The Marquis Is Innocent - 170.1

Chapter 170.1

Extra Story: The Cat Emperor and the Uninvited Emperor (III)

Wei Shao opened his eyes and realized he was still in the corner of the chamber. He was still a cat, but the scene just now seemed realistic.

His heart was pounding and felt sweaty – no, he should’ve said his four paws were oozing with sweat. Wet and hot, very uncomfortable. He instinctively raised one of his paws to lick it. When he stretched out his tongue, it came to his mind that he was a human being, an Emperor! How could he lick his paw?

Trying to resist the urge to lick, he washed his face instead and put away his paw.

In the fifth period of the morning, shadows appear behind the curtain. The Emperor is going to the morning court.

Wei Shao peeked through the gap in the curtain and watched as Xiao Qiao finally escorted the Emperor out of the chamber. He wasn’t interested in spying on how that former self would become Emperor.

That guy was an avid lover of the Emperor’s profession, loved war, had little interest in women, and was so diligent that Wei Shao, who always wanted to steal time to roll in the dragon bed with the beautiful Empress, was overwhelmed.

He was not worried about that guy arriving here and then thinking about war. Even if Gongsun Yang and the others won’t be able to give him a brick, his Grandmother was still there.

The only thing he wanted to do now was to follow his beauty, the Empress, every inch of the way.

After the Emperor left, Xiao Qiao sat alone in front of the mirror, resting her cheeks as if she had something on her mind.

Wei Shao silently looked at her back for a moment, couldn’t help but come out from the corner, went behind her, and gently brushed her feet.

Xiao Qiao lowered her head, and her face showed happiness: “You woke up so early?”

Wei Shao meowed and leaped onto her lap. Xiao Qiao hugged it and gently petted him.

Wei Shao was delighted. Although he wished for everything to return to its original state immediately, it was great to be held in her arms and enjoy her caresses.

The cat’s meal was cooked-meat, but it was tasteless that he felt like he could eat a bird in his mouth – because the Empress not allowed any salt or seasoning added to the cat’s food. The palace staff in charge of feeding it had been strictly implementing it. He almost spit it out when his first bite went down.

The only comfort after turning into a cat was probably could get closer to his beautiful Empress. Wei Shao didn’t go anywhere in the morning. He just stayed glued to Xiao Qiao’s side.

The palace was silent in the afternoon.

With the recent start of summer and the days growing longer, Xiao Qiao had the habit of napping. When she slept, Wei Shao squatted on the floor at the corner of the dragon bed and watched her.

Before he became Emperor, he was in the military, and she was always away from him. Even when Fei Fei was born, he couldn’t stay by her side.

After becoming Emperor, he was busy with political affairs, leaving early and returning late. The time he could spend with her was limited.

She never complained, serving the Empress Dowager and raising Fei Fei, not prideful and extravagant. She advises women about silkworms in spring and sacrifices to the gods of agriculture in the fall. If he and Gongsun Yang have conflicting views on political affairs, causing his temper flares up, she has to step in to save the day—

She did everything an Empress should do.

Through the thin curtain, Wei Shao stared at the sleeping Xiao Qiao on the dragon bed. Watching, watching, and he fell into a trance. His heart suddenly came up with a thought. He excitedly turned back and confirmed that the palace staff was still outside. Then, he jumped up on the dragon bed and noiselessly came to Xiao Qiao’s feet.

Wei Shao held his breath, raised his paw, and quietly lifted the corner of the quilt, revealing Xiao Qiao’s foot wrapped in stockings.

Wei Shao went over and sniffed. So fragrant. He could not help but stick out his tongue and lick her tender toes. Seeing that she did not react, he boldly licked again. He licked her toes and then the soles of her feet. He licked happily and boldly. He held her other foot and licked it up, so happy.

In her sleep, Xiao Qiao felt itchy on her feet and shrinking. Wei Shao was startled and hastily stopped, lying under the quilt motionless, and did not dare to take a breath.

Fortunately, she was not awake, only rolled over and fell asleep again.

Wei Shao lay under the quilt for a while and finally drilled out his head, staring at her delicate sleeping face. He came to the pillow, sticking out his tongue, and licked her exposed breast through a layer of thin clothes.

It was fragrant and soft, causing Wei Shao to be intoxicated. He shivered excitedly and went over to savor it again when suddenly footsteps sounded outside the hall.

“Empress, Empress–” The voice of the palace staff came in through the layers of the curtains.

Xiao Qiao let out a ‘hmmm’ in her throat, her eyelashes fluttering slightly, finally struggling from her spring sleep, waking up.

Wei Shao giggled and leaped off the dragon bed, hiding underneath it.

“What is it?” Xiao Qiao’s voice still carried a hint of lethargy.

“Reporting to the Empress, General Jia sent a message saying that the Empress Dowager and the Little Princess returned to the palace a day early and that they are on their way at this moment and should be arriving soon.”

Xiao Qiao said an ‘Oh,’ “Did you inform His Majesty?”

“The word has already been passed on.”

Xiao Qiao slowly sat up. She was still a bit disoriented.

When she was asleep, she felt that her feet itched. And now that she woke up, she felt that her feet were wet, and her chest—

She looked down and saw that the corset was also wet.

She thought about it and asked the palace staff, “Did someone enter the room just now?”

The palace staff rolled the beaded curtain, “Report to the Empress, no one.”

Xiao Qiao was puzzled. Suddenly, she remembered the cat, looked down, and asked again.

The palace staff hurriedly looked around and said: “It seems to be in the chamber. I do not know where the cat is at this moment.”

Xiao Qiao thought about it, only thinking it was due to her sweat. But she was worried about the cat running around and getting into accidents, so she asked the palace staff to look for it. Then, she got up, ready to meet Grandmother.

……

The Emperor personally went out of the palace to meet the Empress Dowager’s carriage at the Zhuque Gate. The Emperor opened his eyes wide to look at the Empress Dowager’s kind face. Finally, he couldn’t hold it anymore, and ‘Putong.’ Without saying anything, he knelt before the Empress Dowager, surprising Old Zhong and a group of courtiers!

It was nothing. The most surprising thing was that when the Emperor held the Empress Dowager’s hand, he actually had tears in his eyes. Then he buried his face in her lap, refusing to lift it for a long time.

Mrs. Xu was surprised. She only left the palace for half a month. And the Emperor was so excited to see her as if they hadn’t met for years. While suppressing her doubts, she gently pats his shoulders to show comfort.

Old Zhong sees this scene and hurriedly leads the group to leave.

After thought for a moment, Xiao Qiao took Fei Fei’s hand and led her to leave. Fei Fei kept turning back, looking at her father, who was crying on the knee of her Imperial Grandmother, and after being led out by Xiao Qiao, she softly asked, “Mother, what’s wrong with Father?”

Xiao Qiao pressed down her suspicions and smiled, “Your father has something to say to Empress Dowager.”

Mrs. Xu softly said, “Shao’er, what’s wrong with you? Is there something wrong?”

Hearing this long-lost ‘Shao’er’ from his Grandmother, the Emperor could no longer hold back and choked up, “Grandmother …… Grandmother— you still– You’re— it’s good — it’s Shao’er’s fault–“

Mrs. Xu was surprised: “Shao’er, what have you done wrong?”

The Emperor stopped talking. He only shook his head while holding her hand tightly and buried his face in her lap, as if he had lost for a long time and finally back home.

Mrs. Xu was confused. But seeing her grandson suddenly become like this, she had a burst of emotion. Even when he suffered the loss of his father, he never showed such strong feelings. Without asking more questions, she slightly bent over to hug his grandson’s broad shoulders, patting him on the back, silently soothing him.

Wei Shao squatted at the window and saw the Emperor holding his Grandmother. He was stunned and then secretly snorted: “Fortunately, I am wise and powerful in this life. If I was like you, how can I survive in this world? Also, I’ll give you this stupid thing a chance and let you get close to my Grandmother. I’ll coax my daughter first.”

He cast contempt at the Emperor’s back and jumped from the window sill.

……

After a long time, the Emperor’s emotions gradually calmed down. He raised his head.

Mrs. Xu examined his slightly reddened eyes and smiled, not asking further questions.

The Emperor knew he had lost his temper. When he lost his father and brother at 12, his Grandmother was the only light that illuminated his life. In his heart, no one can replace her.

At twenty-two, while he was in the war, he lost his Grandmother abruptly. Although he rushed back, his Grandmother had already been buried. Since then, no one could suppress the beast of hatred in his heart. He magnifies his desires and ambitions infinitely, using the conquests of war to gain constant pleasure until the end of his life. When the arrow penetrated his throat and fell on his back, he suddenly realized he was tired. What he once wanted might not be what he wanted, but later, it became a habit.

He couldn’t stop what he was doing. No one in that world could.

He was alone.

Now, his Grandmother, who had separated from him for many years, appeared in front of him alive, with a loving smile, calling him Shao’er’ familiarly. Love and admiration burst out of his heart, which was hard as stone, and the shell that had imprisoned it shattered and flaked off, so how could he not cry?

He was familiar with the taste of blood, but it had been many years since he had tasted his tears. Today, he finally tasted it again. It turned out that all the world’s delicacies are not as good as the taste of honest tears.

The Emperor suddenly felt relaxed. He even produced a kind of unreal feeling, as if all the experiences he had in his last life were just a dream.

Now, he had awakened from that nightmare, and all of this now was the real world.

“Grandmother ……”

He tried his best to calm his mood, pondered, and explained, “When Grandmother was not here these days, I had a nightmare, dreaming that Grandmother left me. We didn’t meet for many years. I also did a lot of things wrong. I see Grandmother now and couldn’t help it. I lose my temper.”

Mrs. Xu gazed at him and smiled, “That’s good. Grandmother is fine. Everything is good.”

……