Chapter 126

Chapter 126

"You injured your head. How can the imperial physician bandage you if we don’t shave your hair?" Kangxi’s words sounded quite reasonable.

"But... Wait, that’s not it, it’s actually..."

"But what?" Kangxi asked, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"But my neck hurts more than my head," Su Yi said, lying there. She didn’t know where it hurt.

"Oh? I thought you knew where you’d fallen," Kangxi said.

His tone seemed straightforward, but who knows for sure.

Su Yi glanced at Kangxi, hesitating to speak.

Kangxi spoke in a casual tone, "If you’ve got something to say, just say it. Don’t hold it in."

"You... are you feeling heated?" Su Yi asked.

Otherwise, why are you always so sarcastic and fiery?

"I’m just fine," Kangxi said, glancing at her bandaged neck.

"I’m always worried about your fragile health. I never thought you could run so fast chasing a cat. Even the well-trained guards couldn’t catch up. Doesn’t that mean you’re in good health?" He reached out to tidy the loose strands of Consort Rong’s hair.

Liang Jiugong felt something was amiss and exchanged glances with Yun Hua and the others before leaving.

His Majesty likely wanted to discuss Consort Rong’s unauthorized departure.

The earthquake struck without warning. Luckily, His Majesty had already ordered everyone to leave the palace, so they weren’t caught off guard. But when the earthquake hit, facing such a natural disaster, fear was inevitable.

The concubines were all pale with fear.

The imperial physicians were swamped, as the shaken concubines complained of various ailments.

If Consort Rong hadn’t fallen into the hidden tunnel, escaping the earthquake, and if her cat hadn’t run back to seek help and lead the way, she wouldn’t have been rescued.

Otherwise, if that tunnel hadn’t been found, and Consort Rong’s wound kept bleeding, she might’ve bled out before anyone found her.

Now His Majesty had to have a stern talk with Consort Rong. It was nerve-wracking, but thankfully, the young prince and Consort Rong were both found safe.

Though His Majesty seemed on edge, he stayed to handle urgent matters, moving everything here to manage affairs while waiting for Consort Rong to wake up.

Su Yi gave an awkward chuckle, "You never know how capable you are until you’re pushed to the limit."

Kangxi wanted to say, not just the guards, even the Shadow Guard lost track of her.

The Shadow Guard tasked with following Consort Rong lost her in a flash, and before he could react, he was knocked out cold.

If the one who knocked out the Shadow Guard was with Baocheng’s kidnappers, why were there no survivors among Baocheng’s entourage, all with fatal wounds, especially the Shadow Guard, who was almost killed instantly, while the guards had more wounds?

The Shadow Guard assigned to Consort Rong was only knocked out, with no intention to kill him, especially that hand chop, which felt somewhat familiar to Kangxi.

Kangxi felt a twinge in his healed neck.

But in the end, Consort Rong was found in the hidden tunnel, having fallen and nearly injured her brain, though she did lose a lot of blood. If she hadn’t been found in time, she might’ve died.

The wound was real, and the severe blood loss that left her on the brink of death wasn’t fake either. The secret tunnel was also discovered in this manner.

But how could it be such a stroke of luck?

"Is that so?"

Su Yi noticed he seemed skeptical, but how could this not be real?

Kangxi’s gesture of smoothing her hair looked almost like he wanted to yank it, which was a bit unsettling.

She held her forehead, dodging Kangxi’s hand, and said weakly, "Of course, this sudden burst has its downsides too. Now my whole body is sore, and I can’t even muster any strength. My head’s killing me too."

From losing so much blood, her face was still pale, and her lips were colorless. She looked fragile and delicate now, like a sickly beauty who’d need to catch her breath after just a few steps.

Who’d have guessed she could move so fast with such explosive energy?

"Your Majesty, if you’re busy, you don’t have to stay here. I’m not so unreasonable as to demand your company," Su Yi said, seemingly having expended a lot of energy.

She mustered her strength and said weakly, "Ah, this accidental fall uncovered the tunnel. Really, I don’t need any rewards." Su Yi coughed, her voice raspy.

Her throat was parched. She’d just woken up, and no one had even offered her water, yet she was already racking her brain to respond. Instead of smoothing her hair, wouldn’t offering her water show more thoughtfulness?!

Kangxi hadn’t even addressed Consort Rong’s unauthorized wandering, and now she was already angling for rewards.

How typical.

Kangxi’s face darkened as he glared at Consort Rong, who quickly looked away at the pillow’s patterns.

She avoided his gaze.

Su Yi looked at the patterns on the pillow. Looking was harmless; it wasn’t going to cost her anything.

Earlier, when they were locking eyes, she hadn’t blinked for ages. Now, with her head still throbbing, she wasn’t in the mood for eye contact. It hurt so much. Didn’t they say she didn’t hit her head? So why did the back of her head feel like it was being yanked and hurting?

And he kept on talking to her.

Kangxi stood up and left. Su Yi heard him finally leaving.

Of course, being an emperor made him suspicious and sharp. He must’ve sensed something was wrong.

Dealing with him required her to have a thousand wits. Just thinking about it made her head ache. It was the same with sects.

Su Yi touched the bandaged wound on the back of her head.

There’d always be bleeding, and her body would stay weak for a while. Instead of explaining her disappearance, it was better to say she’d accidentally triggered a mechanism, fallen into the tunnel, and the exit had reset.

And she’d passed out on impact, which explained why she hadn’t called for help.

Moreover, it was indeed a tunnel leading outside. It was a secretive way to sneak in. It would be better to fill it in early to prevent anyone from using it again.

Just as she was about to call someone to help her up for a drink, she heard footsteps returning.

Kangxi returned, followed by Liang Jiugong and others bringing food and a teapot.

Kangxi had left earlier for this purpose.

Seeing Consort Rong’s wide-eyed surprise, her usually affectionate gaze now looked rather cute. “Aren’t you hungry? I am. Let’s eat together.”

Since the earthquake, Kangxi hadn’t slept or eaten a thing. Now that Consort Rong was awake, it was a good time to eat together.

Yun Hua and Qinxin helped Su Yi sit up, propping her with a pillow. Once settled, they gave her a cup of warm water.

Maids placed a small table on the bed and laid out a few light dishes. Su Yi sipped from her cup of water.

This time, Kangxi ate in silence, not looking around. Su Yi, sitting across from him, struggled to eat. She glanced at Kangxi, then at the others; everyone was so quiet.

What’s with this awkward silence? Should she say something to break it?

Plus, all her dishes were blood-boosting—pork liver in every form and black chicken soup.

Sure, she was a bit anemic, but did it have to be so extreme?

Why did she have this sinking feeling? Was this her diet for the next few days?

“Why aren’t you eating? You’ve lost a lot of blood and need to eat more blood-nourishing foods,” Kangxi said, noticing Consort Rong hadn’t touched her chopsticks much. He picked up some food with his chopsticks and placed it in her bowl. “Come on, eat up. You hate those bitter medicines, right? The imperial physician said food can help too.”

Su Yi: “...” True, but “Carrots, black beans, and black fungus also boost blood.”

Really, it didn’t have to be all pork liver. She wasn’t interested in a pork liver cookbook or black chicken soup variations!!

“You didn’t complain like this before.”

Su Yi: What was my reaction???

“You usually hate veggies, but this isn’t veggies,” Kangxi said calmly.

Su Yi: “....” But you didn’t have to turn one thing into a dozen dishes. You’re not just testing the chef, you’re testing me.

Got it, he’s just messing with me.

And I thought he came back because he cared about me not eating or drinking!

Su Yi picked up her chopsticks and started eating quietly. I don’t believe you can follow this diet every day.

At that moment, a maid approached, “Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has arrived.”

Su Yi’s eyes lit up as she looked towards Kangxi.

“Why isn’t he resting? He got spooked yesterday. Honestly, none of them give me peace,” he said.

“Startled by what?”

“Don’t you know?” Kangxi was in no hurry to let Baocheng in. Instead, he put down his chopsticks and took the wet towel Liang Jiugong handed him to wipe his hands.