Chapter 57: Large Mongrel

The white cat seemed to know it had been neglected. Its ears drooped and it let out a wronged “meow” as it jumped off the bed, and left the same way it had come in.

Fang Rui glanced down at the sad looking white cat and felt helpless. Even this adorable creature proved useless.

The man and the cat stood outside the window for a long while. It was almost daybreak before the shadow at the window finally disappeared.

Shen Yu had not slept either. Only after seeing that the image on the window paper was gone did she sit up, stared at the bamboo slip for a long time, hesitated, and unconsciously let her hand touch the slip.

She glanced at the window again, and only after confirming the person had truly left did she bring the bamboo slip up in front of her.

Her hand trembled as she opened the bamboo slip and took out a very tightly rolled piece of paper. It was creased in many places, as if the writer had balled it up then smoothed it out and carefully rolled it small to fit inside the slip.

She unfolded the paper. The six neat characters “Drink more hot water, avoid drafts” looked as if Fang Rui had had someone else write them. Since Shen Yu had known Fang Rui, she had seen his handwriting, which was always a flamboyant cursive. When had he ever written so neatly?

What Shen Yu didn’t know was that for those six characters Fang Rui had spent two whole hours, going through who-knows-how-many sheets of paper, to the point that Rong Tai almost wanted to offer to write for him.

After reading it, Shen Yu re-rolled the paper to its original size and put it back into the bamboo slip.

She took a deep breath. Fang Rui had said that as long as she did not resign, he would pretend nothing had happened and that he knew nothing. But judging by his current behavior, that promise had not an ounce of credibility.

She had thought he’d act as if nothing had happened and their future meetings would be in court, but how many days had passed? He may not have barged into her room like before, but what difference did it make? He still stood outside her chamber.

No difference at all, no credit at all!

Shen Yu puffed her cheeks and murmured, “Could it be that the ones I met before were just impersonating the real emperor?”

Shen Yu couldn’t reconcile Jia Ming and Fang Rui as the same person largely because their personalities were worlds apart: one acted steady and composed, the other was rakish and unrestrained.

Upon closer thought, there had indeed been many oddities during her earlier interactions with “Jia Ming,” but given those two extremes of personality, it was impossible to connect them as the same person.

…

At midnight the autumn wind was strong, rustling the leaves. The moonlight was much darker than before.

Windy and moonless, a sudden cat cry sounded and sent shivers down the spines of the night-watch eunuchs and palace servants.

Suddenly the door opened and a gust blew in. Rong Tai was instantly alert. When he saw the silhouette by the bed, his heart skipped a beat and his face went pale.

After a moment the room’s candlelight was lit. Rong Tai poured a cup of tea for Fang Rui and said, “Your Majesty, it’s inconvenient to travel this late. If you wanted to talk to me, couldn’t you have sent someone to call for me?”

Rong Tai wasn’t afraid of ghosts, but even so, if you woke up in the night to find someone just standing by your bed, you’d still be startled!

Something soft rubbed at his feet. Rong Tai lifted his left foot, looked down with a tense expression, and saw the cat rubbing against his foot again.

The white cat, who had been rejected twice that night, let out a “meow” and then walked toward the door, looking utterly despondent as a cat.

Fang Rui looked even more listless as he sighed, shook his head, glanced at Rong Tai and said helplessly, “The last time we went to Bozi Mountain to rescue Shen Yu, some doubts were raised and a few days ago, my identity was discovered.”

Rong Tai looked surprised. “Lord Shen knows it’s Your Majesty?!”

Fang Rui nodded. “He knows, yes, but he isn’t angry in the slightest.”

On hearing this, Rong Tai fell silent. Lord Shen could only be angry if he could afford to be. Fang Rui was the emperor after all. Who would dare be angry with His Majesty?

“Rong Tai, what do you think will make my beloved aide Shen treat me as he did before, while unaware that I am the emperor?” Fang Rui found that he hadn’t cherished the private moments with Shen Yu enough while posing as Jia Ming, and now he missed them terribly. He even found himself oddly nostalgic for the dishes Shen Yu served. Though hard to swallow, he still managed, and he felt that he could even take a few more bowls of that now.

Rong Tai hesitated for a long moment before replying, “Your Majesty, this servant does not know.” Actually he couldn’t possibly voice the truth, he didn’t have the nerve. If it were him, he wouldn’t dare show that sort of attitude toward the emperor, let alone suggest the emperor humble himself. That would be suicidal.

What kind of courage would that take? Whether others had such nerve he didn’t know, but he certainly did not.

“You don’t know… I thought we could at least hold out a little longer. Maybe not ten years, but at least three months.” He had indeed been too inexperienced in front of Shen Yu. She was a veteran of this disguise, while he was only a novice fresh out of the gate.

He raised the teacup and drank it down, then sighed helplessly, “We’ll have to leave it at that for now.”

Otherwise, there was really nothing he could do.

Shen Yu had suffered a serious illness and Fang Rui granted her two weeks’ sick leave. Part of that leave was meant to ease Shen Yu’s spirits.

With Shen Yu gravely ill, some officials in court secretly rejoiced, while others were genuinely worried.

De’an knew Shen Yu was ill and initially planned to restrain herself from visiting, but then she convinced herself otherwise. After all Shen Yu was her lifesaver. Now that her savior lay sick in bed, how could she not go?

Having found a good excuse, she hurriedly ordered precious herbs prepared and, dragging a cart, went straight to the Grand Guardian’s mansion.

Rong Tai told Fang Rui about this, but Fang Rui waved his hand calmly and said, “Let De’an go. Whether she can get to see Shen Yu is another matter.”

Sure enough, Princess De’an was stopped at the door by Old Master Shen’s words, “Shen Yu is just recovering from a chill and it really isn’t appropriate to receive visitors.”

Since the last time Fang Rui went to see the Empress Dowager, her faction had restrained themselves considerably. Compared with before, Fang Rui no longer acted so cautiously. The vacancies in court were being filled one by one, and those appointed were undoubtedly Fang Rui’s people.

Besides that, his younger brother, Prince Zhan, was returning from the border.

Prince Zhan had loved handling swords and similar weapons since childhood and disliked study. He always liked trailing behind the female general Bai Lihan. When he came of age he went to the border with her. Though talented in martial matters, he wasn’t suited to be a commander. He lacked decisiveness and was too pliable.

This time the Empress Dowager’s main purpose in bringing him back was to match him with Lou Ajiu of Dali, the Ninth Princess.

Lou Ajiu, the Dali’s Emperor Lou’s ninth daughter. When her father fell gravely ill and his brother looked covetously to take his place, the fifteen-year-old Ninth Princess was entrusted with heavy responsibility before the Dali Emperor’s death: to assist her only five-year-old younger brother as Emperor of Dali.

Lou Ajiu acted decisively and with firmer resolve than most men. In just four years she stabilized Dali’s rule.

Lou Ajiu commanded Dali’s army too, and this was what the Empress Dowager desired.

But the Empress Dowager’s hopes were destined to be dashed. A woman like Lou Ajiu could hardly be forced into anything, and the person she cared for in her heart was by no means Prince Zhan.

“Your Majesty, Prince Zhan will soon return to the capital. Shall preparations be made?”

On hearing this, Fang Rui looked at Rong Tai, glancing left and right. He simply couldn’t see what in the world Lou Ajiu saw in Rong Tai. Moreover, Rong Tai was a eunuch…

The person Lou Ajiu cared for in her heart was, in fact, Rong Tai.

Rong Tai felt unnerved at being stared at by His Majesty and reminded him again, “Your Majesty, should we prepare?”

Fang Rui took Rong Tai’s words to heart and nodded, “Then make the arrangements, as long as the young lady is willing.”

Rong Tai was talking about preparing for a matchmaking meeting for Prince Zhan…

Originally the Empress Dowager had only casually asked Fang Rui to keep an eye out for Prince Zhan, but Fang Rui didn’t take it as idle talk and actually had Rong Tai go and look into it.

After settling matters about Prince Zhan, Fang Rui picked up his brush again and began writing on small slips of paper.

Soon another small pile of paper balls accumulated. Rong Tai couldn’t bear to watch his emperor behave foolishly again, so he excused himself and left.

No sooner had Rong Tai stepped out of the Great Yuan Hall than the white cat stuck to him again. At the sight of the cat, Rong Tai’s scalp tingled and he wished he could run far away.

Rong Tai walked away quickly and the white cat followed at his heels.

Seeing the grand steward being chased by a cat, the palace servants all stifled their laughter. This was rare indeed. In their impression Rong Tai was the stern grand steward who wore a scowl and feared nothing, yet he was afraid of a cat!

At night the same thing happened: a cat slipped in through the window crack, still holding a bamboo slip in its mouth. This had been going on for several days.

The cat had just come in when the window slid open with a swish.

Their eyes met. Shen Yu lowered her head slightly and said, “Your Majesty, the night dew is heavy, please return to the palace early.”

Shen Yu finally agreed to see him. Fang Rui was overjoyed and, upon hearing her words, said repeatedly, “Not heavy, not heavy.”

Although Shen Yu couldn’t see Fang Rui’s expression, she could imagine it from his voice: His Majesty probably looked like the large mongrel in the courtyard, panting and wagging its big tail every time it saw her.

“Ah Yu, may I come in and say a few words?”

Usually, when she saw the mongrel wag its tail like that, Shen Yu would ask the kitchen to prepare extra meat as a treat.

“Your Majesty, please come in.” Shen Yu automatically stepped aside to make way.