Chapter 079

Chapter 079

"What are you doing there?"

Someone was standing against the wall in the shadows, and for a moment, it seemed as if the words were directed at him.

"Are you catching mice in the middle of the night?" Su Yi placed the candlestick aside, crossed her arms, and stood by the window, looking at Guogaitou. The little cat was stirring up trouble in the middle of the night, really asking for a little smack.

"Meow, meow," Guogaitou tilted its head and let out a couple of cries, as if trying to say something, but it remained in place, its head tilted in an utterly adorable way.

But what does it matter?

"If you don't come back now, I'll leave you outside," Su Yi said to Guogaitou, already getting ready to close the window.

This time, Guogaitou finally moved, leaving the person behind it and trotting over with small steps. Once it reached the corner of the wall, it made a light leap, seemingly about to land on the windowsill, but it fell just short. As it was about to fall, its paws flailed in the air in panic, but Su Yi, quick as lightning, caught it.

"Look at you, making a fool of yourself—no, making a fool of the cat," Su Yi lifted Guogaitou and shamelessly mocked it to its face.

Guogaitou could tell the two-legged creature was mocking it. It loved this two-legged creature so much!!

And yet, this two-legged creature had the nerve to mock it!

Guogaitou was upset. Its cat pride was hurt, and it let out an annoyed meow, its ears flattening back, even showing its "airplane ears."

Seeing this, Su Yi smiled and leaned in to plant a kiss on its little head.

Guogaitou, who had been sulking, was momentarily stunned, its wide cat eyes filled with disbelief. 'Did it just get kissed??'

Once it processed what had happened, Guogaitou turned its face away, its little paws pawing at its face, trying to hide its embarrassment. It had already forgotten it was angry.

Seeing Guogaitou now shy and having forgotten its earlier tantrum, Su Yi smiled, her eyes narrowing. Not mad anymore, huh?

Good.

Su Yi turned around and let go of Guogaitou, dropping it to the ground. Guogaitou landed gracefully, looked up, and meowed, 'What's going on?' It didn't understand why it was suddenly on the ground when it had just been in the two-legged creature's arms.

Su Yi, who had just kissed the cat, now wore a completely different expression, seeming somewhat indifferent, as if the love was over. She said, "You'll sleep in your own bed later. Your paws are all black; you're not allowed to sleep on the bed."

Then, without waiting for Guogaitou to understand, she turned and closed the window.

Kangxi, who had been leaning against the wall without moving, waited until the window was closed and the figure behind it had walked away before finally stepping out of the shadows.

He was still simmering with anger—mostly aimed at that cat. But he kept his voice low as he muttered, "Unbelievable. That cat has two faces." It had been so fierce with him earlier, but with Consort Rong, it immediately changed its tone. He couldn't believe his eyes that such a small cat could be so two-faced.

Kangxi's tone was dripping with dissatisfaction.

At this moment, Kangxi didn't yet know that the term "double standard" perfectly captured the situation.

Feeling agitated, Kangxi raised his hand to his forehead and paced back and forth a few times. The more he thought about it, the madder he got. Unable to hold back, he turned to the crouching figure and exclaimed, "Mice! Mice! Where did they come from?"

Thinking about how the cat had darted out earlier, he had almost mistaken it for a giant mouse!

Kangxi looked down at the hem of his robe, which the cat had clawed to shreds, and he was completely unraveled. He lifted the hem and pointed at it, saying, "Look at my robe! That cat clawed it. How could she raise such a fierce cat? With so many cats in the palace, did she specifically pick the fiercest one?!"

Liang Jiugong, crouching nearby with his legs going numb, could only think, 'Your Majesty, why are you taking it out on me? The cat is fierce, but it's not fierce with Consort Rong.' He shakily stood up, about to stretch his legs, when he noticed Kangxi's gaze flicker toward something. Kangxi's body stiffened, and he quickly returned to his previous position against the wall. Liang Jiugong had no choice but to crouch back down. He glanced over and saw that the figure by the window had returned, picked up the candlestick that had been left behind, and walked away. This time, the window was completely dark.

Inside the room, Su Yi held the candlestick and smiled before placing it back in its original spot.

Turning to look at the cat, Pot Lid, who was following her, pretending not to understand and still wanting to follow her to sleep on the bed, Su Yi firmly said, "No way."

Pot Lid sat on the footstool, meowing at her, but Su Yi didn’t budge.

Seeing that Su Yi was no longer paying attention to it, Pot Lid meowed for a while longer. When Su Yi still didn’t respond, it considered sneaking onto the bed while the human was asleep.

Suddenly, Su Yi’s eyes snapped open, her gaze icy as she stared at it. Pot Lid was so frightened that its ears flattened, its pupils narrowed into slits, and it lay down completely, making a sound in its throat, not daring to move anymore.

The animal’s intuition made it fear this human at this moment, not understanding why the human had suddenly turned so scary.

But it didn’t last long. When Pot Lid looked again, the human had returned to her usual self. However, this time, Pot Lid didn’t dare to jump up without permission and obediently slinked back to its own bed to sleep.

Outside the window

Liang Jiugong noticed the Emperor’s visibly relieved expression. For some reason, he felt like laughing.

Unexpectedly, the Emperor shot him a glance and said coolly, "Hmm?"

Liang Jiugong quickly pressed his lips together, signaling he hadn’t been laughing.

Kangxi raised his hand to adjust his clothes and walked out, acting like nothing had happened, "Let’s go back. What’s the point of walking now? We shouldn’t have gone for a walk at night."

Liang Jiugong, trailing behind, bowed his head and muttered, "Yes." Then, trying to stifle his laughter, he kept twitching his mouth, determined not to laugh at this moment, or else the Emperor would surely lose his temper.

Who could have guessed that the Emperor, restless at night, would decide to take a stroll and end up here?

Before they could pass, something shot out from the window and started meowing at the Emperor. In that instant, Liang Jiugong was startled by the sudden appearance and instinctively wanted to shout, but Kangxi, reacting faster, quickly clamped a hand over Liang Jiugong’s mouth.

In that short moment, they saw it was a small white kitten with a black patch on its head, meowing at them. It was just a tiny kitten.

The only cat in Yonghe Palace was the one recently adopted by Consort Rong, named Pot Lid. Indeed, Consort Rong had nailed the name—it really did look like a black pot lid.

But this little kitten was quite bold, no bigger than a palm, yet it kept meowing at the Emperor and Liang Jiugong, even swiping at their clothes with its claws.

Since Liang Jiugong had been standing behind the Emperor, the kitten had latched onto the Emperor, its claws clinging to the hem of his robe, and the entire kitten was hanging there.

It was the first time Liang Jiugong had seen the Emperor so flustered, frantically holding onto his robe while trying to keep his voice down, saying to the cat, "Stop meowing! Be quiet!"

Liang Jiugong wanted to step forward and remove the cat, but the kitten was very agile. It let go of the robe, ran a bit further away, and continued meowing at the Emperor and Liang Jiugong.

The Emperor, with a stern face, walked to one side, but the cat was fixated on him and wouldn’t let go.

Just then, they heard a sound from the window.

The Emperor, with the cat meowing at him and still trying to scratch his clothes, didn’t even care. He quickly looked around and found a corner in the shadows, pressing himself against the wall. This series of actions happened so fast that Liang Jiugong didn’t even have time to react. He only saw the Emperor signaling to him with his eyes, indicating for him to move to one side. Liang Jiugong finally understood and hurried over just as the window opened, which also startled him into reflexively crouching down.

That’s how the previous scene unfolded.

At noon, Su Yi had just finished washing up and was about to have her meal. The Imperial Kitchen, after the previous incident, hadn’t dared to cause any more trouble. They only arrived early, never late.

Su Yi sat there for a while, lost in thought, and was just about to pick up her chopsticks when a maid came in to announce that Consort Liang had arrived. She said that she hadn’t been able to come to pay her respects in the morning, so she had come at this time.

"Why come at this hour? Doesn’t she know that Her Highness is having her meal? What kind of greeting is this?" Yun Hua spoke up first, thinking that Consort Liang really knew how to pick her timing. She never came at this hour before, and Her Highness had already excused her from the morning greetings.

Hadn’t Consort Liang been quite conscientious about not coming in the morning?

What was she doing coming now to pay her respects?

She should come after I've finished my meal.

Qinxin also sensed that Consort Liang had come with ulterior motives.

Just yesterday, His Majesty had stayed in the side hall, and now Consort Liang chose to come at noon. Was she trying to ruin Her Highness's appetite?

His Majesty had just spent the night with her, and now Consort Liang was already flaunting it?

"Your Highness, perhaps I should go out and tell Consort Liang to wait a bit and come back after you've finished your meal," Qinxin suggested.

Su Yi nodded in agreement and began her meal.

Coming at lunchtime—was she inviting herself to join the meal, or did she expect to stand by and watch Her Highness eat?

Su Yi thought it would be better to let her wait outside. After all, the timing was rather inconvenient. She couldn't possibly eat while making small talk with her.

After Qinxin went out, she greeted Consort Liang according to protocol and then said, "Her Highness is currently dining. Please come back later, Consort Liang."

She initially considered asking Consort Liang to wait here, but that would make it seem like Her Highness was deliberately keeping her waiting, so she changed her wording and asked Consort Liang to come back later.

Consort Liang's brows carried a hint of joy, and she seemed to be in high spirits, which made Qinxin's expression grow colder.

"Since Consort Rong is dining, I will wait here until she finishes. I have been negligent in not coming to pay my respects for several days. Her Highness has graciously excused me from morning greetings, but I should come in the afternoon instead."

"Since Consort Liang has said so, then please wait here. I will return to attend to Her Highness," Qinxin replied.

This back-and-forth—was she already eager to flaunt her status?

When Qinxin returned, she reported, "I told Consort Liang to come back later, but she insisted on waiting until Your Highness finishes her meal, so I came back first."

"Let her wait if she wants," Su Yi said nonchalantly.

As long as she doesn't come in the morning, it's fine. If she came in the morning to pay her respects, who knows who would be inconvenienced.

Su Yi's eating pace didn't change just because someone was waiting outside.

After Su Yi finished her meal, the regularly scheduled medicine was brought in. Su Yi looked at it and felt a shiver run down her spine. "Let's wait a bit before drinking it. Consort Liang is still waiting, isn't she? Call her in quickly."

She would stall a bit first, delaying the medicine as much as possible.

Consort Liang quickly entered and, upon seeing Su Yi, performed the customary bow.

"Rise, come sit here. Don't stand while talking. You must have waited for a while. Have you eaten?" Su Yi smiled gently and began her usual routine.

Consort Liang replied softly, "I've already eaten, Your Highness." Seeing the steaming medicine bowl on the table, Consort Liang had long heard that Consort Rong's health was poor. When she wasn't having an episode, she was fine, but when she did, it would last for a while. It seemed that was indeed the case.

The illness was genuine.

"Oh, that's good," Su Yi nodded with a smile, then changed the subject. "But in the future, don't come during lunchtime to wait. I'm not your mother-in-law, requiring you to stand by and serve me while I eat. As for greetings, other palaces may have their customs, but I don't follow such formalities here."

"Your Highness is truly considerate," Consort Liang said softly, her head slightly lowered. At that moment, faint marks were visible on her neck, but she quickly seemed to notice and subtly pulled her collar up.

Su Yi: Oh ho.

Yun Hua: Indeed!

Qinxin: Heh.

"I apologize for my impropriety, Your Highness," Consort Liang said in a low voice, a faint blush slowly spreading across her face, making her look quite charming. Today, she had not deliberately styled herself to resemble Consort Rong, and her makeup was fresh and bright, exuding a sense of vitality.

"No worries."

Su Yi nodded in understanding and chatted with Consort Liang for a while. Noticing the medicine was getting cold, Yun Hua reminded her, "Your Highness, time for your medicine. Or would you rather have the pills?"

Su Yi shot Yun Hua a look that screamed, 'You’ve changed.'

Yun Hua smiled at Consort Rong—all thanks to Her Highness’s influence.

With Consort Liang there, it was the perfect time for Her Highness to take her medicine—she wouldn’t dare act up in front of a guest.

Consort Liang also tactfully said, "Your Highness, please go ahead. Don’t mind me."

Su Yi: No need to be so polite.

What could Su Yi do but drink the medicine? As soon as the bitter liquid touched her tongue, the taste brought back her dread of coptis.

What the hell? There was no coptis yesterday—why’s it in there today?!

Su Yi choked it down, then rinsed her mouth with water and wiped the corners of her mouth, keeping her cool. After that, she said to Consort Liang, "I’m feeling tired, Consort Liang. You can go now."

Consort Liang didn’t get why Consort Rong kept chatting before taking the medicine, only to claim she was tired afterward. But her goal was met, so she didn’t push to stay. "Yes, Your Highness. Rest well. I’ll take my leave."

The moment Consort Liang left, Su Yi shot up, furious, wishing she could claw her throat. "Why’d they add coptis again today??"

She grabbed a plate of candied fruits and wolfed them down one after another.

"Your Highness, don’t eat too many—it’ll mess with the medicine," Yun Hua advised, taking the candied fruits from Consort Rong’s hand.

"Too much coptis doesn’t mess with the medicine??" How absurd!

Waking up to coptis in her medicine again.

If she’d known about the coptis, she’d never have let Consort Liang in!!!

She was caught off guard! She couldn’t even back out halfway.

With Consort Liang there, she couldn’t spit it out—she had to choke it down.

Now the bitterness wasn’t just fleeting—it clung to her tongue.

Is this what she gets for caring too much about appearances?

This coptis stunt was all too familiar—no wonder cats hate dogs.

What a jerk!

Over there, Kangxi suddenly sneezed, and Liang Jiugong immediately asked nervously, "Your Majesty, have you caught a cold? Should we call the imperial physician?"

Could it be from last night’s walk?

The Emperor falling ill is a serious matter.

Kangxi shook his head, "No need, I’m fine." It’s just someone cursing him behind his back.

Liang Jiugong watched worriedly for a while, and seeing that His Majesty didn’t sneeze again and seemed no different from usual, he finally relaxed.

Back in her chamber, Consort Liang sat at her vanity, tilted her head to inspect her neck, and smirked at the marks.

Last night, she slept in the outer chamber, and His Majesty didn’t lay a hand on her.

Last night, she kept tossing and turning, unable to sleep, but she didn’t dare to move around too much. She just stayed in one stiff position, fully conscious, so she naturally knew that His Majesty had actually stepped out briefly last night.

In Yonghe Palace, aside from her, wasn’t there Consort Rong?

But after His Majesty left, she didn’t know how much time had passed, only that it dragged on endlessly. Later, when His Majesty returned, it didn’t make her feel particularly happy either.

By morning, when His Majesty got up to change clothes, she wasn’t even allowed to help, as usual. Liang Jiugong was busy in front, making it impossible for her to intervene. She had no experience and only ended up getting in the way.

Consort Liang clearly hadn’t slept all night, but after His Majesty left, she still couldn’t sleep.

She sat alone in front of her dressing table for a long time, then thought of something and deliberately created some red marks on her neck herself. She also deliberately changed into a dress with a slightly lower neckline than usual.

After hearing that Consort Rong had gotten up, she went over, though her true intentions were known only to herself.

She wanted to test whether Consort Rong knew that His Majesty had paid her a visit last night.

She also wanted to deliberately show these easily misunderstood marks to Consort Rong. No woman would be indifferent to such things; even the most virtuous and generous mistress would feel a twinge of jealousy. Just a little hint, and she could nudge Consort Rong’s thoughts in that direction.

However, whether it was because Consort Rong’s self-control was impeccable or for some other reason, Consort Liang didn’t see the reaction she wanted from Consort Rong. She could only attribute it to Consort Rong’s excellent composure.

If it didn’t work once, she would try again and again. She didn’t believe that Consort Rong would remain unaffected. Women are always inclined to overanalyze.

Consort Liang looked at herself in the mirror, her eyes gleaming with resolve. As long as Consort Rong and His Majesty hadn’t reconciled, she could take advantage of the situation to drive a wedge between them. She just wanted a sense of security; she had had enough of life in the Xinzheku.

Jingren Palace

Consort Tongjia had stayed up all night, her eyes red and swollen from fury.

Even when the wet nurse came to bring the Fourth Prince in the morning, Consort Tongjia, in her foul mood, sent them away.

Normally, Consort Tongjia would play with the child, but this time she couldn’t bring herself to do so.

Even when news came later that His Majesty had actually retired to the side chamber, Consort Tongjia’s mood didn’t improve.

She still believed that the Emperor had made his way to Yonghe Palace to see Consort Rong.

With a woman’s intuition, she felt she wasn’t imagining things.

"Your Highness, perhaps you could invite Consort Liang to Jingren Palace in a few days?" Nanny Wang suggested. It wasn’t wise to confront Consort Rong directly; it would be better to find a breakthrough with Consort Liang.

But Consort Tongjia looked down on Consort Liang. "A lowly servant from the Xinzheku, beneath my notice. Just the thought of the Uya clan repulses me. What kind of person is this Consort Liang anyway?" As a noblewoman of the Eight Banners, she had no respect for such people.

Nanny Wang knew this, but she said, "Your Highness, don’t forget Consort Rong’s background. If someone so inferior to her manages to win favor, it would surely make her very uncomfortable. Think about it carefully."

Consort Rong came from a prestigious family and, no matter what, should have the pride of a Manchu noblewoman. She would naturally despise people of such low status.

As for how much Consort Liang resembled her, it was hard to say without seeing her, but even if it was only a slight resemblance, with the right attire and demeanor, it could be convincing enough.

Having someone like that constantly around, even sharing His Majesty’s favor, would surely stir unease in Consort Rong.

Consort Tongjia herself felt uncomfortable, but compared to letting Consort Rong gain more power, it was better to let Consort Liang take some of the favor. This would be a greater blow to Consort Rong, and Consort Liang would be easier to deal with.

Consort Liang had no notable family background or status, making her no real threat.

"If it weren't for Nanny Wang by my side, I don't know how many more setbacks I'd face in this deep palace." Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia, having figured things out, looked at Nanny Wang beside her and sighed with emotion.

"I’ve watched you grow up, and I can’t bear to see you suffer any setbacks. Your nature is pure and kind, but if you don't toughen up, those concubines in the harem won't be easy to handle. There is no sincerity to speak of. Your path is still long, and I will accompany you by your side," Nanny Wang said, her voice thick with emotion.

Although she was a nanny, the time she spent with Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia was much longer than that with the mistress. Besides the interests involved, there was also genuine affection.

Moreover, Jingren Palace soon received good news: the Emperor finally decreed that Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia would raise the Fourth Prince (Yinzhi), and Noble Lady Wuyashi was promoted for her merit in childbirth.

Not to mention the latter, the decision to raise the Fourth Prince being nearly final made Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia feel better. It seemed the Emperor knew she had gone to Qianqing Palace yesterday and found it empty. Although the matter was almost certain, it was only now truly settled, to reassure her.

Nanny Wang congratulated her, "The Emperor still cares deeply for Your Highness, otherwise the decree wouldn't have come at such a timely moment. I congratulate Your Highness on having another prince. When Your Highness bears another prince in the future, the Fourth Prince will be his good older brother."

The implied meaning was that when the Imperial Noble Consort has her own child, the Fourth Prince would be a good helper for that child, adding strength to the future struggle for the throne.

Noble Lady Wuyashi was not overly joyful about her promotion, as it was expected. Even if it happened again, the Fourth Prince would still be adopted by that woman from the Tongjia family.

Having once held the title of Empress Dowager, Wuyashi naturally looked down on the modest title of Noble Lady. She touched her belly; since the last time, she had not been able to see the Emperor. When would he remember her when it came time to choose a concubine?

If before Wuyashi could wait patiently, now she had discovered that some things remained unchanged, while others had changed, making her uncertain if she could conceive Yinzhi at the original time.

Yonghe Palace

Kangxi came again.

Su Yi knew in advance. She followed her usual routine and prepared to sleep early, having already instructed Qinxin before bed, "Qinxin, just continue as we discussed before. You did well before, I trust you can do it."

Qinxin thought, *Your Highness, I don’t think I can do this!*

Qinxin looked at Yun Hua, signaling her to speak up. This was rare, as Qinxin usually didn't talk much with Yun Hua unless necessary, let alone make eye contact.

Yun Hua quietly looked away, pretending not to notice.