Found you

Shen Yangge felt awful, as though his body kept being rolled back and forth. He grumbled irritably, but by the time the sounds reached his lips, they had turned into meows.

What Shen Yangge did not know was that he was facing a life-or-death crisis.

The shadow guard cupped his fist and reported, "Your Highness, before Lord Shen disappeared, a prisoner said he saw white light radiating from his body. The prisoner knew nothing of what happened afterward."

The Crown Prince fell silent. After a moment, he raised his eyes. "Was he interrogated?"

The shadow guard stiffened. "Your Highness, the circumstances were strange. I believed the prisoner was lying, so I did not interrogate him."

The Crown Prince tightened the five fingers pressed against the edge of the table, leaving several fine cracks in its surface. His voice was regal and languid. "If you did not interrogate him, how did you know he was lying?"

"Go interrogate him now."

The shadow guard lowered his head, cold sweat running down both sides of his forehead. By now, his voice had begun to tremble. "The prisoner has already been executed."

Crash...

The Crown Prince swept the teacup off the table, no longer able to contain the savagery in his eyes. "Go receive your punishment."

He placed particular emphasis on the final word. The shadow guard swallowed with a dry throat. "Yes. I obey."

The tiny kitten in his sleeve let out a weak meow.

The shadow guard hurriedly turned to withdraw, but just as he reached the doorway-

The Crown Prince called him back.

"What is in your sleeve?"

The shadow guard turned around. Rather than answering immediately, he hesitated before saying, "My lord, it is an injured kitten."

The kitten rubbed against his sleeve and meowed weakly. The shadow guard was anxious, but there was nothing he could do.

The Crown Prince seemed to be trying to confirm something. He stared intently at the injured kitten in the shadow guard's hands for a long time before asking, "Where did you find him?"

"Near Wanci Palace."

"Wanci Palace?"

"Did my imperial father summon General Xue today?"

"Yes, my lord."

The Crown Prince nodded. Just as the shadow guard thought he could withdraw, the Crown Prince said something that left him stunned.

"Leave the cat here. You need not receive your punishment."

"...Yes."

Utterly bewildered, the shadow guard dropped to one knee and respectfully raised both hands, offering the cat to the Crown Prince with a composed expression.

Then the shadow guard witnessed something he would never have believed possible.

The Crown Prince, dressed in wide sleeves patterned with clouds, rose from his chair. His long, well-defined fingers slowly reached toward the weak kitten.

He moved so slowly that he seemed to be treating the frail little kitten with extraordinary care.

As the weight left his hands, the shadow guard watched the kitten being taken away. He slowly lowered his raised hands and, after some consideration, said, "Your Highness, there is a vicious dog near Wanci Palace that bites anyone it sees. I suspect this kitten's wounds were caused by that dog."

The Crown Prince asked, "Who owns it?"

The shadow guard replied, "Consort Ru. She often lets the vicious dog roam free to find its own food. I heard it once devoured a young eunuch, but Consort Ru forcibly hushed up the matter. Since then, no one has dared mention it."

"Meow, meow..."

The weak kitten could not even open his eyes. All he could do was whimper and moan. He was in too much pain.

The Crown Prince's clean fingers gently brushed over the kitten's bloodstained fur. His fingertips were stained red, but he remained unmoved.

"Summon an imperial physician."

"Yes, my lord."

Finally, the Crown Prince added, "Chop that dog into pieces and send them to Consort Ru to nourish her health."

The shadow guard nodded. "Yes."

When Physician Liu arrived, he found the Crown Prince holding an exceptionally beautiful kitten. At the sight of the wound on the kitten's back, he seemed to realize just how ill-advised this visit was.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

Physician Liu bowed, and the young attendant beside him followed suit, proper and obedient.

"Physician Liu, please examine this kitten's injuries for me."

Physician Liu thought, In all my years practicing medicine, I have never treated anything that wasn't human...

His previous visit to treat Shen Zhuanxie, who served at the Crown Prince's side, had already been shocking enough. After all, imperial physicians like him treated members of the imperial family.

Physician Liu sighed inwardly. Knowing he could not defy a royal command, he could only say, "I obey."

He was a little too rough while cleaning the kitten's wound. The kitten gave a dazed meow and twitched his ears in displeasure.

At that moment, the Crown Prince spoke with regal composure. "Be gentler."

Physician Liu was stunned. He seriously wondered whether the Crown Prince was having another bout of madness. Otherwise, why would he be so "gentle and considerate" toward a cat? Seeing him like this only made Physician Liu's skin crawl.

Physician Liu was exceedingly careful with the rest of the treatment, afraid he might hurt the kitten and make him cry out again. After wiping the blood from his fur and seeing the gruesome wound, even Physician Liu, who did not care for small animals, could not help saying:

"Poor little thing. How did you get hurt so badly?"

With that, he took out ointment and bandages, then looked at the fur with some difficulty. "Your Highness, the kitten's injuries are very serious. To keep the wound from becoming inflamed and festering, some of his fur must be shaved off."

"Would Your Highness like to do it personally, or shall I do it for you?"

The Crown Prince said, "I will do it."

"Please, Your Highness."

Physician Liu handed him a pair of scissors. The Crown Prince's hand visibly trembled as he took them, but the movement was gone in an instant.

Many years later, whenever the imperial physician recalled that scene, he could not help reflecting that His Highness was no cruel, savage man. His gentleness had merely been hidden beneath the surface.

Only one person knew and understood him, guiding him through darkness and countless slanders. That person was Grand Historian Shen Yangge.

Some of the fur around the kitten's wound was shaved away, making it easier to secure the bandages.

By the time everything was finished, the sky had quietly darkened. Physician Liu took his young attendant with him, bade his farewell, and hurried away.

He feared that if he lingered even a moment longer, the kitten would start meowing again, and the Crown Prince would order him to stay overnight at the Eastern Palace.

Only one man and one cat remained in the vast bedchamber.

The Crown Prince placed the kitten on a soft pillow and ordered a palace maid to bring a basin of hot water. He wiped down the kitten's fur himself.

He was very thorough, taking care not to touch the area around the wound. After slowly wiping him down twice, he stopped and gently held the kitten's mouth between two fingers, exposing his tiny mouth.

The kitten's pointed little teeth looked utterly harmless, and his soft pink tongue was smaller than the Crown Prince's thumb.

The Crown Prince reached out and pressed it lightly. There was no response.

Once the kitten's fur was dry, the Crown Prince placed him on a cat bed he had ordered someone to buy.

The moment he was set down, the kitten moved his short little legs unhappily. Even his closed eyes seemed to be trying to open.

[-Hiss... ow, it hurts like hell!]

[-Why is this bed so hard?!]

[-Have I already reached the underworld?]

System 615: [Host, you're finally awake! Hehe (^-^)]

[-I'm not dead?]

System 615: [Nope! You're still alive and well, host. And you're in the male lead's bedchamber right now.]