In the palace, Mei Guifei ascended the high hall, her skirt trailing on the smooth black tiles like a blooming flower. She slowly approached the tall figure gazing out at the palace city, resting her head on the person’s shoulder, and softly said, “Your Highness.”
Wu Huanghou turned her head and took Mei Guifei’s hand. “Why are you here at this hour? Isn’t the Crown Prince feeling unwell today? Why aren’t you with him?”
Mei Guifei replied gently, “The Crown Prince took his medicine and fell asleep, so I came to see you, Your Highness. Are you feeling down, gazing out at the palace city alone?”
Wu Huanghou sighed, “I was just thinking about my sister getting married, and I felt a bit emotional.”
Mei Guifei reassured her, “Don’t worry, Your Highness. I can see that my nephew truly cares for her; he will surely treat her well in the future.”
Wu Huanghou smiled, “It’s not that I’m worried about your young lord; I’m more concerned about my sister. I’m afraid she might bully your young lord in the future.”
Mei Guifei covered her mouth and laughed, her beautiful eyes curving like crescent moons. “If she does bully him, I believe my nephew will accept it willingly. You may not know, but I can see clearly that he has long been deeply in love with Zhen Mei. His temperament is just like my elder brother’s, and with Zhen Mei by his side, he won’t suffer any grievances.”
The two stood together for a while, and then the Empress remembered something and said, “Today, the Uzi envoy brought some rare beasts. I heard that the Crown Prince liked a white cat among them, so I had it kept. But you had someone send the cat away?”
Mei Guifei looked at her. “Yes, I know you don’t like cats, so I had it sent away. If the Crown Prince likes these small animals, I can have someone get him a lynx next time; it doesn’t have to be a cat.”
Wu Huanghou fell into a moment of thought and suddenly asked, “Do you know why I dislike cats?”
Mei Guifei shook her head. “I don’t know, but since you dislike them, I won’t let a cat appear before you.”
Wu Huanghou took her hand and walked along the vermilion pillars, letting out a slight sigh as her gaze drifted toward the horizon, lost in memories. “My mother passed away suddenly back then. My father and I were heartbroken, and while handling the funeral, we neglected my sister, which led to her falling from a high building. At that time, she was severely injured, and it seemed she wouldn’t survive… That night, I kept vigil by my sister, who was barely clinging to life, when I saw… a gigantic cat appear in the room. It devoured my sister.”
Mei Guifei was taken aback, but seeing Wu Huanghou’s serious expression, she listened intently.
Wu Huanghou gazed at the sky. “I once thought it was a dream, but my father rushed over and also saw that giant cat. It devoured my sister and then ran away. My father and I were astonished and confused. Who would have thought that just a day later, my sister appeared before us, perfectly fine, having healed from her severe injuries, and she didn’t remember being eaten by the cat? During that time, I was very afraid of her because every night, her courtyard would be filled with cats, quietly surrounding her room.”
“I didn’t know if my sister was still my sister. I suspected she might be some kind of demon, but I couldn’t bear to do anything about it, after all, she was my long-lost family. That child was unusual from a young age; she was different from us. It seemed she could see things we couldn’t. When our mother was alive, she often pulled her to say that there were things in empty spaces, and perhaps only our mother was completely unafraid of her.”
“Our mother once expressed her worries to me, saying that my sister was different from others and would likely face hardships in the future, which ultimately came true. Later, a great monk named Jingyan from Xuti Temple was invited by my father. He told us that my sister’s resurrection was due to a great opportunity, and her chance at life was left by our mother.”
“She grew up slowly, becoming more and more normal, except for her slightly eccentric behavior; she no longer exhibited the oddities of her childhood. This matter was kept secret between my father and me. Now, so many years have passed, and I should have forgotten these things, but I still feel an inexplicable unease. Whenever I see a cat, I am reminded of that incident, recalling the scene of my dear sister being swallowed by that giant cat.”
Mei Guifei’s expression shifted from disbelief to calm. She tightly grasped Wu Huanghou’s hand, patting her back gently, and soothingly said, “There are many strange things in this world, Your Highness. Since so much time has passed, there’s no need to dwell on it. In the future, my sister will surely be safe and sound.”
Wu Huanghou shook her head, but she did not continue speaking. Just this year on New Year’s Day, when Master Jingyan passed away, my father saw him again. The master said that Wu Zhen still had a calamity to face, and she would need the help of a noble person to avoid it. This noble person was connected to her chance at life back then. My father pleaded repeatedly, and Master Jingyan finally gave a single character.
That character was “Rain.”
Thus, my father, who had originally stopped insisting on my sister’s marriage, became so invested in arranging her union with Mei Zhuyu. He believed that Mei Zhuyu was the “Rain” that Master Jingyan spoke of, and his timing was too coincidental.
“Forget it, I must be overthinking things lately, which is why I’m feeling unsettled. Let’s go back; there’s no need to stay out here in the wind.”
Wu Huanghou returned to her usual demeanor and left with Mei Guifei.
That night, a shadow descended upon the palace where the Empress resided, lingering beside the sleeping Empress. Wu Huanghou, drenched in sweat, was trapped in a nightmare, unconsciously crying out. Mei Guifei, who had heard her concerns during the day, happened to be worried and came in with a lamp to check on her. Hearing her mumbling in her sleep, she hurried to sit by the bed, trying to wake her.
Unexpectedly, the shadow lurking beneath the bed suddenly surged, wrapping Mei Guifei in darkness. In her astonishment, she found herself transformed into a cat.
A white cat with emerald green eyes.
The lamp that Mei Guifei had been holding fell to the ground with a crash, extinguishing the flame. Wu Huanghou, still trapped in her dream, was abruptly awakened by the noise, sitting up drenched in sweat. She dreamt again of the giant cat that had devoured her sister, her emotions in turmoil.
“Meow~”
A soft meow startled Wu Huanghou. She turned her head and saw a white cat squatting by her bedside. The cat’s emerald green eyes seemed to reflect a human-like astonishment and urgency, leaving Wu Huanghou momentarily stunned. However, she quickly composed herself and called for someone to come in.
“Why is there a cat here?”
Seeing that the maid who entered was Qingying, who served Mei Guifei, Wu Huanghou was surprised again. “Qingying, why aren’t you attending to the Guifei? How did you end up here?”
Qingying looked around, not seeing Mei Guifei, and was puzzled. She knelt and said, “I accompanied the Guifei here. She woke up in the middle of the night and was worried, saying she wanted to come and check on you, so she brought the lamp in.”
The lamp lay on the floor beside the bed. Upon hearing Qingying’s words, Wu Huanghou disregarded the cat and furrowed her brow, surveying the hall. “The Guifei entered the hall? Where is she now?”
Everything in the hall was clear at a glance; besides them, there was no sign of Mei Guifei. Qingying shook her head in panic. “I—I don’t know! I saw the Guifei enter the hall, but it was only for a short while. I have no idea how she could have disappeared.”
Wu Huanghou’s gaze sharpened, and she suddenly turned to look at the white cat by the bed, her expression growing colder. Every time she encountered a cat, something ominous would happen. The appearance of this cat was suspicious and might be related to the matter at hand.
She stared intently at the cat, and the other maids dared not speak. The cat seemed to understand Wu Huanghou’s expression, meowing anxiously again before jumping in front of her, trying to tug at her clothes with its paw. Wu Huanghou’s expression changed, and she reflexively swatted her hand, sending the white cat tumbling into the corner of the bed.
The white cat fell into the embroidered quilt, rolled over twice, and then got up, looking at Wu Huanghou with a mournful meow.
Wu Huanghou felt an inexplicable guilt, thinking that her actions were unjust.
Noticing her silence, the maid Ehuang, who had been by her side for many years, tentatively asked, “Your Highness, should we take this cat out?” Having served the Empress for many years, she knew well that the Empress had never liked cats.
Wu Huanghou was preoccupied with the disappearance of Mei Guifei and waved her hand. “Take it away.”
The white cat meowed incessantly at Wu Huanghou, and the maid stepped forward to catch it, but the cat dodged and kept meowing. Wu Huanghou became increasingly flustered by its cries, her brows furrowing deeper. Suddenly, she said, “Enough! Don’t worry about this cat. Have people search the hall; we must find the Guifei. Qingying, you take people outside to look; perhaps the Guifei went out again.”
Once everyone left, Wu Huanghou donned her robe and picked up the fallen lamp.
Things were developing in the worst way Wu Huanghou had anticipated. The palace maids searched all night but found no trace of Mei Guifei; it was as if she had vanished into thin air within the heavily guarded palace. The only abnormality was the presence of the white cat.
Wu Huanghou had no choice but to seal off the news and keep this matter hidden while continuing to send people to search. During her busy moments, the white cat followed her closely, meowing helplessly.
Wu Huanghou grew annoyed by its cries and couldn’t help but turn her head, exasperatedly saying, “Be quiet!”
The delicate white cat paused for a moment, then suddenly turned and dashed toward a row of shelves in the hall. It targeted a particularly delicate, lustrous bottle and pushed it with its paw. Wu Huanghou gasped as she watched her favorite porcelain bottle shatter on the ground, her expression darkening.
“You wretched cat…”
The white cat swatted again, knocking over another cherished glass mirror belonging to Wu Huanghou.
Wu Huanghou: “… Why do you only target my favorite things?!”
She strode forward, attempting to catch the white cat, but it was exceptionally agile and quickly slipped away, diving into a cabinet. It emerged with an old pouch and placed it before Wu Huanghou.
Wu Huanghou froze. This was the first pouch Mei Guifei had made for her. Mei Guifei was cold and proud by nature and was not skilled in such crafts, so the pouch was poorly made. Later, she made a better one for Wu Huanghou, and this pouch had been kept in the cabinet. Only she and Mei Guifei knew the significance of this pouch.
Wu Huanghou looked at the white cat with a strange expression and finally asked, “Are you saying she is in your possession, and I shouldn’t act rashly?”
The white cat: “…”
The white cat’s paw extended and retracted twice before it ground its teeth, turning its head to look around, and dragged out a skirt from the cabinet.
Wu Huanghou’s expression finally began to change. “… You are Su Han?”
Mei Su Han was Mei Guifei’s name.
The white cat nodded, its earlier ferocity replaced by a docile demeanor as it approached Wu Huanghou and rubbed against her hand. Wu Huanghou recoiled slightly, feeling a chill run down her spine.