In history, it seemed this man never killed any of his sons.
Darningzi said even the princes under house arrest fathered plenty of children.
His intentions were so similar to hers.
Maybe they’d never be the closest of lovers, but they’d certainly be good parents.
She softened, grasping Kangxi’s hand and giving it a little shake.
“So, I killed Uya’s child. Does My Lord blame me?”
Kangxi gripped her hand, interlacing their fingers, his expression cold.
“That child wasn’t killed by you, nor by the Imperial Noble Consort or the others. Uya did it herself.”
That woman, seeing the Fourteenth Prince wouldn’t survive, decided to use his death to frame the Imperial Noble Consort and others for harming a royal heir, hoping to stir Kangxi’s sympathy and stay longer in the palace, giving her more chances to threaten the Imperial Matron.
Fang He: ‘…What kind of environment did that woman grow up in?’
This isn’t just ruthless—it’s deranged!
“Guo Guo… Sometimes I think, if I hadn’t brought you back to the palace, you wouldn’t have had to face all this filth. I worry you’ll feel insecure. I’m not perfect; I make mistakes.”
Kangxi hugged Fang He tightly, lying on the soft couch, their foreheads touching as he gazed deeply at her.
“If I ever let you down, you can argue with me, quarrel with me—I won’t mind. Just don’t give up on me, all right?”
Now, more than ever, he understood why he couldn’t let this troublemaker go.
It wasn’t just her lively spirit—she was the only one in this world who saw him as a man, not just as Emperor.
There were countless Emperors, but only one Kangxi.
He couldn’t give up this genuine feeling, so he let himself be weak.
As for the teasing and quarrels a sovereign shouldn’t endure… as she said, it was the price he was willing to pay.
Fang He bit her lip and raised an eyebrow.
“So I can argue however I want?”
Kangxi: “…Just save me some face in front of others.”
Fang He smiled and asked, “Anything else?”
Kangxi’s lips curled.
“Try not to use your fists. The Imperial Matron has already scolded me several times for ‘hitting’ you.”
“Anything else?” Fang He grinned even brighter.
Kangxi thought for a moment, laughter flickering in his eyes.
“If Guo Guo could just avoid putting out the palace lamps when—ouch!”
Fang He grabbed Kangxi’s ear, bumping her forehead against his nose.
“If you want to apologize, just say it! So many words, so many demands—you might as well not have a mouth!”
“The baby in my belly is already angry. It’s telling me to hurry up and send you away, or it’ll make a fuss tonight!”
Kangxi, feeling the sting on his nose, couldn’t help but laugh and reached out to stroke her belly.
“Let me see—how is my little prince so—”
Before he could finish, he felt a sudden kick where his hand met Fang He’s belly.
Kangxi froze.
Usually, when concubines were pregnant, they were afraid of making mistakes before the Emperor and avoided him.
Even when he visited, what he saw was always a flawless image.
This was the first time he’d ever interacted with an unborn child.
Both his hands rested on her round belly.
He laughed. “Good, good! Truly my child—so strong! He’ll be a Batulu of Great Qing!”
Fang He gave him a look and asked, “And if it’s a princess?”
Kangxi: “…Then she’ll have to marry within the capital. If she goes to the grasslands and gets into a fight, I won’t be able to settle things for her right away.”
The more he talked, the more animated Kangxi became, pressing his face to Fang He’s belly.
“When the time comes, I’ll pick a few families with good backgrounds in the capital, have people train their sons to serve her, make sure they can take a beating, are obedient, and not too spineless…”
Fang He couldn’t take it anymore and shoved his face away.
“Go away!”
She didn’t want her precious baby marrying off so early!
This scoundrel was even making choices already.
If he had the nerve, he should pick her a few handsome bodyguards instead!
***
Once the Lantern Festival had passed, the Imperial Noble Consort, who had been tending to the Imperial Matron in Cining Palace, fell ill herself.
Even the Consort in charge of the palace banquets was bedridden, so palace affairs were handed over to Consort Hui, Consort Rong, and Consort Yi.
With both the Imperial Noble Consort and Consort ill, Kangxi naturally had to show concern.
That day, he didn’t have lunch with Fang He.
After visiting Cining Palace, he went to Chengqian Palace and Yongshou Palace as well.
After his afternoon nap, Kangxi worried that Fang He might eat poorly on her own, so he went to Yanxi Palace first.
Liang Jiugong was inwardly miserable.
Gu Wenxing was nearly calling him ancestor, for in the past three months, the Emperor hadn’t turned over a single Green Plaque.
At year’s end, one could blame it on being busy.
After the new year, it could be because of concern for the Grand Empress Dowager.
But now that the Imperial Matron was up and about, My Lord was visiting Yanxi Palace almost every day, nearly moving in from Qianqing Palace.
If the Grand Empress Dowager asked, or checked the Imperial Record, both he and Gu Wenxing would be in for a beating.
On the way, Liang Jiugong couldn’t help but advise cautiously, “My Lord, the Grand Empress Dowager has just recovered, and the selection of new consorts is coming soon. The consorts must be feeling stifled, which is why they’re falling ill. Shouldn’t you visit them more often?”
“Consort Zhao is always so considerate. She knows she’s heavily pregnant and doesn’t want to delay your rest. It’s fine for you to visit Yanxi Palace during the day, but at night you should attend to your own health, or else I won’t be able to answer to the Grand Empress Dowager!”
Kangxi was noncommittal.
“Since the Imperial Matron’s illness, her health has declined. I have no mind for harem visits.”
“I’ll explain this to the Imperial Matron myself. Tell Chief Eunuch Gu not to worry.”
He didn’t plan to spend all his days with Fang He alone; as Emperor, the consorts were tied to the court, and he had to give the princes and princesses their due.
But before Fang He gave birth, he didn’t want her to feel uneasy.
Ensuring her peace and the safe birth of the child would also bring joy to the Imperial Matron.
Seeing Liang Jiugong about to say more, Kangxi glanced at him coldly through the sedan curtain.
“Every time I visit someone else, Consort Zhao gets jealous. Normally I wouldn’t indulge her, but now that she’s pregnant—if anything goes wrong, can you or Gu Wenxing bear the responsibility?”
Liang Jiugong: “…..”
How could he possibly bear that!
He did the math—just three more months until the little ancestor was born.
Not that long.
Liang Jiugong could only swallow his further advice.
When Kangxi arrived at Yanxi Palace, it was just after two o’clock.
Ever since Fang He became pregnant, even when Kangxi stayed in the main hall, he knew she slept more during the day than at night, usually waking up around five.
So, several hundred meters from Yanxi Palace, Kangxi got out of the sedan and told Li Dequan to hurry ahead and forbid anyone from greeting him, lest they wake Fang He and she raise a ruckus at night.
Kangxi stepped over the threshold and headed straight for the main hall, not noticing Cui Fuchuan looking miserable behind the door.
Liang Jiugong did see him.
But smelling the strong scent of vinegar in Yanxi Palace, Liang Jiugong thought Cui Fuchuan was just worried about his mistress’s jealousy and didn’t think much of it, hurrying to keep up with his master.
Ever since the two masters made up… tsk, the air was thick with the tang of jealousy.
Who didn’t love a bit of excitement?
But Liang Jiugong hadn’t expected that, just as he caught up, he’d hear Consort Zhao’s clear and decisive voice from under the eaves.
“Ensure the door is cleaned with wine, and don’t overlook the threshold! Liu An, if the Emperor arrives, immediately wipe the threshold again after he crosses it to prevent any illness from entering. Don’t act frightened if anyone questioned you say it was my command.”
“As for the vinegar in the rear hall, move it all to the main hall. Put a jar behind the palace gate and start boiling it. When the Emperor enters, fan the vinegar scent hard to ward off evil!”
“And remember to bring out the Emperor’s favorite ‘Eight Steeds’ screen, fumigate it with vinegar, then wipe it down with wine and water, and set it by the couch in the bedchamber. That’s where I’ll sleep tonight—add a few more layers of bedding… Why can’t we sleep separately? The Emperor knows I love to get jealous!”
“Cui Wei, stop pulling me! Where’s Chen Shun? When you fetch dinner later, make sure to set two identical meals. I’m in a vinegar mood and won’t dine with My Lord.”
“Shouldn’t we change the bath barrel?” came a particularly calm voice.
Fang He clapped her hands.
“Right, right, I almost forgot. Go fetch the new batch of tea tree dew—”
She froze mid-motion, a walnut halfway to her mouth, and turned slowly, only to see Kangxi expressionless, and Liang Jiugong beside him, shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.
Fang He: ‘So now this man eavesdrops in broad daylight?’
Luckily, she had the Emperor’s favor as her shield—not nervous at all.
She clutched her belly and stood, pitifully retreating behind a pillar, peeking out with half her face showing.
“Why are you here so early, My Lord? I wouldn’t dare delay your work. If the Grand Empress Dowager finds out, she might hold it against me later.”
“Oh? Are you saying my pettiness is inherited from the Imperial Matron?” Kangxi sneered.
“Tomorrow, when we pay respects at Cining Palace, I’ll be sure to pass your words along to her.”
Fang He clutched her belly and cried out, startling Kangxi into stepping forward.
“You—”
“The baby heard you wronging me and is kicking you from inside,” Fang He interrupted in a small voice, retreating further behind the pillar.
“It also says, since you’ve just been in the sickroom, if you bring illness here, it’ll have to drink bitter medicine before it’s even born, and won’t sleep well tonight. Its admiration for you as ‘Father’ will drop a notch.”
So, not only was this troublemaker using jealousy as an excuse to call him unclean, but she was teaching the child all sorts of nonsense.
Kangxi: “…..”
He took a deep breath, ready to have a proper talk with her.
But first, Kangxi shot a cold glare at the snickering Liang Jiugong and kicked him.
“Go prepare water. All of you serve Consort Zhao. I’ll go bathe.”
“Wait!” Fang He peeked out again, speaking slowly.
“Why not bathe in Qianqing Palace instead?”
If he washed here, with her low resistance, or if anyone came calling in the night, all those germs would be everywhere.
Just hearing Kangxi had been visiting the sick made her lose sleep!
She wasn’t going to wait on him.
She explained thoughtfully, “I know you’ve been busy with state affairs lately, and it’s cold. If you bathe here and then return to Qianqing Palace, and catch a chill, I wouldn’t be able to explain myself no matter how many times I tried.”
Kangxi laughed in exasperation.
“When did I say I was leaving? Can’t I review memorials here?”
Fang He: “…..”
Those memorials have passed through countless hands.
With so many people catching colds lately, isn’t that even riskier?
But remembering he wanted face in front of others, Fang He hesitated, then stood out, bowed properly, and gazed at him.
“I’ll confess to you—if I were worried about illness, I’d have told you earlier, since you visit Cining Palace every day.”
“Truthfully, whether it’s boiling vinegar or wine, it’s just me being jealous and using illness as an excuse to drown my sorrows. If you’re here, I’ll need a couple of drinks to forget where you’ve been…”
Kangxi clutched his chest in mock pain.
“Tell the truth!”
Fang He muttered, “With so many people catching cold lately, it’s best for you to bathe in Qianqing Palace before coming, or just not come at all. It’s all for your child’s sake!”
Kangxi: “…..”
‘Should I be thanking you?’
Liang Jiugong’s shoulders shook harder—’Consort Zhao really was a master at jealousy, turning My Lord’s face as black as ink!’
But since he’d personally allowed Fang He to be willful, and since her words, though blunt, made sense for the heir’s safety, Kangxi could only accept being steeped in vinegar, even if a bath at Qianqing Palace wouldn’t wash off the sourness.
He could only make his rounds as necessary.
***
The harem, finally catching a glimpse of the Emperor, rejoiced.
With the selection of new consorts just two months away, all the current ones would soon be old news.
They wanted to win favor before the new flowers arrived.
But after visiting Xianfu Palace and Yikun Palace, the Emperor didn’t go to the rest of the harem.
No, it wasn’t that he didn’t visit the harem—he just kept going to Yanxi Palace, driving Consort Duan and Consort Xi mad enough to smash things.
How could that vixen, heavy with child, still serve him?
Didn’t she have any shame?
After Xiaozhuang recovered, the custom of reporting in every five days resumed.
It wasn’t that she liked seeing the consorts, but there were many women outside the palace requesting audiences, and she had to bring the candidates in for favor.
This was necessary to win over the nobles.
The Empress Dowager couldn’t handle these matters, and with both the Imperial Noble Consort and Consort sick, Xiaozhuang had to take charge.
With these audiences, the Emperor’s near-residence in Yanxi Palace couldn’t be concealed.
At first, Xiaozhuang didn’t think much of it.
With Fang He the only one pregnant, it was natural for the Emperor to pay more attention.
But when Dragon Head-raising Day came and Kangxi was still visiting Yanxi Palace daily, treating the rest of the harem as decorations, Xiaozhuang couldn’t sit still.
She summoned Gu Wenxing, glanced at the Imperial Record, and after much thought, sent Su’moer to invite Fang He to Cining Palace.
Since her recovery, Xiaozhuang’s health had declined.
Su’moer hated to see her mistress burdened with harem affairs.
She advised helplessly, “My Lord is concerned for your health, and with the northern war tense, he’s busy with state affairs. He must be focusing on the heir by visiting Yanxi Palace.”
“Besides, Consort Zhao is heavily pregnant, and the weather’s still cold. If she falls ill, both you and My Lord would worry. Why not wait a while longer?”
“I’m afraid I can’t wait,” Xiaozhuang said softly, lowering her eyes to hide her growing anxiety.
“Go, then.”
“If the Emperor is there, tell him I won’t make things difficult for Consort Zhao. I just have something to say to her alone.”