Chapter 080

Chapter 080

Don't look at her; looking at her won't help. We'll just have to trouble Sister Qinxin a bit more. Yun Hua thought guiltily.

Qinxin: Life is really unbearable these days. The mistress is difficult to manage, Yun Hua isn't much help, and the others just want to slack off, with no ambition whatsoever.

When Kangxi arrived, as expected, he didn't see a certain someone. He could even guess that when passing by the main hall, the maid waiting there would offer the same excuse as before.

Qinxin was indeed standing there waiting. Her mood, initially anxious, had grown a bit steadier after yesterday, and by now, she had become resigned. Isn't it just the same old story?

After seeing the figure approaching from afar, she knelt down as she always did, ready to explain, as before, why Consort Rong hadn't come out.

This time, as soon as Qinxin finished speaking, Kangxi didn't leave immediately as he had before. Instead, he made a beeline for the main hall, "Since Consort Rong is gravely ill and can't get up, I will go see her."

Qinxin hurriedly followed behind. Her mistress was probably already asleep by this point. Qinxin thought about signaling to the maid ahead from a distance, to go in and notify her mistress, giving her time to get up and freshen up a bit.

But unfortunately, Liang Jiugong and Consort Liang were in front, and leading the way was His Majesty. The three of them were blocking Qinxin, and any attempt to signal would be too conspicuous. She had no choice but to resign herself to following behind, hoping that someone quick on their feet would wake her mistress first.

As Kangxi walked towards the main hall, the maids along the way wanted to pay their respects, but Kangxi raised his hand to silence them. Yun Hua quickly reacted and went in to wake her mistress first. She lifted the curtain and entered, calling urgently in a low voice, "Mistress, Mistress!"

Su Yi's eyes remained closed, motionless.

Yun Hua had no choice but to raise her voice a bit, "Mistress, the Emperor is here! Wake up!" She boldly reached out and pushed Consort Rong, trying to wake her.

Meanwhile, the cat sleeping on Consort Rong's shoulder was disturbed and unhappy, hissing at Yun Hua.

Yun Hua felt heartbroken seeing the cat hiss at her. During the day, the cat had eaten the dried fish she fed it, a time when her mistress wouldn't give the cat any dried fish, saying it couldn't have too many snacks.

It was she who secretly gave the cat dried fish, and now it had forgotten she had fed it??

Su Yi finally showed some movement, but her eyes remained closed. She mumbled, "Hmm... what's the matter? I know he's here, so what?"

Didn't she know before going to sleep? Why wake her up to say it again?

"Mistress, the Emperor is coming..." Yun Hua was about to say that the Emperor was coming this way, and she should at least get up first.

Then she heard a light cough behind her. Yun Hua immediately stopped talking and stiffly turned around, seeing the Emperor with his fist against his lips, clearing his throat.

"Cough."

Yun Hua hurriedly knelt down, trying to remind her mistress by raising her voice during the greeting, but Kangxi gestured for her to be quiet, clearly not allowing her to alert Consort Rong.

Yun Hua swallowed hard. There's nothing I can do, Mistress. I've tried my best.

Kangxi stepped forward and lifted the bed curtain, only to see a very familiar small figure. Ha! Isn't that the cat that scratched his clothes?!

It had ruined his clothes, and he had no spare clothes to change into at the time, forcing him to sleep in them and change into court robes the next morning to cover up.

Well, well, it's a small world, regardless of species.

The cat paused and looked at Kangxi, tilting its head as if trying to recognize him, feeling that the two-legged creature in front was somewhat familiar. Then it remembered—this was the annoying two-legged creature from that night!

Immediately, it jumped up and started hissing at Kangxi, trying to scare him away.

Kangxi had endured it for a long time, but this time he came prepared. Suddenly, he quickly reached out and grabbed the cat by the scruff of its neck, lifting it up.

When a cat is grabbed by the scruff of its neck, it temporarily freezes, and this cat was no exception.

Kangxi handed the cat to Yun Hua beside him, and Yun Hua took the cat.

The cat, still in Yun Hua's arms, was restless, still scheming to escape and cause more trouble. It kept fidgeting and meowing, "Meow! Meow!" refusing to back down.

Yun Hua tightened her grip, muttering, "Little troublemaker, now’s not the time to stir things up."

The constant noise and commotion had Su Yi nearly awake. But her eyelids had other plans, stubbornly refusing to open. Hearing the cat's meows, Su Yi fumbled around, growing more irritated by the second. She grabbed a nearby pillow and hurled it blindly, yelling, "So annoying!"

The pillow smacked Kangxi square in the face, right after he’d handed the cat to Yun Hua. Kangxi was dumbfounded, never expecting to be on the receiving end of a pillow.

Su Yi bolted upright, her head spinning from the sudden movement. She clutched her forehead, scowling, her entire demeanor radiating irritation.

The cat, which had been meowing up a storm, suddenly went silent, cuddling obediently in Yun Hua's arms, clearly sensing the tension.

Yun Hua glanced down at the suddenly docile cat and gave its head a light tap, muttering, "Now you decide to behave? You were just yowling your head off!"

"Consort Rong!" Kangxi barked, his face dark, teeth clenched.

Su Yi, without even glancing up, shot back, "I’m dead. Burn some paper if you need me." Then it hit her—the voice sounded familiar. Wasn’t that the dog man?

She looked up and, sure enough, there he was. She squinted at Kangxi, who stood by her bedside, his face stormy.

"What the hell?!" she thought. "Creeping by my bed in the middle of the night to freak me out?!"

Su Yi’s expression was a mix of disbelief and annoyance, finally boiling down to, "What do you want?"

Kangxi took a deep breath, reminding himself to stay composed. Consort Rong was always like this, and he’d put up with it countless times before. One more wouldn’t kill him.

"I came to check on you," Kangxi said evenly, brushing off his robes and casting a pointed glance at the pillow on the floor.

Su Yi was at a loss for words. Who visits someone at this ungodly hour? Decent folks are asleep by now.

"...Thanks," Su Yi said flatly.

She gestured to the pillow on the floor, "Mind picking that up for me?" He reminded her; she had just thrown a pillow.

She turned to Yun Hua, who was cradling the cat, "Hand it over."

She needed to teach this little rascal a lesson!

Yun Hua handed the cat, which was eager to return to Su Yi upon seeing her awake, over to Su Yi.

Su Yi took the cat, holding it face-to-face, pinching the loose skin under its chin and giving it a gentle shake, her expression stern.

"What’s going through your little head every night, huh?! Can’t we just get along? Keep this up, and you’re sleeping alone in your bed."

The cat's big eyes wandered, avoiding eye contact with this two-legged creature. Su Yi shook it, "Did you hear me!"

The cat meowed softly, a bit defiantly.

Su Yi put the cat aside, patting its back, "Go over there."

Looking at Kangxi, who was still standing there like a boss, as if someone owed him something, she glanced at him with some disdain, "Didn’t I ask you to pick that up for me?"

'Can’t you even do such a simple thing?'

'Are you here to visit the sick or something?'

'Do I, the sick one, have to do it?'

"Fine, I'll do it myself." Su Yi resignedly leaned over the edge of the bed to reach for the pillow.

Yun Hua had thought about picking up the soft pillow and handing it to Consort Rong, as one really couldn't expect His Majesty to pick things up. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard that—Consort Rong really dared to order His Majesty around, not fearing that he might lose his temper immediately.

She saw Kangxi's expression turn sour, but he still bent down to pick up the soft pillow and handed it over expressionlessly.

Su Yi took it, but when she tried to pull it back, it wouldn't move. She glanced at Kangxi, then at the veins bulging on the back of his hand, and couldn't help but laugh inwardly, 'Bro, this is really not fun. Competing with me in strength? You think I'll lose to you?!'

Su Yi, ever the strong woman, put her strength into it and yanked the pillow towards her.

She couldn't help but let out a smug chuckle, wanting to say, "Thanks for the challenge, but I'm stronger than you think." But Kangxi, who hadn't let go, was pulled along with the pillow, losing his balance.

Su Yi's first instinct was to grab Kangxi as he toppled towards her, managing to twist him around so that he ended up falling backwards into her arms. If their positions had been reversed, it would have been a picture-perfect, romantic moment.

Kangxi looked up at Su Yi, completely stunned, while Su Yi felt a lingering sense of dread.

'Good thing I reacted quickly, or else this hulk would have crushed me. Trying to get back at me like this? What a sneaky man.'

Kangxi: This woman!!

"Are you okay? That must have been terrifying. Good thing it was me—no one else could have caught you."

Su Yi spoke politely and humbly, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up with pride, as if to say, 'I'm just that amazing.'

Of course, Kangxi wasn't exactly a burly warrior, but he was still bigger than her petite frame. She was too delicate to handle being crushed.

Witnessing all this, Yun Hua couldn't help but slap her forehead: What a mess!

Is that the point, Consort?!

Kangxi had been taking deep breaths ever since he entered, trying to calm himself.

The usually docile Guo Gai Tou, seeing Kangxi now lying in Su Yi's arms, mischievously wanted to sneak up and attack this annoying two-legged creature from behind, aiming for his dark braid.

But Su Yi, always alert, caught him in the act. "Careful!" she exclaimed, swiftly pushing Kangxi out of her arms and catching the airborne Guo Gai Tou. "Trying to stir up trouble again, huh?"

Though she wouldn't mind seeing the dog man in trouble, Guo Gai Tou was too mischievous and might get punished by him.

Kangxi, who had barely had a moment to enjoy the fragrant embrace, was immediately and mercilessly pushed away. He stumbled a few steps before regaining his balance, glaring at the mischievous little cat.

"This cat is too ferocious. If you want to keep a cat, you should ask the cat and dog department to bring a gentler one, so it doesn't hurt anyone," Kangxi said with a displeased tone.

Su Yi stroked Guo Gai Tou's fur and replied, "He's all bark and no bite; he wouldn't actually hurt anyone."

That was true. Although Guo Gai Tou often acted fierce and made scratching gestures, he had never actually scratched anyone in Yonghe Palace.

"No one in my palace has ever been harmed by Guo Gai Tou. If he ever scratches someone, it must be because that person is particularly annoying," Su Yi added before Kangxi could respond, emphasizing the word "that person" with a clear insinuation.

Yun Hua, standing there, felt the same heartache Liang Jiugong must have felt in the midst of such a battlefield.

She really wished she could disappear on the spot.

"I came to see you today, not to argue with you," Kangxi said with a cold face.

The kitten in Su Yi's arms was really annoying, and hearing that it was a male kitten made Kangxi's expression even darker. Su Yi actually argued with him over a cat.

"So, what brings you here?" Su Yi said, holding the cat.

Kangxi walked over slowly with his hands behind his back and sat down. "I heard from your maid that you were seriously ill and couldn't get up. I was afraid you might die from the illness, so I came to see how bad it was. But now..."

Kangxi looked at her, scrutinizing, "You don't look that sick. You're quite energetic, aren't you? You even managed to catch me off guard. It doesn't seem like what your maid described, that you were so ill you could barely get up and couldn't even come to pay your respects to me."

Su Yi paused, her expression slowly stiffening. She had indeed told Qinxin to say that she was so sick she could hardly get up.

She tossed the kitten aside, covered her chest with her hand, and leaned against the head of the bed, starting to cough. "Cough, cough, cough. Weird, why do I suddenly feel so bad? My throat is itchy, my chest hurts, my head feels dizzy, and my whole body is aching. Cough, cough."

Seeing Kangxi's expressionless face, clearly thinking 'keep going,' Su Yi's coughing gradually subsided. She leaned weakly against the head of the bed and said, "But thanks to Imperial Physician Wang's medicine, I'm feeling better now. It's not that serious anymore. I just have some lingering sickness, and I didn't want to infect Your Majesty, so..."

'Ugh, I have to thank Imperial Physician Wang for his bitter concoction!'

"Is that so? You weren't trying to avoid me, were you?" Kangxi's expression clearly showed he didn't believe her.

"Oh, not at all." Seeing that the topic had finally shifted away from her illness, Su Yi relaxed and answered frankly.

She was just too lazy to get up. She had already gotten ready and didn't want to put on her qipao dress and fix her hair just to go out. No way, absolutely not.

After all, they had already had a falling out. Did she really have to go out and wait for that jerk to come and pay his respects? She'd have to be really desperate to do that.

"I'm going to see Consort Liang. Don't you have any thoughts about that?" Kangxi suddenly asked, his eyelids lowering, hiding the emotions in his eyes.

Su Yi was somewhat surprised. "What could I possibly think?" She paused. "Well, your taste... is quite impressive?"

His taste in women was truly impeccable. Of course, she wasn't indirectly praising herself for being beautiful. She just thought he had good taste.

"Consort Rong, do you really not understand what I mean?" Kangxi said in a deep voice, a storm seemingly brewing in his eyes.

"I don't care to understand," Su Yi replied with a smile, her expression gentle but superficial.

'This was all fated. The arrival of Consort Liang meant that while Imperial Noble Consort's fate had taken a slight detour, everything else was still on track. So what is this jerk up to, suddenly acting all romantic?'

'Is he trying to catch me off guard, plotting something nasty again?'

Kangxi, who should have been angry, sighed and reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind Su Yi's ear, his expression softening.

Su Yi was still wondering why the jerk was suddenly so gentle. Wasn't he just about to change his expression?

Then Kangxi's large hand suddenly ruffled the hair he had just neatly arranged, turning her smooth hair into a complete mess. This caught Su Yi completely off guard. 'Damn it! This sneaky jerk!'

"What's wrong with you?!" Su Yi slapped the jerk's hand away fiercely, gritting her teeth.

'I was careless!!'

Who could have thought that the jerk, who had just been gently tucking her hair behind her ear, would suddenly take advantage of her relaxed guard and turn her hair into a bird's nest?!

Su Yi covered her hair in anger, trying to smooth it out, but it was no use. Her hair was thick, and once messed up, it needed a comb to straighten it out.

As she tried to fix her hair, she pulled out a few strands.

Su Yi was usually lazy, but she still cared about her appearance. She took good care of her hair, and it hardly ever fell out. But now, she had pulled out quite a bit. Su Yi stared in shock at the hair in her hand, almost unable to breathe from the pain. She was furious.

Su Yi, looking utterly distraught, exclaimed to Kangxi, "Ah! You crazy person! If you have something to say, say it properly! Why are you pulling my hair?!"

Enraged, Su Yi threw off the blanket and leapt out of bed, standing on it to slap at him while angrily shouting, "Why don't you play fair?!"

She then tried to grab the braid at the nape of his neck, determined to get even. Whoever pulls hair must have their hair pulled in return!

Yun Hua was stunned by the empress's startling words and actions, standing there unsure whether to calm the empress or protect the emperor to prevent her from actually grabbing his braid, which might lead to severe consequences if the emperor got angry!

"Hmph, so what? You didn't talk sense with me either," Kangxi, caught off guard by Consort Rong's sudden outburst, still managed to retort while fending off her hands, somewhat flustered.

Su Yi, her hair a mess, angrily shot back, "You pull my hair and you still have the nerve to argue?!"

No wonder cats and dogs don't get along—there's a reason for it!

"This is what they call 'all's fair in love and war,'" Kangxi dodged nimbly, not letting Su Yi succeed.

Su Yi snatched a pillow and hurled it at him, countering, "Is that really how 'all's fair in love and war' works?!"

Suddenly, Su Yi stopped, placed her hands on her hips, took a deep breath, and prepared to sit down, seemingly giving up. She curiously asked, "Hey, what's that over there behind you?"

Kangxi didn't turn around, just stood there smiling at her, clearly not falling for the trick.

Seeing it was futile, Su Yi scoffed, then lay down, pulling the blanket over her.

She grabbed the pot-headed doll that had been cowering in the corner during her outburst and hugged it, turning her back to Kangxi, "I'm tired, I'm done with this, I want to sleep."

Then she remembered something, turned back, and looked at Yun Hua, who was still there, her tone softening, "Yun Hua, could you comb my hair for me? You're the best, you know." She didn't forget to sweet-talk before turning back to spread her hair out for Yun Hua to manage.

"Yes, Your Highness," Yun Hua replied automatically, turning to fetch the wooden comb from the dressing table. She thought to herself, finally something to do, as she had been at a loss earlier, feeling like she should have been under the bed rather than standing there.

It was as if they might as well kill her to spice things up.

As Yun Hua was about to sit down, Kangxi shot her a cold glance, making her hand holding the comb tremble slightly. What was the emperor implying?

Kangxi extended his hand, and Yun Hua handed him the comb with both hands, then stepped aside. Kangxi gestured for her to leave, glancing at Consort Rong on the bed. Yun Hua understood.

She nodded, half-crouched in a bow, and said, "Your Majesty, take care. This humble servant respectfully bids you farewell." Then she retreated.

Kangxi sat back down, somewhat awkwardly picking up a strand of black hair spread on the bed, and began to comb it. Except for the top being a bit messy, the rest was smooth, almost gliding through the comb without snagging.

Kangxi started combing from the ends, initially awkward but gradually moving upwards. As he bent his head slightly, focusing on the task, his expression softened, as if infused with scattered sunlight.

Su Yi, squinting her eyes, still annoyed, muttered, "Really, I'm at a loss for words! How could he pull my hair? I'd be devastated if even a single strand fell out. Truly, youth doesn't know the value of hair!"

Kangxi glanced up at the visibly angry Consort Rong but said nothing, continuing to slowly comb her hair. The tangled strands at the top needed him to gently untangle them with his fingers, all while Su Yi kept talking.

She continued, "Also, men really don't have to worry about this. We women have to take good care of our hair, otherwise, when it starts falling out, you'll find yourself going bald! Your hairline recedes, and you start looking like a man!"

As if struck by a thought, she shook her head slightly, trying to dispel the dreadful assumption, "That would be too terrifying."

Men don't worry about baldness because even if they go bald, no one notices. Baldness doesn't grow hair, but it's the same as usual. Who knows if hair grows or not.

Just after saying this, she felt a tug on her hair, "Ah! Yun Hua, be gentle, you're hurting me, you're pulling my hair out again."

Su Yi, heartbroken, touched the back of her head, thinking Yun Hua was scared by her assumption, and comforted her, "Don't worry, usually hair loss isn't severe, we won't go bald. I was just hypothesizing, it won't come to that."

The combing resumed with normal force, actually massaging the scalp as it went, which had a relaxing effect.

Su Yi stopped talking for a while, really feeling sleepy, and yawned, "I'm really sleepy, going to sleep. When you're done, go back and rest." Then she closed her eyes, sleepiness gradually taking over. The pot-headed doll wanted to cause trouble but was pressed down by Su Yi, "You sleep too, pot-head."

She always fell asleep quickly once drowsiness set in, out like a light in no time. The kitten with a bowl cut, catching a whiff of Su Yi's scent, also started to feel drowsy.

Thinking that although that pesky human was still there, it would deal with him tomorrow, the kitten drifted off to sleep as well. The person and the cat were now completely quiet.

Kangxi, except for the earlier moment when his hand was a bit heavy and he pulled out a few strands of hair, managed to comb the tangled hair smoothly without any further incidents.

Only a few strands of hair were tangled on the wooden comb.

Her freshly combed hair, smooth as black satin, cascaded over half the bed, gleaming with a soft, radiant sheen.