The thirty-sixth year of Kangxi, summer.
After two fierce battles between the Great Qing and Moxi, the Jungar Khanate led by Gualdan was thoroughly defeated.
The first thing Kangxi did upon returning to the palace after marrying Fang He at the Hot Spring Villa was to order the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of War, and the Lifan Yuan to jointly oversee communications with Jungar and demand its surrender to the Great Qing.
However, after Gualdan returned to the Jungar tribe, he steadfastly refused to obey the imperial edicts.
In fact, during the winter of the thirty-fifth year, when all the tribes of Beimeng were recuperating, he led the Jungar raiders in even more frenzied attacks on the various tribes of Monan.
By the time news reached the capital, Jungar had already plundered the winter supplies of many tribes and was heading west along the Luosha border towards Tibet, intending to rely on Tibet’s unique geography to continue resisting the Great Qing.
Kangxi flew into a rage.
He had previously believed that Gualdan had only escaped with a few dozen cavalry, a stray dog at best, and that once spring returned, the Qing troops at Yuanhuicheng and Shengjing could wipe him out completely.
Yet he hadn’t expected Gualdan would dare to make moves in the deadly grassland winter, severely weakening the fighting strength of the Beimeng tribes and even inviting incursions from Luosha soldiers.
As soon as the New Year had passed, Kangxi immediately issued an edict and set out on another imperial campaign.
While on the march, Kangxi received word that although Gualdan was leading the Jungar forces toward Tibet, the Yili territory he had previously captured had been occupied by his nephew, Tsewang Araptan.
By the time the imperial entourage reached Rehe, spring had arrived, but the climate in Beimeng and Tibet remained frigid.
Kangxi was well aware that the Qing troops were not as adept at warfare as the Moxi tribes or the Tibetan soldiers, so he dispatched the quick-witted Changning and the meticulous Sun Sining in secret to Yili to persuade Tsewang Araptan to cooperate with the Great Qing.
Tsewang Araptan’s Abu (father) had been killed by Gualdan, and the enmity between uncle and nephew was irreconcilable…
At least, that was the official reason.
In truth, Tsewang Araptan’s thirst for power was no less than Gualdan’s, and he struck an immediate agreement with Changning.
When Gualdan was fifty li from the Yili encampment, he sensed something amiss and tried to flee with his men, but someone close to him had been bribed by Tsewang Araptan and actively led the Qing troops to them.
Seeing Gualdan’s cause was lost, his trusted followers surrendered one after another—some even volunteering to offer Gualdan’s head as a token of submission.
Kangxi watched coldly as this once-formidable hero, who had caused him endless headaches, was abandoned by all.
He simply let Changning corral the remaining loyalists to surround Gualdan.
Gualdan was no fool; he understood well where his followers’ true loyalties lay.
Tsewang Araptan, whom he had raised and taught, would never fulfill Gualdan’s dream of unifying Beimeng, but as long as a descendant of the Moxi khans became ruler of the world, he wouldn’t consider himself a total failure—just a pioneer among victors and vanquished.
At the end of March, fifty li outside Yili, Gualdan took poison and killed himself.
Tsewang Araptan personally brought his severed head to Kangxi and performed a grand kowtow ceremony.
Kangxi named Tsewang Araptan as the Great Khan of the Moxi Jungar and had the Ministry of Rites compose an official prayer, formally recognizing his legitimacy.
After that, not a single Qing soldier was lost as the troops returned to the capital.
Beimeng was once again unified under the Great Qing.
Kangxi was especially pleased.
Counting up, he had personally campaigned against Gualdan three times, but the first two times he hadn’t even managed to meet him, and Gualdan had always escaped.
This time, Kangxi led fifty thousand Qing troops across the Yellow River straight to the Halaha River, blocking Gualdan’s escape to Tibet and finally eliminated this persistent threat.
He felt as if destiny truly favored him and experienced a rare, youthful joy.
When he saw Fang He in Chunhui Hall, he was so delighted he scooped her up at once.
“Guoguo, did you miss Us?”
Fang He let him spin her around several times, barely restraining her urge to retort and forced a gentle smile.
“Of course this concubine misses His Majesty every day—worried that you aren’t eating or sleeping well, afraid you’d be cold or hot out there. Seeing you now, this concubine’s heart is finally at ease.”
Kangxi laughed heartily, setting her down and playfully tapping her nose he asked, “You missed us so much you ate more and slept longer, didn’t you?”
He had long since seen through Fang He and Jiujiu, the mother-daughter pair.
Whether they said they missed him or not, it was undeniable—they, like Er Bao and the others, certainly did.
But for these two, their longing always stopped at words—at best, a muttered “Amitabha” and he should burn incense in gratitude; they’d never dream of him even in sleep.
Kangxi had always known her roguish ways, but never doubted her sincerity towards him.
No matter how much or how little, the moment he chose to marry Fang He at the Hot Spring Villa, he already knew his own heart completely.
No matter who she was or how she was, he accepted all of her—after all, having let her into his heart…
No, the knife plunged into his heart, sharpened by himself—if he were to pull it out, he likely wouldn’t survive.
Besides, there were even benefits to her heartless ways.
His eyes, dark and burning, swept over her before he drew close, encircling Fang He’s waist and letting his voice grow husky.
“It’s been months, Guoguo—let Us have a good look at just how much fuller you’ve gotten, and whether We can still…handle you.”
Fang He took a deep breath—she honestly wasn’t surprised at all by this scoundrel’s fast pace.
She had originally planned to be a bit more gentle and demure, for the sake of the wedding ceremony he’d given her at the end of last year.
She had asked Kangxi why he suddenly went mad.
After all, no one stopped the Emperor from making her Empress, yet he chose to hold a private wedding with the Imperial Noble Consort, ignoring ancestral law and custom.
If that got out, even the old imperial clan would weep before the censors.
Kangxi used to like explaining himself—his feelings, his kindness, his helplessness… but at some point, he seemed to tire of explanations and simply did more and spoke less, not caring whether Fang He was touched or not.
He only said: “When Yinreng married the Guwalgiya lady, and when Yinzhi’s wife came to greet you, your eyes told Us you wanted it too. If you want it and We can give it, then naturally We must.”
When he spoke, Kangxi gently stroked her cheek, his eyes lowered and even a bit guilty.
Fang He understood—he felt guilty he couldn’t make her Empress and let her become his wife openly.
But it wasn’t for any political calculation, nor a matter of gain or loss—it was simply that he couldn’t bear the slightest risk of losing her.
That night, Fang He didn’t say much more, she was never good at baring her heart seriously.
Instead, she just held back tears and fiercely tackled Kangxi onto the bed… risking her life to accompany a rascal, and let the bed curtains sway most of the night.
Hmm… later in the hot spring pool, with trembling limbs, she bit her teeth and pounced again.
At that time, Fang He felt that her fondness for Kang Shifu now could nearly rival his own for her.
Two lifetimes, and no one had ever told her—if she wanted, he’d give.
No one had ever cherished her so much that they feared losing her.
Once, she was her own only treasure, because there was no one in the world who loved her more but Kangxi let her realize—she too could be someone’s whole world, and promise lifelong devotion together.
After returning from the villa, she resolved…to keep up her role as virtuous wife and loving mother for as long as possible.
But when Kangxi was away from the palace, Jiujiu, along with Sanbao and Fourbao, caught a jar of earthworms as a birthday present for her, and she lost her composure.
Now…she couldn’t stand it any longer—perhaps she simply didn’t have the talent for being a virtuous wife and loving mother.
“Your Majesty, can’t you smell yourself first!” she smacked Kangxi’s arm hard.
“Hiss… let go! Do you have any idea how uncomfortable that golden armor of yours is?”
Kangxi: “…”
Well, it was only last night, in a hurry to get into the garden, that he’d wiped down in the Imperial Palanquin but hadn’t bathed.
But seeing Fang He pinch her nose with such disgust, Kangxi realized at once.
He’d ridden into the city in golden armor and returned to the palace, made offerings to the ancestors, and then come back to Changchun Garden.
On such a hot day, wearing such heavy clothing, he probably didn’t smell very nice.
Kangxi was always meticulous about cleanliness—but that was in the palace.
When campaigning, he had to come and go with the troops, and couldn’t maintain such refined habits.
Even if he could, he wouldn’t trouble the army so much.
At Fang He’s direction, Liang Jiugong and Li Dequan helped him change, while Liu An and Chen Shun, now running errands for Fang He at Qianqing Palace, went to prepare hot water for his bath.
Kangxi’s eyes flickered; he docilely let the four serve him.
When only his underclothes remained and the hot water was brought in, he shot Liang Jiugong a glance.
Liang Jiugong instantly understood, suppressed his laughter, and waved Liu An and the others out quickly.
Fang He was reclining on the soft couch, eating grapes from the ice tray, planning to talk to Kangxi about Wu Long Pavilion afterward.
But before she’d eaten a few grapes, she caught that sour sweat scent again.
Looking up, she saw Kangxi bending over.
She immediately held her breath and leaned back.
“Your Majesty, what are you doing! Stay away—ah!”
After more than three months of campaigning, Kangxi’s archery and riding were even better than in the palace.
Now, he could use a twelve-stone bow with ease—so picking up his delicate little wife, barely a hundred jin, was like grabbing a toy.
Fang He kicked in frustration and said, “It’s broad daylight! What are you doing, Your Majesty? Soon you have to pay respects to the Empress Dowager! If you have no shame, I still—mmm…”
Before she could finish, Kangxi blocked her mouth and carried her into the warm water.
Then, Kangxi changed into his imperial robes and stepped into the bath, leisurely unfastening Fang He’s wet clothes.
“It’s been so long since you’ve served us at the bath—there’s plenty of time to go to the Ruijing Pavilion later.”