Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Courageous Rabbit

“Crunch, crunch—” Fubao seemed to hear something!

“Huh~ Xiaobai?” In this tucked-away corner, Fubao found the two little ones who were enjoying themselves in another nook!

Inside a crystal-clear glass basin lined with goose feathers and surrounded by beautiful petals, two enormous carrots hung from the rim. One carrot bobbed up and down, probably because it was too heavy. Xiaobai lay sprawled out, gnawing lazily, pausing between bites, with a tiny rabbit resting on its belly, its mouth moving as well.

Fubao: No wonder you don’t come home! Such a fickle rabbit!

But she had an idea.

Just as the imperial physicians and palace maids knelt helplessly on the floor, a white blur darted through the crowd. Suddenly, the plump rabbit stood proudly atop the bed, with the little bunny on its head, eager to act.

Everyone: What does this rabbit want to do?

Fubao cheered Xiaobai on from her hiding spot.

The tiny rabbit leapt up in a flash, and under the Empress’s stunned gaze, it stretched out its little paw and hooked the small brocade pouch from the Princess’s neck!

Then, the bunny hopped away, safely returning to its nest because no one paid it any mind; everyone was watching the Princess!

The Princess had stopped crying, but now she wore a cheerful smile.

The Empress: Something feels even more off!

“Imperial physician, quickly! Hurry and check how the Princess is!”

...

Fubao was plucked from her nook by a palace maid. The Empress, relieved her daughter was unharmed, turned her head and spotted Fubao peeking out.

Fubao had been discovered!

“Huh~ isn’t this the little girl from Lady Bai’s household? How did she end up here?”

“It’s my fault, Your Majesty. I’ll take her out right away!”

“No!! I came to take my Xiaobai home!” Fubao pushed away the maid’s hand.

“Xiaobai? Who’s that?”

“The rabbit! I call it Xiaobai.”

In the end, Fubao couldn’t take the rabbit back, because the little Crown Prince refused. He had found the two rabbits in the Imperial Garden, along with Bai Zhuo.

The Crown Prince, having never seen such a fat rabbit before, skipped his lessons and sent Bai Zhuo away, and even arranged several nests for Xiaobai—thus, the rabbit Xiaobai reached the pinnacle of its bunny existence! It became, aside from the grand steward Yu Gonggong who served everywhere in the palace, another “Rabbit Gonggong.”

To prevent Xiaobai from being eaten, the Crown Prince made it a little chest badge: seeing this rabbit was as good as seeing the Emperor!

The Emperor, who loved gnawing pork elbows: “……” Am I less important than a rabbit?

Fubao sobbed: Without Uncle Chef, even the rabbit is gone!

Lady Bai heard that a little girl had slipped into the Empress’s chambers and was greatly alarmed. How could this child sneak into the Empress’s quarters?

Dragging her old limbs, Lady Bai hurried to the palace. Thankfully, the Empress was kind, or who knows what might have happened to this unlucky child?

Once she had brought Fubao safely out, Lady Bai calmed herself and began to scold and educate the little girl!

“It’s because I’m adorable; Her Majesty would never spank me,” Fubao retorted, her lips pouting as Lady Bai led her away. The Empress even pinched her cheeks!

Lady Bai: … This child imagines too much!

Fubao: Hmph!

Meanwhile, within the palace, the Empress gazed solemnly at the brocade pouch the rabbit had snatched and dropped. Ever since her daughter started wearing it, the child, who hadn’t cried before, was constantly in tears, unable to sleep peacefully, often waking in fright.

She immediately thought of the person who had sent the pouch!

Clearly, someone’s days were numbered.