The night was dark and the wind was cold. The people were locked in their homes and surrounded the braziers to warm themselves up. They chatted and talked about their warm care and hope for the new year. They also hugged their children and whispered philosophical stories. The lights of the thousands of houses gathered into a warm current that flowed in Shengyang City, making the cold winter no longer seem cold.
The Imperial Palace, which symbolized supreme power, was brightly lit. Guards patrolled in an orderly manner. It was the festival, and the spirits were even higher. The palace maids and eunuchs who had nothing to do gathered together to open a small stove. They used their monthly salary to buy ingredients and cook them themselves. It could be considered as making up for the late New Year's Eve dinner after being busy. They had no relatives outside the palace. Fortunately, the steward tacitly approved of their activities, and they had lived in peace for several years.
In the beautiful Wan Yue Palace, the concubines and princesses surrounded the dead white fox and wiped their tears. Ever since the white fox entered the palace, it had been very popular and liked by them. With it, they and the Empress were like sisters. From time to time, they would come to Wan Yue Palace to tease it. The princesses were even more different. They often stayed for an entire day and were unwilling to leave.
Now that the white fox was lying in front of him without any signs of life, who wouldn't be sad? It felt like a close friend had died. The Empress 'daughter, the little princess, was crying her eyes out. It was really unpleasant for a family banquet to be turned into such a mess.
Several princes came forward to comfort their respective mother consorts, and Gu Moran also went to coax her younger daughter. The black cat suddenly turned around and ran out of the palace door when it saw this scene. Its black figure quickly disappeared into the night. Gu Mo Xi took the fox fur cloak and hurriedly chased after them, as if she didn't care about the sad sisters-in-law behind her.
The cold wind was as cold as ice, hitting people like a heavy blow, making them shiver uncontrollably. Gu Mo Xi rushed through the imperial garden, her seductive phoenix eyes burning with worry. She raised the palace lantern and tried to illuminate further and clearer. Her eyes swept the surroundings, trees, grass, rockery…She did not miss any corner and finally found that small, black figure in the water pavilion.
She walked into the water pavilion and placed the palace lantern on the stone table. Gu Moxi sat beside the black cat and put it on her lap with her cold hands. She grabbed the edge of the cloak and covered it with it. However, she felt a wave of wetness. Her heart thumped as if something had stabbed into it. She asked with concern," Xi 'er, why are you crying?"”
"You're the one crying." The black cat in the cloak let out a muffled sound.
Gu Mo Xi put her hands under the black cat's armpits and lifted it up to the same height as her face. Under the dim light of the palace lanterns, she used a lot of strength to see that the fur on its face was wet with tears." Your face is wet and you still say that it's not wet. Did the fox say something?"”
"Humph, it wasn't there in the first place. It was wet from the dew.”The black cat turned its little head and said awkwardly, but there was a glimmer of light at the corner of its eyes.
Hearing this, Gu Mo Xi really wanted to ask if there would be dew even before the time was up. But she still followed its meaning and asked," Yes, Xi 'er, tell me, why did the dew wet you?”
The black cat was silent. Just when Gu Mo Xi thought it wouldn't speak, it said," I've been separated from my clansmen. I miss them. Don't misunderstand. You must want to know. That's why I said it."”
"Yes, it's my fault." Once again, Gu Mo Xi followed the black cat's words and held it in her arms. Her warm palms gently stroked the soft fur, allowing the clothes on her chest to be wet. Her phoenix eyes became deep and bottomless in the night, forming a dark vortex, making it impossible to detect the inner information.
This was the first time Gu Moxi had heard the black cat talk about him. He must have missed his clansmen very much in the past six months. He knew that it must not be easy to be the leader of a clan. Not only did he have to lead the clansmen to survive, but he also had to strengthen the clan bit by bit. His heart ached slightly and he cherished the black cat's past. His eyebrows revealed an unnoticeable anxiety.
The night was as dark as ink. A man and a cat were snuggling together in the water pavilion, forming a heart-warming scene in the picturesque imperial garden. However, the good times did not last long. The warmth flowing between the two was interrupted by an angry shout. A young voice broke the air," So you're here."”
The little princess pointed at the black cat in Gu Moxi's arms with her slender fingers and barged into the water pavilion. The spoiled little girl had come to punish her beloved white fox pet without caring about the presence of her elders. Everyone said that the little princess was smart and quick-witted. At this time, she was probably really angry because of the death of the white fox.
"Second Imperial Uncle, this black cat caused the death of the white fox. I want it to die as an apology. Second Imperial Uncle, please hand the black cat over to me.”
"Don't even think about it." Gu Mo Xi asserted, a threatening aura growing in her phoenix eyes. If the little princess didn't stop, he didn't mind attacking, even if it would hurt the brotherhood between him and his brother.
"What? Why did Second Uncle side with this beast? Did the white fox die in vain?”Hearing this, the little princess's pretty face revealed a look of surprise, as if she couldn't believe what she had heard. Then she thought of the rumors in the palace that Second Imperial Uncle spoiled a black cat. At first, she didn't believe it, but now it seemed that she had no choice but to believe it.
"It's already dead. It's just a beast. It kept barking at Xi 'er.”
His words caused the large group of troops who had just arrived to reveal expressions of disbelief. Was this still the cold and indifferent King Jing they knew? Although King Jing usually looked calm and indifferent, they knew very well that he actually cared a lot about Heaven Saint and his family. Now, in order to favor the black cat, he actually said such unreasonable words. The difference was too great.
The group of people looked at each other and did not know what to say. However, the little princess, who was extremely angry, said," Second Uncle, you're too biased. We all know that the white fox was killed by the black cat. Why are you protecting it?”
"It's mine." These simple words meant that he had to protect his own person. It was so domineering that Lan Xi, who was in his arms, was moved. Her body unconsciously leaned closer to him, absorbing the warmth from his body.
Sensing the black cat's movements, Gu Mo Xi's sexy lips curled up. The threatening aura in her charming phoenix eyes subsided slightly, overflowing with a smile, and her hand movements became gentler.
The little princess was so angry that her entire body was trembling. Seeing that her princess illness was about to act up, the clever empress held her shoulder in time and smiled gently." Alright, it's just a pet. Why do you have to make our relationship awkward? The family banquet is not over yet. Let's go back quickly."”
With that, the matter of the white fox was resolved by the Empress. The little princess, who was walking at the back, glared at the black cat. It was also destined that she and the black cat would have a feud.
The sun and the moon alternated. It had been a day since they returned to the Lan Mansion from the family banquet in the palace. Today was the real festival in the Lan Mansion. The five ghosts had many competitions and rewards that attracted the servants to sign up enthusiastically. From needlework to zither, chess, calligraphy, poetry, song and dance, to the eighteen martial arts, and finally to hide and seek, which showed that they were hiding and looking for skills. This made the servants of the Prince's Mansion extremely shocked.
The servants knew that Lan Xi wanted to make the manor lively. At most, they thought that she would go to the brothel to invite a few singers back to sing and play. Who would have thought of such a program list? It would be lively from morning to night. Although they were dissatisfied with her, they were still curious. Some even wanted to participate.
There were a total of 108 servants in the Lan Mansion. Eight of them were the kitchen and the embroiderer. These eight people were ordinary people who Shangguan Yibing had transferred over, so they were the judges, emcees, and record keepers. The other 100 people were divided equally between men and women, forming groups of 10 people. Needlework was an event that women had to participate in, and martial arts was a competition that men had to participate in. As for the rest, each pair discussed among themselves. Moreover, under Lan Xi's suggestion, the Five Ghosts had added a tug-of-war event. The winner could propose the prize he wanted in a duel between groups.
First, needlework and the eighteen martial arts began at the same time. The rule of needlework was to embroider the purse within two hours, and the embroiderer would be the judge and timer. As for the eighteen martial arts, fifty people would fight together, using wooden sticks stained with paint as weapons. Within an hour, whoever had less than twenty colors on them would advance to the second round, and the chef would be the judge and timer.
The Soul Eater whistled, and the competition began. The female killers were all holding embroidery needles and embroidering seriously. Their hands, which were used to holding weapons, could not help but tremble when they held the embroidery needles. A thin layer of sweat oozed out of their foreheads. They were either knotted or pricked their fingers. They looked a little embarrassed.
The male killers were in a very intense situation. Each of them attacked quickly and did not show any mercy even though the other party was their companion. Every move was executed with great ease. The wide courtyard actually seemed a little narrow. The chef had already hidden behind the Soul Eater, afraid that he would be implicated if he was not careful.
Chef's servant boy carried a gong and rang it an hour later. Chef then ran out from behind the Soul Eater to count and successfully selected ten people who had advanced. The following rules of the competition became a duel between two people. The one who admitted defeat or made the other party unable to move would win. This round would be judged by the Soul Eater, and the final winner would fight against the Soul Eater.
Another hour passed, and the female killers handed over their works expressionlessly. The embroidery lady smiled bitterly as she watched. The worst of the fifty pouches in her hands could not even be called a pouch, and the best was embroidered in a crooked manner. If it was taken out, it would not be funny. However, she still chose the best work. The winner would receive a human skin mask provided by Mei Sheng. It was said that this human skin mask was as thin as a cicada's wing and could change according to the user's mind. It was perfect as a prize.
The female killers 'next competition was music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, singing, and dancing. Of course, they were willing to participate. Tao Yao and Shangguan Yibing were the judges, and only the winners could compete with them. As for their referee, Lan Xi could only be the judge. The reward was a pill provided by Yuanyuan, which could increase internal energy, so the competition was very intense.
After the lunch break, both men and women had their winners. The rest of the game of hide-and-seek reflected their own duties. Everyone put in all their effort. It was said that the prize was the Frost Sword provided by Shangguan Yibing. This sword was very famous in Jianghu. A few years ago, its owner disappeared without a trace. It was unknown where he found it and used it as a prize.
With a whistle, the game of hide-and-seek began. The densely packed heads in the courtyard were instantly emptied. The rules of the competition stated that after finding a person, the person would be thrown back into the courtyard with the acupoint striking uniform. The last person would be the winner.
Gu Moxi was carrying the black cat, with Housekeeper Zhu standing behind her. Opposite her were Mei Sheng and the other five. They sat in the main hall and waited for the result. They watched as time passed. Four hours later, the winner would emerge. It was Nameless, who was ranked first in the Bloodthirsty League. Shangguan Yibing also handed the Frost Sword to him. It was indeed a good sword. Even though it was stuffed into the sheath, Lan Xi could feel the coldness of the sword.
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