Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I kept my head down and survived. After three days of it, I finally gave up hope that Zhuzhu would rescue me.

Her own position was worse than mine.

Anyone with eyes could see how highly the Empress valued the Crown Prince.

Neither of her other sons would ever be allowed to surpass him.

To put it plainly, she played favorites.

Zhuzhu’s bargain-bin husband, meanwhile, specialized in being brainless.

In three days, he managed to contradict the Crown Prince three times a day with the regularity of mealtimes.

He even tried to snatch the flood-relief assignment so he could build popular support of his own.

I listened from under the desk as he got scolded and heaved the sigh of a world-weary lynx.

Sis Zhu, how did you end up with a melon-head like this?

Forget waiting for Zhuzhu to save me. I had begun to worry about saving her.

Prince Yong was confined to his residence, and I assumed I would not see Zhuzhu for a long time.

She came to the palace the very next day.

Officially, she was there to apologize and plead for Prince Yong. Her eyes, however, kept straying to where I lay beneath the Empress’s desk.

I nearly wept with emotion. Best friends for life!

The Empress was angry with Prince Yong. Since Zhuzhu’s excuse for coming was to plead for him, she naturally received a tongue-lashing.

Zhuzhu’s eyes went glassy from the scolding.

Then, by some burst of suicidal courage, she threw the Empress a fastball straight down the middle.

“I-I-Imperial Mother, th-this-this…”

The Empress waited.

Summoning what must have been every scrap of courage she possessed, Zhuzhu blurted, “This daughter cannot stop thinking about that puffed-up lynx…”

I stared at her.

Sis, seriously? Was this the time?

You came to see me. I felt the love. That was enough!

The Empress narrowed her eyes.

Help. From the height of a juvenile lynx, she was even more frightening.

“I just spent all that time patiently telling you to urge my second son to improve himself. You did not hear a word, did you?”

Zhuzhu looked ready to wet herself. So did I.

Her lips trembled. “I did. I-I listened, but-but she, she, she…”

Good grief, woman. Did this look like the moment to stand your ground?

I could not take it anymore. I launched myself at the Empress and wrapped my paws around her leg.

She frowned down at me.

“Mew, mew, mew.”

A lynx’s natural voice was difficult to describe and usually came out as a hiss. I squeezed my throat with every ounce of effort to make myself sound sweet.

Then I rubbed my head against her leg.

Then I rolled all over the floor and broke into my signature butt-wiggling dance.

“Mew, mew, me-ew!”

The instant a trace of laughter lit the Empress’s star-bright eyes, I wiggled even harder.

Dear heavens, I was going to dislocate my hips.

Her Majesty recovered herself and looked at Zhuzhu. “You. Leave. Go reflect with my second son.”

Zhuzhu gave me one last, pale-faced look.

I told her with my eyes: Take care of yourself. Stop worrying about me for now.

We had been best friends since childhood. She understood at once and withdrew after begging pardon.

From that day on, the Empress began paying attention to me.

She assigned two eunuchs, three palace maids, and a female official to my personal service.

Even my grooming comb was gold inlaid with jade.

Zhuzhu, I had made it. I truly had.

Let us keep our promise: you do not court death, I do not court death, and together we treasure every miserable day we manage to survive.

That night, freshly bathed and sweet-smelling, I was delivered to the Empress’s dragon bed.

I was alarmed.

Her bedchamber was as austere and forceful as she was.

Against that severe setting, her already brilliant features looked even more aggressive.

A maid brought medicine. The Empress suffered from headaches.

How could she not? She was still handling state affairs after dark.

The Crown Prince was already grown, yet she herself was not even forty. She must have been very young when the burden of producing imperial heirs was placed upon her.

A female official helped her undress and settle in.

Her long fingers rested on my back.

Was I moved? I did not dare move.

After the candles were put out, she gave a soft sigh.

“Jiaojiao.”

Hmm? Who was Jiaojiao?

“Why can my second son not understand that there can be only one Crown Prince?”

Ah. Apparently, Jiaojiao was me.

Her hand stroked my fur again and again.

In the privacy of the night, with no one present but a lynx, I thought she might finally speak her heart.

She said nothing else. Still stroking me, she fell asleep propped against the bed.

Suddenly, the room felt terribly lonely.

I quietly dragged a light blanket over her, then curled up beside her to sleep.

The next morning, I watched someone poison her food.

Good grief. Did people think they could drop their guard because I was only a lynx?

The Empress’s breakfast had just been set out.

Before she could touch her chopsticks, an official reported that torrential rain had flooded the outskirts during the night.

She hurried out at once to meet the reporting officials, leaving one maid to watch over breakfast and me.

I was admiring Her Majesty’s extraordinary competence. Disaster relief could not wait, and she would sacrifice even the time needed for one meal.

Then the maid guarding us poisoned her porridge right in front of me.

Not long afterward, the Empress returned.

At the doorway, she paused and spoke to the female official beside her.

“Hu Yao, go in person.”

Hu Yao hesitated. “Your Majesty does not trust Minister Geng?”

“Relief comes first. Assigning blame comes later. Keep Minister Geng from letting officials shirk responsibility until the people’s welfare is delayed.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Empress returned to the table and rubbed her temples against the pain.

I jumped onto a chair and tried my very hardest to leap onto the table.

I had overestimated my short little legs.

With a smack, I fell back to the floor.

Fortunately, there was a carpet, so it did not hurt much.

The Empress laughed.

I stared at her.

She picked me up and ruffled my puffed fur. “What is it? Do you want to eat with Us?”

“Mew, mew, mew!” I cried desperately.

She misunderstood and tried to feed me a spoonful of poisoned chicken congee.

“Our Jiaojiao loves chicken best, does she not?”

The maid’s eyes widened in terror. Did she think she was more frightened than I was?

I thrashed wildly.

Zhu! When are you coming to the palace to translate for me? I am about to die!

The Empress was accomplished in both civil and martial arts. Naturally, she was strong.

I kicked the spoon away, but she held me effortlessly in one hand.

“Jiaojiao, what is wrong?” Her brows drew together.

After another struggle, she set me on the table.

My chance.

I charged the maid. “Rrrow! Rrrow! Rrrow!”

So much for my sweet little voice. My natural roar burst right out.

There was no time to care.

I yelled at the maid while pointing one paw at the bowl of chicken congee.

“Jiaojiao…”

She still did not understand, so I raced back and forth across the table, miming with all my might.

I pointed at the maid, pointed at the congee, then pointed a paw at my own head.

Fortunately, the maid had no nerve. The moment I pointed at her, her knees buckled and she dropped to the floor.