After the Empress Dowager left, Kangxi's straight back collapsed.

Leaning back on the dragon throne, I suddenly felt how lonely he was.

At this moment, he longed for Harigana, so much.

Power is dazzling.

He knew from a young age that power is blinding, so he has been constantly urging himself not to become a tyrant who would stop at nothing to gain power.

But being in a high position, he seemed to gradually lose his way.

If he hadn't met Harigana, perhaps he would have truly been blinded by power and, following the advice of the Empress Dowager, become a puppet emperor.

Now that the right person has appeared, he realizes that it wasn't power that blinded him, nor that royalty has always been heartless; it was simply that he hadn't met the right person yet.

The Emperor truly loved Hailanzhu to the extreme, so not long after she left, the Emperor also passed away.

Moreover, when Hailanzhu was alive, the Emperor also gave her the greatest honor and favor he could.

Later, when it came to the Emperor's generation, perhaps it was because the love wasn't as deep, or perhaps the Empress Dowager's control over the Emperor was really strict, or perhaps the court struggles were really serious.

In short, Dong Eshi did not receive the same level of favor as Hailanzhu, and her father did not use all his power to contend with her grandmother, so she remained only an Imperial Noble Consort until her death.

Now, under Aisin-Gioro Xuanye, the previous dynasty's court was stable, and the Qing Dynasty had achieved great victories on its borders.

It can be said that he had complete control over both the imperial court and the harem.

So why can't he dote on Jiaojiao exclusively? Why can't he stay with Harigana for life?

After what happened with Yinreng, he suddenly realized that having too many children wasn't necessarily a good thing.

The royal family values ​​offspring, so any child born to a woman is acceptable, as long as they carry the blood of the Aisin Gioro clan. Regardless of the mother's family background or whether the children can get along harmoniously, as long as there are many offspring.

But they conveniently forget that children who are not born of the same mother will have significant differences in their views and perspectives.

Coupled with the encouragement of their birth mother and the instigation of their maternal relatives, they could not achieve true brotherly affection and respect. No matter how well they got along on the surface, they would always be wary of each other in private.

He stood up and walked to the window, looking at the scenery outside with a determined look in his eyes.

"Grandmother, choices should be made in two directions, not through obstruction and oppression!"

After standing there for a while, Kangxi sighed, turned around and went back to continue reviewing the memorials.

Seeing that it was almost time, Kangxi composed himself, glanced at the back door, and then went directly to the Empress Dowager's residence through the back door.

The two of them are playing with the child right now.

"My little darlings, your Emperor is so stingy!"

As soon as Kangxi reached the door, he heard the Empress Dowager saying that he was stingy. He didn't know whether to go in or pretend he didn't know, so he turned around and left.

“Baby, your Emperor Father has a bad temper too. He always has a sour face and yells.”

Harigana's voice also came over, and Kangxi's veins throbbed. So this is how they slandered him when he was not around?

Li Dequan looked at the emperor, who was clenching his fists, and chuckled to himself: Yes, yes, yes, Your Highness the Imperial Noble Consort is right. She's already starting to put on a sour face.

Kangxi reached out, about to push open the half-closed door, when he heard the cries of two children inside: Waaaaah!

Then came the cry: "Mother, hurry, hurry, hurry!"

Kangxi thought something had happened, and disregarding his anger towards the two men, he pushed open the door and went inside.

The two adults who had made the child cry were comforting him and didn't even notice that Kangxi had pushed the door open and entered.

"Babies, Beibei, Grandma was just teasing you. Your father is a very good person, tall and majestic, with a dignified appearance, and loves his people like his own children."

The Empress Dowager showered him with compliments, causing the already angry Kangxi to blush. He didn't know if it was from the praise or from hearing them talking about him behind his back, but he stood there awkwardly, too embarrassed to move.

"Mother! You've really stopped crying!"

As Harigana listened to the gradually subsiding crying, he looked at the Empress Dowager with surprise. When he turned his head, he saw Emperor Kangxi standing behind him.

"Xuan Ye, when did you arrive?"

The Empress Dowager stiffened, slowly turned around, and met Kangxi's gaze.

She quickly turned her head away, pretending to coax a child, and ignored the two of them.

In my heart, I was already saying: May the Eternal Heaven protect us!

"Come here, I have something funny to tell you!"

Kangxi didn't know how to answer Harigana's question, so he said he had arrived a long time ago and then eavesdropped for a while.

Or did you just arrive and not hear anything?

Just as he was wondering how to answer, Harigana came over, took his hand, and led him back to the two cradles: "Xuan Ye, those two can't stand hearing anyone say bad things about you. They cry as soon as someone says something bad about you, but they won't cry as long as you're praised!"

Kangxi was startled. So they were just teasing the child, not really saying that he was him?

"Xuan Ye, this is the child I risked my life to give birth to, and yet he doesn't side with me."

Harigana suggested trying to say something bad about her to see if there would be any reaction. The two brats listened for almost a quarter of an hour, until the Empress Dowager's lips were dry from talking, but there was no reaction at all.

Sure enough, after saying just a few words to Kangxi, Beibei started whimpering, and then the two of them started crying together.

"Jiaojiao, they don't love you, but I do!"

Kangxi couldn't suppress the urge to smile, and then bent down and whispered something in Harigana's ear, which, by sheer coincidence, was overheard by the Empress Dowager.

Taking a deep breath, she suddenly realized she should take better care of her health. With her father and mother like this, she didn't know how much suffering her two children would have to endure in the future.

"Shut up!"

Harigana glared fiercely at Kangxi, his voice equally soft and lacking any intimidation. Hearing this, the Empress Dowager became even more certain that she should live well, take care of her health, and be a support for her two children in the future.

Kangxi chuckled lightly, in a very good mood, a far cry from the sour face he had just worn at the door with clenched fists.

He reached out and pinched her cheek, deciding that he would take Harigana with him wherever he went from now on.

Wherever she is, he will never be sad or upset, no matter what huge problems he encounters.

"Your Majesty, you've worked hard taking care of the children today!"

These were very official words, but they made the Empress Dowager's eyelids twitch, as if something bad was about to happen.

This feeling is just like that sudden feeling I had when I returned from outside the palace that day—a feeling of panic.