Chapter 25: Princess Weiyang

Following the incident with Qinghe, Xuan Yuan Yu arranged a new personal maid for the little fox named Li Yue. She was plain in appearance, soft-spoken, and had a timid disposition.

While Xuan Yuan Yu was in the outer court discussing matters with General Situ, the little fox was held in Li Yue’s arms. Seeing that Xuan Yuan Yu was busy, the little fox, considering herself a sensible creature, did not pester him. Their conversation drifted toward talk of war, which gave the little fox a headache, so she urged the young maid Li Yue to take her to the Imperial Garden.

The Imperial Garden was a riot of color with thousands of flowers in full bloom. The little fox, however, had no concept of respecting such beauty. She darted into the flowerbeds in pursuit of a butterfly, trampling the delicate, vibrant blossoms underfoot. Li Yue watched in horror from the sidelines, afraid to step forward and retrieve the fox. These flowers had all been planted by the Empress Dowager herself; if she were to find out, the consequences would be dire.

Li Yue was trembling with fear, her eyes welling with tears. This was a capital offense—how cruel her fate was. She had thought looking after a fox would be a simple task, but from the very first day, she realized that this little fox had no limits to her boldness and was constantly testing the boundaries of her composure.

"Little fox, little fox, please come back! These are the Empress Dowager’s favorite begonias," Li Yue pleaded, though she dared not raise her voice.

Hearing Li Yue’s call, the little fox took one last reluctant look at the butterfly and waved a tiny paw, chirping, "Squeak, squeak, squeak! Butterfly sister, I’ll come play with you again next time. My maid is calling me, so I must go. Bye-bye!"

The colorful butterfly circled the little fox once. "Mm-hmm, bye-bye! Let’s play together again soon."

As the little fox emerged, she trampled another large patch of blossoms before jumping back into Li Yue’s arms. "Squeak, squeak, squeak! Why are you calling me? I wasn’t done playing yet!"

Li Yue did not know what the little fox was chirping about; she only wanted to carry the fox away from this place of trouble as quickly as possible. The Empress Dowager was not someone they could afford to offend. If the fox were caught, the Empress Dowager would surely have her killed.

"Hey, you! Stop right there! Who destroyed the Empress Dowager’s flowers?"

Li Yue was so startled by the arrogant voice behind her that she froze in her tracks. Truly, what one fears most is what often comes to pass.

Clutching the fox to her chest, Li Yue turned around, lowered her head, and knelt on the ground. "This servant greets Princess Weiyang."

Princess Weiyang was a lady of the Prince An estate and the Empress Dowager’s own niece. This was the source of her title and the reason she could enter the palace at will. She possessed a pair of peach-blossom eyes that seemed to glisten with moisture, framed by curved willow-leaf brows. With her cherry-red lips and exquisite features, she was exceptionally beautiful, and her every movement exuded an air of noble prestige.

Princess Weiyang inspected her fingernails, looking down at Li Yue with fury in her voice. "Speak! Who destroyed the Empress Dowager’s flowers?"

"This servant... I do not know."

"You don't know? A fine 'don't know' indeed! Someone, slap her mouth for me!" Princess Weiyang ordered her attendants to hold Li Yue down. Li Yue was pushed to the ground, and the little fox tumbled from her arms.

The little fox shook her dizzy head, feeling quite indignant. Her snowy white fur was now soiled, and she found this princess truly detestable.

"Oh, what a lovely little fox! Xiao Cui, catch her and bring her to me." Princess Weiyang’s eyes turned into hearts the moment she saw the adorable creature.

"Yes, Your Highness." Xiao Cui grabbed the little fox by her tail, leaving the creature dangling in mid-air.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak! How dare you! You actually grabbed my beautiful tail!" Having spent quite some time in the palace, the little fox had even learned how to express indignation.

"You base servant, how dare you treat the little fox like that!" Pinned to the ground and unable to move, Li Yue could only shout at Xiao Cui. "Princess Weiyang, you must not! This is the Emperor’s pet. If His Majesty blames us, it will be a grave offense!" Li Yue could think of nothing else to do but resort to threats.