uninvited guest
Rong Xiao needed to return to the palace to resume his post before returning to the capital, so he parted ways with them at the city gate.
The carriage carrying Yan Qing and Fang Bi headed towards the Cat Tea Garden. After a short while, the carriage suddenly stopped, followed by a familiar shout.
"Sister Yanqing!"
She lifted the carriage curtain and looked out. Deng Chan's delighted face appeared before her. Before Yan Qing could speak, she lifted the curtain with the help of a maid and sat down in the carriage on her own. Before she even sat down, she started talking nonstop like beans spilling from a bucket.
"Sister Yanqing, you're finally back! You have no idea how boring it was for me to be alone in the capital..."
Her string of words vividly demonstrated just how boring her life was, and Yan Qing could only nod repeatedly, unable to find a way to interject.
Seeing her so helpless, even Fangbi, who was used to keeping a straight face, couldn't help but smile.
This subtle movement did not escape Deng Chan's sharp eyes. Soon, Fang Bi could only nod in agreement with Yan Qing, listening to her talk about what had happened in the capital these days, and her smile naturally shifted to Yan Qing's face.
Amid Deng Chan's incessant chatter, the carriage stopped in front of the Cat Tea House, finally freeing the two who had been listening to Chan's voice.
Yan Qing got off the carriage first, as if he were in a hurry to be reborn, and was met with a dissatisfied snort from Deng Chan.
Once the three of them had disembarked and settled down, He Yi, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately greeted them with a smile. She waved her hand, and the two little girls behind her walked towards Yan Qing and Fang Bi respectively, carrying copper basins filled with warm water, in which were placed a piece of emerald green cypress branch.
"Come quickly, come quickly," He Yi was overjoyed and immediately put her and Fang Bi's hands into the water, chanting, "The dust of the journey is washed away, and good fortune enters the mansion."
Yan Qing and Fang Bi were also asked to say the same thing, while Deng Chan, who was standing next to her, was unhappy about being left behind and angrily took the initiative to say her blessings.
After a few rounds of fun, the group realized they hadn't even entered the house yet.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Yan Qing lifted the hem of her skirt and walked up the stone steps. She stopped in front of the door, glanced back at them, and then slowly pushed open the gate of the Cat Tea Garden.
The first thing that catches the eye is the huge pear tree. The cats on the tree noticed the commotion at the gate and rushed over. Before she could even see what was happening inside the yard, the little leopard pounced on her, covering her eyes with its excited paws.
When Yan Qing finally regained her sight, she found herself surrounded by cats, and in the blink of an eye, several more had appeared on her. Looking to the side, she saw that the others weren't in much better shape; they were also covered in cats.
Deng Chan, still not satisfied with having cats all over her arms, stepped forward and steadily caught the princess, the slow-moving little leopard, and then intercepted Xue Tuan, who was leisurely heading towards Fang Bi. Xue Tuan didn't struggle and nestled in there, purring softly.
They made everyone laugh, and only after everyone had laughed enough did they carry the heavy loads back to the center of the courtyard.
After calming down the cats that were near her, Yan Qing was finally able to look away and properly examine this familiar place.
The pear tree in the courtyard was just as bare as when he first saw it, but the number of cat heads on the tree had increased instead of decreased, and Yan Qing couldn't help but stroke the rough trunk.
The biggest difference from when they left is that the Cat Tea House is no longer open to the public and has become a paradise for kittens, something He Yi had mentioned to Yan Qing long ago.
The courtyard was too small, and all the kittens were a bit reserved there, so Yan Qing suggested buying the nearby Jingyuan Garden to use as a place for the kittens to stay.
It just so happens that He Yi was planning to build a cat city, so the two could be combined. After finalizing the plan, He Yi quickly took action.
All the registered cats have now settled in Jingyuan, and each one has its own unique cat house.
Today, we've gone to great lengths to gather all the cats at the Cat Tea Garden to welcome Yan Qing and Fang Bi.
Both of them were very pleased with this, and their smiles never stopped.
As dusk fell and a cold wind picked up, Yan Qing sensed something, gave Fang Bi a wink, and then said to He Yi, "Where's the feast? I'm starving!"
These words were outrageous! He Yi quickly said to Yan Qing, "Everything was prepared long ago, just waiting for you two to come back. Hurry up, there's a surprise waiting for you in Jingyuan."
After saying that, he called someone to take all the cats back to Jingyuan, where each cat was cared for by a dedicated person.
Seeing the kittens being taken away one by one, just like picking up children from school, Yan Qing suggested that He Yi and the others go over first, while she and Fang Bi would change their clothes before going over.
He Yi originally intended to wait for them here, but in the end, he couldn't persuade the two of them, so he had no choice but to take Deng Chan to Jingyuan first.
The lively courtyard quieted down after they left, and the cold wind became somewhat eerie.
The two seemed oblivious to what was happening and walked towards the backyard, entering the same room.
Yan Qing lit the candles in the room and found that all the lights in the Cat Tea Garden had suddenly gone out, accompanied by a rustling sound. She looked closely but found no trace. Perhaps the wind was playing tricks on her, so she closed the door again.
After a while, there was movement inside the house again, and a voice came out.
"Fangbi, you go ahead first, don't keep He Yi and the others waiting."
"Okay, you hurry up and come over too."
As soon as she finished speaking, a figure walked out of the house. Due to the cold air, she wore a thick cloak, which covered her completely.
At this moment, only one person remained in the courtyard.
On the other side, at the Prince Ning's residence.
Wenwu, disregarding his disheveled state, stumbled into Rongxuan's study.
He shouted, "I've finally escaped!"
Rong Xuan didn't pursue his recklessness, but chuckled at his current appearance, and then let the interrupted subordinate continue reporting.
"The Empress's men were captured outside the city without Miss Yan and the others noticing."
After listening, he nodded, then looked at Wenwu and said, "Finally decided to come out?"
Wenwu felt a pang of distress upon hearing this and said with dissatisfaction, "Your Highness knows Fangbi's skills. She watches me almost every hour of the day. How am I supposed to escape?"
He took a breath and continued to mutter to himself, "Fang Bi really has no regard for past feelings. Your Highness should never have let her go in the first place!"
Seeing that he had said enough, Rong Xuan got to the point, "How did you manage to escape today?"
"Fangbi is busy with her sisterly affection today, how could she have time to look after me? I can't even get rid of my guards, how can I work under His Highness?"
Upon hearing this, Rong Xuan understood the situation and, without giving him any face, bluntly stated, "Fang Bi has always been free. There's no such thing as me letting her go. But you, do you really think you ran away on your own?"
"Otherwise what?" Wenwu immediately retorted, unconvinced, but after a moment he realized something was wrong and finally deflated, "Ahhhhh, that Fangbi!"
Wenwu's emotions came and went quickly. After calming down, he appeared somewhat dazed. "Forgive my ignorance, Your Highness, but you said they captured me and imprisoned me for so long. What do you mean by releasing me like this now?"
This was clearly due to being locked up for too long, and his mind had become numb. Rong Xuan was too lazy to reply to him and originally wanted to tell him to go back and rest before returning to work, but he stopped in his tracks because of what the man said next.
"But what Yan Qing means is no longer important; she's likely in grave danger tonight."
"What do you mean?" Rong Xuan threw the pen on the table, not caring that the ink had splattered onto his plain white sleeves.
"Huh?" Wenwu's mind really slowed down a lot. He thought Rong Xuan had changed her personality and wanted to gossip, so he said, "When I ran out, I saw a group of people sneaking into her cat tea house. They were probably going there for her."
Where is Fangbi?
"I heard they went to Jingyuan first. Anyway, when I left, it was pitch black inside and only Yan Qing was left. She was completely helpless..."
Before Wenwu could finish speaking, he saw his prince hurriedly leave, looking anxious that he had never seen before.
She is powerless and will likely not escape her fate.
These were the unfinished words of Wenwu, and also the thoughts in Rongxuan's mind as he continued his journey.
He didn't know why his heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of his chest; he just knew he had to be faster and get there before the group made their move.
Now is not the time to investigate why his subordinates failed to find out how many men the Empress sent; all his energy is focused on how to save Yan Qing.
There was no time to dwell on mistakes, nor time to question why I was in such a hurry.
Inside the Cat Tea House at this moment.
A group of men in black were bound hand and foot and lay on the ground in various positions.
The 'Yan Qing' they were trying to assassinate sat at the table, giving them a disdainful glance before pouring himself another cup of hot tea.
The door was finally pushed open, and the departed 'Fangbi' walked in, taking off her huge red and white cloak to reveal her true face.
This is the real Yan Qing.
She took the hot tea Fangbi handed her and explained, "I got back a little late, and I just went to release Wenwu."
Fang Bi responded with a soft "hmm," then got up, grabbed the leader of the group, and pushed him in front of Yan Qing.
She clasped her hands in front of her chest, examined herself carefully for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said softly, "Let me guess, the Empress sent you, didn't she?"
Fang Bi broke the jaws of everyone here, cutting off their escape route to suicide, including the leader in front of them.
He didn't react. Yan Qing frowned, reached out and patted his face, about to ask something else.
Suddenly, there was a commotion in the courtyard, followed by the door being pushed open forcefully, letting in a gust of cold wind. Yan Qing subconsciously turned around to look.
In the pitch-black courtyard, only this spot was brightly lit, and inside the brightly lit room, he could only see her almond-shaped eyes.
His heart sank when he stepped into the dark Cat Tea House, and he had difficulty breathing. But now, looking at the lively Yan Qing who was even grabbing someone, Rong Xuan finally regained his breath.
My heart felt like it had burst out of my chest and started pounding in my ears.
"Plop," "Plop"
One stroke at a time, heavy and slow.
It was as if a layer of fog had enveloped my ears, and everything became blurry.
In his hazy state, he heard the woman ask in surprise, "Your Highness, what is this?"
He heard his own voice again: "Passing by."
That was a funny remark, and Yan Qing laughed out loud without any restraint. She looked into the courtyard and saw a huge crowd, which could easily be mistaken for a raid on their property.
But what Rong Xuan said.
Just passing by?
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