Zhu Xi has always been the one taking care of Xue'er, and he has deep feelings for her.
Seeing their young master carry him away, they quickly chased after him.
"Young master, Xue'er is very well-behaved. It's all my fault. I'll keep an eye on her from now on and make sure she doesn't go into the kitchen, okay?"
Xue'er seemed to understand Zhu Xi's words and meowed in Lin Xiangzhi's arms.
Lin Xiangzhi stopped and turned around to ask, "Do you still want the young mistress?"
Zhu Xi looked completely bewildered. "Young...Young Master, of course this servant hopes that there will be a young mistress in the manor. With a young mistress, the manor will not be lonely."
Zhu Xi dared not say that the young master was irresponsible. The cooks and servants in the manor were all lazy. If the kitchen had been kept clean, Xue'er wouldn't have turned into a lump of coal.
"Shut up if you want the young mistress." Lin Xiangzhi glared at Zhu Xi, then turned and left like a whirlwind.
"Will taking Xue'er make me the young mistress?"
"That's not right! The young master hasn't even been engaged yet, so where did this young mistress come from?!"
Lin Xiangzhi's figure quickly disappeared at the end of the corridor, leaving Zhu Xi even more bewildered.
After a moment of stunned silence, Zhu Xi slapped her forehead. "I'm such an idiot. Young Master must have used Xue'er to trick the girl."
Yes, I need to clean the house quickly so that the young mistress can't see the young master's slovenly appearance.
...
Lin Xiangzhi rushed to the palace in a great hurry.
Normally, when people enter or exit through the east gate, the guards do not check them.
The guards' duty was to protect the safety of the palace, and they would absolutely not allow unrelated people to pass through.
Although the guards at the palace gates all recognized him, they dared not be careless when they saw that his arms were bulging.
A guard stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and stared intently at Lin Xiangzhi's arms.
"Lord Lin, you're not sending roast goose again today, are you?"
That day, the roast goose was sent to the palace in a food box. Lin Xiangzhi was no fool, and naturally understood that the guards wanted to investigate him but were restrained by their relationship.
It's all thanks to his position as acting Minister. From high-ranking officials to lowly palace eunuchs, everyone knows him; he's incredibly famous.
Lin Xiangzhi lifted the cloak a crack, revealing a fluffy little head.
The little guy was sleeping soundly in my arms when suddenly he felt a chill on his forehead and couldn't help but meow.
The guard glanced at him and quickly stepped back, gesturing for him to proceed. "Lord Lin, are you sending cats instead today?"
Lin Xiangzhi closed his cloak again, smiled and said, "Even the Empress Dowager will get tired of eating food every day. Today, let's send a cat into the palace to help her relax."
The guard kindly reminded him, "Lord Lin, are you perhaps unaware that the Empress Dowager has returned to Yannan?"
Lin Xiangzhi secretly realized he had been careless. Last time, when he was stopped while delivering roast goose, he only managed to get past the Empress Dowager by invoking her name. It seemed inappropriate to say something like that today.
He paused slightly, raised his chin slightly, and said in a serious tone:
"The Empress Dowager has returned to Yannan. She will eventually return to the palace. Cats are naturally timid. I must first send the cat to the palace to familiarize it with the environment and then train it so that it can serve the Empress Dowager well in the future."
"Yes, yes, Lord Lin is indeed very thoughtful." The guard nodded and bowed repeatedly.
After Lin Xiangzhi walked away, the guard asked his companion, "Do cats serve people?"
His companion shook his head. "Impossible! Absolutely impossible. Could it be that Lord Lin's cat is something special?"
Without the Empress Dowager's decree, men from outside the palace were not allowed to enter. Lin Xiangzhi, holding a cat, lingered under a palace wall.
He was waiting for a passing palace maid to pass on a message.
About fifteen minutes later, several palace maids came from a distance.
Upon seeing Lin Xiangzhi in his official robes, the palace maids bowed in unison and continued on their way to the inner palace.
"Hey! Wait a minute!"
"What are your orders, sir?" The palace maid at the back turned to look at Prime Minister Lin.
"Please help me..."
Before he could even utter Princess Yonghe's name, Xiangyang's voice rang out behind him, "Lord Lin! What are you doing here?"
Lin Xiangzhi's heart skipped a beat. He slowly turned around and said, "The deputy commander is also passing by here. What a coincidence."
"I'm not just passing by; I'm here on the Emperor's orders to do some business."
"What is Lord Lin holding in his arms?" Xiang Yang's gaze instinctively fell on Prime Minister Lin's arms.
Lin Xiangzhi felt inexplicably uneasy, and his hands involuntarily tightened.
The little guy in his arms meowed, and Lin Xiangzhi quickly loosened his grip.
He gave an awkward laugh, "It's nothing, just a cat."
"Why is Lord Lin standing here holding a cat?" Xiang Yang looked up and pointed to the departing palace maid. "Does Lord Lin wish to see the Empress Dowager?"
Lin Xiangzhi: "..."
How should we put this? If we say we're going to see Princess Yonghe, that would be inappropriate. If we say we're giving the cat to Chang Le, that doesn't make sense, as Chang Le spends most of her time at the academy.
He gritted his teeth and said, "The Empress Dowager likes cats. I happen to have a Persian cat that I bought from a Hu person. I wanted to send it to Cining Palace, but I learned that the Empress Dowager has returned to Yannan."
As he spoke, Lin Xiangzhi turned around and glanced at the palace path leading to the inner palace.
"I've already delivered it. Could the Deputy Commander please send a palace maid to Yonghe Palace to inform the princess that I'll take the cat there and have her care for it for a while?"
“We have guests at Yonghe Palace today, all noble ladies from the capital. Lord Lin, you can just hand the cat over to me,” Xiangyang said, extending his hand.
Lin Xiangzhi hesitated slightly, but ultimately handed Xue'er to Xiang Yang.
Xue'er was half asleep in the warm embrace when the cold wind jolted her awake.
When she opened her eyes, she found herself in a stranger's arms. She meowed and tried to break free.
Lin Xiangzhi quickly untied his cloak and covered Xue'er with it. Upon smelling the familiar scent, Xue'er immediately quieted down.
"Please make sure to pass this on to Princess Yonghe, and remember to tell her that this cat loves to eat meat."
Xiangyang stroked the cat's head. "Don't worry, Lord Lin. Even if it only wants to eat vegetables sent by Juxian Pavilion, let alone meat, the imperial kitchen will still save a plate for it."
Before he finished speaking, Xiangyang strode quickly toward the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
"Hey! Xiangyang, where are you going?"
"Lord Lin, please return. This is a trivial matter; there's no need to trouble the princess." Xiang Yang strode swiftly.
"No, it's not..."
Lin Xiangzhi wanted to chase after him, but in the blink of an eye, Xiang Yang had already disappeared from sight.
Xiangyang ran all the way, almost bursting into laughter.
It's like searching high and low without finding it, only to have it come to you effortlessly.
The master asked him to find a beautiful cat. Not long ago, he saw several cats lying on the ground sunbathing in the Imperial Garden.
I searched the entire Imperial Garden today, but I couldn't find a single cat, let alone a pretty one.
Upon arriving at the imperial study, Xiang Yang grinned and said, "Master, guess what I've brought you?"
Xiao Jingzhao glanced at the fluffy cloak. "Does the Emperor need a cloak?"
"No, this cloak belongs to Young Master Lin."
As Xiangyang spoke, he lifted the cloak a crack and said, "Master, look, isn't this cat beautiful?"
Xue'er's fluffy little head peeked out, her sapphire-like eyes looking timidly at Xiao Jingzhao.
"This cat is truly beautiful."
Perhaps it was because Xiao Jingzhao's gaze was too gentle, Xue'er did not cry out for the first time ever.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
