The reason was simple: the Emperor didn't give Empress Dowager Zhou a chance to speak at all.
Even if Empress Dowager Zhou couldn't help but bring up the Zhou family, the Emperor would eventually dismiss her with indifference.
"The Empress Dowager is currently unwell, so there's no need for her to worry about those matters outside, lest it harm her health. The Zhou family is the Empress Dowager's maternal clan, and for her sake, I will not exterminate them."
This was the last bit of dignity between the mother and son.
The Emperor has already spoken, and things have come to this point; Empress Dowager Zhou is naturally powerless to change the situation.
That night, she persuaded the emperor not to continue attending to her illness, but there was nothing she could do about it. With the emperor around, she wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully.
Why torture each other?
Pei Yuanhui didn't insist much, and he didn't seem to enjoy staying in Cining Palace much.
The Empress Dowager is getting old, and the sandalwood scent in Cining Palace is particularly strong. In the past two days, there has also been a medicinal smell in Cining Palace, and the mixed smells are really not pleasant.
The Emperor has truly had enough of the smell of medicine these past few days.
He returned to Funing Palace and suddenly remembered Tannu, that clingy little fellow.
Before Pei Yuanhui could even ask, Jin Yang, sensing the situation, spoke up:
"Your Majesty, Tan Nu has been sent to Consort Huo. I heard that nothing has happened yet, and Tan Nu is behaving well with Consort Huo."
Yeah, right!
Huo Qinghe's Yanliang Pavilion has been thoroughly ransacked by General Tan today.
Tan Nu was a snow-white ball of fur. Huo Qinghe had liked it when she first saw it in the Funing Palace, and originally thought it was a well-behaved cat.
When the cat was actually brought close to her, Huo Qinghe realized that the cat kept by the emperor was no less a little tyrant.
And there was the look of relief on Miao Xi's face when he brought General Tan here.
The maids were initially delighted to learn that the Emperor had sent Tan Nu, but by noon they were exhausted.
Unfortunately, this was the official's beloved cat, so the maids had to keep a close eye on it, and even if the cat climbed onto the roof and tore off the tiles, they had to coax it.
Huo Qinghe watched for a while and understood it. After noon, she told Lvhuai and the others to leave General Tan alone.
General Tan is very clever; even if he climbs onto the roof beam, he's not afraid of falling.
She went straight back inside to read: "It looks like it's going to rain. Don't forget to bring it back to the porch when it rains."
Tannu is intelligent and seems to have inexhaustible energy.
It was rare for Yanliang Pavilion to be so lively. Huo Qinghe watched for a while and was really worried that the maids would be exhausted.
Sure enough, it started raining outside after noon.
When Tannu came in, Huo Qinghe ignored it, so it wandered around the room and knocked over a vase on the antique shelf.
Fortunately, Huo Qinghe didn't have anything valuable on display; even the cheapest vase wasn't worth the heartache.
She didn't even blink, still looking down at her book.
A short while later, when Green Locust and the others came in to clean up the wreckage, General Tan climbed onto the small couch next to Huo Qinghe.
Huo Qinghe and General Tan exchanged a glance, not really wanting to indulge General Tan.
She secretly thought that General Tan was spoiled by the people who served him.
So she folded the book, closed it, and placed it on the table, stretching: "Greenheart, tidy up the books on my table. I'm going to take a nap. You guys take a break too."
General Tan subconsciously followed Liang Huoqinghe off the small couch, but Huoqinghe still ignored him.
Although General Tan was making a fuss for half a day, he was obviously not as troublesome as he was when they first arrived at Yanliang Pavilion.
After all, it had never been to Yanliang Pavilion before, so it was fine to cause a ruckus for a day or two.
However, this was entrusted to her by the emperor, and Huo Qinghe could ignore it, but she still could not neglect her food and play.
While it was lively and bustling, it wasn't exactly a pleasant job for Huo Qinghe.
...
Pei Yuanhui, inside the Funing Palace, could guess some things from Jinyang's tone.
"If Tan Nu were so easy to coax, I should really have the Imperial Observatory check the almanac."
Upon hearing this, Jin Yang could only smile awkwardly. Well, he had said the wrong thing again.
But Pei Yuanhui wasn't angry. He just waved his hand and said, "Let Xiao Huo bring Tan Nu back tomorrow night. We don't want to torment Xiao Huo."
He was being inconsiderate. Tan Nu was not an easy cat to raise. If he really wanted to find something for Xiao Huo to do, he should have found a newborn kitten to raise from scratch.
However, cats are not easy to raise.
"In a few days, have someone pick out a clever parrot from the bird and flower shop and send it to Xiao Huo."
Upon hearing this, Jin Yang laughed: "That's really interesting. Parrots are easy to tame, and Lady Huo can even teach a parrot to talk."
Pei Yuanhui chuckled. "That's right. It just so happens that Xiao Huo loves reading. Let her teach the parrot."
The following night, Huo Qinghe received a summons and breathed a slight sigh of relief. Well, that little darling wasn't very obedient today.
Even the best dried fish from the imperial kitchen couldn't appease General Tan.
When Huo Qinghe carried Tannu onto the Phoenix Spring Grace carriage, the purse in her arms was still filled with dried fish.
Tannu was more energetic at night, but she was quieter in the carriage. As soon as she got off the Phoenix Spring Grace carriage, she ran out of Huo Qinghe's arms.
Before Miao Xi, who was standing to the side, could react, Tan Nu pounced on her.
Huo Qinghe couldn't help but chuckle as she watched Miao Xi's expression.
After thinking for a moment, she stepped forward and hugged Tan Nu. At this moment, the Emperor probably wanted to see Tan Nu.
The Empress Dowager was in better spirits during the day today. She said she couldn't bear to see the Emperor suffer, so she no longer allowed him to attend to her while she was ill, and only allowed Consort Zhou to stay at Cining Palace.
The Emperor did visit the Cining Palace once, and then returned to the Funing Hall to handle state affairs.
The autumn imperial examinations are not over yet.
When Huo Qinghe arrived, Pei Yuanhui was just having dinner, which was quite late.
After she went in, the emperor didn't expect her to serve him food: "It's cold, don't worry about Tan Nu, go take a bath."
Huo Qinghe obediently put Tan Nu down.
It's strange, though. She was making a lot of noise outside, but once she entered the Funing Palace, she became like a mouse seeing a cat, and her voice became barely audible.
This is a case of one thing subduing another.
Huo Qinghe couldn't help but laugh again when she went to take a bath.
When she returned to the West Warm Pavilion, the Emperor was teasing Tan Nu with dried fish. Tan Nu looked extremely well-behaved at that moment.
Huo Qinghe approached, and Pei Yuanhui didn't even look up: "Tannu has certainly given you a hard time."
Huo Qinghe changed her words: "Tannu is indeed more active and lively."
Pei Yuanhui understood immediately, and he chuckled softly, "Raising Tannu is even more troublesome than raising a child."
Huo Qinghe sat down opposite her, and smiled when she heard this: "Is that so? It's just that with Tannu here these past two days, my Yanliang Pavilion has indeed become much more lively."
Pei Yuanhui only realized what was happening after he finished speaking. He lowered his eyes slightly, clearly thinking about something related to the child.
He was silent for a moment: "I thought you were usually quiet."
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