Chapter 4

At the same time Zhao Xuan was holding the little fox and strolling among the crowds at the flower and bird market.

Although he was wearing an ordinary black changpao however his incomparably handsome face and imposing aura still made people shy out of his way. There were also a few armed guards following him not too closely and not too far away, which made him further look out of the ordinary.

He was in a crowd of people however the place beside him was empty. No one dared to press close to him. This was just the effect he wanted. If he was by himself then it didn't matter but he didn't want the fox in his arms to get squashed. If he even lost a single hair then Zhao Xuan's heart would ache for at least half a day.

Zhou YunSheng comfortably lay inside against his lover's breast, inside his clothing. He only exposed a head and a pair of paws. He looked at the birdcages hanging above his head and heard the cries of the birds fluttering back and forth. He felt as though his entire body was itchy, especially his claws. He only wanted to go and eat them up with one gulp. After he controlled himself for at least 15 minutes, after Zhao Xuan once again passed a birdcage, he finally reached the end of the tether and made an "ao-wu" sound and leaned over.

The little fox was inside his clothing and his little head turned towards a birdcage that was passing by. His large eyes were filled with yearning and his entire appearance was unbelievably cute. It made Zhao Xuan almost laugh out loud.

In a playful motion, he walked towards the area where more birdcages were clustered. He saw that the little fox couldn't help scrambling towards them then laughed out loud before bringing him back and lightly slapping his bottom.

"Do you want them? If you want then kiss me once. I'll buy all the birds in the capital so you can have all the fun you want." He whispered this next to the little fox's ear.

Pervert! You would even try to seduce a little animal!

Zhou YunSheng covered his head with his large fluffy tail, pretending he hadn't understood.

A flash of disappointment flashed in Zhao Xuan's eyes but he quickly recovered. He kissed the little fox's furry head and waved at Wang Bao. "Go and buy all the birds this vendor has."

Wang Bao immediately obeyed. He went into the shop to speak to the vendor and heard that all these birds were extremely precious. The price was over 10,000 taels. As he pulled out his money he thought to himself: The Lord Regent is really unreliable. He's completely turned into a despot!

The vendor who was jumping up and down for joy to have the fortune of meeting the Regent also wanted to throw in some bird feed however it was all rejected by Wang Bao.

What bird feed? As soon as they go back they'll go into the little fox's stomach. It's better if you send some seasoning.

"My Lord, it's all done. When we go back little master can play to his heart's content." As soon as he left the shop, Wang Bao's look of inner injury immediately changed into a charming smile.

Zhao Xuan lowered his head to agree. He saw that the little fox who was hiding his face in his large tail didn't move however his ears twitched slightly as though he understood the conversation between the two. His heart felt happier. He had heard that foxes were very intelligent and it seemed to be true. He smiled and kept holding the little thing to stroll around. When he passed a jewellery shop his footsteps paused then turned to go inside.

"This humble peasant greets the Lord Regent. May his Lordship live for a thousand years." This "Treasure Pavilion" was somewhere that all the wealthy people in the capital like to visit so the owner naturally knew the high and mighty Regent. He immediately ran over to greet him. Then he got up and pointed at dazzling array of shelves. "His Lordship can take a look. These are all new arrivals. If you like anything you can take it."

"It's not easy for you guys to earn money. If you anyone take what they want, what will you eat? If you give this Lord a discount that's enough. Other things are unnecessary." Zhao Xuan waved his hand. He originally wanted to place the little fox on the table but after he saw the cold wooden surface he hesitated.

Fortunately Wang Bao was an astute observer. He immediately took out a soft blanket and respectfully held it up.

Zhao Xuan gave him an approving glance. He took the blanket and placed it on the counter and then lay the little fox down on it. His careful and delicate movements made it obvious that the thing in his hands was an object that was valuable beyond price.

The shop owner saw this scene immediately thought: This must the snowy white fox of the rumors. Even though he became a beast, his life is so fortunate. He must have done something very good in his past life. Even I want to switch places with this animal.

After thinking a little while, Zhao Xuan said, "Take out all the new and interesting things in your store. Doesn't matter if it's cheap or expensive. As long as it's interesting and novel enough."

"Yes, I will immediately ask someone to fetch it." The shopkeeper immediately motioned to some of his workers.

These people immediately went into the warehouse and after making several trips to and fro, there were some exquisitely made and also some ordinary objects filling the counter. They put so many they ran out of room and could only hold the rest in their arms.

Zhou YunSheng followed their movements with his head. His eyes were dazzled and his head felt confused. He didn't want to stare at them however Yu Li's animal instinct was very strong. He especially liked to look at things or people that were moving. His curiosity reached a peak and as soon as he saw something he hadn't seen before he wanted to reach out and scratch it with his claw or use his teeth to bite it. He couldn't control this urge. Otherwise he could only use his tail to block his sight and avoid looking at it.

Zhao Xuan loved the little fox's lively appearance. He smiled and saw that that he looked a bit dizzy then laughed and held him while kissing him multiple times.

From far away OuYang MingYue saw the armed guards standing outside the Treasure Pavilion. She immediately realized that the Regent was inside and peered inside. Zhao Xuan was not the kind of superior who bullied his inferiors. The exact opposite, he maintained a good reputation and to the outside he was generous and civil. So he had not stopped other customers from coming inside. This way OuYang MingYue successfully entered. She immediately saw Zhao Xuan sitting at the counter surrounded by things. He was holding the little fox and kissing it furiously while laughing happily.

Zhao Xuan was usually a cold and stern person. However now when she saw his relaxed and charming appearance, the look of tender emotions appearing on the face of a normally unyielding man, it made her heart flutter. After all OuYang MingYue was the kind of person who loved to receive love. She fixed her hair and ensured that there was not a single strand out of place in her appearance and then walked over the Regent to bow. "This humble servant OuYang MingYue has seen the Lord Regent before. May his Lordship live for a thousand years."

Zhao Xuan didn't even look at her. He only kissed the little fox's mouth a few more times before placing him back on the blanket. He opened a box and said, "These pearls are from the South Sea. Although they're not as big and around as those from the East Sea, however they are very bright and radiant. Does Li'Er like them?"

Zhao YunSheng crowded over and used his nose to push them. He used this claw to grab and he made a "wuwu" noise with his mouth.

Although originally he wasn't interested in these kind of things but right now he couldn't control his urge.

Zhao Xuan saw that he liked it and felt very happy. He opened all the boxes to take a look.

OuYang MingYue was still bowing with her knees bent. Her skirt which was embroidered with various bright flowers and butterflies were spread out around her, the image was very beautiful. However the smile on her face was becoming more and more frozen.

She had discovered that Zhao Xuan had no intention of paying her any attention. Also Xiao Bai appeared to have forgotten her completely. She originally thought that she had at least raised him for such a long time and although she often yelled and hit him, however she at least provided him with food. At least he should have some emotions towards her. When he saw her he ought to "wuwu" and come over to her. That way then she could successfully use the opportunity to engage the Regent in conversation.

But right now this human and beast both acted as though she didn't exist. It made all her plotting useless and her heart felt wronged. She took a deep breath and got up by herself. She walked over the shelves and pretended to look through the things. Actually she was seeking an opportunity to find an opening to talk to the Regent. But the more she looked the angrier she became. She hated the difference in wealth between the classes and hated the evil feudal society. As for the evil excess of the privileged class? Today right now she was seeing a live demonstration.

She saw Zhao Xuan opening all the treasure boxes one by one for the little fox to look. If the little fox looked a bit longer than he would immediately buy it.

"This amber is very beautiful. It matches Li'Er's eyes." He lifted a piece of glowing amber and placed it against the little fox's eyes to compare. He handed it to the shopkeeper and ordered, "Carve it in Li'Er's image. The size should be two inches and red string should be made with silk. It can't be too loose or too tight because it will hang around Li'Er's neck."

The shopkeeper immediately nodded his agreement. Then he placed the highly precious piece of amber carefully back into its box and ordered his workers to take it to the carver.

Zhao Xuan then took out a jade thumb ring and looked at it carefully. The corner of his mouth raised up. He held over Yu Li who was playing with some things, and held his claw beginning to push it slowly in.

The jade ring wasn't big but the little fox's claw was even smaller. It looked like a bracelet on him and was very suitable.

Zhao Xuan still wasn't satisfied. He pinned a flower pin onto the little fox's head, wrapped a butterfly bow and then he looped a gold bracelet with a golden bell over the little fox's throat…. It wasn't until he was completely decorated in a luxurious and regal manner before he stopped. Zhao Xuan smiled sunnily. "Li'Er you look beautiful like this. All the young ladies in the Capital could not even compare to half of Li'Er." After he spoke he picked up the little fox's claw and kissed it enthusiastically a few times.

Zhao YunSheng's feelings right now can be summed up in one sentence: You are completely beyond help…

He had never thought that in this life his lover was a fur-con. Every time his weird habits become stranger and stranger.

Never mind, as long as he was happy.

Thus Zhou YunSheng begrudgingly accepted the hairpin, bracelet, ring, butterfly bow and etc etc and managed to control the urge to tear it all off.

"Pack all of these things to go as well," Zhao Xuan had finally kissed enough and was ready to settle the bill with the shopkeeper.

OuYang MingYue stared frozen and speechless. She never knew ancient people were so advanced, they also had pet addiction. This Lord Regent probably thought of Xiao Bai like his son. If she wanted to please him then she had to start with Xiao Bai.

She immediately walked forward slowly. She smiled and said, "This humble girl hasn't seen Xiao Bai for a long time and really misses him. Xiao Bai still has some toys that he likes at my place. If his Lordship would like them, then I will send them to the manor."

Zhao Xuan knew exactly what she had come to talk to him about. Originally he didn't want to pay any attention to her. But when he thought about the little fox's beloved toys he hesitated. His very vaguely looked over her. "Oh, toys? That's right, this Lord needs to inform you one thing. Li'Er's name right now is "Yu Li", not Xiao Bai. Don't call it incorrectly." He didn't like the little fox bearing anyone else's labelling on his body.

"Great Lord, the things aren't precious however they are simply small clothes and pants, a leather cap and some small overcoats and shoes. They are all Xiao…. Li'Er's regular things that he used to wear." OuYang MingYue spoke.

These things of course didn't exist however to make them would be very easy. All she needed to do was go home and ask her maids to hurry to make them. In one night they would be ready.

She didn't like raising pets. Back then the only reason she had kept Xiao Bai was because she knew his breed was very rare and precious. However when it came to someone who really loved animals, of course would place a lot of significance on these small objects.

Zhao Xuan's eyes glowed with light. He said smiling, "What a good idea. How come this Lord didn't think to make a few pieces of clothing for Li'Er. I'll go right now to the clothing shop to take a look." He immediately turned to go and didn't leave another word.

Zhao Xuan could guess OuYang MingYue's intentions and of course Zhou YunSheng could too. He couldn't help but laugh at this woman's thick skin.

Making clothes for him? Who was it who had previously threatened him by saying she wanted to tear off his skin to make a scarf?

If she wanted to fool others she might have some success, but don't think about fooling Zhao Xuan. He only complimented her on a good idea and then immediately left.

Zhao YunSheng was very pleased with his lover's conduct. However when he thought about the fact that when they went home he would be dressed up him like a Western doll, then his heart felt very stuffy.

The door to a new world had been opened and could never be closed again.

OuYang MingYue waited for him to tell her to bring the things to the manor and use the opportunity to get some news and find opportunities for Li WenHan however she didn't expect that he would suddenly just leave without leaving a single world.

"Lord Regent, do you still want the things? Should I send it over to the manor?" She followed him looking panicked.

Zhou YunSheng originally was sitting quietly in Zhao Xuan's arms but seeing that she was getting closer and closer, he finally couldn't stay still any longer. He peeked out his head from Zhao Xuan's hand and barred his white teeth. He growled in a threatening manner at OuYang MingYue. His tail raised high and even his fur was standing on end. Clearly he was very angry.

How was this like seeing his previous owner? Clearly this was seeing an enemy!

Zhao Xuan pacified the little fox who was making "wuwu" growls and tucked him back inside. His face had completely lost its smile and his eyes had a layer of ice.

He lightly patted the little fox's tense body and waited for him to relax before turning back to the pale-faced OuYang MingYue. He said slowly, "Miss OuYang, even someone as cold-hearted as this Lord would not even be so cruel as to harm a baby animal. They are pure-hearted and have weak bodies and harmless to us, so why not let them live well? This Lord has always thought that the people who won't even let go of an animal aren't worthy of being called humans. Your heart is very black and your methods are poisonous otherwise how could you do such cruel things. The Lord has taken Li'Er to the Imperial Doctor and his entire body is filled with large and small scars, clearly he has suffered a lot. Miss OuYang can you give this Lord a valid explanation?"

OuYang MingYue was speechless. Sweat beaded on her forehead. She never thought that Zhao Xuan would care about this little bastard to that degree, even asking the Imperial Doctor to look. Right now she couldn't come up with any response.

There were still a lot of other clients in the store. They looked as though they were minding their own business but obviously they were secretly observing the two of them. When they heard the Regent's words they couldn't help but use judgemental gazes to look at OuYang MingYue. In their hearts they probably stuck a "poisonous woman" label onto her.

It was true. Any animal when it was in his infancy was very weak and would always garner the sympathy of people around them. If she could even hurt a baby animal then how cruel must her heart be? If OuYang MingYue was a man then perhaps some could forgive her, just using the saying "without ruthlessness one isn't a man", however she was a supposedly genteel young lady. That wasn't good at all.

In a jewellery store there were many female shoppers. When they went home they would have a lot of material for gossip and so this would soon be spread far and wide. Also Yu Li was so incredibly cute that even the Regent would fall in love at first glance and love him like jade, how could OuYang MingYue be so poisonous and cruel to him?

Thus OuYang MingYue immediately knew she had to act. She reacted quickly and said in a helpless manner, "Oh so it turns out that Li'Er has this kind of injury? These days I've been really busy and so asked the servants to take care of him. I never thought that…"

Geez, stop acting! If I could heal my demon core and change into a human then I would definitely use my hands to tear up your face!

Zhou YunSheng gnashed his teeth at her and made deep growls in his throat.

Zhao Xuan lightly patted the little fox and interrupted OuYang MingYue. He laughed coldly. "Don't pretend. If you gave him to the servants then Li'Er should hate the servants, so why would he show such dislike of you? Don't tell this Lord that even an animal knows how to lie, don't you think that that's laughable? This Lord knows that you are deliberately trying to get close to him for your betrothed who is in jail. However this Lord isn't partial to any insider deals. And even if I wanted to help, I wouldn't help someone as cruel and black-hearted as you. Li WenHan is guilty of many crimes and reaped what he sowed. Your heart is so cold and ruthless, the two of you are really a matching pair." After throwing down these words he left.

After he had gone the shoppers inside the store began to point at OuYang MingYue and gossip. They shook their heads and sighed loudly. Some of them even backed away from her. It wasn't hard to be kind an animal however what was hard was to treat an animal as an equal.

The people in the store didn't dare say how kind they were but they were quite sure they wouldn't mistreat a small animal.

As for OuYang MingYue who took pleasure in torturing such a helpless creature, well she clearly had a cruel and ruthless personality. They had to keep away from her and it was better not to make friends.

OuYang MingYue stood in the spot. Other than being a little pale she didn't show any other reaction. She nodded at the shopkeeper then slowly stepped out of the shop. She didn't rush away because she didn't want to show that the Regent's words had disturbed her. However right now only she knew how strong the killing urge in her heart was.

Zhao Xuan I'll remember you! In the later days I'll definitely make you repay me hundredfold or thousandfold!

Right now she still possessed the arrogance and loftiness of someone from the modern day. She felt sure that as long as she properly grasped the opportunity, then she would be on the top of this world one day. She had no idea what true strength was and she also didn't know how deep the intrigue was in the hearts of ancient people. Right now she had just offended the Lord Regent. This news didn't take long to spread into the ears of Madame OuYang.

"Indeed she has grown up. She has strategy, methods and talent. Her heart is also ruthless enough however it is a little bit too ruthless. She can be cruel to this extent. This will make her unpopular because she doesn't leave any room for others to move and doesn't leave herself an escape path either. However the Ya'Er that I've raised is different. She still has a sliver of kindness and would definitely not harm a small animal. She… it's her own fault. If she had treated that snow fox well then right now she probably would have already formed a connection with the Lord Regent and there would be no need for us to do anything. However one step wrong led to many steps wrong. She never would have expected that she would be felled in the hands of an animal. Isn't that funny?" After speaking Madame OuYang shook her head. She waved her hand. "Go, cancel her engagement with the Li family. You know what to do."

OuYang MingYue's servants immediately followed her orders.

After half an hour, OuYang MingYue's personal maid Huan Cui'Er kneeled outside the Li family, crying loudly. She begged the Li family to take mercy on her young mistress. She also said how could a criminal like Li WenHan match her immortal-like young mistress and if the Li Family had any sense of decency they should have automatically broken the engagement. It made Madame Li so angry she almost fainted.

Everyone passing by pointed and talked about Huan Cui'Er. They insulted her for being materialistic and kicking someone while they were down. Ancient people treated promises very seriously, particularly promises of marriage. They believed that people should be loyal to such a promise. But now listen to Huan Cui'Er behaving in this unseemly manner! To have such a horrid servant, the mistress couldn't be any better. If it wasn't because the mistress constantly said things like this in her presence otherwise how could the servant think of such things?

At this time some of the people who had come from the Treasure Pavilion also passed by. They repeated the story of the Regent and the little fox and further dragged down OuYang MingYue's reputation further into the mud. Look at the way she was dressed in such a fancy and ostentatious way. On the surface it might look like she was trying to save her betrothed, but now looking at things it's probably more likely that she was trying to find a way to seduce her way to wealth and power! This kind of person was really disgusting.

Madame Li pretended to faint. She beat Cui'Er away and then immediately went to the OuYang house to ask for the bridal gifts back and cancel the engagement.

When OuYang MingYue heard the news she was so angry her entire body shook. She rushed home straight away.

In her heart she thought there was probably not much hope of rescuing Li WenHan. Judging by his crimes his likely punishment would be to be locked up for three to five years and then probably exiled past the borders.

If she hadn't gone to plead with the Regent then perhaps Li WenHan may have a chance at being pardoned but now that she had gone, how could the Judicial Bureau let go of someone who had offended the Lord Regent? So from the moment she had left the store she had already decided to cancel the engagement. However she didn't want to use this kind of idiotish method!

She had already thought of a way which was to have a woman hold a child to scream and cry outside the Li Family and say that she was Li WenHan's mistress. Originally she thought she could have a good life with no worries, as soon as the wife was married then she could come in to the household to be a concubine. How was she to do know that Li WenHan's fortunes would change and that he would end up in jail? She was a single mother without anywhere to go, so she could only come here to make a scene.

Li WenHan's reputation would be thus destroyed and he would be unable to fight back since he was in jail. Then OuYang MingYue would have a legitimate reason to stand on the higher moral ground and reject the engagement. Plus by then she had planned to make it known that she had been searching far and wide for a means to help him. This way, how could anyone criticize her?

However right now her entire plan had been destroyed! Just then she had received the label of a "poisonous woman" and now this reputation of being someone who would kick others while they were down was added to her name. How could her reputation withstand it?

Cu'Er! Xiao Bai! You guys should all go and die!

This was the first time OuYang MingYue had felt so helpless. She knew that right now not only could she not cancel the engagement but she had to keep it in order to maintain her reputation. Anyway Li WenHan couldn't come out so if the time dragged on, there would definitely be another opportunity to dissolve it.

But Madame OuYang was smart. How could she ruin the reputation of the OuYang house. Her own daughter was still yet to be married.

So when Madame Li came to visit, Made OuYang came to the door to greet her. She even knelt down to sincerely make her apologies. She said it was her own fault for not raising this daughter well. She begged Madame Li to forgive her. She said that this engagement definitely could not be cancelled. The OuYang family was a righteous family and would definitely not kick someone when they were down. As soon as OuYang MingYue came home she would definitely persuade her.

Her attitude was extremely humble and her words were very moving. Passerbys all complimented her and said Madame OuYang was very graceful and stately. They admired her. They also said this eldest daughter didn't grow up by her side so in the end they couldn't blame her for not raising her well.

So Cui'Er's commotion was only successful in ruining OuYang MingYue's own reputation and only increased Madame OuYang's. It also made OuYang Ya'Er look good by comparison.

Madame Li knew that Li WenHan was already ruined. Even if he married a prominent noblewoman it wouldn't make much difference. So she very quickly forgave Madame OuYang then took her servant and returned home.

She had just left when OuYang MingYue came home. She was scolded furiously by her father and grandfather and was punished to kneel in the main hall for three days. They said from this day on they wouldn't any more attention to her.

OuYang MingYue knelt on the cold floor of the hall. She connected all the events of the day together and understood that she had fallen for someone else's plot.

She originally thought that her threatening and ruthless methods had completely controlled Cui'Er and her other servants but she never thought that she was still played by them for a fool and ended up in this kind of pitiful state!

Cui'Er, Xiao Bai, Zhao Xuan, all of you should die!

She clenched her first and stared hatefully forward. Her face was still extremely determined.

At this time the Li family also sent a message to Li WenHan in jail. They told him about OuYang MingYue going to find the Lord Regent first, then asking Cui'Er to come to their door to make a fuss.

Li WenHan shook his head. He said his Yue'Er wasn't this kind of person.

The attendant gave the message and hurried away, not caring if he believed it or not.

That night, the guards protecting the jail began to gossip among themselves. They sighed and said, "This is what's called the toad matches the mung bean. One is a beastly corrupt official and the other one is a poisonous woman. It's just as the Lord Regent said. They couldn't be more fitting."

"That OuYang MingYue's heart is too black. If she had just taken care of that snow fox well then seeing how the Lord Regent loves him to death, he would probably help her. Someone that's as difficult as reaching the sky for others is as simple to the Lord as speaking a sentence. Even if that Li fellow can't get his position back, at least he would be able to preserve his freedom. If he only waits there might even be a turnaround opportunity. But now look at things. Not only does he not have any hope but things got even worse for him because of her actions. But speaking about the Regent's love for the little fox, isn't it a bit excessive? Even when he goes to court he had to hold him and won't let go, treating him like an ancestor…"

Li WenHan couldn't listen anymore. His entire head was filled with one thought. Everything that had happened to him was OuYang MingYue's fault. She deserved to die!