The Daily Life Of Mei Furen Doting On Her Husband - Chapter 45

“I didn’t know if my sister was still my sister. I suspected she was some kind of evil spirit, but I was reluctant to do anything. After all, she is my lost relative. In fact, that child has been unusual since she was young. She is different from us. She seems to be able to see things that we cannot. When my mother was around, she often pulled my mother to say that there was something in the empty space. I’m afraid my mother was the only one who wasn’t afraid of her at all.”

“My mother once told me with great concern that my sister is different from others and that she might face hardships and setbacks in the future. This finally came true. Later, Master Jingyan, a great monk from Xuti Temple, was invited by my father. He told us that my sister’s resurrection was a great opportunity and that her only hope of survival was left to her by my mother.”

“She grew up slowly and became more normal. Except for some unusual behavior, she is no longer as abnormal as when she was young. My father and I kept this secret from everyone. Now that so many years have passed, I should have forgotten these things, but there is always some confusion in my heart that I can’t let go. Whenever I see a cat, I think of what happened back then, and recall the scene where my own sister was swallowed by that big cat.”

Imperial Concubine Mei’s expression changed from surprise and disbelief to calmness. She held Empress Wu’s hand tightly, patted her on the back, and soothed her softly, “There are so many strange things in the world. Your Highness, since it has been so long, don’t dwell on it anymore. Sister Zhen will be safe in the future.”

Empress Wu shook her head and stopped talking. In fact, on New Year’s Day that year, when Master Jingyan passed away, her father met him again. The master said that Wu Zhen had another disaster in her life and needed the help of a noble person to avoid it. That noble person also had a connection with her chance of survival. After her father begged him repeatedly, Master Jingyan finally told him one thing.

That word was “Yu (rain)”.

Therefore, her father, who had originally stopped forcing her sister to marry, was so concerned about arranging her marriage with Mei Zhuyu. He felt that Mei Zhuyu was the ‘Yu’ that Master Jingyan had mentioned, and the timing of his appearance was too coincidental.

“Forget it. I’ve probably been worrying too much lately, so I’m feeling uneasy. Let’s go back and stop standing here in the wind.”

Empress Wu returned to her usual self and left with Concubine Mei.

That night, a shadow descended upon the palace where the Empress lived, lingering beside the sleeping Empress. Empress Wu was sweating profusely in her bed, deep in a nightmare, and screamed unconsciously. Concubine Mei, who had heard her worries during the day, happened to be concerned, so she came to see her with a lamp and heard her mumbling in her sleep. She hurriedly sat down beside the bed, wanting to wake her.

Unexpectedly, the shadow under the bed suddenly expanded and enveloped Concubine Mei. While Concubine Mei was stunned, she was wrapped in the shadow and transformed into a cat.

A white cat with green eyes.

The lamp that Concubine Mei was holding fell to the ground with a clanging sound, and the light went out. Empress Wu, still in a dream, was suddenly awakened by the noise and sat up in a sweat. She had dreamt of the giant cat that ate her sister years ago, and her heart could not calm down for a while.

“Meow~”

A soft cat’s cry startled Empress Wu. She turned around and saw a white cat squatting beside her bed. The cat’s green eyes seemed to be filled with human-like anxiety and astonishment, which unnerved Empress Wu. Quickly frowning, she called for someone to come in.

“Why is there a cat here?”

When Qing’e, who served Imperial Concubine Mei, entered, Empress Wu was surprised once more. “Qing’e, why are you here instead of accompanying Imperial Concubine Mei?”

Qing’e looked around, but didn’t see Imperial Concubine Mei. She too was surprised and knelt down, saying, “I came here with Imperial Concubine Mei. She woke up in the middle of the night and was worried, saying she wanted to come check on Your Highness. She had just entered with a lamp.”

The lamp had rolled to the side of the bed. Hearing Qing’e’s explanation, Empress Wu no longer focused on the cat. She looked around the palace with a frown, “The Imperial Concubine entered the palace? Where is she?”

The entire palace was visible at a glance, and apart from them, there was no sign of Imperial Concubine Mei. Qing’e, panicking, shook her head. “I-I don’t know. We all saw the Imperial Concubine enter the palace. It was only for a moment. I have no idea why she’s gone.”

Empress Wu’s eyes narrowed as she suddenly turned her gaze to the white cat beside the bed, her expression gradually growing colder. Every time a cat appeared, something ominous happened around her. The strange appearance of this cat might be connected to this incident.

She stared at the cat with an unsettling intensity, and the maids didn’t dare to utter a word. The cat seemed to understand Empress Wu’s expression, meowing anxiously again before jumping in front of her, trying to hook her clothes with her claws. Empress Wu’s face changed, and she reacted sharply, flinging the white cat into the corner of the bed.

The white cat tumbled into the quilt, somersaulted twice, then got up and meowed sorrowfully at Empress Wu.

Empress Wu didn’t know why, but a pang of guilt suddenly washed over her, and she felt she had acted wrongly.

Noticing the Empress’s silence, Huang, a palace maid who had served her for many years, cautiously asked, “Your Highness, should we take the cat…out?” 

Having served Empress Wu for so long, she knew well that the Empress had never liked cats.

Still preoccupied with Concubine Mei’s disappearance, Empress Wu waved her hand dismissively. “Take her away.”

The white cat continued to meow at Empress Wu, and when a maid approached to catch her, the cat dodged and kept crying out. Empress Wu, flustered by the noise, frowned even more deeply. Suddenly, she said, “Alright, forget about the cat. Gather some people to search the palace and find the Imperial Concubine. Qing’e, take some others and search outside. Perhaps she just stepped out again.”

After everyone had left, Empress Wu dressed, stood up, and picked up the fallen lamp from the ground.

Things unfolded just as Empress Wu had feared. The palace maids searched for Concubine Mei throughout the night but found no trace of her. It was as if she had vanished into thin air. The only abnormality in the heavily guarded palace was the sudden appearance of the white cat.