Chief Steward Liang wouldn’t be as reckless as his godson, charging in with a desperate heart…
Instead, he went over and knocked on the door.
Hearing Kangxi’s indifferent “Enter,”
Liang Jiugong gently pushed the door open, stood at the entrance, and took a quick glance inside.
He let out a silent breath of relief.
Then, a subtle sense of strangeness rose in his heart.
Fang He was sitting sideways on the footstool, slowly removing two cotton covers from her knees.
Inside the room, besides the Emperor and Fang He, there was also Gu Wenxing.
He stood with his back to Fang He, bowing in front of Kangxi, possibly to block an unsightly scene or to avoid offending His Majesty’s eyes.
The Emperor, dressed in a simple dark blue robe, sat cross-legged on the freshly tidied kang (heated brick bed) that Ke Wan had prepared just a few days ago.
He held a piece of paper written by Fang He, rolling it up and gripping it in his hand.
Liang Jiugong noticed that both the Emperor and Gu Wenxing were looking at him.
His heart tightened, but his face remained calm as he carefully bowed and reported:
“Your Majesty, the arrangements for the Empress Dowager and the Grand Empress Dowager’s trip in two days have been finalized”.
“The only thing left is to assign the Minister of Internal Guards to escort them to the imperial palace.”
Kangxi was a filial son.
Since there had been no urgent matters lately, it was mostly Tong Guowei and Suo Etu constantly probing, trying to send more of their family members into the palace, which was becoming an annoyance to him.
The imperial palace wasn’t far.
He could just have the cabinet send memorials there daily.
“No need to arrange it. I will personally escort my Grand Empress Dowager to the palace.”
Fang He, still holding the knee pads she had just made and wore for the first time that day, was pleasantly surprised.
If the Emperor was going to the palace to show filial piety to his elders, he wouldn’t possibly drag her along to study, right?
However, Kangxi’s eyes swept over the items in her hands and he waved at Gu Wenxing.
“Keep an eye on her. If she makes any more of these unsightly things, punish her as necessary.”
Fang He was a little confused.
She had long forgotten some of the plot details and only remembered that nothing major happened.
What was so different about wearing slightly thicker cotton pants?
She hadn’t even managed to thicken the knee area yet.
That wasn’t against palace rules, was it?
She didn’t dare ask, afraid that questioning would seem rebellious and cause more trouble.
Anyway, she could ask Cuiwei later.
But even though she stayed quiet, trouble didn’t leave her alone.
Kangxi lifted the scroll in his hand.
At first, he wanted to tap it on her forehead, but remembering how feeble and weak she had been earlier, he instead landed it lightly on her shoulder.
“You’re coming too. I don’t keep useless people by my side. Think carefully about what to do.”
Fang He shrank her shoulders slightly, pretending to reflect with her head lowered, but secretly rolling her eyes.
If he thought she’d risk her life just for a promise, he should dream on.
The smarter move was to stay low-profile and avoid trouble.
At least in the side rooms and the tea house, no one would come looking for her.
If she stood too far in the front, she’d never escape the power struggles of the imperial court and harem.
Why should she risk her life for a pittance?
Kangxi sat at the top, unable to see her expression but more or less able to guess her reaction.
He chuckled softly and stood up to leave.
“If you think you can laze around and still earn money, I won’t stop you. I’ve never been stingy with capable people”.
“But if you’re incompetent, you won’t even be able to keep your shop outside the palace.”
Fang He: “……”
That was a threat, wasn’t it?
Definitely!
Damn it, how was it her fault he was stingy?
He might as well just call her useless to her face…
Ugh, she really wished she could just be useless!
Especially when, in the middle of the night, she had to get up and follow the imperial entourage through the freezing cold, stepping on frost-covered ground all the way to Xiaotangshan.
That was like walking from Beijing’s second ring road all the way to the sixth ring road!
Even though she had asked Zai Xia to help make rabbit fur boots, and wore thick padded clothes with an extra layer of warm armor, she was still frozen stiff by the time they reached the hot spring palace.
Yet, once they arrived, everyone was busy making sure the three noble elders were properly settled.
The place was bustling with activity.
After being politely sent to a side room by Li Dequan, Fang He didn’t even manage to get lunch because Li Dequan was too busy to show up again.
This time, Wei Zhu hadn’t come along.
Cuiwei was still guarding the tea house, and Gu Wenxing, following Kangxi’s orders, left her no room to escape.
Gu Wenxing, an older eunuch with a scholarly demeanor, spoke in a gentle and refined tone.
However, his words were anything but kind.
“Girl, the things you made before were very simple. Haven’t you wondered why no one else thought of it?”
“There are always people who think of such things. But if they appear in the hands of nobles, they’re just a minor joke. If a palace servant lacks sincerity even in kneeling, then that is disloyalty.”
“Fortunately, His Majesty is kind, and you weren’t discovered outside”.
“Otherwise, you’d be facing charges of disrespecting the royal family and ancestors. You’d at least lose a layer of skin.”
“Qiao Cheng’s status relies entirely on His Majesty’s favor. Wei Zhu is still climbing up. You have no backing in the palace. Even if you leave, you’re still just meat on the chopping block. Given your intelligence, do you really not understand what path you should take?”
Fang He thought, If this eunuch worked in direct sales, he’d be a top salesman.
He was a master of persuasion and logical manipulation.
She didn’t bother playing dumb in front of Gu Wenxing.
His sharp eyes seemed to see through everything.
“Eunuch Gu, I’m twenty-three. In another year or so, I can leave the palace. Why should I get involved in serving at the Emperor’s side?”
Kangxi wasn’t forcing her to climb higher.
She could safely leave the palace.
With her connection to the Fifth Prince, she wasn’t completely vulnerable.
She wasn’t the type to stir up trouble.
How was she supposed to be a pawn?
Wasn’t this just forcing her into something unnecessary?
Gu Wenxing seemed to understand her thoughts and chuckled.
“You have already caught His Majesty’s attention and are standing on the ladder to power. Whether you leave the palace or not, you have only two choices: climb up or fall to your death. There is no other way.”
“If you don’t understand yet, think about it on the way to the palace.”
At that moment, Fang He felt a chill down her spine.
What did he mean by “whether or not she leaves the palace”?
Now, as she shivered under the damp blankets in the cold side room, she finally understood why Gu Wenxing said she’d have time to think about it.
He wanted her to experience firsthand how a second-class palace maid without a master’s favor was treated.
Kangxi was intimidating, but in some ways, Gu Wenxing knew better how to break people.
Was she scared?
Yes. Yes, she was!
In her past life, she learned early on that no matter what, the best path was the one that led to a comfortable life.
Kangxi had initially been too lazy to scold this troublemaker, but after Gu Wenxing handled the situation, his frustration settled in.
Now, seeing her raise two little blackened hands, his face darkened even more.
Liang Jiugong’s expression also changed abruptly as he frowned and glared sternly at the palace servants in the hall.
The Emperor’s sleeping quarters weren’t accessible to just anyone—only personal attendants were allowed to clean inside.
Was this their idea of doing their job?
Wen Ling, Wen Xing, and the other palace servants felt uneasy.
Yesterday, they had rushed to clean, but who had time to be thorough..
Fang He smiled as she stood up and washed her hands in the copper basin that Li Dequan had brought in, carefully wiping them dry.
Her tone was respectful, yet laced with a teasing remark.
“Your Majesty, look—could this be a case of ‘working like a tiger, but in the end, still standing in the same spot’? My quick quips have improved, haven’t they?”
Kangxi: “……”
He shot Fang He a cold look, then used the copper basin she had taken from Wen Ling to wash himself.
Afterward, she assisted him in dressing in his imperial robe.
It wasn’t that he was deliberately giving her special treatment—she was simply the only one who had washed her hands properly just now.
As for the others… given how filthy the palace was, how clean could they possibly be?
Once everything was sorted out, because Fang He remained relaxed in her actions, with a sweet and obedient smile, Kangxi’s earlier annoyance dissipated before the sun had even fully risen.
Before heading off to pay respects to the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager, he tapped Fang He’s forehead.
“You handled it well. Keep it up.”
Then, he left with Liang Jiugong for Xuanning Hall, where the Grand Empress Dowager resided.
Fang He slowly washed her hands again before turning around.
Her gaze swept over the palace servants, who had reactions ranging from flushed faces to darkened expressions.
Some had stiff necks, their faces ashen.
Even Li Dequan, who was attentively waiting for instructions, was present.
“You all heard that?” she asked with a slight smile, her expression softer than usual.
“Although His Majesty has assigned me this task, I want to make one thing clear: if I handle it well, you all will be rewarded… but if I don’t, before I get punished, I guarantee you’ll all be beaten first.”
Wen Xing, who had been the most defiant, sneered.
“And what will you use to guarantee that? Do you think you’re the only one who has ever received favor from the Emperor?”
“I haven’t received any favor,” Fang He admitted with a nod, calmly looking at Wen Xing.
“I would’ve loved to rely on my looks, but unfortunately, my abilities won’t allow it”.
“So instead, I have to rely on my skills to gain His Majesty’s recognition. What do I have to guarantee? Don’t you already know?”
The others: “……”
Damn, this girl really had no shame.
Fang He had outright groveled, forcing them to step up their game—who cared about dignity anymore?
She continued, “My skills will only improve with time. Can you guarantee that you’ll stay young forever?”
It wasn’t just Wen Xing—every palace maid with hidden ambitions suddenly looked sickly pale.
In the palace, no beauty lasted forever. Losing one’s looks and falling out of favor was every woman’s worst nightmare.
Fang He pressed on, “Alright, since we have no issues anymore, let’s start working. I’ll outline the cleaning standards…”
Wen Ling frowned.
“And what about you?”
“Me?” Fang He leaned lazily against the window, arms crossed.
Her smile faded as she scanned the palace servants with an expressionless gaze.
“I’m supervising you while you work.”
The room fell silent.
“Any objections? Then keep them to yourselves!” She was still fuming.
“Before His Majesty returns, if the hall is spotless, I’ll put in a good word for you all. If not, you’ll all go take your beatings.”
She turned to Li Dequan and casually asked,
“Li-ge, it wouldn’t be too troublesome for the Internal Affairs Department to replace this batch of palace servants, would it?”
Li Dequan: “………”
The girl was joking, right?
“No trouble at all,” he replied after a pause.
“The Internal Affairs Department has plenty of palace maids waiting for an opening in Qianqing Palace.”
Seeing Wen Ling’s unnatural expression as Wen Xing tugged her away, and watching as the rest of the palace servants hurriedly started working under Fang He’s orders, Li Dequan felt a sense of unease.
In reality, there weren’t that many palace maids available for Qianqing Palace, especially since this year’s selection hadn’t even started.
But he feared that if he offended this little ancestor, she’d somehow get him punished again.
This was, after all, the same girl who dared to say outrageous things directly to His Majesty’s face.
Luckily, he had followed her lead.
Just look—within an hour, this palace maid who had previously been shunned outside the main hall now carried the air of a high-ranking concubine.
When Kangxi returned from having lunch with the Grand Empress Dowager, the hall had already undergone a transformation.
On the surface, nothing had changed.
But with subtle adjustments in furniture placement and the carefully arranged potted plants and fresh flowers, the once overly solemn main hall now carried a faint sense of spring’s vitality.
As soon as Kangxi stepped inside, heading toward the couch, he let out a low chuckle before even sitting down.
“This girl… truly never fails to impress, yet always makes my liver ache with anger.”
So much for being foolish or unskilled in service—when pushed, she could outperform anyone.
He had taught her how to leverage situations, and now she used his groggy morning self to intimidate the palace servants.
He had taught her how to balance authority, and according to Li Dequan, she had managed to silence even the usually sharp-tongued Wen Ling in just a few sentences.
Teaching this little troublemaker was incredibly satisfying.
Yet, knowing she wasn’t incapable, just unwilling to put in effort, left a sour taste in his heart.
Kangxi idly rubbed his chin with his jade thumb ring, both amused and irritated.
He turned to Liang Jiugong.
“You’ve been wanting to put her in her place for a while now. Tell me, how should I deal with her?”
Liang Jiugong’s heart skipped a beat.
He wasn’t sure what the Emperor meant.
Did His Majesty realize something… or was he just getting more intrigued?
Kangxi sipped his tea, lazily brushing away the foam.
“You’ve been acting off ever since the morning. I waited several days, and you still didn’t speak up. You know I despise being kept in the dark…”
With a thud, Liang Jiugong knelt.
“Forgive me, Your Majesty! Your servant would never dare to hide anything! I was only worried that if you truly developed feelings for Miss Fang He, then—”
“Pfft—”
Kangxi choked on his tea, spraying it all over Liang Jiugong’s face.
Before he could even finish his sentence, Kangxi was coughing violently.
Liang Jiugong panicked, immediately forgetting about himself and rushing forward to help.
“Your Majesty! Are you alright—ah!”
Kangxi reflexively kicked him away.
“Impudent! Where do you think you’re putting those filthy hands?! Have you grown tired of living?!”
At that moment, Fang He entered, carrying a light refreshment set for the Emperor’s afternoon nap.
Hearing those words, she instinctively glanced at Liang Jiugong’s hands and then at Kangxi’s raised arm.
Her expression became particularly… nuanced.
Oh my.
What exactly was “filthy”?
Where exactly had he touched?
Recalling the last time the Emperor said “grown tired of living” to her…
Hiss—was this really something a poor little palace maid like her should be listening to for free?!