Jiujiu cried and shouted so forcefully that Kangxi couldn’t calm her.
Nearby in the side chamber, five-month-old Yin Hui was also awakened and began his own duet of cries.
Even if Fang He died, she’d be woken up by their howling.
Last night, she had exhausted herself discussing with Kangxi how to have him plead on her behalf at the Mid-Autumn Banquet, telling him about turning the tables.
She had ridden a horse for at least an hour and a half, finally going to sleep late at night.
Now, not even three hours have passed.
She was far from rested.
She only closed her eyes and reached out, pulling the sobbing Jiujiu into her arms, her hoarse voice whispering—
“Jiujiu, tell Mommy why you’re so sad. Make Mommy happy.”
Kangxi’s thin lips curled slightly, a glimmer of amusement flashing in his eyes.
He was not surprised to see Jiujiu instantly forget the slap and reach a small hand over her covered bottom to blow warm air and tickle Fang He’s side.
“Mommy’s bad, watch out!”
Fang He was usually very ticklish, especially when Kangxi teased her—she would laugh until she could barely breathe before he even touched her.
But only Jiujiu and Er Bao, whether on purpose or by accident, could touch her ticklish spots without much reaction.
Of course, it was a little ticklish, but she could bear it without a sound and wouldn’t accidentally hurt the children.
Fang He thought this must be the greatness of motherly love!
Then, the great mother raised her fair, slender index finger, squinted, and slowly waved it at Jiujiu’s little belly.
“Getting ready to bounce back~~”
Jiujiu: !!!
“Father’s too sharp!”
Even more ticklish than Mommy, Jiujiu laughed and dodged, forgetting the earlier slap and burying her head in Kangxi’s arms.
Kangxi quickly avoided the gold-thread embroidery on his dragon robe, carefully holding the soft little bundle so she wouldn’t get hurt.
With one hand, he squeezed Fang He’s soft finger.
“Hungry? Get up and have breakfast.”
After the mother and daughter played for a while, Kangxi’s desire to scold the troublemaker faded.
It could wait until after breakfast.
Fang He yawned lazily and leaned weakly on the pillow, her eyes glistening with sleep.
She cast a drowsy glance at Kangxi.
“Why are you disturbing the child so early in the morning?”
She snorted lightly, “I ate too much last night. I’m still not hungry.”
Before Kangxi could speak, Jiujiu popped her little head out from under his arm.
Like a bear breaking off sticks, she had forgotten her earlier cries for help, looking puzzled and somewhat annoyed.
“Mommy, what did you eat last night? Jiujiu wants some too!”
Kangxi’s face flushed.
He glanced at Fang He with a half-smile, tapping his lips with his thumb and turning his gaze away.
He wondered how she would explain this to the child when the little one could hear everything.
Fang He said boldly, “Of course, it was food only adults can eat—a tonic broth!”
She wouldn’t deliberately mislead the child or be overly intimate with Kangxi in front of Jiujiu.
No need for covert schemes.
When Jiujiu grew up, Fang He planned to teach her about gender and relationships.
She wouldn’t have her children bound by traditional female discipline.
“Jiujiu’s still little. Jiujiu’s a cub.” Jiujiu immediately lost interest, muttering as she slipped back under Kangxi’s arm.
Medicine tastes bitter.
She didn’t like it.
‘No wonder Mommy always said growing up was hard.’
She didn’t want to grow up anymore.
Kangxi said, “…Get up and wash. Eat breakfast first. I have something to tell you. After I’m done, if you’re still sleepy, you can go back to sleep.”
Fang He would have gotten up in another hour anyway.
She and Jiujiu still planned to play a treasure hunt game with Er Bao to help him sit up by himself.
She promised Jiujiu that when her little brother could crawl, she could pick a cat or a puppy she liked from the Cat and Dog Room, so even if Er Bao was afraid of animals, Jiujiu could avoid them.
Jiujiu had long wanted a kitten and was very eager.
That was why she quietly avoided Aunt Xinke and Pretending-Not-to-See Aunt Chunlai, waiting in Fang He’s bedchamber to wake Mommy.
Except she ended up falling asleep.
Mother and daughter tidied themselves and sat on either side of Kangxi, comfortably waiting for their husband and father to serve food.
Yes, little Princess Jiujiu needed meat every meal.
At breakfast, she was only given fish balls pounded into a paste because she couldn’t hold food well yet.
Liang Jiugong and Cui Wei sat beside Kangxi and Fang He, only occasionally lending a hand to their masters.
Speaking of which, Liang Jiugong sighed.
He couldn’t even remember when it became that the masters needed servants less and less to serve their meals.
It probably started after the barbecue.
Even the Crown Prince and princes gradually got used to serving themselves.
Kangxi himself, after tasting food prepared by eunuchs, preferred to eat with his own hands.
Without realizing it, he had grown accustomed to taking care of this mother and daughter.
Sometimes, with a sidelong glance, Liang Jiugong felt the master, mistress, and little one were like an ordinary family of three, radiating an inexplicable warmth.
***
But once breakfast was over, things changed.
Jiujiu knew Mommy and Father had serious matters to discuss, so she couldn’t wait and ran off to play the game “I pull you up” and “I push you down” with her little brother.
Fang He didn’t know what happened at the morning court, but Concubine Jing, who had attended many courts in her past life, understood clearly and had warned her days ago.
After the palace attendants placed tea on the low table by the soft couch and withdrew, Fang He immediately sat on Kangxi’s lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and acting obedient.
“Your Majesty, was morning court tiring? Just thinking about how you were bullied by this humble one most of last night, then had to rise before dawn to attend court—I kept feeling sorry for you in my dreams.”
Kangxi raised an eyebrow.
“…So sorry you even snored?”
Fang He poked his chest and murmured softly, “That was from being tired. With your physique, do you think bullying you is easy?”
Kangxi chuckled, “Not easy. You bullied me at night, but at court I was thinking about when to bring up your promotion. Because you were bullied, not just you, even I felt sorry for myself.”
Fang He immediately puffed up her cheeks and crossed her arms in a fierce pose.
“Who was it? Who’s so rude? General Ye can only be bullied by me—no one else!”
“Tell me, and I’ll deal with them for General Ye!”
Kangxi: “………”
‘This troublemaker was making the entire capital restless. What more did she want?’
He pinched her cute face and sighed, “You really aren’t afraid of being impeached by the censorate, are you?”
Fang He instinctively said, “Anyway, they aren’t complaining to me…”
Seeing Kangxi narrow his phoenix eyes with an increasingly dangerous look, Fang He immediately covered her mouth.
She had already had breakfast and did not want to have fried rice again.
She coughed lightly and hurriedly said, “Women must not interfere in politics. I’m being obedient. Who knows why so many idle people keep bothering me?”
Kangxi still didn’t let her off so easily and lightly tapped her back.
“If you don’t tell the truth soon, I won’t care about anything at the palace banquet tomorrow!”
Fang He was silent.
Having an emperor for a husband was troublesome—too smart.
He always knew what she was thinking before she said it.
She grinned and honestly confessed, “My sisters in the palace and I don’t want anyone entering the palace anymore, so we want to stop next year’s selection.”
Kangxi frowned, surprised.
“Just select a few little maids to enter. I don’t want too many people in the palace either.”
Fang He caught it—”little maids” were not considered people in Kangxi’s eyes.
She looked Kangxi seriously in the eyes and said, “But even little maids who enter the palace have hopes. You are mine now.”
“Since you promised me, why let them enter the palace to live a life without hope?”
If that were the case, even someone as selfish as Fang He would feel it stained her karma.
Kangxi laughed at her domineering words and pondered for a moment.
“The selection can’t stop. The royal family has many clan members waiting to marry. The Bannermen also need to marry. Families with maid candidates all wait to pass re-selection for a good match.”
The Manchus had conquered the world from horseback, and the whole tribe was martial.
Even the women were as brave as men.
Great Qing advocated Manchu-Han integration, but both Shizu and Kangxi sought to eliminate the unnecessary and keep only the elite, unwilling to be completely sinicized.
The selection system was established to prevent the Bannermen from becoming too Han, especially stopping the foot-binding custom.
To maintain the purity of Manchu, Mongol, and Han Eight Banners bloodlines, regulate Bannermen’s marriages and population growth, and uphold Manchu dominance, the system was rigorously enforced.
Kangxi explained this succinctly to Fang He.
He toyed with her small hand and smiled, “It’s no big deal if no one enters the palace this time. Since the noble consort insists, then this time no one shall enter.”
Fang He shook her head, biting her lip as she stood before Kangxi.
Kangxi’s heart sank , ‘Was she going to argue again?
An occasional argument was one thing, but Kangxi didn’t want to quarrel with Fang He over state affairs.
No matter the outcome, it would hurt their feelings too much.
He took her hand and was about to soothe her.
But before he could speak, Fang He pressed a finger against his thin lips.
“Listen to me first.”
She gathered her thoughts and spoke softly, “I’m not trying to interfere in state affairs. You know my nature—I just like eating and drinking and don’t care about court matters.”
“For the officials and all the Manchu, Mongol, and Han Bannermen families, the selection’s most important aspect is entering the palace as consorts. You can’t deny this.”
“One or two times, Your Majesty can forbid people from entering, but if it drags on, it will become a conflict between you and the ministers. They will still regard me as a femme fatale and may even target Jiujiu and Er Bao. By then, it will be too late to change. I don’t want to wait, and I dare not wait.”
Fang He struggled a little with the hand Kangxi held.
When Kangxi’s face grew solemn and his grip loosened slightly, she flipped her palm to interlace their fingers and leaned against his chest.
Looking at Kangxi seriously, she said, “I won’t act recklessly. The selection can proceed, but the method must change.”
“The selection will still serve the marriage needs of the Manchu, Mongol, and Han Bannermen. Your goal through the selection will not change.”
“I just want everyone to understand one thing: no one will enter the palace anymore, but what they receive will only be more.”
She wasn’t sure if Kangxi, with his long experience, could accept this change.
She hesitated, biting her lip, and finally asked in a small voice, “Does Your Majesty trust me?”
Without hesitation, Kangxi pulled her closer, using his tongue to gently push aside the teeth biting her lip, softly biting in return.
Between their lips and teeth, Kangxi’s voice was muffled but firm.
“What do you want me to do, Guoguo?”
Fang He’s tense heart suddenly relaxed.
Without a word, she cupped Kangxi’s face and kissed him deeply in return.