Chapter 14: The Kitty’s Dependence Part 2

Li You ran like lightning, his four paws a blur. In three shakes of a lamb’s tail, he burst into the unfamiliar sleeping palace and reached the booth area. He pushed off with his hind paws, front paws scrabbling onto the soft booth, and yowled meow meow at the little monster sprawled atop it.

Then he tilted his head back and meow meow-ed at Li Ye sitting beside it.

‘Is it you!

Stinky Li Ye! It must be you who called it away!

I’ve been looking for it forever!!’

The ragdoll vented its fine, squeaky voice furiously at Li Ye and the little monster. The next second, a hand covered its head and rubbed, instantly dousing its anger.

His bro’s scratching technique had improved again.

Li You spinelessly accepted Li Ye’s itch service, even lifting his chin and purring contentedly in his throat, purr purr.

Li Ye wore a military uniform, his coat draped over the booth. His gaze tilted slightly down at the ragdoll cat kneading its paws happily on the booth. Without looking up, his voice was indifferent: “What is it?”

Li You froze, eyes widening in confusion as he stared at Li Ye.

Only then did the three at the sleeping palace doorway react. Li Ming took a deep breath and stepped forward. He too wore a military uniform, steadying his momentum: “You know we’re here for one thing.”

Li Ye still didn’t look up.

Li Ming frowned, about to speak again, when Li Weier’s arm blocked him. She stepped forward and inclined her head: “Good morning, Your Highness Li Ye. Please forgive my brother’s rudeness.”

She raised her gaze, her face devoid of extra expression: “We’re here to talk properly with you about Youyou’s belongings.”

Li You froze, turning back to look at Third Sis at the door.

Li Ye finally lifted his gaze to the doorway, though his hand continued scratching the ragdoll’s chin unhurriedly. His eyes landed on Li Weier, then slowly swept over the dissatisfied Li Ming behind her and the gravely serious Li Ze: “You don’t look like you want to ‘talk properly’.”

Li Ming took a deep breath, only to get elbowed in the gut by Li Weier the next second. Though it didn’t hurt, it served as a clear warning.

“My deepest apologies. Let me correct myself—it wasn’t ‘we’, it’s me.” Li Weier looked at Li Ye. “I sincerely hope to talk with you.”

Li Ye said nothing, instead pinching the ragdoll cat’s chubby cheeks with both hands, drawing its attention back to him alone.

After a silence, Li Weier turned to her two unreliable brothers behind her: “You two, out.”

“On what—” Li Ming didn’t finish before Li Ze pulled him back. He shot a glare, but Li Ze shook his head at him.

“Talk properly.” Li Ze glanced at distant Li Ye, then withdrew his gaze and told Big Bro, “We’ll go to the Memorial Garden to visit Youyou.”

He paused, then whispered to Li Weier, “Remember our original intent. If the talk succeeds, Youyou’s things can’t be taken by you alone.”

Li Weier didn’t respond.

The two brothers stood silent for a moment before Li Ming irritably turned and ended the wordless standoff.

With Li Ming and Li Ze temporarily gone, Li Weier sighed, opened her eyes anew to rally herself, and turned back to Li Ye: “They’re gone now.”

She steadied her emotions and stated bluntly: “Youyou is our little brother. Even if our relationship with him wasn’t as deep as yours while he lived, he was still our blood brother. I hope Youyou’s things can be entrusted to us for safekeeping.”

Li Weier looked at Li Ye. “Your Highness Li Ye, it’s not that we don’t trust you—quite the opposite, we trust you too much. The Empire can’t be without a monarch, and we three can’t take that role. You’ve shouldered this heavy duty for Youyou, to preserve the Empire he left behind, and we’re deeply grateful. But you shouldn’t be trapped in the past. Youyou has passed away. You should focus on the Empire. We think it’s not appropriate for Youyou’s things to remain with you.”

Li You listened in a daze. His face was lightly pinched by Li Ye’s hand, preventing him from turning to look at Third Sis. All he could see was Li Ye. He saw Li Ye’s still-as-still-water eyes and, unusually, couldn’t read the emotions in them.

“You mean my current focus isn’t on the Empire?” Li Ye raised his eyes and countered coolly. “Can I take that to mean you think I’m not handling the Empire’s affairs well?”

Li Weier froze, realizing she’d misspoke, and hurried to respond: “Sorry, that was presumptuous of me. The Empire is very peaceful under your governance. What I meant was…”

“You want to take back Li You’s things to guard against me.” Li Ye did not give her a chance to finish speaking. “You don’t know what Li You left behind and think I might use his things to harbor disloyal intentions, since I have no blood ties with him, and I was the core element in creating that disaster.”

As Li Ye said these words, his gaze remained fixed on the cat. “This is your true purpose.”

Li Weier fell silent.

“All of Li You’s things amounted to just two boxes—nothing as complicated as you imagine.” Li Ye continued, “No matter how many times you come, the result will be the same. I won’t hand them over to you.”

“…”

After a long silence, Li Weier’s hand clenched at her side. She bowed. “We’ve disturbed your rest. We’ll visit again another time.”

Li Weier left, and the door to the bedchamber closed, plunging the surroundings into silence.

Li You gazed quietly at his brother, his heart tightening.

Even after ten years on the throne, his brother still could not earn the trust of their eldest brother and sisters.

Moreover… it seemed that after that disaster, they all knew Li Ye was not human.

Li You felt a pang of sadness. When he had first learned that his elder brother and sisters came to claim his things, he was a bit surprised, followed by a flicker of quiet joy.

He had thought that his once-distant elder siblings now cared more about him. But after hearing the truth, he realized they were just guarding against Li Ye.

It was hard to describe the feeling—nobody was entirely right or wrong; everyone had their reasons.

Li You’s head drooped. After staying quiet for a moment, he shuffled his hind legs closer to Li Ye and rubbed his head against his thigh.

In the next instant, his hind paws lifted into the air as he was picked up, and he ended up sitting on his brother’s lap.

The cat turned a few circles before lying down facing his brother, his front paws gently kneading his brother’s abs.

Still rock-hard—his brother’s abs were truly well-trained.

The cat felt glum and kneaded more earnestly. Not long after, the door to the bedchamber “whoosh” opened again, and Li Ming’s irritable voice rang out.

“Li Ye! Weier isn’t good with words! That’s not what we meant!” Li Ming strode forward aggressively, but when he met Li Ye’s abyss-like red eyes, he immediately wilted. He opened his mouth, then closed it, his momentum halved. “We…”

“Tch! We’re just here to take our little brother’s things—nothing else! You was our brother too. So what if he was close to you in life? Does that mean he wasn’t close to us?”

At this point, Li You shrank back his neck and glanced at his eldest brother, muttering inwardly.

Not really that close…

Li Ze, who had been hesitating beside him, stepped forward. “Your Highness Li Ye, I think our relationship with Youyou can’t be judged just by the surface. After all, we are blood brothers, and as big brother said, we weren’t bad with him before. You see…”

“I refuse.” Li Ye crossed his arms and leaned back against the lounge seat calmly. “You weren’t bad with him?”

“You—” Li Ze’s words caught in his throat.

Li You on his lap quietly shifted his paws, grumbling in his heart.

【Whatever, none of you were that great. Otherwise, just burn my stuff.】

“…” Li Ye’s brows slowly furrowed.

The cat tucked in his paws and let out a soft “meow”:

【Only stinky Li Ye is a bit better.】

Li Ye’s brows relaxed, and his mood inexplicably improved. He lifted his eyelids toward the three intruders. “Whether you were close or not, go ask Li You yourselves.”

The three people and the one cat all froze, staring at Li Ye in unison, shocked.

Ask who?

Me?

Li You blinked, incredulously standing up. His heart raced as he splayed his legs in preparation to flee.

They couldn’t have figured out he was the cat, right?

“You…” Li Ming looked like he had seen a ghost. “Where are we supposed to ask?”

Li Ye rubbed the Ragdoll cat’s ear with his fingertip. “Ask wherever you want. Come find me when you have results.”

This was clearly a refusal. Li Ming nearly jumped in fury but was dragged out by Li Ze and Li Weier together.

The bedchamber fell quiet once more. Li You stared dazedly at his brother. He smacked his lips, sighing inwardly.

【Scared me half to death, you big idiot Li Ye.】

He had almost thought he was busted.