“Slurp—”
“Slurp slurp—”
Accompanied by the strong, tangy, and fragrant flavors, inside the main hall of Yanxi Palace, both a grown woman and a little girl were buried headfirst into a purple clay pot, eating noodles nonstop.
Fang He, whose fullness added an extra layer of charm and grace, ate even faster than her daughter, her expression one of pure enjoyment.
The moment the transparent, silky Gold Bean Noodles slid into her mouth, the sour and spicy broth simultaneously rippled across her tongue, bouncing and leaping down her throat, scorching her whole body and opening every pore, making her want to shout out loud in delight.
She was being watched closely by Fule and Imperial Physician Zhang Yuyi, yet here she was—finally eating something flavorful after two months of tasteless food!
This bowl of crystal noodles had Fang He sweating fragrantly, her eyes glistening with tears, her cherry lips slightly swollen, her expression dazed.
As the sour and spicy broth coursed through every limb and joint, it was as if she had experienced several moments of sage-like bliss.
Three-headed Jiujiu was not to be outdone.
Though she couldn’t handle spicy noodles, she begged her mother to make her a savory noodle dish, with just a touch of vinegar and a drop of chili oil.
Her mouth was small, her appetite fierce, and with specially made short chopsticks flying in her hands, she finally managed to grasp a single noodle amidst the swirling broth.
She quickly lowered her head to bite it, like a baby elephant taking its first dip in water, her small hands clenched tightly, feet propped against the low stool’s legs, even her trembling belly working hard to suck the entire noodle into her mouth.
The warm, fragrant noodles puffed out her chubby little cheeks into a groundhog-like shape.
Her baby teeth chewed quickly as she hummed softly, squinting her big eyes, sweat breaking out on her forehead in an instant.
Nearby, Cui Wei, Xinhua, and Chunlai watched and couldn’t help but swallow their saliva, glancing outside repeatedly and thinking, ‘did this mother and daughter really enjoy their food that much?’
Fang He was considerate and told them to take turns eating in the small kitchen, so they wouldn’t all have to wait for her and Jiujiu to finish their meal before attending to themselves.
Cui Wei and Xinhua couldn’t eat spicy food, so the crystal noodles didn’t particularly interest them.
Xinke and Chunlai stayed behind, worried about the young mistress not having anyone around, so they were waiting for the next meal.
But now, watching Fang He and Jiujiu eat, all three of them began feeling hungry, with Chunlai’s stomach already growling loudly.
Suddenly, a voice filled with frustration sounded at the palace door.
“Why haven’t you finished eating yet?”
The three froze.
Who—who had just spoken their thoughts?
Fang He raised her head, wiping the sweat from her brow with a cloth, without looking up, she called out to Consort Yi.
“Sit quickly, have you eaten?”
“Look at the time!” Consort Yi covered her nose and mouth, afraid she might start drooling uncontrollably.
She plopped down beside Jiujiu, glaring at Fang He.
“I’ve been eating meals made from Golden Grain lately; my clothes barely fit anymore. I deliberately waited until mid-afternoon to come—how come you’re only eating now?”
Fang He swallowed a mouthful of noodles and replied, “Oh, this is the second round of lunch.”
Consort Yi: “…..”
‘You’re going to get fat!’
She snapped.
Jiujiu, busy with her steaming hot noodles, lifted her sweat-drenched little face and grinned at Consort Yi.
” Mother Yi, want a bowl?”
Consort Yi’s eyes fixed on Jiujiu’s glossy little mouth.
“Come on!”
Cui Wei stifled a laugh and went out with Ying Tao to bring Consort Yi a fresh bowl of crystal noodles.
Consort Yi couldn’t handle much spice but strangely enjoyed it.
She ate while being tickled by the heat, breaking into fragrant sweat.
By the time Fang He and Jiujiu finished, Consort Yi’s bowl—specially reduced by Ying Tao to half the usual noodles—was empty.
Fang He lay back on a soft pillow, wiping sweat from her face.
“This is the taste of life!”
Jiujiu mimicked her mother, leaning beside her, letting Chunlai wipe the oil from her little face and pat her round belly with a long sigh.
“This is…”
Halfway through her sigh, Jiujiu’s brain got too full, and after some effort, she continued.
“…B) LOBOJ!”
Everyone: “….”
Consort Yi hadn’t eaten to the point of fullness, but her makeup was already smudged.
She washed her face and came back, hearing Jiujiu’s exclamation.
Laughing uproariously, she bent down and pinched the little girl’s cheek.
“You even eat with human flavor now. What flavor?”
Jiujiu tilted her head, letting Consort Yi knead her cheek while trying hard to think.
“Sauce fragrance!”
The people in the hall fell silent for a moment before bursting into laughter.
Fang He stood and pinched Jiujiu’s face, planting a loud kiss on her.
She teased, “Alright, later I’ll marinate our Princess Jiujiu and cook you back into a pot, so you’ll become fragrant and delicious.”
Jiujiu couldn’t tell if this was feasible, but she knew her mother wasn’t a good kid and loved to tease her children.
She puckered her mouth and, slurring slightly, protested, “Xiji (Don’t marinate) Mother!”
Consort Yi laughed heartily, “Good child, so filial!”
Fang He snorted softly, picked up the full little one, and handed her to Chunlai.
She then took Xinhua with her behind the screen, and mother and daughter each washed up.
After wiping away their sweat and changing clothes, Fang He asked Chunlai to coax Jiujiu to take her afternoon nap before stepping out to speak with Consort Yi.
Consort Yi asked, “The Emperor should have already reached Jiangning by now, right?”
The imperial carriage left on the eighth day of the fourth month, and Fang He was discharged from confinement on the second day of the fifth month.
Counting the days, in a few more days he should be inspecting the stationed troops in Suzhou and Yangzhou, and by late in the month, he should be heading back.
Fang He was thinking about this too and smiled.
“The messenger said he should have arrived three days ago.”
According to the historical timeline Da Ago once mentioned, the mothers of the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Eighteenth Princes were to be presented before Kangxi this time.
She heard the one rumored to be exceptionally beautiful would be brought forth, and Fang He was very curious about just how beautiful she was, though she wasn’t sure if she would get to meet her.
More importantly, her money should soon be in her maternal uncle’s hands, right?
Thinking of Cao Yin’s generosity, Fang He couldn’t help but grin.
He was said to be the one who collected wealth for the Emperor, yet in the end, he owed the treasury a million taels but made his own family rich.
His silver would, sooner or later, return to the royal family, so she wasn’t going to refuse it.
She already planned how to use the money—to cultivate more wasteland, establish a fish farm, plant more Golden Grain and soybeans in the fields, buy several dairy cows, and breed crayfish in the water.
Just thinking about it made Fang He excited.
To get back at the Crown Prince… cough, cough, to prepare delicious food for Jiujiu and the second baby, she was counting on Qiao Xiaoyuan’s recipe!
Consort Yi noticed Fang He’s unusual excitement and looked somewhat puzzled.
“What are you laughing at so foolishly?”
Fang He changed the subject.
“Now that I don’t have to watch my diet, by the way, why did you come here just now?”
The palace had very few green plants to prevent assassinations, and the days were growing hotter.
Walking outside at midday could easily cause someone to melt.
Consort Yi fanned herself and sighed.
“Consort Ping in Chuxiu Palace has heatstroke. I’m responsible for administering ice treatments, so I went to check on her. She’s weak and looks unwell. I asked the Imperial Physician Lu to examine her.”
She paused, then added, “The days keep getting hotter. They dare not use ice continuously in Shoukang Palace either. Didn’t the Empress Dowager cough a few days ago?”
“Using too much ice risks catching cold, but without it, it’s unbearably hot. Why don’t you ask the Emperor when he’ll return? Then we can go to Changchun Garden and enjoy some ease.”
Since Kangxi and the Crown Prince were both away from the palace, only the Empress Dowager and Fang He could deliver messages to the Inner Cabinet and send memorials to Jiangnan.
But the Empress Dowager didn’t want Kangxi to worry over such trivial matters and wouldn’t write to him, so the task fell to Fang He.
“Two days ago, the Empress Dowager sent Jiujiu over, fearing the child might catch a cold after illness. I had Imperial Physician Lu take a look; it’s just a slight chill.”
Fang He had already anticipated this and cared about the Empress Dowager’s health even more than Consort Yi.
“I wrote to the Emperor two days ago. He should have received the letter by now.”
“We won’t wait for his return. I was also planning to ask someone to tell you and Consort Jing to prepare to move. In a few days, we’ll go to Changchun Garden.”
Consort Hui, “ailing” and confined in Changchun Palace, had handed over her palace affairs to Consort Jing.
Consort Rong was responsible for the flowers and plants and didn’t need to be involved this time.
Consort Yi hesitated.
“Shouldn’t we wait for the Emperor’s edict? If we start tidying up now…”
To put it nicely, it would be acting first and reporting later; put bluntly, it was disobedient and against palace rules.
Only the Emperor could order consorts and their children to leave the palace.
Fang He didn’t care.
“No matter what they say, I’m just being a dutiful daughter-in-law. Let others talk. Haven’t they said enough already? Not a single ounce of flesh has been taken from me.”
Her Empress Dowager mother-in-law was more lovable than any future mother-in-law.
When the Grand Empress Dowager was alive, the Empress Dowager listened to her.
After Xiaozhuang’s passing, she listened to the eldest prince.
But no matter what, she did everything she could to protect Fang He.
Now that none of them were in the palace, she listened to Fang He.
When consorts went to pay respects, the Empress Dowager would never let others stir up trouble, only taking good care of Jiujiu in Shoukang Palace.
Now, the names most often spoken by Jiujiu besides her mother, were Mamo and the Empress Dowager.
If the Empress Dowager was unwell, Fang He was more anxious than anyone.
Consort Yi seemed about to say more but held back, actually afraid the Emperor might take offense.
Yet it was painful to voice such concerns.
She was, after all, Kangxi’s consort.
She didn’t mind Fang He having all the favor, but worrying every day whether this noble lady’s favor would last made her heart ache, leaving her unable to speak.
After some thought, she teased.
“If the Noble Consort thinks the Emperor won’t be angry then don’t add extra worries to yourself. I’ll be glad to obey your orders.”
Fang He smiled silently.
If Consort Yi knew what Kangxi had promised her before leaving, she wouldn’t say such things.
But like Consort Yi, Fang He had already taken advantage of the situation and wouldn’t rub salt into the wound.
While they spoke, at the Cao family villa in Jiangning, Cao Yin and Liang Jiugong finished accepting Fang He’s thank-you gifts and helped each other out of the Department of Ceremonies’ eunuchs’ yard, their expressions complicated.
Cao Yin said, “Liang An’da, you’re quite courteous in front of Chief Eunuch Qiao…”
He had given Liang Jiugong a total of 3,000 taels in silver notes.
But this time, after being beaten for it and receiving a fifty-stroke penalty as thanks, Liang Jiugong tried to be polite and gave Qiao Cheng 10,000 taels in silver notes, avoiding most of the thanks but still taking ten strokes.
Swallowing the bitter pain, Liang Jiugong said, “Lord Cao, you’re no slouch yourself…”
Cao Yin was the Jiangning Weaving Officer.
Qiao Cheng probably couldn’t accept too heavy gifts to avoid suspicion of private dealings, so he only gave twenty strokes’ worth of gifts.
But Cao Yin sent two women, doubling it to forty strokes.
Cao Yin magnanimously declared the number unlucky and slipped Qiao Cheng 20,000 taels, accepting only eight strokes in return.
The two exchanged a glance, speechless, cursing Qiao Cheng in their hearts—the seemingly honest eunuch was full of wickedness.
When receiving the silver, he politely smiled and declined.
But once the notes were tucked inside his sleeve, he was a different man.
He even specially instructed the beating to be light.
One stroke might sound loud but wasn’t so painful, seeming careful with no broken skin or bone injuries.
Yet both their backsides were numb from the pain.
After a long bitter laugh, Cao Yin slipped a pouch to Liang Jiugong.
He quietly asked, “Does the Master dislike those two for being unable to serve well, or…?”