Chapter 321

Chapter 321

There’s a difference between staying up late—when you’re having fun, it’s just a late night, but when you’re dead tired and can’t sleep, *that’s* true suffering.

Right now, it was clearly the latter. Nobody was in good spirits, much less happy—least of all the Eldest Prince. He *really* got how cushy his recovery had been, when Rong Noble Consort hadn’t even bothered to show up, leaving him in blissful peace.

When the sudden sound of gongs and drums jolted him awake again, his anger spiked instantly. The guy even had the nerve to look at him like, *You’re not serious.* He couldn’t hold back his fury anymore. Who the hell listens to sutras at night and gets *amped up*? Monks chant at dawn—this is just nuts!

Seeing that the imperial physician was no longer present, screw it, let him black out—he was hanging by a thread anyway. At least unconsciousness would grant him some rest, and he could vent his frustration with just one sentence if he had to!

So, without hesitation, the Eldest Prince slammed the table and roared, "You—!"

The sound of the table being struck was simultaneous with his collapse. He got what he wanted—lights out. But before his consciousness faded, his last thought was: *At least let me finish one sentence!!*

When an impatient man like the Eldest Prince met someone even more impatient, he had truly met his match.

Su Yi moved on pure reflex. The moment the Eldest Prince raised his voice and made a sudden movement, she had already assessed the situation and knocked him out—without the slightest patience to let him finish speaking.

She even put on this shocked face, hand to her chest like she’d been scared out of her wits. "Why did you suddenly slam the table? You scared me!" she said, though she’d still knocked him out without missing a beat.

She let out a shaky breath, voice faint, pressing a hand to her heart as if recovering from a fright.

It was like a cat that claws you first, *then* acts startled—nobody saw it coming. Any sleepiness in the room vanished in a heartbeat, replaced by gasps of “oh shit.” *Eldest Prince, why would you do this to yourself?* Picking *now*, when Her Majesty’s patience was hanging by a thread? That’s just begging for trouble.

Qinxin, her nerves now thoroughly tempered, even had the presence of mind to ask if Her Majesty wished to summon the imperial physician.

On the surface, it was to check on the Eldest Prince. In reality, it was to have the physician wake him up. Those who read the room understood—no words were needed.

Before, no matter what happened, Su Yi had at least allowed people to finish speaking. She had granted that much patience—even Noble Lady Hui a few days prior had been given the chance to rant. But the Eldest Prince? He got *zip*.

Su Yi had no patience left for him. When a woman wept, even if it was just an act, there was at least some fragile beauty to it.

Who hadn’t seen those tearful heroines from the dramas of yesteryear? If nothing else, they cried beautifully—tears rolling down one by one, their smiles equally enchanting. Sure, it’s kinda messed up to enjoy watching a beauty cry, but damn if it isn’t mesmerizing. What harm was there in looking a little longer?

But what did the Eldest Prince have? After spending so long at the Mulan hunting grounds, his skin had darkened like he’d gone through military training without sunscreen. His voice, stuck in that cracky teen phase, was tolerable when speaking normally—but the moment he raised it? Painful. Just *painful*.

And slamming tables? Who did he think he was, treating her belongings like they were nothing?

That clueless, untested idiocy? Su Yi *got* it—but she sure as hell didn’t respect it.

Hearing Qinxin’s suggestion, Su Yi waved a hand dismissively. It wasn’t a big deal—nothing that couldn’t be solved easily. She had watched the imperial physician’s techniques enough times. No professional silver needles? Fine, embroidery needles would do. As long as the acupoints were right, it would work.

But there was an even simpler method—a hard pinch under the nose—instant wake-up call, no frills attached.

Su Yi smiled gently, her slender fingers appearing delicate, her nails kept short. But when she pressed down on his philtrum, it took only moments for the Eldest Prince to wake with a pained gasp.

There was no secret to it—this technique relied entirely on pain stimulation.

The Eldest Prince was awake, but his heart was dead. His nose hurt so bad he almost cried like a baby—not because being forcibly dragged back from unconsciousness had shattered his composure.

No way!

The Eldest Prince was *this close* to losing it. His eyes were red. He couldn’t win in a fight, her attitude was infuriating, and she knocked him out at the slightest provocation. Fine, getting knocked out was one thing—blacking out meant peace, eyes closed, over quickly.

But while others might wake up to find the situation had moved on without them, Rong Noble Consort’s version was different. Yes, it was fast—fast to pass out, fast to wake up. With a doctor, it’s efficient. Without? Free nose-pinch wake-up.

Like now. Seeing the Eldest Prince awake, Su Yi’s smile didn’t waver. She gave him her best ‘I’m listening’ face. "What was it you wanted to say earlier? Feel free to share any opinions you have," she said, all sweet and accommodating.

Yet in the eyes of the First Prince, not a single word rang true. He even wanted to shout, "You say that, but you never let me get a word in!!"

How could she spew such bullshit? Wasn’t this just another way of saying, "You’d better think carefully before you speak"?!

The First Prince didn’t voice it aloud, but he seethed with silent outrage, trying to convey his protest through a fierce glare.

"Why does your gaze make people feel so inexplicably uncomfortable?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the First Prince’s bad premonition flared up. He quickly tried to retract his angry glare—but "Ah!" Darkness swallowed his vision. This time, it wasn’t unconsciousness but a momentary blackout, followed immediately by sharp pain. His vision swam with stars, leaving him dazed and disoriented—pure agony. Clutching his eye, the First Prince let out a pained cry.

Too late, he realized—this wasn’t a chop to the neck. This was a full-on punch, and his eye was definitely going to bruise!!

"I don’t like it. Cut it out," Su Yi declared, utterly unapologetic.

The First Prince had never imagined someone could wield such twisted, overbearing logic. Couldn’t she at least give him a moment to react? Was it so hard to let him retract his glare?!

For fuck’s sake, how could anyone be this impatient and have zero patience?!

The First Prince wanted to stubbornly refuse, to show he wouldn’t bow so easily. But faced with the prospect of one black eye or two, he knew which was worse.

Fine. He’d endure for now. Sooner or later, they’d have to let him go!

Once he was free, if he ever acted this foolishly again, he’d be an idiot!

And anyone who dared egg him on to come here again—he’d take them out first!

Remembering the two who had goaded him into this mess—already dead—the First Prince blamed them entirely. If not for those two fools, none of this would have happened!

Making them all pay was the only way to quell his rage! The First Prince fumed inwardly, though his eyes obediently softened.

What choice did he have? His legs hurt, his head hurt, his neck hurt, his eyes hurt—his whole body ached. What kind of torment was this?!

The now brought-to-heel First Prince: He would endure!

To achieve greatness, one must endure what others cannot!

After a day of physical and mental exhaustion, even though every part of him throbbed with pain, sleepiness still crept in. But just as he was about to drift off, the ear-splitting gongs and drums jolted him awake again. He was utterly drained. Glancing to the side, he saw Rong Noble Consort reclining on her chaise lounge, perfectly alert—while he alone looked haggard. She looked wide awake.

She lounged under the moonlight like it was noon. Meanwhile, he was about to keel over.

The craziest part was that no one stepped forward to call this out as improper. Surely, no matter how lenient His Majesty was, by this hour, he must have received word. At the very least, someone should have been sent to stop Rong Noble Consort from forcing dozens of people to stay awake listening to Buddhist scriptures—such insanity!

Indeed, it was impossible for Kangxi not to know.

He had long anticipated the consequences of cracking down on the household servant clans and the harem-wide demotions.

He had even arranged for people to tend to the First Prince, ensuring no outside disturbances would disrupt his recovery so his wounds could heal in peace.

Yet, even while recuperating, the First Prince had let himself be goaded into provoking the Noble Consort. As a prince, how could he lack such basic judgment? Did he really think he could gain anything from challenging her?

Moreover, Kangxi swiftly uncovered the instigators behind the two troublemakers, firing him up even more. These servants were getting bolder by the day. A single one could weave a vast network of connections, making their schemes impossible to guard against.

At this moment, Kangxi’s tolerance for these household servant clans was at its lowest. Even the slightest hint of defiance—whether real or imagined—was enough to condemn them in his eyes.

When the Noble Consort requested the list, Kangxi had already disposed of the culprits. Efficiency in handling matters would surely please her.

When others said "handle it as you see fit," they meant to do their best, ensuring things were resolved properly and presentably. But when the Noble Consort said it, she truly acted on a whim—leaving chaos in her wake wherever she went.

So Kangxi’s decision not to go at the start was different from his choice not to go later.

Let the Crown Prince recuperate from his injuries while he's at it. After all, the Imperial Noble Consort showed restraint—she even called for the imperial physician to re-dress his wounds before making her move.

(A now four-time punching bag of a Crown Prince with a black eye: "...")

However, the late-night vigil was something Kangxi hadn’t anticipated.

Previously, the Imperial Noble Consort, who would fall asleep quickly as long as she wasn’t disturbed—even avoiding late nights for the sake of beauty—was now leading dozens of people in a collective late-night vigil to listen to Buddhist scriptures. The idea of listening to Buddhist scriptures late at night was a little out there.

Kangxi didn’t need to be there to picture the scene.

The Imperial Noble Consort must’ve been fuming—so much so that she even took the lead in staying up all night.