Chapter 253

Chapter 253

In other words, Kangxi ended up getting scolded just to make the Honored Mother Consort wake up early, yet in the end, she didn’t even come to see him off—at most, they just happened to leave together.

After sorting everything out, Kangxi: "..."

Meanwhile, little milk dragon was holding hands and heading to school, absolutely thrilled along the way. His little mouth never stopped chattering, his cheeks flushed, and he walked with a spring in his step.

Dawn hadn’t fully broken, and a light mist lingered.

Su Yi watched little milk dragon’s cheerful demeanor, too distracted to watch where he was going as he kept looking up to talk to her. It didn’t feel like he was heading to morning lessons—more like a picnic in the park.

“Are you really that happy?” Su Yi asked gently.

“Mm-hmm!” Little milk dragon nodded eagerly, his smile widening even more.

“Then,” Su Yi paused, bending down, “would you like me to walk you to lessons every morning?”

She could nap later if needed, though it had been a long time since she’d woken up this early.

Su Yi knew she wouldn’t remain in the palace indefinitely, and she wasn’t sure if she’d get to see little milk dragon grow up. Before then, brightening the little one’s childhood seemed like a good idea—and it wasn’t too hard for her to do.

She expected little milk dragon to immediately nod eagerly, especially since he had been so visibly happy about her sending him today, chatting nonstop and holding her hand tightly the whole way.

But unexpectedly, little milk dragon hesitated and then shook his head.

Before Su Yi could ask why, he quickly explained in his tiny voice, “If Honored Mother Consort sends Baocheng every day, it’ll be too much trouble for you. Baocheng doesn’t want Honored Mother Consort to go to so much trouble. Baocheng will visit you after class anyway!”

If Honored Mother Consort had to take him to morning lessons daily, she’d have to wake up early every time, and after dropping him off, she’d have to make the trip back by herself. It’d be better if she just got more rest in the mornings.

Little milk dragon knew Honored Mother Consort wasn’t used to waking up early. Though he was really happy to have her send him, once in a while was plenty—no need for every day.

This little one was truly thoughtful and considerate.

Su Yi’s gaze softened even more. “I see.”

What an incredibly sweet child.

She blinked, as if having an idea. “Then Honored Mother Consort won’t escort you daily. But on the occasional mornings when I do wake up early, I’ll send you like today—how’s that?”

Little milk dragon’s eyes lit up, and this time, he nodded eagerly without hesitation. “Mm-hmm!”

That way, Honored Mother Consort wouldn’t overdo it.

Having reached this pleasant agreement, Su Yi and little milk dragon continued cheerfully on their way to the classroom.

Though Su Yi herself didn’t mind being late, letting little milk dragon be late because of her was out of the question.

No kid would ever be late on her account!

Absolutely not!

Of course, they weren’t late. But as they reached the entrance, little milk dragon’s grin faltered a little, as if thinking, *How did we get here so fast? Why is the walk so short?*

Still, he didn’t linger. Instead, he quickly waved goodbye to Su Yi and went inside. After walking a short distance, he turned back to look—only to find Su Yi still standing there, watching him. Seeing her hadn’t left yet, he couldn’t help but beam from ear to ear.

Only then did he truly settle in for morning lessons.

But the Crown Prince, affectionately nicknamed the "little milk dragon," was clearly in great spirits today. Even though he tried to contain himself, his young age betrayed a few hints of his cheerful mood.

Even though the Fourth Prince was just a little kid goofing around now, his inner self wasn’t truly a child anymore. He could tell at a glance that his Second Brother, the Crown Prince, was in high spirits and even more fired up than usual.

As for the First Prince, he knew the reason. If there was a set time for morning study, then the First Prince was a grind king, hell-bent on one-upping even during morning study by arriving earlier than the Crown Prince.

Starting early and working harder than the other—that was his goal!

But don’t be fooled by the little milk dragon’s usual tendency to act spoiled. When it came to diligence, he could hold his own just as well.

Normally, even if the First Prince arrived early, he wouldn’t necessarily beat the little milk dragon by much. Sometimes, he couldn’t arrive significantly earlier every time.

So, they were pretty evenly matched.

After all, the Study Hall wasn’t open all day with tutors present. Arriving a bit earlier or later didn’t make much difference, but neither would be considered late.

Today, however, the First Prince clearly arrived earlier than the little milk dragon.

At first, he was smug about beating the other today. But after a while, he noticed that the little milk dragon seemed to arrive later than usual.

After all, no one understood a rival better than another rival.

So, the First Prince took his book and stepped outside, pretending to take an air break while actually scouting for why the little milk dragon hadn’t arrived yet.

Then he found out that today, Rong Noble Consort had accompanied the Crown Prince to morning study, which was why he was late.

Despite arriving late, the little milk dragon was in a chipper mood and even more fired up than usual.

The First Prince gritted his teeth: !!

Especially since today, the Crown Prince didn’t engage in their usual back-and-forth at all. He seemed completely unbothered, couldn’t care less, remaining full of energy all day.

First Prince: !!

As for the matter of Rong Noble Consort seeing off the Crown Prince to morning study, of course, the tutors at the Study Hall had to report it to Kangxi.

Though their words weren’t too blunt, there was a hint that Rong Noble Consort might be coddling the Crown Prince too much.

Not to mention that such indulgence wasn’t beneficial for a prince’s growth, there was also concern that Rong Noble Consort might have a hidden agenda.

But since the Grand Empress Dowager and the Emperor had quietly approved Rong Noble Consort overseeing the Crown Prince’s care, the tutor’s remarks were carefully worded.

Kangxi’s reaction was indifferent. *I know.*

This kind of reply was like his responses to the flowery, empty greetings in memorials from officials across the land—*I am well* or *I know.*

Didn’t Kangxi already know whether the escort had happened or not? Why bring it up again?

And who was it that made the Noble Consort wake up early today? Did they even realize how difficult it was to get her out of bed in the morning?

The difficulty was something Kangxi, who had been scolded that morning, could feel in his bones.

And yet,

she hadn’t even escorted him!

Meanwhile, this busyness passed.

But now, here was the tutor bringing it up again—wasn’t this a not-so-subtle way of reminding Kangxi about what happened that morning?! No surprise Kangxi’s reaction was pissed.

Seeing that Kangxi did not dwell on the matter, the Imperial Tutor tactfully shifted the topic to the princes' lessons that day.

The Emperor inquired daily about the princes' academic progress, and after the report, the Imperial Tutor withdrew.

Originally intending to continue processing petitions, Kangxi remembered the timing was appropriate and instructed Liang Jiugong to handle the matter.

Liang Jiugong headed a lengthy train of servants, each carrying or hauling items, their arms laden with an abundance of goods. The group followed him in a manner impossible to ignore.

Not only were the sheer volume of gifts clearly intended as rewards eye-catching, but the fact that Liang Jiugong himself led the procession made it even harder to keep a low profile.

Naturally, everyone watched closely to see where the procession was headed, their gazes tinged with envy and sourness.

The goods flowed like a steady stream into Yonghe Palace.

Though not entirely unexpected, this development left many seething with jealousy.

Earlier that morning, Yonghe Palace had "accidentally" shattered dozens of pieces. The report to the Imperial Household Department was downright astonishing—how could so many things be broken "by accident"?

The excuse of "accidental breakage" was hard to swallow.

After all, when items were broken in a consort's palace, the usual explanations were either "accidental" or pinning it on clumsy servants. As long as the number wasn't excessive and could be replaced, such incidents were typically overlooked with a wink.

To question whether the breakage was truly accidental was just asking for trouble.

Yet, the sheer volume reported by Yonghe Palace made it hard to believe it was mere clumsiness or accidents.

Still, since it involved Yonghe Palace, the Imperial Household Department had no choice but to file the report.

This incident became the talk of the harem. Everyone had moments of anger where things were broken, but even in the heat of emotion, restraint was exercised. Any damage had to be discreetly covered with a plausible excuse—otherwise, it could later be used as ammunition in court intrigues.

After a sleepless night with nothing to show for it, this show made their night worthwhile after all.

Yet, the broken items appeared to be just that—broken. Rong Noble Consort had even escorted the Crown Prince to his morning studies with a smile, leaving Yonghe Palace alongside the Emperor, without a hint of tension whatsoever.

Were it not for the confirmed report to the Imperial Household Department—something palace servants wouldn't dare fabricate—one might think it was like it never happened at all, as if it were all a misunderstanding.

The situation seemed completely baffling.

So many things were broken, yet everything appeared perfectly fine.

Could it be that, out of consideration for the Crown Prince's presence, Kangxi and Rong Noble Consort simply concealed their conflict...?

Then, witnessing Liang Jiugong leading an endless procession of treasures into Yonghe Palace hit like a lightning strike.

All these items came directly from the Emperor's private treasury. After a morning of shattered valuables, everything was now replaced in full—with interest!

Not only was everything restored, but the compensation was even more generous than what had been lost.

And this didn’t even account for the additional goods the Imperial Household Department would inevitably send to Yonghe Palace later.

It was reversal after reversal, never following the expected course, always veering in the least desired direction.

This whiplash of emotions left everyone completely spent by the end of the day—more exhausting than anything else.

Consort Ping—Consort Ping was seeing red.

Truly, no one could have predicted that things would play out like this. For heaven's sake, just have it out already!

If not a full-blown argument, then at least something like the previous days!

Consort Ping suddenly realized that her actions yesterday, which she had thought were entirely under her control, were utterly foolish!

How could she have anticipated such a turn of events?

It was as if everything she’d imagined had happened, yet none of it turned out as expected—events unfolded, but with so many twists and turns that, in the end, the two of them ended up weirdly unharmed.

Without even thinking, Consort Ping could guess that the harem was definitely gossiping about whether she had lost her mind. Instead of stirring up drama, she had only managed to make a mess of things.

She never should’ve tried to act smart in front of the Emperor!

No doubt, people were already badmouthing her—not just for being meddlesome, but for making such a high-profile display of confidence, only for it to backfire. And what happened? Nothing!

If Consort Ping hadn’t interfered, things might still be like they were a few days ago!

Could it possibly be worse than today?!

The concubines, feeling completely played, couldn’t help but lose their composure.

Meanwhile, Noble Lady Wan, visiting Duan Noble Consort’s quarters, couldn’t resist pulling Noble Lady Qing aside to discuss the matter, her face twisted in anger. As she spoke, her words gradually shifted to pretending to feel sorry for Noble Lady Qing.

After all, though they were both of the same rank, there was still a huge gap.

Noble Lady Qing had Imperial Noble Consort as her elder sister and backing—even if things were quiet now, it was only a matter of time.

Noble Lady Wan was just buttering her up, though she occasionally visited on Duan Noble Consort’s behalf to gather information. That way, when Noble Lady Qing rose in favor, she might remember their current sisterly bond and throw her a bone, right?

So, while she pretended to speak out of concern for Noble Lady Qing, her true intention was to push her into speaking up in front of Imperial Noble Consort.

They were sisters, after all. Even if Imperial Noble Consort and Rong Noble Consort were on good terms now, family always comes first.

Noble Lady Qing merely listened, refraining from easy agreement. She wasn’t fooled by Noble Lady Wan’s act but chose not to expose her to avoid an awkward scene.

Still, she wouldn’t fall for such an obvious provocation.

But when Noble Lady Wan started crossing the line, she tactfully interrupted her.

She warned her about spies and signaled for her to stop. Noble Lady Wan finally snapped out of it, suddenly terrified—if her earlier heated words were overheard and spread…

Her mind cleared instantly, and she backpedaled with a fake laugh, while Noble Lady Qing pretended not to have heard anything untoward and continued the conversation.

After a while, Noble Lady Wan excused herself, claiming she had other matters to attend to, and Noble Lady Qing instructed her personal maid to see her out.

The moment Noble Lady Wan returned to her own quarters, her expression darkened. She couldn’t help but spit out a curse under her breath, muttering, "Such a fake."

Putting on airs.

Her changed demeanor was a stark contrast to the affectionate, sisterly act she had put on earlier in front of Noble Lady Qing.

The jealousy she’d hidden finally flashed in her eyes.

When Noble Lady Qing’s maid returned after escorting Noble Lady Wan out, she remarked, "My lady, Noble Lady Wan’s getting bolder with her words."

Her big mouth could get her in trouble—let alone risk dragging her mistress down with her.

"If Noble Lady Wan visits again, say I’m not feeling well," Noble Lady Qing said, picking up her scissors to resume trimming the potted plant before her.

The task had been set aside earlier due to Noble Lady Wan’s arrival.

Once she left, Noble Lady Qing went back to trimming her plants, unfazed.

However, she was not trimming the branches and leaves. Two flowers had bloomed, and instead of pruning the surrounding foliage to better accentuate the blossoms,

she snipped off the most splendid flower with a sharp *snip* and set it aside.

Only the other flower remained—not yet fully bloomed, but already showing signs that it would rival the one just cut when it fully opened.

Yet, with one flower missing, the harmony of the potted plant was abruptly disrupted, making it appear as though the pruning had ruined it entirely—a jarring flaw.

She should have trimmed the foliage, not the flower.

Noble Lady Qing, however, continued at her own pace, carefully trimming the surrounding leaves.

With meticulous trimming, the imbalance caused by the missing flower was gradually corrected, and the once seemingly ruined arrangement regained its symmetry.

Only then did Noble Lady Qing set down the scissors, admiring her handiwork with quiet satisfaction.

She then picked up the severed flower, peeling off its petals one by one and laying them across the soil in the pot.

Pushing aside the topsoil, she buried each petal, gently covering them with soil.

Her jade-like hands grew dirtied from the task, prompting her maid to hastily offer a handkerchief. "My lady, your hands will get dirty—let this maid handle it."

But Noble Lady Qing did not stop, nor did she allow the maid to take over. She continued until every petal was buried before finally accepting the handkerchief and slowly wiping her hands clean.