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2024-10-29 19:42:56Ning Fan set the tea tray down briskly on the half desk as the Prince stared at the open garden outside. Ning Ren lounged with his hair unbound in a beautiful silk dressing gown embroidered with small birds sitting amongst a tree in spring. It billowed around him as his still gaze did not waver. His fixation was deep as if something was disturbing him.
"Excuse me, my lord."
"Speak, Ning Fan." Ning Ren without altering his gaze, took the cup offered to him and drained it. He made a face as he wiped his mouth. "Next time you make it, make sure the water is newer. It takes bitter." A drop of blood ran down his nose and he turned to Ning Fan, "Where did you get that tea, Ning Fan?"
Ning Fan upon seeing the blood rushed to his master. He dove to his knees and produced a clean white handkerchief from his side pocket. "Your highness please punish me. I should have tried the tea before handing it to you."
Ning Ren was unmoved, "Summon a doctor. Summon our doctor that usually comes if someone is trying to poison me." He cocked his head to the side. "Tell my little cat to not drink any of the tea and get her some milk. She's been gaining back the weight she lost from being with the traffickers but it's not enough still."
"Your highness, I--"
"Go do it. Get all the tea we have and bring it into this room. Change your clothes and leave the ones you were wearing here. If you have some skin irritation come back. Otherwise, stand guard to make sure the cat stays amused and bring all the guard to be around my quarters."
Ning Ren started coughing violently in a matter of minutes and was carried to his bed. The doctor arrived immediately. Upon seeing the invalid with blood sputum all over his white nightshirt he shivered. Then he set down his supplies and pulled out his needles to begin acupuncture. A maid was sent out to fill the prescription, but as she did stayed out long someone was sent after her.
When the guard returned he reported, "The house servant sent out was found with her throat cut. Her chest was cut open with an x."
The doctor waved this new on, "Did the prescription get filled?"
The guard nodded, "The herbs are being boiled now. I'm assured by the kitchen it will be ready soon."
The local doctor was quickly packing away his things. "When the seeing son assassins are near, I am not." He explained gruffly while pulling at his beard, "The prescription will mean nothing if he has targeted this house. I expect my fee immediately and refuse your carriage home. I'll take a farmer's cart." He bowed as Ning Ren burst into a coughing fit and walked out as quickly as he could.
A hand maid walked in with the tea shakily. The porcelain tinkered as her shaking intensified as she looked at the master. She set the tray down quickly and even without bowing left the room.
A guard unsheathed his sword and Ning Ren waved him off as he emptied the bowl. As the bitter concoction slid down his throat, the burning in his stomach dissipated.
The guard joined his fists while he bowed, "Master, shall we make precautions if the assassin truly is here?"
Ning Ren laughed, "Get me my cat. I want to talk to her as I fall asleep. Get Ning Fan. There is a side servant's door which he will use as an entrance, have an archer trained at the ready. Uncle told me Ning Zhuo would play some games before he revealed his hand. If I can kill the assassin of seeing suns what an accomplishment that would be." Ning Ren drew the blanket around himself as he sniffled again. He closed his eyes. "Tell all the maids, servants, and guards to empty the manor. They should all leave for Jungpi immediately. Have a decoy take the main carriage and leave the older one without paint in the backgate without horses attached."
"But your highness."
"Get head madam, Zong Ma."
The older dignified woman who reluctantly appeared was dressed in purple. Her arms were thick as ham hocks. A woman who knew lists and numbers, but also would be competent with an axe in case of a brawl. "We will stay with you until they end my dear prince. We would never abandon you. Don't mind those snippering maids. They're weak."
"Zong Ma . . . I would never let you down on that promise."
"But the assassin, your grace? The house is in a wreck over the horror that one of the other princes would even dare. Not willing even one affiliated with the crown prince himself. How dare he? Write to the emperor right away. Caiwong is doomed to fall even further-"
"Zong Ma--go to Jungpi and if I don't come within a fortnight. You may kill the emperor and become empress yourself of the kingdom. Only then will--"
Zong Ma's dimples shown as the older woman smiled. "Your mother would have killed me that I let you go through with this."
"She's not here, but I do appreciate the sentiment. We don't have time to argue. Take the staff and get out as quickly as you can. Lock all the doors so we can't get out other than the side door. Everyone is leaving, pack all but what I need to travel. Do it quickly before the cat arrives."
Zong Ma bowed and began shouting orders.
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Cat Who Walks Thru The Wall 13
Within the hour the manor house was quiet.Bingquing's maid told her, she was to be left alone with Ning Ren and handed her a silver knife, "It was a privilege to serve you madam. The master instructed you to have this so you will not misunderstand his intentions."She took the knife and found it fit well inside of her nightgown. It was easy to hide and would be easy to use. A strange gift for a man to give a woman. An appropriate gift for a master to give his spy or assassin.She felt like a lamb being lead to slaughter as they approached Ning Ren's room. Everything was dark as the candles had been snuffed out. That part of the house was vacant of servants and as Ning Fan led her with a torch he seemed conflicted.It was nighttime. Ning Ren had never asked for her this late before."Master," Ning Fan bowed as he presented Bingquing to Ning Ren. "Where are all the servants?"N
Cat Who Walks Thru The Wall 14
Ning Ren didn't refute this. "I will hope you will be more civil when the bloodlust isn't upon you as it is now. Father would be very interested to know if this continues.""They call me the wolf you know. Not that you've won any such honor as a person in the borderlands. Father was disappointed you know when you said you'd rather be an official than be a soldier."Ning Ren nodded, "I don't have servants here so I can offer you neither tea or a meal. The only bed that's made is mine.""I'll take it. You leave with your woman to Jungpi in the carriage outside. I've been wanting this house for a long time.""You can have it as a present upon your recent ascension. The deed is in the bottom drawer." Ning Ren wrapped Bingquing in blankets and hoisted her like a bale of hay over his shoulder. Ning Fan emerged from the shadows and took Bingquing in her mass of blankets away through the corridor.
Cat Who Walks Thru The Wall 15
"Bats! They're everywhere. Are you sure this is a good idea, highness?" Bingquing ducked her head as a stalactite brushed the top of her head. She clutched a stalagmite to brace herself."It's not. It's the complete opposite of that. It's a genuinely horrible idea. But I think you'll notice many of my horrible ideas lead to a safe Ning Ren, Ning Fan and Qing. This is the only thing that mattered."Ning Fan tapped against the side of the cave and got some of the cave slime between his fingers and tasted it. "It's salt and dirt."Ning Ren slapped his shoulder as he gestured at the broad expanse, "This is a fine cave that I shall make into a new manor to house all of my servants and horses and cannons and cavalry." His voice echoed through the cave as Bingquing looked on in disdain.They continued on their walk. As they came to a fork, Ning Fan knocked against a section of the wall. Ther
Cat Who Walks Thru The Wall 16
JUNGPI - CHU RESIDENCE"Daughter, is that all that really occured? Are you compromised? Did he hurt you? Did the crown prince see your face? How much danger has been caused by this incident" Official Chu put his hands over his face in horror as his eyes couldn't believe that his daughter was alive and before him."Yes Father." They were in a secret room where only they were present in an underground area of the house. Bingquing was not surprised that such trapping were available for her faher here in Jungpi too. "Ning Ren is a surprising honorable man. I did not think I would escape without becoming his concubine. I thought of you every single day so I would not be slipped away in the net that was drawn tightly around me. But he did not force any such arrangement on me as I did not want to do anything without my father's approval. I wanted to be there only with you." Bingquing h
Cat Who Walks Thru The Wall 17
Later in the afternoon, Bingquing was sewing in her room, when a maid of the manor came to gossip."You are the daughter of Official Chu who was thought to be dead, but was rescued and brought back to him? The whole palace harem is buzzing with the news of such a strange miracle to brighten up our days. Such a legend has heavenly implications so it is thought that you are a divine being who has come to earth. Since you are here in the harem it is throught that you are bringing a light to the palace."Bingquing was embroidering a sleeping black cat on a white background. The imaging was calming to her, as she would often a black cat that she would feed in her previous manor. She smiled wryly. "A family reunion is always joyous. But how do you know of such things inside the palace?"The maid was known as Du Ni and was the daughter of her old nanny so the two had played together and been tutored together as children.
Cat Who Walks Thru The Wall 18
At dinner, Bingquing was unusually quiet. Official Chu set down his chopsticks for a second and glared at her. He sighed, before picking up a piece of meat and placed it on top of her bowl with a defeated expression."Ah, you spent a month at some strange place without me. You need to put on some weight so that I can start to feel like my daughter is coming back to me.""Why are you presenting me at the Jungpi court instead of the Caiwong court? Haven't you said that one of the most traits in a men is his dedication to the country of his birth? What happened with this truth which you made me memorize? What is the point of memorizing morals if no one bothers to follow them?""Who said that?" Official Chu looked at Bingquing's long face with some amusement. "Sometimes for survival there must be some sacrifices. The dynasty has continued in Caiwong, this is much more important than there to be continue to be an
Cat Who Walks Thru The Wall 19
"Your majesty," A eunuch kneeled low in front of the queen of Jungpi as her maids buzzed around her. Her hair was done half up so that the hair hung down in cascades of shine so whoever stood behind her would be looking at a scenic waterfall. The scene was punctuated with four phoenix hairpins which were arranged in the four cardinal directions. In front, right abover her forehead was a small nest replete with a phoenix couple and a nest of eggs. It was a haven reprieve from the business of the golden array of clouds and valleys. Her eyes were winged with setting clouds made of shadows of purple, orange, and yellow. The sun itself set red in a painted mark between her delicate eyebrows. The scene was set so it would appeal to the court, but she was under no illusions about her looks.She was by no means beautiful. Her own mother, the former queen, had always referred to her as having the misfortune of her father's brutish face.&
Cat Who Walks Thru The Wall 20
Bingquing bowed before the Queen of Jungpi with a care to the position of this strange bow. She had never thought before that someone would change simple things like the way a person should prostrate themselves in a bow had done since she was small. But the book of Jungpi womanly virtues that her tutor had given her was full of strange positions and placements. There were resting positions for hands even which were irritating to hold as her fingers would cramp. But she did them as her father watched. Her head was starting to ache from the metal nest of birds she had been made to wear by her maids with an assurance that it had been granted to her from the palace. It looked absurd, but it was a mirror of what the queen had chosen for herself. She knew her father was relying on her to made a good impression so she was making painsaking efforts to please. Bingquing hoped it would not all go to rot.The queen's look was made to look
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Cat Who Walks Thru The Wall march 29
“Who dares to disturb the emperor after the court session? That’s bold of whatever minister can even bear the thought of death for his point. This is not the time to keep pushing a point that has died through discussion. Tell that courtier that I will execute him if he persists with his petition. I am not in the mood to entertain anybody under any circumstances. I will not be forced into doing more things that I have no care for.” Ning Zhuo nursed his head as his head was spinning after reading so many memorials. Even though the pile to the left of finished memorials was more in height than the one on the right, he knew there was a whole pile of them that his eunuchs had hidden behind a pot to encourage him to continue. It was incredibly annoying as work now was never ending. He already knew all the sides to the argument so he was irked that some small person was still trying to push after being re
Cat Who Walks Thru The Wall march 28
Langhua, the queen of Jungpi, put her arms around Yan Sha tightly and started to cry as Yan Sha was too shell shocked to move or react. “You’re healthy. My daughter has finally returned to me the way that she does in my dreams. To see such a beautiful sight is beyond what I have hoped for so many years. I am so happy. You’re healthy finally. I have felt such guilt as your mother for sacrificing so much just to stabilize the reign of the incumbent. I searched so hard for an answer to my question of how to stabilize what I had put up for slaughter.” “Mother I—“ Yan Sha didn’t know what to say as she was so used to the brutality of the ruler. To be even here to see the tears and true joy in her return to a better state of health made Yan Sha realize that her aunt really did love her even if she preferred her own daughter above Yan Sha.
Cat Who Walks Thru The Wall march 27
Yan Sha was led to an unmarked carriage on the side gate of the Jungpi palace. It was odd at this time of day and she tensed when she saw it. This was out of her usual routine. No one had left her a note or explained why there was such a deviation so she was instantly alert. Her daggers were with her and she brandished them quickly in a way that would disarm the people around her. But as her movement was swift, there was a clothed man in animal skins who was silent and unexpected to Yan Sha such that she had not thought that such a person would be waiting for her. She couldn’t remember what happened after as the disgusting taste of medicine filled her mouth and she slipped out of consciousness. Her body was dragged into the carriage and the wild man drove off in a huff as all the servants scattered.
Cat Who Walks Thru The Wall march 26
Yan Sha looked at Ning Zhuo with a sigh as she could feel the world around her come crashing down. Her breath came in harsh strokes as she tried not to breathe at all, if this was a dream she had to fight hard to make sure that she didn’t wake up. But reality was quick to set in. The bath house behind them was abruptly searched. They could hear the sounds of the maid explaining that there were people just here. “Don’t you feel bad for them?” Yan Sha said with a forlorn expression as she could see their panic and expressions. “They work for me. They are all paid well and even if they are taken into the Prefecture Penitentiary. I will take care of their families and make sure that their descendants are well.”
Cat Who Walks Thru The Wall march 25
The black melange was moving up her body which as her clothing disintegrated covered all of her up to her neck. All below the water was pitch black and pulsating. He dropped the torch and there was a hiss as the fire went out. “Crown prince you cannot. I have burned many people. Everyone gets burned as they come close to me. You should not. You cannot. I am poison to everyone. Crown prince, please.” He picked up her body and the black color dripped down onto his hands. He moved swiftly out of the lake. Yan Sha touched his face and bounced back as she remembered what was wrong with her. “Crown prince? Since when have you called me that? If I truly am the cause of this, then I will search day and nig
Cat Who Walks Thru The Wall march 24
Yan Sha laughed as she heard this. “Sister, I can’t believe that I hear you say this that you want to share me with others and even outsiders. If the Duke would hear of this I’m sure he would be positively shocked. He would say that someone has stolen away his beloved concubine sun and replaced her with a pious monk. He would look all around the moon for you until he found you right at home where he left you. But truthfully, sister, business is not for me. I could never keep all of the older matrons happy with tinctures. It would be a lot more talking than simply giving medicine.” “Well then you can be in all of their good graces and then they will want to invite us to all of the good gatherings and food tastings. Who is to know what nice things that they will share with us then?” “
Cat Who Walks Thru The Wall march 23
“What kind of school are we talking about, your highness. I have definitely never heard of it. Whom is this legendary teacher? But on second thought I would say he has been brutal to you. Your back is full of burns and scars and marks. It doesn't sound like a place where a delicate princess should be sent, even if you are the spare.” “I am not one who has been confined to private quarters like my sister all of her life. One sibling must learn of the outside world to keep the other safe while ruling. It is my duty to protect her and guard the line in front of our house. But these is explained in the words of men, I guard the land so I may have a place to go home to and a bed to sleep on and a sister whom I know will raise my children if I am to die first.” “If you say it in this way
Cat Who Walks Thru The Wall march 22
The person was walking upside down now and Yan Sha wondered how that could be. Then she realized that the ground was by her face. She struggled listlessly as the person dragged her away and out of sight. The scene that she had left behind was strange as there was just cloth and bones that were swept away by the morning sweepers as they wondered why this area of town had gotten so dusty. The local magistrates guessed all that ash had come from fires. Not knowing the whole area was hallowed with human remains. =\\= Yan Sha spat up black phlegm again and she coughed to clear her throat. No matter how much she coughed her throat continued to burn until she just gave up that she had gotten used to it that there was no point trying anymore.
Cat Who Walks Thru The Wall march 21
Ning Zhuo then turned and saw a shadow in his study. He strutted back to find his bookcases trembling. His movements to fix everything were quick. Maids immediately rushed behind him and one poked him, “Crown prince, your man from Jungpi has arrived to see you.” Yan Sha froze as she sat on the roof. There was a good opening to jump over the roofs but she was torn as she knew that it was incredibly difficult to get spies into this manor. She was proud of her former partner but could not stop the lick of nostalgia. She wanted to say that she knew him. Below her, Ning Zhuo replied. “Oh good. Send him into my study. I want to hear what he has to say immediately.”
