The Enchanting Imperial Concubine (Book 3)

Epilogue - Niangao

My name is Niangao.

But don't get me wrong; I'm not some delicious treat. I may be soft and white, but I'm a dog.

When I was just a month old, I was brought into the palace and given to a young lady by the Emperor.

She was incredibly beautiful, like a fairy from the heavens. When she smiled, it was more enchanting than the blooming begonia.

She named me.

She said, "The previous one was called Nuomi, and this one will be called Niangao. It fits, being soft and white."

Though I didn't know who Nuomi was, from then on, I became Niangao. This young lady would be the person I cared for my whole life.

However, she had many names.

She was first called Jieyu, then Xiurong, Shunyi, and Zhaoyuan. There were so many! Up until now, everyone calls her "Empress" or sometimes "Your Majesty."

I suppose, like me, people have different names for her; sometimes they call me Niangao, and sometimes they call me Gao Gao.

But I've always had just one name: Niangao. And I've always had just one owner: this young lady.

Later, this young lady had a child, so I also got a little master.

I once met another dog; it was very pretty, but its owner said I was an old dog now and couldn't cause trouble for others.

I didn't understand what "old dog" meant, but it seemed that after I took a long nap once, I lost something, and since then, things have been a bit different.

Ah, no need to worry about that; I have more important things to do. My little master is waiting for me to take care of him.

This little guy is growing really slowly; it took him over a year to learn to walk, and even then, he was unsteady.

I can't even remember how many times I've been his cushion.

The people following him around are slower than me; they're really useless.

So, I worry a lot. He's growing slowly, and when I get old, who will protect him?

Thus, I stay by his side all day, hoping he can grow a little faster.

Oh, right! This little master is called the Fourth Prince; everyone calls him that.

Little kids are always full of energy. Luckily, I'm young enough to keep up with him.

But his owner can't, so she often leaves him in my care.

As a dog entrusted with such an important responsibility, I feel the weight of it and can't be careless at all.

Time passes quickly. Just when I thought my little master was growing up, his owner got pregnant again.

This time, she gave birth to twins.

Oh dear, I'm so worried.

One dog to care for three human infants—there's probably no dog as burdened as I am.

So, I started running between the three children. Luckily, the two younger ones are about the same age and usually stay together, so I only have to run to two places.

Every day, I take the Fourth Prince to and from school, and the rest of the time, I stay with the two little masters.

Of course, I also go to accompany the young lady, but that man called the Emperor comes to see her more often than I do.

He seems very reliable, so I can rest easy knowing she's in good hands with him.

Seeing me run around so much, my owner ordered someone to make me bone soup to drink.