And as long as Gu Wenxing took note, he would eventually mention it to Kangxi.
No matter how hard Liang Jiugong tried to block Wei Disheng, it wouldn’t matter in the long run.
Wei Disheng stared at her in shock.
“…Fang He-jie, did you get possessed or something?” Since when was his Fang He-jie this cunning?!
Fang He rolled her eyes and glared at him.
“If it weren’t for you, would I be wasting my brainpower on this? I have no grudge against Chief Eunuch Liang.”
Except for the small fact that he didn’t see her life as worth anything.
Wei Disheng was still young—waiting a little longer to climb the ranks wouldn’t hurt him.
But if she got the chance to see Liang Jiugong take a hit, she was more than happy to wait.
Wei Disheng thought about it for a moment before nodding in satisfaction.
“That’s true. I won’t forget your kindness, and I promise I won’t let you down!”
***
The unpredictability of life hit hard—just a few days later, Fang He wished she could travel back to the day she had given advice to Wei Disheng and slap herself across the face.
She had just said she had no grudge against Liang Jiugong, and yet the wretched eunuch went and pulled the most insufferable stunt possible.
For some reason—who knew which wire in his brain had short-circuited—he took advantage of Kangxi’s early morning court session and gathered all the off-duty palace servants of Qianqing Palace into the narrow passageway beside Jiaotai Hall.
Then, he spent nearly half an hour screaming at them.
“Serving at the emperor’s side is a blessing as rare as smoke rising from your ancestral graves! Some people don’t cherish it, choosing instead to engage in sneaky, underhanded schemes!”
“Let me make this clear—if I catch anyone scurrying around like a pest, scheming and maneuvering, I’ll toss you straight into the mass graves to feed the dogs!”
“All the stewards had better keep their eyes open—one eye open even in your sleep! If anyone dares to make things difficult for me, I’ll make sure you can’t even close your eyes after you’re buried underground!”
…
Fang He and the others stood toward the back, while the stewards, senior maids, and eunuchs took the brunt of Liang Jiugong’s spit-filled fury.
Having just finished a night shift, Fang He had barely gotten an hour of sleep before being dragged out of bed.
Now, she was so exhausted that she could barely keep her eyes open.
Half-conscious, she internally cursed Liang Jiugong alongside him.
What the hell was wrong with this eunuch today?
Was he on his period?!
What she didn’t know was that this whole mess had something to do with her.
Kangxi had indeed only recognized her head, and he was too busy dealing with his unruly sons to bother investigating her identity.
Instead, he took out his frustration on Liang Jiugong.
The moment Liang Jiugong had sent the young princes back to their quarters, he returned to the emperor’s side—only to receive the same verbal beatdown they had.
After scolding him senseless, Kangxi ordered him to receive ten strokes of the paddle at the Internal Affairs Office.
“Let this serve as a lesson for you. The discipline among the palace staff has become too lax. If you can’t manage it properly, then once Eunuch Gu returns from Rehe, you can go back to the Internal Affairs Office and relearn the rules from scratch.”
Liang Jiugong was terrified.
Either His Majesty had lost his temper for no reason, or someone in the palace wasn’t doing their job properly.
Or maybe the incidents with Qiaowen and Wunai had worn Kangxi’s patience thin?
Either way, it was the palace staff’s fault for not handling things properly.
Determined not to let Gu Wenxing enjoy the spectacle, Liang Jiugong dragged his bruised and swollen backside out of bed at dawn to “reestablish order” among the imperial palace servants.
And of course, since he was setting new rules, he wasn’t going to settle for just a scolding—not after what he had suffered.
From that day on, life became hell for everyone working in the Imperial Tea Room, Imperial Kitchen, laundry services, and cleaning staff.
Whether on-duty or off, everyone now had to wake up half an hour earlier than usual.
Before starting their shifts, they had to endure a disciplinary session where the stewards would “tighten their skins”—rewarding those who worked well and punishing those who didn’t.
Even off-duty staff weren’t spared—they had to wake up and listen to the lectures, only to go back to sleep afterward.
Though the weather was growing warmer, Kangxi’s schedule remained unchanged.
He still woke in the dead of night, reviewing lessons and planning strategies.
Lying awake before dawn, Fang He silently cursed Liang Jiugong’s ancestors in every way she could think of.
She had traveled through time, yet she was still stuck in a never-ending, scheduled “corporate training program.”
No overtime pay.
No escape.
Even a donkey wouldn’t be worked this hard!
***
The training dragged on until the end of April.
When Gu Wenxing returned from surveying the Rehe Summer Resort, bringing back the finalized feng shui map for constructing an imperial palace, he found that the rules at court had significantly improved.
Everywhere was quiet.
Palace servants moved carefully, their every action measured as if drawn with a ruler—stricter than even the Internal Affairs Office.
Gu Wenxing silently gave Liang Jiugong credit for making progress.
However, as soon as he returned to the Office of Attendants, he ran into a Palace Superintendent, face solemn, carrying the red court records.
Personally holding a tray with the green selection plaques, Gu Wenxing entered Zhaoren Hall.
Since mid-March, when Consort Guoluo was summoned to Yikun Palace, Kangxi had not visited the harem even once.
Not only that, but even the newly selected sleeping attendants in Qianqing Palace’s side chambers had remained untouched.
This was a serious matter.
Fortunately, the Empress Dowager had been feeling unwell due to the seasonal change and had left for Xiaotangshan to recuperate in the hot springs.
Otherwise, the Office of Attendants would have faced unbearable consequences—they’d be flayed, if not worse.
Not that they hadn’t tried to do their jobs.
Every day, they presented the tray of green plaques before His Majesty.
But if the emperor refused to pick one, what could they do?
Both the court and the harem had been put in their place recently.
The Office of Attendants wasn’t stupid enough to poke the tiger at a time like this.
Even Liang Jiugong knew better than to speak up—he only dared to quietly instruct the Imperial Tea Room to brew more cooling teas for His Majesty.
Only Gu Wenxing had the audacity to approach the emperor directly.
“Your Majesty, this servant understands you are intentionally withholding favor to suppress those with wayward ambitions.
However, after the stick has been wielded, a sweet date must follow—otherwise, you risk giving those ingrates the excuse to spread rumors of betrayal outside the palace.”
Kangxi, sharp-eyed, pulled out the rolled feng shui map from beneath Gu Wenxing’s tray, smiling idly.
“Oh? So Eunuch Gu has been hearing people gossiping?”
“Did you make a record? If you can gather solid evidence, go ahead and raid their homes—we’ll split it seventy-thirty, and I’ll let you keep more for your retirement.”
Gu Wenxing: “…”
Seeing that the joke had run its course, Gu Wenxing continued calmly.
“Even if not for the rumors, Your Majesty should at least consider your own health. Abstaining for too long harms the dragon body. If the late emperors were to find out, they would be worried as well.”
Kangxi waved a hand with a helpless chuckle.
“Fine, fine, I can’t win against you.”
“It’s not that I intend to abstain forever—I just haven’t decided on who to summon. And with the sea trade issue keeping me occupied, I haven’t had the time to think about it.”
He had spent months disciplining both the court and the harem.
The process was ninety-nine percent complete, but the final step had to be handled properly.
Yes, a sweet date had to be given—but it couldn’t be given too soon.
If the scars hadn’t even healed yet, people might forget the pain too quickly.
Thus, the first concubine he summoned after all this had to be carefully chosen.
The most ideal choice was Consort Ping (Hesheli)—but she was only fourteen this year, still undeveloped.
Kangxi had no interest.
Then there was Consort Xi, but she did not suit his taste, and she was too talkative.
Now that Kangxi held absolute power, he had less patience than ever for displeasing himself.
The higher-ranking concubines he didn’t want to touch for now, and the lower-ranked ones wouldn’t serve any political purpose—worse, it might encourage others to get ideas.
For once, Kangxi was actually stuck.
Gu Wenxing, understanding his dilemma, remained composed.
“The Internal Affairs Office and Office of Attendants both have banner women from the Hesheli clan. A suitable candidate can be selected and sent to the harem after some time.”
If His Majesty wanted to make his stance on the Crown Prince clear, he had to show favor to the Hesheli family.
The Hesheli clan belonged to the Bordered Yellow Banner, and even their household servants could participate in the palace selection process—it was the most fitting choice.
Kangxi wasn’t sure if there was an ideal candidate among them, but it wasn’t his problem to deal with—Gu Wenxing would handle it.
Seeing Kangxi withdraw his hand from the green selection plaques, Gu Wenxing took back the tray and bowed.
“This servant will make the selection and send the name to the palace matrons later today.”
Kangxi smiled.
“Good. I was just telling Liang Jiugong earlier—now that you’re back, I finally feel at ease.”
Outside the door, Liang Jiugong sucked in a breath between his teeth.
His jealousy and resentment were written all over his face—no matter how hard he tried to hide it.
***
That evening, as soon as Fang He arrived at the Imperial Tea Room, she saw Aunt Qin speaking with Cuiwei.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Another midnight training session?
Was she going to be lectured before her shift and again after it?
The moment Aunt Qin spotted her, she waved her over.
“Fang He, His Majesty will be summoning a sleeping attendant tonight. You’ve never served in this role before—can you manage?”
When a concubine was summoned, eunuchs weren’t allowed to enter the chamber.
Only female attendants could handle personal matters before bed.
This was the only time the Imperial Tea Room staff could enter the emperor’s chambers—a privilege that Fang He’s past self had never been assigned.
But Fang He knew that if she declined, she would soon find herself being pushed further down the hierarchy by the newer recruits.
There was no need to be overly cautious about something this minor.
She lowered her eyes and responded in a quiet but firm voice:
“Aunt Qin, I can do it. If you’re worried, I don’t mind having Cuiwei guide me for a few days.”
“I don’t have much time left before leaving the palace—I want to save up as much silver as I can.”
Aunt Qin immediately understood.
Even Cuiwei wasn’t surprised—Fang He had never been the ambitious type.
Concubines often formed connections with the emperor’s attendants, and those who served during summoning nights were often rewarded with silver.
Aunt Qin nodded.
“Then tonight, Cuiwei will accompany you. She’ll enter the chamber, and you will stand guard outside.”
Fang He froze.
Wait, what?
Stand guard?
Did that mean she’d have to… listen to everything?
Suddenly, she regretted her decision.
It wasn’t shyness that bothered her.
It was just…
Who watches a romance film but only listens to the audio?!
This was like being handed a cigarette but not a lighter!
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