Chapter 246

Chapter 246

Though it was one-sided, Kangxi barely got a word in throughout the entire process—there was no real argument.

But hey, it still counts.

Little milk dragon gave a hesitant "ah," his expression blank with confusion and helplessness.

Su Yi pinched little milk dragon's cheek—it was like squishing a soft, dazed custard bun—so plush! The thought that this delightful squishiness would fade as he grew up gave her a pang of heartache and regret.

Kids were just the cutest—so easy to tease.

"What’s with that look? You seem totally lost," Su Yi mused, not that she stopped pinching his cheek.

"H-Honored Mother Consort..." Though it didn’t hurt, little milk dragon’s speech was slightly muffled from his squished face. His eyes were all big and pitiful, but he obediently stayed put, letting her pinch away.

"What’s wrong?" Su Yi’s voice went all sweet and cooing.

Ugh, she couldn’t help it—just like seeing an adorable kitten or puppy, she slipped into that tone without thinking.

At least she finally let go of his squishy cheek.

Little milk dragon shuffled closer, cheeks still pink. "Then... is Honored Mother Consort unhappy? I heard bottling up anger is really bad for you." He remembered that Honored Mother Consort wasn’t in the best health—if she fell ill, it would take a while to recover, and he wouldn’t be able to visit often.

Just thinking about it made him anxious.

"Hmm..." Su Yi rested her chin in her hand, studying the custard bun before her. "Just a teensy bit," she sighed, letting a flicker of sadness show.

Might as well humor the little guy—if she said she wasn’t upset, he probably wouldn’t believe her anyway.

Though honestly, she *had* been kinda grumpy today.

But hey, since the blame was already on him, and he wasn’t here to defend himself... well, what was one more accusation?

A guy could take a little blame—it wasn’t like this would affect Kangxi much anyway.

(Kangxi: ??)

Little milk dragon perked up a little at that. At least Honored Mother Consort was telling him instead of bottling it up.

If she said it out loud, he could fix it!

That way, her mood would improve.

Su Yi humored him, slowly brightening under little milk dragon’s earnest efforts to lift her spirits.

Then, to the sweet-talking, hardworking little one, she said, "It’s all thanks to our Baocheng—that tiny bit of unhappiness has completely flown away now. You must be worn out, huh?"

She wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief and poured him some water. "You worked hard," she murmured, gently patting his head.

Little milk dragon drank the water, finding it oddly sweet. When Honored Mother Consort said he’d worked hard, he swallowed and replied, "Making Honored Mother Consort happy could *never* be tiring!"

How could cheering her up ever feel like work? Not in the slightest!

Successfully lifting her mood filled little milk dragon with a sense of accomplishment. As he left, he practically floated out on cloud nine.

Honestly, his imperial father—how could a grown man like him still argue with Honored Mother Consort?

He'd never dare upset the Honored Mother Consort.

He's really so immature.

(Kangxi: What?!)

Qinxin witnessed everything and couldn't help but feel filled with self-doubt.

Her Highness was actually upset, and even the Crown Prince noticed it—yet she failed to see it. What a failure on her part.

Qinxin couldn't help but blame herself.

She wasn't doing her job well enough.

Meanwhile, the news that the Imperial Noble Consort had taken Noble Lady Qing to Yonghe Palace naturally spread quickly among those who kept a close eye on Yonghe Palace.

This was practically a hot topic. Previously, when Rong Noble Consort was recuperating in the Palace of Heavenly Purity, they couldn’t snoop around—no one dared stick their nose in the affairs of the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Though they were eager to learn about Rong Noble Consort’s movements, they just had to hold back.

Now that Rong Noble Consort had finally moved back to Yonghe Palace, weren’t there way fewer restrictions than before?

Moreover, the trip wasn't exactly kept quiet, so it was easy to find out.

Soon, they deduced the Imperial Noble Consort’s intention in bringing Noble Lady Qing to see Rong Noble Consort.

They should have known—even if the Imperial Noble Consort couldn’t go herself, she would definitely add her newly entered younger sister to the entourage.

They knew exactly how the Imperial Noble Consort's mind worked. Whether out of genuine sisterly affection or not, it was better to send her own sister than let others get all the benefits. Otherwise, wouldn’t it just be letting others benefit for nothing?

After all, compared to the Imperial Noble Consort, Noble Lady Qing was barely noticeable.

When she first entered the palace, she was overshadowed by Consort Ping, who hogged all the attention. If not for the fact that Noble Lady Qing was the Imperial Noble Consort’s sister—a Xiao Tongjia Shi—she might have disappeared without a trace within days like any other newcomer. Who would have noticed a minor noble lady?

Rong Noble Consort was most likely to join the entourage. Though she seemed to be on the outs with the Emperor now, it would be a great loss to miss the trip just because of a little spat.

So she would definitely go.

With how things stood, Consort Ping was also likely to be included. No matter how displeased the Imperial Noble Consort was, she wouldn’t deliberately suppress Consort Ping at this moment—that would only look like she was picking on her.

Sending Noble Lady Qing along was more like having her go in the Imperial Noble Consort’s stead. After all, a Tongjia had to be in the mix.

However, no matter what, Noble Lady Qing was still just a minor noble lady now. If no one looked out for her during the journey, the concubines who usually maintained fake niceties with the Imperial Noble Consort might not necessarily give her the time of day.

After all, with such a long journey ahead, would the Imperial Noble Consort’s influence still hold as firmly as it did within the palace?

There were plenty of ways to ensure Noble Lady Qing wouldn’t get to make a splash. Even if the Imperial Noble Consort found out afterward, what could she do? On the surface, they wouldn’t have left any evidence of wrongdoing!

Would the Imperial Noble Consort really go after them one by one to settle scores?

Even if she could find fault and retaliate, if the trip failed to achieve its intended purpose, the missed opportunity would be gone forever—no amount of complaining would change that. It would still be a loss.

So the Imperial Noble Consort had to smooth the path a little for Noble Lady Qing.

Now, by taking her to Yonghe Palace, wasn’t she just finding someone to look after Noble Lady Qing?

And who could be a better choice than Rong Noble Consort at this moment?

The relationship between the Imperial Noble Consort and Rong Noble Consort seemed quite amicable now.

Though, in their eyes, it was hard to say how much sincerity was truly behind it.

But under the current circumstances, Noble Consort Rong would surely show some favor to Noble Lady Qing out of deference to the Imperial Noble Consort.

Otherwise, wouldn’t that displease the Imperial Noble Consort?

It would also strain their relationship.

Even if just to maintain this seemingly good rapport, Noble Consort Rong would likely extend some favor to Noble Lady Qing for the Imperial Noble Consort’s sake.

Everyone knew how frequently the Emperor visited Noble Consort Rong.

With Noble Lady Qing accompanying Noble Consort Rong, the chances of the Emperor noticing her would be far greater than if she remained in the harem. Eventually, the Emperor was bound to notice.

After all, Noble Lady Qing is Xiao Tongjia Shi, a cousin of the Emperor!

She’s no ordinary minor noble lady.

The Imperial Noble Consort had played her hand well.

Then, Qinxin, who had been paying attention, noticed that her mistress’s bedtime was indeed later than usual.

She stared vacantly at the candle stand for the length of a burning incense stick before seeming to snap out of it and retire.

Given how strictly her mistress kept to her schedule, this delay was truly unusual.

Qinxin wanted to ask, but her mistress only seemed distracted for a moment before retiring with her usual composure.

It appeared as though she had merely been passing the time, with nothing amiss, leaving Qinxin no reason to inquire further.

Su Yi lay awake, mulling over the day’s events.

Today, when the Imperial Noble Consort brought Noble Lady Qing along, not only had the latter been studying her discreetly, but Su Yi had also taken note of her.

Not because of the Imperial Noble Consort’s intentions in bringing Noble Lady Qing.

But because she remembered—after her 'recovery,' the Imperial Noble Consort had once visited to check on her illness.

At the time, though only a few days had passed since their last meeting, when the Imperial Noble Consort came to see her, she noticed that the ominous signs of a shortened lifespan, which had nearly dissipated, had deepened again.

Fate may be written, but the ink isn’t dry.

But where had things gone wrong? The cause remained unclear.

The answer was revealed today.

The disruption came from Noble Lady Qing, whom the Imperial Noble Consort had brought along.

Noble Lady Qing, who should not have entered the palace at this time, had done so anyway.

With this wildcard in play, the fate of the Imperial Noble Consort, connected to her, had also shifted.

Reading between the lines of the Imperial Noble Consort’s move...

“What a shame to lose it,” Su Yi couldn’t help sighing. After all, some treasures lose their luster once harvested.

Even perfectly preserved, they’ll never match their living glory.