After the clouds dispersed and the rain stopped, Mingxiu lay limp in Kangxi's arms, her body so weak that only her mouth was open, allowing her to breathe.

Kangxi lay on his side, looking at Mingxiu's pathetic state, and chuckled deeply: "With your strength, you dare to provoke me."

Mingxiu rolled her eyes at him, but the blush on her face hadn't faded after the passion, and this eye roll was more like a seductive glance, which excited Kangxi.

He was in his prime, at the peak of his energy, and felt it wasn't enough. But looking at Mingxiu, he knew this was her limit, and it was getting late; he had to attend court the next day and couldn't push himself any further.

We have no choice but to let her go for now.

He gently covered her with the blanket and patted her back softly to soothe her to sleep.

Mingxiu didn't want to talk to him; she was too tired. She snuggled into his arms and was soothed by him until she fell asleep.

Mingxiu was wearing only a bellyband and was pressed tightly against Kangxi, their breathing so close that Kangxi couldn't tell whose breath or heartbeat it was for a moment.

The next day, Mingxiu sat on a stool and carefully made clothes with needle and thread. Her skills were really too poor. She couldn't do embroidery, so she could only find some fabrics with too many patterns and then make up for her shortcomings with novel designs.

Yu Lan, standing nearby, watched her mistress with her brows furrowed as she held the needle and thread, fearing that if she couldn't see Mingxiu for a moment, she might prick herself.

Mingxiu struggled with the clothes for a while, but couldn't take it anymore, so she put the clothes aside and said, "I'm done, I'm done. That's enough for today. Yuqing, go prepare some food for your mistress. She only wants a cup of milk tea, so make sure it has extra sugar."

After saying that, he took a book from under the cushion and walked outside.

Yu Qing and Yu Lan exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness in each other's eyes. They hadn't even been working for a quarter of an hour, so why were they already tired?

There was nothing I could do; if I didn't pamper my own empress, who would? So I had no choice but to go and cook delicious food for her.

Mingxiu lay comfortably on the chair outside, leisurely looking at her sketchbook. After her sketchbooks were collected last time, Mingxiu had someone secretly buy some more.

To prevent the Emperor from finding out that Mingxiu had Xiaoxizi ask someone to buy the item, and then had someone else buy it for her, she hid it away immediately after it was bought, and dared not take it out to look at it when the Emperor was around.

Now that the Emperor is finally away, she needs to read a book today.

Mingxiu was tired of the same old tropes. This new picture book from the capital was quite interesting. It told the story of a boy who lost both his parents at a young age and lived under the roof of others. His relatives seized his family property and tormented him to no end. Just when he was about to be tortured to death, a passing martial arts master saw him and discovered that he had great potential for training. So the master took him in as his disciple. After hearing about the boy's plight, the master felt very sorry for him and was also moved by the fact that the boy was now his disciple.

So he stepped in to teach his relatives a lesson and got all their property back. After that, he followed his master back to the sect to study kung fu diligently.

Then came a love triangle: you love me, I love him, but Tai loves her. She loves him, he loves him, but she loves him.

It was incredibly melodramatic, but Mingxiu was completely engrossed in it. She skipped lunch, only having some snacks and milk tea, and her eyes never left the drawing book. She also ate a few bites of dinner before continuing to concentrate on the book.

It was already past midnight when they started looking. Green Bamboo raised the candle higher and lit another one, placing it next to Mingxiu's table. She said with a hint of helplessness, "Your Majesty, it's already very late. Be careful not to strain your eyes. You should go to sleep early and watch it again tomorrow."

Mingxiu nodded haphazardly at her: "Don't worry, don't worry, it won't be bad. I know what I'm doing. Besides, I'll finish this book in a little while, it won't make a difference. I'll go to sleep after I finish reading it."

Green Bamboo had no choice but to shake her head and watch the candlelight for her mistress, trying to keep it as bright as possible so that her mistress's eyes wouldn't suffer.

When Mingxiu finished reading, she was finally satisfied. She lay in bed and slept soundly until dawn. She woke up in the morning because she was hungry. If she hadn't been so hungry, Mingxiu felt she could have slept some more.

I got up to eat, and ate a basket of meat buns, a bowl of porridge, and an egg. But it still wasn't enough, so I ate a large portion of fruit before I felt satisfied.

Touching her round belly, ignoring the surprised look from the green bamboo beside her, she prepared to get up and walk around, and then continue her struggle with her clothes.

Moreover, Yinreng's birthday is coming up soon, so preparations need to be made in advance.

Mingxiu felt a headache coming on when she thought about it. She really didn't know what to give as a gift. Luckily, she was of a higher rank, so there weren't many people for whom she needed to carefully choose a gift. If she were of a lower rank, she would be notified of everyone's birthday, and she would be worried sick.

Moreover, her wallet couldn't afford it. Thank goodness, Mingxiu patted her chest with lingering fear.

Yu Lan ignored them; they were already used to their mistress's tendency to suddenly drift off into other things while she was doing something.

I wonder what my lady has come up with this time.

Kang Xin went to Chengqian Palace tonight. He's been going to Yonghe Palace too much lately, which is really not a good thing. Too much favor is not a good thing.

Consort Tong looked at Emperor Kangxi with great surprise. She was Emperor Kangxi's cousin and they had a childhood bond.

"Your Majesty, this is tea sent by my father. I found it quite delicious. Please try it." Consort Tong, dressed in a plain white palace satin printed dress, sat beside Emperor Kangxi, her eyes filled with tenderness.

Emperor Kangxi nodded and sat on the stool watching Consort Tong wash and pour tea. Her movements were so smooth and graceful that it was a pleasure to watch.

"Not bad, refreshing but not irritating, it's good tea," Kangxi commented after taking a sip.

Consort Tong was very happy, and her smile became even more gentle. She glanced at Emperor Kangxi and said with a hint of resentment, "As long as Your Majesty likes it, that's good. As long as Your Majesty can remember this tea, then this tea is worth it. I only hope that Your Majesty can come to Chengqian Palace more often in the future, and don't forget your concubine."

Emperor Kangxi smiled and nodded: "What, cousin, are you so insecure? How could I forget such good tea here?"

Consort Tong nodded happily, but a hint of disappointment lingered in her heart. She couldn't help but think darkly, 'You only come because I have good tea. If I didn't, would you even come? Yonghe Palace doesn't have these good things, yet the Emperor still visits most often.'

After finishing their tea, the two rested. Kangxi didn't know why, but he used to feel very comfortable chatting with his cousin about poetry and songs. But now he didn't know what was missing, and he wasn't as comfortable anymore.