Er Bao screwed up his little face and soon relaxed, then looked up at Kangxi and began to wail loudly.
Kangxi: “…..”
‘Just as Guoguo said—daughters come to repay kindness; sons come to collect debts!’
He quickly handed Er Bao to the Wet Nurse, no longer caring—if he ate a lot, he ate a lot.
Judging by this crying, he was definitely going to be a brave warrior.
Inside, Jiujiu rushed out, worried that her brother, who was having his diaper changed, might wake Mother. “Don’t cry, or you’ll wake Mother. I’ll kiss you!”
Er Bao immediately stopped crying, pouting but clinging tightly to Jiujiu’s finger.
Watching Jiujiu seriously scolding her brother and seeing Er Bao, who understood nothing but seemed to get it anyway—even with tears in his eyes, he kept smiling at Jiujiu.
Well, sister is the real sister; he’s not a stepdad, right?
Kangxi was even more helpless.
This damned woman talks to the children and all they get are flying kisses!
Li Dequan caught sight of the master’s expression and couldn’t help but chuckle.
Kangxi shot him a cold glance, making Li Dequan hurriedly shrink back.
Before changing clothes in the bedchamber, Kangxi instructed Xinhua and Chunlai to keep an eye on the two children, not letting them out of their sight for a moment.
Li Dequan, afraid of punishment, quietly explained while helping the master change.
“The noble master told the Ninth Princess that beating is love and scolding is care. But if said too much, it would hurt the young masters’ feelings. So when the young masters upset the noble master, the noble master uses kisses… uh, to show affection.”
Kangxi was silent for a moment, strangely not surprised but speechless.
After washing and changing into casual robes, Kangxi entered the bedchamber, lifted the curtain, and saw Fang He sleeping with a delicate figure curled under the covers, her mouth slightly open, and he silently smiled.
With this damned woman around, no matter where they were, things never stayed calm.
There were no urgent memorials to review, so Kangxi waved for Xinhua and Xinzi to leave, took off his outer robe, and entered the bedchamber again, preparing to keep Fang He company for a while longer.
Since returning from the campaign, they had been reckless a few times, but mindful of the child in her womb, he had only briefly indulged.
After she was seven months pregnant, Kangxi no longer dared to let her have her way.
Counting the trip to Jiangnan, he had indeed been away for a long time, even surprised at his own restraint.
Several times, he soiled his undershirt, forcing Qiao Cheng to ask if he wanted someone to attend to him.
Yet, he never once had the thought to be with another.
Kangxi fixed his gaze on Fang He’s peaceful lotus-like face, inexplicably feeling that though she didn’t care about the past, if she grew close to someone else, he would lose that vibrant presence forever.
He had never feared the countless visible and invisible dangers, but with this damned woman, he couldn’t bear to lose her.
He hadn’t fasted even once in half a year but had drunk all the medicinal teas prescribed by the imperial physicians.
Returning from Jiangnan around noon on a scorching day, Kangxi didn’t send anyone out to welcome him but went straight to the garden to have lunch with the Empress Dowager.
Back in Chunhui Hall, the first thing he did was send for Fang He.
Li Dequan hadn’t yet arrived at Jiayin Hall when he ran into Fang He coming to Chunhui Hall with the two children.
What happened next goes without saying.
Kangxi shifted Fang He’s mottled body marked with kissing bruises; she grunted unhappily and tried to kick, but the movement only made her grunt louder.
She opened her eyes drowsily and saw Kangxi’s handsome face so close that even his faint freckles were clear.
She reached out to push him away and turned over to continue sleeping.
Though a short separation felt like a new marriage, her post-wedding meal was far too heavy and still undigested—she couldn’t eat anything more.
Kangxi’s eyes and hands were quick to catch her hand, his frustration making him want to be affectionate.
How could both mother and daughter like to hit people in the face?
If people saw this often, wouldn’t he lose face?
She turned over, revealing a well-shaped butterfly bone, also marked by bite marks, causing Kangxi’s gaze to darken.
Unlike Fang He, his appetite was good.
Yesterday’s meal was just an appetizer; he had saved up for months, all to feed her.
But if he woke her now, he guessed she wouldn’t let him enter Jiayin Hall for ten or fifteen days.
Kangxi leaned close and kissed her softly on the ear, holding her before she could irritably kick.
Yesterday, after lunch, they had played with Jiujiu and Er Bao for a while, and from mid-afternoon until early court, they hadn’t separated.
Kangxi was sleepy and soon fell into a deep sleep with Fang He.
When he woke, surprisingly, Fang He was no longer in bed.
Kangxi was a little startled.
His vigilance was high; any slight movement would wake him, yet he hadn’t noticed her getting up.
“Where is your noble master?” he asked Liang Jiugong.
Liang Jiugong was helping Kangxi change clothes, smiling as he replied, “Your Majesty, the noble master has taken the Ninth Princess and Fifteenth Prince back to Jiayin Hall to read the letters from Jiangnan. She requests Your Majesty to dine later.”
Kangxi hesitated on his way to the Imperial Study—letters from Jiangnan… displeasure flickered in his eyes.
Cao Yin discovered that after receiving the letters Fang He sent, that cook Qiao had been doing strange things daily at the manor, producing pungent, weird smells—was he researching some recipe for that damned woman?
Kangxi snorted coldly.
Compared to the palace cooks, he trusted those in Jiangnan more.
He was here trying to get her closer to him, yet she wasn’t even willing to wait for him to rise.
A sour feeling brewed in his heart.
Kangxi arrived at Jiayin Hall an hour earlier than usual for dinner, his expression unknowingly more subdued.
Seeing Fang He coming out with Jiujiu, he bent to pick up Jiujiu and head inside.
“What did Jiangnan send that made you rush back? Let me have a look.”
Fang He: “…………”
What, the Imperial Teahouse has stopped brewing tea and started brewing vinegar?
She stifled a laugh and followed behind, teasing, “Your Majesty might as well just ask Jiujiu; you don’t see anyone else anyway.”
Jiujiu eagerly raised her hand and said, “Father, Father, I know—it’s mud!”
Kangxi gave Fang He a sidelong glance.
“They came all that way just to send you some mud?”
Fang He smiled politely, “Yes, and some food recipes, but I figure the Emperor is well-fed, so no need to show you.”
Jiujiu raised her hand again: “Jiujiu eat, Jiujiu eat mud!”
Kangxi poked Jiujiu’s little nose and said, “Fuer Guochun, you’re a princess. If you want something good, just have the Imperial Kitchen send it. As for those unfit for the table, be careful not to upset your stomach.”
Jiujiu looked confused at Fang He.
‘Didn’t Mother say it was even better than powder?’
Half an hour later, the back hall of Jiayin Palace suddenly filled with the rich aroma of grilled meat, making the serving palace maids and eunuchs drool and wrinkle their noses as they peeked inside.
‘What was this? How was this smell even more unbearable than the crystal powder before?’
In the back kitchen’s courtyard, two stoves had been set up.
One was a yuanbao-shaped roasting stove built against the kitchen wall, still drying and not yet usable.
The other was a clay stove like those used in the Imperial Teahouse but larger, with an iron basin on top holding a good amount of charcoal, covered with an oil-coated iron mesh.
On the mesh sat many skewered meat sticks.
Eunuchs Liu and Chen stood sweating heavily by the iron mesh, too focused to wipe their brows, turning the meat sticks and sprinkling powder, occasionally brushing on a honey-colored glaze.
The thin layer of fat melted on the meat’s skin over the coals, accompanied by the sizzling of the meat’s own fat, releasing a sweet yet strangely captivating aroma of cumin that wafted gently outwards.
The longer the meat skewers roasted, the stronger the aroma, spreading fiercely in all directions.
Kangxi had been busy all afternoon but couldn’t help swallowing hard as the fragrance teased his empty stomach.
He wanted to eat the meat as soon as possible.
But when Cui Wei carried the roast meat over, Fang He smiled sweetly and raised an eyebrow at Kangxi.
“Oh, Your Majesty, you’re the Emperor. If you want something good, just order the Imperial Kitchen to send it. As for those things unfit for the table, be careful not to upset your stomach!”
Jiujiu scratched her cheek, wondering why that sounded so familiar.
But she was too busy staring at the meat skewers to care, urging Aunt Chunlai to hurry and skewer the meat.
The roasting stove and skewers were made in advance at the Zaoban Office, which had taken the task seriously—the handles bore cloud patterns, and the tips shone brightly.
No one dared let Jiujiu hold them herself.
As Chunlai pulled meat off the skewers, Jiujiu was so anxious she didn’t even bother with chopsticks, instead pounding on the meat and grabbing it directly to stuff into her mouth.
No sooner had she taken a bite than she squinted her eyes and hummed happily, swinging her little legs next to Fang He.
Fang He picked up a skewer and slowly ate, also squinting and humming, even bringing the plate closer to herself.
Meat.
“Emperor, just wait for the Imperial Kitchen to serve you. Let me and Jiujiu handle these unfit-for-the-table things.”
Kangxi was both amused and annoyed by Fang He’s teasing, lightly knocking her head when Jiujiu wasn’t looking.
He lowered his voice, “If I hadn’t hidden your tracks and had people protect them, do you think those things could be delivered to you?”
Fang He grinned confidently at Kangxi, “Oh my, I’m so touched! Then I’ll eat more for you!”
Kangxi: “…………”
“I spoke wrong; I’ll give you an extra ten percent of the silver I brought back.”
Fang He immediately held a skewer to Kangxi’s mouth and winked, “Then you mustn’t get jealous!”
Kangxi smiled slyly and bit down on the skewer, tearing off a piece, eyes fixed on her.
“I’m human too, so I’ll try my best.”
Fang He was drawn forward slightly by his action.
Honestly, in that moment, not even the delicious smell of roasted meat could stop her heart from pounding wildly.
When a man uses his charm like this… hiss, it really whets the appetite!
She handed Kangxi the bitten skewer, pretending to be calm as she picked up another to eat.
Fang He had also ordered the Zaoban Office to make iron grates—not just for skewers but for roasting meat.
Using the season’s most abundant vegetables with Qiao Xiaoyuan’s recipe, she made a sweet and spicy sauce to wrap meat in vegetables.
The small kitchen prepared dozens of pork and mutton skewers, plus Fang He’s requested eggplant, golden beans, and golden rice, as well as some specially marinated beef.
The beef came from the Imperial Manor’s cattle, known for its tender meat.
Marinated in five-spice and spicy sauces, then lightly grilled on the iron grates, it released a mouthwatering fragrance that rivaled cumin skewers.
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