The Daily Life Of Mei Furen Doting On Her Husband - Chapter 53

The clerk, holding a few volumes of books, didn’t know why Minister Mei, usually so serious about his work, had been so absent-minded all morning. He could only repeat what he had just said.

Mei Zhuyu nodded, “Leave them here.” 

After he left, he prepared to continue his work. But when he looked down, he found a stain of ink on the paper before him. He didn’t know when it had splashed, perhaps during his prolonged daze.

Silently, he set the paper aside, recalling the overly intimate kiss from last night. Realizing where his thoughts were wandering, Mei Zhuyu calmed himself again, resolutely dispelling the hazy thoughts from his mind.

Clear your mind, calm your spirit.

Just as he was slowly focusing on his work, a tabby cat jumped in through the window. It was Wu Zhen, who had just helped Empress Wu solve the problem of Concubine Mei. However, Mei Zhuyu didn’t know that the uninvited kitten was the very person who had left him so unsettled the night before. He recognized the familiar tabby cat and, although slightly surprised, didn’t pay much attention, giving it only a brief glance.

That was until he felt something furry and warm in his lap. He paused, realizing the tabby cat had nestled into his lap as if it belonged there, kneading his wrinkled clothes as if preparing for a nap.

Mei Zhuyu was kneeling, and it wasn’t proper to remain in such a posture with a cat in his arms. So he put down his pen, picked up the tabby cat, and placed it beside him. But the cat only looked at him lazily and raised its paw, ready to jump back into his lap. Mei Zhuyu half stood, took out his cushion, placed it beside him, allowed the tabby cat to lie on the cushion, and then knelt directly on the smooth floor to resume his official duties.

Wu Zhen, in her cat form, looked at the cushion, then at his knees, and flicked her whiskers helplessly. Forget it, I won’t bother him anymore. This sitting position is uncomfortable to watch. Without a cushion, his knees will likely become sore. With that thought, she decided she didn’t want to stay any longer and jumped out of the window, running away.

In Empress Wu’s Qingning Hall, Concubine Mei had just regained her human form. Empress Wu, who was always dignified and solemn, nearly cried with joy—finally, she didn’t have to hold the white cat anymore. Although she had accepted that the cat was Concubine Mei, every time she held it, the hair on her back would stand up. But since it was Concubine Mei, she had forced herself to endure it. Had the matter not been resolved soon, she… she would have eventually gotten used to it.

Concubine Mei held Empress Wu’s hand. Despite having gone through such a strange experience, she showed no sign of fear. She continued to speak softly to Empress Wu, “Your Highness, you’ve worked hard to conceal my disappearance these days and to endure me in that form.”

Empress Wu quickly said, “I’m just glad you’ve recovered. It was no trouble.”

Concubine Mei smiled and said, “If it was no trouble, why don’t we get a cat? After everything that’s happened, I’ve come to think that cats aren’t so bad.”

Empress Wu’s face turned pale. Imperial Concubine Mei burst out laughing and touched her forehead with her delicate hand. “I was just kidding.”

“However, for my sake, Your Highness gave away the treasure in the treasury, the Seal of the Scriptures. How will you explain this to His Majesty in the future?”

Empress Wu regained her usual composure and didn’t seem to care much. “That thing may be precious, but in His Majesty’s eyes, it’s not as valuable as a nice song. It can cover up the past. Don’t worry.”

As they continued talking, they entered the inner hall. Imperial Concubine Mei suddenly exclaimed and pointed at a gilded crane lantern, “Your Highness, look.”

Empress Wu looked over and saw that the Tibetan Scripture Seal, which had just been taken by the tabby cat, was now hanging from the crane’s beak. Imperial Concubine Mei, being very smart, figured it out in an instant. She said, “It seems that this cat fairy came to help us on purpose but was afraid that Your Highness would be suspicious, so it specifically asked for this thing as a reward. Now that the matter has been resolved, it has returned the seal.”

Empress Wu’s thoughts were unclear. Her brows gradually furrowed, as if she had realized something, and she clutched her sleeves tightly. Was this cat related to her sister?

Wu Zhen left the palace and went straight back to Duke Yu’s Mansion without stopping anywhere. She heard from a servant that her cousin Pei was in the courtyard admiring the flowers, so she went to the garden to find him. Wu Zhen held a dark object in her hand as she approached Pei Jiya, who stood amid a bush of blooming peonies, looking elegant and graceful. She called, “Cousin Pei.”

Pei Jiya turned his head and saw the dark object coming towards him. His eyes flashed, and when it was about to touch him, he slightly turned sideways to avoid it.

Wu Zhen understood after he dodged, “It’s you. This ‘Cat Morph jinx’ is well-made, but you shouldn’t use it indiscriminately.”

Pei Jiya asked, “How did you guess?”

Wu Zhen replied, “Do I look stupid?”

Pei Jiya sneered, then changed the subject, “Since you know, then you should understand that I am more worthy, right?”

Wu Zhen had refused before, and now that he brought it up again, she was too lazy to argue. “I don’t want to repeat myself. You should leave for Kun Zhou today.”

She was blunt. Pei Jiya didn’t expect her to be so straightforward and complained, “Why, won’t you even let me attend the wedding banquet? After all, I am your cousin.”

Wu Zhen responded directly, “If you sincerely wanted to attend my wedding banquet, I would naturally welcome you, but you have malicious intentions. I have to worry that you will harm those around me again.” She paused, then continued, “Especially my husband. He is just an ordinary person. I am afraid he can’t stand the extra attention from you, Cousin.”

“Cousin, you should be thankful that you haven’t attacked him yet. Otherwise, I would not have asked you to leave today, but I would have beaten you so hard that you wouldn’t be able to stand up, and had you carried away.”

Pei Jiya… actually, he had already tried but failed. If he could have dealt with Mei Zhuyu directly, would he have needed to take such a roundabout approach?

However… Pei Jiya realized that Wu Zhen didn’t seem to know that Mei Zhuyu was a Taoist Priest, which was interesting.

“Fine, I’ll go back to Kun Zhou,” Pei Jiya conceded. Although he had a strange temper, he understood the situation well. Seeing that Wu Zhen was getting serious, he knew this Cat Lord wouldn’t let him off easily.

Pei Jiya only caused minor troubles because he knew better. If he truly wanted to cause trouble, Chang’an City would have been in turmoil. He didn’t want to fall out with Wu Zhen, and Wu Zhen clearly thought the same, but she was stronger. Pei Jiya knew he couldn’t overpower her, so he had no choice but to retreat.

Pei Jiya packed up and returned to Kun Zhou the next day. 

Duke Yu probably misunderstood. Seeing his nephew leaving on the eve of his daughter’s wedding banquet with a sick and pale face, he thought that Pei Jiya was worried about his daughter and couldn’t bear to stay, so he had to leave the sad place. Duke Yu felt a little guilty. A few years ago, his nephew had written to him asking to marry his daughter, but she didn’t want to get married at the time, so he refused. If it weren’t for Taoist Master Jingyan’s words before his death, he wouldn’t have forced his daughter to marry Second Young Master Mei. He could only say that it was a mistake and that he felt sorry for his nephew.