Nan Zhiyun had been confined to the He'an Palace for the past few days due to her foot injury. In truth, she disliked moving and preferred to laze around her room, sleeping whenever she pleased.
However, these past few days had made her restless. She who normally avoided going out whenever possible now found herself unable to stay put.
Yu Jingchen visited her daily. Nan Zhiyun had subtly hinted several times about wanting to go out, but Yu Jingchen… whether he truly didn't understand or pretended not to, he showed no inclination to consider Nan Zhiyun's requests.
Nan Zhiyun was currently sitting on her bed. The injury on her foot had healed considerably, and the pain had lessened, allowing for slight movement.
"Is Consort bored again?" Qian Xia entered with a smile.
"Has His Majesty come again?" Nan Zhiyun looked at Qian Xia, her spirits low.
"His Majesty is busy today and just sent word that he won't be joining for lunch," Qian Xia said. Nan Zhiyun was a little surprised, as he had been visiting almost every day around this time.
"However, His Majesty found a small trinket he wishes to send to Consort. Would Consort like to see it first?" Qian Xia smiled happily.
"What? A storybook?" Nan Zhiyun asked.
"No, shall I have someone bring it in?" Qian Xia coaxed her.
Nan Zhiyun became a little curious and sat up straight. "Have them bring it in."
"Yes," Qian Xia thought to herself, Consort would surely like it.
Qian Xia instructed Xiayi and the others to bring people in. Nan Zhiyun looked out and saw several eunuchs following behind, their hands covering items with red cloth, making it impossible to discern what they were.
"What's inside?" Nan Zhiyun was genuinely intrigued now.
"Uncover the cloth," Xiayi told the person behind him.
They then uncovered the cloth. As Nan Zhiyun saw what it was, her eyes lit up, and she immediately forgot about her injured foot, wanting to get down. Fortunately, Qian Xia stopped her.
"Consort, please be careful, your foot is still injured." Qian Xia quickly pulled her back.
Nan Zhiyun's foot injury, due to her carelessness, was bumped and hurt a little. But her spirits were high at the moment, so she ignored the sensation of pain.
"Bring it here for me to see," Nan Zhiyun was impatient and simply opened her arms to reach for it.
The little eunuch opened the cage. Xiayi took it from the attendant and brought it over to Nan Zhiyun. It was a small blue cat. It was fluffy, with fur of a bluish hue, and its eyes sparkled like two bright green emeralds.
Nan Zhiyun was mesmerized, unable to move. It was so cute. She had absolutely no immunity to such adorable little things.
"So cute! How old is it? Is it a male or female? Does it have a name? Where did it come from?" Nan Zhiyun couldn't tear her eyes away from the little blue short-haired cat.
"Replying to Noble Consort, this cat was favored by His Majesty in Yujin Garden. It's a small male cat, only four months old. His Majesty has not bestowed a name upon it. He merely said to send it to Noble Consort, and if Consort likes it, she may name it herself," the middle eunuch replied.
Nan Zhiyun looked at the person speaking... Hmm? She frowned. Why was this person so familiar?
Xiayi, noticing Nan Zhiyun's doubt, offered an explanation. "Consort, this is the eunuch who previously served by Madam Yin's side."
Oh… right, Nan Zhiyun remembered.
"Is your injury healed?" Nan Zhiyun asked casually. She remembered that this eunuch had seemed severely injured last time.
"Thanks to Noble Consort's concern, this servant is well," the little eunuch seemed surprised that Nan Zhiyun would proactively inquire about him, appearing somewhat flustered.