Chapter 237

Chapter 237

Luckily, her wait paid off—she was finally invited inside.

So Consort Ping bit back her annoyance over the eunuch’s earlier delay. After all, it wouldn’t look bad to punish a eunuch from the Palace of Heavenly Purity, as doing so might create an unfavorable impression.

The eunuch, still offering apologetic smiles, explained that Kangxi was currently discussing matters with his ministers and hadn’t yet finished. So he'd told the servants to invite Her Ladyship inside to wait.

When she heard Kangxi was still busy, Consort Ping couldn’t help but frown briefly before quickly pasting on a smile.

At least she wasn’t left waiting outside—they had invited her in first.

Given the circumstances, she couldn’t afford to make a scene here just because she had to wait longer for Kangxi to finish his work. Otherwise, if word got back to Kangxi, she'd come off as petty.

Being a concubine in the imperial harem was full of rules.

So she waited. Consort Ping sat down, watching as the palace maids hurriedly served tea. She even took the chance to take delicate sips, pretending to enjoy it with an air of refinement.

Not being much of a tea connoisseur—to her, most varieties tasted similar—she still played the part by slowly savoring it, blending into the atmosphere.

The servants didn’t just bring tea; they also carefully laid out some pastries, ensuring everything was arranged with no sign of slacking.

The impatience Consort Ping had felt earlier outside slowly faded as she watched the servants bustling around her attentively.

The pastries were decent, though kind of dry. After nibbling politely, she found herself drinking more tea to wash them down.

Oddly enough, the slightly dry pastries actually tasted better when paired with tea than when eaten alone.

Her teacup was promptly refilled by an observant servant.

However, she soon stopped wanting more and set aside the half-finished pastry.

She sat quietly, but after a while, she grew restless.

Since the servants were standing by, ready to serve at any moment, and this wasn’t her own palace, Consort Ping couldn’t exactly kick back. She had to maintain the dignified and elegant posture befitting a noble consort.

No slouching allowed—she couldn’t relax.

Sitting there, with the servants too afraid to speak unless spoken to, the room was dead quiet despite the number of people present. It was as tense as a punishment detail.

She couldn’t help but wonder—more than once—when Kangxi would finally be done.

To pass the time, she tried chatting with her system, hoping the conversation would make the wait feel shorter.

But the system was standoffish, seldom bothering with what it considered idle chatter.

Keeping her company wasn’t part of its programmed duties.

So most of Consort Ping’s remarks went unanswered. Only after several attempts might she receive a brief, bone-dry reply—completely devoid of warmth.

Far from lifting her spirits, this kind of exchange felt like having cold water splashed on her repeatedly, enough to make her angry.

Seeing it was getting her nowhere, Consort Ping, now annoyed, stopped trying to talk to the system and instead turned to eating more pastries.

When bored, people always find something to do—like snacking.

Even though she had just complained about the snacks being a bit dry, she was now taking small bites to pass the time.

At moments like this, there wasn’t even anything to help kill time here.

When Consort Ping first started, she had a hard time adjusting to the early-to-bed, early-to-rise schedule. Only after she got accustomed did things become slightly better—otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to endure it.

Consort Ping picked at the snacks slowly, still finding them somewhat dry.

Dry—drink tea—dry—drink tea—this cycle kept repeating, and before she knew it, she had lost track of how much tea she'd drunk.

With the maids refilling her tea so often, Consort Ping couldn't even guess how much she'd had—had it been too much?

By the time she realized it, she no longer wanted to touch the snacks, and it seemed she had indeed drunk quite a bit of tea.

Honestly, these maids—who serves such dry snacks that they can’t be eaten without tea?

Consort Ping wasn't great at telling time, and she couldn't just ask the palace maids what hour it was, as doing so would make her seem impatient.

And since the one she was waiting for was Kangxi, it might be taken the wrong way as her being displeased about having to wait for him.

Her only option was to check the system. This time, fortunately, it responded quickly.

She had already waited nearly an hour, yet there was still no word from Kangxi.

Consort Ping even began to wonder if Kangxi had gotten too wrapped up in his duties that he had forgotten about her—forgotten that someone was still waiting.

He had her brought in to wait, so didn’t that mean he knew she was here? Shouldn’t he have finished up what he was doing and come over?

How could she have drunk so much tea while waiting, yet still no sign of him?

Consort Ping considered sending a palace maid to ask, but that might seem like she was pushing him.

She also thought about leaving first.

After all, there was no way to know how much longer she’d have to wait. Consort Ping couldn’t help but curse inwardly.

Where she came from, being late for a meeting or date would get you an earful—no concept of punctuality, completely unpunctual, how shameless!

But now, even if Consort Ping was growing increasingly frustrated from waiting, she couldn't let it show.

These were all palace maids from the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Though they kept their heads bowed and eyes lowered, appearing as if they wouldn’t look around, they missed nothing!

What if they reported her behavior to Kangxi? Wouldn't that just make him think less of her?

It wasn’t that Consort Ping was overthinking—it was just that there were so many protocols to observe, and any misstep could lead to losing favor!

She had also considered leaving without waiting any longer, having the palace maids accept the soup she had brought and simply mentioning that she had come by.

But that would defeat the whole point—was she really just here to deliver soup?

Besides, she had already come and waited so long!

Wouldn’t leaving now mean all her effort was wasted?

The thought made Consort Ping reluctant to just go back.

Today, she was determined to wait until she could see Kangxi!

Just as Consort Ping’s patience was about to run out, Kangxi finally sent a palace maid to summon her.

True, even if he was done with his tasks, it wasn’t Kangxi coming to her—Consort Ping had to go to him.

Consort Ping drew a quiet breath, steadied herself, then stood up and had her attendants adjust her robes and check her makeup, making sure her smile was perfect.

Only once she was sure no frustration showed did she follow the maid leading the way.

Perhaps because Consort Ping had indeed waited for so long, her composure must’ve paid off, for the moment she entered and saw Kangxi, she got the alert that Kangxi’s favorability had gone up!

The irritation she’d bottled up the whole way there finally lessened a bit.

She even thought, *Finally, some payoff for all that waiting.*

The wait was worth it—if she’d walked in only for his favor to drop again, with him nitpicking ‘this isn’t good, that’s not done,’ she’d have no clue how to keep this mission on track!

The boost in favorability felt like a decent start.

She stepped up and curtsied. Kangxi, face blank, waved her up and gestured her over.

Consort Ping noticed that Kangxi hadn’t moved an inch—merely opening his mouth to summon her. A twinge of annoyance pinched her chest.

She’d waited forever, and *this* was the welcome she got?

In the gardens, didn’t he at least *pretend* to help Rong Noble Consort up?

But here, alone, he couldn’t even fake basic courtesy?

When she first arrived, she’d hoped, after making her wait so long, he’d at least say ‘Skip the formalities.’

But *this* was it?

She sank into a picture-perfect curtsy, her movements smooth and practiced, like some blue-blooded lady bred for court life.

This was a skill she’d traded for after unlocking the exchange system.

Beauty upgrades were supposed to come first.

But back home with the Heshelis, she’d been called ‘unladylike.’

The Heshelis, terrified she’d embarrass them (or worse, get them in trouble) once she was in the palace, hastily hired a strict etiquette instructor to drill her relentlessly.

Time was short, and the instructor’s methods were harsh. Mistakes were met with swift, painful corrections—enough to sting but leaving no lasting marks. Consort Ping suffered greatly before barely meeting expectations.

Yet once inside the palace, her barely adequate skills paled in comparison to the effortless grace of the other noble consorts. Their poise made her seem awkward and unsophisticated.

To avoid further humiliation, Consort Ping gritted her teeth and decided to postpone her beauty enhancements, instead trading for a skill that granted her instinctive mastery of court etiquette.

This ensured she wouldn’t make a fool of herself in such matters.

Thus, her curtsy flowed with practiced elegance, her posture and bearing now impeccable.

Now? Nobody could side-eye her etiquette.

Consort Ping considered it a worthy trade.

After all, she had once heard tales of common-born girls recognized as noble misses, yet still dismissed as uncouth and wild by the court. Their sloppy manners got called ‘quirky’ by the main characters, but she wasn’t about to be that girl.

This really isn't the best place for it.

Especially since Kangxi is so difficult to handle—even small mistakes can easily make him like you less.

With him being so hard to please, trying that might wipe out all his goodwill and even make her a laughingstock!

But even now, while performing the proper etiquette, Consort Ping is still secretly resentful.

However, she decides to save these complaints for later—when Kangxi's favorability toward her is higher, meaning his feelings for her have deepened.

By then, she'll be able to act up and bring up old grudges.

For now, she’ll just file them away, waiting for the right moment to revisit these issues and cause some trouble.

Otherwise, what's the point of all this suffering?

Everything she’s going through is for the future.

Thinking this way, as if setting a highly tempting goal for herself, her mood lifting noticeably, Consort Ping feels motivated again.

"Your Majesty, I truly came at an inconvenient time today. Unaware that Your Majesty was busy, I feared disturbing you. If I have indeed interrupted, I'd be terribly sorry."

After taking her seat, Consort Ping immediately shows both regret and pleasure at having Kangxi spare time from his busy schedule to see her.

She says nothing about how long she was made to wait, playing the considerate role perfectly.

Observing her demeanor, Kangxi seems to realize something and says, "I was rather busy today and neglected you. You've been waiting a while, haven't you?"

He speaks as if concerned, a trace of weariness on his face.

Note!

The phrases "You've been waiting a while, ba?" and "You waited for a long time" may seem nearly identical, but their implications are subtly different with the addition of the particle "ba".

"You waited for a long time" leans more toward consolation and reassurance.

But adding "ba" makes it sound more like a polite formality, completely hollow.

It’s as if saying, "(I'm just being courteous by acknowledging your wait), but if you actually take it seriously, that’s not ideal."

Given this phrasing, there’s only one acceptable answer at the moment.

Consort Ping also senses the subtlety in his words—she files it away for future use...

Her eyes widened in alarm.

She genuinely doesn’t respond immediately after Kangxi’s remark, and in barely a heartbeat, she hears the hard-won favor points drop by half again!

And judging by Kangxi’s expression, not a flicker of annoyance shows that he’s displeased by her delayed reply.

Yet the fact remains—it dropped!

Before she could even build up much goodwill, it’s already being halved.

If not for the inappropriate setting, Consort Ping would have barely stopped herself from snapping.

If not for the obvious like-o-meter warning, she might have actually bought that he didn’t mind at all!

"Your Majesty, your words honor this concubine. This concubine is already immensely grateful that Your Majesty does not blame me for disturbing you." She also appeared flustered by Your Majesty’s kindness, then seemed to remember something.

"Rather, it is Your Majesty who has worked hard. Before coming, I had a stew prepared to bring along. Would Your Majesty like to try it?" She used the soup to change the subject.

Before coming, she had thought about bringing something new and exciting for the time, such as shaved ice, milk tea, or specialty snacks—anything to stand out in the harem.

However, at this moment, other concubines were also planning to send special treats. Consort Ping worried they might just copy her.

After all, it wasn’t just about being the first to offer something unique—they were also spying on what others were preparing.

If they copied her, how would she stand out? It would be better to wait until Kangxi visited her quarters before unveiling her surprises. If he found them tasty and new, it might earn her more favor.

Perhaps he might even visit more frequently, lured by the exclusive treats at her place. After all, the imperial kitchen’s dishes had grown predictable. If she introduced unique snacks unavailable there, it would be an attraction.

She’d make it seem that whenever he visited her, she would always present something delicious and novel. Only at her place could he taste something different and fresh—the contrast would highlight her uniqueness over time.

Like winning a man over with food, she’d heard that ‘predecessor’ never figured this out.

Even if Rong Noble Consort later copied her, she would still get credit. As long as Rong Noble Consort followed suit, she could even reinforce her presence.

"Consort Ping is also like this," "Consort Ping..."—she could always be mentioned in the same breath.

These plans Consort Ping reserved for when Kangxi visited her. For now, she played it safe with standard imperial soup.

When Kangxi heard she had brought soup, he no longer mentioned waiting and gave a nod to indulge her.

Consort Ping had the palace attendants bring it forward, though it couldn’t be served to Kangxi immediately. The attendants began inspecting the stew in her presence.

Her smile faded slightly. Though she understood that the emperor’s food must be tested for poison, having it done so openly still made her uncomfortable, as if she weren’t trusted.

The attendants’ tasting would take a little longer.

Only after this entire ordeal, once confirmed safe, was the soup placed before Kangxi.

Before he could lift the spoon, Consort Ping, smiling warmly, picked it up first. Her slender fingers adorned with delicate nail guards held the spoon as she scooped a portion and brought it to Kangxi’s lips, offering to feed him. Softly, she said, "Your Majesty, please taste it."