In the morning, Hu Li is busy with her gardening. Without her shoes she walks on the dirt and plant her orchid. Her maids are standing around holding the things she needs for gardening. Wearing her usual plain garment, with an untie hair, she looks like an ordinary girl. As usual the butterflies and bees flies around her yet they did not disturb her as she plant the orchid. While her black little cat is sitting on the porch watching her. The maids find it strange that the cat is sitting up right like a human. His back legs are swinging on the steps and his tail is moving slowly on the floor. Sitting up right, he is watching Hu Li working on her garden. When the sun is shining above their head, Wang Cao appear from distance. As he walk, he see that his fake sister is working in her small garden. While on the porch, there is a cat swinging his little legs. Strangely enough as he walk nearer, he swear that the cat turn his head and stare at him. Those eyes are cat's eyes but there is a strange feeling of as if it belongs to a intelligent person. It's leg stop swinging when Wang Cao step in. He bow to his sister.
"Greeting eldest sister! Wang Cao is here!"
"Ah my little brother! Here again!"
"Yes i am here, again. Sister, aren't you allergic to cats?"
"Hmm but this little one. I am fine with him."
"Well you have to be careful. Have you check with the physicians on your health?"
"I won't die. Don't worry."
She dig as she talks. Wang Cao notice her feel in the dirt. Her nail shape is rather strangely long. He starts to perspire and walk to the porch. There is a stare down on a human and a cat. Obviously they dislike each other. Both look at Hu Li as she continue to dig deeper and finally she place in the orchid. Finally she have it plant the way she wants it and order the maids to keep the tools and prepare a meal. She walk towards her cat and pick it up. The cat snuggle up in her arms. Wang Cao look at her with an unbelievable expression. They continue to talk as she play with her cat.
"What is the name of this cat?"
"Hei."
"As in black?"
"Yes didn't you see the coat of the cat? So dark like the night."
Some days she brings the cat to the royal gardens. He is annoy with the butterflies who come to play with him. His job is to watch over Hu Li. He watch her feed the fishes in the pond. He hear their complaints too. He sigh and swing his paws to look like he is playing with it. He spend his days looking like a bored cat. Sometimes he yaw. Most of the time he doesn't eat. He doesn't walk and the Princess carry her cat wherever she goes. The other Princes and Princesses are not allow to touch the little cat. A small cushion is specially made for the cat. This obedience cat is also allow in the presence of the emperor.
In order for Hu Li not to go out of the palace to do her work as Yu Bing, he have to hold her back inside the palace. At night, he watch her question the owl boy and ask deliver letters to the Yamen. Sometimes Fei arrives in the courtyard, they sit around and talk. Hei wants Hu Li to be safe and not to do things that go out of hands. While Fei wants to help her to her conscience and besides the someone that she wants to be.
"Besides that she is not harming herself nor others. I will keep a watch out and intervene if there is a need."
"Fei, is not that i want to stop her ... just that we have our rules and boundary to hold..."
"Hei and Fei, i am aware what i am doing.:
Hu Li walk out of her bedroom. The boys who are sitting at the open boudoir look at her. She stand at her porch and circle her arm on the pole.
"I am responsible what i am doing. Don't blame it on yourselves. Just let me do what ..."
"Wait till you meet the masters. How are you going to explain?"
"Just say what i want to say. It's the same as what i said to both go you. If they want to punish me, so be it."
She walk over to them and sit in-between both. Both identical in looks but one with black diamond hair and the other white silky hair. One rough and one refine in appearances. One muscular and the other refine like a weak scholar. She reach out and hold both each one of their hand. She smile and both of them. Both men sigh and they all look at the moon. There is no way to change the minds of these three sitting in the open boudoir.
Hu Li continue to keep in touch with Du Wei to find out about the carriages. Three weeks pass, they have check through every carriages in the city there is none that fits in the description. She suddenly realise that the carriages of the royal family is not check at all. Could the carriage that they are looking for is in the palace? She hurry to dispatch a letter to Du Wei. The Owl boy pick it up and bow to her. He turn around and morph into an owl to fly into the night skies. She close th door and walk back to her bed. The rats are fast sleep and she climb on the bed. Pulling down the curtain she hold Hei on the bed in the princess bedroom. He is taking a nap as she comb his hair back gently. The scars are healing nicely on his body. Even without food nor medicine, the healing takes time unless they heal in the lotus pod in the louts pond at the sky.