After all, the Fifth and Seventh Princesses were born to the Uya clan; he didn’t want Fang He to worry about them.
Fang He didn’t care anymore about Kangxi eavesdropping—it was out of her hands.
She rested her chin in her hands and looked at Kangxi expectantly, “How about you hold a martial arts tournament in Jingcheng? We can take the princesses out in disguise and pick out sons-in-law right then and there!”
Kangxi: “……….”
‘Are you doing it for the princesses, or for yourself?’
When she saw Kangxi’s phoenix eyes narrow slightly, Fang He shrank her neck and muttered under her breath.
“It’s not like I’ll lose a piece of flesh for watching, and I wouldn’t mind if you watched the dancing girls either!”
Kangxi chuckled—he bet she’d watch more eagerly than he would.
If word got out, the good reputation he’d just built for this rascal would vanish like an illusion.
He pinched Fang He’s cheek and said, “Just be at ease. Next year, when we head north, bring more people to Beimeng and look again then.”
Fang He covered her face and groaned.
When they got to Beimeng, with all those ladies to entertain, could she still cheer at the ring for the handsome young men as before?
Helpless, she could only keep her irritation bottled up and go back to work.
***
In November, unusually heavy snow fell in Jingcheng for three days straight.
Outside the city, the roads vanished beneath the snow; a single step could plunge a person in up to their thigh.
Inside the city, many houses collapsed under the weight, and not a few people froze to death.
Kangxi immediately sent men to clear the snow, ordered the Ministry of Revenue and Ministry of Works, along with Shuntian Prefecture, to resettle the disaster victims as quickly as possible.
Fang He also received word from the Princess of Chengyuan, who wanted to go distribute porridge and asked that it be done in the name of the Imperial Noble Consort, so as to avoid trouble from corrupt officials below.
Fang He agreed right away and summoned Wei Zhu.
Now that wool from Beimeng was being steadily shipped to Jingcheng, the Imperial Household Department had chosen people to open a factory for processing wool felt.
The best products were sent to the palace and noble households.
But there was always some lower-quality wool.
Fang He had kept those for emergencies—just for times like these.
She instructed Wei Zhu, “Have the storeroom opened and send the more than two thousand wool blankets in storage to the Princess of Chengyuan’s residence for distribution to the disaster victims.”
Wei Zhu hesitated, silent.
Fang He had been troubled by trivial matters every day recently, Jiujiu and the Fifth Princess were stranded at Hot Springs Palace and she couldn’t send supplies—she was already worried, and now her irritation grew.
“If you have something to say, just say it. What could you possibly be afraid to say to me?”
Wei Zhu hurriedly said, “The batch of blankets you mentioned… They were stored at Xisi Storehouse next to Ji’an Office. That was arranged by Chief Steward Guwalgiya Keda.”
“When the snow first fell, I feared you’d need them, so I had someone check. Those blankets… were all rotted in storage. It’s hard to tell if they’re the ones you had put there before.”
He ventured cautiously, “Should we report this to His Majesty?”
Fang He felt her head spin, and only after thinking it through did she understand.
“You mean the Crown Prince’s wife’s cousin embezzled the blankets?”
The current chief of the Imperial Household Department was Guwalgiya Keda, the eldest son of Imperial Son-in-law Shi Huashan.
He shouldn’t need such petty profits.
Thinking of this incident in the Imperial Household Department, with the Imperial Inspectorate reporting nothing, Fang He’s anger flared.
But since it involved the Crown Prince, she couldn’t handle it rashly.
Kangxi was planning to have the Crown Prince yield to Yin Hui and had even arranged for him to travel abroad with his wives in a few years; thus, he’d become more lenient toward Yuqing Palace and the Shijia family.
If she embarrassed the Crown Prince’s wife over something neither big nor small, Kangxi might end up caught between them.
Suppressing her anger, she pinched her brow and replied, “No need to inform His Majesty yet. Go to Yuqing Palace and inform the Crown Prince’s wife. Ask what she says.”
If her cousin could make up for the loss quickly, Fang He would let it go for Kangxi’s sake.
Wei Zhu paused, then bowed and left respectfully.
But as soon as he stepped out, he frowned.
He doubted it would go as smoothly as his sister hoped.
Even before the Crown Prince’s wife married, everyone knew she would be deposed and would have to go abroad with the Crown Prince.
But the Crown Prince was not affectionate toward her and preferred his two side consorts.
Yet, with an imperial marriage decree, unless the Emperor rescinded it, no one could refuse, and Fang He could hardly advise the Emperor against giving the Crown Prince a wife.
The Crown Prince’s wife and the Shijia were aggrieved but dared not voice it due to imperial authority.
They knew very well that if not for the Imperial Noble Consort and the Fifteenth Prince, the Crown Prince wouldn’t be in this position, and Shijia wouldn’t have produced a deposed Crown Prince’s wife.
So they wouldn’t dare commit any major offense, but secretly causing trouble or giving the Imperial Noble Consort a hard time—they certainly dared.
Usually, Guwalgiya Keda caused Wei Zhu no end of trouble.
The Imperial Inspectorate should have known about this, and since the Emperor hadn’t reacted, it was likely because, like Wei Zhu, he didn’t want to trouble Fang He and quietly suppressed the matter.
Today, when Wei Zhu finally spoke up, he’d thought Fang He would take the opportunity to stir up trouble and rein in Guwalgiya Keda’s irritating tricks.
But Fang He actually let it go, even telling him to ask the Crown Prince’s wife for her opinion… which was quite out of character.
He feared her sister would be even angrier after hearing the reply.
Sure enough, when Wei Zhu left Yuqing Palace, he could barely keep up the respectful façade, his face faintly green.
When he entered the main hall of Yanxi Palace, Fang He was lost in thought, frowning.
Seeing his look, Fang He knew immediately the errand had not gone well.
She asked flatly, “What did the Crown Prince’s wife say?”
Wei Zhu replied awkwardly, “The Crown Prince’s wife said Chief Steward Keda had already reported to His Majesty, asking to use the blankets for disaster relief, and had sent a batch to Shanxi earlier.”
“As for the stock at Xisi Storehouse, Chief Steward Keda feared you’d need them, so he used his own money to replenish them, saying they were still good at the time.”
Wei Zhu had already checked the records; all the documents appeared proper.
But the official who issued the documents had since been exiled from the capital—there was no way to hold him accountable now.
He glanced up and said softly, “The Crown Prince’s wife also said…”
Fang He remained calm, “Just say it.”
“She said, the storehouse is next to Ji’an Office, and earlier, you cleared away all nearby eunuchs, leaving no patrols. If the blankets went bad, perhaps the Ji’an Office guards should be restored to prevent such things in the future.”
The meaning was clear: if not for Fang He’s jealousy, driving the other consorts “to sudden death” and clearing out the guards around Ji’an Office, this wouldn’t have happened.
Fang He nodded, her voice even calmer, “So she’s blaming me for making trouble, saying I should look for the fault in myself first?”
Well, she’d never liked self-reflection anyway.
After thinking a bit, she instructed Wei Zhu, “Go to Cui Wei and get ten thousand taels of silver, send it to the Princess of Chengyuan so she can buy some quilts.”
Wei Zhu was indignant, “But what about the Crown Prince’s wife and Guwalgiya Keda…”
“I’ll handle that. Just go.” Fang He didn’t let him finish.
Wei Zhu hesitated, sighed inwardly, and left respectfully.
As soon as he left, Fang He turned and went into the inner chamber.
Her attendant Fue quickly followed and asked, “Mistress, are you feeling unwell? Should I call the imperial physician?”
Clearly, everyone thought that the Crown Prince’s wife daring to disrespect the Imperial Noble Consort meant she’d raise a storm.
But Fang He didn’t make a fuss as Fue expected.
After all, if things were always a mess, eventually everyone would get tired of it.
Especially since it involved other imperial offspring, and Kangxi already felt guilty toward the other side.
She simply changed into thicker clothing, dismissed the others, and took only Cui Wei to the Fubi Pavilion in the Imperial Garden.
After the heavy snow, though there were no flowers to admire, there were still some wintersweet blossoms.
The pavilions had cotton curtains to keep out the cold, stone tables with braziers built in so one could enjoy hot pot.
Fang He ordered a fish-and-lamb hotpot from the Imperial Kitchen and said to Cui Wei, “Sit down. Let’s have a chat.”
Cui Wei was a little surprised, “Mistress, how could I dare…”
“Just sit if I tell you. No nonsense.” Fang He glared at her.
“We used to gossip in the corner by the Imperial Tea Room, and you didn’t say you were afraid then.”
Cui Wei laughed—’that was different, surely?’
Back then, the mistress was just a palace maid; now, she was the mistress.
But she said nothing and sat down cheerfully.
“What does Mistress want to talk about?”
“Do you remember what I used to be like?” Fang He rested her chin on her hand, gazing unfocused at the snowy scene outside.
“Not before my aunt passed away, I mean before I had Jiujiu.”
Cui Wei was silent for a moment, guessing what Fang He was getting at.
She replied softly, “Back then, you were alone, so you lived more freely. Now you’re the Imperial Noble Consort, mother of all the princes and princesses; it’s natural to be more cautious sometimes.”
Fang He chuckled, “Only sometimes?”
“Now, whatever I do, I have to weigh the pros and cons—will it trouble the Emperor, will others resent it, will people be disappointed?”
In the past, she’d been lonely and selfish, but mostly happy.
Now she seemed to have everything, but though she was still mostly happy… she had more moments of unease.
Whenever she ran into something unpleasant, she used to want everyone else to be miserable too.
But now, her first instinct was to maintain harmony and find a way to retaliate later.
How was she any different from those other consorts?
Would there come a day when she could coldly take a life without blinking?
She kept telling herself not to let this world change her, but she was unconsciously becoming more like everyone else.
The bubbling hotpot sent up the rich aroma of fish and meat, tossing the longans and goji berries in the broth.
“Cui Wei, I miss my old self.” In the swirling steam, Fang He’s expression was blurred and indistinct.
But Cui Wei thought she caught the glint of a tear at the corner of her mistress’s eye.
Yet Fang He’s voice remained calm, tinged only with faint wistfulness, “Missing that time is terrifying. I’m getting old…”
Cui Wei: “……”
‘Mistress, maybe stop pouting before you say that.’
Suddenly, the crunch of footsteps on snow outside cut off her thoughts.
She hurried to her feet, waiting at the side.
Kangxi entered the pavilion, first warming himself by the brazier in the corner before sitting beside Fang He.
He touched her hand—finding it not cold he smiled and asked, “If you wanted hot pot, why not call for me?”
Fang He said nothing, just replied listlessly, “There’s disaster outside. I know you’re busy. How could I bother you…”
Kangxi squeezed her hand, interrupting her empty pleasantries.
“Anything about you is never a bother to me.”
He looked at Fang He as if he knew everything, his eyes smiling.
“You don’t need to scheme. Just eat well and rest—otherwise, you won’t have the energy when it matters.”
Fang He: “……”
‘How does this scoundrel always manage to turn sweet talk into something that makes me want to bite him!’
Fuming, she lowered her head and picked out a piece of ox tripe she’d just added to the pot, saying nothing more.
After lunch, Kangxi took her back to Qianqing Palace, not letting her return to Yanxi Palace to deal with more palace affairs.
After Fang He fell asleep, Kangxi sat by her side, stroking her hair and watching her quietly for a long time.
When he left Zhaoren Hall, Kangxi decisively ordered Nalan Mingzhu to temporarily take over as Chief Eunuch of the Qianqing Palace, stripped Guwalgiya Keda of his post, and placed him under house arrest, not to be released without imperial command.
At the same time, he sent Qiao Cheng to the Imperial Household Department to replace Wei Zhu’s position, and rewarded Wei Zhu with thirty strokes.
Finally, he ordered Li Dequan to invite Wuyunzhu of Shoukang Palace to Yuqing Palace to admonish the Crown Prince’s wife.
With the new year approaching and a snow disaster upon them, such drastic changes in the palace without a word of explanation from the Emperor left everyone who knew the truth stunned.
What was going on?
The Imperial Noble Consort had only just been coaxed into peace and quiet by everyone, yet now the Emperor was “going mad” again?