Chapter 230

Chapter 230

After she got him on board, Su Yi was also very satisfied. She liked people who took her advice—it made things so much easier.

The most straightforward manifestation of this was that Su Yi's smile appeared much softer now.

Not the kind that was all sunshine on the outside but hiding a storm within.

Kangxi didn't let Liang Jiugong and the others come in. Instead, he changed his clothes by himself.

Since he usually had servants to help him change clothes, when it came to doing it himself, he was a bit out of practice. Fortunately, he wasn't completely incapable of taking care of himself and could still change clothes, albeit a bit slowly.

He also wanted to buy some time to mentally prepare for what was coming.

A gentle yet slightly eager voice came from the bed, "Just grab something quick. The clothes will end up a mess anyway, and they'll need to be tidied up."

Consort Su sat on the bed, hugging a soft pillow, patting it as if urging him to hurry.

Kangxi: "..." It wasn't like that at all, but the way Consort Su said it made it sound so suggestive.

In a somewhat uncharacteristic move, he gave a subtle kick to the pile of discarded clothes, his tone calm and devoid of any personal emotion, "Coming."

He took two steps that somehow seemed like three, and when he finally arrived, he added with a reluctant tone, "Just this once. Don't expect it again."

Consort Su had no objections at all. She looked at him gently and replied, "Sure thing."

After all, it was the first time that had the novelty. She just wanted to satisfy her curiosity. Thinking about a second time was out of the question—she wasn't exactly twiddling her thumbs.

Kangxi's mouth twitched, but he lay down on the bed anyway, resting his head on the soft pillow Su Yi had impatiently placed on her lap.

His eyes had the look of a cat being stroked, that kind of resigned 'here we go again' expression, as if he were entirely at the mercy of the situation.

His seemingly indifferent gaze revealed a hint of despair. Although he did not resist, the emotions within were too complex, leaving no appropriate expression on his face.

The Consort was unraveling his braid, using her delicate fingers to untangle his hair. Then, picking up a comb, she prepared to groom him like a cat, carefully working through the tangles.

She glanced at Kangxi's expressionless face, as if she were about to perform some drastic action on him.

Still, she patiently began with a scalp massage to soothe his mood and relax him.

At first, Kangxi was a bit uncomfortable, mainly because he wasn't entirely confident in the Consort's hand strength.

But he couldn't say it outright, so he feigned concern, saying, 'Consort, you needn't trouble yourself; I fear it might tire you.' However, after a few moments, he added, 'But since it's the Consort's kind gesture, I wouldn't want to offend her.'

The Consort: Tsk, typical men.

Isn't he just afraid I might treat his head like a watermelon and crush it?

Feeling comfortable from the massage, Kangxi let out a few sounds, then suddenly felt a chill on his scalp.

This must not happen, Consort.

But as soon as he moved a couple of times, the Consort patted his shoulder, 'Don't move, it's hard to massage properly.' Her tone was slightly displeased, not quite to the point of irritation, but enough to make Kangxi stop moving.

Kangxi: 'Oh.'

Dare not move, absolutely not.

After the scalp massage, Kangxi, who was initially a bit uncomfortable, almost fell asleep. If one were to ask about the technique, it was quite similar to petting a cat.

However, just as Kangxi was about to fall asleep, a slight sting on his scalp completely dispelled his sleepiness.

Su Yi held the white hair she had just plucked, eyeing its length. "It's so long."

A sigh came from above his head, followed by a couple of rubs on his scalp, and another slight sting as she plucked another hair. "This one is half white, not fully white—it's not evenly white."

She just had to comment on it.

Huh, not fully white, and she sounds a bit dissatisfied???

Any trace of sleepiness was gone.

Kangxi thought to himself, "I should have known to save the massage for last!"

Su Yi prodded the motionless Kangxi with her finger. "Hold this." She handed him the plucked white hair so it wouldn't get lost.

She had everything planned out for Kangxi, not letting him idle for too long.

One could say that Su Yi's earlier head massage was all for this moment—first softening him up, then she could mess around a bit more.

Kangxi: "...." He thought. He silently took it, glanced at it, and found nothing special.

She really had many strange little habits, set off by things Kangxi could never anticipate.

Even when her own hair was accidentally pulled during sleep, she would throw a fit.

Now she was enthusiastically plucking someone else's hair. She claimed it was to remove all the white ones first, so the effects of hair care methods would be visible later. If not plucked clean, the results wouldn't show.

In reality, Su Yi just wanted to pull out some white hair.

It was nothing much—she just liked finding that bit of white.

Given Su Yi's obvious eagerness, as if she had found a new toy, Kangxi didn't feel like cooperating and said, "This is too much trouble. Let the palace servants do it, be careful not to strain yourself."

Sometimes, Kangxi fell short because he didn't like to be direct.

Because even without being direct, someone could still read between the lines.

Not saying things too bluntly—those who get it, get it.

Very suitable for people who have a few cards up their sleeves and are used to being this tactful.

Because being too blunt isn't elegant.

"It's not tiring, this won't hurt my eyes." Su Yi really didn't understand—it's not like staying up late with a small candle, doing delicate embroidery that strains the eyes.

This little task couldn't possibly tire her out.

Kangxi was momentarily speechless: "...." She is sometimes so straightforward and sincere it's scary.

In this pause, Su Yi quickly added, "Or is it that Your Majesty is unwilling, so you're saying it's tiring for me?"

Then she quickly brought up the past. "Didn't you dare wake me up to braid your hair before?"

He had dared to wake her up to braid his hair then, why was he shy now?

As for whatever was hung too much at the end, it still didn't affect Su Yi's righteous and bold tone.

With that said, what could Kangxi do, since he would have to wake her early again tomorrow?

If he doesn’t cooperate now, don’t expect the Consort to cooperate obediently tomorrow morning.

It’s hard to wake someone who’s determined to pretend they’re asleep.

Kangxi absentmindedly spread his hand, accepting the strands of hair handed to him.

Every now and then, those slender fingers would stroke his scalp, followed by a gentle tug.

This reminded Kangxi of how palace servants would meticulously groom the cat, parting its fur to check for bugs.

How was this any different from that?

At this thought, Kangxi shook his head, trying to shake off the absurd idea.

But Su Yi quickly stopped him, soothingly saying, 'It’ll be done soon. Don’t move; just a little longer.'

Of course, this was a lie. It wasn’t going to be done soon—she hadn’t even finished going through his hair yet. It would take a while.

When people say things like 'almost done' or 'just a little longer' during grooming, it’s usually an exaggeration.

Kangxi, who hadn’t even shaken his head twice before being stopped, sighed silently and said, 'Is there still a lot? No rush; take your time.' He didn’t want the Consort to have to spare a moment to humor him.

'Mm-hmm, but after this, if you take care of your hair properly, it won’t be a problem,' Su Yi said, her tone suggesting it wasn’t too late to fix things.

Kangxi took a deep breath, trying to calm himself and keep a pleasant tone, but it didn’t quite work. 'Though state affairs keep me busy, I can handle them. I’m used to it by now, and it’s not too tiring.'

He’d been on the throne since he was young, and after all these years, he’d become adept at handling government affairs. It wasn’t as chaotic or overwhelming as it used to be.

'Mm-hmm,' Su Yi responded twice, showing she was listening.

So, what was Kangxi trying to say?

A hint of helplessness crept into Kangxi’s voice as he rubbed his temples.

'Lately, not only have I been busy with state affairs, but I’ve also had to deal with the mess caused by that cat, Pot Lid. It’s been exhausting.'

'The Consort fell ill and couldn’t take care of it, so I took it upon myself, worried the palace servants might not be attentive enough.'

'I didn’t expect it to be so troublesome. The Consort must have had a hard time taking care of Pot Lid before.' The last part was a bit insincere.

The Consort didn’t have a hard time. How could she have?

Pot Lid never caused much trouble in front of the Consort; it only caused trouble for others.

That fat cat has always had two faces—one in front of the Consort and another behind her back. Kangxi had noticed this since it was a tiny kitten. That little thing is a handful!

So, to sum it up, the reason I have white hair isn’t from handling state affairs—it’s because of the cat, the cat!

'Look at these strands of hair!' Su Yi noticed he was rubbing his temples with the hand holding the hair. 'Let me do it. You rest.' She began rubbing his temples for him.

Kangxi felt the pain in his temples grow worse.

However, Su Yi quickly picked up the conversation again. 'Ah, is Pot Lid really that troublesome? Just a cat?' Her tone was filled with feigned surprise, as if she truly believed it could be.

Oh my, is that really the reason?!

Kangxi forced a smile, trying to maintain his composure and not show too much resentment toward Pot Lid. 'If the Consort doesn’t believe me, I’ll have someone compile a list for you to see later.'

That fat cat really is that troublesome!

The princes' exams never troubled Kangxi as much as this.

After all the fuss, the cat didn't lose weight, but the people might not be so lucky.

Still, Su Yi knew that one shouldn't act too much like a dog.

"No need, I believe you. I thought Pothead was only being naughty today, and after scolding it, I thought we shouldn't be too hard on it. I didn't realize it was more than that?"

At times like this, it's best to stand together.

When people are venting, it's not the time to argue; just go along with it.

Kangxi didn't take Su Yi's exaggerated words too seriously, snorted coldly, "It's just that bad."

Then he went on, "And also..." Kangxi continued to list a few more 'good deeds' by Pothead, and Su Yi played along, not contradicting him, and went along with his words.

After all, she was still plucking his hair.

She originally thought it was due to overwork before middle age, leading to premature graying, but now it seems Pothead is also to blame.

Hmm, feeling oddly guilty.

Kangxi said he'd have someone list Pothead's 'good deeds' later, but he'd already mentioned quite a few himself. Such 'misdeeds' had to be vented, and it would be a shame not to take advantage of Su Yi's apparent sympathy.

He had to seize the opportunity.

It's a bit petty to argue with a cat, but Pothead, that fat cat, is an exception.

Seeing Kangxi had said enough, Su Yi let out a barely noticeable sigh of relief. Finally done. My goodness, can men really talk so much when they complain?

Kangxi: "..." Consort, I can hear you!

The final result wasn't much, just a small strand, but because the hair was long, folded a few times, it looked like quite a bit. Su Yi took it, looked at it with satisfaction, and felt much more at ease.

Not doing anything, just that need to take a final look, otherwise it feels incomplete.

Then, satisfied, she nodded and returned the strand of hair to Kangxi, letting him keep it as a memento.

Since it wouldn't grow back for a long time, she went to wash her hands, leaving Kangxi to his business, as if he had nothing more to do.

Kangxi thought of many reasons why the consort would keep a strand of hair—like keeping it in a pouch or cutting a small strand herself to keep together—and was even thinking about how to respond.

But the result was to let Kangxi keep it as a memento?!

Just that?

Also, before plucking the hair, the consort had to undo the braid, comb the hair, and give a head massage, after which he had to re-braid his own hair!

Otherwise, when the palace servants brought in water, it would be improper for him to be disheveled.

When Su Yi finished drying her hands, she remembered something, "Where's Baocheng? He really had a rough day today, being messed around by Pothead and then being taken away by you for a lecture. I'll go check on him."

Kangxi said frankly, "When I came, I already had him go back early to change and rest."

"Is that so?" Su Yi was somewhat skeptical, obviously not believing that Kangxi would let him go back to rest so easily?

This behavior is very unlike Kangxi.

She saw Kangxi leaving with the little milk dragon, that 'father-son harmony' scene, doesn't seem very credible.

Facing Su Yi's skeptical gaze, Kangxi remained composed, showing no signs of guilt or hesitation. He calmly stated, "Of course, today's incident was truly unexpected. I understand, which is why I didn't reprimand him in front of everyone. I only said a few things upon returning, advising him to be more careful in the future. What more could I do?"

After all, Kangxi had also been led astray by the pot lid, so he could empathize. Baocheng simply lacked experience.

However, if the little milk dragon, who was holding a horse stance, heard Kangxi's words, he might not just sweat but also shed tears.

Kangxi: "I understand, but the horse stance must still be maintained."

"Today, he was quite exhausted, so I had him sent back early to rest, so he wouldn't miss his study time tomorrow," Kangxi explained, his logic sound.

Su Yi listened, and while the logic seemed flawless, because it was Kangxi, she couldn't help but question its credibility.

Meanwhile...

"Crown Prince, the time is up," said the eunuch, immediately stepping forward to support the trembling Crown Prince, who had been holding a horse stance.

The eunuch, keeping track of the time, also felt the exhaustion.

When the master suffers, the servant's heart aches too. How could they possibly relax? They had to keep a close eye on the Crown Prince's condition.

Given the commotion today, it was no wonder the Emperor punished the Crown Prince, though he still showed some consideration, not making it as severe as the previous time when the Crown Prince was made to kneel outside.

Finally, once the time was up, not only did the little milk dragon breathe a sigh of relief, but so did the eunuch supervising him.

The little milk dragon was truly exhausted. Holding on until the time was up without collapsing was already a tremendous effort. If the eunuch hadn't stepped forward to support him, he might have embarrassed himself.

This time, he didn't insist on walking slowly by himself but allowed the eunuch to carry him back.

After just a few steps, he was already asleep on the eunuch's shoulder, breathing deeply, clearly worn out.

Kangxi was a diligent Emperor. Today's events had delayed him, and he still had memorials to review, so he really needed to get back to work to avoid leaving today's tasks for tomorrow.

Liang Jiugong noticed that Kangxi had changed his clothes but tactfully remained silent, pretending not to notice.

Following behind Kangxi, Liang Jiugong softly reported that the Crown Prince had been safely sent back, and the palace servants who escorted him had already reported back.

Kangxi simply nodded slightly, not asking if the Crown Prince had slacked off, clearly having a good idea of the situation.

Upon arriving at the study, Kangxi twisted his fingers a couple of times, then suddenly beckoned Liang Jiugong to come closer.

Liang Jiugong, puzzled, cautiously approached, only to be immediately kicked by Kangxi. The kick wasn't particularly strong, but Liang Jiugong promptly let out a cry and rolled to the ground, then immediately knelt to one side.

Though he didn't know what he had done wrong, he quickly begged for forgiveness, his face filled with fear. "Your servant deserves death, please have mercy, Your Majesty."