"No, Xuan Ye, did you really issue such an imperial edict?"

Harigana looked at Kangxi, wondering if he had suffered some kind of shock.

Kangxi pressed her head down and gently kissed the corner of her lips: "Jiaojiao, those things may not be very valuable, but even if the national treasury has a lot of silver, it can't withstand them wasting it like this!"

Let it go this time, and replace them with new ones. But if they don't have the money to buy them themselves next time, I will have the Imperial Household Department replace them all with copper ones.

They love to smash things, don't they? Copper isn't a problem, smash it as hard as you want! If it gets deformed, send it back to the Imperial Household Department, they'll repair it and then smash it again!

Harigana burst out laughing when he heard this. It was hard to imagine that if it were made of copper, not to mention falling on the ground, you would have to be careful when using it, otherwise who could stand the clanging sound!

Emperor Kangxi didn't actually want things to turn out this way, but if he hadn't glanced at the national treasury's accounts because of the dowry issue with Harigana, he really wouldn't have noticed anything wrong!

If this continues unchecked, the national treasury will surely be empty one day, and he doesn't even dare to think about what will happen if war breaks out then.

Moreover, those who fall the hardest are the high-ranking concubines; those who can enter the palace as high-ranking concubines are definitely not from humble families.

That's why Kangxi wouldn't cater to their whims. It wasn't him who brought them into the palace; their families had already recommended them. So, giving them some money for expenses each year should be normal, right?

Besides, it's not like he didn't give them a monthly allowance, which is enough if they don't live extravagantly!

Therefore, the one who should bear all this burden is not the emperor, nor the Qing Dynasty's treasury, but the officials and noble families who trained their concubines in proper conduct from childhood.

"Jiaojiao, stop laughing, or your stomach will hurt!"

Harigana really wanted to stop, but the thought of the bronze object made her unable to hold back.

"Xuan Ye, you're amazing!"

Kangxi was helpless. He could tell she was teasing him, but he was the one who had chosen her and spoiled her. So he could only secretly vow that he would teach her a lesson once she had a child!

Harigana laughed for a while but then dared not laugh anymore. Her stomach was a little sore, but she dared not tell Kangxi, otherwise he would have to call that Imperial Physician Zhao over to take her pulse again!

"Xuan Ye, this is actually a good thing!"

Hearing Harigana praising him so earnestly, Kangxi was curious, wondering what she was thinking.

"Xuan Ye, I may be wrong, but these are my honest thoughts. Please don't be angry!"

Harigana leaned against Kangxi, wanting to rub his belly, but all he felt was a small bulge, so he simply left it there!

"Jiaojiao, when have I ever been angry with you?"

Upon hearing Kangxi's words, Harigana Teng sat up abruptly, startling Kangxi so much that he reached out to protect her, fearing she might fall.

"What do you mean there isn't? You're still denying it!"

She became somewhat agitated at this point, pushing away Kangxi's protective hand. She then put on her shoes, stepped down, and pointed at Kangxi from her elevated position: "Harigana, have I been too lenient with you? Don't forget, you are merely my concubine, nothing more!"

Harigana said the last two words, "that's all," through gritted teeth, making Kangxi feel like he wanted to kill him.

Thinking about what he had said earlier, I felt a little guilty.

"Jiaojiao, shouldn't we stop dwelling on the past? I know I was wrong!"

When Harigana heard Kangxi admit his mistake, she immediately deflated. The situation at the time was indeed very unpleasant, but she couldn't really bring up the past and drive him away now, could she?

She rolled her eyes at him, then took off her shoes, got into bed, found a spot in his lap again, and prepared to continue their previous conversation.

But then she suddenly remembered someone and blurted out, "How's Batu doing? I don't think I've seen him since!"

Kangxi was initially captivated by Harigana's adorable appearance, but his feelings were quickly dampened.

"What is it? Does Consort Kang have something she wishes to discuss with that Mongolian man?"

Kangxi's voice was sarcastic, as if she and Batu had actually had something going on.

"Xuan Ye, are you sure you want to talk about this? How about we discuss how many people are in the harem?"

Harigana has been teetering on the edge of Kangxi's limits every day lately. Compared to her previous subtle probing, she is now genuinely trying to provoke Kangxi, and each time she succeeds.

Just like this time, as soon as she finished speaking, Kangxi immediately changed the subject: "Jiaojiao, what were you trying to say to me just now?"

Kangxi wasn't stupid. He had no advantage whatsoever in this matter, so what was the point of talking? Besides, he knew that Harigana had never taken a liking to him and had long since sent him to serve as a soldier in a faraway place!

But he would never tell Jiaojiao any of these things!

"Oh! I say your decision is absolutely right! I don't know about other things, but just look at those porcelain pieces. Anything that can be sent to the palace must be of the highest quality. Not only can you not buy them outside, but if they were actually sold, I wonder how much silver they would fetch!"

My mother has a bracelet, which I think was a gift from my mother, Qige Emuge. I asked her why she didn't wear it, and she said it was too precious, and if she lost it, she'd never find it again!

Kangxi instantly understood Harigana's thoughts, and the two of them remained silent for a moment.

The people in the harem were dumbfounded!

"Su Ma! Look at the emperor, what is he trying to do?"

The Empress Dowager herself came to speak with the Grand Empress Dowager, and seeing the Grand Empress Dowager's indifferent expression, the Grand Empress Dowager didn't want to say anything more to her. She thought to herself, after all, Xuan Ye wasn't her biological son, so it wasn't wrong for her to disregard his reputation!

If the Empress Dowager knew that the Grand Empress Dowager thought this way, she would be very sad!

Did she not want her own child? If it weren't for the Empress Dowager's letter, how could she have spent her life in this deep palace in a daze!

Although Su Ma La Gu did not understand why the emperor would do this, the imperial edict had already been issued, and they could only accept it. Did they have to rebel?