The smug, concerned about its image, ate its lunch, constantly feeling the eyes of the eunuchs and maids lingering on it. Perhaps because it had just been so humiliated, Xi Xizhi felt they wanted to laugh at it. The meal was incredibly frustrating, while the culprit that had caused it such embarrassment ate an extra bowl of rice, more than usual.
Enraged, Xi Xizhi gritted her teeth, channeling her grief into her appetite. She buried her fluffy little head in the bowl and frantically shoveled rice into her mouth. After only two bites, she found it tasteless and spat out a mouthful of rice, which landed squarely on Lynn's cheek.
The grudge from earlier had been completely avenged. The little ferret showed no remorse whatsoever, and strutted towards the roast chicken on all fours. Even in something as trivial as eating, she absolutely couldn't let someone outdo her; if she lost, she had to lose gracefully!
But An Honghan was human, while Xi Xizhi was a ferret. Their stomachs were so small that they could only eat two chicken legs and one chicken wing at most. Perhaps because she had become an animal, Xi Xizhi preferred meat even more than in her previous life.
Lying on the large table, Xi Xizhi kept patting her belly with both hands, and the sound of burps echoed in the hall.
Lynn wiped his face clean with a handkerchief and looked up at the sky with a sorrowful expression. What had he done to deserve this? Not only did he have to bear the pressure from His Majesty, but he also had to endure the bullying of a little ferret.
An Honghan picked up a ferret that had eaten too much and poked its belly with his finger, where it was bulging and very round.
"He has quite an appetite."
It was hard to tell if it was a compliment or an insult. Xi Xizhi let out a burp as soon as An Honghan finished speaking.
No, I can't take it anymore! I'm so full I can't even lift my paws!
She didn't even have the energy to curse; all Xi Xi could make when she opened her mouth was burp. Who says being full is a kind of happiness? This is just asking for trouble.
One burp after another made Xi Xizhi so uncomfortable that she wanted to roll around, but her stomach was so swollen that even turning over was difficult.
An Honghan noticed that the little sable was unwell and immediately instructed Wu Jianfeng, "Go to the Imperial Hospital quickly and get some medicine to aid digestion."
The guards were all trained in martial arts and were quite fast on their feet. After Wu Jianfeng went out, he returned in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, carrying a small porcelain bottle.
"Your Majesty, this is the medicine prescribed by Physician Xu." Wu Jianfeng presented it with both hands.
An Honghan removed the cork, poured out a pill, pried open the little ferret's mouth, and fed it to it.
"Let's see if you dare to act tough again next time." An Honghan brought over a glass of water for the little sable to moisten its throat.
The pill didn't take effect immediately after being swallowed, so Xi Xizhi was so uncomfortable that she couldn't move...
An Honghan felt sorry for the little ferret and let it lie on his lap, gently stroking its belly to help it digest.
Seeing An Honghan taking such good care of her, Xi Xizhi's anger completely vanished. Strangely enough, although An Honghan clearly treated it like a pet, Xi Xizhi was completely content and couldn't feel the slightest bit of disgust.
Staring intently at An Honghan's handsome face, Xi Xizhi enjoyed the 'massage' from him, humming comfortably as her discomfort gradually dissipated.
"Lin En, move a desk to Qingyuan Pond. I will be handling state affairs there these next few days," An Honghan said coldly, rubbing the little sable's belly.
The little ferret's triangular ears twitched slightly, and it blinked at An Honghan. Why go to Qingyuan Pond to handle official business? Isn't the Imperial Study perfectly fine? Although the scenery at Qingyuan Pond is indeed beautiful, wouldn't it be too much trouble to move a desk there just for that reason?
An Honghan patted the little sable's belly and scolded, "You're not uncomfortable anymore? Why don't you sit up? Do you really treat me like a servant?"
Xi Xizhi, who wanted to enjoy himself as much as possible, was startled by the shout and quickly got up, chirping as if he was being told to handle government affairs in the Imperial Study.
An Honghan reached out and rubbed its forehead, then leaned down and whispered in its ear, "Don't you want to recover your spiritual power quickly?"
It's better to let the ferret train during the day than for it to sneak out every night.
Xi Xizhi was unaware of his ulterior motives, only believing that An Honghan was thinking of her in everything, and was immediately moved to tears. She leaned over and nuzzled An Honghan's arm.
The man and his sable moved their location, relocating their administrative affairs to Qingyuan Pond.
The desk was placed in the pavilion, and many memorials were placed on it.
An Honghan, holding his little ferret, sat in a rattan chair, brush in hand, diligently reviewing memorials. Occasionally, a gentle breeze blew, rustling the emerald green bamboo leaves; breathing in the fresh air, he felt much more relaxed.
The little sable entered a meditative state, its eyelids closed, lying on An Honghan's lap, oblivious to the sounds of the outside world.
An Honghan would stroke its fur from time to time, and whenever he was tired from handling government affairs, he would look at the golden-scaled fish swimming in the pond.
The two, a human and a sable, stayed together peacefully, the still scene filled with a sense of beauty.
Calm and peaceful days always pass very quickly, and several days have passed in the blink of an eye.
As dusk fell, the sun gradually sank behind the western mountains. The clouds were tinged with golden light, turning orange, and dreamlike clouds crisscrossed the landscape.
Xi Xizhi jogged all the way from Qingyuan Pond back to Panlong Palace. After having dinner and taking a bath with An Honghan, they went to bed in the warm tent in perfect unison.
Through Xi Xizhi's persistent efforts, her spiritual power was finally restored to about 70-80%. She lived a much more comfortable life, not only eating delicacies every day but also sleeping on a dragon bed and having An Honghan's large hands stroke her hair.
All the palace maids and eunuchs were evacuated, and the only sounds in the entire Panlong Hall were the breathing of An Honghan and Xiao Diao.
In the quiet night, the candlelight flickered, its yellowish glow softly illuminating the hall. Occasionally, the wick would snap, breaking the stillness of the night.
The window is located to the right of the head of the bed, and the moonlight shines through the window, illuminating most of the bed.
An Honghan and Xi Xizhi were already fast asleep, which is why they both missed what happened next. Inside the golden, warm tent, Xiao Diao was surrounded by a faint, ethereal light. As the light flickered and changed, Xiao Diao's body vaguely transformed into a naked girl of about seven or eight years old, like a phantom. Through that phantom, one could even see the quilt beneath the girl's body. After only three or four seconds, the illusory phantom suddenly vanished without a trace.
As if nothing had happened, Xi Xizhi remained the fluffy white ball of fur, and everything that had just occurred seemed to be an illusion, leaving no trace.
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