Chapter 191 Different
Xiao Yan was still holding the chubby baby.
The chubby little cat lazily nestled in his arms. It was a wonder that Xiao Yan, who was only ten years old, never complained of being tired, despite carrying this chubby cat up and down every day.
However, Fatty seems to be in a bad state today.
Xiao Qing looked at it several times, and finally couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong with Xiao Xiao?"
The chubby little thing was breathing more heavily than last time. It didn't even bother to lift its eyes, and its tail drooped listlessly. It seemed a little...weak?
Xiao Yan said with a hint of helplessness, "It's probably because I was playing too much last night and caught a chill. I've been feeling listless since I woke up today, and I've eaten half as little as usual."
Xiao Qing wasn't a veterinarian and couldn't see anything profound about it, so she said to Ming Xiu, who was standing to the side, "Xiu, why don't you take a look?" After saying that, she felt something was wrong.
Mingxiu hasn't taken the cat to the vet either.
However, Mingxiu still examined it carefully and finally said, "Your Highness Yan, Xiaoxiao has been eating too well these past few years and hasn't been exercising enough. It got sick as soon as it caught a chill. Cats can't be kept at home for long periods of time. If they don't get enough exercise, they will easily get sick."
Xiao Qing hadn't expected Ming Xiu to be so blunt. If she were Xiao Yan, she certainly wouldn't be happy to hear such words. Besides, Xiao Yan was a petty and narrow-minded child to begin with.
Xiao Yan nodded without changing his expression and said, "Thank you for reminding me, Steward Ming. It was I who failed to take good care of Xiao Xiao."
Xiao Qing quickly said, "It's obvious to everyone that Brother Yan likes Xiao Xiao. Once Xiao Xiao recovers, he can move around more."
Xiao Yan smiled and agreed.
Ever since Xiao Qing changed her attitude towards Xiao Yan, their relationship has subtly changed.
It turned out that Xiao Yan had gone to great lengths to find topics to talk about with Xiao Qing, in order to show his respect, love and intimacy with his elder brother.
But now, it's mostly Xiao Qing who's initiating topics, while Xiao Yan is probing and responding.
Actually, Xiao Qing felt that this was quite tiring.
However, Rome wasn't built in a day. She had already started, and if she gave up halfway, wouldn't all her previous efforts be wasted?
With this belief in mind, Xiao Qingzhen and Xiao Yan sat in the small garden for half a day. During this time, they exchanged information about Xiao Xiao, took a walk together in the garden, and had Ma Hong bring them a toy for pitching arrows, which they played back and forth.
Xiao Qing herself was relaxed and had a great time, but Xiao Yan was not so relaxed.
In the end, Xiao Qing felt exhausted for him and couldn't continue, so she had to let him go back.
Mingxiu pouted, "Your Majesty, Prince Yan doesn't appreciate it."
Xiao Qing glared at her, "You still dare to talk? I asked you to treat Xiao Xiao, and you said so much. Even though you did fatten Xiao Xiao up, but..."
She couldn't think of a suitable word for a long time.
At that time, besides Fu Mingyi and Xiao Xiao, who else could Xiao Yan be close to?
It's only natural to keep a close eye on things.
Mingxiu disagreed.
“That cat originally belonged to His Majesty. He took it away and raised it like this. It makes me angry just looking at it.”
Xiao Qing chuckled.
"Alright, that's all in the past. Your anger won't get Xiaoxiao back. Besides, as long as he treats Xiaoxiao well and she's happy, it doesn't matter where she is."
It's a good thing she doesn't keep cats.
Ma Hong remained silent, quietly tidying up the things that Xiao Qing and Xiao Yan had played with together.
“Xiu, you saw that Prince Yan took my cat, but have you seen his current state? Even if I am magnanimous and don’t hold it against him, he can’t relax and enjoy life in the same way. This is already his misfortune.”
Mingxiu had aspired to practice medicine and save lives since childhood, and she was not a hard-hearted person. After thinking it over carefully, seeing that Xiao Qing really didn't care, she lowered her head, twisted her hand, and said, "This servant understands, and will not say such things again."
Xiao Qing nodded, and seeing that it was getting a bit chilly outside, he stopped sitting and instructed Ma Hongmingxiu to pack his things and return to Chengde Palace.
Holding the listless Xiao Xiao, Xiao Yan watched Xiao Qing leave with Ma Hong and Ming Xiu from the pavilion of Chengguang Palace. His expression grew increasingly indifferent, but a sarcastic smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
Liu Yi and Dan Ying stood quietly behind, neither daring to utter a single word.
His Highness Yan's temper is often unpredictable. When he's in a good mood, he's nice to everyone, but when he's in a bad mood, anyone who gets close to him is doomed.
To be honest, he used to try every means to get close to His Majesty, just hoping that His Majesty would treat him with more brotherly affection. But now that His Majesty's attitude has changed, he can't be happy. His temper has become especially strange these past two days.
Xiao Xiao suffered as a result, being made to wander outside late at night, and felt unwell all morning.
But His Highness Yan still held onto it and refused to let go.
Xiao Yan asked in a low voice, "Don't you love going out and having fun at night? What, you're not happy that I'm taking you out to play?"
He stroked the little creature's fur absently, his words sounding like they were directed at it, but his eyes never lingered on it for a moment.
Dan Ying twisted her hands nervously, barely daring to breathe.
Xiao Xiaoyuan has always been a lively person. Even though Xiao Yan has kept it under control and kept it in check over the years, its innate nature is not something that can be easily changed.
Besides Xiao Yan, Dan Ying was the one who fed Xiao Xiao on weekdays. Sometimes Xiao Xiao would get really bored and sneak out to play at night. Dan Ying couldn't bear it and had to let it out, but she always kept it on a leash, afraid that it would run too far and not come back, and Xiao Yan would blame her.
She had done all these things secretly and had never told anyone. But now, hearing Xiao Yan say this, she felt that Xiao Yan must have known about it all along.
He just never said it out loud.
Dan Ying knelt down with a thud.
"Your Highness, please forgive me. This servant knows she was wrong."
Xiao Yan smiled. "What did you do wrong? You did very well. Very well."
Dan Ying was anxious for a long time, but Xiao Yan carried Xiao Xiao downstairs alone and ignored her.
Liu Yi quickly followed, not daring to speak to Dan Ying.
Meanwhile, Ying Ziye arrived at Chengde Palace.
Upon hearing that Xiao Qing had attended court, he wanted to go to the palace. However, there were many matters to attend to in the army recently, and he was unable to leave for the time being, which is why he went to the palace at this time.
Xiao Qing hadn't seen Ying Ziye for a long time, and upon seeing him again, she noticed that Ying Ziye seemed to have grown taller. Moreover, he was noticeably darker all over.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Ying Ziye got down to business.
"I'm leaving."
Xiao Qing was startled.
"Where are you going? Why are you leaving at this time?"
Ying Ziye took out the token given to him by Xiao Qing, which allowed him to enter the palace at any time, and carefully placed it on the table. He smiled and said, "Ziye, could you please leave this with His Majesty for now? When I return, I will definitely come to pay my respects to His Majesty. I hope that His Majesty will personally bestow it upon me then."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
