Chapter 144

Chapter 144

"Isn't it you who said it? That I'm not good here, not good there, as if it's all my fault. I just want to protect every delicate flower."

Su Yi spoke with great confidence.

Kangxi was in the middle of comforting her when Consort Rong suddenly blurted out these words. The beginning sounded fine, but the latter part seemed increasingly off-key.

What did she mean by protecting delicate flowers? Who taught her that?

Kangxi's expression was truly hard to describe.

Realizing that Consort Rong wouldn't budge, and that she would even counter with examples, especially one that was currently unavoidable, he felt frustrated.

Damn it!

The practice of foot-binding had been repeatedly banned but never fully eradicated. Kangxi had indeed issued a decree to prohibit foot-binding, which had been effective for a while.

Those who violated the ban, if their fathers held official positions, would be handed over to the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War for deliberation. Commoners would be handed over to the Ministry of Punishments, with the father receiving forty lashes and exile. If the family head failed to oversee, they would be shackled for a month and receive forty lashes.

Initially, under these strict measures, the practice of foot-binding had significantly decreased.

However, it didn't last long before the Ministry of Rites petitioned to lift the ban. At that time, Kangxi was fully occupied with rooting out the remnants of Ao Bai's faction and had no time to focus on other matters. It was a time when he needed all the resources he could muster, so he didn't enforce the ban strictly.

Afterward, the practice of foot-binding resurfaced.

Although Kangxi disliked this custom, whether he pushed hard on this issue or not wouldn't affect the rule of the Qing dynasty.

Kangxi needed to focus more on consolidating his rule.

After addressing the issue of Ao Bai's autocracy, he faced not only the challenges from the remnants of the Ming dynasty but also the rebellions of the Dzungars and the Three Feudatories, as well as the separatist regime of the Zheng family in Taiwan, which stood in opposition to the Qing dynasty.

These issues needed to be addressed to better consolidate the rule of the Qing dynasty.

As for foot-binding, once it was determined that it posed no threat to the Qing's rule, the ban during the prohibition period actually led to discontent, so it gradually eased among the people.

The ban on foot-binding eventually only applied to the Eight Banners.

Now that Consort Rong mentioned it, Kangxi didn't link it to political interference.

"I only said a few words to you, and you're already getting anxious. When have I not wanted to talk to you properly?" Kangxi's tone was gentle, with a hint of helplessness. Managing her was truly difficult, or rather, it was impossible.

If he scolded her and gave her the cold shoulder, she wouldn't care at all, while he was the one who ended up being more concerned.

"Ah... is that so?" Su Yi's tone began to waver, her confidence not as strong.

'Thinking carefully, it seems, indeed, hmm...'

"I'm certain," Kangxi said with great conviction.

Kangxi hadn't anticipated that Consort Rong, who appeared gentle and soft-spoken, could be so fierce inside.

When she was being sarcastic, the gentler her tone, the more furious she was inside. This contrast had initially shocked and disbelieved Kangxi, but he eventually got used to it.

Compared to discovering that someone who seemed gentle and lovely on the surface was actually scheming and plotting to harm others, it was, in fact, much less troublesome. Unconsciously, Kangxi's tolerance had broadened in another direction.

"Alright, what do you want to say now? Go ahead, I'm listening, and I promise not to interrupt," Su Yi said, emerging from Kangxi's embrace with a look of assurance.

'Go—ahead—and speak.'

Kangxi: "..." Consort Rong’s assurance was practically useless.

"Despite repeated bans and punishments, the practice of foot-binding persists with little effect. Plenty of folks still sneakily bind their daughters' feet at home."

Since the topic of foot-binding had already been brought up, Kangxi didn’t mind discussing it with Consort Rong at this moment.

The ban had caused considerable dissatisfaction, and the numerous punishments, coupled with his image of 'benevolence' in governance, inevitably led to accusations of excessive harshness. Thus, he relaxed the requirements for the common people, only enforcing the ban within the Manchu clans.

Consort Rong, however, harbored a deep aversion to foot-binding.

After a while, Kangxi noticed that Consort Rong hadn’t responded. He glanced at her, sitting silently, just watching him, with no intention of speaking, like a mere listener.

Kangxi’s head began to ache again. He raised his hand to rub his forehead, "Go ahead, speak."

"You’re the one who told me to speak," Su Yi said with a smile on her face.

Seeing the extremely gentle smile on Consort Rong’s face, Kangxi began to feel a twinge of regret.

He sensed Consort Rong’s next words wouldn’t be pleasant.

"Why hasn’t it been banned, Your Majesty? You just haven’t found the right approach," she said. Of course, such matters require empathy to 'educate' them.

"Oh? What approach?"

Kangxi had earlier banned foot-binding, punishing violators’ fathers with forty lashes and exile. Such harsh measures had failed to stop the practice. What could Consort Rong suggest to stop it?

"Since they admire foot-binding and deem it beneficial, why not let men experience this 'blessing' themselves? Then they wouldn’t have to obsess over women’s small feet all the time.

For each daughter with bound feet, haul her father out and bind his feet in public. I’ve heard foot-binding has to start in childhood. If children can endure it, surely men can too, don’t you think?"

Su Yi smiled magnanimously, exuding a saintly aura.

"Those men who admire foot-binding only do so because they haven’t felt the pain themselves.

Moreover, if they lost their status and had to struggle like commoners, do you think they’d still scheme to bind their wives’ and daughters’ feet?"

Su Yi’s tone was gentle, but her words were sharp and on point.

When their careers were on the line, those loudest men would naturally stop forcing their wives and daughters to bind their feet, for their own futures.

The cruelty of foot-binding towards women was too much; it hurt her just to see it.

Su Yi rested her chin on one hand, eyelids drooping, her expression detached. "This seemingly normal, widespread practice of foot-binding, like a festering wound, will eventually be condemned by future generations."

As she spoke, she seemed detached from this world, exuding an air of not belonging, as if she might disappear at any moment.

Kangxi tightened his grip on Consort Rong’s hand, knowing she was different.

Suddenly, he remembered what Niohuru had said before she died.

'We come from the same world, and those who have seen that world will not love you.'

'Who could truly love you? You are merely a tool for us to climb to higher positions! I was like that, and Consort Rong will be no exception.'

He had dismissed it before, not taking it seriously.

But now, he recalled it. He could have probed Consort Rong, for the heart cannot hide its secrets.

Yet he didn’t want to probe, fearing the answer might displease him. His imperial pride wouldn’t let him show weakness first.

"This practice has existed since the Ming Dynasty and has persisted for so long that it's difficult to change overnight." The implication was that this tradition had continued from the Ming Dynasty to the present, despite the change of dynasties, and even with strict decrees, some still adhered to it.

"Things can't stay the same forever." And those who change it will always leave a mark in history.

Su Yi spoke half-heartedly, as she no longer felt like continuing the conversation with Kangxi. No matter how much they discussed, they couldn't instantly travel back in time to that country. She truly missed that world.

"This is so dull, let’s drop it."

Su Yi frowned, her mood shifting rapidly. Her emotions were all over the place. One moment she was furious about the injustice faced by women, and the next, she lost interest in advocating for the cause.

Kangxi couldn’t figure out if she’d brought it up on purpose or just by accident.

Su Yi couldn’t be bothered with him and simply withdrew her hand from Kangxi's, clapping her hands together. "What’s for dinner? I’m craving something light and refreshing." She was already thinking about what to eat.

She then called for Qinxin, who hurried in. Su Yi asked her to add a cold dish and make a seaweed and old duck soup.

Qinxin was taken aback. That’s it? She’d been on edge outside, expecting a long conversation between the Emperor and Consort, but it wrapped up in no time. Consort Rong seemed fine, and the Emperor’s expression was as unreadable as ever.

Su Yi also remembered to ask Kangxi, "Your Majesty, is there anything you'd like to eat?"

She asked, though it didn’t really matter if he answered.

"Nothing special, just the usual." Kangxi didn’t show any particular preference, at least not openly. Even if he had a favorite, he wouldn't reveal it.

The Emperor couldn’t let his preferences show.

Su Yi sat back down, noticing Kangxi looked more relaxed—he’d stopped scowling. Since he seemed normal, Su Yi didn't feel like hovering around him.

She wanted to sprawl out lazily, leaning to one side for a nap, and instinctively reached for the half-finished novel in the corner.

But then she thought, if Kangxi joined her to read it, it’d be a nightmare. He might just clear it all out before she finished.

Forget it, she’d just take a nap instead. She’d chatted so much with the little beauty today, and it had worn her out.

"I’m exhausted today, I’ll take a nap. Wake me when dinner’s ready."

Su Yi settled into a comfy position, playing up her fragile, delicate act, and closed her eyes to sleep without waiting for Kangxi’s reply. She knew someone would rouse her eventually.

She was just informing him that she was going to sleep now.

Kangxi sat beside her, listening as Consort Rong’s breathing soon turned deep and steady. Her knack for falling asleep almost instantly was always something else.

He gazed at the sleeping Consort Rong, his feelings a tangled mess. The wind chime by the window jingled softly in the breeze, its sound especially clear in the quiet moment.

Kangxi pulled himself away from his complicated feelings and glanced at the still Consort Rong, who had curled up into a small ball with her hands tucked in, her peaceful sleeping face looking much more docile than when she was awake.

He stood up and walked to the window, taking down the wind chime and placing it aside.

Dinner was delayed by half an hour, only starting when Consort Rong had slept enough.

When Su Yi woke up, her mind was still a bit foggy. She half-closed her eyes and leaned on Kangxi's shoulder, spacing out for a while.

Kangxi turned his head to look at her, his tone oddly gentle, as if forcing himself to be kind. "Awake? Let's eat, have more."

His smile didn’t reach his eyes, making it look a bit unsettling.

But Su Yi happened to be leaning on his shoulder and didn't see his expression, only hearing his voice, so she didn't notice anything unusual.

Qinxin and the others stood calmly by, though their minds were in chaos.

After Consort Rong had a nice nap, the Emperor, bored, had them bring over the novels she usually read and began flipping through them.

Then, it was obvious that the Emperor's mood soured. He pursed his lips and kept flipping through the pages with a blank face.

They couldn't help but panic—Consort Rong's novels were... something else.

Qinxin had picked the one with the most decent title for the Emperor! Compared to the others, it was much more respectable.

Little did they know, the more decent the title, the wilder the content.

The juiciest stuff often hides behind the plainest cover.

No need for fancy tricks.

Kangxi thought he'd just skim through, expecting the same old melodrama.

But to his shock, the last novel was nothing compared to this. Kangxi's head was spinning, his usual overthinking completely forgotten.

Now, what was there to even think about!

Kangxi didn't need to read more. This one book explained why Consort Rong never asked if he was coming—her mind was totally on these novels.

Of course, she didn't have time to think about him!

With every page Kangxi turned, Qinxin and the others got more nervous.

Thinking Consort Rong was still asleep and clueless, the Emperor flipped through a few pages beside her, occasionally giving her a dark look. This back-and-forth was really nerve-wracking!

Liang Jiugong could only sympathize.

They all thought the Emperor would wake Consort Rong right away, but he didn't.

He sat there, turning page after page, his face getting calmer, but the vibe around him getting scarier.

When he finally closed the book, he let out a quiet, barely-there 'Hmph.'

Dinner was pushed back by half an hour.

After Consort Rong woke up, the Emperor actually smiled—but it didn't reach his eyes, more like a forced grin.

It was kind of scary, and Consort Rong seemed totally clueless.

They watched nervously, wanting to hint to Consort Rong that the Emperor had read her novels and to think of a way to fix things, but they couldn't find the chance!

Because Consort Rong never caught on.

She just half-closed her eyes, lazily leaning on the Emperor's shoulder, casually bossing him around, but never looked up to see his face.

It was really frustrating.

Despite their panic, they couldn't let their hands shake while serving the dishes.

In the end, the Emperor didn't make a scene throughout the meal, just like any other dinner.

He even took Consort Rong for a walk in the courtyard afterward to aid digestion, speaking as if nothing was amiss.

Su Yi thought Kangxi's behavior was a bit off, but since he spoke normally and without any sarcasm, she didn’t dwell on whether he was just being weird for the moment.

But when Kangxi followed her into the bath, that’s when she noticed something was up. Wait, what?

They usually bathed separately, didn’t they?

In a flash, she was swept off her feet and tossed into the water.

Startled by the sudden plunge, she was about to say something when another body joined, making the space feel tight.

Kangxi pulled her close and murmured, "Hmm?" Then he continued to whisper a few more words in her ear.

Su Yi: ?!

No way! Those words sounded way too familiar!

"Your little treasure is quite something," Kangxi said with a smirk, watching her slightly flustered expression.

Su Yi gulped: Yep, he’d definitely read the same story.

And not just any version—the deluxe edition.

"I can explain," Su Yi chuckled nervously, her eyes giving away her guilt.

Now she got why Kangxi had been acting so weird tonight.

He’d gotten his hands on her collector’s edition.

Well, there went her prized story.

By the time they finished, the bath was half empty.

Su Yi stayed up way too late, and by the time she finally dozed off, she was completely wiped out.

She figured that jerk wouldn’t sleep long before he had to head to court. She even felt a little smug—after all, isn’t it the emperor’s job to wake up early?

Turns out, karma’s a real thing. Su Yi was jolted awake by Qinxin’s voice.

Su Yi blinked sleepily, turning toward the sound. Qinxin wasn’t one to be thoughtless, and sure enough, when Qinxin leaned in to remind her that she still had to attend to the Grand Empress Dowager's ailment at the Cining Palace later, she remembered.

She wasn’t a kid anymore who could sleep in as long as she wanted!

Su Yi sat up, silent for a long while, her long hair draped over her face, obscuring most of it. She didn’t get angry, but the low pressure was enough to scare Qinxin, who quickly knelt down.

Then, Su Yi looked up, a pale smile appearing on her face, "Let's get ready," she said in a soothing tone.

She stood up stiffly, like a rusty robot, and seemed to notice something as she looked toward the window, "The wind chime," she said. The wind chime that used to hang there was missing.

Qinxin, who had already stood up, came over to support her and said, "The Emperor took it. He thought the wind chime sounded nice, so he had Liang Jiugong remove it."

Su Yi nodded, as if it were just a casual inquiry, and said indifferently, "If it's taken, then it's taken. We'll just make another one to hang there later."

Qinxin served her carefully, knowing that the Empress hadn't slept much, and she wouldn't have dared to wake her if it weren't for the need to attend to the Grand Empress Dowager's ailment.

Did they really think the wind chime was giving the Grand Empress Dowager headaches?

If it was taken away, would the pain stop?

Su Yi’s eyes lit up with a hint of amusement. It was just a wind chime, after all.

By the time Su Yi arrived at Cining Palace, Consort Tongjia arrived around the same time.

Consort Tongjia timed her departure to match Consort Rong’s. She was sure Suma Lagu, that old hag, had already reported everything to the Grand Empress Dowager yesterday.

She didn’t want to arrive early just to make Consort Rong look late.

After all, this was different from yesterday. Arriving early might make the Grand Empress Dowager think she was siding with Consort Rong, given yesterday’s events.

Better to wait for Consort Rong and go in together. This way, Consort Rong would take the heat, and she’d stay out of trouble.

When the Emperor visited Yonghe Palace again yesterday, Consort Tongjia couldn’t help feeling jealous.

She wanted to throw some shade at Consort Rong, but seeing Consort Rong looked even worse than yesterday, without that post-favor glow, Consort Tongjia softened her tone. "You don’t look well today. Did you not sleep well?"

Su Yi nodded. Of course not.

Only those who’ve pulled all-nighters know the pain of being woken up early.

She needed some girl time to recharge!

She reached out and held Consort Tongjia’s hand, her voice emotional. "With your concern, I already feel much better."

Her eyes sparkled, making it hard to resist.

Consort Tongjia: "..." Concern? Really?!

Qinxin’s eye twitched at the familiar line.

Consort Rong’s cold hand felt nice in the warm weather, and it also confirmed she was in worse shape than yesterday. Consort Tongjia didn’t let go.

She had wanted to say she wasn’t actually concerned, but after some thought, she decided against it. It was just a temporary alliance—they’d be serving together later.

If Consort Rong collapsed, she’d be left alone with the Grand Empress Dowager, and the blame would inevitably fall on her. It was better to have company.

The two entered together but were stopped in the open area in front of the hall, unlike yesterday when they immediately saw the Grand Empress Dowager.

An old maid told them the Grand Empress Dowager wasn’t ready yet. She left, taking the other maids with her, leaving only the people brought by Consort Tongjia and Consort Rong.

Consort Tongjia recognized this move. With no maids left behind, it was clear they were being left to wait.

As the sun rose, it got hotter, making it easy to imagine how uncomfortable it would soon become.

They were left standing in the courtyard like minor concubines, not seated or in the shade.

Was the Grand Empress Dowager trying to humiliate her?

She, a high-ranking consort, was left outside—no respect at all!

Consort Tongjia’s anger was rising rapidly. The Grand Empress Dowager wasn’t just targeting Consort Rong; she was including her as well!

It must be that old Suma Lagu who had exaggerated things in front of the Grand Empress Dowager, leading to her being targeted today as well.

She glanced at Consort Rong standing beside her, her eyes fierce. If it weren’t for Consort Rong, she probably wouldn’t have had to come and serve together. Now, because of yesterday, the Grand Empress Dowager was also upset with her.

Consort Tongjia was about to snap when Consort Rong grabbed her hand. She was about to shake it off when she heard Consort Rong say with concern, "Oh, your hand is so cold, and your complexion isn’t good either. Are you feeling unwell?"

Consort Tongjia: ??

Is this about her? Isn’t it more fitting to describe Consort Rong herself?!

As Consort Rong approached to wipe her forehead, she mouthed the word 'faint.'

Consort Tongjia: !

Is Consort Rong teaching her to play the fainting game?

How is she so good at this?!

Consort Tongjia widened her eyes, only to hear Consort Rong softly say, "The sun is quite strong, it's making me feel a bit dizzy."

Then she whispered, barely audible, "If you don’t faint, I will."

Clearly, one of them had to fake it.

After all, it’d be ridiculous for both to just stand there waiting.

Who’d have thought even a headache wouldn’t stop the Grand Empress Dowager from tormenting them? She showed up yesterday, but today she’s not even planning to show her face.

Consort Tongjia, having received Consort Rong's signal: !!

Consort Rong’s straight-up telling her she’s going to fake it—doesn’t she worry she’ll faint first and then get exposed by the Grand Empress Dowager?!

But Consort Tongjia just thought, why would she tell the Grand Empress Dowager? Humph!

That’d just give the Grand Empress Dowager another reason to mess with Consort Rong!

Before, she’d have done it in a heartbeat, thrilled to see Consort Rong suffer. But now?

Humph! Not a chance!

The Grand Empress Dowager’s clearly planning to keep them waiting—she won’t let them in anytime soon, probably for at least an hour.

Why on earth?!

She’s a dignified consort, forced to wait outside while the Grand Empress Dowager gloats. When word gets out, it’ll be humiliating—yet she can’t defy her and has to bite her tongue.

She’d been simmering with frustration for a while.

When Consort Rong suggested faking it, Consort Tongjia hesitated—she couldn’t bring herself to do it. But seeing Consort Rong ready to faint, she quickly shut her eyes and fell sideways. If anyone was going to faint, it’d be her!

As she fell, Consort Tongjia had a moment of regret—she’d fainted too fast, without even signaling her maid. Would the maid catch her in time?!