"This servant greets Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, Her Majesty the Imperial Noble Consort, and all the other ladies."

When Su Ma La Gu came out and saw the two people standing together chatting intimately, she was stunned for a moment and didn't react.

"Yes! Get up, Su Ma, has the Empress Dowager woken up?"

The Empress Dowager stood up and instantly became extremely dignified.

Harigana also suppressed his smile and stood quietly beside the Empress Dowager.

"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, the Grand Empress Dowager has risen and instructed this servant to invite the masters inside."

In the front hall of Cining Palace, Bumbutai was not as amiable as usual, sitting upright and waiting for the people outside to come in.

When Harigana entered, he saw her appearance and his first thought was: This old woman looks like a rooster about to fight; if she had a comb, it would definitely stand up.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to the Empress Dowager. Your humble servant pays her respects to the Empress Dowager."

When Bumbutai heard the Empress Dowager refer to herself as "I," she became increasingly dissatisfied.

However, her self-reference was indeed correct; she had previously referred to herself as "臣妾" (chenqie) to avoid using the term "太皇太后" (taihuang taihouhou).

Now, saying that I am respecting the late emperor is indeed quite tragic, and there's absolutely no problem with that.

"Get up, all of you!"

The Empress Dowager stood up and sat in her seat, while Harigana sat in the front seat.

"Your Majesty, your complexion has been getting better and better lately."

She was dressed as a noblewoman, but Harigana didn't recognize her. He looked away and started playing with his nails.

The Empress Dowager nodded in satisfaction, pointed at the noblewoman, and smiled broadly: "You always know how to say things that make me happy. Su Ma, quickly, give her the agate stone that the Emperor sent a few days ago."

The nobleman immediately knelt down to express his gratitude, his eyes filled with pride.

I glanced at Harigana, but they didn't seem to care at all.

With a quick glance, she said, "Empress Dowager, you're mistaken. I'm telling the truth. Your complexion is indeed getting better and better."

"Your Highness, what do you say?"

idiot!

Harigana cursed under his breath.

I turned around and took a serious look at Bumbutai. She did seem to be much better than before.

I don't know if the toxins in the Coptis chinensis were cleared out, or if the Coptis chinensis itself had an effect.

Bumbutai was furious. What kind of look was that? He was looking at her as if she were a piece of merchandise, without any attempt to hide it.

"The Empress Dowager's complexion is indeed quite good. If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have dared to look at the old ancestor's radiant appearance like this. I am only doing this because of you."

Dulan, enjoy!

Harigana spoke earnestly, his tone full of respect when he spoke of the Empress Dowager, and he even turned to Dulan with great seriousness to instruct her on what to give to that noble person.

"The Imperial Noble Consort has quite the airs, bestowing rewards in front of me."

Harigana looked at the Empress Dowager with a puzzled expression, as if to say: Can't you give it to me?

The concubines below had pale, bluish-purple faces and were clearly suffering from suffocation.

The Empress Dowager didn't know if she really didn't know, but that look in her eyes was so innocent that she would never have the heart to scold her.

"Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I was unaware that there were such rules in the palace. It was my fault. Please punish me, Your Majesty."

He walked to the center of the hall and knelt down on the ground.

She preferred kneeling to a half-squatting bow.

If you don't get up after a half-squatting bow, it's very uncomfortable; you feel unsteady and sway like a sickly person.

Kneeling may not look good, but it's a good way to slack off. If she doesn't tell you to get up, you can quietly sit on your calves to rest for a bit.

Bumbutai's face darkened uncontrollably; her actions were exactly like those of that vile Consort Chen.

Taking a deep breath, she knew that Kangxi would definitely come, so she suppressed her displeasure and quickly asked Su Ma La Gu to help the person up.

In any case, today's greetings must not go wrong.

She had her own plans. Getting rid of this vile woman wasn't important; what mattered was that she first needed to re-establish her relationship with the emperor.

"Su Ma, quick, go help her up." The Empress Dowager's tone was anxious, as if she really felt sorry for her: "Look at you, I didn't say anything and you were in a hurry to confess. No wonder the Emperor likes you, you are such a sensible person."

Harigana rolled his eyes inwardly, but something was definitely amiss; she must have ill intentions.

As for why, it's obvious to anyone with a brain: she must have been trying to win Kangxi's affection by being kind to him.

It sounds nice, but we still have to see if she's willing.

"Your Majesty, you are so kind. It was I who overstepped my bounds."

Following Su Ma La Gu's hand, he stood up, returned to his seat, and lowered his head again, remaining silent.

The hall fell silent again.

"Your Highness, Imperial Noble Consort!"

Consort Yi couldn't swallow her anger. She knew that the Empress Dowager disliked Harigana, and as long as she wasn't directly insulted, the Empress Dowager would definitely resolve the matter by downplaying it.

Covering her mouth, she looked at Harigana with hopeful eyes: "You just mentioned the recipes for the Empress Dowager's meals. I wonder if I could also have a copy?"

The Empress Dowager's face instantly turned ugly. She had already given a warning, but she didn't expect that Consort Yi would bring up this matter in Cining Palace.

"What kind of dietary recipe?"

The Empress Dowager's tone was full of curiosity. When did Qiqige and Harigana become so close that they could send each other prescriptions?

“Grand Empress Dowager, this is for young people to regulate their bodies.” Harigana finished speaking and, ignoring the Grand Empress Dowager’s expression, turned to Consort Yi: “Consort Yi, why don’t you go and ask the Emperor? This prescription seems to be a secret recipe that cannot be passed on to outsiders. I cannot make the decision.”

Consort Yi was shocked. She hadn't said that when she gave it to the Empress Dowager; she had been very generous. How could it be a secret recipe now?

"It was my rudeness."

Harigana remained silent, but Dulan, who had received an imperial decree from Emperor Kangxi, was displeased.

“Your Highness, the palace rules state that when a lower-ranking concubine speaks to a higher-ranking concubine, she must bow and obtain permission before she can stand up.”

Dulan squatted down behind Harigana, speaking respectfully and with impeccable manners; no one could find fault with him.

Even if the Empress Dowager wanted to plead for her, she couldn't say anything.

"Your Highness, it was my fault. I was just being too anxious. Please forgive me."

Consort Yi's face was already unpleasant; in front of so many people, a mere palace maid had managed to embarrass her.

Upon catching a glimpse of the bright yellow hem of a dress by the door, she immediately knelt down with a thud, her words filled with pitifulness, her body swaying precariously, a truly pitiful sight.

Harigana was startled; his heart pounded and his face turned pale.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, are you alright?"