Chapter 32 The Reverse Scale

reverse scale

Emperor Kangxi was not exactly known for his good temper, but as long as one's wishes were met, he could be considered a virtuous and upright gentleman.

But someone deliberately went against him, using two people he had placed his heart in to test his bottom line.

Chen Guanxue held the court beads and stroked the jade beads.

The smooth, lustrous texture told her that it was indeed the result of being cherished and handled for many years.

Emperor Kangxi would not mistake even Empress Xiaozhuang's favorite possessions.

So, who took the things that should have been kept in the Cining Palace and put them here?

She couldn't have guessed it, and perhaps even Kangxi couldn't have guessed it.

But he doesn't need to guess; he only needs to ask.

Chen Guanxue put away the court beads, but made no attempt to have them returned to the Imperial Household Department.

Now that it's all been delivered to her, it's hers; as for what happens next...

If Emperor Kangxi had dealt with the person behind the scenes, which court official would have been staring at the empresses' and concubines' court beads all the time?

Chen Guanxue felt no pressure. As soon as Kangxi left, he ordered Liang Jiugong to go to the Imperial Household Department to find someone.

When Li Quan, the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department, was approached by Liang Jiugong, he noticed Liang's unusual expression and his heart skipped a beat. Nevertheless, he went to greet him, "Why has Eunuch Liang come? Does His Majesty have any orders?"

"The Emperor has summoned you for questioning. Tell me what you know, and keep quiet if you don't."

Hearing him say that, Li Quan calmed down.

Something must have happened in the palace again, and he's going to be made the scapegoat.

He never gets involved in these things; he's afraid it's his subordinates who did it, so he's not afraid of them. At most, he'll be punished.

Who told him to be the emperor's man?

Arriving at the Qianqing Palace in a flurry of activity, Li Quan was covered in sweat. He wiped it off with his sleeve outside the door before following Liang Jiugong inside.

"This servant greets Your Majesty, may Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings." Li Quan knew Kangxi's temperament, so he knelt on the ground as soon as he entered, behaving very respectfully.

"Who is in charge of looking after the palace rooms that are left unused?" Kangxi asked.

Li Quan thought for a moment and realized the loophole lay there. He replied, "Your Majesty, the palace rooms that were left unused were cataloged by Steward Ulanara, and the palace maids and eunuchs of the Imperial Household Department were ordered to repair and maintain them according to the dates on the catalog."

Emperor Kangxi was aware of the relationships among the people in the palace, but he was unaware that Consort Hui would cooperate with Consort De.

"Go down and tighten the leather belts for the palace maids and eunuchs of the Imperial Household Department."

Kangxi spoke lightly, but when Li Quan returned to the Imperial Household Department, he had the people released by Ulanara punished with a beating.

"Look at the consequences of betraying your own people." Li Quan was a servant in front of Emperor Kangxi, but in the Imperial Household Department, he was the emperor. "You all only know how to collect money and do chores. Remember that you are in the Imperial Household Department. If you have any more long arms next time, don't blame me for giving you a straw mat as a reward."

The eunuchs who were being beaten on the bench dared not utter a sound, and the observers also dared not breathe. Only after he left did they depart with varying expressions.

When Emperor Kangxi found out who it was, he naturally had to take action.

Coincidentally, the things I had asked someone to look up earlier were also on the table.

After only glancing at it a few times, Kangxi put it down.

It was not uncommon for Manchu families to intermarry, but it was rare for them to extend their influence into the palace after forming such a marriage alliance.

"Summon Consort De." Kangxi threw down the paper, then added, "Also, summon the Crown Prince."

He was destined to be an emperor, so he should learn to do some things too.

When Consort De saw the young eunuch of Qianqing Palace, her heart skipped a beat. She asked him questions with a normal expression, but couldn't get any information out of him. She had a feeling that this was not a good thing.

Upon arriving at the Qianqing Palace, one sees Emperor Kangxi sitting behind a desk, looking at a memorial in his hand.

"May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings." Consort De bowed while half-crouching, but Kangxi did not tell her to rise.

Emperor Kangxi treated the elderly women in the palace with respect; even if he didn't favor them, he wouldn't embarrass them.

Now, Consort De squatted on the ground for a quarter of an hour, her heart almost sinking to the bottom, and her posture became more and more proper.

She had been squatting for too long, and her legs were starting to sting and go numb, so she didn't dare move an inch.

"Get up." Kangxi wrote, using his pen to review the memorial.

As Consort De swayed as she stood up, she spoke again in a low voice, "I remember there was a girl in the Wanyan family who seemed to be about the same age as the Fourteenth Prince."

Consort De's pupils dilated slightly, but she remained calm. "Which girl from the Wanyan family is it?"

"Isn't she the one you arranged for the Fourteenth Prince to be your primary consort?"

Upon hearing Kangxi's words, Consort De tightened her grip on her handkerchief.

Although she was exposed, she remained calm and said, "The marriage of the Fourteenth Prince should naturally be decided by His Majesty. How could I dare to make a decision on my own?"

"Oh?" Kangxi asked with a slight hint of doubt. "Since it hasn't been decided yet, I think the girl from the Wanyan family is quite nice. I'll arrange for her to be the Crown Prince's concubine."

Consort De almost ground her teeth to powder.

That was the primary consort she had carefully chosen for the Fourteenth Prince! She was beautiful and from a good family, and her family had little connection with the other princes; she was solely dedicated to helping the Fourteenth Prince!

But she couldn't say those words, nor did she dare to make Kangxi take back what he had just said.

"But His Majesty said that the girl is about fourteen years old. Isn't she a bit too young to enter Yuqing Palace?" Consort De asked tentatively.

"It is indeed too small, but it's fine to raise it at home for a few years before bringing it into the palace."

Seeing that she was about to speak, Kangxi waved his hand and said, "I called you here to ask if your girl has been betrothed to the Fourteenth Prince. Since she hasn't, I will betroth her to the Crown Prince. Go back now."

It was as if they really wanted to call someone to ask a question.

Consort De left the Qianqing Palace in a fit of resentment and smashed a teacup upon returning to her own palace.

It's just a teacup; if she makes a big fuss, her reputation and her standing in Kangxi's heart will be ruined.

"Father Emperor." Yinreng stepped out from behind the screen, not quite agreeing with the idea of ​​having a princess appointed for him. "Although I don't like the Fourteenth Prince, it's not about taking what belongs to someone else."

Kangxi chuckled, “The Wanyan family and the Wuya family are both ancient Jurchen surnames, and they are considered close in the bonded kinship. If you don’t take over the Wanyan family, they will become a stumbling block in the future.”

He had previously overlooked the connection between the bondservants.

He was willing to see intermarriages among the Eight Banners descendants. There were many conflicts between the Manchus and the Han, and if intermarriage could offset some unnecessary conflicts, he would pretend not to see any underhanded actions.

But the coating is different.

In essence, bondservants were true slaves.

Even ordinary families with large fortunes can have their property seized due to scheming and plotting among their servants.

The royal family was simply a larger and richer family. If all the bondservants were united, how many generations could the Qing dynasty have lasted?

Historical records contain many instances of eunuchs controlling the government.

Emperor Kangxi was not stupid; he would not let this trend emerge and foolishly allow it to continue.

Yinreng thought about it carefully, reviewed the current power of the Wuya family, and found it to be very reasonable.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Emperor Kangxi did not want to have a deep father-son bond with him, so he told him to leave and turned back to the East Warm Pavilion, intending to hug his beloved son Fushou.

Emperor Kangxi was deeply immersed in the father-son bond with his youngest son, while Yinreng stepped out of the palace.

Now that his father has already arranged a princess for him, an imperial edict will be delivered soon, and he can go and see the Wanyan family ahead of time.

It's not that I want to see the future princess.

After seeing what Kangxi gave him, he knew that this little girl was only ten years old and still a young girl. Even if she entered Yuqing Palace, it would be five or six years later.

He was going to visit the Wanyan family.

Having grown accustomed to being showered with various resources by Emperor Kangxi, Yinreng is now going to see his future subordinates.

That's why I say being the crown prince is good.

When Yinreng met Wanyan Tu, he told her that Emperor Kangxi had betrothed his daughter to him as a princess. Wanyan Tu happily agreed to work for him.

Water flows downhill, and people strive to rise higher.

Although investing in the Uya clan, which also shares the ancient Jurchen surname, is promising and guarantees a prince's wife, wouldn't investing in the crown prince be even better?

The guaranteed minimum is the prince's maternal family, okay!

At this time, Kangxi had no intention of changing the crown prince. The crown prince was acting like a normal crown prince, and Kangxi's favoritism towards the crown prince was obvious to all.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Crown Prince is undoubtedly the future emperor.

Investing in a future prince is clearly a better investment than investing in a future emperor.

Moreover, it wasn't that the Wanyan family didn't want to invest in the crown prince; it was that they hadn't had any beautiful and eligible young women in the family before.

The young lady Wanyan who was chosen in advance is not old enough; she can just wait a few years.

As for appearance, Wanyan Tu says she's definitely beautiful! He and his wife are both good-looking, but their daughter is even better; she definitely won't turn out badly.

After chatting with the Crown Prince and establishing a friendship, Wanyan Tu saw the Crown Prince off and sighed as he closed the door.

It would be good to climb up to the Crown Prince, but he still had to clean up the mess left to him by Lady Wuya, otherwise he would implicate his daughter.

Chen Da, who was preparing his passionate speech for the investiture ceremony at home, was initially made dizzy by his wife's constant absences from home and her crying whenever she returned.

Immediately afterward, Wanyan Tu called him out for tea, but before he could even have a cup, he told him the operation was canceled.

"This... Lord Wanyan, how can you cancel it? This was all agreed upon beforehand!"

Chen Dayi was so excited that his voice was loud, attracting the attention of several people around him, who had to lower their voices.

"This plan seems perfect to me, without any omissions."

Wanyan Tu didn't care whether the plan was perfect or not; he just wanted to clean up the mess. He then said, "It's not canceled, it's postponed. The Emperor is currently favoring her, and after thinking it over, it's really not the right time."

Seeing that Chen Da was still stubborn, he advised again, "As the saying goes, beauty fades before favor ends. Who can say how long the ladies in the palace will be favored? It's just a matter of waiting a while. What difference does it make? Right now, the Emperor is still interested. If you insist on going your own way and are punished by the Emperor and have your official hat removed... it's not worth it."

The person giving the advice was sincere, but the listener had been threatened before and was still afraid of Chen Guanxue's influence.

Chen Da nodded with some regret.

"Great things cannot be rushed."

The turmoil outside the palace subsided, and peace returned to the palace.

When Chen Guanxue saw that Kangxi had just wiped Fushou's body and was eager to dress him, she felt her eyelids twitching.

Looking at Fu Shou's fragile and soft body, she didn't dare to hug him; at most, she would just let him lie down beside her.

Kangxi wasn't afraid at all and even wanted to take over the wet nurse's job.

"Your Majesty, please sit down and have a cup of tea," she said, tugging at his sleeve.

When Kangxi was pulled by her, he was completely captivated and no longer thought about dressing Fushou.

He didn't care what kind of tea it was, picked up the teacup and took a sip, then pressed his hot body against Chen Guanxue's back.

Kangxi held her tightly, and his earlier panic vanished at that moment.

"Consort De's methods are not clean. Once you have recovered from your confinement, I will have Liang Jiugong select some people for you."

He wasn't going to raise her into a delicate flower who couldn't do anything. "You can use these people for whatever you want, and you don't need to tell me. When Fushou grows up and leaves the palace, you can use them for him too."

Chen Guanxue nodded; there were indeed some things that were not suitable for him to know.

If she wanted to know any gossip, she could have her own people collect it; it would be a hundred times more exciting than hearing it from him.

[Author's Note]

I'm recommending a new pre-order! If you like it, feel free to add it to your favorites!

"Binding Restriction Text System (Qing Dynasty Time Travel)"

Copywriting:

[After completing the restricted text system task, the pregnant woman experienced a second spring in her life, only to be forcibly taken by Emperor Kangxi.]

Li Jiayin transmigrates to the sixteenth year of the Qing Dynasty and becomes a palace maid in the tea room of the Qianqing Palace, boiling water. She doesn't rely on her beauty or luck, but entirely on having an ambitious family.

Her family gave her money and connections, allowing her to live a very comfortable life among servants, easily becoming a lazy bum.

However, things didn't go as planned, and she was bound to a restricted text system.

With the "die if you don't do tasks" buff above her head, the lazybones who used to just chat and eat melon seeds has become diligent. Boiling water is no longer enough for her, because she's about to start courting death.

[Collecting items that Emperor Kangxi liked]

He broke Emperor Kangxi's favorite cup, and in public he readily admitted his mistake, but in private he hid the small pieces of porcelain in his purse, breaking one piece into two if that wasn't enough.

[Obtain Emperor Kangxi's personal clothing]

Impressed at how well he had mastered the system, he then rummaged through Kangxi's sleeping robes and finally found a loose thread, which he broke off and put in his purse.

[Skin-to-skin contact with Emperor Kangxi]

She felt that the system really wanted her dead. Rolling her eyes, she touched Kangxi's small hand while keeping watch, and casually pulled out a strand of hair and put it in her purse.

As she completed one task after another, she became Emperor Kangxi's personal lady-in-waiting, exceeding the tasks assigned by her family, and even becoming acquainted with the concubines.

Due to her unorthodox actions, the system crashed and no tasks were issued for a long time.

Just when she thought the system had disappeared, a task that matched its name suddenly popped up.

[Enjoying intimate relations with Emperor Kangxi]

So this is how you play the game! You think she really wouldn't dare? That very night, she drugged Kangxi, completed her mission, and then quickly took the token and disappeared from the palace.

The mission was completed, the system disappeared, and I found myself pregnant as soon as I settled in Yangzhou.

In order to find a father for her child, she squatted at the entrance of the academy every day, and finally she found a handsome, fair-skinned, poor scholar.

For the sake of the piles of gold, Junxiu agreed to marry her, promising to divorce her after a year.

But when she happily got married, the one who lifted her veil was none other than Emperor Kangxi!

She was shocked, she was terrified, she was bewildered!

Then I heard Kangxi say, "If you collect my favorite things, you smash a teacup; if you get my personal clothing, you pull out the threads; if you are intimate with my skin, you touch my hand in the middle of the night?"

Damn it! How did he know?! System, you backstabber!!!

[Mine Clearance]

1: Female lead is 16, Kangxi is 22, male is not female, virgin.

2: The Heartless Emperor Who Reads Minds x The Clumsy Beauty Who Makes a Talkative Remark

3: Some parts are illogical, please don't delve into them, they are all personal interpretations!