Fearing that An Honghan would agree to the request, Xi Xizhi kept poking An Honghan's thigh with her claws. She had already experienced firsthand how vicious the Empress Dowager was; she truly couldn't bear it again. The Empress Dowager's words were an open secret; everyone knew her intentions. If she were really sent there, she would inevitably suffer another beating.
An Honghan grabbed the little sable's paws, which were poking and scratching wildly, and thought to himself, "You do seem to understand what the Empress Dowager is thinking."
"Let you raise it? When did Mother become so magnanimous?" An Honghan showed no mercy, still holding a grudge against the Empress Dowager for trying to kill the little sable earlier. "I'm afraid if the little sable is sent there intact, it will come back barely alive."
An Honghan was born to the Empress Dowager and was intimately familiar with her methods. Despite being a woman, the Empress Dowager was no less ruthless and heartless than any man.
They were both men who knew each other well, and when they laid their cards on the table, neither trusted the other. Although they were related by blood, royal blood ties were the least valuable thing; otherwise, there wouldn't have been so many examples of patricide, usurpation, and fratricide in history.
Unfortunately, An Honghan had done just that. He was the one who killed his father. Although everyone believed he was the one who had been chosen to inherit the throne, many ministers in the court knew the inside story, including the Empress Dowager. And the fact that he had killed his brothers was known throughout the entire Fengze Kingdom.
His cruelty, his ruthlessness, and his ferocity were all terrifying.
"How could that be? Does my son not know what kind of person I am? I guarantee that this little sable was exactly the same before it came to me, and it will be exactly the same when it comes back." As if she hadn't heard An Honghan's pointed remark, the Empress Dowager maintained her dignified smile and pressed on.
Xi Xizhi nervously clutched An Honghan's clothes. If An Honghan really dared to give it to the Empress Dowager to raise, they would sever all ties for life!
Squeak... The little ferret bared its teeth and squealed.
An Honghan gently touched the tuft of fiery red fur on the little sable's forehead with his fingers. "It's precisely because I understand it so well that I'm worried. Mother, we're the same kind of people. Don't make me say it again. If there's nothing else, you should go back to Fengxiang Palace and change your clothes."
An Honghan spoke with impatience, his brows furrowed, his face cold.
The Empress Dowager glanced at Xiao Diao a few times, her heart blazing with anger, yet she dared not refute An Honghan's words. Her clothes were soaking wet and clung to her body, the unpleasant odor assaulting her nose and mouth. When had she ever been so humiliated!
The concubines rarely had the opportunity to see His Majesty. Seizing this chance, they naturally wouldn't miss it. Liu Sitong took the lead, saying, "Your Majesty, Tong'er's palace has some mung bean soup that can clear heat and relieve summer heat. Why don't you come to Tong'er's place tonight? Tong'er will personally serve you a bowl."
Liu Sitong blushed shyly, her bright and beautiful eyes fixed on An Honghan, displaying the bashfulness of a young girl experiencing first love.
Any man who saw her would be unable to resist hugging her and showering her with affection. But An Honghan remained expressionless, his gaze sweeping over her before shifting away. "I don't like mung bean soup."
A simple sentence shattered all of Liu Sitong's hopes.
If Xi Xizhi hadn't known this woman's vicious intentions, she might have felt sorry for her when she saw her aggrieved expression. But she hadn't forgotten that among the concubines, this woman was the most ruthless and strongest, leaving her body aching all over.
The Empress Dowager glared at her, seemingly blaming her for making a fool of herself. She then led several concubines out of the imperial study.
Liu Sitong bit her lip, tears streaming down her face. She stood there for a long time, but seeing that His Majesty remained unmoved, she finally lowered her head and followed the Empress Dowager, leaving together.
"You hate the Empress Dowager?" An Honghan could easily guess from Xiao Diao's behavior just now.
Xi Xizhi didn't hide anything, nodding her head heavily. It wasn't just dislike; the two of them were practically sworn enemies, a blood feud. The Empress Dowager had left her covered in bruises, and all she had to do in return was urinate. If she ever had the chance again, she would make the Empress Dowager taste that kind of pain.
With her resolve to cultivate into a human stronger than ever, Xi Xizhi raised her little head, intending to first have the old man examine her injuries. Her little paws mimicked the old man stroking his beard, and she chirped, "Go to the Imperial Hospital!"
An Honghan thought that Xiao Diao was still unwilling to give up and was still thinking of sending gifts to that old man. His mood immediately darkened. "You stay in the Imperial Study and don't even think about going anywhere else."
Every time we go out, this little guy gets into trouble. Only when you're by his side can he stay quiet for a while.
He couldn't explain why he disliked the little mink getting close to the old man, but An Honghan always did what he wanted, whatever he thought in his heart.
Xi Xizhi rolled around on his thigh in pain, cursing bitterly, "It hurts... my whole body hurts."
She had considered showing the fur to An Honghan and then complaining to the Empress Dowager. But this idea quickly faded from Xi Xizhi's mind. Private grudges should be resolved privately, and An Honghan shouldn't be involved. Besides, the Empress Dowager was An Honghan's birth mother; no matter how strained their relationship was, they were still connected by blood.
Whether An Honghan will help it or the Empress Dowager when that time comes remains to be seen.
Xi Xizhi dared not take that risk...
If An Honghan chooses to help him, Xi Xizhi should not have reported him. She cannot bear the blame for causing a rift between mother and son.
As usual, they had lunch in the Imperial Study. After finishing his meal, An Honghan wiped the grease from his mouth. Seeing that Xiao Diao was still listlessly lying on the table, not touching his food, he frowned in confusion.
"Why aren't you eating? Is the food not to your liking?" An Honghan picked up a piece of rabbit meat and placed it in the small porcelain bowl in front of the little sable. The day before yesterday, the little sable's eyes lit up when it saw the table full of dishes, so why did it look so uninterested now?
Xi Xizhi raised her eyelids, glanced at it only once, and then turned her head away.
I have no appetite, I don't want to move, and my whole body aches...
"Chirp chirp..." I don't want to eat.
Xi Xizhi barked twice, then jumped onto An Honghan's lap and lay there motionless.
"When you want to eat it, just ask the imperial kitchen to make it." An Honghan realized that Xiao Mink was acting a bit strangely today. He guessed several reasons, but still couldn't come to a conclusion.
Xi Xizhi imitated the old man's signature move and reiterated her desire to go to the Imperial Hospital.
An Honghan remained unmoved, but a surge of anger rose within him. What was so good about that old man? He fed it and provided for its play, yet the little ferret still insisted on running to him.
No matter how much Xi Xizhi pleaded, An Honghan simply wouldn't agree.
In the end, Xi Xizhi lay listlessly all afternoon, and still didn't eat anything when it was time for dinner that evening.
An Honghan thought it was throwing a tantrum and didn't try to reason with it as he had at noon.
You have to pamper your pet, but you can't let the ferret do whatever it wants. From the past until now, no one has ever dared to give it a hard time.
An Honghan lived a very regular life. The first thing he did upon returning to Panlong Palace was to bathe and change clothes. At this time, Xi Xizhi, as his companion, would also bathe with him in the bathing pool.
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