It was not yet dawn when the rustle of someone getting dressed woke him.
Still half asleep, Shen Yangge was lifted by the scruff of his neck.
His drowsiness vanished in an instant, his bleary eyes narrowing to slits. He meowed a few times, kicking his four stubby legs wildly in the air.
"Still sleepy?"
"Meow, meow."
The Crown Prince said evenly, "Come to court with me."
Shen Yangge: ?
[-Are you the one who's sick in the head, or am I? You're taking me to court?]
If Shen Yangge could have shown his feelings right then, he would have looked like that old man on the subway squinting at his phone.
[-Aren't you afraid your ancestors will throw off their coffin lids and climb out, just like I did?]
Still half asleep, Shen Yangge grumbled inwardly as the Crown Prince carried him away.
The Crown Prince looked particularly different that day, mostly because he was holding an exceptionally beautiful cat. Its fur was as white as snow and looked so soft that anyone would want to touch it.
It was the first time anyone had seen someone bring a cat to court, and that someone was the future emperor. The assembled officials could not help wondering whether he would bring women into court someday, too.
The Crown Prince walked at an unhurried, steady pace. With his sharp brows and brilliant eyes, he wore the Four-Clawed Python Robe, its gold-thread floral patterns vivid along the front and collar.
With a little white-furred, green-eyed kitten in his arms, he looked like a heavenly sovereign descended to earth.
Many officials glanced over, then found themselves unable to look away from the cat. They were not shallow men, but at that moment, who cared whether they were shallow or not?
What a beautiful cat.
Some officials could not resist whispering, "When did His Highness start keeping a cat like that?"
"No idea. I only found out today myself."
"I did hear a few rumors. Apparently, he found it badly injured and even summoned an imperial physician to treat it."
"An imperial physician?"
"...Well, that's unheard of. Can imperial physicians treat birds and beasts, too?"
Shen Yangge could hear their chatter even from far away. He wanted to let it go in one ear and out the other, but upon learning that the Crown Prince had summoned an imperial physician to treat his injuries, he involuntarily pricked up his ears and listened closely.
"I only heard about it. Whether it's true remains to be verified."
Suddenly, a eunuch's shrill voice rang out: "His Majesty arrives!"
"We pay our respects to Your Majesty. Long live the emperor, long, long may he reign..."
The officials all knelt. Only the Crown Prince remained standing in the hall, bowing with his hands clasped, along with the cat in his arms. The little kitten actually stayed quietly on one of his forearms without making a fuss.
"Rise, my ministers."
The emperor took his seat. As his gaze swept over the space below the steps, he froze for a moment. Why did the cat in the Crown Prince's arms look so much like the one General Xue had brought before?
"Present your petitions."
"Your Majesty, plague and famine have struck the Lingnan region. More than half the common people are now displaced, with no homes to return to and no food to fill their bellies."
"I humbly request permission to investigate, then have reports sent back to the capital by urgent relay."
The emperor frowned and pressed the memorial down on his imperial desk. "Didn't we already send people to deal with this plague in May? Why has it dragged on until now?"
The elderly official answered respectfully, "Your Majesty, this matter has far-reaching implications. Moreover, if the plague is not contained promptly, it will spread like wildfire, from one to ten, then ten to a hundred."
"I request permission to go."
The emperor said, "Is there no one else in Great Chu capable of handling this matter? Minister Lu, you are advanced in years. You should not be traveling far and wide."
"Xuan Zhen, you have reached the age when you should gain some experience. When I was your age, I had already marched north with Old General Xue to subdue the Xiongnu. I shall send you to deal with this famine. Are you willing?"
The Crown Prince said, "Your son accepts the decree."
[-This damned emperor just can't wait to get his own son killed. What the hell is wrong here?]
[-No matter how unfilial the Crown Prince is, he's still his own flesh and blood. How can he bring himself to do it?]
It was true that the imperial family knew no affection, but treating one's own flesh and blood like livestock, abusing and killing him at will...
No wonder Chu Xuanzhen had immediately driven the emperor and empress to their deaths after taking the throne.
Parents like that were better off discarded.
Giving birth to a child only to despise him was no different from never having him at all.
Shen Yangge meowed a few times, his tail curling involuntarily around the Crown Prince's arm without him even noticing.
Feeling that touch on his arm, the Crown Prince seemed to find some relief from the gloom in his heart. He stroked the little kitten's head, rubbing those upright ears between his fingers.
"Present any remaining petitions. Otherwise, court is dismissed."
The officials raised a few more minor matters. After the emperor reviewed and answered them, court was dismissed.
Once outside the hall, the Crown Prince was about to return to his Eastern Palace when several officials blocked his path. "Your Highness, are there any more cats of this breed? Where did you buy him?"
"Are there any in the capital?"
"Your Highness, is this cat male or female? I have a male cat at home who hasn't yet..."
"Meow, meow, meow!"
Furious, Shen Yangge abandoned his earlier docile demeanor, bared his sharp claws, and swiped at the officials.
The officials paled in alarm and retreated fearfully. "Your Highness, you mustn't keep such a vicious cat!"
The Crown Prince said, "Yangyang is a well-behaved cat."
"...Well."
Why couldn't they see it?
[-Keep asking. Ask again, and I'll curse you so you can't take a shit for half a month.]
Seeing how sternly the Crown Prince spoke, the officials could hardly say anything else. His cat was beautiful, after all. So what if he was fierce?
At worst, they might get scratched once or twice. Being scratched by such a beautiful cat... probably wouldn't hurt, would it?
General Xue stepped out from among the officials and approached the Crown Prince. "Your Highness, could you reconsider accepting the order to go to Lingnan? I have been there before. It is a place of terrible hardship."
"The sovereign's command cannot be defied."
That single sentence silenced Xue Pingyuan.
The emperor truly was heartless, sending his own son to a place like that.
"Meow, meow."
[-You won't die anyway, so just treat it as a chance to gain some real experience. I'll wait for you to come back in the capital, you damned Crown Prince.]
"Then... since Your Highness is going to Lingnan, surely taking the kitten would be inconvenient. Would you like me to look after him for a while?"
Xue Pingyuan asked with utmost caution.
The Crown Prince refused outright. "No need. I will take him to Lingnan with me. He is my cat. Of course I won't leave him behind."
Anyone who didn't know better might have thought they were witnessing some melodramatic declaration of tortured love.
[-If I bite this bastard hard right now, will he change his mind?]
System 615 retorted mercilessly: [No. He might think you're very willing to accompany him.]
[He'll think you were so happy you lost your mind and bit him.]
Although the system was exaggerating, Shen Yangge thought it made perfect sense.
[-Go if you want. I'll be able to turn human again in a few days anyway. Then I'll take sick leave, and you can go by yourself!]
The Crown Prince held the little kitten's paw, his gaze fathomless.
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