The moment Kangxi received the medicine, he swallowed it.

It was quiet when I went out in the morning, for fear that Harigana would regret it after waking up.

I was relieved only after taking the medicine.

"Go, go, go, go guard the gate."

With a wave of his hand, Emperor Kangxi, in a good mood, was no longer so disgusted with Li Dequan.

"Yes! Your servant obeys!"

Looking at his expression, Li Dequan really wanted to pout, but he didn't dare.

"return!"

Sitting on the dragon throne, thinking of the Empress Dowager, he called the person back.

Li Dequan had just turned around when he heard Kangxi calling for someone. He turned around too quickly, tripped over his own feet, and fell to his knees with a thud.

"emperor!"

My face turned bright red; I never expected to be so embarrassed.

Kangxi glared at Li Dequan. If he hadn't found him easy to use, he would have given him ten lashes.

"Send someone to Cining Palace and tell them that I will be there in an hour."

After saying that, Li Dequan waved his hand and quickly withdrew.

"Yes! This servant takes his leave!"

At Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager was somewhat puzzled when she heard that Emperor Kangxi was coming.

The emperor wouldn't send someone to inform her without a reason; something must have happened.

But since returning to the palace, she has been staying in Cining Palace and hasn't even been to the Imperial Garden, so it can't be a problem on her end.

Could it be that Harigana is pregnant?

Overjoyed, he immediately instructed Su Ma La Gu to prepare things so that Kangxi could take them away directly later.

"Empress Dowager, does His Majesty not want others to know, so he came to tell you in person?"

If you prepare things, won't everyone know?

Sumalagu massaged Bumbutai's shoulders. When she heard her say that she was preparing a reward, she paused for a moment, thought for a moment, and then offered a word of advice.

She had other guesses in her mind, and they were definitely not what the Empress Dowager thought.

The Empress Dowager's private conversation with the Empress Dowager a few days ago must have reached the Emperor's ears. The Emperor's visit this time is likely to discuss this matter.

However, the Empress Dowager was in high spirits at the moment, so she couldn't say these things.

What if she guessed wrong?

"Yes! I'm so happy I've gone mad."

Bumbutai nodded repeatedly: "Alright, I'll lie down for a while. Call me again before Xuan Ye arrives."

As people get older, they feel weak even in a short time.

Bumbutai patted Sumalagu's hand and lay down on the soft couch to take a nap.

After reviewing the memorials for a while, Emperor Kangxi went to Cining Palace when he saw that it was almost time.

They didn't use a dragon carriage; they walked there slowly.

"Li Dequan, how many times have I walked this road?"

The Qianqing Palace is very close to the Cining Palace. When he was a child, he loved to go to the Cining Palace to see the Empress Dowager.

At that time, he truly relied on the Empress Dowager and would ask her for advice on everything.

Today, the road is still the same, but people's hearts have changed.

"Oh dear, Your Majesty, this servant hasn't counted them either."

Li Dequan's face scrunched up; how could he possibly know about this?

He could count how many times that ancestor had entered the palace.

After all, every time things didn't go smoothly, and he remembered that.

"You lackey!"

He turned around and kicked Li Dequan, watching him grimace before entering the gate of Cining Palace.

"His Majesty has arrived!"

When the young eunuch announced the arrival of the servants, they all knelt on the ground to pay their respects.

"Xuan Ye!"

The Empress Dowager sat on the low couch with a smile on her face, and her smile widened the moment she saw Kangxi.

Seeing Bumbutai's appearance, he abandoned all the words he had prepared.

From the Empress Dowager's perspective, it was all for his own good, though it caused Harigana some hardship along the way.

He sighed inwardly, took off his cloak and tossed it to Li Dequan before saying, "Xuan Ye greets the Empress Dowager."

"Get up quickly. Have you been very tired lately? I look like I've lost a lot of weight."

Bumbutai looked at her closely and noticed how thin she had become.

Li Dequan overheard this as he was carrying the cloak out. He quickened his pace and stood at the door before chuckling softly.

The Emperor hasn't lost weight!

Li Dequan thought to himself, "Not only have I not lost weight, I've actually gained weight."

He heard clearly that the Empress said the Emperor's nightgown was too small.

When Kangxi heard the Empress Dowager's words, his heart skipped a beat. Thinking of what Harigana had said a few days ago, he almost couldn't maintain his smile.

"Grandmother, the court has indeed been very busy lately. How are you feeling?"

Let's quickly change the subject; we can't talk about this anymore.

Bumbutai stopped worrying about whether Kangxi was thin or not. When she heard him concerned about her, she quickly replied, "I'm fine, don't worry."

The physician checks my pulse every day to ensure my well-being; there's no need to worry about me.

The two chatted for a while, but Bumbutai didn't dare to ask about Harigana. Although she was anxious, she waited for Kangxi to bring it up.

"Grandmother, Xuan Ye has something to tell you. Please don't be in a hurry."

The Empress Dowager, who had been looking forward to her great-grandson, had a bad feeling when she saw Kangxi's solemn expression.

"Xuan Ye, speak, what's wrong?"

Kangxi remained silent for a while, then said to himself: "Grandmother, Xuan Ye did not intend to deceive anyone, but for everyone's sake, deceiving you is the best solution."

As for the fact that he had taken contraceptive pills, he would never tell the Empress Dowager.

"Grandmother, I had Zhao Rongxi take my pulse some time ago. Zhao Rongxi said that I was a little tired and needed to take good care of myself."

But don't worry, it's just a minor ailment; taking some of his prescribed pills will cure it."

Bumbutai's expression tightened: "Xuan Ye, are you really alright?"

Her fingertips, adorned with jade ruyi ornaments, had turned white, showing how nervous she truly was.

"Grandmother, you're really alright."

The Empress Dowager breathed a sigh of relief; Kangxi wouldn't lie to her about something like this.

I felt extremely guilty when I thought about the time I fainted.

"Is it related to the fainting spell last time?"

The sound wasn't very loud, but Kangxi heard it and felt somewhat uncomfortable.

However, these were all done by her, and even if he was in pain, there was nothing he could do.

"No, Grandmother, please don't overthink it."

Looking at Kangxi's expression, Bumbutai opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing more.

Whether there was a relationship or not is no longer important; she did make a mistake back then.

However, he didn't regret poisoning someone and causing their death; he regretted not being more careful.

If her plan had been more careful, Xuan Ye wouldn't have been poisoned.

Emperor Kangxi was unaware of her thoughts, and even if he had, he couldn't say much.

How long will it take for the herbal medicine to make me better?

Right now, Xuan Ye's health is the most important thing; we can't dwell on the past.

Bumbutai composed himself and looked at Kangxi with a worried expression.

"Grandmother, a few doses of medicine will do the trick, but you'll need to take medicinal diets for several months."

After saying this, he looked at the Empress Dowager with a conflicted expression: "It means we can't have an imperial heir for the time being."

Looking at his embarrassed expression, Bumbutai was shocked: Could it be that he's impotent?