The distance from Yunya Pavilion to Chunhui Hall wasn’t far-just passing through Jifang Pavilion would take no more than the time needed to drink a cup of tea.
Yet it took Fang He the time it takes to burn an incense stick just to reach Jifang Pavilion.
Truth be told, she had been uneasy ever since leaving Yunya Pavilion.
In her past life, she hadn’t been without trust in others, but the risks always outweighed the rewards.
Not to mention how many colleagues had complained about the dangers of believing in their bosses’ empty promises just thinking about it made her heart pound.
The only reason she still insisted on going to Chunhui Hall was because she was clear about two things.
First, dealing with Consort De alone was slightly taxing, but she still had some confidence.
She had handled tougher challenges before.
But facing the four major Baoyi families… she couldn’t afford even a shred of carelessness-she would be the one to suffer a miserable end.
Second, ever since Emperor Kangxi had repeatedly tested her that day, though he had verbally said he would leave her be and had treated her well since, even at night when she could barely keep up… she could sense an invisible rift growing between them.
Kangxi never brought up the topic again.
But he also never mentioned matters of the court or the outside world in front of her again.
Chunlai had even noticed that spies occasionally lurked near Yunya Pavilion.
Sooner or later, she had to take this step.
Taking a deep breath, before she could regret it, she quickened her pace and stepped through the gates of Chunhui Hall, meeting Li Dequan.
“Is His Majesty busy? I have something to request an audience with the Emperor.”
Li Dequan inwardly groaned.
‘This ancestor had never actively sought an audience before, and now that she finally did, of all times, the Emperor wasn’t even here.’
He cautiously bowed with an apologetic smile.
“My lady, forgive me, but what unfortunate timing. The Seventh Princess has caught a chill, and His Majesty has gone to Wanfang Studio. Perhaps you could wait inside while this servant goes to report—”
“No need!” Fang He froze for a moment before softly cutting Li Dequan off.
Before he could even finish, she turned and hurried out.
“It’s nothing urgent-no need to mention to His Majesty that I came!”
With that, she was already descending the steps as if chased by a dog.
Li Dequan called Qi Sanfu to guard the main hall, but it was too late to catch up.
She rushed back to Yunya Pavilion in less time than it took to drink tea.
Exhausted, Fang He collapsed onto the daybed, panting, gulping down several mouthfuls of cold tea to clear her head.
She wasn’t just foolish-she was downright delusional to have placed her hopes in Kangxi.
Because she had never actively sought him out before and never cared where he went, this was the first time she had directly confronted the news of him visiting another consort’s palace.
Strangely, she wasn’t disappointed-relief took the upper hand instead.
She was relieved to have realized early that, in terms of favor, Consort De had never been inferior to her.
In fact, her standing was far more solid.
By now, those who needed silencing had been silenced, and Consort De had nothing left to fear-she had likely already begun her counterattack.
She called Cui Wei over to ask.
Sure enough, Cui Wei hesitated before nodding carefully.
“Wanfang Studio has indeed been favored lately. A few days ago, His Majesty was in high spirits—it happened to be the Seventh Princess’s birthday…”
“Perhaps His Majesty found it auspicious, and this is also the age when children learn to speak most adorably… His Majesty has been dining there often.”
After dealing with the officials involved in Guo Xiu’s case, the court was now at its most obedient.
Coincidentally, news had also arrived from Northern Mongolia.
The initial peace talks with the Russians didn’t go smoothly.
Seeing the Russian envoys’ fickle behavior, Zhou Peigong suggested having Tong Guogang lead troops to surround Nerchinsk.
Meanwhile, Lang Tan secretly led another military operation to besiege Albazin, destroying the surrounding crops.
The residents near Nerchinsk, under Tsarist rule, along with the Northern Mongol tribes in the vicinity, also rose in rebellion.
This finally intimidated the Russian envoys.
By the time the news reached Changchun Garden, the treaty was likely already being signed.
Though the imperial harem didn’t know the reason, they all noticed the Emperor Kangxi was in an exceptionally good mood lately, visiting the inner palace more frequently than before.
Consort De, being “considerate,” never deliberately used her children as an excuse to keep the Emperor overnight.
Most of the time, the Emperor still went to Yunyaguan.
Cui Wei, fearing her mistress might feel upset upon learning this, chose not to mention it.
Fang He sat cross-legged on the soft couch, resting her chin on her hands, frowning in deep thought.
She couldn’t just sit and wait for doom.
If Kangxi proved unapproachable, she would have to seek help from Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang and the Empress Dowager-more precisely, Xiaozhuang herself.
The old matriarch would never stand by and watch the Aisin-Gioro clan be manipulated by the Eight Banner Households.
But she worried that such a drastic move might worsen Xiaozhuang’s already frail health.
As for the Noble Consort and Consort Yi, Fang He didn’t even consider them.
They might not be capable of dealing with the four major Banner Households and could even expose her, hastening her demise…
No matter which path she took, she needed to prepare in advance.
Among the Banner Households, Consort De had climbed the highest.
As long as Fang He held her weak spot, even in the worst-case scenario, the other party wouldn’t dare act recklessly.
Rubbing her throbbing temples, Fang He finally sorted out her thoughts and immediately summoned Cui Wei and Wei Zhu to give them their respective tasks.
After lunch, before Fang He could even rest, she heard the sound of the ceremonial whip.
Kangxi had actually come under the scorching sun.
Slightly surprised, she quickly put on the outer robe she had just taken off and, supported by Xinke, went out to greet him.
“Your Majesty ” She had only half-curtsied when Kangxi lifted her up like a chick, embracing her with a smile as he led her toward the bedchamber.
Fang He: “…..”
Wasn’t he afraid of overeating?
Had he finished his meal only to rush over and “devour” her?
She quickly pulled Kangxi toward the soft couch.
“This concubine has overeaten and needs to walk it off before resting. Why has Your Majesty come at this hour?”
Kangxi allowed himself to be guided to the couch, where he sat and immediately pulled Fang He into his arms, gazing at her with amusement.
“I came to see what the little fox who fled Chunhui Hall had for lunch.”
Fang He had left Chunhui Hall in a hurry, telling Li Dequan not to report it.
But Li Dequan knew full well how much this “ancestor” meant to the Emperor-how could he dare not report it?
He didn’t even wait for the Emperor to finish his noon rest at Wanfangzhai.
Leaving Qi Sanfu to guard the main hall, he hurried to Wanfangzhai to report the matter to Liang Jiugong.
Liang Jiugong also knew that His Majesty had been displeased lately because Consort Zhao was keeping secrets from him.
Though he deliberately gave her the cold shoulder… he still visited her as usual.
Yet once there, he maintained his imperial demeanor, pretending not to care, waiting for Fang He to speak up.
Ironically, both “ancestors” chose to remain tight-lipped when they should have talked.
If not for the good news from Northern Mongolia, Liang Jiugong feared he might have to face another round of punishment.
Upon receiving Li Dequan’s message, he dared not conceal it in the slightest.
After Kangxi had finished his midday meal, he immediately whispered the report into the emperor’s ear.
Kangxi instantly lost all desire to take his afternoon rest at Wanfangzhai.
Consort De, who doted on children, often tended to the Seventh Princess at night, a fact that pleased Kangxi greatly, making him more inclined to show her additional favor.
But now that the Seventh Princess was asleep, rather than having Consort De-whose thoughts were preoccupied with the child attend to his rest, Kangxi was far more curious about why Fang He had suddenly become so perceptive.
On the way, listening to Li Dequan’s vivid description of Fang He’s bristling demeanor when she left Chunhui Hall, Kangxi concluded that the little rascal must be jealous, which only improved his mood further.
Now, with Fang He nestled in his arms, Kangxi gently rubbed his nose against hers, the amusement in his eyes barely concealed.
“Why do I smell something sour?” he teased.
Fang He: “…”
Maybe you’ve gone past your expiration date!
She could tell His Majesty thought she was jealous.
A thought crossed Fang He’s mind, and she deliberately arched an eyebrow and pushed him away.
“Would Your Majesty like a taste? This concubine drank a big bowl of coptis water at noon to cool her temper.”
Kangxi chuckled softly and obligingly pressed his lips to hers in a tender kiss.
“Mmm, it doesn’t taste bitter to me. You are still as sweet as ever.”
Fang He sighed dramatically and said, “Then blame Your Majesty for coming too late. The bitterness of the coptis water has already been swallowed by this concubine.”
Kangxi laughed helplessly and tapped the tip of her nose, patiently explaining, “These past few days, the Seventh Princess hasn’t been feeling well and has been rather fussy. She only behaves when I’m around, so I went to check on her.”
Fang He pushed Kangxi away, forcing a smile as she hummed noncommittally.
She sipped the digestion tea Cui Wei had brought, saying nothing, perfectly playing the role of the jealous concubine.
It had to be said—though Kangxi typically disliked women vying for his favor, he found Fang He’s act particularly endearing.
Usually, this little troublemaker seemed utterly indifferent.
This was the first time she had ever shown any concern for his affections.
Kangxi was both amused and unwilling to indulge her antics.
So he schooled his expression, feigning seriousness as he tapped the low table with his ring.
“I’ve come personally to explain myself to you. You’re not allowed to sulk anymore.”
“Compared to how I treat others, I’ve already been exceptionally indulgent with you. I’ve even shielded you from the Empress Dowager’s displeasure. If I neglect the rest of the harem any further, it won’t affect me, but you’ll face the consequences.”
After a pause, he quickly added, “In the future, if you wish to see me, there’s no need to come all this way in the heat. Send someone to summon me, and I’ll come when I’m free-or have someone bring you to Chunhui Hall.”
Liang Jiugong at the door: “……”
Summon His Majesty?
Since when did anyone summon the Emperor?
Was this Concubine Zhao now commanding the Son of Heaven?
Oh, my master!
If only you hadn’t followed the stick with sugar so quickly, this ancestor might have behaved a little better than she does now.
But in reality, Fang He didn’t perceive any sweetness in his words-only a mix of amusement and exasperation.
She had always known that Kangxi wasn’t the type to focus his affections on just one person.
For an emperor, that was unrealistic.
But now she realized he actually believed that showering others with attention was a way to show sincerity toward one person.
Well, she was just so damn honored.
True to Liang Jiugong’s expectations, Fang He showed no signs of restraint. Instead, she widened her eyes in shock.
“Your Majesty means… to prove that I hold a special place in your heart… you’re forbidding me from visiting the imperial chambers at will?”
After all, others only received favors and rewards, while she got love… What a joke!
Kangxi resisted the urge to massage his temples .
“Concubines are not permitted to approach the imperial chambers without summons in the first place. And that’s not what I meant “
“Then does Your Majesty mean I should be endlessly grateful for your past leniency?”