Nan Zhiyun glanced at him, said nothing, and then turned her attention back to the kitten in her arms. It was only four months old and still a tiny kitten.
"Does Your Majesty know what His Majesty said when he sent this cat over?" Qianxia asked with a smile.
"What are you saying?" Nan Zhiyun's mind was now completely occupied by this little kitten.
"His Majesty said that what was presented to the Empress today was a miniature version of her, which is like presenting the Empress herself to you." Qianxia said this with a hint of teasing.
Nan Zhiyun was stunned for a moment after hearing this, and didn't react for a moment. Then Xia Yi said, "Your Majesty means that the Empress is like a little kitten, right?"
Nan Zhiyun realized what was happening and then became embarrassed, muttering to herself, "I'm not a cat." Qianxia, listening nearby, was amused; the Empress was becoming more and more childlike lately. His Majesty was right, she really did resemble a cat.
"I've never raised a cat like this before..." Nan Zhiyun felt a vague worry in her heart. Everything she tried to raise died... flowers died, grass died, even her old rabbit died, especially that little white rabbit, which not only died but was also braised...
Is cat meat tasty? She'd never tried it, but rabbit was definitely delicious. However… she didn't want to let the cat die, so… Nan Zhiyun looked at the eunuch.
"Was this cat originally kept at Yujin Garden? Who was responsible for taking care of it?" Nan Zhiyun asked.
"Your Highness, it has always been in Yujin Garden. Previously, the people of Yujin Garden were in charge, and there was no one specifically looking after it. A while ago, His Majesty said he wanted to choose a cat to give to Your Highness, so he chose this one and put it aside. Then, I was entrusted with looking after and observing the cat for some time before it was finally brought to Your Highness now," the young eunuch replied.
"You can keep a cat?" Nan Zhiyun asked her.
“I used to keep some,” he replied.
"Would you like to stay with me? You can just take care of this cat," Nan Zhiyun asked him. The eunuch was surprised that Nan Zhiyun would ask him to stay and take care of the pet.
"Your Majesty's kindness is beyond my expectations!" The little eunuch immediately kowtowed.
"Then I'll go and talk to His Majesty about it in a bit." Nan Zhiyun stroked the cat in her hands, her face full of joy.
"Hey, by the way, what's your name?" Nan Zhiyun looked at him again.
“This servant is Xiao Jiangzi, but that was my previous name. I hope Your Majesty will bestow upon me a new name,” Xiao Jiangzi said.
"Hmm... then let's call him Jiang Ji." Nan Zhiyun was very casual when it came to naming, just whatever came to mind. Generally, eunuchs entering the palace would use their surname or a character from their given name as their name, so Nan Zhiyun kept the character "Jiang" from his name.
"Yes, this servant Jiang Ji thanks Your Highness Consort Shu for bestowing this name upon me." Jiang Ji quickly expressed his gratitude.
"Don't thank me too soon. I need to speak with His Majesty first. Let's talk about it after His Majesty agrees." Although Nan Zhiyun thought Yu Jingchen would agree, she couldn't make the decision on her own.
Jiang Ji replied with genuine gratitude.
Qianxia and Xiayi exchanged a glance but did not stop him. They had seen His Majesty's attitude towards his concubine, so they were not too worried.
As for Jiang Ji… he seems honest and law-abiding, so they aren't worried about him causing any trouble. Besides, the Empress has been kind to him, so he should be extremely grateful.
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