The next day, Wu Lingzhu took Chunying to Jingyanggang.
Passing through the Imperial Garden, Jingyang Palace is not particularly far from Chuxiu Palace.
As soon as she entered, she was stopped by the young eunuch guarding the gate. The eunuch had never seen Wu Lingzhu before, but since she was accompanied by a palace maid, he knew she was a mistress. Mistresses of this age often had more than one child; Emperor Kangxi had quite a few daughters and adopted daughters.
For a moment, he really didn't know who Wu Lingzhu was. He first cupped his hands in greeting, then looked at Chunying and asked, "May I ask which master you are?"
Chunying explained, "Our princess is from Chuxiu Palace."
As soon as she mentioned it, the eunuch knew that Chuxiu Palace was the residence of the imperial concubines, and the news that the Empress's sister had moved into Chuxiu Palace had indeed spread throughout the palace.
"This servant greets Your Highness."
"You're too kind, sir. I've come here today to ask if I can borrow a few books from the library to read."
"Princess, please come in first. This servant will go and fetch the head nanny."
The young eunuch was very respectful, and Wu Lingzhu knew that this respect was due to the surname behind her.
Following the young eunuch into Jingyang Palace, Wu Lingzhu sat down not long after, and the young eunuch brought in a stern-faced old woman.
"This servant greets Your Highness."
"No need for such formalities, Granny."
"Princess Xie, I heard that you wish to borrow books from the library?"
“I used to study with a female teacher at home. Now that I’ve entered the palace, I don’t want to fall behind in my teacher’s instruction. I think it would be good to read more books.”
Upon hearing this, Granny Wang glanced at her again. The ten-year-old girl was fair-skinned and adorable, yet her eyes held a firm resolve, and she possessed a quiet temperament emanating from her scholarly background.
The servants below all knew Kangxi's preferences! Wang Mama was no exception.
Anything is possible in the future, and Granny Wang doesn't mind making more good connections.
Emperor Kangxi had enjoyed visiting the library since his youth, and it was no secret that he no longer came there often. Most of the time, he would have books retrieved and delivered to the Qianqing Palace.
Moreover, the books in the library include handwritten copies, and Wang Mama can decide for herself to lend out some of these handwritten copies.
What book would you like to read, Princess?
Wu Lingzhu asked, "What can we see?"
"That's proper," said Granny Wang with a smile, and began to talk about the books that Wu Lingzhu could read.
When Wu Lingzhu left, Chunying was carrying about five or six books in her arms, all of which were poetry and miscellaneous notes.
Back at Chuxiu Palace, Chunying placed the book in the newly arranged study. Wulingzhu then said, "If Xiaodunzi tries to find out, just pretend to misspoke and tell him that I went to Jingyang Palace to borrow books. The more secretive you are, the more he will think something is going on and will make a move."
"Yes, Princess."
It's not a big deal to read books and strive for self-improvement. Su Bai asked his friends to keep an eye on Xiao Dunzi during this time, and he remained calm and always gave him some "sweeteners".
Chunying then brought up another matter: "Princess, I've heard from many palace maids that Xiaodunzi is particularly popular with the palace cats lately. He runs into cats everywhere he goes. Isn't that strange?"
Wu Lingzhu smiled and said, "This shows that our Chuxiu Palace has a connection with cats, and Xiaodunzi also has a connection with cats."
After talking about the cat, Wu Lingzhu thought of another matter that needed to be verified.
"When you have some free time, have Xiaodunzi go and ask around how to raise birds. I want to raise two."
"Why has Princess suddenly taken a liking to birds? They're not easy to raise."
"I just wanted to give it a try."
"Yes, Princess."
Wu Lingzhu wanted to know if she could only talk to cats, or if she could talk to all animals. If she could talk to Ruoyou, then she would be able to know almost everything about the Forbidden City and even the entire capital.
After seeing Chunying off, Wulingzhu leisurely copied the Buddhist scriptures she was going to give to the Empress Dowager in the study. When she got tired, she would read the books. She had a good memory and a good ability to understand, and she could find quite a bit of interest in them.
My mindset gradually became more peaceful.
Su Bai strode in like a cat, using a nearby ornament to jump directly onto the desk. Wu Lingzhu then put down her pen, picked him up, and stroked his fur.
The white cat, feeling comfortably stroked, meowed a few times and then said, "[There's still no news from Xiaodunzi.]"
"No rush, it should be available in a few days."
Although Xiaodunzi is clever, he is still young. He has a talent for being a spy, but he doesn't have enough experience yet. She took the matter of borrowing books from Jingyang Palace so "importantly" that Xiaodunzi will probably tell the person behind it.
He doesn't yet have much ability to discern information.
[I'm bringing two friends over this afternoon, is that alright?]
"Fine, bring him here! Is your friend being kept like you?"
[I suppose it belongs to the cats of Yonghe Temple!]
"Is Consort De... no, is she raised by Consort De?" She almost forgot that the current Uya clan member is Consort De, not Consort De yet!
[No, my two friends were already living in Yonghe Palace before Consort De moved in. Although Consort De didn't really like cats in private, she treated them quite well on the surface, and they were doing quite well.]
Consort De! In her first life, she never imagined that she would be the ultimate winner before she passed away. However, considering her mother-son relationship with the Fourth Prince, she doesn't seem to be the winner at all. Moreover, she passed away after only a short time as Empress Dowager.
What are their names?
[Snowballs and glutinous rice balls.]
"A white cat like you?"
How did you know?
"I could tell from the name."
The cats kept by the concubines in the imperial harem were mostly white, which looked clean and gave people a gentle feeling.
In the afternoon, the snowballs and glutinous rice balls arrived as scheduled.
Snowball: [Are you the human that Su Bai mentioned who can understand cat language?]
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