to broaden our horizons; we're overjoyed!"
Xi Xizhi, with her keen ears, overheard the conversation of the people in the distance. Looking down at the flower in her arms… blue! Could it be the 'Blue Feather Flower' they were talking about?
Panicked, Xi Xizhi was about to flee when the group stepped into the pavilion. Was fate deliberately making things difficult for her? She'd been incredibly unlucky lately, constantly plagued by bad luck.
The chubby little white ball quietly moved backward, and Xi Xizhi wanted to slip away as soon as no one noticed it.
But fate had other plans...
Just as they touched the edge of the stone table, a woman exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't that the Phoenix Cloud Sable that His Majesty raises?"
Everyone turned to look, and Xi Xizhi froze, unable to move. Just what she feared had come to pass. She clutched the flower behind her back, her hands protecting it. A deep sorrow filled her heart; the vibrant flower that had just filled her with joy had now become a hot potato.
Ruthlessly destroying flowers is truly unacceptable.
I really wanted to throw away that flower and then destroy the evidence.
"They're so adorable! No wonder His Majesty feeds them himself." The speakers were all stunningly beautiful women. They were dressed in magnificent attire, each meticulously made up. As if competing in beauty, each face was adorned with both heavy and light makeup.
After Xi Xizhi transmigrated into the body of a sable, her ears and nose became exceptionally sensitive. Unable to bear the scent of perfume emanating from them, she couldn't help but sneeze. Just as she was about to wipe her nose with her paw, she suddenly remembered what was behind her and remained motionless.
Several women gathered around it, and Xi Xizhi glanced at them a few more times. One glance nearly made her dizzy. They were walking towards her with their backs to the light, and the sunlight shone on the gold ornaments in their hair, reflecting a strong light that almost burned Xi Xizhi's eyes.
These women were exceptionally beautiful. While not quite stunningly beautiful, they were certainly breathtakingly gorgeous. They all wore smiles, but Xi Xizhi knew their smiles didn't come from the heart; no matter how she looked at it, the smiles always seemed somewhat stiff.
"It's so cute! I wonder if His Majesty would be willing to give it to us?" Several women walked up to the little sable, bending down to get closer, seemingly extremely interested in it. But what truly interested them was not Xi Xizhi, but An Honghan, who was feeding it.
As long as they win the right to feed the ferrets, why worry that His Majesty won't come to see them more often?
Everyone knows that His Majesty pardoned the group of errant palace maids and eunuchs for the sake of this little sable, and only banished them from the palace.
Enduring the few delicate hands that were wantonly pinching its cheeks, Xi Xizhi dared not move an inch, lest they discover what was hidden behind it. At this moment, Xi Xizhi finally realized that An Honghan was actually much gentler than these women; at least he hadn't been pulling its fur so hard that it was in excruciating pain.
"Are you really that cute? Look at you all, where is your dignity as empresses?" A beautiful woman around fifty years old took two steps toward them, seemingly very dissatisfied with the behavior of the women.
She invited them to the Imperial Garden to admire the blue-feathered flowers, not to have them fawn over the little sable. She disliked the little sable taking the lead, and the Empress Dowager's expression darkened.
The women immediately withdrew their hands, ceasing their caresses of the little sable's fur. "We just couldn't resist touching it because it's so cute. Mother, please don't be angry. This Blue Feather Flower needs to be appreciated slowly."
The women immediately changed their demeanor and began to fawn over the Empress Dowager.
Their purpose was simply to curry favor with the Empress Dowager; they absolutely could not offend her for a mere sable fur coat. The Empress Dowager had invited them here precisely to show off, hadn't she? If they didn't satisfy the Empress Dowager's vanity, they could forget about ever getting ahead in the palace.
Seeing how sensible the girls were, the Empress Dowager's expression softened considerably. "Look, that pot of blue feather flowers was bestowed by the late Emperor. Isn't it beautiful..."
The Empress Dowager's eyes suddenly widened. "Where has that blooming flower on the branch gone?!" she cried out in fury, demanding of the eunuch beside her, "What happened?!"
The two eunuchs immediately knelt down, saying, "We don't know what happened. They were just here a moment ago, how could they suddenly disappear! There's no one in the Imperial Garden at this time."
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