The black cat continued its leisurely stroll, completely unaware that it was about to be taken home.
"That..."
Tong Aning looked at Lü Er and blinked. " Lord Lü, is there anything else?"
Lü Er rubbed his hands together, then asked somewhat embarrassedly, "Is that all?"
Tong Aning nodded.
Undeterred, Lü Er asked, "Is there really nothing else?"
Tong Aning shook her head.
[What's wrong with Lord Lü today? He seems rather strange.]
Lü Er snapped out of his daze, realizing he had asked too many questions. He told Tong Aning to continue reading the documents, while he turned and strode aggressively toward the black cat.
The black cat had already lay down and was leisurely grooming itself when it suddenly felt a dark shadow looming over its head.
The black cat paused in its grooming, raised its head, and meowed.
Lord Lü picked up the cat.
Tong Aning looked around, "[What is Lord Lü planning to do?]"
Lord Lü, carrying the black cat, walked straight to the lotus pot in the courtyard. On the clear water, a few lotus leaves floated, and near the lotus leaves, a few small golden fish swam.
Black cat. "Meow meow meow?"
The cat won't eat! The cat won't eat! Don't chase it away!
The cats in the Ministry of Ministry of Rites all consciously abide by one rule: don't touch the fish in the water tank.
Anyway, the people from the Ministry of Ministry of Rites will feed them regularly while they stay here, but if they eat fish, they'll be kicked out.
The black cat struggled in Lü Er's hands, panting, but dared not scratch Lü Er, looking utterly pathetic.
Lü Er stroked the black cat's head. "Let me wash your paws."
Meow meow meow?
Whether the black cat understood or not, its eyes were wide open as it stared at Lü Er.
Lü Er smiled and said, "She's quite cute."
He freed one hand to test the water temperature. The sun was shining brightly today, and the water was warm and cozy, perfect for washing the black cat's paws.
After washing it, Lü Er took out a handkerchief from his pocket and carefully wiped the black cat's paws clean with practiced ease.
After watching the whole thing, Tong Aning exclaimed, " Lord Lü seems to really like cats."
Another official said, " Lord Tong, you've only just entered the court. You may not know, but this Lord Lü is famously fond of cats. Apart from the servants, his residence is practically filled with cats."
"So, all those cats from the Ministry of Rites were actually taken home by Lord Lü?"
"Yes."
Tong Aning exclaimed, "Is Lord Lü still not married?"
The official shook his head. "I heard that Lord Lü's parents were in poor health. When Lord Lü a teenager, his parents, despite their illness, took care of everything for him, and soon after, they both passed away. This was a great blow to Lord Lü, and now, apart from those cats, Lord Lü is practically all alone."
Tong Aning was surprised to learn that the usually kind Lü Er had such a background, and she sighed quietly.
Just then, Lü Er returned carrying the black cat. He asked, "What are you talking about?"
The person in charge seemed a little flustered, Tong Aning smiled and said, "Besides, since Lord Lü loves cats so much, he's bound to be a good official in the future."
Although Lü Er said that this was not the standard for judging whether an official was good or bad, the corners of his lips turned up slightly, clearly indicating that he was somewhat pleased.
[Another day at work!!!]
When Tong Aning returned home, she saw Lü Er holding two cats, one on each side.
Tong Aning asked, " Lord Lü, what is this?"
I took them home and raised them.
Tong Aning nodded, her admiration for Lü Er growing even stronger. "Very well."
Tong Aning would usually wait for Tong Yibin from the Ministry of Justice to come out, and then go home with him.
Tong Yibin hadn't come out yet. Tong Aning stood there, watching Lü Er carrying the cat and walking towards his carriage, but it seemed... she had been scammed.
Tong Aning walked to the carriage of the Lü family. Lü Er was confronting a woman. Worried about frightening the cat in his arms, he handed the cat over to his servant.
Lü Er frowned and said, "Madam, I don't know you."
The woman was on the verge of tears, "Lü Lang, have you forgotten everything?"
Tong Aning looked completely bewildered. What kind of scumbag's opening was this?
Lü Er's brows furrowed even more. "Madam, if you don't explain yourself clearly, I might have to take you to the authorities."
The woman was startled by Lü Er's words. She looked at Lü Er's face and saw that he was serious and solemn. She twisted her handkerchief and said, "You're the one who said you wanted to marry me."
Lü Er spoke bluntly, "I don't even know you, how could I say I'd marry you?"
The woman's face turned pale and then flushed.
[ Xixi, what's going on?]
[This woman was brought here by Lü Er's parents.]
Tong Aning: "?"
[Weren't Lord Lü's parents already deceased?]
[The deceased were Lü Er's adoptive parents, his biological parents who abandoned Lü Er. Hearing that Lü Er had now risen to the position of Ministry of Rites, they wanted to exploit him for personal gain.]
Tong Aning laughed in anger, "[How come there are people like this everywhere? They give birth to children but don't raise them, and then come back to haunt them when they see they're doing well. What kind of parents are these?]"
Upon hearing Tong Aning's thoughts, Lü Er froze on the spot, his heart filled with shock. But after recovering, he felt that what Lord Tong said was right: what kind of parents are those who give birth but do not raise their children?
Moreover, they could have simply come to him themselves, and out of respect for his life's kindness, he wouldn't have ignored them. But instead, they started by plotting against him.
This is intolerable! Not all scholars are so good-tempered.
Lü Er looked at another servant, "Go and report to the authorities."
"Yes, sir."
"What report to the authorities?"
Lin Yu, Tong Yibin, and the Ministry of War walked over together.
Ministry of War Sha Cheng and Lü Er were old friends. He put his hands in his pockets and stared at the woman in front of Lü Er with hostility.
The woman awkwardly released her grip on Lü Er's hand.
Tong Yibin stood beside Tong Aning and, after learning the whole story from her, said in a deep voice, "In that case, let's report it to the authorities."
The woman panicked, "No, we can't report this to the authorities!"
An elderly couple who had been hiding in the shadows couldn't help but come out and repeatedly cried out that they couldn't report it to the authorities.
[It seems these are Lord Lü's biological parents.]
Sha Cheng tilted his head. "Wow, is that even possible?"
He clenched his fists secretly, ready to help his friend deal with these people as soon as Lü Er gave the order.
Lü Er asked, "Who are you people?"
The man said, "We are your parents."
Lü Er said coldly, "My parents died long ago."
His ruthlessness displeased the two elderly people.
The man said anxiously, "Those aren't your parents at all."
Lü Er said coldly, "I didn't know that those who raised me aren't called parents. Does that mean only those who abandon me at birth are called parents?"
The woman stammered, "It was them, it was them who stole you away from us."
The more she talked, the more certain she became, and she unconsciously straightened her back, as if it had really happened.
Lü Er looked her over. "Really?"
"Of course..."
[Of course it's fake; you were the ones who threw Lord Lü away.]
"No need to say anything more. If you really are my parents, where were you when I had nothing to eat, when I got chilblains in winter, when people called me an orphan?"
Lü Er's words were sharp and incisive, like nails, pinning these people to the spot.
"But we... we miss you," the woman murmured, pulling the other woman to the front. "We even arranged a child bride for you."
Tong Aning's eyes widened.
[Seriously, such a thing can happen!]
Lü Er's expression was not good. Lin Yu looked at the couple and said, "Don't you know that raising a child bride is illegal?"
The woman was stunned. "When did this happen?"
"Last year."
This was initiated by the top female scholar at the time, and now she plans to open girls' schools in various places, not only so that rich girls can study, but also so that ordinary women can study.
The woman stammered, "I already have this child bride, so it shouldn't be considered illegal, right?"
Lin Yu: "Now that you know, you should let her go home."
The woman refused, Lin Yu frowned, sensing there was something else going on. He glanced at Tong Aning secretly.
Ha, with Tong Aning around, they still dare to lie. They'll be sorry later!
[What kind of family is this? This isn't a child bride at all; if you really want to count, she's Lü Er's sister-in-law. Lü Er's older brother died while hunting, and the family lost their support, so they came up with this wicked scheme.]
Sister-in-law...
Sha Cheng could no longer contain himself. His face filled with rage, he said, "You lot, take them to the Jingzhao Prefecture."
Several guards received orders and escorted them away.
Sha Cheng patted his friend on the shoulder, "Don't be sad or upset over these people."
How could you tell I was sad or upset?
Lü Er glanced at Sha Cheng indifferently, took the cat from the servant's arms, and hugged it. He said, "Thank you all for today."
Especially Lord Tong.
He should visit and express his gratitude another day.
Sha Cheng looked at the cat in his arms, "You got two cats again, now you can give me one, right?"
Tong Aning imagined Sha Cheng raising a cat: a burly, strong man and an adorable kitten...
[That's such a cute contrast!]
*
A few days later, Tong Aning heard that Lü Er had given Sha Cheng a cat, the same orange cat that he had originally planned to bring back to the mansion that day.
This Sha Cheng's first time raising a cat, and he pampered it with the best food and drink.
During this service, a major event occurred.
Tong Aning repeated what the person in charge had said, "The cat has become a spirit?"
"Yes, that's what Lord Sha said. Food inexplicably appeared in the kitchen, clothes hanging on the wall were inexplicably ironed... and so on."
[Isn't this a version of the Snail Fairy? This world is still too magical.]
The person in charge also felt that way.
On the same day, Xue Lin told Tong Aning that the necromancer and Xuanming's master had been located.
Tong Aning paused, then asked, "... He wouldn't already be in the capital, would he?"
Xue Lin nodded.
Tong Aning continued, "You didn't hide in someone's house, did you?"
Sichen nodded, then asked in surprise, " Miss Tong, how did you know?"
Tong Aning chuckled twice.
Monkeys, summoning spirits, cats becoming spirits.
This sect is really unreliable, one after another.