Chapter 39: A Sudden Kiss (2/2)

Fang He quickly recovered, sweetly flattering, 

“Of course not, Your Majesty. I’m honored to serve you at all times; it’s a privilege others can only envy.”

“But…” 

She hesitated, then couldn’t help asking, 

“You’ve never had me on night duty before. If you summon a consort… will I also be there to serve?” 

She didn’t mind watching, but working twenty-four hours a day? 

Who could endure that?

Her energy wouldn’t last, and she still planned to keep sweet-talking him. 

But her true personality was far from the delicate facade she presented.

She wasn’t like the consorts who could maintain their act indefinitely.

Kangxi: “……Everyone, leave.”

Fang He shifted uneasily. 

Did “everyone” include her?

Seeing Kangxi return behind the screen, she bit her lip and stood, following Liang Jiugong out.

Liang Jiugong, hearing footsteps, turned and nearly knelt in despair.

Why couldn’t this girl ever follow instructions?

He gestured frantically: Have some sense, will you?

Fang He puffed her cheeks but didn’t dare push her luck with Kangxi clearly upset. 

She stepped cautiously behind the screen to serve.

Just outside the palace gates, Kangxi wasn’t doing much, idly flipping through an ancient-looking book.

Fang He approached cautiously. 

“Your Majesty, are you angry with me? I truly don’t mind serving…”

Kangxi cut her off calmly, 

“Rise. I have something to ask you.”

Fang He’s heart skipped a beat. 

Whenever he said that, it never boded well.

But she obediently stood.

Kangxi reclined on a soft pillow, lazily gazing at her with a soft, almost affectionate expression, as if making small talk.

“Tell me, aside from wanting to continue the Xu family line, why are you so eager to leave the palace?”

“Do you know that as an orphan, if you marry, you could be taken advantage of, and if you remarry, you’d only be a stepmother? The troubles would be no less than in the palace.”

Fang He fell silent.

She couldn’t explain the disparity between her two lifetimes’ personalities, nor could she use her longing as an excuse without inviting ridicule.

After a moment’s thought, she spoke slowly, 

“I’ve heard that ordinary couples live harmoniously and happily, finding joy even in mundane daily life.”

Kangxi: “……” 

Was this girl toying with him?

Did she even know what true happiness was?

He looked at Fang He with increasing suspicion. 

She had been irritating him so much that he had lost his appetite, yet she seemed to have been sneaking snacks from the imperial kitchen.

Compared to her previously frail, almost ethereal appearance, she had filled out a bit. 

She was still slender, but her cheeks had more color.

And… Kangxi’s gaze inadvertently swept over a certain area before returning to her face.

Her bangs covered half her delicate features.

But with her fair skin, those lively, sparkling eyes, the small yet straight nose, and the increasingly rosy lips, her face was as radiant as the blooming flowers of the season.

Unfortunately, that naturally red mouth never said what he wanted to hear.

Kangxi’s previously calm heart stirred slightly, his gaze darkening unconsciously.

Fang He continued her sweet talk, her words flowing smoothly.

“The consorts are all refined, appreciating the finer things, but I’m more down-to-earth, preferring the simpler joys of life…”

Before she could finish, Kangxi suddenly stood, walking slowly toward her.

Startled, Fang He looked up to find Kangxi’s sharp, deep phoenix eyes fixed on her like a predator’s.

Her scalp tingled, her heart racing. 

What had she said wrong?

As she instinctively stepped back, she began to falter, 

“Your Majesty, I didn’t mean that you… mmm!”

The air froze.

At this moment, Kangxi didn’t want to hear another word from that mouth.

His iron-like arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her stumbling into him.

Fang He’s vision darkened as cool, soft lips pressed against hers. 

She stared wide-eyed, shocked at the cold, handsome face so close to hers.

Only then did she notice the faint, star-like marks on either side of his nose…

Wait, what? 

How could he just kiss her out of nowhere?!

His lips moved against hers, exploring, but Fang He didn’t close her eyes like a shy maiden.

What do you do when suddenly bitten by a dog?

Her wide, dark eyes glared at him, reflecting one clear thought-you shameless scoundrel!

What kind of expression is this girl wearing?

Kangxi, with his gaze fixed on Fang He, leaned in closer, his voice deep and misty, 

“You…”

Fang He covered her mouth, looking as if she had seen a ghost, and interrupted him, 

“Your Majesty, what have I done wrong?”

Kangxi raised an eyebrow slightly, sensing something amiss, and slowly loosened his grip as Fang He pushed him away.

Fang He knelt on the ground, puffing with anger and looking as aggrieved as a two-hundred pound man. 

Her shock was genuine, and her sobs were particularly heartfelt.

“You used to tap my head with your hand, hit my neck and arms with paper, and kick my shoulders with your feet… Now you’ve started biting me…” 

“Where have I gone wrong, Your Majesty? Just tell me, and I’ll correct it. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!”

Kangxi:”……”

Liang Jiugong and Li Dequan, standing on the imperial carriage’s shaft, covered their mouths and used all their strength to keep themselves from laughing out loud.

This was probably the first time the Emperor had kissed a woman, only for it to be mistaken as a punishment.

Inside the carriage, Kangxi took a deep breath. 

No matter how he looked at it, he couldn’t find any trace of pretense in Fang He’s behavior.

Feeling both awkward and puzzled, he couldn’t understand what was going on.

Is this girl really twenty-three and still knows nothing?

She’s spent nights in the Qianqing Palace; even if the palace maids only mentioned it in passing, she should at least have some understanding of such matters… 

Suddenly, Kangxi recalled a jest Liang Jiugong had once made.

Liang Jiugong had said that during night shifts, the other maids would blush, but Fang He acted as if nothing was amiss.

Since entering the palace, she had been strictly disciplined by Madam Xu, who wouldn’t teach her such things.

She had basically stayed in the imperial tea room, barely interacting with the other palace maids, so no one would have told her about these matters.

So… Kangxi felt a helpless sense of disbelief. 

So, this girl is twenty-three, obsessed with the idea of having children, yet knows nothing about the basics of human relationships?

Fang He, kneeling on the ground, was also feeling uneasy, worried that her act might be too fake.

Of course, she understood. 

She understood all too well.

But she had also gone through a phase as a beginner, yearning for her boyfriend’s body but troubled by the fact that neither of them had any experience. 

She was afraid of the pain and worried that rejecting him too often would hurt his feelings.

Her boyfriend’s heart was precious, filled with many high-quality part-time job opportunities!

She was grateful to Geng Shuning, who had worked with her at the time and looked at her with utter disbelief.

“With a face like yours, you still have the nerve to worry? We, with our striking features, haven’t even started worrying yet.”

Geng Shuning taught her: 

“With your innocent look, just empty your mind and play dumb. Everyone will believe you’re a fool. “

Wouldn’t it make things easier? 

Just act foolishly, indicating that you’re learning from another person, starting with holding hands and kissing. 

When it comes to applying color to the woman they like, any man would become decisive and turn into a perpetual motion machine.

“If you don’t want to, it’s not hard to act even dumber. Just put on a timid, scared expression. Thinking they have the chance to be your guide, the other person would rather castrate themselves than force you.”

Fang He swore that if it weren’t for the fact that she wanted a solution from Geng Shuning, she would have beaten her up then and there.

But there’s no denying that the various tricks Geng Shuning taught her came in very handy in such situations, greatly improving her quality of life in that area.

Even after getting a more experienced boyfriend, she learned even more tricks…

Fang He snapped back to reality, covering her mouth and crying softly. 

If she didn’t want to keep getting bitten by the dog, she had no choice but to play the role of a scared fool.

But Kangxi wasn’t one to easily believe others.

He pulled Fang He up and sat her down on the soft couch, then meaningfully and seriously pinched her cheek.

“Weren’t you thinking about the pleasures between husband and wife? By kissing you, I’m making you understand that I can also bring you pleasure.”

Fang He: “……” 

Please, just put on some pants!

“But that wasn’t a kiss, it was a bite…” 

The rest of her words were cut off by the sudden tightening of the arm around her waist.

She suddenly changed to a panicked expression, 

“Wait, I think I heard my mother say that only husband and wife… couples can kiss, and soon after, they’ll have a child.”

Kangxi:”……” 

He hadn’t even done anything yet!

In between, there was probably a distance as long as the Tongzi River.

She dumbly lowered her head, touching her stomach, and murmured, 

“But I’m just a palace maid. If I have a child, wouldn’t it only belong to the concubines…”

Kangxi’s heart suddenly sank, growing increasingly suspicious. 

Was she really clueless or just pretending?

Was she hinting at wanting a position?

But before Kangxi could continue probing, Fang He burst into tears, crying pitifully.

Since she was held by Kangxi and couldn’t move, she could only pinch her thigh, which hurt even more than pinching her butt!

“I’ve already said it… I might as well just die… wuwu…

I don’t want to serve, I don’t want to serve… wuwu… 

I just don’t want my child to belong to someone else. 

If that’s the case, I’d rather not… 

“Your Majesty, with so many concubines in your harem, why are you kissing me? You said you’d let me handle your affairs, wah…”

She cried even more genuinely. 

If he’s already using his mouth, how far off is it from eating her whole?

Then there’s no way he’d let her leave the palace.

Before she could even try, the path she wanted to take was completely blocked.

She would never get the chance to be a lazy bum; from now on, she’d have to stay in the palace and become just another ordinary overachiever…

As Fang He’s crying grew more and more hysterical, Kangxi’s suspicions couldn’t hold, and he had no choice but to hold her in front of him, patting her back and whispering comforting words.

“Don’t talk nonsense. A single kiss won’t get you pregnant.”

Fang He’s crying paused, as if she had just let out a sigh of relief, 

“Then how many kisses does it take?”

Kangxi:”…….”

She squirmed nervously, wanting to get down, and mumbled in a hoarse voice, 

“Forget it, Your Majesty, please don’t kiss me anymore. I promise I’ll do my job well, okay?”

Kangxi’s temple throbbed again. 

How could he explain to this little maid that no matter how many kisses, she wouldn’t get pregnant, and that something else was needed?

If she got curious and asked what else was needed… 

The more Kangxi thought about it, the more tense he became. 

With this restless girl sitting on him, he couldn’t help but tighten his grip on this troublemaker.

He gritted his teeth and growled, 

“Don’t move.”

They hadn’t even left the capital yet.

Besides, it was broad daylight. 

If he were to favor her now, once word got out, this girl wouldn’t stand a chance.

“Your dragon robe is poking me.” Fang He blinked at Kangxi, the teardrops on her eyelashes unable to hold on, sliding down her cheeks.

In the past, when she looked at her boyfriend like this, he would have been willing to give her his heart.

But when Kangxi saw it, he only felt that this troublemaker looked so pitiful that he wanted to crush her into his bones.

His Adam’s apple bobbed involuntarily. 

He closed his eyes to steady himself, then let go of Fang He and let her down, awkwardly crossing his legs to hide his discomfort.

“Go back to your own carriage. Without my orders, there’s no need to come to the imperial carriage to serve.”

Fang He didn’t even bow, as if a dog were chasing her from behind. 

She roughly wiped the tears from her cheeks and hurried out.

Liang Jiugong was already at a loss for words with this ancestor. 

He pretended not to see Fang He’s swollen eyes from crying and smiled as he had Li Dequan escort her to her own carriage.

Even if someone saw, it didn’t matter. 

They’d just think she had been scolded by the Emperor for not doing her job well. 

With Liang Jiugong watching, no one would dare to make a fuss.

Once Fang He had left the imperial carriage, Liang Jiugong cautiously went in to serve.

When he entered, he saw Kangxi finish the warm tea in his cup in one gulp and, still unsatisfied, pour himself another cup and down it. 

He then asked in a low voice, 

“Your Majesty, once we’re out of the city gates, shall I have the Imperial Household Department arrange…”

“Outrageous!” Kangxi shot him a cold glance.

If he were to take a fancy to Fang He, but she was unwilling to serve in bed, Kangxi wouldn’t hesitate to kick her out and immediately replace her with someone more willing.

As the Emperor, he had never been one to deny himself.

But to have his desires stirred by Fang He, who had done nothing wrong, and then seek out someone else to quench his lust… 

What difference was there between that and a beast driven solely by the instinct to mate?

Liang Jiugong instantly realized he had said the wrong thing.

His master had always strong self-control and would never succumb to his desires.

He quickly slapped himself, 

“This servant is foolish and spoke out of turn. I’ll go and take my punishment later!”

Kangxi closed his eyes for a moment, barely suppressing the restlessness in his body, and then looked thoughtfully at Liang Jiugong.

“Go and have someone teach that troublemaker about the ways of the world. I don’t want to hear her clutching her stomach and shouting about it anymore.”

“If it’s done, I’ll let you remember this beating. If anyone finds out, you’d better be ready to lie down in Chengde!”

Liang Jiugong: “……” 

You might as well just beat me!