Chapter 009

Chapter 009

However, Concubine Niohuru was merely chatting with another noble lady, and others had joined in as well. They were talking and laughing like good sisters, apparently oblivious to Lady Rong, who was still bowing.

Bowing was tiring, and holding the position for so long was even more exhausting. Since Concubine Niohuru had not given her permission to rise, Lady Rong could not stand up on her own. If she did, she would immediately be caught by those waiting for her to make a mistake, and Concubine Niohuru could use this as an excuse to accuse her of disrespecting a higher-ranking concubine.

Lady Rong's face turned truly pale this time. After squatting for a while, she was already on the verge of collapsing.

Although His Majesty had stayed at the Zhongcui Palace last night, he had not favored her.

Lady Rong, suppressing her shyness, had tried to show her affection, but His Majesty had merely pushed her hand away and coldly said, "Sleep."

Then he closed his eyes and went to sleep, leaving her feeling wronged and on the verge of tears. She had thought that with His Majesty's arrival, she could seize the opportunity to conceive a royal child, even if it meant incurring Concubine Niohuru's hatred.

But His Majesty had not...

A sense of losing His Majesty's favor filled her with anxiety, and she had not slept well all night.

Just as Lady Rong was about to collapse from exhaustion, Concubine Niohuru finally remembered her existence and casually said, "Lady Rong, why haven't you risen yet?" Her tone was soft, but her smile didn't reach her eyes.

She glanced indifferently at the maids nearby, "Hurry and help your mistress up, lest Lady Rong falls ill again in the Yikun Palace, and people think I had something to do with it."

Though her words were gentle, everyone knew Concubine Niohuru was mocking her. Lady Rong had dared to feign illness and fainting in the imperial garden yesterday, intercepting His Majesty and giving Concubine Niohuru a slap in the face.

"Your servant does not dare," Lady Rong replied, knowing full well that Concubine Niohuru now held a grudge against her. She chose her words carefully to avoid giving Concubine Niohuru any further reason to find fault.

Unfortunately, her interception yesterday had not only offended Concubine Niohuru but also many others who were displeased with her. Seeing Concubine Niohuru take the lead in reprimanding her, they quickly joined in to criticize Lady Rong.

"Lady Rong, why be so modest?"

"Indeed, we cannot compare to Lady Rong's importance in front of His Majesty. As soon as His Majesty finished his duties, he went straight to you. How could we sisters ever match that?"

"Exactly, today when we came to pay our respects to Her Highness, all the sisters arrived on time, except for Lady Rong, who came late. It seems Lady Rong no longer holds Her Highness in high regard."

....

Their words were cutting and relentless, mocking Lady Rong for being arrogant and no longer respecting Concubine Niohuru, piling on the hatred. Concubine Niohuru, who now managed the palace affairs, could easily suppress Lady Rong if she wished.

Lady Rong's face grew increasingly pale, and she couldn't help but defend herself, "Your servant has never dared to think such things. Why are you sisters targeting me like this?"

She started to act the victim, appearing pitiful, but in the eyes of the other concubines, it only made her seem more hypocritical. They believed she used this act to attract His Majesty's attention, and their jealousy grew even stronger.

Seeing that things had gone far enough, Concubine Niohuru, who had been quietly observing from her seat, finally spoke up, assuming the air of a gracious and gentle matron.

"Enough, we are all sisters and should understand each other. No matter who gains His Majesty's favor, we must all live in harmony and not damage the sisterly bond."

It was clear that she had orchestrated this, allowing the others to mock Lady Rong before stepping in to stop it, leaving Lady Rong seething with anger but unable to do anything.

"Yes, Your Highness," the concubines, having had their fill of amusement, obediently responded and began chatting and laughing among themselves.

Lady Rong, finally seated, was soaked in sweat. A chilly breeze swept by, but she didn't dare request to leave just then.

The events in the Yikun Palace quickly reached Emperor Kangxi. Upon hearing of it, he showed no reaction and stayed silent about Lady Rong's predicament.

Yesterday had been her own doing, and now she had to face the consequences.

However, recalling the events at the Zhongcui Palace last night, Emperor Kangxi felt a headache coming on and couldn't help but rub his temples.

After having dinner at the Zhongcui Palace, he had been ready to retire for the night, but then...

'My little beauty, I'm here~'

The tone was brimming with excitement and enthusiasm.

It was that female ghost!

Kangxi's mind went completely blank at that moment.

'What the heck, why am I running into her again?'

'Great, now even when I try to enjoy a beauty, I end up bumping into her.'

Kangxi listened with a blank expression; this was even more annoying than whatever Noble Lady Rong was thinking.

This female ghost actually came to observe the concubines in his harem and was well-versed in the beauty and characteristics of each concubine. Kangxi remembered that Noble Lady Rong was the second beauty the female ghost had her eyes on, with the first being that Noble Lady Guoluoluo.

Noble Lady Rong, completely unaware, chatted warmly and comfortably with Kangxi, who stayed distant, barely responding. However, Noble Lady Rong was accustomed to the Emperor's demeanor and continued to be gentle and affectionate, her eyes filled with emotion and her brows exuding springtime charm.

'What’s up with this guy, acting so cold toward such a beauty?' It almost felt like she wished she could take his place.

Kangxi: ...

Then, with a 'tsk,' he went quiet.

That single word carried a subtle meaning.

It left Kangxi feeling annoyed as he lay in bed, unwilling to engage with Noble Lady Rong's flirtations.

If he suddenly heard the female ghost’s voice, Kangxi was genuinely worried he might make a fool of himself.

But he was overthinking it—Su Yi would never stick around to watch something like that.

Seeing the beauty run into Kangxi, Su Yi could only mutter, 'So annoying!'

Luckily, Su Yi was always easygoing. If this beauty didn't work out, she would just move on to the next one.

What was her crime? She was just a bored ghost, surviving by admiring little beauties.

Days passed like this, and each time Su Yi appeared, Kangxi gradually went from being annoyed to calmly accepting all her complaints.

After all, the female ghost came suddenly and left quickly, and Kangxi could endure these brief moments.

As long as she remained well-behaved, it wasn't a big deal.

There was even a strange sense of satisfaction with the female ghost's behavior.

At least she didn't do anything bad; even if she was a ghost with a penchant for admiring beauties, she could only look and not act, right?

Initially, Su Yi only focused on absorbing the little milk dragon's purple aura, but later she realized she didn't have to stick to just one source—there were other sheep to shear!

She had long known that Kangxi had noticed her.

But since Kangxi pretended not to know of her existence, she felt at ease absorbing the little milk dragon's purple aura.

Over time, she even managed to absorb some of Kangxi's purple aura!

The genuine imperial purple aura, of course, couldn't compare to the purple aura of the little milk dragon's imperial presence.

It was the difference between a massive gold mine and a small pile of gold.

Even just a little bit made Su Yi immediately change her view of Kangxi.

The pragmatic Su Yi now saw Kangxi in a completely different light.

Previously, she looked at him with disdain, but now he was a moving mass of purple aura, and her eyes sparkled with excitement.

A sheep you can shear versus one you can only look at—how could they compare?