Chapter 040

Chapter 040

This wet nurse was arranged by the Hesheli family, and Kangxi tacitly approved. It was natural for the wet nurse to consider and plan for her own family, but the fact that she wanted to leak any news back made Kangxi somewhat displeased, though he didn't show it on his face.

Although Baocheng didn't have his birth mother by his side, he wasn't overly dependent on the wet nurse either, which was why Kangxi could pretend not to know about these little actions.

The little milk dragon claimed he was joining them for the meal, but in reality, he couldn't eat much. After eating a little, he looked around, feeling everything was very fresh, and soon he was full.

He placed his two small hands on the table, turned his head, and cautiously spoke to Consort Rong,

"Consort Rong."

His short fingers unconsciously scratched the tabletop.

"Hmm?"

"Are you sick?" He had heard the maids say that Consort Rong was sick and had summoned an imperial physician.

"Ah, this." Consort Rong touched the red marks on the back of her hand, "Just a minor ailment; it'll be better soon." She spoke lightly.

Kangxi, listening nearby, raised an eyebrow slightly. A minor ailment? Yesterday, it almost seemed like she was going to stop breathing at any moment. It didn't scare her, but it sure scared him.

"Does it hurt?" The little milk dragon extended his short little finger and gently tapped the back of her hand, avoiding the reddened area.

He was quite the considerate little one.

Consort Rong spoke with utmost seriousness, "It doesn't hurt, it's just a bit itchy, I want to scratch." Here, she showed a bit of a pitiful expression to the little milk dragon.

The little milk dragon was a bit nervous, "Then, what should we do? You can't scratch it, right?"

"If you could blow on it for me, it might feel a little better." Consort Rong had no psychological burden in deceiving the little one.

"Really?!" The little milk dragon's eyes lit up with excitement, "What is blowing?"

Kangxi watched with a blank expression as Consort Rong started to trick Baocheng. Blowing on it? Was she a child? Consulting an imperial physician would be more reliable.

"Like this." Consort Rong leaned in and blew on his chubby little hand, then smiled and said, "This is blowing."

"Oh!" The little milk dragon seemed to get it, "Then I'll blow for Consort Rong." He also leaned over and pouted to blow on the back of her hand.

After blowing for a bit, he rested his little head on his chubby arm, looking at Consort Rong with expectant eyes, "Does it feel better, Consort Rong?"

Consort Rong fought the urge to reach out and mess up the little one's hair, pretending to be calm and nodding, "Yes, thank you."

She was rewarded with a sweet smile from the little milk dragon.

'Help, why is the little milk dragon so cute?!'

'His chubby little face makes me want to pinch it!'

'Stay calm, gotta keep it together.'

Consort Rong was internally screaming like a groundhog, but outwardly, she remained calm and gentle, wanting to appear as a gentle big sister in front of the little milk dragon.

Kangxi observed from the sidelines as Consort Rong put on a reserved act, and the little milk dragon laughed like a silly child, completely falling for it, forgetting about his old father.

He felt a twinge of jealousy. Baocheng was his own, and yet he'd never seen the kid do anything like that for him.

"Baocheng, did you complete the homework I assigned you yesterday?"

Kangxi asked, ruining the mood.

Upon hearing Kangxi's question, Su Yi's gaze towards him turned a bit off.

'Really? Breakfast isn’t even over yet, and you’re already asking about homework? Are you for real??'

Although the little milk dragon was still young, he was very serious about his homework. When asked, he naturally said that he had completed it properly.

Kangxi wasn’t going to let him off with just a "done." He wanted to test further, "Good, then let me ask you..."

Su Yi watched with a straight face as one of them kept asking questions and the other kept answering.

Oh, so I’m the only weird one here.

——

"Did you figure out what happened?"

Kangxi had ordered Liang Jiugong to investigate the events of last night, whether it was a coincidence or someone's deliberate act.

"Your Majesty, we have the results," Liang Jiugong paused for a moment. "One of the two maids was tortured. She tried to keep quiet at first, but eventually cracked and gave up some clues. When pressed further, she took her own life. We followed the leads step by step and, after some digging, traced it back to Zhongcui Palace."

After finishing, Liang Jiugong lowered his head and remained silent.

Zhongcui Palace, that was Consort Rong's residence.

Consort Rong was a big deal in the harem.

She bore nearly half of His Majesty’s children. If none of these princes had died young, even the Imperial Noble Consort would have to tread carefully around her.

Now that Consort Rong was the one suffering, and she was the one who acted, it wasn’t hard to guess her motives.

The titles of Consort Rong and Consort Rong sounded alike. If Consort Rong were to win the Emperor’s favor, the once-favored Consort Rong would be seen as yesterday’s news.

Even if she’s out of favor now, she probably still holds a place in His Majesty’s heart.

After hearing the results, Kangxi indeed remained silent for a while before finally saying, "You may leave."

"Yes, Your Majesty, this servant takes his leave." Liang Jiugong dared not ask more.

If it were other concubines, it might be different, but with Consort Rong, it's really a delicate matter.

This time, Consort Rong might just have to take the hit.

After getting back, Su Yi crashed and slept straight through till dinner. But seeing how bland dinner was, she didn’t have much of an appetite.

She sipped half a bowl of porridge before having it cleared away.

Yun Hua, watching from the side, figured Su Yi was in a funk because the red marks on her skin hadn’t faded, killing her appetite.

As she applied the ointment, Yun Hua was meticulous, not missing a spot, but her gentle touch made Su Yi itch.

The tickling made her giggle, "It’s fine, Yun Hua, press harder—it doesn’t hurt."

Kangxi had just reached the screen when he heard Consort Rong’s voice, trembling with laughter.

Hmm?

Through the screen, he saw Consort Rong’s maid from that morning, her hands on Consort Rong’s back, as Consort Rong laughed and turned to her. "What’s going on here?"

Kangxi briskly walked around the screen and asked, his expression slightly cold.

Yun Hua immediately knelt down to greet him upon seeing Kangxi, "Your Majesty, may you be blessed."

Su Yi, lying on the pillow, looked at the suddenly appearing Kangxi with a puzzled expression, "Your Majesty, I am applying ointment."

'What is this jerk looking at?'

'Why does he look like he's been betrayed?'

Only after seeing the ointment bottle in Yun Hua's hand did Kangxi realize he had misunderstood.

"Ahem, I was just asking, has the ointment prescribed by the imperial physician helped after you applied it?"

Kangxi walked over naturally and sat down on Su Yi's bed, feeling as if he was sitting on cotton the moment he sat down.

Is this why Consort Rong finds his dragon bed too hard?

It didn't seem like this before, how did it become softer over time?

"It seems a little better."

Su Yi lazily replied, lying down with only a strap tied on her back, not caring much, thinking that if someone could still take advantage of her in this state, they must be really desperate.

Despite this, Kangxi's eyes couldn't help but linger on her back for a while, like red plums blooming in the snow, not really frightening.

Kangxi said with a serious expression, "Coincidentally, since I am here, let me help you apply it."

Yun Hua quickly handed the ointment bottle to Kangxi and then quietly retreated, unable to help but smile after leaving, thinking that the Empress really doesn't need to worry about being disliked by the Emperor because of the red marks on her body.

Having breakfast with the Empress in the morning and remembering to visit her in the evening shows that His Majesty is thinking of her!

Yun Hua met Liang Jiugong, who was guarding outside, and greeted him, "Good day, Liang Jiugong."

This chief steward is a favorite of His Majesty, and Yun Hua is quite in awe, not daring to be impolite in front of him.

"Hmm." Liang Jiugong nodded slightly and said nothing more.

As the chief steward, he has the right to be somewhat arrogant, and Yun Hua, being just a maid of Consort Rong, this was already giving face.

Seeing the expression on Yun Hua's face when she came out, Liang Jiugong could almost guess what she was thinking.

Shaking his head inwardly.

If His Majesty had immediately taken some action against Rongpin after finding out that she was the one behind it, it would mean that Consort Rong is now more favored, but it seems His Majesty intends to suppress this matter and compensate Consort Rong otherwise.

This shows that Consort Rong is not that special after all, the emperor's heart never stays with one woman for too long, there was Rongpin, Yipin, now Consort Rong, and in the future, there will be another Consort Rong.

After taking the ointment, Kangxi clumsily dipped some and applied it somewhat unskillfully to the red marks. Although it was just applying medicine, the atmosphere became somewhat subtle when only the two of them were left.

The skin under his fingers was very smooth, like tofu, and Kangxi was somewhat entranced, his movements unconsciously slowing down, however,

'Tsk, applying so slowly, does he want to apply until dawn?'

'By the way, why does he keep his nails so long?'

Su Yi, who had been scratched by Kangxi's nails several times, thought impatiently, turning her head to say tactfully, "Maybe let Yun Hua do it, Your Majesty has had a hard day, I can't bear to have Your Majesty do such a trivial task."

Kangxi's previously romantic thoughts immediately flew away, and he said expressionlessly, "Consort Rong, do you look down on me?"

"Your Majesty, I didn’t do anything like that. How could you think that of me?" Su Yi, of course, denied it outright.

'If you think so, then there’s nothing I can do.'

Kangxi didn’t believe her nonsense and directly scooped a large dollop of ointment, spreading it all over her back with his palm, much more roughly than he had earlier.

'Tsk, why didn’t you just do this from the start?'

'All that stalling earlier, just trying to milk it.'

As soon as Kangxi finished applying the ointment, Su Yi quickly slipped back into her white undergarments. "Only my back was left; thank you for your help, Your Majesty."

Kangxi’s hands were sticky with ointment, and seeing this, Su Yi quickly suggested bringing in a basin of water for him to wash his hands.

She lazily leaned back against the soft pillow, watching Kangxi wash his hands. "What brings Your Majesty here?"

Kangxi, wiping his hands, casually said, "I just wanted to see you."

"Oh, so you came to see me, huh?" Su Yi smiled.

'Yeah right, I don’t buy it.'

Kangxi wasn’t so free that he needed to visit twice in one day—what was there to see, anyway?

Kangxi glanced around at the furnishings in Consort Rong’s palace and said, "The decorations in your palace seem a bit plain. You’ve been through a lot this time; tomorrow I’ll have Liang Jiugong bring you some things.

I have a clock from the West; it’s pretty amazing, it tells the time every day. You haven’t seen one before, have you? Tomorrow I’ll have Liang Jiugong bring it over, how about that?"

Su Yi felt a bit off upon hearing about the clock.

"No need, Your Majesty, the clock sounds too precious and rare; it’s best kept with you—it suits your status. I don’t deserve it."

'Thanks a lot, sending a clock, sending me off—really not necessary.'

Kangxi, who had expected a delighted response from Consort Rong, was taken aback: ...

Sending... off?

How could Consort Rong even think of that?

And, if Consort Rong wanted to refuse, why the sarcasm?

"If you don’t want it, then forget it," Kangxi said somewhat coldly.

Su Yi nodded with a smile, "Mhm."

Then she also looked at Kangxi and said nothing more.

The two sat in silence for a while, neither initiating further conversation.

Kangxi, seeing that Consort Rong had nothing more to say after her nod, thought to himself, isn’t Consort Rong usually quite talkative?

Why is she not speaking now?

His tone earlier wasn’t that bad, was it?

Kangxi was used to others keeping the conversation going even when he had nothing to say.

Only those he chose to ignore would find ways to keep the conversation going to avoid awkward silences.

Kangxi looked at Consort Rong, who smiled back but stubbornly kept quiet.

'Why are you looking at me?'

'Expecting me, a sick person, to start a conversation?'

'Say what you will, but I won't be the first to speak.'

'Besides, sudden favors usually mean trouble. Why don't you usually give me more stuff?'

'It's not your first time here; have you just noticed now?'

'Did you mess up and now you're here to make amends?'

Su Yi smiled outwardly, but her mind was racing.

Kangxi stayed silent for a while, surprised by how sharp Consort Rong was.

He had come tonight to make it up to her.

"I thought, since you came to the Qianqing Palace and last night's incident happened, it was my fault, so I wanted to make it up to you," he explained.

"So that's it, Your Majesty. Maids make mistakes, and with your busy schedule, you can't be everywhere. I almost died, but I didn't, so no big deal," Su Yi said with a smile.

'Hmm, I don't buy it.'

'This jerk must know who did it, giving some compensation to sweep it under the rug.'

'Bah.'

Kangxi was surprised Consort Rong caught on so fast.

Her next words were even worse, saying it was just a close call, but she didn't die.

"Consort Rong, what are you talking about? Are you blaming me?" Kangxi's face turned cold, and the oppressive aura of an emperor filled the room.

"I wouldn't dare," Su Yi's expression didn't budge; this kind of pressure was nothing to her.

'Is he getting mad out of embarrassment?'

"You're being rude!" Kangxi stood up suddenly, knocking over the nearby water basin. The copper basin hit the ground with a loud clang, water spilling everywhere.

Kangxi's face darkened as he said coldly,

"Consort Rong, don't think that because I spoil you, you can disrespect me."

Consort Rong's attitude was way out of line; is this how one should speak?

"I really don't know what you're talking about. Why are you suddenly losing it? I'm really scared," Su Yi frowned slightly, clutching her chest as if in discomfort.

'You're really something.'

'Losing your temper so easily, who dares to mess with you?'

"What a Consort Rong, indeed!" Kangxi pointed at her, then angrily flicked his sleeve and stormed out.

The maids outside had already caught wind of the commotion inside. When Kangxi walked out with an angry expression, the maids all dropped to their knees in unison, not daring to look at him.

When the master is upset, they wouldn’t dare say a word.

Kangxi strode out coldly, moving with swift determination, his robe billowing behind him. Liang Jiugong, trailing closely behind, nearly had to jog to keep pace.

Out of breath from running, he dared not stop or ask the emperor to slow down.

The emperor was clearly seething with anger, and Liang Jiugong dared not speak at such a moment, only summoning all his strength to match Kangxi’s pace.

Back at the Qianqing Palace, Kangxi sat down, his face icy, and began reviewing memorials.

He seemed calm, as if the anger from Yonghe Palace had vanished.

He remained the unflappable emperor.

However, after reviewing two memorials, the third one was suddenly hurled aside by Kangxi, who said coldly, "What kind of nonsense is this?!"

The vermilion brush in his hand was flung aside, and red cinnabar splattered all over the desk.

Kangxi took a sip from the teacup and immediately spat it out, turning to Liang Jiugong, "Liang Jiugong, why is this tea scalding? What were you thinking?!"

Liang Jiugong immediately knelt down to beg for forgiveness, inwardly lamenting, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. This servant was negligent. I’ll fetch a fresh cup for Your Majesty right away."

He had brewed tea countless times and knew the emperor’s tastes inside out—neither too hot nor too cold. He had mastered the water temperature perfectly, as it was the temperature the emperor often drank.

Overly hot tea would never make it to the emperor. The tea was the same, and the water temperature was the same. It was just the emperor’s foul mood talking.

Seeing Liang Jiugong's terrified expression, Kangxi said coldly, "Get out of my sight and stop bothering me."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Liang Jiugong scrambled to his feet and bolted out.

As he left, he clutched his chest, his heart still pounding, his forehead and back drenched in sweat.

Liang Jiugong wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, sighing inwardly. The emperor’s temper was downright terrifying.

When they had gone to Yonghe Palace, the emperor had been fine. He had even thought the emperor would stay there to accompany Consort Rong.

Who would have thought that not long after, the emperor would lose his temper, throw things, and storm out of Yonghe Palace in a rage.

The news of Kangxi leaving Yonghe Palace in anger quickly spread throughout the palace.

After all, when palace gossip spreads, it spreads fast.

As soon as Kangxi left Yonghe Palace, the news of him storming out with an angry expression spread immediately.

Some of the concubines couldn’t help but chuckle, their glee unmistakable.

Consort Rong was indeed a capable woman, able to anger the emperor to the point of leaving.

Yipin was naturally one of them. She had been holding a grudge ever since her previous confrontation with Consort Rong, where she had lost face.

So she had specifically instructed her maids to keep an eye on the news from Yonghe Palace, especially when the emperor visited.

She had been upset that the emperor had gone to see Consort Rong again that night.

But then her maid brought her such good news.

Consort Rong somehow managed to anger His Majesty, making him storm out of Yonghe Palace in a rage.

"Your Highness, Consort Rong's luck has run out," Yipin's attendant said with a smile, knowing Yipin's dislike for Consort Rong and speaking to please her.

"Hmph, that idiot Consort Rong, all looks and no brains, is so clueless she managed to anger His Majesty. I used to see her as a rival, but now she's just a joke."

What’s the use of having such a stunning face?

And yet, she still managed to piss off His Majesty. Hmph.

Yipin couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction. "Well, this suits my intentions."

In the palace, it wasn’t just Yipin who thought this way; other concubines were thinking the same thing, hoping Consort Rong had angered His Majesty enough to be permanently out of favor.

The concubines were practically giddy with delight.

Meanwhile, Liang Jiugong was having a rough time.

Even after returning to Qianqing Palace, His Majesty was still fuming.

Liang Jiugong was caught in the middle, and he was really feeling the heat.

What the hell did Consort Rong say to piss off His Majesty like that?

His Majesty stormed off, and now Liang Jiugong was bearing the brunt of his anger.

It had been ages since Liang Jiugong had seen His Majesty this furious, with his emotions so clearly on display.

Back when His Majesty was young and Ao Bai was in power, not taking His Majesty seriously, the young emperor would throw tantrums like this. But over time, His Majesty had outgrown his youthful temper tantrums.

These days, he was more composed, rarely letting his anger show.

This time, Consort Rong had pushed him over the edge.

But now, with Consort Rong out of the picture, Liang Jiugong was the one stuck dealing with His Majesty's fury.

Liang Jiugong could already see the tough times coming.

The young eunuch on duty had never seen Liang Jiugong look so worried; Eunuch Liang was usually all smiles, effortlessly managing his duties around the Emperor.

"Eunuch Liang, what's wrong? Is it His Majesty..." the young eunuch cautiously asked.

Liang Jiugong immediately put on a stern face, "Mind your own business. Keep your mouth shut about things you shouldn't inquire about."

"Yes, yes, Eunuch Liang, I spoke out of turn," the eunuch immediately slapped his own mouth, apologizing carefully.

Liang Jiugong thought, alas, these next few days, he would have to instruct the maids to be extra cautious, fearing that someone might inadvertently provoke His Majesty, and then they would have to be very careful about their own lives.

But some people just want to court death, and when they do, not even eight horses can pull them back.