Even while traveling, Emperor Kangxi was incredibly busy.
The procession had just begun to move, and the Imperial Palanquin had not yet started rolling when urgent memorials delivered by the Eight Hundred Li Express were presented before the Emperor, piling up high on the imperial desk.
Liang Jiugong had snatched Fang He’s usual duty, deftly attending to the ink and brushes by the Emperor’s side.
Fang He, not daring to disturb, was just standing awkwardly with her hands at her sides, preparing to zone out, when Li Dequan respectfully invited her behind a nearby screen to a low table.
He began to attend to ink and brushes for her as well.
Fang He was utterly bewildered.
She didn’t have memorials to review, so why set up writing tools for her?
Li Dequan explained in a low voice, “His Majesty has instructed that in the pursuit of learning, one must advance or risk falling behind. The studies you undertook in the side chamber of Hongde Hall cannot be halted. The calligraphy you should practice will, for now, have to be done at this low table for a few days.”
Fang He: “…”
‘Do something decent, will you? Who does homework while traveling?! And it’s not like the carriage is perfectly still either; doing homework is bad for the eyes!’
‘Eyeglasses are imported luxuries right now. The Emperor can afford them, but with my pittance, could I afford a damn thing?’
Seeing her slow, reluctant movements, Li Dequan didn’t dare make a fuss and distract His Majesty.
He just suppressed a laugh and said, “His Majesty also mentioned that today’s noon meal includes some excellent river shrimp, and he has already instructed the Imperial Kitchen…”
Fang He took a deep breath, involuntarily sat up straight immediately, and cursed inwardly, ‘Damn it all!’
She had been in the Emperor’s presence all morning.
When exactly had Kangxi given so many instructions?
She put on a solemn expression and said, “How could this servant dare covet His Majesty’s noon meal? I simply cannot bear to disappoint Eunuch Gu’s thoughtful efforts.”
Li Dequan: “…”
He wasn’t impressed by much else, but he had to admire this ancestor’s glib tongue.
Approaching noon, the head of the Imperial Kitchen personally arrived with junior eunuchs to deliver the meal.
For the past two days, the Emperor hadn’t eaten much, and many dishes had been bestowed upon the ministers accompanying the northern tour.
The Empress Dowager had inquired about it several times.
Now that the Emperor had finally ordered specific dishes, even on the road, the Imperial Kitchen’s masters had pulled out all their best skills.
Especially the head chef, who was a descendant of the Liu family, a culinary dynasty from the previous dynasty.
His skill with river and seafood was rarely matched.
Some cooking steps required being done right before the Emperor, so the head chef had brought his team, with others following behind carrying small clay stoves.
Seeing this, Liang Jiugong knew there were dishes to be finished on the spot, and delay might affect their flavor.
He softly reminded, “Your Majesty, it’s a quarter to noon. Would you consider having your meal now?”
Afraid Kangxi might postpone lunch again, he deliberately added with a flattering smile, “Even if you aren’t hungry, the one inside must be…”
Kangxi looked up and shot him a sidelong glance, laughing and scolding, “Whose servant are you, anyway?”
“Naturally, this servant is yours, Master. But if she gets too hungry, it’s your heart that will ache. That pain would hurt this servant more than carving flesh from my own body.”
Liang Jiugong chuckled and brought a copper basin to serve Kangxi as he washed his hands.
Hearing the commotion, Fang He had already been perking up her ears, waiting for the meal.
Now, she exclaimed inwardly, ‘Wow!’
‘Don’t be fooled by Liang Jiugong’s usual fawning and somewhat unseemly demeanor. When it comes to flattering the dragon, his skill level is clearly top-tier.’
‘He’s even bolder than some lovey-dovey couples. I need to learn more from him in the future.’
After washing his hands, Kangxi glanced behind the screen.
Through the faint silhouette, he could see Fang He sitting cross-legged on the soft couch, posture upright as she practiced her characters.
She looked quite the part.
Intrigued, he walked over and flipped through the large characters she had written.
It seemed Eunuch Gu had personally written a small regular script for her to copy.
After practicing for nearly half a year, her brushstrokes finally showed a hint of character.
However… he looked at the Xuan paper in his hand. In the entire morning, she had written less than ten sheets.
He could write that much in an hour. If this rascal hadn’t been slacking off, he’d eat the paper.
He rolled up the paper. Before he could even raise his hand, he saw Fang He shrink her neck, tilt her head to the side, and put on an exceptionally wronged expression.
‘We’ve already kissed. How can he still be so quick to hit?’
‘In my past life, I would have kicked a man like this to the curb eight hundred times over.’
Remembering her previous complaints, Kangxi paused and instead lightly tapped the rolled paper against his palm.
“No need to put on an act in front of Zhen. Zhen won’t hit you.”
Fang He’s heart leapt with joy, only to hear Kangxi continue unhurriedly, “But based on the few large characters you’ve written, for the noon meal, Zhen can only permit you to have one dish.”
Fang He was stunned, “What if this servant doesn’t get full?”
Kangxi snorted with a laugh and turned to walk out, “Don’t worry, you won’t starve.”
Fang He hurriedly chased after him.
Having one imperial dish was better than nothing.
Who was she to ask for the moon?
‘At worst, I’ll eat more steamed buns. As long as His Majesty doesn’t mind, I can dip them in the sauce!’
That’s what she thought, but the moment she rounded the screen, a sizzling sound greeted her.
Hot oil was poured over a sea bass fillet topped with shredded scallions.
Instantly, an intoxicatingly fresh and fishy aroma washed over her face.
Fang He held her breath, not even daring to breathe deeply.
She inhaled cautiously, wanting to draw every bit of that fragrance into her lungs to save as dream material later.
That wasn’t all.
The head chef then swirled a prepared sauce and poured it over a plate of garlic prawns arranged like a phoenix spreading its wings.
Another ladle of hot oil followed.
“Sizzle—”
An even more domineering garlic aroma, mixed with the sweetness of the prawns, erupted and wafted through the Imperial Palanquin.
Fang He couldn’t help but swallow her saliva, hanging her head, not daring to look up.
No other reason.
In the presence of such precious delicacies, she was afraid her direct, staring gaze at the imperial food would embarrass Master Kang, making him begrudge even that one dish.
That would hurt her more than having her silver deducted.
Taking her silver was like taking her life, but faced with delicious food, she could forget about life itself.
Kangxi watched with amusement as she kept her head bowed demurely, seemingly respectful, but actually tilting her head slightly to steal glances at the food being laid out with the corner of her eye.
The curve of his lips grew wider.
After the Imperial Kitchen staff left, Fang He eagerly stepped forward.
She noticed the dishes were still arranged with vegetarian and meat dishes interspersed half and half.
Fang He didn’t find it wasteful.
After her conversation with Kangxi yesterday, she seemed to understand an emperor’s helplessness a bit better.
Kangxi could privately copy sutras for the Sixth Prince, observe a vegetarian diet, and even refrain from summoning consorts, but he couldn’t let anyone know.
If word got out, censors would surely impeach the Emperor for not distinguishing priorities.
Even Consort De would be in serious trouble, and the Sixth Prince would find no peace in the afterlife.
Fang He’s large eyes sparkled with ‘loyal devotion to her master.’
She patted her own chest.
“Why not let this servant taste-test the food for Your Majesty? Such a dangerous task shouldn’t trouble the Bureau of Eunuch Tasters.”
The Bureau of Eunuch Tasters: “….”
‘Then what would we do?’
Kangxi gave her a meaningful, half-smiling glance and sat at the table, “Zhen said, you may only choose one dish.”
Fang He looked at the steamed sea bass, the garlic prawns on the table…
Their aroma made her mouth water uncontrollably.
These were her favorites!
There was also a famous Jingcheng dish called ‘Chicken Leaping’ made with young chicken and large prawns stir-fried together.
The chicken was fragrant and smooth, the prawns crisp and tender.
She could even smell that mushroom powder had been added for extra umami…
This was truly a difficult choice.
‘I really want to travel back to this morning and slap myself. If I’d known homework was tied to delicious food, I wouldn’t have slacked off!’
Kangxi leisurely drank a bowl of Eight Treasures Tofu Soup first, then asked with a smile, “Have you chosen?”
Fang He looked at Kangxi with pleading eyes, “Surely the other dishes won’t be bestowed untouched? That would hurt the Imperial Kitchen’s feelings so much!”
Kangxi raised an eyebrow, “You’re not the only one in the imperial presence. Liang Jiugong and Li Dequan are both more diligent than you. There’s no need for you to worry about that.”
Fang He shot a long, meaningful look at Liang Jiugong and said, “…I choose Chicken Leaping!”
At least it had both chicken and prawns.
The fish… ‘Forget it, there will be other chances.’
Liang Jiugong and Li Dequan suppressed their laughter and placed the plate of Chicken Leaping on an extra small low table.
Afraid someone might enter urgently on official business, according to protocol, Fang He could only sit on a small stool to eat.
As she sat down hesitantly, Li Dequan brought over a piece of Guokui flatbread almost as big as his face and placed it on the low table.
Oh, and a bowl of bone broth.
Fang He: “…..”
‘Not even a steamed bun? With such delicious food, who would drink bland bone broth like dishwater and gnaw on teeth-breaking hard bread?’
But the imperial plates, while beautiful, were really not big.
With her appetite, one plate of food… would fill her up halfway at most.
Her stomach would be churning long before evening.
She resentfully soaked the flatbread in the bone broth, suffering yet happy as she cursed inwardly, ‘Master Kang has completely abandoned the fine dietary customs of the Great Northeast. Aren’t you afraid your ancestors will climb out of their graves…’
In the afternoon, after his nap, Kangxi didn’t review any more memorials.
Some unimportant greeting memorials could be handled by the Crown Prince traveling with them.
By the end of the year, the Crown Prince would begin his formal studies.
It was time for him to learn about handling government affairs.
With Suo’etu overseeing things, nothing major should go wrong.
But Kangxi wasn’t idle either.
Passing through Xifengkou, local officials lined the road to welcome him.
Kangxi also had to disembark to inspect local conditions.
Fang He didn’t need to accompany him for this.
She returned to her own carriage to wash up and change clothes, only serving again at dinner.
Fortunately, during dinner, Kangxi wasn’t difficult again.
He had someone prepare braised sea bass and stir-fried shrimp balls, which he bestowed upon Fang He.
There were also meat-filled steamed buns the size of longan fruits, six to a steamer, with two full steamers served, allowing Fang He to eat to her heart’s content.
That night, Fang He took advantage of a trip to relieve herself to secretly buy a plate of pastries from the Imperial Kitchen as a midnight snack, and slept particularly soundly.
And so, until they reached Xuanhua on the eighteenth day of the sixth month, for the sake of food, Fang He became increasingly shameless in the imperial presence, and her flattery became less nauseating.
‘The Emperor has already kissed me. Continuing to sweet-talk him probably won’t have much effect.’
She felt helpless about this but had long been mentally prepared.
Since that path was blocked, and she hadn’t figured out how to change course yet, keeping her words sweet was definitely not wrong.
Even to get more delicious food, she applied small tricks used in hotels to ensure guest comfort with particular ease—like washing hands before and after meals, preparing Citron Tea as a mouth rinse, occasionally picking fresh flowers and green plants to keep the air fresh inside the Imperial Palanquin…
Kangxi hadn’t brought many palace maids to serve on this trip, but these past few days had been especially comfortable.
Fang He also ate especially comfortably in the imperial presence, changing almost daily.
Actually, the original body had a huge appetite.
But since palace servants had to go hungry, and she never dared to speak up, she had almost never been full since childhood and was always very thin.
During the period when Aunt Xu passed away, the original body couldn’t eat at all.
Back then, everyone thought Fang He was ugly.
Besides her dull skin, a large part of the reason was her emaciated frame.
After Fang He arrived, in the beginning, she didn’t dare eat too much at once.
Coupled with traveling south and north, she gained a little weight, but it was limited.
But these past days, she had eaten extremely well, followed Kangxi’s schedule and slept early, and didn’t dare to do yoga stretches in front of the Emperor.
She had genuinely gained some weight.
In Kangxi’s eyes, Fang He now wore face powder that matched her skin tone closely.
Her little face was plump and rosy, and her eyes grew more sparkling and captivating with each passing day.
He had noticed that occasionally, when this little rascal had some idea and Liang Jiugong refused, she would shoot him a coquettish, reproachful glare.
Eight out of ten times, Liang Jiugong couldn’t hold out and would surrender.
Kangxi watched coldly, pondering inwardly, ‘Observing a vegetarian diet for Little Six until the seventh day after his passing is enough. It’s also time to see if this rascal actually understands the ways of men and women.’
It wasn’t that he was unwilling to be more sincere for his deceased child.
But as the Son of Heaven and a royal father, if he were too devout, with deities watching from above, he feared it might hinder the child’s fortune in reincarnation.
And Fang He remained completely unaware.
Xuanhua also had a traveling palace, along with the Yang River and Liu River.
The dishes presented by the Imperial Kitchen became increasingly exquisite and fragrant.
Kangxi had resumed his normal diet but was uncharacteristically un-stingy.
That evening, he bestowed three dishes that suited Fang He’s taste, making her eat until her belly was round and she couldn’t even sit properly.
Fang He secretly paced in circles in a corner, and when Kangxi discovered her, she imitated Liang Jiugong’s sweet talk.
“This servant was afraid Your Majesty might have no appetite while traveling and was truly worried!”
“Seeing that watching this servant eat helps you consume more, this servant was overjoyed and accidentally ate too much. I’m walking a few circles so as not to embarrass you!”
Kangxi: “…..”
‘Putting aside everything else, that little mouth is getting better at talking. I wonder if it tastes even sweeter now.’
He discreetly had someone prepare water in the side chamber.
Chunlai was already waiting in the side chamber to serve Fang He’s bath, and she specifically scattered some flower petals into the water.
Though it was called serving, Fang He wasn’t used to having someone do everything for her.
Chunlai usually acted more like a chatty bath attendant.
But tonight, Chunlai kept pouring petal-infused water over her body.
Fang He immediately grew alert.
She giggled, holding some petals, “So fragrant! Where are these petals from?”
Chunlai smiled, “The roses here at the traveling palace are blooming beautifully. We servants can’t use rosewater, so I secretly picked some. At least you can get a hint of their fragrance.”
Fang He sneered inwardly, ‘Trying to fool an idiot? The flowers in the traveling palace are for the masters to enjoy. A servant daring to pick them secretly without orders? That’s a sure way to lose your life openly.’
An experienced driver immediately understood Kangxi’s intention.
She didn’t panic, though.
After delaying for so many days, she wasn’t completely unprepared.
She knew that if she had to stay in the palace, this day would come sooner or later.
But the thought of having to serve Kangxi made her feel suffocated—the kind where she’d scream for help even in her dreams.
‘Needing acting skills at work is one thing, but acting skills in bed? I’m really not up for that. I don’t plan to throw myself into the tiger’s den and lie down on the grassland just yet.’
She pretended to notice nothing, smiling as she let Chunlai serve her.
After washing, the girl even applied a light magnolia-scented balm for her, spreading it carefully, making her skin quite smooth.
‘And now you’re not saying servants aren’t allowed to use it? Hah… Looks like every single person in the imperial presence really does take me for a fool.’
‘That’s even better. I can act even more foolish.’