Chapter 34 Pleasure

Pleasure

Ulanara did not think that going against Consort De was a bad thing.

She only tolerated Consort De in every way out of consideration for Yinzhen's feelings.

Of course, her family was more powerful than the Ulanara family. If she hadn't been afraid that Yinzhen would be impeached for disrespecting his birth mother, she wouldn't have tolerated it.

They were all Manchu ladies, but which prince's wife was as repressed as her?

Previously, they were afraid of being reprimanded by Emperor Kangxi, but if Consort Chen were involved, it was hard to say who would be reprimanded.

Ulanara did not believe that if she clashed with Consort De, Emperor Kangxi would side with her without reason, so she naturally would not allow Emperor Kangxi to find fault with her.

Having made up her mind, she began to plan.

Chen Guanxue was unaware of her thoughts and was chatting with the Crown Princess.

The Crown Princess, of the Guarjia clan, entered Yuqing Palace too late. The Crown Prince was also fond of beautiful women, and since she was not particularly attractive, she was not favored.

The entire Yuqing Palace was located within the palace grounds, meaning they were essentially living under Emperor Kangxi's very nose.

"Seventeenth Brother looks even better in this outfit." This was the Crown Princess's second visit.

Chen Guanxue nodded. "This is called the new system of the Imperial Household Department. The Imperial Household Department's skills in making children's clothes have improved a lot these days. After you give birth, you should ask them to make more."

Although Lady Guarjia was not favored by the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince knew that it was good to have a legitimate son, and she was also lucky to be pregnant now.

Upon hearing this, she touched her belly and said softly, "It's still early. The imperial physician said I won't give birth until August."

"It's getting late, it's only a matter of two or three months, we can ask the Imperial Household Department to prepare in advance."

The Crown Prince currently has only one son born out of wedlock, who is already in his twenties and not young anymore. At this time, Emperor Kangxi has already established several princes as heirs.

Chen Guanxue also found it strange. If the Aisin Gioro family had difficulty producing offspring, one could see this from the case of Emperor Shunzhi, who had very few children.

But looking at Kangxi, with dozens of children, it doesn't seem like a matter for the Aisin Gioro family.

But looking at the children of the Crown Prince and the other princes, it seemed that something was wrong with the Aisin Gioro family.

Putting everything else aside, Lao Ba was a family that had difficulty having children; it wasn't that he couldn't raise them, it was that he couldn't have any at all.

Chen Guanxue vaguely remembered that there were also cases of the Aisin Gioro family dying out, and there were several descendants who were adopted into the throne by emperors.

It's like he's possessed.

He looked at Guarjia, then at Fushou.

Perhaps it was because the Kangxi generation worked too hard and had all the children of the Aisin Gioro family born that later generations were unable to have any more children?

Chen Guanxue dismissed the thoughts in her mind.

Regardless of how prolific this generation was in terms of childbearing, what was even more impressive was Kangxi's educational level.

Each of the princes was exceptionally talented. Those who were not good at politics could write beautiful calligraphy or were excellent painters, while others, like the seventh prince, were skilled in warfare.

She and the Crown Princess didn't exchange more than a few words, and Fu Shou went to sleep after everyone left.

She then asked Runxi to bring her a pot of milk tea, lay down on the throne bed, picked up the small bamboo tube sealed with wax, and poured out a small paper roll from it.

"Come on. Read it aloud."

She patted the spot next to her, and Runxi sat down and picked up the paper roll to unfold.

The people in the house were used to it; they were either wiping vases or pruning branches, and they all listened attentively to Runxi's gossip.

"Yesterday, March 15th, Vice Minister Liu of the Ministry of Revenue encountered a beautiful woman selling herself to bury her father outside the capital. Overwhelmed with compassion, he gave her two hundred taels of silver to bury the old man, and took the woman to live in a small house in Donghutong. He returned home late at night."

Lord Liu, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue?

Seeing that Chen Guanxue seemed puzzled, Runxi added, "The one who was given a concubine a couple of days ago, whose expenses were reduced by the madam."

Oh, it was him.

Born into a poor family, he passed the imperial examination at the county level and was noticed by a local wealthy merchant who married his only daughter to him and sponsored his continued studies. His life was smooth sailing. After becoming a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), he wanted to divorce his wife and marry another woman. However, his wife was too hardworking and her business had spread all over the country. He dared not divorce her and could only take a concubine.

However, there were limits to the number of concubines that officials could take; they couldn't just take as many as they wanted, so they kept quite a few mistresses.

"Make a note of it. Tomorrow, I'll lead Lord Lin to that alley."

Runxi nodded and made a mark on the note.

Chen Guanxue loved to watch amusement, and sometimes he would use the people given to him by Emperor Kangxi to handle some trivial matters.

Kangxi would naturally not stop it, and might even help cover it up.

He favored Chen Guanxue, and these minor squabbles would only damage the face of his subjects and cost them a little bit of their salary, while the subjects would remain quiet for a long time.

"On the day before yesterday, March 14th, Lord Qiao of the Ministry of War and Lord Zhu of the Ministry of Rites were drinking at a teahouse when they got into an argument over a roast duck. Yesterday, March 15th, after court, Lord Zhu put a sack over Lord Qiao's head at the end of an alley and beat him up."

Goodness, the feud between these two foodies continues.

Chen Guanxue had seen similar things several times before.

These two adults are really something. They're just eating. There are plenty of delicious foods in the capital, how come they always run into them and even fight over them?

Their scramble wasn't because either of them was deliberately picking a fight; it just so happened that there was only one dish left in the restaurant, and both of them, having finished their shifts late, wanted to eat it.

Once or twice, they could calmly persuade each other, and at the beginning, Master Zhu would often decline.

Lord Qiao couldn't figure out that Lord Zhu was just being polite, so he ate it once, twice... seven or eight times, which angered Lord Zhu, and the two started fighting over it.

It is said that they have been robbing each other for many years, and many times they were impeached because they were seen fighting in restaurants.

Lord Zhu is old, and Lord Qiao will not really fight him. Most of the time, Lord Zhu will see him backing down and get angry, then turn around and put a sack over Lord Qiao's head.

Chen Guanxue couldn't even imagine how much of a spectacle she would have witnessed if she had been there decades ago.

What troubled Emperor Kangxi was a source of great amusement for her, an outsider.

"Continue, continue." Chen Guanxue casually poured Runxi a cup of milk tea, let her take a couple of sips, and then urged her to hurry up.

Runxi coughed and cleared her throat.

But the unfolded note in her hand surprised her, and she subconsciously looked up at Chen Guanxue.

"Read it." She'd seen too much gossip like this; today it seemed the Chen family's turn.

"Second-class Imperial Guard Chen Qifu secretly met with Wu Yachenghou, the steward of the Imperial Household Department, yesterday, March 15th. His words were frivolous and involved the Imperial Concubine."

It really is the Chen family; they didn't even dare to write it down on a slip of paper. It seems they've said something quite unpleasant.

Chen Guanxue didn't care and told Runxi to continue reciting the gossip.

That evening, Chen Guanxue put her arm around Kangxi's waist, secretly touched him, looked up at his helpless expression, and whispered, "Now that I have become Your Majesty's favorite concubine, Your Majesty must do me justice."

Kangxi saw through her thoughts. With each of her small movements, his expression became deep, and his gaze swept over her from head to toe, his burning eyes seeing right through her.

"Oh? Tell me in detail," Kangxi said slowly. "I will make the decision for you."

Chen Guanxue rubbed her head against his chest again, her hair brushing against his neck and chin, making his throat itch.

As he was becoming somewhat dazed, he heard her soft voice, "My family has mistreated me, and yesterday they even conspired with outsiders to slander me..."

Her voice was softer than ever before, carrying an indescribable meaning.

Kangxi felt a surge of anger.

The fire burned from the soles of my feet to the top of my head, not only scalding my skin but also making my blood boil.

She was different from usual, and she could touch his heartstrings more easily than usual.

Even her mere breathing exuded an aura that captivated him.

Kangxi, his brain throbbing with fever, pulled her into his arms, kissed the top of her head, and asked in a deep, husky, and extremely seductive voice, "What does my beloved concubine want me to do, and what will she give in exchange?"

Chen Guanxue still looked aggrieved, "Of course they should be punished."

She parted his clothes with her fingers and pressed them against his skin. "What does Your Majesty think would be a good alternative?"

There was a commotion inside the house. Runxi, who was on night watch, almost ran out of the house and stood with Liang Jiugong.

Liang Jiugong, with his sharp ears, pulled out a large wad of cotton from his sleeve and gave half of it to Runxi.

After stuffing the cotton into his ears, he said with a proud look, "I told you, you don't need to go in to keep watch tonight. Look at you, the noise you've made has startled the Imperial Concubine, what are we going to do?"

The blush on Runxi's face disappeared as the cold wind blew it away, and a silly smile returned to her face. "I didn't know, I'll listen to Eunuch Liang next time."

After saying that, he stuffed the cotton into his ear and then took out a handful of roasted pine nuts from his purse.

Liang Jiugong took the pine nuts she handed him; they were already peeled.

These are things that the palace maids on night watch would prepare in advance.

You can sleep while keeping watch, but you can't sleep soundly; you have to sleep in a half-awake state, which is very mentally taxing. You'll also get hungry in the middle of the night, so keep some filling nuts in your pocket and sneak a few bites when you're hungry.

The two of them stood outside the door, chewing on crunchy pine nuts, looking up at the moon in the sky.

It is said that the moon is fullest on the sixteenth day of the lunar month, and now is the perfect time to admire the moon.

There were no tall trees in the palace to block out the moon; the bright moonlight poured down like water, softly spreading across the ground. Occasionally, night sparrows chirped softly, and a gentle breeze rustled the flowers and leaves in the courtyard.

The night is both long and short.

Liang Jiugong estimated that it was about time, and since he hadn't heard Kangxi call for anyone, he continued to look up at the moon.

Runxi is just like him.

At that moment, she remembered a line of poetry she had learned to write: "I raise my head to gaze at the bright moon."

There is no "bowing down and thinking of her hometown" because her hometown no longer exists.

She used to be a rootless duckweed, but now her roots are Chen Guanxue.

The master who feeds and clothes her, and lets her live the life of a wealthy family.

"Where are you from?" Liang Jiugong asked suddenly as he removed the cotton from his ear.

Runxi also took out some cotton, "from Cui Town in Zhijiang."

"It's so far from here," Liang Jiugong sighed. "I'm also from Zhijiang. We drink from the same river, so we're family."

Liang Jiugong knew immediately that her family had suffered a disaster, so he didn't ask any further questions.

Before anyone inside could be greeted, Liang Jiugong said a few more words, "Since we're all family, I'll need Miss Runxi to take care of me from now on."

Runxi smiled; it wasn't her taking care of him.

"Eunuch Liang is joking."

“I’m not joking. I don’t have any brothers or sisters, but I do have a few adopted sons in the palace. If you don’t mind, just call me brother. After I leave the palace, I’ll give you all my personal savings and I’ll take care of you in your old age.”

Runxi has already established herself in the palace, but it's inconvenient for her to get things done.

Seeing Liang Jiugong's serious expression, she nodded, "Brother."

The two had just recognized each other as brother and sister when Emperor Kangxi called for someone in the room. Liang Jiugong pulled Runxi aside and asked her to call a eunuch to bring hot water, while he went into the room.

Inside the room, Kangxi had already dressed. Liang Jiugong lit incense to dispel the strong smell in the room, put everything away, and watched as the eunuch prepared the water before leaving.

[Author's Note]

Yay! My favorite ship is finally here! [eating emojis]