"You are the second person to dare refuse my reward!" The faint smile on Kangxi's face was gone.

The Fourth Prince's heart clenched. Lanqin, upon hearing this, was at a loss for words. She could only brace herself and say, "It is not that I want to refuse Your Majesty's reward, but I feel that as the Fourth Prince's daughter, serving Your Majesty as a cushion is merely a small expression of filial piety. I am truly unworthy of Your Majesty's reward. I only pray that Your Majesty enjoys good health and abundant blessings!"

These words were so reasonable and persuasive that a faint smile appeared on Kangxi's face. He said softly, "Girl, come here~"

Lanqin, unsure of Kangxi's meaning, stepped forward anxiously and stood beside Liang Jiugong. She then curtsied and said, "This concubine is here!"

"I think I just heard you say the words 'old man'?" Kangxi leaned forward and stared at Lanqin. The Fourth Prince, who hadn't yet relaxed, was jolted awake by this question. Even the Fourteenth Prince stood nervously below, fearing that Lanqin might do something wrong and anger Kangxi!

The frail, elderly man in his fifties standing before you is none other than the renowned Emperor Kangxi, Lin Mengyao. You have studied countless classic texts and written about a man who is now right before you. What are you afraid of?!

Lanqin silently recited to herself, finally daring to raise her head and look directly into those wise eyes, saying, "Your Majesty, when I say 'old man,' I don't mean old in age, but rather 'old' in status. Your Majesty is that, and we are that, so naturally I will respectfully address you as 'old man.'"

Kangxi gazed into Lanqin's eyes, then at the gestures she made, and finally smiled, saying, "It seems I'll always be an 'old man' in your presence. Liang Jiugong, prepare a seat for Consort Niu, and let her dine beside me. Set the table."

With a command from Emperor Kangxi, Liang Jiugong led the eunuchs to the kitchen to order the meal, and Lanqin had already taken her seat beside Emperor Kangxi, while the others all sat in their respective places.

"I've heard Consort Hui mention you. She said you get along very well. Go see her after you finish your meal," Kangxi said gently.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I met Consort Hui at the Shuntian Prefecture Palace and we chatted for a long time. We felt very compatible. I wonder if I may visit Consort Hui more often in the future?" Lanqin said.

The Fourth Master sat at the lower end of the table and couldn't help but glance at Lanqin's profile. A bead of sweat slid down his forehead.

Little thing, when did you get so close to the Emperor's concubines? You didn't even tell me!

As the imperial dishes were served one by one, Lanqin's eyes lit up, and her mouth was practically watering. Just by looking at the exquisite dishes, she knew they were made under the rudimentary conditions outside. If they were served in the palace, who knows how elaborate they would be.

Lanqin intended to pick up the chopsticks and try them one by one, but when she saw the emperor sitting next to her, she dared not touch them.

The eunuch serving the meal used silver chopsticks to pick up a piece of food and placed it in Kangxi's bowl. After Kangxi tasted it, the eunuch nodded to him, meaning: I have tried it, there is nothing wrong with it, you can start eating now!

Kangxi picked up his chopsticks and began to eat the dishes the eunuchs had placed on his plate. Then came the second dish, the third dish, and so on. Lanqin watched, her anger flaring. After going around the table, almost none of them had touched their chopsticks.

"Girl, why are you just staring at me? Why don't you start eating too?" Kangxi finally noticed Lanqin's unusually "greedy" gaze and said with a forced smile.

"Yes, then I will obey!" Lan Qin thought to herself: This is exactly what I've been waiting for.

Fourth Master was sitting at the lower end of the table, holding up a piece of eggplant. Upon hearing Lanqin's words, he inexplicably dropped the chopsticks and eggplant onto the table.

Our Comrade Lanqin, of course, did not see the Fourth Prince's embarrassment. At this moment, she picked up her chopsticks and began to eat at Kangxi's table without any restraint.

Kangxi watched as Lanqin kept picking up food from her plate, her little mouth seemingly bottomless; even if she stuffed all these dishes into it, it would probably still be full. The eunuch serving the meal standing to the side was so engrossed in watching that he almost forgot to serve Kangxi some food, but fortunately, Kangxi was also focused on Lanqin and didn't scold the eunuch.

The princes and ministers seated on either side below were stunned as they watched Lanqin devour her meal before Emperor Kangxi with such gusto.

"Girl, your belly looks small, how can it hold so much?" Kangxi said with a smile. How long had it been since he had seen anyone dare to eat so "unrestrainedly" in front of him? It seemed like he hadn't seen anyone since Duanhui left.

"I'm small but have a big appetite, and the food here at Your Majesty's is just so delicious, I simply can't stop eating!" Lanqin replied, managing to swallow a piece of meat from her mouth.

"Looking at you, my appetite seems to have improved a bit." After saying that, Kangxi picked up his chopsticks and started picking up food himself, leaving the serving eunuch at a loss. Since the emperor didn't want him to pick up any more food, he could only stand there anxiously like a wooden stake.

This was the most delicious meal Kangxi had had in a while. When the eunuchs cleared away the dishes, Kangxi stood up and said to Lanqin, "Girl, come with me for a walk to digest your food!"

Upon hearing this, everyone below was stunned once again.

Kangxi glanced at the Fourth Prince and added, "Fourth Prince, I'd like to have your princess accompany me for a walk. You shouldn't have any objections, right?"

Lanqin hadn't even reacted yet. She had thought that the meal was finally over and she could leave, but then the old man Kangxi brought this up again. After hearing what he had just said, Lanqin almost jumped out: her father-in-law wanted his daughter-in-law to accompany him for a walk, and he said it in such a domineering and forceful way! Sigh, this feudal society is just too outrageous, isn't it?!

The Fourth Prince immediately replied, "It is her blessing to be able to accompany Father Emperor on a walk."

Lanqin stole a glance at Fourth Master, wishing she could collapse to the ground immediately.

The next moment, Lanqin accompanied Kangxi, leaving behind a "house" of people, out of the imperial tent and into this temporary "imperial garden" in the wilderness, to help Kangxi digest his food.

"Girl, did I forget to tell them to kneel and pay their respects?" Kangxi suddenly said.

"Oh my god!" Lanqin's lips twitched slightly, but she immediately said cautiously, "It's not too late to send a servant to deliver the message now!"

Kangxi nodded and immediately turned to Liang Jiugong, who was following him, and said, "Go and tell them to kneel and pay their respects. Tell them that I will send someone to escort Princess Niu back!"