Chapter 86 (1/2): Quarrel Between the Masters 

Cui Wei was simply at a loss for words. 

‘The Master was about to have another argument with My Lord—how could that not be called reckless?’

She recalled the commotion each time the Master and the Emperor had quarreled before, and she almost wanted to cry in front of Fang He.

Now that the little Princess had been born, the Master really couldn’t go back to her old willful ways!

If she truly managed to anger My Lord, and with the Empress Dowager so deeply grieving and bedridden these days, unable to look after the Master, how would life in Yanxi Palace go on from now on?

But Fang He was determined. 

After moistening her throat, she even smiled and urged, “Stop wasting your efforts trying to persuade me. Go on now, I know what I’m doing.”

Cui Wei: “……” 

Fine then. 

After all, no matter how many times they argued, the Master’s favor never changed.

Resigned, she went out to prepare the tea. 

Even as she tried to convince herself to be a bit more confident, when she saw Kangxi emerge from the East Side Hall, she still couldn’t help but feel anxious.

With trepidation, she knelt on the ground and raised her voice to alert the Master inside, “May My Lord enjoy great health!”

Kangxi stroked the finger his daughter had just held, smiling as he entered the main hall.

Fang He, dressed in a palace robe of silver and red with a subtle sunflower pattern, stood by the soft couch and cast a lingering glance at Kangxi before gracefully kneeling in greeting. 

“This concubine wishes the Emperor peace this evening.”

Outside, Cui Wei got up, her heart still trembling, and instructed Chunlai and Wei Zhu to send everyone else farther away, stretching her neck to listen for any sounds inside. 

Liang Jiugong, seeing Cui Wei’s nervousness, understood that the ancestor inside was about to stir up trouble again, so he quietly signaled Li Dequan to take people farther away and discreetly listened as well.

Inside the hall, Kangxi looked at Fang He with the same affectionate gaze he had for his daughter, standing by the door and watching her deeply for a long moment before moving forward with a smile and helping her up.

“Haven’t I told you not to be so formal with me?”

He enjoyed everyone else kneeling at his feet, but this little fox—he preferred her standing there, baring her fangs and claws.

Fang He felt the hand on her arm wrap around her waist, making it clear he had no intention of letting go. 

She looked up at Kangxi, her voice as sweet as honey. 

“I was just worried that the Emperor might only remember gaining a daughter and forget about me, your concubine. If I didn’t announce myself, what if you forgot me?”

Anyone trying to compete with her for her daughter was a scoundrel. 

This scoundrel had better not think about shifting his grief for Grand Empress Dowager onto Jiujiu.

Outside, Liang Jiugong glanced at Cui Wei in confusion—wasn’t this all perfectly normal?

Cui Wei was puzzled too. 

‘Wasn’t the Master supposed to start a quarrel?’

This didn’t look like the start of a fight at all!

Kangxi, however, was quite taken with Fang He’s lively and charming demeanor.

Others might think Fang He had grown plumper than before, but Kangxi, who had slept beside her even before she gave birth and seen her at her heaviest, now felt she’d actually grown thinner, making her all the more endearing.

Kangxi’s gaze unconsciously deepened. 

He lowered his head so their noses touched, wanting to lightly peck her lips.

“The whole palace is worried about my health—even Jiujiu knows to be concerned about her father, but a certain troublemaker hasn’t made a sound. Isn’t it natural for me to see her first?”

Fang He pressed her finger against his lips, stopping his kiss. 

“If Jiujiu didn’t have her mother, would the Emperor care if she was worried about you? Aren’t you afraid your words will make me sad?”

Kangxi grasped her hand and finally kissed her, his laughter mingling with the tangle of lips and teeth.

“Is my beloved consort jealous of Jiujiu?” he teased, then couldn’t help but laugh, tapping Fang He on the forehead. 

“I have a perfectly good Princess, and you give her such a name?”

Fang He snorted lightly, using her other hand to push him away, her laughter growing more mischievous. 

“She’s my daughter—I’ll name her as I please. How do you know I’m not jealous of you?”

Kangxi neither agreed nor denied, stepping forward with a smile, trying to pull the little fox back into his arms. 

It had been a while since they’d met, and though he couldn’t stay long, he desperately wanted to be close to her.

“I went to see Jiujiu first because I knew how much I missed you. I knew that after seeing Guoguo, I wouldn’t have the heart to see her again. Does Guoguo miss me that much?”

Fang He kept backing away, raising her eyebrows with a sly smile. 

“Is My Lord so precious in his longing for me, that I bore the reincarnation of the old ancestor, the Ninth Princess, just for you?”

The moment Kangxi entered the hall, he sensed that Fang He was holding back anger.

He had dropped everything and rushed over precisely to clarify things with her—he didn’t want her to let her imagination run wild.

But unexpectedly, Fang He didn’t respond with cold sarcasm as before. 

Instead, she showed a side of herself he’d never seen—like a feather tickling his heart, making him burn with longing.

He found himself unwilling to explain right away. 

Instead, a smile flickered in his eyes as he kept closing in, trapping Fang He beneath the ornate arch leading to the bedchamber.

“Whether the rumors are true or not, they do you no harm. In fact, you could use them to smoothly be promoted to Noble Consort, Imperial Noble Consort, or even Empress. Aren’t you tempted, Guoguo?”

Fang He scoffed. 

Now she understood why the rumors had spread so quickly. 

Even during mourning, the whole palace was eager to shower Yanxi Palace with favor, wishing they could raise it to the heavens.

So this was the root—he was testing her.

But the way a favored consort and an abandoned one argue is naturally different. 

Use the same trick too many times, and it loses its effect.

Fang He gently smoothed Kangxi’s dragon robe, her gaze soft and seductive as she gave him a little push, though her smile faded. 

“Does the Emperor think I want to be Empress?”

Kangxi stepped back as she pushed, his smile unwavering. 

“I remember you wanted to be the official wife. Do you still want that now?”

Fang He’s smile was even brighter than his. 

“Then you don’t remember—I want to be the only one. What I want, is the Emperor willing to give it?”

She poked his chest with her finger. 

“I really want to know—are you asking because you like me, or because the Crown Prince asked you to?”

Fang He’s touch was as light as a cat’s, but Kangxi let her poke him back step by step, until he was hugging her waist and slowly sat with her on the soft couch by the window, laughing quietly.

“You can have whatever you want, as long as I have it, and as long as Guoguo is willing to wait.”

This time, before Fang He could reply, Kangxi used a bit of force to press her onto his lap, biting her lips and lingering there.

“You won’t have to wait too long. Can Guoguo trust me one more time?”

Fang He scrutinized Kangxi’s expression, feeling that something was off—wasn’t he being a bit too cooperative?

She pouted and snorted, “Should I trust you to treat Jiujiu as the reincarnation of the old ancestor, or trust you to test me because of all the rumors?”

Kangxi’s laughter rumbled through his chest, his voice deepening.

“I just want you to know, since the rumors began, in just over a month, there have been more than a dozen memorials requesting your promotion to Empress.”

Fang He frowned slightly. 

She knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. 

The people raising her up so high were just trying to make Kangxi suspicious of her.

She lowered her head, playing with Kangxi’s sleeve. 

“You don’t want me to be Empress.”

“That’s right, I don’t.” Kangxi, after much thought, decided to be honest.

“First, although I dislike the palace’s talk, the rumor that I have a hard fate is probably not groundless—I can’t risk it.”

“Second, the Crown Prince’s position is unstable, which is detrimental to the court. The Hesheri Clan has deep roots in the court, and if they decide to target you, even I may not be able to protect you in time.”

He lifted Fang He’s chin and asked, “Do you believe me?”

Fang He didn’t answer, continuing their back-and-forth.

“Do you believe the talk about Jiujiu’s reincarnation?”

Kangxi didn’t lie. 

“When I first heard it, I did, or maybe my longing for Grand Empress Dowager made me want it to be true.”

He used a bit of strength, making Fang He kneel astride him, now taller than him by a head.

“But the more I thought about it, the less likely it seemed. Grand Empress Dowager said several times she didn’t want to see her father or me again. Even if she were reincarnated, she’d probably return to the grasslands.”

Fang He tugged his ear, still unhappy. 

“Maybe the old ancestor wanted the best of both worlds—see you first, then return to the grasslands through a marriage decree?”

Kangxi laughed, tilting his head up to bite Fang He’s lips again.

“I promised you—Jiujiu will not be sent to the Mongols. I may disappoint you, but I will never deceive you.”

Fang He let go with one hand to cover her mouth, glaring at him. 

“Why do you always bite people!”

“You want me to be softer, but I want your little mouth to be even sweeter.”

She half-lay in his embrace.

Kangxi laughed, holding Fang He as he lay down, not letting her struggle. 

“Don’t move. Let me hold you. After not seeing you for over a month, I can’t sleep well at night.”

Fang He finally settled down, but the fire inside her still simmered. 

She poked him hard.

“Then why did you let the rumors spread?”

If Kangxi hadn’t allowed it, the rumors would never have spread so far.

Just thinking of others seeing Jiujiu and thinking only of the Grand Empress Dowager, and even making demands of her in the future, made Fang He restless with irritation.

Kangxi gently stroked Fang He’s back. 

“Of course, it’s to catch the people behind it and take the opportunity to balance the court. You don’t believe someone would raise you up for no reason—do you think I’d believe it?”

Fang He nodded, finally satisfied, but then stopped halfway.

What did that mean? 

Her not believing proved she was smart—was this scoundrel using her as the baseline for intelligence?

Seeing her glance up at him, Kangxi’s heart burned even hotter.

It was unbelievable, really. 

As an Emperor, he’d abstained for almost half a year, and would have to abstain for another year. 

A man with a naturally strong fire—he could hardly bear being teased.

He closed his eyes, trying not to look at her inadvertent but irresistible allure, and forced the topic back on track.

“What you said before in Yanxi Palace—I’ve reflected on it and found it very reasonable. Grand Empress Dowager is gone, and the Empress Dowager is not one to care about things. If I’m not in the palace, only you can protect yourself.”

“So having skills isn’t a bad thing. The only fault is that I didn’t explain many things to you.”

Fang He’s gaze showed genuine surprise, and she couldn’t help but look at Kangxi in a new light.

Compared to those who merely admit their mistakes, this boss was even better than the bosses from her past life.

So she listened especially attentively as Kangxi spoke.

“Using the reincarnation rumor as leverage may look like a harem struggle on the surface, but it’s actually a dispute from the previous court.” 

Kangxi always thought Fang He was unusually clever in important matters, so he didn’t mind telling her about court politics.

“Those petitioning for you to be Empress are mostly Nalan Mingzhu’s faction. Those against it, even accusing you of using favor to usurp the Empress’s position, are mostly Suo’etu’s Faction.”

“I need time to balance the court… that’s why I haven’t stopped the rumors.”

He wanted to say, he even hoped Fang He could take this chance to assume power in the harem. 

Even if she noticed some clues, as long as he was in control, he wouldn’t interfere.

But he decided not to mention that now—no need to let this lazy fox stretch out her claws.

Fang He understood.

She didn’t know court politics, but after watching so many TV dramas in her past life, all these psychological processes had played out in soap operas.

“So you mean, Nalan Mingzhu wants to ally with me—no, he’s guessing the Emperor’s intentions and wants to return to court. Suo’etu, for the Crown Prince’s sake, doesn’t want him back. I’m just the target for their struggle?”

These two old rivals were really a match made in heaven!

Kangxi patted Fang He’s head with a smile. 

He knew this troublemaker was smart.

Nalan Mingzhu did understand him, so he wouldn’t have started this. 

He’d just go along with it. 

Someone else was fanning the flames. 

“Who does Guoguo think it could be?”

Fang He pinched her brow, feeling exhausted.

Did ancient people die young because they schemed too much?

She simply cut to the heart of the matter: “Whoever it is, their goal is definitely to harm me and Jiujiu, isn’t it?”

Kangxi didn’t answer. 

He wouldn’t give those people the chance.

Instead, he suddenly pinned her beneath him, even more mischievous than when she’d teased him earlier.

“When I entered the hall, Guoguo was planning to argue with me, right?”

Fang He blinked, hugging Kangxi’s neck obediently.

“I was just jealous. Everyone says a child makes a man forget his wife. I thought you were only thinking about the child and had tossed Guoguo aside.”

Arguing wasn’t as important as her and Jiujiu’s safety. 

Solve the problem first—there was a lifetime left to argue.

Kangxi snorted with laughter and bit her lips again.

“I heard you had the Zaoban Office make several washboards for Yanxi Palace, extra sturdy ones. All the palace clothes are sent to the laundry—what do you need washboards for?”

Ah… Could she say they were a birthday gift for Kangxi, but she remembered too late and would have to give them next year?

Fang He planted a heavy kiss on Kangxi’s lips, making a soft “jyu” sound.

She grinned at Kangxi. 

“Didn’t you want to know where Jiujiu’s name came from? Every time I see her, I think of you and can’t help but kiss her. After kissing her so much, I kept hearing that sound, and since she’s the ninth, I called her Jiujiu.”

Kangxi was so amused he couldn’t help but lower his head, capturing her lovable yet infuriating lips again. 

The hall fell silent except for the increasingly heavy breathing.

Liang Jiugong’s scalp tingled. 

They were still in mourning, and Imperial Consort Zhao hadn’t even finished her confinement. 

Should he remind them?

Cui Wei’s expression was numb. 

‘Was this what the Master called an argument?’

Not bad. 

If all arguments went like this, at least there would be less shouting.

After a while, Li Dequan came in and whispered a few words to Liang Jiugong.

Liang Jiugong quickly bowed toward the hall. 

“My Lord, Suo’etu and the Crown Prince, along with several cabinet ministers, are already waiting in the side hall of Hongde Hall.”

Kangxi’s eyes flashed with a hint of impatience. 

With a sigh, he rolled over, placing the blushing Fang He back down and closing his eyes to calm himself.