Quick Transmigration: Leisure

Chapter 655 The Mad Daily Life of a Deposed Concubine in the Cold Palace (Part 27)

Cold Palace,

The conversation didn't last long; at least no one caught a glimpse of the door before it closed again. The little eunuch returned to his familiar spot by the wall, sitting or standing, his posture not being strictly instructed.

A moment later, a meow came from above, and when I looked up, a warm pancake flew towards me, seemingly with a few suspicious cat hairs stuck to it.

But the little eunuch wasn't angry. He kept coaxing it to be happy, and it happily ate the sesame-scented cakes bite by bite.

After relaying the message so many times, he gradually figured out the pattern: the noble lord did not reward him based on the importance of the message, but rather on his mood and whether the food was convenient to share with him.

This actually made the little eunuch feel relaxed when relaying the message. He didn't take the content of the message to heart at all. After all, that person was all-powerful and could solve anything. If all else failed, there would be the help of the cat masters.

The young eunuch had personally witnessed cat claws scratching people. They were quick and knew how to cooperate, so they almost never got caught. Moreover, if anything happened, the person inside wouldn't be the one to suffer the consequences. No one could go in and hurt these ancestors.

After listening to the report, Xia Youmi did not panic. She continued to build the wall at the back, while Niannian calmly instructed Cat Brother to send food as a reward to the eunuch.

Spring breeze and materials wait for no one; she had to hurry.

These things were "spent" for her because a palace was being built nearby, so it wasn't good to "demand" them repeatedly, as it would delay the other side's progress.

in addition,

Xia Youmi also discovered a very strange place.

Of the three newly built palaces, the largest and closest to her had an unusual layout, unlike the usual system and distribution. Instead, it seemed to be "imitating" her current small courtyard, leaving ample courtyard space.

There are several areas where trees are planted. There aren't many rooms that are actually in use, but the one on the west side is basically empty and has no partitions.

It's no wonder Xia Youmi thought so much; it was practically space reserved specifically for a cat house.

However, neither she nor Niannian noticed that the emperor had mentioned this matter to anyone, nor did they see that the empress paid any special attention to it. Everything was handled in an ordinary manner, and the craftsmen could not think of this aspect, assuming it was something like a Buddhist hall.

Let's just call it intuition for now; she wouldn't have noticed this layer of meaning if she hadn't taken a higher vantage point.

but,

The message delivered by the eunuch today has confirmed the rumors. Someone is eager to take advantage of her. Regardless of whether the Ninth Prince can successfully take her away from the Cold Palace, if something happens, this palace, which may have been "prepared" for her, will not be able to be occupied.

Therefore, even in the most discreet places, there were still people who silently wanted her to leave, whether it was a good or bad departure. The primary suspect was naturally the young empress, who and the fourth prince were in full charge of the palace's internal and external repairs this time. A casual hint would suffice.

The fourth prince is not considered a suspect for the time being. Not to mention that in the original text he was loyal and took the emperor's wishes as his own, he never killed his younger brothers like the ninth prince who were still alive after the power structure was stabilized.

Currently, even disregarding the original text's stereotypes, the eldest, second, and third princes are all more likely to be suspects than him. In addition, the most suspicious one is the eighth prince, who, as the prince with the most tragic fate so far, hates the emperor to the extreme.

Of the women to be selected later, at least half of those found to be harboring malicious intentions were planted by him. The Eighth Prince also knew the Ninth Prince's temperament quite well, and while busy arranging the selection, he didn't mind stirring up conflicts between the Seventh and Ninth Princes.

and also,

This spring's personnel relocation included not only newly selected young ladies and their attendants, but also veteran palace staff who had already remained in various palaces and different positions, possessing considerable resources that made it easy for them to cause trouble.

He didn't show up when the cat scratched its face and made a fuss, but after things calmed down, the police secretly brought in the worst news that Lao Jiu cared about most, adding fuel to the fire.

If Xia Youmi is truly the one who is obsessed with the Ninth Prince and willing to fight to the death, she would not be able to remain unmoved upon hearing this. All the previous tranquility would vanish, and her secret would naturally be revealed, making it easier for those in the palace who wanted her to leave.

Cooperation can be achieved through tacit agreement without communication between the two parties.

What I'm afraid of is...

What if Feng Chengyuan's own wishes were also involved, in addition to the remnants of the Eight Princes' faction outside the palace and the forces within the palace?

They all knew how important Shao Bo was to the Ninth Prince, and perhaps they had been anticipating this day.

in case,

Feng Chengyuan thought this incident might bring out those old subordinates who had been hiding all along. For example, would Shao Guang, who was released from the Ninth Prince's command and was Shao Bo's adopted son, appear?

Feng Chengyuan wasn't exactly cruel, but his principle was that he could spare his former brothers, but only those who had lost their fangs and posed no threat.

The reason why the Eighth Prince was imprisoned was not only because he was the most powerful enemy in the past, but also because his influence spread throughout the country. With the help of the Eighth Princess's maternal clan, he gradually expanded his influence, and some of his influence became vital to the country and could not be easily destroyed.

The only option is to wait for a new power to take its place, which will take a very long time, so he himself cannot be released.

Although Lao Liu didn't have a powerful background, he was a walking information network and acted ruthlessly. After Feng Chengyuan took power, he constantly provoked and caused trouble without restraint.

Therefore, I can only use my own life to untie this knot.

The ninth prince, Feng Chengnian, is much clearer. He has a decent character and a background that is neither too high nor too low. More importantly, he possesses military talent, which is relatively rare in the current dynasty.

Even if a replacement could be developed, Feng Chengyuan was unwilling to waste a famous general.

However, his advisor, Shao Guang, was nowhere to be found, lingering elsewhere. This became an obstacle that had to be overcome. As long as this obstacle remained, there would be no day when the Ninth Prince could easily take charge.

The Ninth Prince may not be able to figure out those intricate details, but Shao Guang and Shao Bo certainly do.

But no matter how ruthless one is, can it outweigh gratitude?

When Shao Bo was still alive, even if Shao Kuang didn't appear, the Ninth Prince would stay in the capital and wait. He cared more about this elder. But once there was one less person to blackmail, Shao Kuang might take the initiative to stand up and sacrifice himself for the greater good of his lord.

Perhaps Feng Chengyuan thought the same way, which led to this commotion.

Xia Youmi, being caught up in the situation, hadn't paid attention to these matters for a long time, blurring the lines between internal and external troubles, which didn't seem like a big deal.

What they probably want is this ignorance and natural reaction. As someone who cannot make decisions, not designed to be in a crucial position, they are just informing you so that you don't have trouble figuring out who to end up with.

"Niannian, come here, press a plum blossom!"

Finally, the lower half of the back wall, which was always cracked and quite unsightly, was plastered. Shaking her slightly sore limbs, Xia Youmi called Nian Nian over to sign her name on the wall, just to leave a clear paw print, so that the hard work of the past few days would not have been in vain.

“Meow…” Niannian did not refuse. After examining it closely, it carefully poked the lower right corner of the wall, and then quickly let go, leaving only a beautiful and delicate little paw print.

"Beautiful!" Xia Youmi praised, but she didn't leave anything behind.

Even the smallest things people do can be interpreted, so don't overcomplicate things. The traces left over from year to year represent their overall existence.

"There is rice."

Every year, Xia Youmi, who is lost in thought, is awakened, and her tail is swept around her feet in a somewhat comforting manner.

"What should we do?" Xia Youmi didn't answer in her mind, but instead said in a serious tone, "Niannian, I'm hungry again."

"Meow!"

Nian Nian clearly cooperated with her treating this as a big deal, quickly jumping onto the wall to look Xia Youmi in the eye and commanding, "Meow! Meow meow!"

Quick, let's eat!

Obeying the cat's command!