Chapter 231

Chapter 231

In such situations, one's mind must race frantically to assess the circumstances. First, judging by the current and previous events, one could gauge whether the Emperor was truly furious or not. In this case, it didn't seem to be at its worst.

Then, recalling that the Emperor had just left the Noble Consort's quarters with a cut on his lip—could it be that he had a falling-out with her?

Yet, when the Emperor departed from the Noble Consort earlier, there had been no signs of tension with the Noble Consort. Moreover, he had even changed into entirely new robes.

The Emperor's current displeasure was likely unrelated to us servants and stemmed from some other reason.

Still, even if one were unfairly targeted by his anger in this moment, they had to act as though they truly were at fault.

Thus, the proper procedure was to kowtow first, then plead guilty, and take the fall.

The nearby attendants, hearing the commotion, immediately knelt and begged for forgiveness.

Kangxi glanced at the teacup on the table. "Incompetent fools. The tea's gone cold, yet no one thought to replace it. Can you not even handle such a simple task?"

However, tea was always replaced at regular intervals. Even if Kangxi had been away for an extended period, the tea would never be left cold without being refreshed. That particular cup had undoubtedly just been served—the tea station had attendants on rotating shifts to ensure timely service, and Liang Jiugong oversaw it all.

Yet the Emperor hadn’t even touched the tea before declaring it cold.

This clearly wasn’t the real reason for his displeasure, but for now, they had no choice but to treat it as such.

Liang Jiugong prostrated himself in terror. "This servant was negligent and failed to supervise the attendants properly. Please calm your anger, Your Majesty." Offering excuses or shifting blame to the attendant on duty would not be the right response.

"If it was negligence, then ten strokes of the cane," Kangxi said calmly, picking up a memorial to review, his expression unreadable.

Ten strokes weren’t excessive, and those wielding the cane would gauge their strength appropriately, ensuring the punished could still walk afterward—albeit moving somewhat stiffly.

However, Liang Jiugong did not stubbornly endure the punishment and return to duty afterward. Instead, he arranged for someone to take his place.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t move, but rather that the Emperor clearly had no desire to see him for the time being. Using this time, Liang Jiugong pondered deeply over what might have truly displeased the Emperor. Could it be that the servants had failed to prevent the Noble Consort from leaving? No, no—it must be something else.

Negligence—that was the issue. But not negligence regarding the tea. Then what had he overlooked?

His mind kept racing in circles, but without a clear lead, he never quite hit the mark.

To outsiders, Liang Jiugong’s punishment seemed somewhat unjust, yet none dared to comment.

After all, if even Eunuch Liang had been struck, they had to keep their heads down and work carefully. Fortunately, peace prevailed afterward, and no further mishaps occurred.

——

"Reporting to the master, we have found a suitable candidate as requested. This one is the closest match. The person has already been secured, and our men are stationed nearby to keep watch."

The messenger knelt fearfully before the dark silhouette, presenting a wooden box with both hands.

Inside the box lay a birth chart and a small translucent vial containing a dark red liquid—likely blood.

The black-clad figure turned slightly, a mask covering half his face obscuring most of his features but failing to conceal his gaze—a suffocating aura of menace that made one instinctively shrink back.

The kneeling man lowered his head further under that piercing stare.

The man referred to as "master" fixed his eyes on the box. From his sleeve emerged a wisp of black smoke, drifting toward the box.

The sight was eerie, as though the smoke harbored a devouring force capable of consuming everything.

The messenger's back went rigid, fighting the instinct to recoil, his entire body locked up.

The black mist clearly targeted only the contents of the wooden box, and soon, just as it had appeared, it retreated back into its master's sleeve. The items inside the box had also vanished along with the mist.

After a while.

"Make the deal with them. The child is to be taken away immediately after birth. No extra steps."

"Yes, Master."

After waiting a moment to confirm there were no further orders, the subordinate rose and withdrew.

They didn’t get why their master was going through all this trouble to find a pregnant woman who met the specific criteria, but after searching forever with no luck, they had finally found the perfect candidate. The one who’d just left finally let out a breath of relief.

The longer the delay, the greater the fear that their master would deem them incompetent. Some had even lied about finding matches just to score points, only to meet a gruesome end—wiped out completely, no bodies, no nothing.

Just thinking about it made them shake like a leaf, their eyes filled with deep terror. The thought of betrayal never crossed their mind—those who dared to scheme in front of their master were simply asking to die.

Now, they just had to seal the deal fast and wait for the child to be born.

The couple didn’t have a choice either way.

They couldn’t afford a single screw-up during this period.

The couple, now settled in the manor, though unharmed, were uneasy in this unfamiliar environment, their guts churning with fear of what was coming.

The woman had only recently become pregnant. Those people had first inquired about her birth date and time, then taken a sample of her blood—no clue what they wanted it for. Though the strangers hadn’t harmed them, they sure didn’t act like normal people.

Just a poor village couple at first, they had lived a hard life. Due to certain circumstances, they had offended someone of high status and were forced to flee to a remote village.

At first, they had feared these newcomers were sent to hunt them down. But instead, the strangers had resolved some of their troubles, provided them with a well-furnished manor, and supplied them with luxuries they had never before encountered.

It felt like a scam—too good to be real. But nothing this good came free.

Earlier, a guy showed up saying their master was a wealthy merchant who, due to health reasons, had no heirs. In his later years, he longed for companionship and wished to adopt a child to raise as his own. Thus, he proposed a deal to the couple.

In exchange for the unborn child, once it was born, the merchant would grant them more money than they’d ever see in their lives, resolve their past troubles, and provide them with new identities to start afresh.

With that fortune and new identities, they could live a life of luxury. The kid, though? That’d be the merchant’s.

For a couple barely scraping by, trading a baby for a golden ticket was a no-brainer.

Moreover, they had no other choice. The child would be taken one way or another—if persuasion failed, force would be used.

Though they now understood the strangers’ intentions, the couple remained deeply unsettled, clinging to each other for comfort. The husband, however, snapped out of it faster.

Especially after learning that they would receive a new identity and wealth, he swiftly made his decision. They could always make another kid—this one wasn’t their last shot.

Ditching this baby meant ditching their misery. There was no reason to hesitate.

After all the crap they’d been through, the opportunity to turn their lives around was one they couldn’t afford to miss.

While the wife was still freaking out, the husband had already signed away the kid in her belly.

Later, he comforted his distraught wife, rubbing her barely-there bump, assuring her they would have more children in the future.

Given their circumstances, even if they stubbornly refused, they couldn’t provide a good life for the child. Better the kid grow up rich than starve with them.

Once they had the money and a better life, any future children would receive all the love and care they couldn’t give to this one.

He added that refusal might provoke those men, driving them to retaliate. They had no choice now; the most important thing was to safely deliver the child.

With these words, the wife's emotions were temporarily stabilized, letting her concentrate on the pregnancy.

After all, this child represented their future—nothing could go wrong, or who knew what those men might do.

As they spoke, the couple suddenly collapsed, losing consciousness.

The pregnant woman, as she fell, seemed to be caught by something and gently lowered, while the man just thudded to the ground.

Standing before her was the hooded figure in black, the wide hood obscuring most of his face, leaving just the sharp line of his jaw visible.

The man's hand, extending from his sleeve, was unnaturally pale, bloodless. With a wave of his hand, a cylindrical piece of wood floated in the air—ordinary at first glance, but gradually, like tarnish wiped from silver, its plain exterior faded away, revealing a lustrous, translucent core pulsing with golden light, radiating holy energy.

He watched silently for a moment, as if haunted by some recollection, but soon resumed his actions.

A blood-red magic circle appeared beneath the pregnant woman.

Using the blood from a crystal vial as a medium, supplemented by secret arts, he guided a wisp of essence from the floating object into the woman’s womb, where the formless fetus had no spirit yet. Once the fetus grew and took form, the mother would deliver the child.

This way, without entering the cycle of reincarnation, they could gain a true human form.

The strange phenomena occurring here went entirely unnoticed.

Just as he had arrived, his presence was sudden, and his disappearance just as ghostly.

The couple came to groggily, the husband waking first, bewildered about how they'd ended up on the floor. Seeing his wife in the same state, mindful of her pregnancy, he quickly helped her up.

They were baffled but couldn't piece it together, so they let it go.

——

When Kangxi hauled Su Yi from bed in the morning, she was irritated.

She hadn’t slept well the night before—hell, she'd gotten this random heart flutter that vanished fast but left her rattled.

And she couldn’t figure out why!

Normally, she was healthy as a horse—heart flutters didn’t happen unless she was faking it.

This nagging irritation wrecked her sleep, so she stayed up late. Since Kangxi wasn’t back, she could thrash around all she liked.

Kangxi could go to work as early as he pleased—getting up at cockcrow didn't bother her, as long as he didn’t rouse her too.

She didn’t care—as long as she didn’t have to wake up early.

But when he got up, he pulled her up too. Even if they didn’t share a bed, he’d still rouse her when heading out at ungodly hours.

Just so she could help him with his appearance.

Yes, she didn’t need to wake up early, but he insisted—because he wanted her to do his makeup. He didn’t know how, and he wouldn’t let anyone else do it, swearing she did it best.

And this jerk’s idea of "early" was the ass-crack of dawn—way earlier than civilized people wake.

The thought alone made her knuckles whiten.

But here she was again.

Not that it was proper makeup—just patching up the cut on Kangxi's mouth to pass it off as nothing.

He even wanted to use Su Yi’s vanity set, but how would Kangxi, that hopelessly straight guy, know how to handle such things? Of course, he wouldn’t let the palace attendants do it either. Plus, it wasn’t like he accidentally bit his own lip—Su Yi was the one who caused it.

So with zero guilt, Kangxi hauled Su Yi out of her warm bed.

Su Yi’s eyes had barely opened, and she hadn’t even spoken yet—technically, her sleep rage hadn’t even had a chance to surface—when Kangxi immediately launched into speech.

“The Noble Consort said I must be careful not to appear too casual. I think she’s absolutely right. It would be improper for me to attend court looking like this. I can only trouble the Noble Consort to help.” He barreled through this without even pausing.

Dude, chill—what’s the fire??

It was so early—I’m telling you, the court officials haven’t even left their homes yet with your work schedule!

It was precisely this timing issue that made Su Yi’s sleep rage feel like buffering rage being interrupted mid-cast. By the time she wanted to react, the moment had already passed.

Yep, that was the situation now.

*Record scratch.* Su Yi paused for a full two seconds before it seemed to register what Kangxi had just said.

Wasn’t this the same as usual? The robes, the hair, all the accessories hanging off him—it was his usual emperor cosplay.

My dude, yellow isn’t a personality. That color might as well flash ‘EMPEROR’ in neon.

Seeing Su Yi’s clueless expression, Kangxi winced—definitely from tugging at the wound on his lip. It was just a small bite mark, not even that big, but it was right on his lip, making it stand out against the normal color.

Su Yi: *You’re really spelling it out, huh? Might as well just write it on a banner.*

Yeah, she saw it. But was it really that big of a deal?

Su Yi wanted to say, *Just pretend you ate something too spicy and got a spicy-food lip, okay?*

Everyone gets heat rashes sometimes. What’s the big deal about a little lip sore? That’s what she said.

Of course, for Kangxi, that was clearly unacceptable.

His explanation dripped with diplomatic BS: *Heat rash is fine, but not on the lips. That spot affects appearances.*

Su Yi: “...”

If he just said *sore lips*, the court officials and palace attendants would immediately assume you got freaky. Spicy-food lip would make them instinctively avoid the truth and skip straight to the correct answer.

Zero subtlety. None.

Even so, y’all have *one* brain cell. Really, not okay!

Su Yi really, *really* didn’t want to leave her toasty, perfume-cloud nest. Honestly, getting up for a man? Ugh, *men*.

What *emperor* is worth *this*?!

But Kangxi had the vanity set set up buffet-style on a tray and brought right next to the bed—so Su Yi didn’t even have to get up or take a single step.

Normally, she’d find this super convenient, practically fueling her bed-goblin agenda.

Before, Kangxi would always whine like a Puritan about how inappropriate this was, how lazy, how she shouldn’t make a habit of it.

But now he was doing it like it’s NBD, as if there was no issue at all.

Let’s be real, it *was* Su Yi who bit him. But Kangxi didn’t outright say *you caused this, so you fix it*. Instead, he kept laying it on thick with sugar-coated guilt trips.

Stuff like *without you, I wouldn’t even be able to face my ministers without looking sus,* all while grinning like a cat with cream.

You just can't smack someone who's all smiles like that.

It'd make you look like the bad guy.

And he acted as if even if Su Yi really refused, he wouldn’t force her but would just let it go and head off to work, putting up with his ministers' side-eye.

Even if she didn’t do it, she’d still feel kinda bad about it.

To the point where she couldn’t even bring herself to pull any shady moves.

Her morning grumpiness never had a chance to flare—Su Yi simply couldn’t find a reason to lash out.

Originally, if she had just acted fast enough, that bastard Kangxi wouldn’t have been able to corner her like this.

But now, Su Yi had no choice but to mix up the concealer to match his complexion.

Since it was on his lips, she also had to add a bit of lip color, preferably something close to his natural shade. As she adjusted the mixture, she couldn’t help but feel tempted to make it look like he was wearing rouge—bright and rosy.

Cause trouble, cause trouble!

But Kangxi just watched her with a smile, not interrupting. When she was almost done, just as Su Yi dipped a small brush to test the color on the back of her hand, he closed his eyes and leaned in, totally letting her have her way, looking completely at ease.

Gotta admit though—this bastard had crazy long lashes. With his eyes closed, he looked much more pleasant than when they were open!

He looked downright tame, like a cat snuggling up. At a moment like this, when the cat was squinting, completely unguarded, would you really take the chance to show it how cruel humans can be?

That would be too much, something only a truly terrible person would do. Thinking this, Su Yi felt conflicted, what little conscience she had left now put to the test.

In the end, Su Yi pulled back her troublemaking hand and said with some reluctance, "Not yet, the mix is still a little too red."

Ah, this damn guilt trip was pointless.

Then Kangxi, who had just leaned in, naturally tilted his head to the side—resting against Su Yi’s shoulder, pressing against her neck—and casually wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Only my Consort is this meticulous. I wouldn’t have noticed any difference."

Not only did he flatter her again, but he also claimed he couldn’t tell, then snuggled in closer, acting clingy and trusting.

This guy was... something else entirely.

This wasn't his usual style.

In the end, Kangxi got cover-up that blended right into his lips—unless someone looked closely, it wouldn’t be noticeable from a distance.

After all, nobody would be caught dead staring at Kangxi.

Liang Jiugong hovered nearby like always, attending to him discreetly. The flogging had been done just right, the wounds treated with medicine, and his gait showed no signs of discomfort.

He confirmed once again that His Majesty and the Consort weren’t at odds—if anything, they were extra... lovey-dovey this morning.

Just couldn’t wrap his head around it.

Su Yi worked efficiently—once she decided to arrange something, it was done immediately. Kangxi soon witnessed it firsthand: dietary supplements paired with hair treatments, a one-two punch that showed genuine dedication.

At this moment, the Consort was nothing like her usual lazy self when it came to him.

Since when did she care so much about appearances?

She’d never been this attentive to his affairs before. And now, the thing that made her most visibly concerned was something as shallow as appearances?!

Liang Jiugong couldn't help but cast frequent, albeit improper, glances at the Emperor's hair as he watched His Majesty and the Imperial Consort consuming hair-healthy foods together and using hair care products at the same time.

Driven by self-preservation, he dared only steal surreptitious side-glances, quickly averting his gaze each time.

Though it seemed the Emperor was merely joining the Imperial Consort casually, the frequency of these "casual" sessions suggested they were turning into a regular habit.

Not just the beauty creams, but now even hair care products? And shared with the Imperial Consort?

Indeed, some of those ingredients did appear beneficial for hair health.

But hadn't the Emperor's hair always been jet-black, with barely a gray hair... Hmm?

It seemed Liang Jiugong's slow-on-the-uptake mind had finally caught up—just a little.