Chapter 086

Chapter 086

"Consort Liang, the Empress is taking her afternoon rest and is unable to see you. Please return."

Consort Liang was once again stopped outside the main hall. This time, the rejection was even more concise, and the attitude was indifferent.

This was because recently, Consort Liang had been getting closer to the occupant of Jingren Palace. The Empress no longer wanted to see her. However, Consort Liang did not remain idle. She had been spending time with other concubines. Now she was here again, truly restless.

"Is Consort Rong still angry with me? Is that why she doesn’t want to see me? I merely wish to greet Consort Rong and have no other intentions," Consort Liang said, though she felt somewhat irritated in her heart.

At first, it didn’t matter that Consort Rong refused to see her, but recently, her actions likely had reached Consort Rong’s ears. Wasn’t Consort Rong interested in what Consort Liang was trying to do?

Could Consort Rong really be that calm?

"You're overthinking, Consort Liang. Her Ladyship has no such intentions. It’s just a bad time for you to visit. Please return."

The explanation was no explanation at all.

Afterward, there was no further attempt to engage with Consort Liang. A courtesy was given, and she left directly.

At this moment, there was indeed no time to attend to Consort Liang. Today, Her Ladyship’s mood appeared particularly low. In the afternoon, she didn’t have anyone read to her for entertainment. Instead, she had a lounge chair set up outside to sunbathe.

Normally, she would stay for a short while before having it put away, but this time, she had been sitting out there for a long time, without anyone by her side.

"Her Ladyship has been sitting out there by herself for an entire afternoon. Usually, she only stays for a short while before having it put away. What’s going on today?" Yun Hua couldn’t help speaking to Qinxin.

"I don’t know," Qinxin replied coldly, though she was also somewhat worried.

Su Yi leaned on the lounge chair, her hand occasionally tapping on the armrest in a detached manner. Her expression was somewhat indifferent as she watched Pot-head chase after a butterfly.

The butterfly appeared to deliberately tease Pot-head. It could fly higher, but always stayed just low enough to make Pot-head think he could catch it, like a cat-teasing wand.

Not far from Su Yi, a small white bird had landed on the eaves earlier and chirped from time to time. After a while, another one came, and the same thing happened.

Over the course of the afternoon, several small white birds had landed there, chirping intermittently with their clear, melodious voices.

Su Yi listened, a smile occasionally forming on her face. It seemed she quite enjoyed these crisp bird calls, treating them like a little tune.

"Yun Hua," Su Yi suddenly called out. Her voice wasn’t very loud, but Yun Hua, who had been some distance away, apparently heard it and looked over.

Seeing this, Qinxin, who had been talking to Yun Hua, also looked over and saw Consort Rong waving at them, calling them over.

Seeing this, Qinxin and Yun Hua went over. Qinxin was half a step behind and felt puzzled. She hadn’t heard Consort Rong calling them. How did Yun Hua notice so quickly?

"Consort, are you going back?" Yun Hua asked with a smile.

Su Yi shook her head slightly and pointed to the eaves. "There are several small white birds that have landed on the eaves and are chirping from time to time. They must be hungry. Please find some food for them. I’d like to feed them."

Yun Hua and Qinxin looked in the direction Consort Rong pointed. Seeing the birds, Yun Hua exclaimed excitedly, "Why are they all staying there and not leaving? Consort, please wait. I’ll find some food for them now." She then happily ran off.

Qinxin also saw the clean and beautiful small white birds perched on the eaves. She thought that perhaps Consort Rong was thinking of keeping birds. However, birds perched on the eaves would likely be afraid of strangers. Even with food, they probably wouldn’t come down.

But even so, it wouldn’t be difficult. They could have a tamed and obedient bird brought in. That way, Consort Rong could enjoy watching it every day.

"If Consort wishes to keep birds..." Before she could finish, a meow interrupted her.

"Meow! Meow! Meow!"

Pot-head, who had been chasing the butterfly, had abandoned his pursuit and came over, looking fierce.

He shouted at Qinxin, and even without understanding cat language, one could tell that Guaiguaitou was furious. The cat then easily jumped onto the lounge chair, arrogantly turned around, and flopped back, occupying Su Yi's lap. With a haughty look, he glared at Qinxin, as if to stake his claim.

After being fiercely addressed by Guaiguaitou, Qinxin watched its series of actions and realized that it was unhappy because she had suggested that Consort Rong keep other pets. It had even stopped chasing butterflies. Qinxin just laughed, "Is Guaiguaitou always this domineering?"

Is it unhappy about Consort Rong keeping other pets?

Qinxin smiled, but Guaiguaitou became more agitated. Was this human laughing at it?

It was livid!

"Don't provoke Guaiguaitou, or he'll seek revenge," Su Yi said with a smile, reaching out to stroke Guaiguaitou. At first, the cat still looked sulking, but the pleasure of being petted made him close his eyes. Guaiguaitou decided to ignore the human opposite it.

Qinxin also remembered that Guaiguaitou held grudges very well. Besides hissing at people, although it wouldn't bite or scratch, it didn't hesitate to ruin your clothes when no one was looking, turning them into shreds.

Yun Hua moved quickly. Before she even arrived, her voice was heard, "Coming! Just a sec! Look, Consort Rong, see! In addition to bird food, I have these! Little worms!"

She came with two small jars. One contained bird food, and the other had those little worms.

The little white birds loved them most.

Yun Hua opened the jar containing the worms, where there were still more than a dozen moving worms piled together, looking somewhat terrifying.

Qinxin mistook it for something else and screamed, "Yun Hua! How can you bring these worms over here! What if you scare Consort Rong!"

Startled by the scream, Yun Hua's hand trembled, and she quickly put the lid back on, saying in a whisper, "The little white birds like eating worms. Plus, I brought bird food. Consort Rong can use the bird food, and I'll use the worms."

Of course, she knew, but she also wanted to feed the little white birds.

"The worms can lure them down. Besides, Consort Rong didn't get scared," Yun Hua added defiantly.

"You've really thought this through," Qinxin said.

She saw Yun Hua was just playing around.

Su Yi watched them bicker and shook her head with a soft laugh. She picked up the jar of bird food, scooped some out with a small spoon, and poured it onto a small table nearby. Looking at the white birds on the eaves, she tapped the table with the spoon and said, "Food's here. Want to come down?"

Yun Hua laughed, seeing that Consort Rong had never fed the little white birds before. These little creatures were really afraid of humans. This method wouldn't work, so she took the worms she had found and said, "Consort Rong, these birds are usually afraid of people. Watch how I lure them with worms..."

The little white birds that were standing in a row on the eaves flew down one by one, landing lightly on the small table. They tilted their heads at Consort Rong and chirped before starting to eat the bird food on the table.

On the small table, several tiny, delicate little white birds were eating.

Seeing these little white birds, Guaiguaitou secretly stretched out its paw, intending to scare them away. Suddenly, he made a quick move, and the little white birds scattered, causing Yun Hua, who was about to feed them worms, to miss completely.

Guaiguaitou also caught air and, still unsatisfied, meowed a few times. Su Yi then grabbed its paw and patted it, saying, "If you misbehave again, I'll give you to Qinxin."

Hearing this, Qinxin secretly hoped. Was she finally getting a cat to hold?

Usually, to maintain the image of a steady senior servant, she didn't join the other servants in fawning over Guaiguaitou, maintaining a dignified distance.

As a result, Yun Hua could occasionally hold Guaiguaitou with some fish snacks, and she would be happy for a long time, while Qinxin almost never held Guaiguaitou.

Now, was there a chance?

Qinxin was secretly anticipating, waiting for Guaiguaitou to misbehave again and try to paw at the little white birds, so Consort Rong would hand it over to her to hold.

Being scolded, Guaiguaitou meowed a few times in grievance and then turned to bury its head in Su Yi's sleeve, not coming out again.

Su Yi, who had been secretly hoping for a little reaction from Qinxin, felt a little disappointed.

Yun Hua was off to the side, picking out small insects and placing them on the ground, trying to lure the little white birds that had flown away just now back. But the little white birds just stayed perched on the eaves without moving. However, Yun Hua couldn’t help but wonder if it was her imagination, but she thought she saw a look of... disdain in those bean-like eyes of the birds.

Huh?

It was probably just her imagination.

Yun Hua called out a couple more times, but not a single bird came down, all of them staying perched on the eaves.

"Niangniang, they were probably scared just now and that’s why they won’t come down."

Yun Hua squatted down, holding the small jar, somewhat dejectedly poking at the insects on the ground. She had worked hard to catch these insects, and now that the little white birds weren’t eating them, she would have to release them later.

"Maybe they’re too close to Guogaitou. Walk a bit further away and try calling them again, maybe they’ll come down then," Su Yi gently soothed her.

Yun Hua realized she was right. Guogaitou was still nearby and had just tried to ambush the little white birds. If they hadn’t reacted quickly, they might have really been caught.

It was normal that the little white birds were being cautious and not coming down. So she immediately said, "Right, I’ll give it another try!"

Yun Hua walked a bit further away, squatted down, picked out a fat insect, and placed it on the ground, then started calling out to the little white birds on the eaves.

"Come on, such delicious insects, big and fat, I specifically picked out the fat ones; I didn’t catch the skinny ones! Come down, please." Yun Hua said with a face full of anticipation.

Su Yi watched with a smile but didn’t say anything.

But the little white birds, who had been perched on the eaves, cold and aloof, finally moved. One flew down, landing tentatively on the ground and snatching the insect in its beak.

Yun Hua was so excited she could hardly contain herself. She turned to glance at Consort Rong, suppressing her excitement, and said, "Niangniang, walking further away really works!!"

She then poured out all the insects from the jar and called out to the little white birds that hadn’t come down yet, "Come on, there’s more."

At this point, the little white birds on the eaves started flying down one after another, dividing up the insects on the ground and eating cooperatively. Yun Hua squatted there, a silly grin on her face as she watched.

Only one bird didn’t fly over to eat the insects but instead flew back to the small table.

It was larger than the other little white birds, seemingly the leader of the group. It landed on the small table but didn’t eat the bird food scattered there. Instead, it called out to Su Yi, asking to be fed.

Guogaitou stirred in her sleeve but didn’t poke its head out. It just moved its butt, positioning itself to face the little white bird on the table, its tail swinging somewhat irritably.

Su Yi scooped out some bird food and offered it, and the little white bird came over, lowering its head to eat. As it ate, it tentatively rubbed against Su Yi’s finger, then looked at her with its little bean-like eyes.

Seeing Su Yi’s smiling face, the little white bird became even more excited, rubbing against her hand and barely eating a bite of the food.

It was more interested in getting attention than in eating.

Seeing this, Yun Hua tried to secretly reach out and touch the birds, but they nimbly flapped their wings and dodged her.

Even though they were eating the food she provided, they didn’t want to be touched.

The insects on the ground were quickly eaten, one bite each. After finishing the food, they smacked their beaks, flapped their wings, and flew back to the eaves.

It was like they had eaten their fill and left without a second thought.

Yun Hua pouted at Consort Rong, feeling a bit wronged, and said, "Niangniang! They ate the insects I gave them but didn’t let me touch them!!" Then, seeing the little white bird rubbing against Su Yi’s hand, she felt even more wronged and exclaimed, "They ate and took off, all the greedy ones flocked over here."

Yun Hua walked over and watched the little white bird eating the food being offered to it, rubbing against the back of Su Yi's hand. It looked so well-behaved.

"Why isn't this well-behaved bird coming to eat the worms?" she wondered. If it did, she might have been able to touch it, instead of not getting a single feather despite feeding them.

Yun Hua leaned in, secretly stretching out her hand, trying to get close to the little white bird.

But the bird was on high alert. It flapped its wings and flew up, landing on Su Yi's shoulder, leaving Yun Hua's hand empty.

She twitched the corners of her mouth, managing a weak smile. It was expected that she couldn't touch it—that was normal.

Su Yi couldn't help laughing at her expression. This little white bird was actually the feistiest one.

The little white bird proudly called out and quickly rubbed against Su Yi's hand before it was supposed to flap its wings and fly away.

But as it flew up, it suddenly turned and swooped down quickly, pecking the exposed butt of the "pot lid head" that was hiding in Su Yi's sleeve.

Startled, the little white bird flew high, far out of reach, as the "pot lid head" screamed and stretched out its claws from the sleeve.

After pecking the "pot lid head," the little white bird flew off and even encouraged the other little white birds on the eaves to fly away. They intentionally circled the sky above the "pot lid head" before leaving.

Clearly, this was revenge for the earlier sneak attack by the "pot lid head."

The "pot lid head" was furious, standing on Su Yi's knee and growling fiercely at the group of little white birds. One could imagine it was letting out some choice cat curses.

Only after the little white birds had disappeared from sight did the "pot lid head" calm down, but then it turned and jumped into Su Yi's arms, whining pitifully.

Su Yi could hardly hold back her laughter. She had said this little white bird was the feistiest. If it had been any of the other birds, they would have just flown away and would never dare peck back.

But seeing the "pot lid head" whimpering, she knew she had to comfort it or it would really become a depressed kitty.

The "pot lid head" responded well to this and gradually quieted down, its paws clutching onto Su Yi's shoulder as it settled down.

This whole scene left Yun Hua and Qinxin watching in amazement.

Yun Hua, who had been feeling frustrated, couldn't help but laugh at the sight. "My lady, I never expected that little white bird to be quite fierce!"

"Just now, when the 'pot lid head' ambushed it, the bird pecked back before leaving. That was pretty funny. Of course, the 'pot lid head' started it. It provoked them first, so it's normal that they would peck back."

Qinxin also laughed, though more quietly. If Yun Hua laughed in front of the little cat, the "pot lid head" might tear her clothes to shreds later.

She shouldn't have needed to remind her, but Yun Hua had laughed at the kitty's misfortune right in front of it, teasing it.

After dinner, Su Yi prepared to rest as usual, but this evening, she handed the "pot lid head" to the eunuch responsible for its care.

The "pot lid head" was very unhappy but didn't dare to make a fuss. Su Yi stroked its head. "Be good, you're a mature little cat now. You can't be so clingy."

The "pot lid head" tried to act cute to melt the human's heart, but the human spoke gently yet didn't change her mind, and then left.

Pot lid head: A heart of stone, this human!

The "pot lid head" was left in doubt. Was its fur not smooth and shiny enough today?

Su Yi had things to do tonight and naturally couldn't attend to the "pot lid head."

"Consort, do you still want to use the incense burner tonight?" Yun Hua asked as she carried the incense burner over.

"No, I'm finding it a bit overwhelming," Su Yi replied lightly.

"Very well, Consort." Yun Hua nodded and then stepped forward to tuck the quilt around Consort Rong. "Please rest well, Consort. I will be leaving now."

Su Yi nodded and closed her eyes, appearing as though she was about to sleep. After Yun Hua picked up the incense burner and left, she closed the door behind her and couldn't help but sigh as she looked at the burner.

Once everyone had left, Su Yi lifted the covers and sat back up.

She formed a hand seal and pushed forward, creating a barrier in front of her. It appeared momentarily before vanishing like a dissipating wave. However, from the other side of the transparent barrier, Su Yi appeared to be sleeping peacefully on the bed.

Su Yi sat cross-legged, formed a seal with her hands, and patted her forehead. This action directly forced her soul out of her body. Su Yi temporarily left her body and fell to the ground, looking at her body, which remained seated in meditation. It had been a long time since she had felt such freedom.

This body felt like a shackle imposed on her by the heavens. Without using it, she would float around like a wandering soul, unable to leave yet unable to dissipate.

But even using it didn’t grant her much freedom.

She had things to take care of tonight. Recently, Consort Liang had been quite troublesome. She hadn’t paid attention to her, but Consort Liang had been busy preparing to cause trouble for her.

Thanks to the recent purple energy, even if she couldn’t see the person, the purple energy would come to her, which made things convenient.

In her soul form, she floated all the way, able to pass through objects without being affected.

She soon arrived at the Qianqing Palace, her destination.

Su Yi stood there for a moment, then headed in a certain direction.

At that moment, Kangxi was still reviewing memorials and had not yet retired. Wu Sangui was dead, and his troops were now leaderless. Although his subordinates had immediately installed Wu Sangui's grandson, Wu Shifan, as his successor, Wu Shifan was far less experienced than Wu Sangui. His methods of controlling his subordinates were far less cunning than the old fox Wu Sangui's.

Now, Wu Shifan had withdrawn with his men to Yunnan and Guizhou. At this time, the Qing dynasty naturally sought to pursue and attack. Fast reports from Hunan, Guangxi, and Sichuan kept arriving, and Kangxi was almost entirely focused on seizing the opportunity to reclaim lost territories and completely suppress the rebellion of the Three Feudatories.

Su Yi floated on the beams, waiting lazily for Kangxi to go to bed. But Kangxi was still working through the memorials without pause, a true workaholic.

Su Yi almost fell asleep waiting above, and it wasn’t until Liang Jiugong reminded Kangxi that it was late and time to retire.

Kangxi valued his health and rarely stayed up late. After Liang Jiugong’s reminder, Kangxi put down his brush and prepared to retire for the night.

Thinking Kangxi was finally going to sleep, Su Yi jumped up, only to pass through the roof and see the moon above.

Su Yi waited for Kangxi to fall asleep, and after confirming that he was asleep, she approached his bedside.

It had been a long time since she had woven a dream for someone, and she was a bit rusty.

Knowing the future wasn’t as vivid as seeing it with your own eyes.

Kangxi seemed to know he was dreaming. As he walked, the people around him appeared not to see him. Kangxi walked forward and saw the familiar Hall of Supreme Harmony, but he hadn’t reached the dragon throne yet.

Suddenly, the scene shifted, and many people appeared kneeling in front of him. Among them was a person wearing a yellow dragon robe. Kangxi looked closely and realized that though the person’s face was aged, he bore a strong resemblance to himself. However, the man was older, his eyes now cloudy instead of clear.

Kangxi was incredulous but quickly realized the truth. Was this him, in his old age?

What happened next confirmed Kangxi's suspicion. This was indeed him in his old age.

The old man, his face aged and eyes filled with grief and tears, clutched a decree tightly, the veins on the back of his hand standing out as he struggled to restrain his emotions. He read the contents of the decree with great effort, each word painful to say.

Among the crowd of kneeling people, one figure dressed in the attire of the Crown Prince looked devastated and disbelieving.