The Empress Dowager was stunned and looked subconsciously at Fang He, murmuring in Mongolian, “He doesn’t remember at all?”
Not even Guoguo?
Only then did Kangxi look hesitantly at Fang He and said, “This is Imperial Consort Zhen…”
Before he could finish, Fang He lost patience with his speech, and, supporting the Empress Dowager, hurried towards the Imperial Palanquin.
She took a careful look—Kangxi seemed intact, and even his gait was normal.
For now, there was no need to fret about his amnesia.
As Fang He rushed up to the palanquin, Kangxi turned his head, gazing with a complex, dazed expression as she disappeared behind the curtain.
He was “amnesiac,” yet this rascal showed not a shred of concern…
Would she, seeing Yin Hui’s wounds, come to settle accounts with the “amnesiac” emperor?
Thinking of Yin Hui’s injury and Fang He’s protectiveness over the children, Kangxi feared even “amnesia” might not placate this ancestor.
This look, to everyone else, suggested His Majesty had forgotten his former affection for the Imperial Noble Consort and now resented her for her overstepping.
Liang Jiugong stepped forward and softly explained for Fang He, “Your Majesty, this servant already sent back the pulse record for the Fifteenth Prince. The Imperial Noble Consort has always cared deeply for the princes and Your Majesty. Now that she knows Your Majesty is safe, she must be anxious for the Fifteenth Prince and forgot the rules for a moment…”
Kangxi shot him a cold look.
Useless servant—does he know whose servant he is?
Expressionless, he supported the Empress Dowager and said, “I’ll escort the Imperial Mother back to the palace first. Once I’ve finished catching up on state affairs, I’ll pay my respects again.”
The Empress Dowager’s expression grew complicated, even more worried than Liang Jiugong as she looked towards the palanquin.
The government affairs the Emperor needed to handle had already been dealt with by Fang He and Princess Chengyuan.
Chengyuan even streamlined some processes in the Inner Cabinet, making it run even more smoothly—as if the Emperor’s presence or absence in the palace made no difference.
Given the Emperor’s concern for his power, if he found out… would he truly resent Guoguo?
But such things could not be said openly at the palace gates before so many people, so the Empress Dowager allowed Kangxi to escort her to Shoukang Palace.
At the entrance to Shoukang Palace, the Empress Dowager lowered her voice and quickly spoke up for Fang He, “These days while you were missing, Guoguo slept only two hours a night, personally overseeing affairs so that no chaos arose in the palace.”
“She kept a strict watch over the seal at Jiaotai Hall, bearing the pressure of officials and relatives alike, preserving the peace of Jingcheng. If… Don’t blame her for overstepping. She’s not someone who loves power.”
Kangxi knew well enough what had happened in the palace.
He’d left shadow guards behind.
He only spoke that way to get the Empress Dowager back to her quarters quickly—so he could hurry to Yanxi Palace to apologize to that little ancestor.
But hearing the Empress Dowager’s words, those written reports from the shadow guards felt like blades stabbing his heart, making his face pale.
Fang He was the laziest person; she wouldn’t get up without at least four and a half hours of sleep and couldn’t even be bothered to manage palace affairs herself.
Yet she’d held down the fort against all demons and monsters and not a single thing had gone wrong.
She had also faced the pressure of being called a “hen crowing at dawn,” dealing with Fuquan, Yabu, and Mingzhu with both softness and strength to maintain peace in Jingcheng.
All of this was a problem.
If Jingcheng had not been kept under control, and those with ulterior motives had joined forces with outsiders, could he have lasted until Fuquan found him?
But he’d failed to protect Yin Hui and, even when danger befell Yin Hui, hesitated to act, hoping to use the crisis to catch all the corrupt officials.
Even though he had discussed it with Yin Hui and received the boy’s resolute agreement, he still could not be sure that Fang He would not be completely disappointed in him.
Kangxi left Shoukang Palace with heavy steps, not even intending to return to Jiaotai Hall, but heading straight to Yanxi Palace.
He was no longer “amnesiac.”
No matter if Fang He beat or scolded him, he would accept it—he deserved it—until she was willing to forgive him.
As he was deep in thought, Liang Jiugong quietly reminded him, “Your Majesty, Cui Wei is waiting at the Moonlight Gate.”
Kangxi snapped his head up and saw Cui Wei bowing respectfully in the distance, gesturing towards the inner side of the Moonlight Gate.
His eyes lit up.
He strode over, not needing Cui Wei to explain, already knowing Fang He had brought Yin Hui back to Jiaotai Hall.
Otherwise, Cui Wei, the acting lady-in-waiting of Yanxi Palace, wouldn’t be here.
He entered Zhaoren Hall and immediately heard Fang He’s voice, “Have someone disinfect Xi Nuan Pavilion again—three times a day. Keep three shifts watching the Fifteenth Prince, don’t let him turn over…”
“And put dragon musk in the Nuan Pavilion. Fule said there’s musk in there to promote blood flow. Heat it by the bed. Go prepare some hot—”
The sound came closer and closer.
Kangxi’s heart pounded.
For the first time in his life, he stood awkwardly at the doorway, not knowing whether to advance or retreat.
He knew he ought to apologize to Fang He, but he was truly afraid to see the disappointment in her eyes.
The iron-blooded emperor who once subdued Oboi, pacified the Three Feudatories, and defeated Galdan—at this moment, every palace servant could see his stiffness.
Fang He finished her orders and walked out of the East Nuan Pavilion.
Seeing Kangxi at the door, she stepped forward and barked another command, “Are you all made of wood? Just watching His Majesty stand there and suffer?”
“Hurry and help His Majesty to the washroom! Prepare hot water, and pour in the decoction Fule has ready.”
Though she called for others, she pulled Kangxi in herself.
In less than three months, Liang Jiugong saw every palace servant in Jiaotai Hall being spun in circles by the Imperial Noble Consort, none looking at him, not even glancing to see if the Emperor approved.
As for His Majesty himself, still pretending to be “amnesiac,” hoping for a chance to explain once Yin Hui woke up or to confess honestly, torn between these two options, Fang He didn’t even give him the chance—she stripped him and pushed him straight into the bath.
Fang He said, as expected, in a cold tone, “Your Majesty, it’s about time you stopped your act. I have no interest in taking care of two children.”
“Stay here, soak for a stick of incense’s time, have some lunch, and get a good sleep. There’s still work waiting for you when you wake up.”
She turned to leave, but Kangxi, unable to keep up the pretense, hurriedly grabbed her hand.
“Guoguo, I can explain…”
Fang He cut him off, “You don’t need to explain to me. Just get well first and handle the mess in Jingcheng. That’s more important!”
A chill suddenly washed over Kangxi, the veins in his wrist bulging, but he forced himself to let go.
He didn’t want to make Fang He angrier.
The last time he hurt her hand, the slap he got was still fresh in his memory.
But Fang He seized his hand again, and while Kangxi was distracted, she quickly bit it, making him yelp and wake up.
Fang He glared coldly, “First, you led my son away; then you let him get hurt; you expect me to believe you didn’t do it on purpose? Now you pretend to have amnesia in front of me—I’m furious!”
How could there be so many melodramatic amnesia plots in real life?
With her understanding of this scoundrel, the moment he got off the carriage, eyes flitting her way, she saw he was faking it.
She jabbed his chest hard and said, “Aisin Gioro Xuanye, don’t you dare put on that pitiful act in front of me. You’d better get well quick or I’ll make sure to settle… mmm!”
Fang He was swept into Kangxi’s arms, her clothes getting soaked and needing changing before she could care for Yin Hui, and she pounded his chest in anger.
“What are you doing! Let go!”
Kangxi hunched over, burying his head in Fang He’s shoulder, and something—water or tears—soaked her robes.
“Guoguo!”
“Guoguo… I’m so happy.”
He knew Fang He’s character well.
From the start, she never placed her hopes in anyone else.
The one she trusted most was always herself.
That was why he feared her anger this time but he’d finally received her absolute trust.
No matter how much angrier she got, Kangxi’s anxiety melted away, replaced by a rush of warmth in his heart.
Fang He’s nerves, taut for months, relaxed instantly in his strong embrace.
She bit down on his much-thinned shoulder, hiding her sobs in fierce teeth and claws.
“Do you know how worried I was? Liang Jiugong brought back Yin Hui’s pulse record, but not yours. Couldn’t you send me a letter?”
“I hate you! You always tell me to trust you, but every time you let me down. Now you don’t trust me, making me worry day and night—wuwuwu~”
Kangxi held Fang He tightly, one hand gently stroking her back, letting her cry out her fears and anxiety.
He didn’t want to explain anymore.
For days, his mind had been muddled; later, they’d been hunted into the mountains, carrying Yin Hui and unable to send word.
He didn’t want to explain that on the road, besides fearing for Yin Hui’s injury, he was also having people treat the blood stasis in his head while asking Yin Hui about the blurry figure in his mind.
The face he failed to remember on the journey returned to him the instant he entered the city, explaining his panic at the palace gate and just now.
Rather than fear, it was more self-reproach for letting his little tigress worry for so long.
Yet none of that mattered compared to her unquestioning trust and all she’d done for him and the children.
“Guoguo, I trust you—that’s why I left Jingcheng in your hands.” Kangxi cupped Fang He’s tear-streaked face, reverently kissing her brow.
“It was my fault for worrying you. Let me spend my life making it up to you—alright?”
Fang He, eyes brimming with tears, looked up, meeting Kangxi’s gaze so deep it threatened to drown her.
She opened her mouth and burst out crying, “You scoundrel! Didn’t you mean to cherish me all your life? Wuwuwu~”
“Thanks to me staring bug-eyed at all those winding memorials, my hair’s falling out by the handful! And you still want to be a heartless man? Wuwuwu~”
“My fate is too bitter! Let go of me! I’m not living with you anymore—wuwuwu~”
Kangxi: “…”
Outside, eavesdropping, Princess Chengyuan and Cui Wei: “….”
Isn’t… isn’t this ancestor’s reaction always so different from everyone else’s?
The long-unheard sobbing of Imperial Consort Zhen wailed from the hall to the courtyard, startling the crows and sparrows on the eaves into flight with flapping wings and loud calls.
The long-silent Jiaotai Hall became lively again, stunning all the palace people and eunuchs who heard it.
But in the next moment, every face wore a subtly identical smile.
Ah, the master and madam are quarrelling again?
Oh dear, finally everyone can breathe easy again!