Ever since his abdication, Kangxi had been spending his free time painting.
The patterns consisted of vertical and horizontal lines, which Fang He initially assumed were architectural surface designs for the upcoming reconstruction of Changchun Garden.
Since the couple had been residing in Changchun Garden for a long time at the behest of the Grand Empress Dowager, construction had also begun in some parts of the Western Garden and the Changchun Garden Outer Lake that had long been delayed.
However, once he carefully applied the colors, Fang He leaned in to take a look and realized something was wrong.
These were not the bright and complex patterns found on corridor eaves.
The pattern consisted of four long and eight short lines, all simple gold-leafed engravings of dragon and phoenix scales and feathers entangled together.
It looked more like…….
Fang He gave Kangxi a subtle look and asked, “Are you drawing a Dragon-Phoenix Coffin??”
‘This man still had nearly ten years of life left in him. Was he planning for his death this early?’
Moreover, it would be one thing if he drew dragon patterns, but even the phoenix patterns…
Fang He saw the smug look in Kangxi’s eyes and suddenly had a bad feeling.
Her heart screamed for her to pounce and cover Kangxi’s mouth but Kangxi was already used to Fang He’s startled behavior.
He calmly pulled her into his arms, pressed his head against the crown of her hair—which was not styled with a banner head—and spoke the words that made Fang He’s scalp tingle.
“This is the Dragon-Phoenix Coffin I designed for the two of us. I and Guoguo shall share the same bed in life and the same—”
Fang He was also used to Kangxi’s restraint.
Like a piece of fried dough, she twisted her old waist and covered Kangxi’s unfinished words with her hand.
She said quickly, “The Emperor is crazy, but Yin Hui is not, and the court officials are not either. This is against ancestral regulations! It’s enough that I’m scolded while I’m alive; I don’t want to leave behind the reputation of a femme fatale who ruined the country after I die!”
Kangxi raised an eyebrow.
He had been ‘crazy’ more than once anyway; it would be a wonder if this rascal was actually afraid.
“Tell the truth!”
Fang He’s eyes darted around, and she immediately said, “Even if I share a coffin with you, there are still two elder sisters in the Dinggong. Would you really let the two Empresses watch your favoritism with their own eyes?”
“They went down there first, after all. What if they resent your favoritism and do something to our ghosts?”
“Don’t tell me it’s impossible. I don’t even know where I came from. What if I’m not Xu Fang He, but just a lonely wandering ghost? If I’m troubled by a great ghost with a Phoenix Fate, then I’ll really have no way to live… no way to be a ghost!”
Kangxi narrowed his eyes slightly, he looked down at Fang He’s little mouth rattling on without any intention of stopping, watching her with a half-smile.
‘When did this rascal talk the most? When she was being unreasonable, not a single word of truth came out.’
He spoke slowly, “You do not want to be buried with me.”
Without thinking, Fang He replied, “Regardless of whether I die first or you do, the coffin will have to be opened eventually. What if we get excited and have a sudden resurrection? Wouldn’t that scare our sons and daughters to death!”
Kangxi repeated the same sentence: “You do not want to be buried with me.”
Fang He opened her mouth, her scalp tingling even more, but she truly could not come up with any other excuse.
What could she say?
Should she say that the Eastern Qing Tombs of the future would become a tourist attraction?
While the other ancestors’ tombs could be viewed, this person’s Dinggong was permanently sealed, with nothing to see.
Why?
Because several waves of major thieves had ransacked Jingling completely, even blasting out groundwater with explosives.
Kangxi, along with four Empresses and one Imperial Noble Consort, had been soaked in the accumulation of water for who knows how long.
Although she didn’t believe these bones had anything to do with the next life after death, and she didn’t know if there even was a next life, what if there was?
She didn’t want people in the future to mention her and say, “Oh, this is the one who was soaked in water with Master Kang!”
No, it would be “one of the ones” soaked in water with Master Kang.
Who wouldn’t be disturbed by such a ghost story of ‘Mandarin ducks playing in the water’?
Fang He thought about it and simply nodded, “Yes, I am unwilling.”
Kangxi was no longer the type to be easily angered by Fang He as he was in the past.
He only patiently pinched her little mouth that couldn’t speak properly and asked, “Why?”
Fang He looked at him gloomily and replied, “While alive, I can be the only one. Can I be the only one when I’m dead? Even if I lie with you, there are two other people lying right there next to us. Do you want me to be unable to close my eyes even in death?”
Don’t mention it—thinking about it this way made Fang He feel a wave of discomfort and jealousy…
It was chilling!
She attributed nine parts of her feeling to the chills and three parts to jealousy.
She pushed Kangxi away unhappily and sat on the other side.
“It took so much effort for me to forget those two sisters. I even thought that if I could meet you first in the next life, maybe there would be a better start. With the two of them there, it would be a blessing if I’m not reincarnated into the animal realm!”
“I’m unwilling. Whose fault is this?”
Kangxi: “…”
“…It is my fault for being born too early. I should have brought you to my side to raise you properly the moment you entered the Imperial Palace, letting you be the Princess Yuan Zhen.”
Fang He was almost made to laugh.
She gave a soft ‘tui’ sound and said, “I was only twelve when I first entered the Imperial Palace.”
This kind of grooming was a bit perverted.
With nearly thirty years of feelings between them, they would no longer argue until things were irreconcilable like they did when they were young, only to slowly make amends later.
They treated it as an old couple having nothing to do but bicker a couple of times; it didn’t affect their moods.
Before going to bed at night, the two glanced at each other.
One slowly rolled over to turn her back, while the other lay flat with a calm composure.
Neither paid the other any mind, waiting for the next morning when they would wake up and naturally embrace each other, turning this chapter over.
But what Fang He didn’t expect was that when she opened her eyes, she was nearly scared out of her wits.
Having lived in luxury for all these years and being pampered like a little princess by her husband and son, Fang He’s composure as a former office worker from when she first transmigrated had been somewhat worn away.
She stared with wide eyes at the simple bedding.
The quilt cover was even a bit old and stiff, let alone the dark blue canopy above her head that had no patterns at all.
Except for when she first transmigrated and lived in a side room, she had never lived in such a shabby place.
When she rolled over to sit up, she immediately noticed something was wrong.
She had become younger, or rather… she was not herself.
Even though Fang He was well-maintained, she was over fifty after all.
Her bodily functions couldn’t compare to a young person’s, and there would always be some places that were uncomfortable, itchy, or painful, which was related to the reduced immunity of the elderly.
No matter how wealthy one was, it was unavoidable.
But now, she felt her body was lighter than ever before.
Even the chilblains on her hands were itching with such vitality.
She carefully looked around this gloomy room with a single narrow window and dazed out for a while.
She couldn’t… have really transmigrated again, could she?
“Master, you’re awake?” A Little Palace Maid wearing shabby clothes came in from outside, stamping her feet.
She rubbed her hands together at the door and breathed into them.
Seeing Fang He sitting up, she was exceptionally surprised.
She walked over quickly and touched Fang He’s forehead with her still chilly hand, letting out a heavy sigh of relief.
“Master, your fever has finally broken. If it didn’t break, Master Hui would have reported it to the Imperial Household Department and sent you to the Ji’an Office.”
Fang He: “…”
Good heavens, she had transmigrated into Master Kang’s pot again??
She quickly calmed down.
Although she was much more pampered than in her… last life, she had been the master of the Imperial Harem for so many years, and the confidence to deal with trouble from two lifetimes was still there.
She asked calmly, “My fever made me a bit confused. What year is it now?”
The Little Palace Maid froze for a moment and quickly replied, “Back to Master, it is now the 32nd year of Kangxi, and there are two months until the New Year.”
Fang He recalled carefully and suddenly remembered that this year seemed to be when she was first titled Imperial Noble Consort.
As for what specifically happened, she didn’t remember very clearly she only remembered that Kangxi fell seriously ill in August, and Yinreng went mad and wanted to kill his father.
Snapping back to reality, she pulled the little girl and smiled by saying, “Thanks to you, otherwise, I would have gone to see the Buddha in my confusion.”
“Consider that I owe you a life. From now on, as long as I have a bite of food, I will never let you go without. We will depend on each other and live our lives well!”
The Little Palace Maid’s eyes quickly turned red, she knelt before Fang He and sobbed, “It was my fault to begin with. If I hadn’t thought that less trouble was better than more, and hadn’t been pulled away by the people from Changchun Palace to do chores without daring to refuse, I wouldn’t have let you go fetch the food alone and catch a cold.”
She paused, lowered her voice, and said urgently, “Master, you’ve essentially walked through the gates of hell once. You must not be as stubborn as before. If you should soften up to Master Hui, then soften up.”
“Don’t look at how Noble Lady Liang lives uncomfortably; at least she has an imperial prince to lean on. In the future, if you become one of Master Hui’s people, you’ll at least be able to see the Master Lord’s face. It’s better than wasting your life away and dying in this Side Hall’s end room!”
Fang He raised an eyebrow.
Consort Hui was best at pretending to be virtuous and generous on the surface, while in reality, she was best at tormenting people in private and was exceptionally narrow-minded.
If she hadn’t beaten Consort Hui into submission several times, and if the Yinzhi couple hadn’t shared the same heart as Consort Hui, Consort Hui would likely still be causing trouble.
Thinking about it, Consort Hui probably wanted to push someone out to solidify her favor, yet she wanted to hold them tightly in her hand like Noble Lady Liang.
It just so happened that the body she now inhabited was unwilling, so Consort Hui could only use some underhanded methods to torment her.
But Fang He felt it was strange.
With Consort Hui’s ruthlessness, she would have some considerations toward those in higher positions, but toward her own subordinates, just ignoring them would be considered merciful.
This didn’t seem like Consort Hui’s personality.
She pondered and pulled the Little Palace Maid up, her face full of confusion.
“I don’t remember anything you told me. I only remember wandering in a very dark place for a long time, and my whole body hurt. Now I can’t even remember my own name…”
The Little Palace Maid’s face turned pale with fright, and she shuddered, “Ma-Master, you didn’t really go through the gates of hell and get bitten by a ghost, did you?!”
Fang He: “…”
“It’s possible. It must have bitten off part of my memory!”
This reason was better than her thinking about having a fight with a ghost!
The Little Palace Maid suppressed her urge to shake off her master’s hand and run out screaming.
With a trembling heart, she told Fang He the things she had ‘forgotten.’
She was a Selected Lady who entered the palace during the 28th-year selection.
Because she received Kangxi’s favor as soon as she entered the palace, she was titled as Lan Daying and was requested by Consort Hui to stay in her Changchun Palace.
Unfortunately, among the Selected Ladies who entered at the same time in the 28th year, there were several other Han Army Banner first attendants who were better looking and better at serving.
Many Selected Ladies also entered in the 31st year.
Combined with Consort Hui’s suppression, Lan Daying had not seen Kangxi for nearly three years.
Originally, Consort Hui intended to suppress Lan Daying’s arrogance to take her as her own and push her out to solidify favor when the Emperor came by.
Unfortunately, Lan Daying was proud and didn’t take Consort Hui’s bait.
No matter how she was troubled, she only stayed in her own room, looking at the jade hairpin bestowed by Kangxi…
In short, she was a typical young girl who had moved her heart but refused to recognize reality.
She was soon forgotten by Consort Hui, left to fend for herself.