In the past half year, Madam Liang had lost count of how many times she’d seen the two of them holding hands by the small river behind the newly built inn.
Just holding hands would’ve been fine, but once she even caught Fang He nibbling on Xiao Qiao’s lips.
That day, all the tofu soup turned out sweet, and the dishes nearly overwhelmed the guests with their richness.
Fang He showed no sign of embarrassment when she heard this.
She wasn’t addicted to that sort of thing, and since she wanted the first experience to be perfect, Xiao Qiao still had a lot to learn.
She wasn’t in a rush to do anything.
She eagerly escorted Madam Liang to the door.
“Madam, could you help me get some good books? You know… the kind Fan Su used to coax you with. You understand, right?”
Madam Liang: “…I taught through words and actions. Where would I get such books?”
After all, weren’t those kinds of books meant for women to please men? Especially in places like brothels.
Unless she went to a male brothel, which was out of the question since she was pregnant and couldn’t handle the excitement.
If Fan Su found out, she’d never get any sleep.
“Figure it out yourself!” Madam Liang said firmly.
“I still have to arrange a wedding night for you and Xiao Qiao. I don’t have time to teach you how to train a man.”
Although Fang He couldn’t openly marry Xiao Qiao, Madam Liang and Naren both agreed that it would be too cruel to let Xiao Qiao follow Fang He without any formal recognition.
The inn had already expanded twice.
Now, after paying the monthly salaries, deducting costs, and sharing profits with Lin Chen and the others, they could save over eighty taels in good months and at least sixty in bad ones.
The eight hundred taels Fang He had initially invested had almost been recovered.
She even exchanged a small gold ingot and placed it in a golden box with some southern pearls.
Most of the credit for earning so much went to Xiao Qiao.
Madam Liang and Naren both thought that holding a private wedding ceremony would at least give Xiao Qiao some recognition and not make it seem like they were taking advantage of him.
But after hearing Madam Liang’s suggestion, Fang He hesitated and stopped her.
“The wedding and consummation can wait. I still want to spend more time being affectionate with Xiao Qiao.”
Madam Liang looked at Fang He knowingly.
“Are you waiting for the southern tour to end before holding the ceremony?”
Fang He grinned at her, “Nothing can escape the notice of our family’s most beautiful and intelligent lady!”
“Stop flattering me,” Lady Liang sneered.
“Why should he have a harem full of concubines, producing child after child, while you remain chaste for him?”
“I nursed you back to health, not so you could waste it on some worthless man!”
Fang He couldn’t stop laughing and quickly soothed Lady Liang by gently patting her belly.
“Don’t be angry, don’t be angry. What chastity am I keeping? I’m just afraid of the pain. Even without consummating the marriage, there are plenty of ways to have fun. You know that best, sister.”
“But I do want to wait a bit longer,” Fang He continued to smile, lowering her eyes to hide the calmness within.
“Even if I’m being selfish and unfair to Xiao Qiao, you know I’m not exactly a good person.”
“If something really happens, my virginity will be my bargaining chip, ensuring that no matter what, I can live a better life.”
Since becoming pregnant, Lady Liang’s heart had softened considerably.
Hearing this, her nose tingled with emotion.
“What if… wouldn’t you feel any resentment at all?”
If it were her, having finally achieved the good life she had always dreamed of, if that scoundrel who had wronged her before came back to force her to return, she would probably resort to poison, taking him down with her, ensuring no one would benefit.
But Fang He had always been carefree about it, even laughing every time she mentioned it, never showing any hint of resentment.
Fang He immediately lowered her head, putting on a pitiful expression, looking at Lady Liang with pleading eyes.
“I do feel wronged, so wronged that my heart feels shattered just thinking about it!”
“But I don’t want everyone to worry, so I swallow my tears. If you care for me, sister, why not get me some good books… Ouch!”
Fang He rubbed her forehead where she had been flicked, laughing as she dodged away.
Seeing Lady Liang angrily wiping her eyes, she laughed so hard she could barely breathe.
“Don’t you know me, sister? To me, things are either good or bad. If they’re bad, I’ll find a way to make them good, no matter the means.”
She laughed as she caught her breath, her face showing not a trace of resentment.
It wasn’t that she was lucky-she hadn’t been in either of her lifetimes.
If she let every setback break her, she wouldn’t have survived this long.
The more misfortune she encountered, the more determined she was to live better than anyone else.
Otherwise, wouldn’t she be letting those who wished her ill win?
That would truly be the death of her.
But before Lady Liang left, Fang He finally said seriously, “If that day really comes, I hope you all can stay calm and not cause any trouble.”
“Because it’s only if you listen to me that I can live well. You’ve helped me so much, sister, more than I can count. Just help me a little more, and I’ll repay you in the next life.”
Whether it was because her period was coming or because she had heard that Kangxi had headed south, Fang He couldn’t shake a sense of foreboding.
Last night, she had even dreamed of Kangxi strangling her and roaring in her face.
Lady Liang scoffed, “You talk as if you’re going to die. What, if you go off to live the high life, should I burn paper money for you?”
Only this little rascal could make such a shameless request.
Lady Liang pointed at Fang He from a distance, not saying whether she agreed or not, and then left.
***
As for Kangxi, by mid-May, he had arrived in Jiangning and stayed with the Cao family again.
After greeting his wet nurse, Lady Xiao, he didn’t meet with anyone else.
Zhao Chang had returned.
But this time, Zhao Chang’s expression was even more serious than when he was on the grasslands.
Kangxi had been in a good mood.
The lake.
He had inspected the Zhong River, which Jin Fu had proposed to dig along the embankments of Suqian, Taoyuan, and Qinghe counties.
It had now connected Zhangjiakou and Luoma.
In about a year, it would link to the Pingwang River downstream, flowing into the sea, greatly alleviating the pressure from flooding.
So when he saw Zhao Chang’s guilty expression, he wasn’t angry, merely calmly called him into the study.
Kangxi pondered, “Has Tana still not spoken?”
It seemed that the Laksin tribe had sufficient horses, which would consume a lot of provisions.
Calculating this way, the opponent’s strength had increased significantly compared to before, no wonder the Khalkha Left Wing was nervous.
Zhao Chang’s head hung low, “The Laksin consort… has spoken.”
But it would have been better if she hadn’t.
He took a deep breath and braced himself, “Tana couldn’t withstand the pressure from three sides and told me that she once saved her stepdaughter-in-law, named Naren, and thus received cattle, horses, and provisions from the Naren tribe, settling the debt.”
“Previously, she had asked Naren to inquire about Fang He on behalf of the Empress Dowager, but Naren never replied. She usually hid deep in the hunting woods.”
Zhao Chang’s head sank even lower, “Later, Naren only sent a message saying she had saved the consort, but how she saved her and where she went, no one knows.”
The more Kangxi listened, the colder his expression became, “Are you sure what she said is true?”
“I am certain, I even got information from Bandi’s guards. They only erased the traces in the woods and never saw Naren.”
Kangxi thought, “The Empress Dowager sent people to find out about Fang He, but since Tana didn’t know, the palace staff mentioned nothing.”
Kangxi had previously thought that once he caught that scoundrel, he would make her regret leaving his side.
Later, as he traveled south, he gradually recalled the days when Fang He had been by his side, and slowly, the inexplicable anger in his heart subsided, replaced by the joy of having her back.
He thought that as long as Fang He was willing to return to him, regardless of whether she was injured, married, or had children, he could let bygones be bygones.
But now… he finally knew, she was indeed alive, but she had left him no hope at all.
He was silent for a moment, then suddenly swept his hand across the desk, sending everything crashing to the floor.
The teacup flew out and shattered into pieces against the wall.
Liang Jiugong and Wei Zhu both knelt in terror, Zhao Chang’s hand was cut by the shards, but he dared not move, prostrating on the ground, enduring the emperor’s wrath.
Outside, Li Dequan heard the commotion but had to speak in a trembling voice-
“Your Majesty, Cao, young Master Cao requests an audience.”
Kangxi’s face showed no sign of rage, only a calm tone, “Tell him to come in.”
Cao Yin entered with his head bowed, regretting that he had come at such a bad time, but since he was already at the door, he couldn’t turn back.
As soon as he entered and saw the mess on the floor and Kangxi’s expressionless yet icy demeanor, he inwardly cried for help.
It wasn’t the emperor’s outburst that scared him, but this kind of hidden fury, where the slightest misstep could be fatal.
Cao Yin quickly pushed down the matter of the southern officials requesting an audience, his mind racing, and suddenly, an idea struck him.
He pretended as if nothing had happened and stepped forward with a smile, “Your humble servant greets Your Majesty. Who could be so blind as to anger our master?”
Without waiting for Kangxi’s response, he clapped his hands and continued, “Coincidentally, I heard that the inn where Pei Gong once stayed has gained quite a reputation, even reaching Jiangning. They say it has a certain rustic charm.”
“Rumor has it that no matter how gloomy one looks when entering, they always leave with a full belly and a smile on their face. Why don’t I accompany Your Majesty to take a look? This humble servant’s life is still dedicated to serving Your Majesty.”
Kangxi was in no mood for rustic charm.
He glanced coldly at Cao Yin.
“Do you have nothing better to do?”
Cao Yin quickly explained with a hint of grievance, “How could that be? It’s just that Pei Gong mentioned in his letter that his old friend is quite a remarkable person, especially skilled in fortune-telling through character analysis. “
“They say he’s incredibly accurate, and because of this, he’s formed close friendships with many scholars in the south.”
“I heard that Mr. Yu, who has a home but prefers not to stay there, has recently taken a liking to Tianya Inn. Once he checks in, he doesn’t leave. That’s why I thought of accompanying Your Majesty to take a look. Perhaps you might find him useful, and it would be a win-win situation, wouldn’t it?”
Kangxi struggled to suppress the anger that arose from his dashed hopes.
Since this person was skilled in fortune-telling, perhaps…
He closed his eyes, pushing down the renewed glimmer of hope, and stood up to leave.
“Then let’s go take a look.”
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