Kangxi was so angry he smashed a teacup, his finger trembling as he pointed at Fang He.
“Fine, fine, fine. It seems I have indulged you too much, allowing you to forget your place and status. Someone, come!”
Liang Jiugong and Zhao Chang both shuddered violently.
‘Here they go again! How did these two ancestors start fighting again?’
‘Noble Lady Lan… no, this ancestor who had already been an Empress Dowager, was this how she argued with the Emperor in another timeline?’
‘Was the Emperor of that other timeline… ill?!’
They had almost reached the palace doors, but now they could only turn back in despair to serve.
With a livid face, Kangxi ordered, “Lock her in the side hall! No one is allowed in without my command!”
Fang He stood up with a cold laugh, “Kill me if you have the ability!”
“Fine! I will—”
“You can’t win an argument with a woman, so besides starving me and threatening execution, does Your Majesty have any other tricks?”
“I will execute your—”
“Yo, if you go back several generations, Zha San Niu’s nine relations might even include the Aisinjueluo clan. Do you think I was raised on threats?”
Kangxi roared, “Go to Shoukang Palace and seize her private treasury!”
Before Kangxi could finish his sentence, Fang He suddenly stood up.
With a face full of stubbornness, she shouted loudly, startling the master and his two servants.
“Yes! I was raised on threats! Is it not okay if I admit I’m wrong? I suddenly remembered how long the Great Qing’s national destiny lasts!”
‘Darn it, how does every Master Kang know exactly where my weakness is? So annoying!’
The anger on Kangxi’s face froze.
Liang Jiugong and Zhao Chang: “…”
The expressions of the two men were contorted as if they had swallowed bitter melon juice.
They wanted to laugh and cry at the same time, tortured by Fang He’s incredibly forceful ability to yield when necessary.
Kangxi used his thumb ring to press firmly against his throbbing temple, barely managing to calm down.
‘That brat was right about one thing. There is no need to be angry with a brat. If I get sick, no one will suffer in my place.’
He waved his hand, telling Liang Jiugong and Zhao Chang to go guard outside, and stared coldly at Fang He without speaking.
Fang He shrank her neck and said, “Uh, well, I intentionally angered you to help strengthen your endurance. Otherwise, if I tell you something too stimulating all at once, in case you die of… cough, cough, ruin your health, I can’t take that responsibility.”
Kangxi: “…..”
“I like stimulation!”
He was already about to be angered to death by her.
Fang He: “…”
‘Is this lord making a dirty joke?’
Before Fang He could let her mind wander, Kangxi said irritably, “Just speak. I am not that fragile!”
Fang He sat back down and simply dropped the bomb she had been holding.
“From the time the Great Ancestor established the name Qing, the Great Qing’s national destiny totaled 276 years.”
Kangxi froze.
It had been fifty-eight years since the Great Ancestor established the state.
The total destiny of the Great Qing was less than 300…
“Oh, right.” Fang He casually dropped another bomb, directly blowing up Kangxi’s mind.
“I dreamed that future generations seemed to be arguing whether the Saintly Ancestor, the Great Emperor Kangxi, was the wisest emperor of the Great Qing or the criminal responsible for the country’s destruction.”
“Hmm… it seems more people agree with the latter.”
Kangxi’s vision suddenly went dark.
He almost fell backward, only managing to steady himself by gripping the small table with his hands, his veins bulging.
In an instant, his gaze changed several times.
He suddenly stared intently at Fang He, a pensive complexity flashing in his eyes.
He asked in a raspy voice, “Was it because I chose Yinreng, or because of Uya-shi?”
Fang He suddenly felt something was wrong, ‘This lord had always called Yinreng very affectionately. It was either the Crown Prince or Baocheng. He had almost never called him Yinreng.’
‘He had just been calling her Consort De, so why had he suddenly called her Uya-shi so coldly?’
Fang He squinted her eyes and looked at Kangxi suspiciously, a faint spark of hope unconsciously coloring her eyes.
But Kangxi had already closed his eyes, his expression changing violently.
He soon used his powerful self-control to quickly regain his composure.
He pointed toward the door, “You—”
“I’ll get out?” Fang He looked at the time.
There was still an hour until dinner.
Time to get off work!
Kangxi opened his eyes and gave her a complex look, his tone softening considerably.
“Eat dinner in the side hall. I will have Li Dequan escort you back.”
The suspicion in Fang He’s heart grew even stronger.
This lord probably had bad habits spoiled by the court and the harem.
No one ever dared to discipline him, and his temper was far from pleasant.
He had kept her by his side for nearly two months.
At first, he asked her nothing, acting as if she didn’t exist.
Fang He understood that emperors were suspicious.
Even if what she said was reasonable, he only believed himself.
He had to investigate every detail about her before believing her information.
Later, he probably finished his investigation and felt it was highly likely she was telling the truth, so he treated her like a prisoner to be interrogated.
He wanted to keep all variables in his own hands and would threaten her at the drop of a hat.
When has he ever been so good-tempered?
Could it be… She suddenly stomped over to Kangxi, her eyes bright as she carefully looked into his.
“Xuanye?”
Kangxi pushed her face away expressionlessly, “I am not him. Do not look at me with such a sickening gaze. If you do not want to eat, then get back to Shoukang Palace!”
Fang He suddenly became dejected, ‘Fine, it’s not that dog of a man.’
Then again, could that dog even find her?
Fang He was no longer in the mood to talk to Kangxi.
She even forgot to bow and just walked out with a slumped face, losing her appetite for dinner as well.
As she stepped out, she naturally ordered Liang Jiugong, “The Emperor ordered Li Dequan to arrange a sedan chair for me.”
“Also, tell the Imperial Kitchen to send me a plate of dragon beard cakes and salt and pepper pastries. I don’t have much of an appetite, so just add a bowl of bird’s nest soup with snow pear.”
Liang Jiugong: “…”
‘That’s enough food for a harem consort to eat for an entire day. How much would you eat if you did have an appetite?’
But he didn’t dare ask.
He didn’t dare ask either of the two ancestors inside or outside the hall.
There was no need to ask either.
As long as he could safely send this ancestor back to Shoukang Palace, Liang Jiugong would be willing to pay out of his own pocket.
After seeing Fang He off, he entered the hall only to find his Master Lord with his eyes closed, talking to himself.
“Are you commanding me?”
Liang Jiugong hurried to kneel, “Your servant is terrified! How would your servant dare?”
Kangxi opened his eyes and glanced at Liang Jiugong with a hint of disdain.
The Liang Jiugong of this timeline had already had his brain nearly eroded by silver.
“Go out first. Serve Noble Lady Lan well. Tell the Imperial Kitchen to send more sweets, but don’t put too much sugar.”
He continued to talk to himself, though the person had clearly changed.
“My wife can save the Great Qing from its end for you, yet you can’t even give her a decent rank and only think about getting benefits. Do you think I am easy to bully?”
Kangxi’s expression suddenly changed, and he sneered, “If you had a way to take her back, would you be here talking nonsense with me?”
“Kangxi” chuckled, “I am merely curious about how much of a bad reputation my counterpart in this timeline has left in history.”
“If you do not want to know, I will have the Shaman come and wake her up right now. Can you bear the consequences?”
Kangxi’s face grew even darker.
He couldn’t be sure if what “Kangxi” said was true or false, but knowing his own personality… he would indeed do such a thing.
“Kangxi” didn’t force Kangxi to take a stand but suddenly adopted a serious posture using Kangxi’s face.
“The wife I have meticulously cared for over many years has never been allowed to suffer a single grievance. If you scare her again, do not blame me for being unkind!”
Kangxi sneered again, “Never allowed her to suffer a single grievance? Who do you think I am?”
Given his personality and that arrogant, annoying brat of a woman named Fang He, if the two had never argued or had a conflict, he would chop off his head and give it to “Kangxi” to kick like a ball.
“Kangxi” was silent for a moment.
He didn’t dwell on the topic—he needed to save face too, okay?
Could he say that he had indeed thrown tantrums, but his Guoguo never indulged him and had even slapped him more than once?
He only said, “I understand Guoguo—Fang He’s personality better than you. If you coax her properly, she might tell you a few more truths. Otherwise, even if you kill her, you won’t get the information you want.”
The anger and coldness on Kangxi’s face vanished, replaced by a sudden calm.
“So, you have always been by my side. And you indeed have a way to make her go back, but you also want to know exactly what her background is. Heh…”
A bit of playfulness appeared on his face, “It seems your so-called ‘love’ isn’t so exclusive. I wonder, if she found out, would she still be eagerly looking forward to seeing you every day?”
“Kangxi” knew that once he showed himself, he probably couldn’t hide from his other self.
Now that he had been baited out, he didn’t show any surprise.
He was also very calm, “Yes, I want to know, but only on the condition that she does not suffer. Otherwise, I would rather give it up.”
“I am not afraid of her knowing. I have said my piece; consider it for yourself.”
The exchange between the two ended.
Liang Jiugong returned, wiping sweat from his brow, and stepped forward cautiously.
“Master Lord, Noble Lady Lan has been safely escorted back to Shoukang Palace.”
He said with a complex expression, “Noble Lady Lan said she didn’t have much appetite, but she ate quite a lot of the snacks and bird’s nest soup. She looked like she had overeaten and was walking in the courtyard of the back hall to aid digestion.”
Kangxi: “…”
‘That brat!’
Right now, besides being curious about the future Fang He knew, he was even more curious about what kind of thing his other self actually liked.
Giving up the thousand delicate, charming, gentle, and virtuous harem consorts, he liked such a brat?
He spoke with a dark face to Zhao Chang, who was waiting nearby, “Authorize the Shadow Guards to use the ‘Heaven’ token. Investigate Yonghe Palace and Uya-shi.”
“Liang Jiugong, you are to deliver my secret decree. Have Changning lead the men from the Imperial Guards Headquarters to be on standby at all times. Have Fuquan investigate Yuqing Palace, the Imperial Household Department, and their dealings outside the palace.”
The question “Kangxi” had suddenly asked Fang He was definitely not without purpose.
It seemed both Yinreng and Consort De had problems…
The more Kangxi thought about it, the heavier the fire burning in his heart became.
Liang Jiugong and Zhao Chang’s hearts leaped into their throats as they cautiously obeyed.
Throughout the entire third month, Kangxi did not summon Fang He to attend him again.
It wasn’t until the end of the fourth month, when they were about to go to Changchun Garden, that he issued a decree for Fang He to stay at Jiayin Hall.
This once again caused a stir in the court and harem.
Originally, everyone couldn’t get news about Fang He’s time with the Emperor, but that was fine.
Although the Shadow Guards’ investigation was secret, the sudden loss of all news about the Emperor’s presence made the harem consorts, who had served the Emperor for years, realize something had happened.
They all quietly behaved themselves.
Mainly, although Fang He attended the Emperor during the day, she had never stayed overnight.
While the harem consorts were curious, they weren’t particularly anxious.
But this Jiayin Hall was right next to Shouxuan Chun Yong Hall, almost the closest place to Chunhui Hall.
It wasn’t even considered part of the harem.
In the past, it was a place where the Crown Prince stayed.
Why would it suddenly be given to a Noble Lady?
At this point, even Yinreng, who had been behaving himself since his poor performance at Gubeikou and wanting to show off in front of his father, couldn’t sit still.
He knelt in Chunhui Hall, complaining with extreme grievance, “Is Father trying to depose me from my position as the heir?”
“I believe I have committed no great errors. I only wanted to show my best side to Father so as not to disappoint you. That is why, after arriving at Gubeikou, I did not want you to see my bedraggled side, which led to Father’s misunderstanding.”
“I am not like my eldest brother and the others who have their mothers to protect them. Since I was a child, I have only had my father. You were the one who raised me, taught me how to be a man, and personally taught me the way of a ruler…”
As he spoke, he broke into uncontrollable sobs, “If you don’t want me anymore, I truly have no way to live! Deposing me from the position of the heir would be better than letting my heart be cut like this!”
In the past, it wasn’t that Yinreng had never made mistakes.
But every time, as long as he bowed his head and admitted his wrong, or cried and reminisced about the past when it was serious, he could make Kangxi soften his heart.
After a scolding, the father and son would reconcile.
This time, he had been silent for several months just for this moment of stubbornness followed by grievance, so that Kangxi would feel sorry for him.
He was even certain in his heart that his father would say harsh words but would actually feel sorry for him and give him even more honors.
But Yinreng never expected that just as he was crying his heart out, he would hear Kangxi’s voice, cold to the point of being unfamiliar.
“Since you feel you have failed my teachings and are unfit to be the Crown Prince, then I should not force you. I shall grant your wish!”
Yinreng, who was still dripping with tears and snot, froze like a wooden statue and looked up.
He met Kangxi’s half-lowered Danfeng eyes.
That deep and cold gaze made his entire body shudder, and his mind went completely blank.
There was actually murderous intent in his father’s eyes.
The father who had treated him like a precious treasure… wanted to kill him?