Why Harem Intrigue When You Can Just Raise a Dog Instead

Translator:Nyamachi

TL assistant:Tygris

English proofreader:Umiyuki

..:*{This chapter is dedicated to Austyn~

Thank you for supporting Nyanovels <3}*:.. In Qianqing Palace, the piles of memorials stacked on the imperial desk increased again. At 6 am,[1]the Emperor held imperial court to handle government affairs. After adjourning court, he rushed to Cining Palace to visit the Empress Dowager and Virtuous Consort. He only relaxed for oneshichen[2]before returning to continue his work. Often, he could only relax by midnight.[3]After no more than three or four days under these conditions, the black circles under his eyes darkened considerably again and his appearance became extremely haggard. Changxi was quite concerned about the Emperors health and stepped forward to say something, but hesitated. Just as he had finished carefully choosing his words, he was interrupted by the mans cold laugh. A memorial was immediately hurled towards the ground. Changxi picked up the memorial and placed it to one side. He carefully inquired, Your Majesty, was it another memorial impeaching Imperial Duke Meng? Mm. Emperor Zhouwu closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. He solemnly said, In the great victory at the frontier, our troops trampled the Yelu Emperors imperial palace. Originally, it shouldve been something for everyone to celebrate, yet these ministers insist on fixating on the borderland troops faults. They fear the further advancement of the military officers! The Late Emperor had favoured the civil officials while putting restrictions on the military. The civil officials prided themselves on their superiority. On the surface their criticisms seemed to be justified, however in reality, the root cause was but a petty rivalry between factions. Changxi pursed his lips. He disapproved of these pedantic officials. Who knew what they would think if they were to know that the crime of beheading a hundred thousand prisoners of war for which they were impeaching Imperial Duke Meng was actually something directly incited by the Emperor. The act of impeaching Imperial Duke Meng on the grounds of heartless injustice and brutal cruelty was just like indirectly impeaching the Emperor! Changxi observed a moment of silence for these civil officials. Your Majesty, since your honoured self is upset, why not rest for a moment? That puppy has already fully recovered. Shall this servant bring it to Her Ladyship Virtuous Consort? Changxi bowed as he made the suggestion. Oh? Its recovered already? Bring it here. Zhen will personally make the trip. Emperor Zhouwu stopped rubbing his temples and delight leaked from his expression. Every time Her Ladyship Virtuous Consort was mentioned, His Majesty would always become incredibly relaxed. He could even put aside important matters to prioritize Her Ladyship. Changxi sighed inwardly, brandished his horsetail whisk, and dispatched a eunuch to the Taming Enclosure. Do not support theft! Support the translator and read this free at ! This cat bows in thanks. Emperor Zhouwu came around from behind the imperial desk and stooped down to observe the cutie in the cage. It was curled up and whining incessantly. Whether it was its appearance or its build, the puppy looked exactly the same as ABao. They were nearly indistinguishable. When Sangyu sees it, shell definitely take a liking to it!He inwardly pondered. Deliberately ignoring the discomfort in his heart, he instructed Changxi to bring the cage to Cining Palace. In Cining Palace, Zhaoyi Li and the Empress Dowager were in the middle of chanting sutras in the prayer hall. Both had lived through significant ups and downs and these experiences had made them impervious to lifes woes. As a result, they got along splendidly. Having been inspired by the Empress Dowager, nowadays Zhaoyi Li wore a monks robe when meeting with others and believed herself to be detached from worldly affairs. Whenever he saw her like this, it always caused Emperor Zhouwu endless post-traumatic stress. If he hadnt found her as a replacement, then the one wearing a monks robe with her heart set on becoming a nun would have undoubtedly been Sangyu. Since Meng Sangyu had to take over managing palace affairs within five days, she had no time to accompany the Empress Dowager. Presently, she was in a side hall looking over the palace account books from previous years. If there was something that she didnt understand, she would make a note of it. Then, when the Empress Dowager had some free time, she would go over to ask her. Thankfully, she had a lot of management experience in her previous life and was great with numbers. She didnt feel like there were any difficulties at all. Your Ladyship, His Majesty has arrived. Nurse Feng, who was standing guard at the door, noticed the man approaching with large strides and hurried inside to announce his arrival. Meng Sangyu closed the account book in her hand and stuffed it under the pile of account books in order to hide her bold and powerful calligraphy. In tacit understanding, Yincui and Bishui brought over a wet handkerchief to wipe clean the ink on her hands. Last time she had played the part of a fierce tigress from a military house who wasnt knowledgeable in the literary arts and had the Emperor teach her calligraphy. This time, there was too big of an improvement. The vigour in her brushstrokes was strong and solid. The Emperor wasnt a fool she might even be charged with the crime of deceiving the Emperor. This concubine respectfully greets Your Majesty. Quickly walking to the doorway to welcome the Emperor, she had just started bending her knees to curtsy when she was energetically pulled into the mans bosom for a hug. Meng Sangyu was calm and collected as she wrapped her arms around the mans powerful waist and settled into his arms. When it came to intimate activities with the opposite sex, she was beginning to slowly get used to it. How did your studies go today? The mans low voice echoed in her ears. There was an indescribable tenderness in his tone as he pulled her over to sit together on the divan. At the same time, he conveniently tidied the hair around her temples and swept a part of it behind her ears. Finally, he intimately massaged her earlobes. Meng Sangyu leaned her head to the side to evade him while glancing sideways at him. Her clear phoenix eyes were half bashful, half coquettishly feigning anger, causing the man to give a low chuckle. His sexy laugh made Meng Sangyus heart tremble. To be honest, this mans looks were impressive. He had a soldierly build and a deadly charm emanated from his whole body. It wasnt something the average person could resist. Luckily, Meng Sangyu had experienced two lifetimes and her heart was as strong as steel. Otherwise, she would have yielded much earlier against his gentle offence, abandoning all her defences. Replying to Your Majesty, this concubines studies went fairly smoothly. Meng Sangyu came back to her senses and composed herself enough to answer. The days in Cining Palace were very relaxing. The vegetarian food was also quite delicious. She felt a bit reluctant to leave and wanted to extend her stay by a few days. Mm, its been four days already. You better not have forgotten our agreement. Emperor Zhouwu grasped her hand and gently reminded her. He seemed to have remembered something and his voice deepened, Has your body recovered? Cant you focus on something else? Meng Sangyu put on a bashful act and nodded her head. In reality, she was secretly rolling her eyes and replied in a voice almost too soft to hear, Replying to Your Majesty, its almost completely recovered. It seemed like she wouldnt be able to avoid the days of rolling around in the sheets after all. Then thats good. The mans voice roughened and his grip on the womans small hand unconsciously tightened. Look at what Zhen brought over for you. Striving to control his longing, the man beckoned Changxi with his hand. Changxi rushed to call over the eunuch who was waiting outside the doors, holding the golden cage. ABao?! Staring at the brown puppy inside the cage, Meng Sangyu couldnt help but stand and walk forward a few steps. Since she was too emotional, she didnt notice that when she called out for ABao, the man by her side shivered and even unconsciously responded. Looking at Sangyu, Nurse Feng and everyones attention shifted to the puppy in the cage and no one noticed his loss of self-control. Emperor Zhouwu let out a sigh of relief. The Heavens knew that when Sangyu called out his name with her voice full of pleasant surprise, he almost couldnt control his impulse to throw himself into her bosom and lick and kiss her delicate lips. Picking up a teacup to hide his somewhat stiff expression, Emperor Zhouwu gaze moved from the table to look at Sangyu. He watched as she repeatedly urged the eunuch to open the cage, hugged the small puppy to her bosom, and was unable to resist the urge to kiss and pet it gently. The sudden jealousy that arose in his heart nearly caused him to crush the teacup he was holding into pieces. That loving embrace was something that only belonged to him. How could he let a puppy, a mere lookalike at that, steal it away from him? He set down his teacup with a loud thud and took a deep breath, making a supreme effort so that his facial expression wouldnt seem too hostile. Your Majesty, where did your honoured self find ABao? Meng Sangyu hugged the small pup and returned to sit by the mans side. Her voice brimmed with joy. In the Cold Palace. When We found it, it was almost dead from an illness and didnt have the strength to return. Gripping the teacup in his hand, Emperor Zhouwu smiled as he replied. Behind him, Changxis ears twitched and he subtly eyed the teacup in His Majestys hand. He could have sworn that he had heard the sound of porcelain shattering just a moment ago. No wonder they were unable to find ABaos body before. That eunuch must have made a mistake! Meng Sangyu inwardly pondered while holding the puppy under one arm. She called out ABao between raining kisses on its damp little nose. The little pups watery eyes were full of happiness. It whined and extended its tongue, returning its masters affection. It had been trained and understood that ABao was its new name. Whoever called its name was its new owner. Do not support theft! Support the translator and read this free at ! This cat bows in thanks. Stop! A mans palm suddenly swept between them and interrupted their kiss. Her tender lips collided with the center of his palm. The supple feeling caused his jealousy to somewhat abate. Meng Sangyu confusedly stared at the Emperor who seemed to be giving off a cold aura. It only just recovered from its illness. Dont rush to shower it with affection. The man ground his teeth and made an effort to adjust his tone of voice to sound a bit warmer. He was now very regretful and wished he could toss that eyesore to the ends of the earth! Mm! Meng Sangyu nodded in understanding and lowered her head to look at ABao who was fussing in her arms. Using her fingertips, she poked his little head while smiling dotingly. Emperor Zhouwus eyes darkened. He handed his teacup to Changxi behind him and barked, Bring Zhen a new cup of hot tea. Changxi bowed and answered in the affirmative. He held the teacup, walked out of the palace hall, and calmly threw away the teacup that was split into halves. He then brought back a fresh teacup that looked exactly the same. Emperor Zhouwu expressionlessly sipped the tea. Meanwhile, Meng Sangyu had completely tossed him to the back of her mind and was continuously using her fingers to play with the ABao in her arms. ABao lost his patience over her teasing and tried his best to avoid her fingers while whining. He looked extremely pitiful and adorable. Meng Sangyus smile grew more and more shallow, fainter and fainter until it disappeared completely. Your Majesty, thank you very much. This concubine really likes this present, but your honoured self should still take it back. Meng Sangyu poked the puppy once more and spoke with a lonely and desolate tone. Why? Clearly, he was secretly overjoyed, but his face was full of doubt. Emperor Zhouwus expression stiffened. This pup is not this concubines ABao. Your Majesty probably wanted to make this concubine happy and found it for me. Thank you, Your Majesty. Meng Sangyu roused herself and faintly smiled at the man. She was very touched by the mans thoughtfulness, but it was only a sense of gratefulness. How could you tell? Emperor Zhouwu spoke hoarsely. The dog was trained extremely well: it would run over to pour affection on anyone who called out ABao. Its outer features were also the exact same as ABao, but Meng Sangyu was still able to differentiate between the two. On the one hand, Emperor Zhouwu was somewhat happy, but on the other hand, he was somewhat bitter. He couldnt help but admit that he was even jealous of himself. When this concubine teased ABao, ABao always liked to hug and suck this concubines finger. He would be very calm the minute he entered this concubines arms, and would never fuss about randomly. ABao loved to lick this concubines wrist and lips Meng Sangyu put the puppy back in its cage. Suppressing the choked-up emotions in her voice and hiding the sorrow in her eyes, she stated, This is not ABao. Your Majesty should take it away. Its just a small beast. Why do you remember it so clearly? Emperor Zhouwu looked gloomy and pulled the woman firmly into his arms. He spoke in a sombre manner, Since you dont like it, Zhen will order people to send it back. Its just a small dog. If its dead, then its dead. Dont ruin your health over it, hm? Saying this, he gave the woman a tender kiss on her cheek. Meng Sangyu forced a smile but didnt reply. Changxi saw the Emperors raised hand and rushed to call over a eunuch to take the cage away. Almost as if it knew it was about to be abandoned, the puppy whined distraughtly and ceaselessly clawed at the cage, staring hopefully at Meng Sangyu with both eyes. Puppy dog eyes arent something that just anyone can resist.[4]At the very least, Meng Sangyu hadnt reached that level of asceticism. Her heart softened with each passing moment. Just as the puppy was about to be taken away, tears seeped out of those watery black eyes, and it looked awfully pitiful. Seeing this, she tugged at the mans sleeve and cried, Wait! What is it? Emperor Zhouwus tightened as he asked through gritted teeth.That wretched eunuch! Why did he have to leave so slowly?! Why not leave it here, Your Majesty! This concubine will raise it. Meng Sangyu spoke resolutely. You arent scared that youll raise another one, only for it to die again? warned Emperor Zhouwu in a low voice. Then this concubine will have to trouble Your Majesty to write a dog tag for it. Meng Sangyu pulled on the mans arm, swinging it back and forth in a lovable manner. This man controlled the Imperial Court and Inner Palace. His methods were increasingly more ruthless, intimidating others with just a glance. With an imperially bestowed dog tag from him, if anyone dared to try and hurt her dog again, she would let them experience a slow, painful death! Facing the womans slightly imploring phoenix eyes, even if Emperor Zhouwu felt so regretful that he felt like singing the blues, he had no choice but to nod his head, Alright. What should Zhen write? He pinched the womans nose and his deep voice was full of helplessness. How about Bixiao Palaces ErBao then.[5]Meng Sangyu picked up the puppy again and rubbed her cheek against its fluffy head. ErBao? The corners of Emperor Zhouwus mouth twitched and he turned to look at Changxi, Prepare the ink! Changxi bowed his head and assented. He called for someone to quickly bring over the Four Treasures of the Study[6]and wondered:The dog was clearly something His Majesty personally sent over, but why do His Majestys eyes look so grim when he looks at the dog? Its almost as if he wants to swallow it alive! Ugh, the Emperors whims are truly hard to fathom!