That Imperial Concubine is both wicked and cunning! Your Majesty, wake up!

Chapter 162 Stop fooling around

Yaohua Palace.

Tinglu placed the kitten next to the heater and fed it spoonful by spoonful of warm goat milk.

Before long, the dying kitten gradually came back to life, crawling all over the ground and meowing loudly.

Song Shuangning leaned over the table, watching the kitten dart around, gently stroking its fluffy head, and murmured, "It's just like it, it really is so much like it."

Listening to the rain, who was standing to the side, was completely confused. "What does Your Majesty mean by 'like'?"

Song Shuangning gently shook her head.

The kitten and the snowball look so alike.

After taking a bath, Xiao Yan came out wearing a moon-white nightgown. Hearing the kitten's meows, he smiled and bent down to tease it. "This little thing is tough. It's meowing very energetically right now."

The kitten lay down next to Song Shuangning's hand and rubbed against her.

Song Shuangning's heart softened, and she grew to love the kitten even more.

"Your Majesty, can I really keep it?"

Although there is no explicit record of the palace rules, cats and dogs have not appeared in the palace since the time of the late emperor.

Xiao Yan glanced at Song Shuangning and the cat-like pleading eyes, casually scratching the cat's chin with his fingertips, and said in a light and nonchalant tone: "It's alright, as long as this little thing doesn't go out and cause trouble, it's fine. In such a large palace, can't there be room for a cat?"

"Have you named it yet?"

The kitten was all white and very cute. Song Shuangning said, "Let's name it Snowball. I hope it grows up chubby and stays this lively and playful every day."

"OK."

Snowball nestled comfortably in Song Shuangning's hand and fell asleep.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Another day of morning greetings.

Song Shuangning's position has been moved to the right-hand seat.

Among all the concubines in the palace, apart from the Empress, she held the highest rank.

She sat upright on the cushion, with only one thought in her mind—

How wonderful! How wonderful!

Naturally, this magnificent transformation has also aroused resentment among many people, the most obvious of whom is Qing Xiuyi.

Throughout the entire greeting, when Qing Xiuyi looked at her, she found her nose and eyes distasteful, and her resentment was practically written all over her face.

You disagree with her?

Song Shuangning was even happier.

Song Shuangning sat upright at the table, not idle, her gaze quietly falling on Consort De.

This Consort De seems to be the most gentle and kind, always with a soft smile in her demeanor. Just now, she earnestly reminded her to take care of her pregnancy and not to overwork herself.

To outsiders, she was so gentle and virtuous that it was impossible to find a single fault with her.

But beneath this impeccably gentle exterior lies an unfathomable depth of cunning.

The empress, stripped of her power, must have harbored deep resentment.

I wonder if the Empress also saw through Consort De's true colors?

Song Shuangning picked up her teacup and pondered silently.

After the greetings were over, Song Shuangning's gaze swept over Qing Xiuyi's resentful expression and finally landed on the back of her hand.

Qing Xiuyi noticed and hurriedly put her hands into her sleeves.

Song Shuangning glanced indifferently at Consort Qing's hand and slowly said, "I see that Consort Qing's hand still has noticeable scars. I have some excellent scar-removing ointment stored there, all sent by the Emperor. I'll have someone send it to Jingyang Palace later. After all, hands are a woman's second face, and they must be carefully protected."

Qing Xiuyi felt a tightness in her chest from these seemingly gentle but actually barbed words. Her face turned pale and then flushed, and after a long while, she finally managed to squeeze out three words through gritted teeth: "No need."

Upon hearing this, Song Shuangning's eyes turned cold, and her smile faded slightly: "Now that my rank is far above yours, your reply is disrespectful. It seems you've been recuperating for so long that you've forgotten the rules of the palace. I'll let you off this time because you're still recovering, but this is a one-time exception. If you act so rudely again, it won't be so easy."

Her tone was neither warm nor cold, but every word carried the imposing authority of someone in a superior position.

Consort Shu smiled and gently invited, "Consort Yuanxian, would you mind moving to Jinyun Palace for a while?"

It was rare for Consort Shu to take the initiative to invite her.

Song Shuangning immediately nodded in agreement.

Qing Xiuyi watched as their procession gradually disappeared into the distance.

Just you wait and see how long you can keep up your smugness.

*

Upon entering Consort Shu's palace, one could see the Third Princess lying on the couch, playing. The little one was only a few months old, chubby like a little dumpling, kicking her little feet back and forth. Her delicate and beautiful appearance was quite delightful.

Looking at the soft and gentle Third Princess, Song Shuangning's expectations for her daughter deepened even further.

Please, the baby in my belly must be a girl.

Consort Shu held the little princess and comforted her for a while before handing her over to the wet nurse.

She turned her head and saw the joy in Song Shuangning's eyes as she looked at the little princess, which surprised her somewhat.

It was thought that Song Shuangning would prefer a prince, as a prince would secure her position as a Noble Consort and solidify her status.

"I didn't expect you to prefer princesses."

"Daughters are much more considerate than sons."

Song Shuangning asked directly, "What brings you here today?"

Consort Song nodded and loudly ordered the palace servants serving in the hall, "All of you, step back."

The palace doors closed, and the surroundings fell silent.

Consort Shu slowly spoke, "Do you remember when I was pregnant with An'er, my belly was unusually large?"

Song Shuangning nodded: "I remember."

"At that time, I knew there were some things I shouldn't touch, but I just couldn't control my appetite. Later, I had no choice but to ask the imperial physician to prepare a bitter medicine juice, which I drank every day. Only then did I suppress my appetite. Otherwise, I would have died along with my unborn child before I even gave birth."

"From the very beginning, I had a vague suspicion, but you know I'm not from the capital, I have no family, and I'm all alone. Even if I wanted to investigate, I was powerless to do so."

"After An'er is born, I will investigate secretly. Do you know Rongcheng? He seems to have close ties with the Empress, but after the palace banquet incident a few days ago, he didn't say a word and shifted all the blame to the Empress. I followed these clues and found that Rongcheng is a very cunning person with many connections."

Song Shuangning said, "It is Consort De."

Consort Shu was surprised: "You guessed it?"

"I am truly surprised. You know Consort De's character; she has always been kind and gentle. This reminds me of an old story. When the Emperor first ascended the throne, Consort De's eldest son suffered a sudden and severe illness, nearly dying. It was because of that illness that the eldest prince's health remained poor until these last two years when it began to improve slightly."

"Now that I've pieced these clues together, I can't help but suspect that the Empress may have secretly sabotaged that sudden illness back then."

Consort Shu's suspicions were not without merit.

Consort De's two moves were both aimed at the Empress.

In this way, Rongcheng would probably pour all the dirty water on the Empress's head.

Consort Shu said, "I really had no other choice but to invite you here. I don't know how many crazy things Consort De will do next, and these are all just my guesses, so don't take them seriously. You are pregnant, so you must be careful in everything you do. Remember to be wary of Consort De, and don't end up like me, indulging in such wicked desires."

She paused, her eyes darkening, and added, "If you encounter any difficulties in the future, just send someone to let me know. I will certainly not refuse to help if I can."

Song Shuangning smiled and said, "Okay."

Consort Shu watched her retreating figure, her fingertips tracing the teacup, her mind racing with her own plans.

Without any family support, she was like a rootless duckweed in the palace. Her reminder was not only a gesture of goodwill, but also for An'er's sake.

With an extra reliable ally, my daughter will have more peace of mind in this deep palace.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

A few days later, Xue Tuan's spirits improved even more.

And so we first glimpsed the nature of "Demon Ball".

After a few days of getting used to it, Xue Tuan became bolder and loved to run around wildly in the palace, causing many fine brocades to have their threads caught on them.

When Song Shuangning is not around, Xue Tuan is a mischievous little devil who jumps around wildly, but as soon as Song Shuangning returns, it immediately quiets down and obediently rubs against her feet to act cute.

Song Shuangning poured all her longing and tenderness for Xueqiu into Xuetuan.

I hold it while reading, and I hold it while falling asleep.

Xiao Yan was even jealous because of this.

Once, while Song Shuangning was taking a bath, Xiao Yan caught sight of Xue Tuan, who was occupying the bed. He grabbed it by the scruff of its neck and lifted it up, pretending to be serious: "Go back to your nest. You're not allowed to stay here anymore."

Xue Tuan was extremely clingy to Song Shuangning, but showed no mercy to Xiao Yan. She turned her head and bit Xiao Yan's finger fiercely. The bite wasn't hard and didn't break the skin, but it still caused a slight pain.

When Song Shuangning came out of the washroom, Xiao Yan held up the bitten finger to her face and said, "Ningning, it bit me."

Song Shuangning was puzzled. "Really? Xue Tuan has a very gentle personality. Is it possible that His Majesty..."

Xiao Yan stubbornly insisted, "It bit me for no reason."

Song Shuangning gently called out to his finger, "Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt," Xiao Yan smiled.

Snow ball: 「(*｀へ´*)」

Song Shuangning tucked Xue Tuan into her arms, put on a stern face and scolded, "Xue Tuan, you can't bite people, understand?"

If the relationship between Xue Tuan and the Emperor is not properly managed, what will happen if the Emperor decides to send Xue Tuan away?

So we can only ask Xue Tuan to make do.

Xuetuan barked fiercely at Xiao Yan twice.

"What a bad temper." Song Shuangning released the snowball.

Xiao Yan's lips curled up slightly.

"Is His Majesty satisfied?"

"What did Ningning say?"

Song Shuangning was too lazy to expose him.

Tinglu turned off the lights.

Strangely, both of them tossed and turned all night, unable to fall asleep.

Xiao Yan was quite normal; it's impossible not to have other thoughts when holding Wen Ru in one's arms.

But Song Shuangning is different.

It felt like my heart was being gently scratched, a ticklish sensation.

Xiao Yan felt the small movement of the person in his arms: "Can't sleep?"

Song Shuangning turned to face him, and even in the darkness, her eyes were still bright and sparkling.

Song Shuangning poked his chest, hinting at him.

Xiao Yan said with his eyes closed, "Stop fooling around, go to sleep."

Song Shuangning leaned in and kissed his chin.

Xiao Yan swallowed hard.

He opened his eyes: "No."

Song Shuangning said aggrievedly, "But I can't sleep."