When Fang He appeared, Consort Hui and Consort Rong sprang to their feet as if they had springs attached to them.
Consort Rong’s expression was far from amiable.
“Why is it you? Where is Liang Jiugong?”
Fang He did not become arrogant just because she had gained favor.
She probably knew that others would be delighted to see her make a fool of herself.
She shifted her body to the side, avoiding the grand courtesies from Consort An and Consort Jin, who were still getting up behind her.
With a smile, she curtsied to Consort Hui and Consort Rong.
“Liang Anda has gone to handle the affairs entrusted by His Majesty. As a female attendant serving the emperor, it is natural for me to be here to serve.”
“His Majesty is busy at the moment. It might not be convenient for him to see all of you…”
Consort Hui coldly interrupted Fang He and said,
“Whether it is convenient or not is not for a palace servant like you to decide, is it?”
“We have come here to see the emperor for important matters. Even if you have become a fourth-rank female official, do you dare to stop us?”
Fang He listened calmly to Consort Hui’s words.
She had encountered troublemakers in the inn plenty of times.
Compared to them, Consort Hui was still quite polite.
She just treated her words as barking dogs.
She did not stop them and said, “Then I will go in and report again. Please wait a moment, Your Highnesses.”
With that, she lifted the tent curtain and went in directly.
Clearly, Fang He had not overstepped any boundaries.
However, the calmer she was, the more anxious Consort Hui and Consort Rong became about whether they could see the emperor.
Even Consort Jin’s face showed some discomfort.
A veteran palace maid like her was not worthy of being treated as an equal, which made her feel quite disgusted.
On the contrary, Consort An regretted coming on this trip.
In her family, if her father’s disciples and subordinates dared to violate orders, they would at least get a whipping, let alone the emperor.
She should not have come along just because of Consort Hui and Consort Rong’s status.
Wouldn’t it be better to spend more time riding horses?
But before Consort An could regret enough to think of an excuse to leave, Fang He came out.
She turned sideways and said, “His Majesty invites all of you to come in.”
Consort Hui sneered, not even looking at Fang He, and entered the imperial tent with Consort Rong, one after the other, with their chins held high.
As soon as they entered the door and saw Emperor Kangxi sitting in front of the imperial desk, Consort Rong immediately spoke.
“Your Majesty, we have important matters to report and request that you dismiss all irrelevant personnel!”
Kangxi looked up from the geomancy map on the table and, after a moment of silence, seemed quite puzzled and said,
“Who do you think is irrelevant personnel?”
Consort Rong was taken aback for a moment and turned her head with Consort Hui.
Behind them were only Consort Jin, who was embarrassedly lowering her head, and Consort An, who was completely bewildered.
Fang He had not come in at all.
The two of them: “…”
Wait, didn’t that wretched woman just say she should be serving in front of the emperor?
Consort Rong was so angry that she cursed Fang He in her heart, thinking she was a fox spirit, cunning enough to make one want to skin her.
However, Consort Hui did not feel embarrassed and smiled, saying,
“I have long thought that the palace attendants in front of the emperor are particularly discreet. Now it seems that it is still Your Majesty who has taught them well.”
Kangxi indifferently asked, “What exactly do you want to say? I am very busy.”
Consort Hui slightly lowered her head and said,
“It is not appropriate to disturb Your Majesty’s important affairs, but the matter of appointing female officials in front of the emperor is of great significance, which is why we have dared to come.”
“If you are to appoint female officials, should you also follow the ranks for the monthly stipend distribution…”
Kangxi’s originally indifferent expression suddenly turned cold as he interrupted her words.
“I remember that you do not currently have the authority to assist in managing the six palaces.”
Consort Hui quickly knelt down and said, “I dare not overstep my bounds. However, Your Majesty’s sudden appointment of Fang He as a fourth-rank female official, with a position comparable to that of the six consorts… such a thing has never happened in the palace before.”
“Once Fang He is favored, whether she is made a consort or a consort, it would be against the rules. My sister Rong and I are afraid that we won’t be able to explain to the Dowager Empress when we return to the palace.”
Consort Rong also knelt beside Consort Hui,
“Your Majesty, we are not jealous of others’ favor, but you should also consider the princes and all the younger sisters. To give a position higher than the six consorts to a servant who has not yet given birth to an imperial child, how can the princes and the younger sisters position themselves?”
Kangxi was both angry and amused.
He threw away the magnifying glass in his hand, which made a loud noise on the table, so clear that even Fang He outside could hear it.
She slightly curled her lips.
She didn’t need to hear to know what they were going to say.
She had never thought of confronting them directly at this moment.
If she couldn’t do her job according to her position and Kangxi couldn’t suppress such voices, she might as well not get involved.
It would be faster to just lie down and wait for death.
However, based on her understanding of Kangxi, he was strict with others but lenient with himself.
He was about to lose his temper.
It was like the group’s president issued a document.
If the middle-level leaders were dissatisfied, they could write complaint letters to the chairman to offer suggestions, but if they slapped the document on the president’s face and said he was crazy, what else would they get but a scolding?
Sure enough, Kangxi’s voice, filled with anger, immediately rang out inside.
“Are you teaching me how to issue an edict? I didn’t know when I gave you the empress’s golden seal. You didn’t even make a document from the central palace, and yet you still have the nerve to show me some respect!”
With this one sentence, even the uninvolved Consort Jin and Consort An were scared into kneeling.
Usually, when the emperor was angry, he would at most ignore them.
They had never seen him be so cutting before.
“You tell me, is this throne of mine given to you or to the princes you speak of?”
Kangxi had called Wang Hao to draft the edict just to remind these inattentive ones, but they were not using their brains.
“The sign that the harem must not interfere in politics is still standing in the Hall of Union. You dare to meddle in the affairs of the outer court. If I were the empress dowager, I would be the first to punish you for not following the palace rules!”
Consort Hui and Consort Rong’s faces turned pale from the scolding, and they remembered that the edict was announced by Wang Hao.
However, they felt even more unconvinced.
The emperor was indeed considerate enough for that enchantress.
Consort Hui opposed Fang He’s high-ranking entry into the palace.
Jealousy only accounted for a small part of it.
She was mostly considering the interests of the eldest prince and did not want another noble prince to compete with Yin Ti for favor.
But precisely because of the eldest prince, she had always been cautious in her actions.
Knowing that persuasion was not going to work, she immediately kept silent.
Consort Rong was not afraid.
She looked up at Kangxi and said,
“Your Majesty, do you still remember when my sister Hui and I were favored, how long did the common-born wives stay that way?”
“Even Heshe Li entered the palace as a common-born consort. Tongjia and Niohulu entered with high positions, but why should a lowly palace servant like Fang He be compared to the noble ladies from two duke’s households?”
“Even if the two empresses were still alive, they would not stand by and watch you make a mistake…”
“Ma Jia, you are outrageous!” Kangxi fiercely smashed the tea cup in front of Consort Rong’s knees.
The water splashed onto the grass and seeped into her thin clothes, making her knees feel a chill.
Kangxi’s expression turned even colder, with a faint hint of killing intent in his eyes.
“Are you accusing me of being a foolish ruler?”
He coldly looked at Consort Hui, “Is this also your intention?”
He could give Consort Hui and Consort Rong and others face because of their long-standing relationship and their children, but he would not tolerate anyone challenging his authority as the emperor.
If he showed the slightest indulgence, people from the front court, the harem, and even foreign threats would constantly challenge his dignity.
Consort Hui and Consort Jin immediately denied having such intentions.
They were not suicidal.
The headache-stricken Consort An was a bit slower, but she also shook her head vigorously.
Consort Rong was scared by Kangxi’s cold gaze and suddenly stopped talking.
Tears fell involuntarily, but she bit her teeth and refused to beg for mercy.
She felt wronged for herself and for her deceased child.
It was already nauseating to have a servant like Wuya Shi treated as an equal, and she could not accept another Han military banner servant riding on her neck and urinating on her.
Kangxi pinched his nose bridge, knowing that this was not the time to severely punish them.
Even if they had waited until they returned to the palace to speak, he would not have been so angry.
If it were publicized, it would only make the Northern Mongols laugh at him as an emperor.
He calmed himself down and coldly said,
“From today on, without my command, you are not allowed to step out of the camp tent. Stay inside and reflect on your actions. Wait until we return to the palace for the Empress Dowager to decide your punishment!”
“You keep mentioning the princes. Then use your brains more and think about your sons and your own dignity. If there is any more trouble, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”
Fang He stood a little farther from the door and was not surprised to see Consort Rong rush out with red eyes.
Bai Shao, who was waiting outside, was startled and quickly chased after her.
Consort Hui came out in a rather disheveled state.
Upon seeing Fang He, she tried to maintain the arrogance she had before entering and walked up to Fang He, lowering her voice to warn,
“Remember what I say, even if you are a fourth-rank female official, a servant is still a servant, and a master is still a master. You can’t become an emperor just by putting on a dragon robe.”
“I am waiting for the day you enter the harem!”
Fang He smiled slightly at Consort Hui,
“Your Highness Hui’s words, Fang He has taken note.”
Consort Hui glared at her, only to find that Fang He had no intention of speaking further.
She simply… took note and that was it.
What about the tough talk?
The retort?
Does she even understand the rules of palace intrigue?
But Fang He said nothing, which infuriated Consort Hui so much that her pale face flushed with an unhealthy red.
She stormed off, almost spraining her foot, but was barely caught by Ban Xia before quickly leaving.
Consort Jin and Consort An quietly left the imperial presence as well, both regretting their trip.
Even Consort Jin did not expect Consort Hui and Consort Rong to play the victim card so strongly.
It was truly an eye-opener for her.
The ginger juice handkerchief she had prepared was useless.
After years of living in luxury, had they really lost their minds?
Fang He entered the imperial tent to see Emperor Kangxi pacing in front of the imperial desk, clearly very angry.
She inwardly chuckled, finding it more satisfying than eating a crab roe bun to see the emperor so furious yet unable to vent.
She approached with a smile, teasingly saying,
“I reminded you just now, eating too much mutton can cause internal heat. It’s bad for your health. The concerns of the ladies are not groundless. You should maintain a calm mindset!”
Emperor Kangxi was very clear in his mind.
Consort Jin was indifferent, and it was obvious that Consort An was just there to make up the numbers.
The motives of Consort Hui were unclear, and he could understand Consort Rong’s grievances.
There would be plenty of opportunities to give her face after returning to the palace, but Lady Ma Jia never knew when to pick her moments.
If she had any sense, Yin Zhi wouldn’t always leave people speechless.
Hearing Fang He’s playful words, he was so angry that he raised his hand to tap her, saying,
“Who am I doing this for? You actually know how to avoid trouble outside.”
Fang He, without batting an eyelid, showered him with flattery by saying,Â