Chapter 194

Chapter 194

"Honored Mother Consort!" The little milk dragon put down his calligraphy brush and ran over.

He seemed to be trying to find a good spot, but the little milk dragon also noticed that Pot Lid (a nickname given to the cat due to its round face resembling a pot lid) was really taking up a lot of space.

"Honored Mother Consort, are you feeling better? Baocheng is so worried about you." Nevertheless, this did not stop the little milk dragon from tugging at Su Yi's sleeve to express his concern.

This time, Su Yi found herself juggling tasks, holding the cat with one hand while patting the little milk dragon's head with the other. "I'm much better now."

Pot Lid was comfortably enjoying Su Yi's petting, but then a young one came along, interrupting the petting session. With a huff of displeasure, Pot Lid lifted his big head. Already hungry, the cat's temper was even worse now, ready to cause trouble.

After being patted on the head, the little milk dragon's eyes lit up with joy, and he was about to say something more when Pot Lid's tail swept across his mouth, nearly making him eat a mouthful of cat fur, leaving the little milk dragon completely taken aback.

Kangxi, standing to the side, covered his mouth with his fist and coughed lightly, almost laughing out loud. He found the scene amusing because it reminded him of his own childhood antics.

This child is truly his own flesh and blood.

"Honored Mother Consort, look at him!" Reacting quickly, the little milk dragon narrowly avoided another swipe from Pot Lid's tail and managed to catch it this time.

Then he started complaining to Su Yi about how mischievous Pot Lid was.

After having his tail caught, Pot Lid was not to be outdone. With a defiant flick of his ears, Pot Lid turned his head to confront the little milk dragon, meowing fiercely a few times, trying to pull his tail back, but the little milk dragon wouldn't let go.

Then, with a pitiful meow, Pot Lid buried his face in Su Yi's neck, seeking comfort and began to complain, feigning pain but not daring to resist.

Pot Lid's eyes pleaded, 'He's pulling my tail, it hurts! Stand up for me!'

Miraculously, the little milk dragon's thoughts mirrored his father's earlier musings.

The little milk dragon pouted. He looked at Pot Lid, who had just been fierce with him.

What a sly and cunning little cat!

He hadn't pulled hard enough to cause any real pain!

Having nearly eaten a mouthful of cat fur earlier, the little milk dragon couldn't bear this injustice. Puffing up his cheeks in frustration, he began to complain to Su Yi,

"Honored Mother Consort, Pot Lid was so mischievous just now. Baocheng nearly ate a mouthful of cat fur, and then Pot Lid attacked again. That's why I grabbed his tail to prevent another sneak attack. I didn't hurt him, but Pot Lid... hmph, he's just being dramatic."

The little milk dragon touched his face. "He just swiped his tail at me, such a bad temper."

As if only this stinky cat knows how to complain?! He can do it too!

Hearing the little one's babbling, Pot Lid felt threatened.

This is bullying because I can't talk!

Then the two started confronting each other in their own languages, regardless of whether the other understood, as long as the tone and volume were right!

Pot Lid: "Meow meow meow—!" How dare you, little brat, talk bad about me!

Little milk dragon: "You bad cat!"

Neither the human nor the cat backed down, both standing their ground with full vigor.

In the middle, Su Yi looked at one, then the other, not sure how to mediate, afraid that if she spoke up now, they would both demand she choose a side.

It was really tricky. After watching for a while, Kangxi felt it was time to step in.

He grabbed the plump cat from Su Yi's arms and thrust it into Little Milk Dragon's arms, pointing to the side and saying, "Go over there and keep arguing."

You want to argue? Finish it over there, then come back. Perfect.

He had been watching with displeasure for a while, and now these two could go over there and continue their quarrel neatly together.

After receiving the subtle yet satisfied look from the Grand Empress Dowager, Kangxi felt his back straighten with pride. He finally wrapped his arm around the Grand Empress Dowager, now that the bothersome fat cat was gone.

If you want to argue, just throw it to Baocheng.

Little Milk Dragon, who suddenly found himself holding a heavy plump cat: ?!

The cat with the pot-lid head, who went from a soft, fragrant embrace to another: !!

Both the human and the cat were shocked. Could it really be like this?!

Under the incredulous gazes of Little Milk Dragon and the little cat, you're truly such a Father Emperor/Damned Biped!

Kangxi didn't even blush, let alone feel a pang of conscience. Not at all.

---

Due to the presence of the Grand Empress Dowager, none of the concubines dared to sit there with a sullen face. They had to create a lively atmosphere, smiling as if they were blooming flowers.

Among them was a Junior Concubine sitting further back, wearing a pale green Qipao Dress, with a small flag head adorned with a few small pearl hairpins and pale yellow velvet flowers, which made her look even more charming, with a cherry-like small mouth.

Although she was smiling on the surface, she didn't seem to be in high spirits.

Having stood for a long time during the ceremony and smelled a lot of heavy incense, she was not only physically tired but also felt a tightness in her chest. Yet, she couldn't show it and had to pretend everything was fine.

Unfortunately, although she had makeup on, which hid her pale complexion, her spirits were still quite low.

Even though she was sitting now, her condition hadn't improved much.

The dishes placed in front of her had cooled down after a while, looking greasy, and the smell of the food made her already tight chest even more uncomfortable, even starting to feel nauseous.

The Junior Concubine, thinking of something, felt even more anxious, her eyes showing a bit of panic. She was desperately suppressing the nausea, taking a sip of water to try to calm it down, as if that could suppress the urge to vomit.

Although she tried her best to stay calm, her discomfort was noticed by those close to her, including a fellow Junior Concubine who was friendly with her.

She couldn't help but ask softly if she was feeling unwell.

The Junior Concubine nodded slightly, covering her mouth with a handkerchief and whispering, "Perhaps I didn't rest well yesterday." She attributed her discomfort to not resting well the previous day, rather than the long standing and the heavy incense.

The other Junior Concubine, who was also of low rank and couldn't speak up, seeing her discomfort, could only comfort her with a few words, telling her to endure a little longer, and it would be better once the banquet was over.

They dared not suggest leaving to get some fresh air.

Being of low status, they couldn't leave the banquet on their own, and saying they felt unwell and needed to go out for some air was even more impossible. They simply didn't have the right to speak up.

The Junior Concubine nodded, indicating she understood, and stopped talking. She was afraid that if she spoke more, she wouldn't be able to suppress the urge to vomit.

She could only secretly reach into her sleeve and pinch the flesh on the inside of her arm, using the pain to distract herself.

Praying that time would pass quickly.

But when it came to toasting, she had to raise her glass and take a sip of wine.

The Junior Concubine originally planned to just take a small sip and then spit it out onto her handkerchief, but as soon as she smelled the wine, took a small sip into her mouth, her stomach churned, and she couldn't control the nausea and sourness, vomiting uncontrollably, especially since she hadn't eaten anything since the banquet started.

She had no appetite earlier and her stomach had been empty for a while. Now she couldn't vomit anything and was just retching, only managing to spit out that small sip of wine.

But after retching, she suddenly froze, realizing that the gazes of the high-ranking concubines around her were all drawn to her.

Their expressions were a mix of unfriendliness, danger, jealousy, and something else.

In the harem, sudden retching usually means good news.

After all, even if some haven't eaten pork, haven't they seen a pig run?

The Junior Concubine, stared at by so many, was already frightened, her face pale and her limbs stiff.

"Sister, are you feeling unwell? Look at how pale you are. Could it be some good news?" Consort Xian feigned surprise.

Consort Xian, who had given birth several times, clearly had experience. At a glance, the Junior Concubine's retching seemed familiar, and her words couldn't help but carry a hint of bitterness, though more of it was schadenfreude.

Hearing this, Consort Yi's gaze at the Junior Concubine turned even more unfriendly. She couldn't help but say, "Sister Xian, aren't you jumping to conclusions? It might just be an upset stomach. When will you ever change your impulsive ways?"

Consort Hui seemed thoughtful and remained silent, even though she thought the Junior Concubine's retching seemed like a sign of pregnancy.

The Junior Concubine's appearance was rather plain. Consort Yi glanced at her and saw nothing remarkable. Could she be another Uya?!

The Grand Empress Dowager glanced over and then averted her gaze. "Since she's unwell, have someone take her aside to rest," she said indifferently, seemingly not very concerned.

But the slow, deliberate motion of her fingers rolling the prayer beads ceased, as if the Junior Concubine's breach of etiquette had dampened her mood.

The Imperial Noble Consort, seeing this, was about to order someone to take the Junior Concubine aside to rest, but she noticed that the Grand Empress Dowager's attendants had already taken command and were directing people to assist.

She sensed something was amiss. For such a minor Junior Concubine, the Grand Empress Dowager herself had spoken.

As she pondered, the Junior Concubine was already being assisted by the palace maids. The Junior Concubine kept her head down, not daring to speak, her hands icy cold, and her body trembling slightly, as if she had lost her soul.

Before she could even step out of her seat, her steps faltered. She stepped on something, slipped, and lost her footing. She screamed in fright, her hands flailing as if trying to grab something, but she still fell to the ground.

The palace maids helping her tried to catch her, but the Junior Concubine was too panicked. They couldn't hold her and ended up falling with her.

They even knocked over the food on the Junior Concubine's table, scattering everything on the ground, with broken pieces everywhere.

Instantly, it was not only extremely messy but also very noisy, drawing the attention of the concubines who had initially looked away but were still secretly glancing.

For a moment, there were small gasps and whispers among the crowd.

"Snap!" The Grand Empress Dowager set her prayer beads aside, her expression displeased, clearly unhappy with the commotion.

Seeing the Grand Empress Dowager's displeasure, the concubines who had been whispering immediately fell silent.

The Imperial Noble Consort scolded, "This is truly disgraceful. This Junior Concubine has repeatedly breached etiquette, ruining everyone's mood. Hurry up and take her away." She urged them to be quick and not mess up such a simple task.

Immediately, palace maids stepped forward to pull the Junior Concubine up from the ground, dragging her away.

Since the Junior Concubine's seat was already towards the back, she was quickly escorted out of the hall. Whether intentionally or not, two or three palace maids surrounded her, blocking the petite Junior Concubine from view.

Those who wanted to get a better look at the Junior Concubine's condition couldn't see clearly before she was completely obscured.

Other palace maids began cleaning up the mess on the floor.

There was nothing more to see.

The Grand Empress Dowager, already displeased by the Junior Concubine's clumsy commotion, was further annoyed. The concubines quickly changed the subject, one after another.

After a while, the Grand Empress Dowager finally said to Liang Jiugong, "Go back and see if the Rong Noble Consort is feeling better."

"Yes, Grand Empress Dowager," Liang Jiugong replied, understanding this as a cue to ask when His Majesty would arrive.

The Grand Empress Dowager's words were also on the minds of the other concubines—was His Majesty still planning to show up?

Even the Grand Empress Dowager is here—shouldn’t the Rong Noble Consort show up unless she’s literally dying?

The Grand Empress Dowager has been here for quite some time, and the Rong Noble Consort has yet to make an appearance. How could she not show up? It’s completely inappropriate.

It was clear that the Grand Empress Dowager was already somewhat displeased.