Chapter 226

Chapter 226

On how to make the entire room fall silent with a single sentence.

Kangxi managed it.

In that brief moment, many thoughts raced through the minds of those present.

After a brief silence, a chorus of "Your Majesty" echoed.

Imagine everyone had been putting on an act just moments ago, but upon seeing the real master, they instantly snapped out of it, all returning to normal.

Moreover, the synchronized movements of the beauties as they bowed in unison created a visually striking scene, which Su Yi had just experienced, likely feeling a secret thrill.

However, Kangxi's expression appeared somewhat cold, standing amidst the fluttering beauties like an unromantic, rigid man. He showed no intention of letting them rise before addressing the matter, instead continuing with his earlier question.

He seemed to suggest that they should first explain the situation before he would consider letting them rise, to avoid having to repeat the process later, which would be a hassle.

Damn, this is what it means to have seen it all.

Su Yi followed the crowd's lead, realizing her earlier failure to keep up with the rhythm was a mistake, and she would not stand out now.

Perhaps due to her past misdeeds, as she gracefully and quietly bowed along with the others, Kangxi couldn't help but twitch his brow, wondering if the Noble Consort was up to something again.

Pretending to be quiet and obedient, only to suddenly unleash a big surprise, always accompanied by an unusually quiet prelude before causing trouble, without any warning, acting purely on impulse, making it extremely hard to control the situation.

At such times, Kangxi had grown used to not straying too far from the Noble Consort when she was present.

To avoid missing the first chance to control the situation, he almost instinctively walked over to the Noble Consort while asking his question, gently helping her adjust her cloak, "You've just recovered, no need for such formalities."

Even a simple bow made people a little nervous.

Although Kangxi's words and tone were caring, the message in his eyes was clear: behave.

Su Yi, who really wasn't planning to cause any trouble this time: "..." What's your problem? Is this how you see me?

This really makes me unhappy.

If I were to cause trouble, it wouldn't be now. I have a brain, you know.

Su Yi appropriately coughed lightly into her handkerchief before slowly speaking, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I'm fine."

Isn't it just about being sick? This is her persona, and she has no problem playing the part, as her face wouldn't even redden.

Kangxi felt slightly reassured; she was acting normally.

Their eye contact was subtle, relying purely on intuition, with a facade of warmth and concern, but in reality, it was all an act.

However, to others, the Emperor's natural approach to the Noble Consort seemed a bit too casual.

Moreover, standing by the Noble Consort at this moment seemed to subtly indicate the Emperor's stance.

This made those present, who had initially intended to vaguely describe the earlier incident in a way that could lead to speculation, change their approach. When they spoke again, they recounted the events impartially, also timely interrupting the seemingly oblivious interaction between the Emperor and the Noble Consort.

For those who liked to add a personal touch to their stories, it was rare for them not to embellish.

But in truth, they didn't know what had really happened with Consort Ping earlier. However, they were tactful, speaking impartially without insinuating anything about the Noble Consort or hinting that Consort Ping might have been acting, especially since the Emperor appeared just as something happened.

No, actually, that's exactly what they thought.

Did Noble Consort Ping know that the Emperor was nearby, and that's why she acted this way? But it seems unwise to pull such a stunt at this time. At least let Noble Consort Rong actually encounter her first.

Noble Consort Rong hadn't even touched her yet, and Noble Consort Ping reacted too hastily. What's the difference between this and hitting a cow from afar? If it weren't for the fear of Noble Consort Ping holding a grudge, they wouldn't have smoothed things over so readily. It's better to let Noble Consort Ping handle it herself.

After all, even if they are aligning themselves with higher-ranking consorts, the lesser concubines don't choose blindly. They need to assess the other party's strength and background before making a choice. Otherwise, blindly attaching themselves would be like charging into battle for no reason, getting shot themselves while the big tree they chose to rely on remains unscathed, having them take all the hits. That simply won't do.

"Is that so?" Kangxi asked for confirmation, slightly turning his face in Su Yi's direction.

"Mm," Su Yi hummed in agreement without saying anything else.

That's indeed the situation for now. Frankly, you arrived too early.

It's only the beginning, and you're already here.

There's really nothing more to say.

And since you're already here, what else can unfold afterward?

Kangxi, who was being criticized for arriving too early: "..."

No, he believed he had arrived at just the right time. It's fortunate. If he had come later, who knows what might have transpired.

So the focus returns to Noble Consort Ping. Although everyone's gazes were restrained, with so many eyes looking over at once, even a fool could sense the subtlety!

It was as if they were directly asking, "What kind of act are you pulling?"

Noble Consort Ping, now the center of so many gazes, was completely flustered.

Others might think she had some insider information about Kangxi's appearance at this time, hence the perfect timing for this act, aiming to have Kangxi witness it firsthand and use it as a tactic to curry favor.

In reality, Noble Consort Ping was genuinely surprised by Kangxi's sudden appearance. She hadn't expected him to appear so suddenly.

She had just performed an exaggerated act, yes, to attract some attention.

Deliberately exclaiming "My leg!" with a pained expression and then saying nothing more was meant to make everyone present tense. This way, someone would inevitably step forward to block Noble Consort Rong, creating a human wall that would hinder her approach.

And indeed, the effect surpassed even Noble Consort Ping's expectations. The women of the harem were truly adept actresses, each reacting with the urgency as if their own father had broken his leg. The servants, too, knew exactly what to do.

Once the human wall formed, Noble Consort Ping felt a slight return of security. Thinking it was about time, she prepared to say that she had just had a sudden cramp in her calf, the pain so intense that she had momentarily lost her composure.

Although she was sure to be silently mocked in people's hearts.

But survival in the harem relies entirely on acting skills and tact. No one would dare to mock openly, at most they'd think "tsk tsk" in their hearts, while outwardly they'd avoid embarrassing Noble Consort Ping, offering her a way out to prevent the situation from becoming awkward, which wouldn't be good for anyone present.

Thus, Noble Consort Ping was confident in pulling off a sudden, startling act, knowing that someone would play along. After a few setbacks, she wouldn't underestimate the perceptiveness of the harem women anymore.

But this was under the assumption that Kangxi hadn't suddenly appeared.

In any case, Noble Consort Ping couldn't remain silent now. She had to follow through with her earlier line of thought, "Your Majesty, I just had a sudden cramp in my calf. The pain was so intense that I momentarily lost my composure and couldn't explain. I caused unnecessary worry and concern among my sisters here, and even disturbed Your Majesty. I am truly filled with regret and unease."

As she spoke, she slightly moved her calf, somewhat unsteadily performing another bow of apology, seemingly trying to appear normal despite the discomfort. But her body still swayed slightly, and though she managed to steady herself, it was clear she was struggling.

Noble Consort Ping's face flushed red, her expression tinged with embarrassment, as if she felt responsible for causing such a commotion over her own issue, which really shouldn't have happened.

In any case, she had to show this attitude. Having created such a scene, although she took most of the blame in her words, saying that she had caused so many sisters to worry unnecessarily.

But Noble Consort Ping wasn't entirely foolish.

In her words, she acknowledged that she had caused so many sisters to worry unnecessarily.

In fact, it refers to such a scene, where the junior concubines, who got nervous without understanding the situation, each one unable to maintain their composure, turned a small matter into a big fuss.

She was indeed due to a leg cramp and couldn't explain in time, but that doesn't justify the group making such a noisy commotion.

The words did not mention Rong Noble Consort, thus avoiding the suspicion of trying to frame her.

After all, with so many eyes watching, Rong Noble Consort hadn't even touched her. Whether claiming Rong Noble Consort scared her or directly implying Rong Noble Consort pushed her, neither would work.

It would also leave a poor impression in front of Kangxi, diminishing the goodwill she had previously accumulated. The persona Consort Ping chose was not suitable for such actions, as it would greatly reduce her favorability.

Moreover, considering how Kangxi, without hesitation, walked towards Rong Noble Consort even before getting an answer to his inquiry.

Although he didn't explicitly state his belief that Rong Noble Consort was unrelated to the current situation, his actions showed his bias towards her.

Consort Ping understood that directly confronting Rong Noble Consort now would be disadvantageous, as clearly Rong Noble Consort held more weight in Kangxi's eyes than she did. Otherwise, Kangxi would have come to her side immediately or remained impartial.

Moreover, when she explained herself and bowed again to apologize, nearly making a fool of herself, Kangxi observed her, standing steadily with his hands behind his back, showing no intention to step forward, his reaction was remarkably calm and composed.

It also indicated that now was not the time for Consort Ping to act up in front of Kangxi.

She dared not show any blatant intention against Rong Noble Consort, at least not in front of Kangxi.

After hearing Consort Ping's words, the junior concubines realized she was blaming them for overreacting, which led to this incident, making them feel somewhat uncomfortable.

It's not as if anything had happened, but Consort Ping had already absolved herself of any responsibility. If they hadn't touched a hair on Consort Ping's head, her sudden leg cramp could also be blamed on them.

Some who couldn't hold their composure seemed to want to say something; wasn't it all because Consort Ping acted in such a way that they were misunderstood?

As soon as the words were spoken, the person beside her immediately tugged at her sleeve to remind her, but it was already too late.

After the Junior Concubine finished speaking, no one chimed in to agree; instead, everyone changed from a half-squat bow to a full squat bow, all saying it was their fault for disturbing the Emperor and begging for his forgiveness.

This made the Junior Concubine who spoke contrary words very out of place.

By this point, the Junior Concubine's heated emotions had cooled, and she was already regretting her words.

She had been too impulsive; why had she said that? She feared Consort Ping would resent her. Thinking of the consequences, her face turned pale, her body felt cold, and she began to sweat. She quickly knelt on the ground to beg for forgiveness but didn't know what to say.

Some who had been in the palace longer, the seasoned ones, shook their heads secretly, thinking the newcomers were indeed too impulsive.

At this time, no one spoke up to refute but instead followed Consort Ping in begging for forgiveness. How could it be blamed on everyone? It was just a small issue.

One person being nervous is noticeable, but if everyone is overly nervous, it can only be said that with many people, they naturally make a fuss together, and the commotion becomes louder.

It's somewhat improper but not exactly a fault; however, an attitude still needs to be shown.

Moreover, if they refuted what Consort Ping said, not only would they incur her resentment, but there would also be no benefit, and they might easily bear the blame for stirring up trouble, showing nothing good in front of the Emperor but being the one who caused trouble, which is not worth it.

It's only the newly entered concubines whose spirits have not yet been worn down by the palace who can't stand the provocation, can't hold their composure, and insist on venting their anger for a moment, that would act like this.

Some already knew that after the Junior Concubine, although there might not be anything for a while after today, but after this period, it might not go well for her.

But no one spoke up to help, everyone was looking out for themselves.

Consort Ping was not annoyed because the Junior Concubine dared to express dissatisfaction with her.

On the contrary, she was quite satisfied that someone who couldn't hold their composure jumped out to express dissatisfaction, which helped her, sharing some of the burden.

Her face added a bit more guilt and unease, "After all, it's my fault, please don't blame the sisters, Your Majesty."

She said as much, but it was precisely because she understood this to be just a trivial matter. By verbally admitting her fault, she wouldn't face any substantial punishment but could instead demonstrate her magnanimity and understanding.

This could slightly mitigate the negative impression she had created by overreacting.

One could say that the Junior Concubine's impatience actually helped her, allowing her to continue with her act.

Now, she couldn't directly confront Rong Noble Consort, but could she not handle these concubines who were inferior to her in both status and position?

It was unlikely that the Emperor would seriously confront her over these minor concubines.

However, the Junior Concubine was indeed somewhat disrespectful to her.

Kangxi certainly wouldn't make a big deal out of such a minor issue.

"Everyone, rise," Kangxi raised his hand, showing no dissatisfaction, and said to Consort Ping, "This is not a fault, just an accident. Consort Ping, there's no need to blame yourself so much. Help your lady up."

This was also a comforting gesture, giving Consort Ping some dignity.

As expected, she knew how it would turn out. As long as she didn't directly confront Rong Noble Consort in front of these minor concubines, Kangxi would still give her, as a consort, some dignity.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Consort Ping finally showed a relaxed smile, slowly rising with the help of her maid. But the next moment, her smile almost froze as the system prompted that Kangxi's favor towards her had dropped!

Moreover, the decrease indicated that the target thought she was a bit irrational.

This meant Kangxi thought she was a bit unhinged, hence the drop in favorability.

This wasn't indicated every time, only occasionally when there was no increase for a long time, and instead, the favorability dropped to a critical point, would such a prompt appear.

This was to prevent the host from continuously hitting a dead end without any way to fix it.

Consort Ping: Dropped again?!

She immediately glanced at Kangxi, who remained as calm as ever. Just moments ago, he had told her not to blame herself too much, but now it seemed he was still dissatisfied with her performance!?

Consort Ping had been feigning unsteadiness earlier, but now she truly had no strength to stand, really swaying.

The maid, afraid she hadn't supported her mistress properly, fearing her mistress losing composure in front of the Emperor, used all her strength to firmly hold... no, to support Consort Ping, keeping her steady.

Consort Ping, firmly held and unable to move: !!

Are these servants trying to make a fool of me?!

Su Yi observed the scene, the hidden tensions and sudden conflicts beneath the surface. To avoid laughing and spoiling the atmosphere, she had to think of something sad to suppress her urge to laugh.

But upon seeing Consort Ping's calm exterior masking inner turmoil, resembling a service provider pushed to the brink by a client, she couldn't hold back. Su Yi quickly turned her head, covering her mouth with a handkerchief to laugh... or rather, to cough.

"Cough, cough, cough," Su Yi coughed, thinking it was fortunate to laugh now and disguise it as a cough, making it hard for others to notice, especially since she had been coughing occasionally before. Now, coughing could be excused as being unable to hold back.

It would be strange to suddenly cough when one usually doesn't.

Kangxi reached out and gently patted her back a few times, asking, "Feeling better?" His fingers tapped her back, signaling that it was enough, and further coughing would be too conspicuous.

Su Yi stopped just in time, "Better," her voice slightly raspy from coughing.

The show was over, it was time to leave; all that coughing was exhausting.

"Honored Mother Consort, I found the pot cover," at this moment, the little milk dragon appeared from the corner of the bushes, cradling a fat cat in his arms.

The chubby cat's face was still clueless about where it had been, its white fur all dirty, resembling a dirty bread roll. Its pink nose was now blackened, and its fur was interspersed with small broken thorns, a large patch of them, not knowing where it had rolled to get into such a state.

Little Milk Dragon not only found it a bit of a struggle to hold it, but his clothes were also somewhat dirty, his face a bit smudged, as if he had rubbed against some mud, looking as if he had rolled on the ground.

Clearly, it was the result of catching the cat, and the process was somewhat difficult; otherwise, the little one who had been all neat and tidy earlier wouldn't have returned in such a disheveled state, even with the help of palace servants in searching for the cat.

Moreover, the fat cat being carried back still looked quite defiant.

The cat's eyes were darting around, still meowing and growling with a strong presence, that kind of fearless energy, looking at the ground as if ready to slip away unnoticed at any moment.

But when Little Milk Dragon carried it over in front of Su Yi, the defiant fat cat finally settled down.

Instantly, its expression changed. The originally rough meowing and growling seamlessly transformed into a high-pitched, cooing sound, meowing softly.

This was a little male cat, and when it cooed, it was no less than a little female cat.

Instantly turning into a weak, pitiful, and helpless little kitten, as if Little Milk Dragon had done something to it.

Little Milk Dragon, who had been scolded all the way back by Pot Lid, was also very angry. Pot Lid actually had the nerve to play innocent.

Not yet understanding what green tea means, and not knowing that the species of green tea could include but not be limited to humans.

For the feline species, it is also quite applicable.

A green tea cat, when it acts up, the 'tea' behavior is quite strong.

Not yet understanding what green tea means, but having been 'tea-ed' by Little Milk Dragon, he immediately came to an abrupt stop, turned around, and handed Pot Lid to a palace servant to hold.

Successfully distancing the green tea cat from Su Yi, he then went over to start airing his grievances.

The little rascal, though not entirely understanding in some aspects, could rely on intuition to cope.

However, Little Milk Dragon knew he was a bit of a mess. Honored Mother Consort was a stickler for cleanliness, so he didn’t recklessly rush into Su Yi's arms for a hug while covered in dirt.

Instead, he reached out and tugged on a corner of the handkerchief Su Yi was holding, giving it a little shake. If it weren’t for the crowd, Little Milk Dragon might have even twisted himself a bit. "Honored Mother Consort, look at Pot Lid (the cat). He kept darting in and out of the little bushes, getting himself covered in thorns."

Then he pointed at his own dirty hem and Pot Lid, who was in no better shape.

But Pot Lid’s fur was covered in many prickly little thorns, and not just a few—they were densely packed all over his body, almost covering the entire cat.

Anyone with trypophobia would feel queasy just looking at the dense, prickly mess.

Because Little Milk Dragon had just been holding Pot Lid, and the fabric of his clothes was high-quality silk with exquisite embroidery, they were now completely ruined. The delicate fabric, prone to snagging, now had tiny thorns stuck to it, with threads pulled out in patches and prickles caught in the fabric.

Perhaps just holding the cat wouldn’t have caused so much damage, but it was more likely that he had followed Pot Lid into the bushes.

For a moment, it was hard to tell which of the two was causing more trouble.

Su Yi looked at Little Milk Dragon and then at Pot Lid. Little Milk Dragon was tugging at her handkerchief, pouting with a pitiful expression, while his other hand pointed accusingly at Pot Lid, who looked innocent, weak, and helpless. His finger trembled slightly in frustration.

Su Yi’s hand also trembled involuntarily.

People really shouldn’t be quick to laugh at others, because you never know when you might find yourself in a situation where others laugh at you—like just now, or like now.

Ah, her head really hurt, and her chest felt tight and short of breath.

She pulled off her cloak—it was so hot, why was she still wearing it?

Kangxi looked at the two little ones, one human and one cat, both looking as if they had rolled on the ground without cleaning up before coming over, which was clearly testing Kangxi's patience.

He spoke in a stern tone, "Baocheng, look at yourself, what a mess you've made, how improper." Then he cast the same stern look at the cat with the pot-like head, seemingly wanting to scold it as well.

But the cat with the pot-like head was a fat cat unafraid of boiling water; it was just a little kitten, and little kittens know nothing.

In front of so many people, Kangxi couldn't very well scold the cat, it would be as ridiculous as preaching to the deaf.

But seeing this really made Kangxi's temper flare up, and he ordered the palace servant holding the cat with the pot-like head, "Take it away and clean it up, it's an eyesore to look at it now."

"Yes, Your Majesty, this servant will take care of it right away." The palace servant was also trembling from Kangxi's unpleasant expression, but while trembling, he held the cat with the pot-like head tighter to prevent it from running away again, dreading the thought of having to chase the cat again right then.

He also used his sleeve to shield the cat's chubby frame, to avoid hurting Kangxi's eyes, and hurriedly retreated.

Removing all the burrs was no small feat, numerous and scattered, needing several hands to tackle, and also needing to give it a bath, it was really not a simple matter.

The little milk dragon was bold enough to act spoiled in front of the Honored Mother Consort, but the child was genuinely scared of the Emperor.

Especially now when the Emperor's expression looked so fierce and his tone was so stern, he instinctively ducked his head, knowing that he was indeed being somewhat improper, and lowered his head, calling out in a very soft voice, "Father Emperor." He clutched the Honored Mother Consort's handkerchief tighter.

"Let's go, let's go, we should hurry back and change clothes, this is also hard on the eyes." Su Yi also appeared to be in pain, taking Kangxi's arm and nudging him along, not to stand here foolishly lecturing.

You see, whether the lesson was more effective or more amusing.

A crowd stood by, watching.

Kangxi's expression was still unpleasant, but he didn't say anything more, just walked away with a cold face being held.

He chose not to stop and lecture at that moment.

Mainly because, at this moment, it really wasn't the place to talk.

A crowd was watching, even though Baocheng was indeed somewhat disheveled and improper,

But Kangxi didn't think that at this time, others including the servants had the right to watch the Crown Prince being lectured, to enjoy the spectacle.

But at this time, no matter what, Kangxi still had to symbolically scold a sentence to make a reaction, otherwise not saying anything would also be improper.

Others only noticed Kangxi's displeased expression now, angry, and even more dared not to interrupt at this time, afraid that Kangxi's anger might inadvertently turn on them, so they all quietly dared not speak.

As a result, seeing that Rong Noble Consort actually dared to interrupt at this critical moment, everyone was lost in their own thoughts.

The Emperor looked like he was in a rage, and Rong Noble Consort actually dared to interrupt the Emperor's lecture to the Crown Prince at this time, truly daring.

Although the Emperor had favored Rong Noble Consort earlier, it didn't grant Rong Noble Consort the liberty to interrupt the Emperor's lecture.

Some concubines secretly hoped Rong Noble Consort would face consequences this time.

Even if the Emperor doted on her, he wouldn't allow anyone to casually ignore his anger at this time.

A father scolding his son is no place for a mother to interfere, especially since Rong Noble Consort isn't even the proper mother.

Thinking of this, some concubines struggled to control their expressions, not letting their faces betray too much glee, to avoid being caught.

And Consort Ping was the same, she was also waiting to see what Kangxi's reaction would be.

Just now having lost favor, Consort Ping was utterly numb.

Especially since Rong Noble Consort was over there, whether her cough was genuine or masked laughter, Consort Ping's ears were keenly attuned, distinctly catching a hint of stifled laughter in her cough.

Moreover, Rong Noble Consort had not shown any sign of coughing at all.

Not at all!

But right after her favor was reduced by Kangxi, Rong Noble Consort suddenly started coughing.

And it was a series of intense coughs—not earlier, not later, but right at this moment—clearly laughing but masking it with coughing!

Feeling doubly unlucky and being mocked by her rival, Consort Ping was fuming.

Yet, even though she could tell, she couldn't just openly accuse Rong Noble Consort of faking her cough and actually laughing!

Because Kangxi seemed completely unaware that Rong Noble Consort was pretending to cough, even patting her back to help.

Consort Ping was seething, even on the verge of cursing.

At this moment, why couldn't Kangxi see through it? Like a clueless man, at critical moments, he couldn't detect the pretentiousness of a scheming woman.

Consort Ping was not only angered by Rong Noble Consort's fake coughing but also by Kangxi's obliviousness.

But she really had to hold it in and not make a sound, even maintaining a normal facial expression, not letting her expression become too stiff or unnatural to avoid being noticed.

She was so frustrated she could scream.

Then she saw the Crown Prince, in his attempt to catch a cat, had gotten himself as dirty as a commoner's child.

A commoner's child could get away with this, but how could the Crown Prince, as the heir, be so unruly? This would surely earn a scolding from the face-conscious Kangxi.

As expected.

Consort Ping had encountered a soft rebuff from the little prince and was indeed quite resentful towards him.

Now, seeing the little prince directly run into this situation and being scolded by Kangxi, she felt an immense sense of relief, as if a great weight had been lifted. She watched with cold detachment from the sidelines, clearly hoping to see the little prince scolded a few more times by his imperial father in front of everyone.

Consort Ping knew best that royal children mature early and are very concerned about their face. Being scolded by the emperor in front of so many people, the child would surely feel deeply embarrassed and uncomfortable.

She couldn't scold the prince, but Kangxi could.

Moreover, at this moment, Kangxi had to scold the prince a few times. If Kangxi said nothing about the prince's mischief, it would seem too indulgent.

But just as he started to scold, Rong Noble Consort cut in.

Consort Ping was waiting to see Rong Noble Consort make a fool of herself, daring to interrupt at such a time.

Was she oblivious, or did she think she could get away with it?

Kangxi, known for his unpredictable temperament, would often withdraw his favor at the slightest displeasure. There was no reason he wouldn't react to Rong Noble Consort's audacious interruption.

Especially the emperor, who detested anyone daring to interrupt him casually. Rong Noble Consort's behavior could be seen as presuming on his favor, acting too self-important.

In the minds of the objective onlookers, they silently judged her actions.

To everyone's astonishment, the emperor's expression did not improve. Though his expression remained grim, he said nothing and did not shake off Rong Noble Consort's hand as she led him away. He truly followed her, seemingly intending to go back and change clothes and tidy up first.

This left everyone with mixed feelings, as if soaked in sour water.

On the way back, the little milk dragon's palms were slightly damp, but as Honored Mother Consort led him, his tense body relaxed slightly. He walked quietly, though his little eyes occasionally darted glances at his imperial father on the other side.

He was just sneaking a glance to see how his imperial father was feeling.

He thought his little actions were stealthy, but in reality, they were hard to miss.

Kangxi glanced over expressionlessly, startling the little milk dragon, who quickly looked away, pretending he hadn’t seen anything, and scooted closer to the Honored Mother Consort.

Scared, he felt the need to stick close to the Honored Mother Consort.

Su Yi, caught in the middle, thought: ...

Well, this was a test of her acting skills—pretending not to notice the little antics of these two.

She changed the subject, "Where did the flat-headed cat go? When did it become so wild?" Anyway, the flat-headed cat wasn’t here now.

But now that she mentioned it, it really did seem that way.

The flat-headed cat didn't seem to be so active and troublesome before.

"Who knows," Kangxi muttered, clearly annoyed.

But then, "Was it pulled out from that small tunnel under the rockery again?" His tone was a little too confident.

As if there was no other place it could have gone.

The spot was hard to reach. Hands weren’t long enough, and you had to squat down to get in. Naturally, clothes got dirty.

Hearing this, the little milk dragon nodded vigorously, agreeing wholeheartedly.

Then, with a hint of resentment, he complained, 'It was there—deep and narrow. The servants were clumsy and couldn’t get it out.'

By now, the little milk dragon’s tone was more heated—this wasn’t just a little resentment; it was a lot.

"It’s so fat, it took a lot of effort to pull it out. I finally got it out, and it had the nerve to complain, saying I hurt it! It scolded me the whole way back, nonstop!"

And then it had the audacity to act pitiful in front of the Honored Mother Consort!"

It absolutely infuriated the little milk dragon.

The flat-headed cat darted around and squeezed into the small tunnel without a second thought about its size—did it think it could just waltz in?!

Only after getting stuck did it realize the trouble. It cried pitifully. The servants couldn’t reach it—they were just a little too short.

Only the little milk dragon, being small, could squeeze in far enough to grab it by the tail and pull it out.

It was so fat that the little milk dragon almost couldn’t pull it out.

If the servants hadn’t helped from behind, they’d have had to call someone to chisel the rockery open.

They were all running around like crazy!

Before volunteering to catch the cat, the little milk dragon never thought that chasing the flat-headed cat around would be so arduous!!

The most hateful thing was, the flat-headed cat still had the nerve! Still had the nerve to act pitiful!!

He got all messy and didn’t get any credit, and even got scolded by his imperial father!

The little milk dragon, who hadn’t experienced much of the world’s dangers, learned what feline danger was—all from a cat.

It was really infuriating. The cat's owner was a bit embarrassed.

At this moment, after hearing Little Milk Dragon's endless whining, Kangxi snorted coldly, "Tell the palace servants to block that spot. Let's see where it can burrow into next time."

Little Milk Dragon agreed wholeheartedly, "The Emperor is absolutely right."

Indeed, that place should be blocked. If this happens again, Little Milk Dragon would be completely worn out. He really doesn’t want to crawl in and pull the cat out again.

He’s a royal prince—how can he keep doing this?!

It’s just not proper.

This has to stop; it can’t happen again.

At this moment, the father and son seemed to finally agree on something.

To some extent, they actually seemed to be on the same page.

They were also talking about how to teach the cat a lesson, so it wouldn't dare to be so troublesome next time.

They debated whether to feed it less to slim it down or feed it more to make it too fat to fit through holes.

"But, Emperor, if it gets thinner from eating less, wouldn’t it be harder to pull out?"

Little Milk Dragon thought of this problem, his expression turning serious, realizing this was a tricky issue.

Kangxi thought Baocheng had a point.

Yeah, last time we blocked one hole, and this time it got stuck somewhere else.

Come to think of it, that rockery has more than one entrance. If it weren’t for this, last time only one was blocked, thinking that after being stuck once, it wouldn’t dare to do it again, so only one was blocked, and the others were left alone.

Blocking all of them would make the rockery look weird, and doing all that for a cat would be overkill, and it wouldn’t look good if word got out.

But feeding it more to fatten it up wouldn’t exactly be a punishment.

If it gets more dried fish after misbehaving, it’ll just keep doing it.

If word got out, it’d look like we can’t even handle a lazy, fat cat!

No way.

"Let’s have them block all the rockery’s entrances," Kangxi quickly made a decision and found it very feasible.

After thinking it over, this was way better than trying to make it thinner or fatter.

Little Milk Dragon nodded, agreeing that the Emperor’s plan was solid and would fix the problem.

With all the entrances blocked, next time Pothead would have to stick to the grass, and when it gets tired, it would be easy to catch.

No more crawling in to drag Pothead out like today.

Yes, that’s the way to do it.

That’s the Emperor for you.

The two of them looked relieved, like they’d cracked a tough problem. Kangxi’s face wasn't so sour anymore, and Little Milk Dragon wasn’t so anxious anymore.

He was even thinking of changing into clean clothes to go chat with Pothead.

And Su Yi, who couldn’t get a word in during the father-son chat on the way.

In the middle, she actually tried to join the conversation between the father and son, but couldn’t find a better way in, so she could only listen quietly.

It's a rare sight to see her unable to blend into a topic.

Such occurrences are really uncommon.

Moreover, Su Yi, who initially tried to join their conversation, couldn’t help but develop a new doubt as she listened.

Wasn’t it Little Milk Dragon who took people to rescue Pothead?

Why does Kangxi seem so experienced? How did he gain that insight?

Little Milk Dragon had just gone through the ordeal of rescuing the cat, but how did Kangxi know so surely how Pothead got stuck there and needed someone to pull him out?

So, what’s the real reason?

Unless...

Listening further, Su Yi, the troublemaking cat owner, just listened quietly, as quiet as a mouse, without trying to interject or join their conversation.

That’s so funny, she didn’t dare to speak at this moment, okay?!

Pothead, you’re in deep trouble now, you know that?!