"Chirp chirp..." Xi Xizhi exclaimed in surprise. Xu Guoshi? Is it Old Man Xu?
Old Xu is gone, how come it didn't know? That old man is so disloyal, they had some kind of relationship, how could he leave without saying goodbye?
"Imperial Physician Xu once asked me to tell you, but I don't think it's necessary." An Honghan combed the little sable's fur. After Old Man Xu examined the little sable last time, he quietly left the next day, only sending a eunuch to inform An Honghan.
The moment Old Man Xu entered the palace, An Honghan said that his decision to stay or leave was entirely up to him.
Xi Xizhi grumbled a few curses, then turned her anger towards An Honghan. What did she mean by "no need to tell"? She genuinely considered the old man a friend, not only concealing her true identity but also leaving without saying a word.
Dongfang Youyu frowned, watching the interaction between the man and the mink, seemingly oblivious to everyone else, and felt utterly powerless. Judging from An Honghan's expression, he didn't appear to be faking it, and besides, lying wouldn't do An Honghan any good.
“The Imperial Preceptor Xu hasn’t been gone long. If you send more people to search, you might still be able to find him,” An Honghan reminded him, then said coldly, “I’m a little tired.”
If one cannot understand the implied meaning, Dongfang Youyu would never have been able to become the crown prince.
"I will not disturb Your Majesty's rest any longer. Thank you for your reminder." Dongfang Youyu bowed and turned to walk towards the door. As he passed the gate, he smelled a fragrant aroma, stopped, and saw a palace maid carrying a plate of braised fish in both hands, brushing past him.
Even though the fish had changed its appearance, Dongfang Youyu recognized it at a glance... it was a fish that had just been transported from their country that day—the Phoenix Golden Scale Fish.
They originally thought An Honghan really liked these ornamental fish, which was why he ordered them to send another batch. But they never expected that his purpose was actually to eat them.
Dongfang Youyu slowly turned around and saw the fluffy mink holding the fish with its two paws, munching on it with relish.
If it were An Honghan who wanted to eat it, Dongfang Youyu would have thought so. But seeing this scene, a self-deprecating smile appeared on his face. Dongfang Youyu sighed inwardly, thinking that if the Phoenix Golden Scale Fish ever disappeared, it would most likely be thanks to this sable.
After the ferret finished eating, An Honghan reached out and poked the fiery red fur on its forehead...
A tingling sensation instantly spread throughout the little ferret's body, causing it to shrink back and chirp, seemingly telling it not to be touched there.
"Can't you just sit still for a while every day? Look how dirty you are." An Honghan grabbed the little sable's two front paws, pulled it into his arms, and stood up, saying, "Take a bath and change your clothes."
As soon as those four words were spoken, the palace maids who had been standing quietly on both sides of the main hall immediately went into the inner hall to prepare a sleeping robe and other items for An Honghan.
The ink wasn't easy to wash off; it took more than half an hour for the ferret's fur to gradually return to normal.
Another day has begun, and An Honghan continues his monotonous life, which consists of either attending court in the morning or handling government affairs.
Lynn held a small booklet in his hands. "Your Majesty, everything that was sent by the Kingdom of Luyun yesterday has been recorded. Please take a look."
An Honghan took it and casually flipped through it. "All these are accessories and trinkets? What use are these things to me?" With a snap, An Honghan closed the booklet. "Summon all the princesses to the Imperial Study."
Xi Xizhi raised her little head in confusion. An Honghan usually didn't like to deal with those princesses, so why did he take the initiative to come over to them today?
Compared to Xi Xizhi's puzzled expression, Lin En seemed to be used to it, "This servant will go right away."
In the palace, apart from Xi Xizhi, the fur coat was the most idle, and then there were the princesses.
Upon receiving news of An Honghan's summons, they rushed to the Imperial Study in a flurry of activity, the pearl flowers in their hair trembling as they hurried along.
More than a dozen princesses entered one after another, while the timid An Yunyi was the last to step into the Imperial Study.
Her appearance was completely different from when she first met. Her cheeks were swollen, and the red marks from her five fingers were particularly noticeable.
"Kowtowing...Kowtowing to Your Majesty." The injury on her cheek made An Yunyi's speech incoherent.
Xi Xizhi was stunned, her gaze slowly shifting to An Ruoyan. An Ruoyan's delicate face was lightly made up, but no matter how beautiful she was, her heart was more ruthless than a scorpion.
An Honghan ignored her completely, only glancing at An Yunyi before looking away and giving a curt "hmm," without mentioning a word about her being slapped.
Seeing this, An Ruoyan finally breathed a sigh of relief. As long as her brother didn't pursue the matter, it meant he wasn't entirely on the fourteenth prince's side, and she still had a chance to turn the tide...
“Yesterday, the Crown Prince of Luyun Kingdom brought a batch of exquisite jewelry. Please choose whatever you like.”
Several eunuchs entered from outside the hall carrying square trays filled with pearls, agates, gold, silver and jade.
Xi Xizhi chewed on her two paws, glaring at An Honghan with utter resentment.
Its watery eyes seemed to say... it wanted pearls and agates too.
Staring at the little sable's pitiful eyes, even An Honghan's hardened heart would soften. "If you like, go and pick one too."
Anyway, they were just small things, and there were plenty of them in the palace, so An Honghan didn't care at all.
Xi Xizhi liked these pieces of jewelry for only one reason... they could be exchanged for money.
While these things might be like weeds in a flowerbed to An Honghan, readily available everywhere, they were undoubtedly a tremendous fortune for Xi Xizhi. Even if An Honghan were to discard them one day, at least she'd have some money to rely on, wouldn't she?
Being a rich, filthy mink wouldn't be so bad...
The little sable ran to the eunuchs, who were all holding trays for the princesses to choose from.
That height posed a significant problem. Xi Xizhi chirped and fussed around the eunuchs, trying to get them to lower the tray, ideally placing it on the floor for her to choose from.
Unfortunately... don't assume everyone is as clever as An Honghan, capable of understanding the animal language of a little ferret.
An Honghan stepped out from behind his desk and said, "Put the tray on the table."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The eunuch obeyed respectfully.
An Honghan bent down, slipped his fingers under the little ferret's armpits, and then picked it up. A dazzling array of precious jewelry filled the round table.
Xi Xizhi couldn't wait to kick her hind legs and land steadily on the table.
Several agate necklaces had already been chosen, and Xi Xizhi felt a pang of heartache looking at them. Those beads were so big, how much were they worth!
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