Chapter 45: Dancing Kittens

Floods devastated the south of the Yangtze River, leaving thousands of refugees and starving people everywhere.

The emperor was worried about the country and the people, and was shocked to hear the bad news about the third prince, who fell ill and could not get up. The people in the court were in a panic, and at this time, the second prince stood up, serving the emperor at night and running around the court during the day. He looked like he was working hard for the country and the people.

As Zhou Huaiyan expected, the Fourth Prince went to Jiangnan again. The Emperor did not stop him this time. The Eighth Prince did not understand state affairs, but at such a special moment, no matter what he thought in his heart, he still had to serve the Emperor at his bedside and be a filial son.

However, at this moment, the Ninth Prince, in addition to the daily perfunctory greetings, also summoned a group of actors to the palace to eat, drink and have fun, becoming more and more unscrupulous. He was simply the ultimate in being an unfilial son.

Even Xiao Shisan was a little worried and came to Qiwu Palace several times.

At night, Keqiwu Palace was bustling with activity and even had a special stage set up for it.

"Brother Xiaojiu, are you really not going to serve Father?"

The child's tender face was full of anxiety.

"Minmin, I heard a lot of people talking about...about you..."

"—you're saying I'm unfilial?"

Zhou Huaiyan sneered, then sat sideways on the recliner, listening leisurely to the melodious opera voice coming from not far away.

Although it was night, many lights were on on the stage, and the singing was particularly poetic in the summer night breeze.

The history of this era is different from his original one, so naturally the stories told in the opera are also different, but the literary value is not inferior at all.

Zhou Huaiyan liked it very much and would call people to listen every now and then.

"My second brother and my eighth brother are both vying to serve the emperor, and there are a bunch of concubines in the harem, all of whom are eager to get into the Xuanzheng Hall. Why should I squeeze in with the hustle and bustle?"

"But......"

Little Thirteen is still worried. Because he has experienced the warmth and coldness of human nature too early in his childhood, he has a strong dependence and concern for Zhou Huaiyan, the only one who will protect them. At the same time, the precocious Little Thirteen also keenly perceives the undercurrents among several of his brothers.

"It would be fine if Brother Xiaojiu was drinking and having fun like this normally, but now is a special moment, aren't you worried, Brother Xiaojiu?"

"Worry?"

Zhou Huaiyan looked at the white tiger cub chasing butterflies in the yard, then casually opened his mouth and bit the lychee that Ah Fei fed him. Now it was August, the last batch of late-ripening lychees, which were sent from the south at full speed. They were extremely expensive, even priceless, and only the imperial palace could enjoy them.

He chuckled softly, and there seemed to be something else behind his words.

"That's not necessary. Father is in very good health and may even live to be a hundred years old."

The sweet juice of lychees flowed between the boy's lips and tongue, and he suddenly thought of a poem:

[A red-dusted concubine smiled, but no one knew that it was the lychees coming. ]

But speaking of concubines...

"How is the woman who attracted the white tiger during the last Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony now?"

Ah Fei carefully peeled the lychee shells. The sweet juice made his fingertips wet.

"In reply to the master, after the Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony, the woman was brought back to the palace by the Second Prince. However, she never slept with him. I even heard that the Second Prince regarded the woman as his confidant."

"confidant......?"

Even Xiao Shisan was a little surprised. Although the Second Prince looked like a graceful and elegant gentleman, he was actually a very thoughtful person. Most of the people he made friends with were children of prominent families. He looked down on people from poor families the most. It was strange that he would take a girl of common origin as his confidante.

After all, Xiao Shisan was deeply impressed by the fact that his second brother looked down on people from poor families. Because his mother was a court lady, among all the princes, only Xiao Jiu was kind to him, followed by his fourth brother.

The rest bullied him.

Thinking of this, Xiao Shisan moved closer to the boy again, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself. This continued for a long time, and Zhou Huaiyan became anxious. He picked up a lychee and smashed it on the boy's forehead with precision.

bump!

A little red mark suddenly appeared on the fair forehead

But Xiao Shisan had no time to care. He just caught it in a hurry and held it carefully in his palm.

[——It’s lychee.]

The bright red shell is large and full, and you can see how juicy the flesh inside is even before you peel it.

The capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty was located in the north, so every summer, a large amount of manpower and resources were used to transport lychees from the south. The largest and fullest lychees were selected and sent to the Emperor's Xuanzheng Hall first, and then to some favored princes and concubines.

An unfavored little prince like Zhou Huaimin could not eat it, or could only eat the leftovers. The child raised his head carefully, and when he saw that the boy was not looking at him, he put it in his arms.

——Take it back to mother.

This is the miserable life of a prince whose mother's family is of little influence and who is not favored.

But after this little episode, Zhou Huaimin remembered what he wanted to say just now.

"Brother Xiaojiu..."

Bang--!

Another lychee hit me on the head.

"If you continue to be so hesitant and unclear, don't come to my Qiwu Palace again."

Zhou Huaiyan hates it most when people keep things in suspense.

"Ah! Brother Xiaojiu, calm down. Minmin won't dare to do that anymore."

Xiao Shisan quickly ran to the boy, grabbed his sleeve, and couldn't help but lean over and whispered,

"Minmin, that day, I accidentally heard Brother Eighth say that Father might... not be able to survive. Brother Nine, do you want to... make preparations early?"

Ah Fei had excellent hearing, and he didn't miss a single word of the child's deliberately low voice. His movements of peeling the lychees suddenly slowed down.

【Be prepared early...】

Those jade-colored eyes were slightly lowered.

【The master has already made preparations. 】

The longer he stayed with Zhou Huaiyan, the more he was shocked by the boy's wisdom. Everything that happened now, even the next step that everyone was about to take, was calculated clearly by the master.

After the assassination, the master woke up and dug out Yanzhou in less than three days. Then, the next day after keeping him by his side, he quietly asked someone to find out his life experience. If it weren't for the top secret plan of the alien king Qu Pingye, he might have been dug out in less than three days.

Even later, the emperor's thoughts, the identity that Master Jiankong of the White Horse Temple had spent decades to cover up, the queen's resentment and pain, Qi Shoubang's bait for fishing, the fake death of the third prince...

Everything is under the control of the master.

Even many people became Zhou Huaiyan's pawns without realizing it.

Ah Fei's worship of the boy almost reached the level of a fanatical believer, but at the same time, he began to feel afraid.

I was afraid that my master would find out that I had been secretly passing on information in the palace to those people for the past few months. I was afraid that my master would find out my identity and past.

Ah Fei closed her eyes tightly and skillfully fed the peeled lychee in her hand into her master's mouth.

However, from Zhou Huaiyan's perspective, he had already found out Ah Fei's background a long time ago, and he was always very good at judging people. After spending so much time together, the latter had already passed his inspection.

Young people always believe in not employing people they doubt, and trusting people they employ. Naturally, they never doubt the person who hugs them intimately every day.

At this time, Zhou Huaiyan frowned when he heard that Xiao Shisan was already reminding him implicitly about the matter of usurping the throne.

"What are you preparing for? Don't think that our father is so fragile. He may live longer than us sons."

"But......"

Xiao Shisan wanted to say something, but his arms suddenly felt heavy. He lowered his head.

——It’s a big bunch of lychees.

"...Brother Xiaojiu?"

Zhou Huaiyan didn't even look at him, but looked at the stage leisurely, seeming to be extremely intoxicated.

"Your Highness is tired of eating this. It would be a waste to throw it away. I will give it to you as a reward."

"......"

This might be considered humiliation in the eyes of other princes, but Zhou Huaimin had long been accustomed to it. He knew that Brother Xiaojiu only said so, but actually gave it specially to him.

"Thank you, Brother Xiaojiu. Minmin likes Brother Xiaojiu the most."

The child came over to act coquettishly again. Zhou Huaiyan didn't want to touch such a naughty boy in such a hot day, so he quickly pushed him away.

"Go, go, go, and stop me from watching the show."

"Okay, Minmin, I'll take my leave now."

Finally sending that clingy guy away, Zhou Huaiyan breathed a sigh of relief. He turned around to say something to Ah Fei, but saw that the latter was a little distracted. The boy's eyes paused on the kitten's wet fingers for a moment,

“Dongdong——”

The knocking sound of the finger bones on the table immediately brought the little cat back to its senses. When it looked at Zhou Huaiyan's calm gaze, Ah Fei's heart skipped a beat and panic crept up its back.

"Master... Master..."

"What are you thinking about so absent-mindedly?"

Zhou Huaiyan felt something was wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Just when Ah Fei didn't know how to answer, the eunuch Dousha came up eagerly.

"Your Highness, the play you ordered has ended today. There are a group of dancers waiting outside. How about you watch it?"

"...Dancing girl?"

Zhou Huaiyan remembered that he also had a reputation as a lustful person, so naturally he had to surround himself with more beautiful women.

"Your Highness is tired of watching the dance in the palace. Is there anything new?"

"Yes! Yes!"

The eunuch smiled with a hint of lewdness and moved closer.

"Your Highness, can you please move to the inner hall? Today, I have specially selected some dancers who can dance voluptuous."

"......"

This lecherous prince is so good at pretending that even the people around him believe him. Zhou Huaiyan wanted to hold his forehead, but when he accidentally saw Ah Fei next to him, who was shocked, nervous, and a little depressed and angry, the young man immediately changed his mind. He stood up and walked towards the inner hall.

"Then I will reward you. If you are not charming enough, I will not spare you."

"How can that be possible? Your Highness, just watch. This dance is absolutely..."

Ah Fei couldn't hear the rest of the conversation. His mind was full of thoughts: the master wanted to see a striptease, wanted to see another woman dancing striptease. Was it just a show? Or was it real? But he had just heard the play, so there was no need to watch the dance again. Even if he wanted to watch it, he didn't have to watch a striptease... a striptease...

Could it be that his owner is tired of him and wants to try something new?

Ah Fei felt uneasy, bitter and sad, but she still followed without stopping.

The gate was closed and all the palace maids and eunuchs serving inside retreated. In the misty red veil, dancers in hot red dresses appeared one after another, looking charming and graceful.

Their dance skirts were very light, almost just a thin layer of red gauze, revealing their soft skin. Their chests were very low, and one could even see the deep cleavage. And underneath, their slender and soft waists were boldly revealed.

The skirt was more like a cheongsam, with slits all the way down to the thighs. When she walked, the silver bells on her ankles moved in the wind, revealing almost all of her beautiful long legs.

——It’s simply hot and sexy to the extreme.

Perhaps for the ancients, dressing like this was almost the same as being naked.

But for Zhou Huaiyan, who was used to all kinds of modern sexy and Korean dances, it was just average.

The young man sat there lazily, twirling the wine glass in his hand carelessly, squinting his eyes, and seemed very satisfied. Ah Fei could no longer tell whether his master was acting or not, he only knew that the young man's eyes lingered on the naked bodies of those women.

——With that kind of dress, there are few men in the world who would not be moved.

Ah Fei stood beside his master with an expressionless face, his gaze fixed on the group of overly sexy dancers. No one knew that an extremely brutal murderous intent had already burned in his heart at this moment.

The young eunuch walked up to Zhou Huaiyan.

"Your Highness, are you satisfied? If you are, I will ask them to start."

Zhou Huaiyan didn't answer, but just chuckled.

Dousha understood immediately, but just as he was about to go down, he was stopped by the Ninth Prince. The young man came up to him and whispered a few words.

The young eunuch immediately revealed a puzzled look, then suddenly glanced at the stern-faced foreign boy standing next to him. Finally, he seemed to suddenly realize something and immediately lowered his head and retreated.

"A Fei,"

Zhou Huaiyan took a sip of wine and immediately felt the little cat coming towards him with a wronged look on his face.

"I heard from Master Wei that you have a good memory. You can remember the punches and kicks you taught me after just one look?"

"yes......"

Ah Fei was still jealous of the dancers, and when he suddenly heard the boy mention this, he didn't react at all.

"real?"

Zhou Huaiyan turned his head, turned the empty wine glass upside down, and then lifted the kitten's chin.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, and there seemed to be something else in his tone.

"A Fei, you won't lie to me, will you?"

“.......”

The kitten's palms immediately broke into a cold sweat.

"No...I won't..."

At this moment, Zhou Huaiyan suppressed his smile and stared at him for a long time. So long that Ah Fei even thought her secret had been discovered by her master. When she was about to ask for mercy, the boy suddenly took back the wine glass.

"That's good."

He raised his hand casually, and the melodious sound of bamboo zither immediately rang out.

"Let's watch the dance. If you get distracted again..."

Before Zhou Huaiyan finished speaking, Ah Fei didn't know what was going on in his mind, and his face turned frighteningly pale. He immediately knelt down behind the young man and stared at the overly gorgeous dance in front of him without blinking. Knowing that the man in front of him was the most noble ninth prince, who was generous and spent money like water, and even had such a good appearance, they would be well paid even if they served him for free for one night.

Therefore, the dancers used almost all their skills and were extremely seductive.

But no matter how hot and gorgeous their dancing was, the young man just leaned his head lazily and drank one glass of wine after another. The one behind him watched them seriously, but his fierce cat eyes seemed to want to eat them. When the dance ended, all the dancers shut themselves up. Not to mention seducing people for a night of passion, they didn't even give the other party a slight erection to show courtesy, and the expressions on their faces were not even as interesting as watching the show just now.

"Hmm? Finished dancing?"

Zhou Huaiyan waited until the music stopped before coming back to his senses. He waved his hands casually.

"Then step back."

“........”

At this time, not only the dancer, but even Ah Fei was stunned. But then, he was happy again.

——It turns out that the master is just playing along.

But after all the dancers had left, Ah Fei suddenly heard the young man speak.

"Were you distracted just now?"

"no!"

Ah Fei answered nervously.

"Did you look carefully?"

"Carefully."

The kitten nodded like a garlic.

"Oh, do you remember all that?"

"Remember everything...eh?"

Ah Fei was stunned. He was confused for a long time before he realized what his master had just said. The little cat raised his head and looked at the boy with hesitation. The latter pointed at the door, where a red dance dress was placed.

"Go, put it on, and dance for me."

"......"

After a while, Ah Fei looked at her tacky clothes and felt as if she was burnt. Ah Fei's whole body was covered with a layer of pink. It was difficult for her to walk, let alone dance. And she had to dance like the women just now.

"Owner......"

The kitten is stammering and trying to get another try.

"Why, you can't remember?"

The young boy did not understand his embarrassment at all. On the contrary, he was sitting casually, pointing to the side of his face with one hand, and watching with great interest.

"No, I remember, but..."

Ah Fei's voice was trembling.

"You lied?"

"--no!!!"

The kitten immediately refuted, but after standing there for a long time, he finally came up with a flimsy excuse.

"No... no music..."

Zhou Huaiyan had just driven everyone out, including the musicians. The young man thought about it and felt that it made sense.

"Then wait,"

Before Ah Fei could breathe a sigh of relief, she saw her master bringing out a zither from the study. The zither had been hanging on the wall, very beautiful, delicate as a collection. Ah Fei had never seen her master play it, so she thought it was really a collection.

However--

Soon, melodious piano music flowed out from the boy's fingertips. This kind of music was a thousand times more beautiful than the piano music performed by the young ladies from wealthy families that Ah Fei heard on New Year's Eve.

No wonder the owner had no interest in playing the piano at that time. After all, it would be like a master who has mastered the piano playing the piano and seeing a few-year-old child playing the strings. He probably wouldn't have any special reaction.

"Here, there's music."

Zhou Huaiyan's voice interrupted Ah Fei's contemplation. The little cat looked up and saw the boy's slightly meaningful chuckle.

"Let's get started."

"......"

After a while, the silver bells rang with the sound of the piano.

Afterwards, the palace servants in Qiwu Palace all regretted that the heavenly piano music lasted too short a time, but the bell sounded intermittently until dawn.

It's so annoying.

But that was what came from the Ninth Prince's bedroom, so who dared to say anything more?

The author has something to say:

Don't let your hair grow too fat, did you hear me?