During this dinner, both Fang He and Kangxi were visibly distracted.
Fang He was deeply influenced by her close friends; she always lived by her heart’s desires—if she wanted something, she simply wanted it.
Before she was pregnant with Jiujiu, she and Kangxi were still in a period of adjustment, and their quarrels were frequent and intense.
Apart from exhaustion and stimulation, it hadn’t escalated so quickly.
Now that she and Master Kang had settled into a good rhythm, it had been over a year since they had done anything substantial due to her pregnancy and the mourning period.
The feeling was like scratching an itch through a boot—not just Kangxi couldn’t relieve his frustration, she couldn’t either!
Sensing the sparks flying between the two masters’ eyes, just as they put down their chopsticks, Liang Jiugong and Cui Wei quickly ordered the palace staff to clear the hall, served digestion tea, and then withdrew with the servants.
Fang He felt inexplicably nervous.
“Shall we go out for a walk?”
They had just finished eating, and fighting immediately afterward wouldn’t be good for digestion.
Kangxi looked at her meaningfully.
“Are you scared?”
“I’m afraid you won’t be able to beat me!” Fang He said stubbornly, dragging Kangxi to the rear hall’s courtyard for a walk to help with digestion.
If you’re putting on a show, you have to do it properly—romance under the flowers and moonlight cannot be missed!
The palace gates had been locked, and no one else was moving around.
Fang He behaved herself and nestled close to Kangxi as they went under the corridor roof to watch the stars.
“Your Majesty, look, isn’t that the Big Dipper?” Fang He pointed to the seven stars in the north with a smile and then pulled him to look across the courtyard.
“Hey! Look! That’s Orion, right? It’s rare to see both the Big Dipper and the Southern Dipper at the same time.”
The air in ancient times was truly good; the night sky was far brighter than the starry sky smothered by smog in later ages.
Kangxi looked down at her, watching the stars glittering in her eyes.
All his anger and irritation gradually faded away.
He smiled and asked, “You know Orion too? Consort Zhao’s interests are quite broad.”
Fang He choked slightly and coughed lightly.
“I heard it from traveling merchants when I was in Jiangnan. They said they learned about it from Taoist preachers.”
Kangxi raised his eyebrows, “Oh? These traveling merchants…”
Fang He immediately interrupted, “Ah, I heard that watching the stars with the one you love is the most romantic thing in the world! If you see a shooting star, it means the star spirit is descending, and making a wish might make it come true.”
She had finally worked up the courage to arrange a date with His Majesty and really didn’t want to argue about what those merchants’ names were.
Kangxi’s smile deepened.
He had only wanted to ask if those merchants were coastal traders, since Taoist preachers were rare in the capital but common along the coast.
Seeing her misunderstanding, Kangxi didn’t explain.
Romantic?
What Fang He meant wasn’t the poetic indulgence in wine and verse, but a Western meaning of passionate and uninhibited emotion…
After the digestion tea had taken effect, Kangxi’s heart flared up again.
He pulled Fang He back to the main hall.
“Guoguo wants to fight with me for the sake of romance?”
Fang He: “……”
Oh, that’s just for the fun of it.
Kangxi took off his cloak and tossed it over the screen.
He held Fang He’s hand, feeling it was not cold, and teased while squeezing her small hand.
“Though no stars fell tonight, Guoguo can still make a wish with me. I’ll give you one hand.”
Fang He pouted and shook her head, then seriously extended her tender white index finger and waved it in front of Kangxi.
“You’re underestimating me too much. I don’t need any soldiers; I can beat you with just my mouth.”
Kangxi thought, ‘I haven’t even drunk, and this scoundrel is already dreaming first.’
Fang He didn’t explain and just smiled, dodging Kangxi’s attempt to grab her hand, stepping back a few paces.
She laughed and picked up her longhua from the front of her garment.
“Your Majesty, look, isn’t this longhua beautiful?”
It was Xinzi’s handiwork.
Among the four Xin sisters, Xinzi spoke the least and was the most shy, but her embroidery skills could even surpass the needlework master Cui Wei.
On this longhua, a small golden snake bearing a gold ingot on its head was specially embroidered, perfectly matching Jiujiu’s birth sign.
The background was decorated with intricate floral and auspicious cloud patterns in subtle tones, using the luxurious Xueyu Yun brocade.
Kangxi examined it carefully and said, “The craftsmanship is good, but the design is a bit too straightforward.”
Fang He arched her brows and bit her lip, gently untying the longhua, twirling it a few times in her hands, and beckoning Kangxi with a finger.
“Then Your Majesty, come with me. I have several longhua here. Why not see which one pleases you the most?”
Kangxi looked at Fang He steadily.
She seemed like a fairy born from the night, stirring his heart involuntarily and willingly letting her lead him into the bedchamber.
Fang He helped him remove his outer robe, leaving only his inner garment, then laid out five longhua pieces on the bed.
“Your Majesty, what do you think of these?”
Kangxi sat on the edge of the bed and reached out to take one, but Fang He playfully swatted his hand away, wrapping the longhua around his wrist and then tying it to the bedpost behind the curtain.
Kangxi’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly.
‘…Didn’t I say I’d give you one hand?’
Fang He smiled without a word, binding both his hands and feet to the four corners of the canopy.
The last new longhua covered his eyes.
Then Kangxi felt a cool, soft touch fall on the collar of his inner garment at his neck, undoing the buttons.
Next, the silky sensation brushed across his chest, causing Kangxi to suddenly clench his jaw.
“Guoguo…”
Fang He looked at the tightly bound Kangxi mischievously and leaned over to lightly bite his thin lips.
“See? Now I just have to move my mouth, and you’ll surrender, won’t you?”
Kangxi: “….”
‘Is this scoundrel secretly reading forbidden books during her mourning period?’
He thought about scolding her, but when he opened his mouth, his voice was rougher than before.
“I will never surrender. Try me.”
Fang He made a strangling gesture with her hands and hummed, mounting the metaphorical horse and slowly overlooking the unconsciously captured emperor.
This time, as she kissed him again… she felt inexplicably excited, almost losing her last shreds of composure.
It was exhilarating!
No wonder that rascal liked to bully people behind the curtains.
Watching someone usually so mighty and domineering reduced to helpless submission was truly…
As the canopy was gently lowered, muffling the increasingly heavy breaths and mingling moisture, the female general galloped into the mountains and rivers, bowed her head to capture the mountain, stepped into the valley, sowed fire on the land, savored southern beans, and felt no longing—only wildfire blazing across the earth.
“Shh—” Fang He leisurely soothed the restless beast with her finger.
“Why rush, Your Majesty? To win a fight, one must use strategy~”
Her voice involuntarily softened, melting like honey.
The female general slowly changed the emperor’s new clothes, carefully fitting them to the terrain, stepping steadily, and in the most tense moments of confrontation, suddenly grabbed her spear and struck her prey.
The cheerful chant lingered, accompanying her heartbeat, exhausting all her strength.
She didn’t mind the hunt being short; she was content to dismount and call off the troops.
Kangxi: “…..”
Has this scoundrel been fussing for just one incense stick’s worth of time and now plans to rest just as the real work starts?
But his lifeline was restrained so tightly it nearly made him lose his mind.
Kangxi gritted his teeth and tried to speak calmly.
“If you won’t fight, then let go of me, I will…”
Fang He lay softly beside him, wearing the smile of a wise woman, her tone full of sighs.
“Done fighting, huh?”
Anyway, she was done.
The exchange between spirit and body was truly the best remedy for a woman.
It did not lie.
Let her rest for a while; then it would be time to deal with this arrow-strung master.
Kangxi laughed angrily.
Suddenly, he gathered his inner strength and broke free of the longhua binding his hands and feet.
Though expensive, the Xueyu brocade wasn’t that strong—after all, noble people didn’t wear the same clothes all the time.
He used to think such things were extravagant waste, but now he saw they had their use.
Before Fang He could react, Kangxi flipped over, trapped the scoundrel who instinctively tried to escape, pulled down the longhua covering his eyes, and no longer hid his gritted teeth.
“You’ve finished fighting, now it’s my turn.”
Fang He: “I’m sorry, sorry, sor—”
In an instant, the eagle soared the skies, the moon entered the mountains and rivers, blocking the hunter’s last retreat, leaving no chance for her to speak.
Rapid attacks, steady and sure, sent her to the peak of the clouds, only to drag her repeatedly down into the vortex where life and death were beyond control.
The long night stretched on, stars shifted, the moon waned, and her cries gradually grew softer but never ceased.
Even Liang Jiugong couldn’t stand it anymore.
He took a nap in the side hall and woke to find the stars and moon hidden in the darkness before dawn.
The night guards outside still hadn’t heard the two masters inside call for water.
Liang Jiugong: “…Li Dequan, go to Qianqing Palace and ask Zhang Ziqin for some ointments. Get several bottles.”
Springlai, on night duty, sighed in relief.
She heard the faint sounds inside and felt something was unusual.
At first, she could hear the masters’ faint laughter and conversation, but later only crying remained.
Now even the crying was barely audible, and she thought the master probably wouldn’t get up tomorrow and needed to rest well.
Li Dequan asked curiously, “Why get so many bottles?”
Liang Jiugong’s expression was blank.
“For the two masters, you tell me.”
Li Dequan: “…Yes, sir.”
Just as Liang Jiugong predicted, when the masters finally called for water, it was still over an hour before Kangxi was to rise for court, and he was asked to bring ointment inside.
Neither he nor Springlai saw what exactly had happened under the canopy, but Kangxi’s face and shoulders were… impressive.
Fortunately, he had sealed his pen yesterday.
Though there were still many matters from the previous reign, Kangxi could occasionally take a little extra rest.
After Liang Jiugong helped Kangxi lie down, he deliberately let him sleep an hour longer than usual before waking him.
Though he had only slept a little over two hours, Kangxi showed no signs of fatigue, even seeming more spirited than before.
He specifically ordered, “Send some easily digestible snacks and porridge from the imperial kitchen. In an hour, wake her to eat something, then let her sleep more.”
Cui Wei and Fule, taking over night duty, were both puzzled.
Usually, masters were allowed to sleep as long as they wanted before rising.
Why wake the master to eat so early this time?
Neither dared to ask further.
An hour later, when they lifted the canopy, they saw Fang He lying on her side in the bedding, and finally understood.
Both Cui Wei and Fule blushed uncontrollably.
The master had the longhua tied over her eyes, and her exposed fragrant shoulders… well, apart from her face, there wasn’t much left covered.
Fule didn’t wake Fang He but went over to check her pulse.
After a while, she looked up, hesitating several times but unsure what to say.
Cui Wei whispered, “What’s wrong? Is the master hurt?”
Fule shook her head slightly, pressing a burning cheek.
“Overexertion of yin energy, unstable qi and blood, liver qi deficiency…”
“Say something I can understand!” Cui Wei was anxious.
That sounded very serious.
Fule spoke honestly, “The master probably won’t get up today. It’s best to rest for two days and recover vitality.”
Cui Wei: “…”
‘Did those two really fight last night?’
Recalling what she overheard yesterday while serving tea—the things too scandalous to listen to—she clicked her tongue in disapproval.
Why bother?
They were already a fire and dry wood waiting to burn, yet the master still provoked him.
Now look at the result!
The two women carefully woke the still-tired Fang He, coaxing her to drink a bowl of porridge as she whimpered.
By the time Fang He woke again, it was almost dark.
The moment she sat up, she felt as if her entire body had been dismantled; she collapsed back down immediately.
“Master, the Emperor said he won’t come today, but he’ll join you for dinner tomorrow.”
Cui Wei heard the noise, lifted the curtain, and smiled as she peeked in.
“The Emperor also said, if you still want to fight, he can teach you. Don’t go using so many tricks to make things hard on yourself.”
Fang He: “…..”
Is this even human talk?
She had only been thinking about how the old couple’s life might lack passion, so she stirred things up a bit.
Who could have expected that the rascal was so easily provoked?
She supported her waist and sat up carefully.
Feeling around, even with Kangxi careful about his strength, her whole body still ached, and the special parts still felt strange.
Touching her rumbling belly, she angrily punched the bed.
“Send Wei Zhu to the front court to deliver a message: Tell His Majesty that my insubordination was truly wrong, and I humbly request house arrest for a few days to reflect. I dare not ask the Emperor to dine with me!”
“Make sure he doesn’t avoid people. Make him look fearful, preferably so everyone in the palace can see.”