Unfold the scroll, and you'll find a portrait painted by Harigana himself.

She had seen the Empress Dowager riding a horse at the Mulan Hunting Grounds before, looking dashing and heroic in the sunset.

A few days ago, she suddenly wanted to draw it and send it to the Empress Dowager. She drew several drafts that were rejected, and finally finished and framed it yesterday.

"Harigana is so beautiful!"

Although the Empress Dowager could paint, she could paint anyone, but she always felt that something was missing when painting herself.

Wearing a sky-blue Mongolian robe, riding a brown horse, facing the afterglow of the setting sun, with forests behind him, the blue sky and green grass blending into one.

It's fair to say that she practically replicated the scene from that day exactly.

“Mother, it took you a long time to draw this. You only finished it yesterday.”

She stretched out her hand and placed it in front of her. The Empress Dowager patted it lightly, but not forcefully.

"I'll have someone send it to you when we get back, but if Xuan Ye takes it, don't come back to me for it."

Harigana nodded repeatedly: "Don't worry, Mother, I'll eat it secretly."

The Empress Dowager ignored the people around her, carefully put the scroll away, and prepared to hang it in the inner palace when she returned.

Wei Qi was already a very experienced bodyguard. When he heard Harigana and the Empress Dowager talking about food, he acted as if he hadn't heard at all and didn't write it down in his notebook.

In fact, some time ago, Kangxi had told Harigana about Wei Qi's records and said that he would withdraw them. However, Harigana said that Wei Qi was a good person.

I also told him to keep the little notebook safe so that he can look back on it when he's old, and it will be a wonderful memory.

Kangxi thought Harigana would be angry and was prepared to be scolded, but her reaction was somewhat unexpected, leaving him stunned for a while before he came to his senses.

"You, all you know is eating."

Did you understand what Consort Rong said? Be more careful in the future, understand?

The Empress Dowager carefully put away the scroll, pinched her cheek, and spoke with a tone full of helplessness.

"Huh? What did she say? She just talked about the child, didn't she?"

Don't worry, Mother, I won't be jealous.

They're all Xuan Ye's children. As for Consort Rong, just ignore her; Xuan Ye won't go looking for her anyway.

The Empress Dowager choked.

"You've been protected by Xuan Ye so much that you haven't developed any brains."

"Forget it, I'll talk to Xuan Ye when I have time. Stop guessing and just be a good empress."

Harigana felt somewhat guilty.

The Empress Dowager was really good to her, but no matter how good she was, she couldn't expose herself, so she could only try to make up for it in other ways.

Even the Empress Dowager, Seingia, and Baoliri had no idea she was so cunning and scheming.

You have to maintain a persona no matter who you're in front of.

As they say, nothing stays hidden forever; she still needs to be careful.

Perhaps, the only person who truly understands Harigana is Dulan.

"Oh! You're calling me stupid again."

She said something with a wronged expression and didn't ask any further questions.

The Empress Dowager shook her head, feeling that she still had some self-awareness.

Fortunately, she's not stupid, not foolish, otherwise she really would have wanted to hit someone.

When Kangxi returned, seeing Harigana's unhappy face, he thought that the Empress Dowager had said something during the greeting, and his heart skipped a beat.

"Jiaojiao, what's wrong?"

He picked her up and placed her on his lap: "Who bullied you?"

Heharigana nodded: "Xuan Ye, Mother said I'm stupid."

Emperor Kangxi was relieved, as long as it wasn't the Empress Dowager.

However, something must have happened. She hadn't thought of the point, and the Empress Dowager reminded her, but she didn't react in time, which is why she was called stupid.

“Jiaojiao is not stupid. She doesn’t listen to the Empress Dowager. My Jiaojiao is very clever.”

As if coaxing a child, Harigana's lips almost twitched uncontrollably.

She looked at him with even more aggrieved eyes: "Xuan Ye, you might as well not have said that."

Kangxi couldn't help but chuckle and pinched her cheek: "My clever beauty, tell me why the Empress Dowager said you were stupid."

She slapped his hand away, then briefly explained the matter of paying respects, and then looked at Kangxi and said, "I didn't hear anything wrong. Mother said I'm stupid."

Emperor Kangxi narrowed his eyes slightly. He hadn't expected that Consort Rong's thoughts were not so simple at all. She had been so honest all these years, and he hadn't seen through her at all.

"Jiaojiao, Consort Rong is showing off her son, trying to say that Yinzhi is very smart."

It's alright if you can't tell; with the Empress Dowager around, she'll handle these things.

Besides, you still have me, so don't worry about those things.

The Empress Dowager is wrong. My Jiaojiao is just kind and doesn't like to assume malicious things about others.

You're great, don't be angry anymore, sweetie!

Harigana stared at Kangxi with his mouth agape in shock: "Xuan Ye, you weren't there, but you understood as soon as I said it?"

Consort Rong looks very good, and besides, Yin Zhi does seem very intelligent. What's wrong with praising him?

Kangxi didn't want to explain too much to her, not because he was lazy, but because he didn't want to taint her innocent mind.

"Jiaojiao, don't think about it," she said, but before she could finish, she heard Li Dequan call out "Your Majesty."

"Come in!"

Not knowing how to appease him, he quickly called Li Dequan in.

He was used to seeing the Emperor embracing the Empress; he would be afraid if the two of them sat far apart one day.

"Your Majesty, the Third Prince has fainted."

Kangxi's face was grim. Although he didn't know the reason yet, everyone in the harem knew the same things, and it was obvious to anyone with a brain.

"Has the imperial physician gone? Go and fetch him quickly. Xuan Ye, you should go and take a look too."

Harigana stood up, then took Kangxi's hand and tried to push him over: "Go quickly, Yinzhi is only a few years old, you must let the imperial physician take a good look at him, we can't let him have any hidden illness."

Li Dequan sighed inwardly, thinking that this man was truly a living ancestor; his compassionate heart alone was enough for the emperor to protect him with his life.

If it were anyone else, upon hearing that the prince was in trouble, they would wish to die immediately, so as to eliminate a competitor.

But this lady looked genuinely anxious, without a trace of any other ulterior motives.

"Jiaojiao, let's go together."

Kangxi put his arm around Harigana's shoulder, giving her no chance to refuse, and led his men out.

The incident involving Lady Uya had cast a long shadow over Emperor Kangxi, and he dared not have any further contact with his concubines.

Taking care of the child cannot be delayed, but it doesn't mean that you have to have one-on-one contact with the child's mother.

Harigana didn't refuse; after all, she was the empress.

If Kangxi hadn't said anything, she wouldn't have gone, but now that he's said to go together, she has to go with him.

"Xuan Ye, don't worry, nothing serious will happen. He was perfectly fine at the palace banquet yesterday."

Harigana whispered words of comfort to him, but her own face was full of worry.

"Hmm! We'll find out when we go take a look."

Just as he reached the palace gate, he heard, "Yinzhi, don't frighten your mother, Yinzhi!"