Qianqing Palace

Emperor Kangxi was dealing with state affairs at hand, and after reading through the memorials one by one, he did not forget to make red annotations.

"Your Majesty, it is already early 9 PM. You have been busy all day and should rest."

Liang Jiugong silently placed the fresh chicken soup, which had been sent from the imperial kitchen, beside Emperor Kangxi.

Upon hearing this, Kangxi raised his head, put down the paper and pen in his hand, and rubbed his wrist. "It's already this late."

Hmm, no wonder my neck and shoulders are a little sore. I've been busy for almost two hours without realizing it.

As he picked up the chicken soup from the side and put it in his mouth, Kangxi casually asked Xiuning, who had entered the palace that day, "Is she staying at Qixiang Palace?"

Liang Jiugong nodded and said, "Her Majesty the Empress specifically instructed that the servants of the Imperial Household Department worked for several days to repair it."

Emperor Kangxi smiled enigmatically, "The Empress is truly thoughtful."

I just don't know if this is a good or bad intention, since the pregnant Consort Shu lives next door.

"I heard that the Yongshou Palace summoned the imperial physician today. What did they say?"

With a clatter, Kangxi placed the empty soup bowl on the table, leaned back, and visibly relaxed.

"The imperial physician said it's the same old problem," Liang Jiugong said tactfully, "Consort Shu didn't rest enough before, and the fetal breathing in her womb is slightly weaker than normal."

The implication is that it relapsed before it was fully healed, so it requires repeated treatment.

Kangxi's expression darkened. "Such an important matter, why didn't the imperial physician remind Consort Shu?"

Liang Jiugong looked helpless. "I told her, but Consort Shu's temperament is something we servants can't persuade. The imperial physician in charge of Yongshou Palace has reminded her almost every time, but she still keeps summoning the imperial physician."

What can we do? As long as nothing goes wrong, everything is fine. But once something happens, even a god can't save us.

Kangxi: ...

Emperor Kangxi was speechless. He had never intended for Consort Shu to become pregnant. After all, the Niohuru clan had been so arrogant in the previous dynasty that they did not take him, the emperor, seriously at all. If they were to gain the support of a prince now, wouldn't they be supporting the young emperor to ascend the throne and thus use the emperor to command the princes?

Unfortunately, the Empress did not conceive, and Emperor Kangxi did not go too far with Consort Shu, which gave Consort Shu an opportunity to gain favor and conceive successfully.

Originally, Emperor Kangxi did not want to kill his son himself; he was not that ruthless. However, Consort Shu's self-destructive attitude made Emperor Kangxi completely lose hope in the child, who probably would not survive.

"Are there any other spies around Consort Shu?" Kangxi pondered for a moment before finally asking.

Since the emperor wanted to know, Liang Jiugong naturally couldn't hide it from him. He immediately told Kangxi about the situation in Yongshou Palace, and at the end, he didn't forget to add, "Although the Niohuru clan has sent in more people, the Empress Dowager dealt with a batch before, and other families have infiltrated them. I'm afraid that Consort Shu's actual number of people she can use is less than a third."

Well, you could say it's pretty bad.

Anyway, among all the concubines in the harem, none of them had such a good hand as Consort Shu, yet they still managed to make a mess of it.

Emperor Kangxi was utterly speechless. He even felt that it was already a blessing from heaven that Consort Shu had managed to endure her pregnancy until now. Why was it so? If it were so easy to give birth in the harem, then Lady Magiya wouldn't be the only one to have given birth to Prince Chengrui in the past few years.

"You only need to have someone keep an eye on the movements at Yongshou Palace. You don't need to help. Just let Consort Shu handle everything."

The child was not born in Kangxi's expectations, so don't expect Kangxi to lend a hand.

Liang Jiugong nodded in agreement, "This servant obeys."

...

On her first night in the palace, Xiuning slept very well, without any insomnia or anxiety.

Having put her promise to go to bed early and get up early, Xiu Ning finished her breakfast, which she had retrieved from the royal kitchen, and began her daily routine of receiving gifts.

The ladies of the harem would give rewards to the new concubines who had just entered the palace. Perhaps because it was Xiuning's first day in the palace, the rewards were all given today.

Xiu Ning smiled and treated all the approaching palace maids with kindness.

Once Xuancao had recorded all the rewards into the treasury with the ledger, Xiuning breathed a sigh of relief and instructed Chunyu to give rewards to Xuancao and the other two.

"Everyone has worked hard today. The master is considerate and has therefore decided to give each person an extra half-month's allowance."

However, in future actions, there will be rewards and punishments, so everyone must be on their toes.

As Chunyu spoke, her eyes constantly scanned the three people's facial expressions, paying attention to their changes in demeanor.

The three had different expressions, but all nodded obediently, "We will certainly live up to Sister Chunyu's teachings."

"Alright, go and get back to work. Report back immediately if anything happens." Chunyu waved her hand and turned to go into the room.

Inside the room, Xiuning was fiddling with some of the ornaments she had brought to the palace.

Of course, on her first day of arrival, the Imperial Household Department sent palace servants to deliver some daily necessities, such as fabrics and jewelry.

But it's easy to guess what good things a lowly concubine like her could get. At best, she'd get some mediocre items, neither particularly good nor bad, which Xiuning certainly wouldn't use.

"master"

Chunyu called Xiuning softly, while simultaneously handing the accounts in her hand to the other person.

Xiuning glanced at it indifferently, "Put it away. The gifts from the ladies are probably just some expensive items that aren't very practical. We can choose a return gift from here when there are any happy events in the palace in the future."

Chunyu responded, "Yes, mistress. The three people who were assigned to Xuancao seem to be quite honest. But you can't judge a book by its cover. We need to continue to observe them to confirm whether they have someone backing them."

Xiuning nodded, "Even if they are spies, they won't be exposed at the beginning. Let's try to keep them away from serving us for now, and talk about other things after we confirm their identities."

Although Xiu Ning had already briefly explored the system at the beginning, because she hadn't spent many points, she only knew that these three people didn't have any ill intentions towards her. She still didn't know who their master was.

However, it was definitely not a concubine in the imperial harem; it was most likely the emperor or the empress dowager.

Later that evening, Xuancao came in to report, "Your Highness, the eunuch from the Imperial Household Department has arrived."

The Imperial Household Department?

As its name suggests, the Jing Shi Fang (敬事房) was the place responsible for recording the sexual affairs between the emperor and his concubines.

If you were to ask where the servants in the imperial harem make the most money, the Imperial Household Department would certainly be the answer.

It's important to know that the arrangement of the green plaques sent to the emperor every day was a complex art. Some concubines would bribe the eunuchs in the Imperial Household Department with large sums of money in order to get another chance to serve the emperor.

"Please come in quickly."

Thinking about the importance of the Imperial Household Department, Xiu Ning didn't mince words. She took Chun Yu's hand and quickly got up to walk towards the door of the room.

"This humble servant greets Attendant Xitala."

Upon seeing Xiuning emerge, the eunuch from the Imperial Household Department quickly and respectfully bowed.

Xiuning quickly waved her hand, knowing full well why the other party had come.

Well, even if you know it's for the emperor to sleep with you, you can't make it too obvious, right?