Why Harem Intrigue When You Can Just Raise a Dog Instead

Meng Sangyu inwardly grit her teeth and retreated two steps. She picked up ABao and collapsed on an embroidered stool [1] behind her. Her expression turned black one minute and white the next. It was gravely serious.

Emperor Zhouwu stared anxiously at her expression, lest her fears escalated to the point where she might hurt herself. This attack was truly too malicious. It was seemingly directed at Virtuous Consort, but if one looked deeper, it was actually aimed at Duke of Protection Meng and the entire Meng family. If they were ever openly charged with this crime, the Meng family and their nine degrees of kin [2] would be put to death.

Nurse Feng picked up the cursed doll from the floor, her hands visibly shaking. In a quivering voice, she asked, Your Ladyship, this Calculating the Eight Birth Characters [3], the cursed target could very well be the Emperor!

His Majesty is the cursed target, confirmed Meng Sangyu in a cold voice as she grit her teeth. Nurse Feng didnt know the Emperors Eight Birth Characters, but Meng Sangyu and her father did.

If someone were to discover this object We We would..! If looks could kill, Nurse Fengs eyes looked as though they could cut someone in half. Consumed with hatred, she was unable to finish what she was saying. Bishui, Yincui, and even the two eunuchs had already started to clean up the spilt water on the floor. No matter what, they must make sure that everything in the main hall, including the flower vase, was back to their original state. This was a dangerous situation. Fortunately, her Ladyship discovered it early so that there was still time to turn things around.

Meng Sangyu smiled sadly and spoke, her tone cold and grave, To use black magic to plot against the king With Fathers achievements being so great, the charges against our Meng family will be even worse! Think about it: the daughter of a general who holds the power of a mighty army cursing the Emperor to death for what purpose? To imitate the founder of the dynasty and stage a rebellion? If I was really accused of this, the charge of plotting against the Emperor to usurp the throne would be unrefutable! They cant touch Father, so they targeted me instead. They plan on forcing me to plead guilty and put me under house arrest. When Father returns to Court to report his victory and thank the Emperor for his grace, using my crime as a cover, they will seize the opportunity to capture Father and spread the word of these groundless, fabricated accusations. Afterwards, we will immediately be presented to the Court of Justice and be executed. Soon after, they will spare no time to slaughter everyone related to the Duke of Protections mansion and the Meng familys nine degrees of kin. We wont even have a chance to protest the injustice being carried out against us! Once the news reaches the Meng familys army, everyone will have already died and the army would settle down, unable to change history. This is truly a vicious strategy!

After speaking, cold sweat dripped down her forehead and her face turned pale. She was chilled, down to her very soul. Only tightly hugging ABao could give her a modicum of warmth. Emperor Zhouwu used his paws to securely hug her arms, focusing his entire being on trying to warm her up.

If Sangyu could think of it, how could he not have thought of it too? Presently his eyes had long turned blood red and his killing aura surged. Killing loyal and upright subjects and throwing the Imperial Court into disorder! The Shen family has already fallen to this level! In the future when his soul returns to his body, the first thing he will do will be to sentence the Shen family and their entire clan to death! Let them taste the bitter consequences of their actions!

Meng Sangyu gently rubbed her cheeks against ABaos back. She noticed that Yincui and the others had already cleaned up the chamber. All that remained was a bit of water from the vase. They used heat to evaporate it quicker, leaving a curl of white smoke [4]. Soon it would disappear, leaving none the wiser. Seeing that everything would return to their original state, the fear in her heart slowly subsided. Now is not the time to continue being afraid!

She shook herself alert and pet ABaos little ears. She whispered, Darling, I know that you can understand. Listen, help me search the entirety of Bixiao Palace. There might be other suspicious things. After that, help me find the person who is playing tricks. When you find them, Ill make some Buddha Jumps Over the Wall Stew [5] for you to drink, how does that sound?

Even if you didnt say it, Zhen [6] would still help you! Even as a dog, Zhen can still protect you! Emperor Zhouwu barked twice and raised his nose to sniff every corner of the chamber. As expected, if theres a first, then there will be a second. As insurance, the culprit not only hid a cursed doll in the flower vase, they also stuck a human-shaped cursed paper talisman [7] under Meng Sangyus bed. The cursed talisman had Emperor Zhouwus Eight Birth Characters written on it as well as many drawings of vicious and graphic curse incantations.

Meng Sangyu tampered with the cooked dishes in the side hall to give the appearance of having eaten and quietly brought ABao to search her bedroom. Presently, she was in no mood to eat anything, but to mislead the spy lurking outside, she had to act like she was unaware that anything was amiss.

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Emperor Zhouwu also wasnt in the mood to eat anything. Meng Sangyu tried to feed him a bowl of congee, but he shook his head and refused. How could he stomach any food when they needed to root out the spy and search the entirety of Bixiao Palace as soon as possible so that Sangyu could escape danger? This was his first time rejoicing about his dog-form. If he wasnt a dog, Sangyu would have been harmed by someone!

After finishing his search of the bedchamber, he headed back towards the side and main halls. He searched the study, the side rooms, the garden he searched every nook and cranny of Bixiao Palace, not daring to miss a single spot. Meng Sangyu followed after him, puffing for breath. To onlookers, it seemed like the master and pet pair were playing. Bixiao Palaces servants were long used to this kind of scene. One after another, they would pay their respects while looking on with a smile on their face.

Passing by a side room where servants lived, Emperor Zhouwu stopped in his tracks and directly entered through the crack in the door, bounding into the room. Inside, three 15-16-year-old palace maids were sitting in a circle around a brazier chatting. Seeing ABao enter the room, they were momentarily dazed before their eyes lit up.

ABao, come here! A palace maid amongst the group beckoned over ABao with her hand, smiling.

Emperor Zhouwu walked over and sniffed the maids hand. When he finished, he moved on to sniffing the next one and then the last one. After sniffing them all, he was baffled. This was because the three palace maids in this room used the same rouge, the same kind of incense [8], and the same hair oil. When sniffed, these three emitted the same smell. There really wasnt much difference. He was sure that the person playing tricks was amongst the three, but he really couldnt figure out who it was! If he were a real dog, he could probably tell the difference based on instinct and choose correctly. Unfortunately, he only inherited the dogs sense of smell and didnt know how to apply this kind of intuition. Emperor Zhouwu humphed twice, feeling extremely frustrated.

ABao! Here you are! Meng Sangyu appeared in the doorway at just the right moment, acting like she had been searching for him. She reached out her hands towards ABao. The three palace maids hurriedly stood up and paid respects to their master.

Casting away his frustration, ABao leaped into Meng Sangyus embrace. His little tail cheerfully waved back and forth. Meng Sangyu picked him up and hugged him, giving him a kiss on his mouth. Taking advantage of the fact that the maids were paying their respects, she murmured, Which one is it? Point them out for me.

You may all rise. Putting ABao down, Meng Sangyu called out towards the maids and subtly measured them with her gaze without attracting any notice.

Not only did she recognize these three palace maids, but she was very familiar with them. The youngest of the three was named Xia dong. She was a new maid that entered the palace this year. Her background was clean and her character was sincere and adorable. Meng Sangyu immediately took a liking to her and personally promoted her to work in Bixiao Palace [9]. Out of the two remaining maids, the taller one was named Lanxin and the shorter one was named Huixin. They were both servants that Meng Changxiong[MSYs father]had painstakingly selected from the Meng family servants and put in a lot of effort to send into the palace. When Yincui and Bishui were older, Meng Sangyu planned on sending them out of the palace to marry so they neednt accompany her until death within the confines of the palace. Therefore, Lanxin and Huixin were the best choices to succeed Bishui and Yincuis positions as head palace maids. Normally, Meng Sangyu heavily relied on them and trusted them deeply.

Out of these three maids, no matter who betrayed her, Meng Sangyus heart would be hurt. However, she also couldnt help but respect the extent of the masterminds power. Their influence even reached into the Meng family and their spy was buried so deeply. If it wasnt for ABaos cleverness, she would definitely be unable to escape disaster this time.

Thinking until here, she gazed at ABao with a gentle expression. The little guy circled around the three, turning left and right and sniffing left and right. By each persons side, he barked twice, impartially without exception. Then he diligently returned to her side, his little moist black eyes filled with guilt. Seeing him like this, Meng Sangyu tacitly understood. She briefly asked the three maids something trivial before picking up ABao and leaving without arousing any suspicion.

Once their master had walked a good distance away, the three maids returned to sit around the fire, smiling and laughing. It was difficult to tell who was innocent and who was the spy.

Your Ladyship, youve returned. From a distance, Yincui and Bishui quickly walked up to welcome the master and pet pair. The sky had wholly darkened as night fell, and the palace had already lit the lanterns. Under the light of a bright red lantern, their expressions took on a slight red shade, appearing very warm.

A faint smile broke through Meng Sangyus cold expression and she gave them a slight nod. Hugging ABao, she returned to the bedchamber. On the table laid the cursed doll and two cursed paper talismans. In addition to under the bed, the culprit had also stuck a cursed talisman in between the layers of the screen in the main hall. Placed in such a well-hidden spot, without ABaos sensitive nose, who would have discovered it?

Your Ladyship, did you find anything strange in the other rooms? Yincui asked in a low voice.

No, only these three places. Todays success was all due to ABao! Meng Sangyu shook her head.

Bishui reported the results of her investigation to her master. Your Ladyship, this servant inquired in secret: when the eunuch responsible for guarding the bedchamber left their post for a while, its unclear who entered the chamber unauthorized. Of course, its also possible that he might have taken advantage of his position and embezzled goods.

No, ABao already found the person responsible. Its someone amongst Xia dong, Lanxin, and Huixin. It could also be two out of the three or all of them together. In any case, itll be fine if you keep an eye on the three of them. Before this matter is resolved, its of utmost importance to not startle the snake in the grass [10].

Yes. Bishui and Yincui bowed as they agreed.

Today was all thanks to ABao! Without ABao, our Meng family would be finished! Meng Sangyu hugged ABao close and continuously kissed his face.

Emperor Zhouwu huffed. On the one hand, he narrowed his eyes, enjoying the womans enthusiasm and initiative. On the other hand, he extended his tongue to lick her back. Today he was extremely pleased. Thus far, Meng Sangyu has always been protecting him. He never thought that he would also be able to protect Sangyu in return. Feeling this kind of fulfillment and success was unparalleled, even compared to when he ascended the throne.

The kissing continued before something terrible happened! ABaos empty stomach suddenly let out a pitiful growl. In the quiet hall, it sounded even more grating to the ears. Emperor Zhouwu used his paws to cover his face as he blushed furiously. Never before in his life had he been so embarrassed! Thinking back, it made sense. He was the Emperor and even before ascending the throne, he was still a respected and high-ranking prince. Who would dare to let him go hungry?

Meng Sangyu giggled and pulled his paws down. She rubbed his little tummy comfortingly and said, Im also hungry! Lets go to the small kitchen and see if the Nurse prepared anything delicious to eat. Ill make ABao some Buddha Jumps Over The Wall Stew.

Dinnertime had long passed but the lights in the small kitchen were still bright. Nurse Feng and two other maids were hard at work. Catching sight of their master entering the room, they quickly paid their respects.

Is the food ready yet? Placing ABao on a nearby table and telling him to stay away from the fire, Meng Sangyu inquired as she rolled up her sleeves.

Everything that needed soaking is ready to be simmered, said Nurse Feng as she pointed to a pile of ingredients.

Meng Sangyu nodded as she layered slices of ginger, winter bamboo shoots, fragrant mushrooms, chicken, shrimp, tripe, salted fish, shark fin, and other such ingredients in a clay pot, added the soup base and placed it into a steamer basket to stew over a low fire.

Emperor Zhouwu stared at her bustling figure from behind. She changed into the simplest of gowns and tied up her hair using a strip of blue cloth. She had no other adornments, but he felt that this version of Sangyu was the most beautiful, even compared with all the beautiful women hes seen in the past. Her appearance was like an ordinary commoners wife, busily preparing a meal for her husband so that upon his return home, he could have a mouthful of hot soup. Due to this fantasy, Emperor Zhouwus heart couldnt stop trembling.

In the warm and cozy kitchen, the aroma of the food gradually spread. After extinguishing the fire, the master and pet pair didnt return to the bedroom to eat. Instead, they sat down on the bench in the kitchen to drink soup. There were no majestic furnishings, nor were there crowds of servants, but Emperor Zhouwu only had to see the smiling face of the person in front of him to feel completely satisfied. The flavour of the soup in his mouth became the rarest, most delicious taste in the world.

Although the day started off rough with piercing winds and endless problems, it ended in warm and sweet tranquillity.

[1] (xidn) are round drum-shaped ceramic or wooden stools with an embroidered cover.

[2] (jiz) refers to ones nine degrees of kin (construed as either the nine generations from ones great-great-grandfather down to ones great-great-grandson; or four generations of ones paternal relations, three generations of ones maternal relations, and two generations of ones wifes relations).

[3] The Eight Birth Characters or (shngchnbz) are eight Chinese characters in four pairs indicating the year, month, day, and hour of a persons birth combined with their heavenly trunk and earthly branch. This was used for astrological purposes.

[4] I was stumped with this sentence (bolded). I got the general gist of it and tried my best. If anyone has a better translation, please let me know!

Original Chinese:

[5] (ftioqing) Literally, Buddha jumps over the wall Stew the name of a Chinese dish that uses many non-vegetarian ingredients. Its so famous that it even has aWikipedia page! Check out therecipeif you like! You can also findcooking videosabout it on Youtube.

[6] (zhn) Literally subtle an illeism Emperors used to refer to themselves. It changed depending on the dynasty. Im trying out Gumi Vocaloids suggestion and using pinyin romanizations. Let me know what you think!! ?

[7] Like the Japanese Ofuda except used for curses.Click hereto read more about it!

[8] In ancient times, Chinese people carried incense pouches on their person with different scents. Think of it as the ancient version of perfume.

[9] When servants first enter the palace, they are general helpers with various duties until they are assigned to a department like the Imperial Kitchens or promoted to work in a specific palace under a consort.

[10] (dchojngsh) Literally to beat the grass and startle the snake A Chinese idiom meaning to act rashly and alert an enemy.