When Kangxi fell silent, Consort Rong cried again.
She wasn’t upset because of those two unruly children, but because Kangxi had immediately assumed she had hurt them.
How stupid would she have to be to lay hands on two imperial princes in broad daylight!
She turned sideways and sat back down in the pavilion, trembling all over as she sobbed, drawing the attention of the Crown Prince and the palace attendants.
Kangxi looked up, a dull headache pressing on his temples, but he understood Consort Rong’s temper.
“I’m not suspecting you of harming Fuer Guochun and Uxiha. Those two children are young; I’m just worried they don’t know their own strength.”
Consort Rong sobbed so hard her voice choked, “Your Majesty thinks I’m bluffing. If I hadn’t gained your favor, that would be one thing. But after serving you all these years, I’ve become a poison woman in Your Majesty’s heart…”
“I know I’m not favored by Noble Consort Zhaoyuan. I’ve worked hard in my duties, just hoping the Empress Dowager and Your Majesty would think of me a little, so life in the palace would be easier…”
“Alas! It’s over.”
“Who have I offended? So I shouldn’t do my duties properly, just lie in my own palace and wait to die, so I don’t bother anyone.”
Yinreng saw his father’s temples bulge with veins as he was questioned and struggled to suppress a smile, quietly retreating backward, afraid to catch the tail end of the storm.
When children cry, they cry as a whole, impossible to soothe.
But when adults cry, children stop crying.
Jiujiu was frightened by Consort Rong’s tears.
She grabbed Kangxi’s sleeve and stared wide-eyed, curious.
Unlike Jiujiu, who was all thunder and no rain, Consort Rong had been busy in the garden recently, her complexion darkened and weary.
She hadn’t expected to see the emperor today and, not anticipating favor, had been too tired to dress up.
Her crying thus seemed particularly pitiful.
Jiujiu was especially sensitive to others’ emotions and realized Consort Rong was truly heartbroken.
She awkwardly straightened from Kangxi’s arms, her little mouth trembling.
“Jiujiu didn’t mean it, Jiujiu wasn’t on purpose~”
Though clever, she was still only three years old.
Panicked, she pushed Kangxi, hoping her father would comfort Consort Rong, but then clung to Kangxi’s sleeve, afraid of being scolded.
“Papa~” Jiujiu pouted and called softly, tears falling like big beads.
She crouched on the ground, curling up and covering her eyes with her arm, sobbing incoherently.
“Jiu… bullied, asked… asked~~~”
Kangxi’s headache worsened, ‘No wonder Xinnan hadn’t found that scoundrel—whenever the commotion was over and it was time to catch the troublemakers, that rascal ran faster than anyone.’
Usually, when Jiujiu shed a few tears, as Fang He said, they weren’t heartfelt.
When she was truly upset, she never made a sound, crying so hard she couldn’t even catch her breath, breaking one’s heart.
Consort Rong was still crying.
Kangxi picked up Jiujiu but didn’t say much.
Uxiha had long since run out of tears.
Seeing her sister crying too, despite her fear of Kangxi, she mustered the courage to come closer.
Her voice hoarse, she whispered, “Your Majesty, we asked Second Sister. She said we could plant wherever we wanted.”
Consort Rong, wiping her tears, suddenly stiffened, as if struck by lightning, her vision dimming.
Just then, the garden steward was brought over with a sour expression.
The eunuch sent by order to investigate looked ashen, his expression unreadable.
The man, over forty, knelt upon seeing Kangxi, his face pale as he hurriedly reported, “Your Majesty, it was the Second Princess who personally brought the two princesses and pointed out the northwest corner of the grounds for them.”
Consort Rong: “….”
This was truly her own daughter!
She almost understood what had happened.
At once, she was too embarrassed to cry but too hopeless not to.
Her own children rarely survived to stand on their feet, so she indulged them a little.
These two siblings, no one knew why, were especially careless by nature.
Ning Chuge probably thought that two little kids couldn’t possibly till a large plot, but she hadn’t expected that attendants beside the Seventh and Ninth Princesses had actually gotten involved.
Kangxi lightly patted the small bundle who had already soaked his shoulder with tears and looked toward the untouched northwest corner with some confusion.
“If it’s supposed to be the northwest corner, why did they come to the east side of the main hall?”
The steward eunuch wiped the sweat from his forehead carefully and said, “The Second Princess said… the two princesses could plant wherever they liked. She also said Consort Rong was too tired and shouldn’t be disturbed. When the two princesses wanted to change locations, I didn’t dare to stop them.”
Uxiha also whispered, “Jiujiu said nothing grows there. Here grows well. We’ll surely grow better sweet potatoes and bring them to Your Majesty as birthday gifts.”
Kangxi and Consort Rong: “……”
Yinreng bit down hard on his tongue, barely holding back laughter.
The Second Sister was careless by nature but filial, and Jiujiu was bolder and even more devoted.
Consort Rong had poured her heart out and was the real sufferer.
It was up to His Majesty to decide what to do.
Kangxi sighed but did not become as flustered as Yinreng expected.
He rhythmically patted Jiujiu and looked at Consort Rong gently.
“Ning Chuge means well. Even if something goes wrong at the Chongyang Flower Banquet, it’s not your fault. Both the Empress Dowager and I remember your intentions. Don’t cry anymore.”
“I’ll have the Imperial Household Department replant the garden. These Yubai Jiaju chrysanthemums should be enough to form an auspicious pattern. After the flower banquet, I’ll have some rare chrysanthemums sent to your palace.”
After the festival, once the rewards were distributed, everyone knew Kangxi and the Empress Dowager were satisfied with Consort Rong’s work.
Consort Rong took the cue and quickly wiped away her tears, standing to kowtow.
“Your Majesty, I thank you. Today, I lost my composure and scared the two princesses.”
She bit her lip and said, “I should apologize to the two princesses…”
“All right.” Kangxi cut her off.
“Those two are just acting on impulse, so they do need to be properly reprimanded. Consort Rong is their stepmother. Even if her words were harsh, she is their elder. There is no reason for her to apologize to the children.”
If the matter got out, people would say Fang He and Jiujiu’s mother and daughter were abusing their power.
He gently patted the now calming Jiujiu and said softly, “The weather’s turning cold. Nothing planted in the ground will survive. With so many sweet potatoes, they could feed ten children the size of Fuer Guochun.”
“Fuer Guochun, didn’t your mother tell you good children shouldn’t waste food? Before you planted, did you carefully ask the eunuchs skilled in gardening to make sure your surprise for me would succeed?”
“If it doesn’t work, at the next Emperor’s birthday celebration, Papa will be sad. Would Jiujiu want to make Papa sad?”
Jiujiu sniffled and rubbed against Kangxi’s shoulder.
Though she didn’t speak, her small body gradually relaxed.
The whole storm dissipated without a trace.
Kangxi ordered someone to send Uxiha back to Concubine Jing, then held the tired, sleeping Jiujiu in his arms and returned to Chunhui Hall with Yinreng.
Yinreng followed behind, glancing at his little sister resting her head on Kangxi’s shoulder with a complicated expression.
Although His Majesty had scolded Jiujiu and treated Consort Rong favorably, any clear-eyed person could see he considered Jiujiu one of his own and openly taught her.
Once…
Only he had been granted that special favor.
Moreover, whether soothing Jiujiu or coaxing her to sleep, His Majesty was so adept it was obvious he often did such things.
This was a favor even Yinreng had never received.
Now that Jiujiu had it, would Yinhui someday take the place he held in His Majesty’s heart?
He smiled and stepped forward softly, “Your Majesty, let me hold Jiujiu. It’s cold; you should put on your daping first so Jiujiu doesn’t catch cold crying.”
Kangxi glanced at Yinreng with no movement of his hands and said, “I’m used to it.”
Seeing Yinreng’s expression darken slightly, Kangxi chuckled with some melancholy.
“When you were little and threw tantrums, I comforted you often. At the time, I was fighting in the south. Sometimes you cried and no one wanted you. I even had to hold you while writing memorials.”
“There was once when Suo’etu and Mingzhu saw us. The two men barged straight into my arms. Watching you drawing maps in my arms gave me goosebumps.”
Yinreng: “…..”
Drawing maps isn’t what he thinks it is, right?!
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