Chapter 175 All of this is deceiving the emperor.

Just as Tongjia was feeling restless and her thoughts were tangled up like a tangled mess, an afternoon quietly passed by.

Suddenly, Liang Jiugong's voice rang out from outside the hall.

"The Emperor has arrived!"

Tongjia suddenly snapped out of her chaotic thoughts, her heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively gripped the hem of her skirt.

She quickly got up, hurried to the palace gate, and bowed deeply in greeting.

As Kangxi stepped in, he immediately noticed her still-swollen eyes and the undisguised dejection and fear between her brows.

His heart softened, and his tone became unusually gentle.

"Rise, there's no need for formalities. I know that your nanny has passed away. I know you are saddened and must be terrified to have suddenly lost your support."

He paused, then reached out and gently patted the back of her slightly cool hand, with a soothing touch.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here in the palace, I will protect you."

Hearing these comforting words, Tongjia felt a lump in her throat.

The grievances and fears I felt today seemed to find an outlet in an instant, and tears welled up in my eyes.

She quickly raised her hand and wiped away the tears that were about to fall.

After she sat down, Kangxi noticed that her tears were still trembling at the corners of her eyes, so he took out a plain cotton handkerchief from his sleeve and handed it to her, speaking in a softer voice.

"Alright, stop crying. Be careful not to hurt yourself. There's still a long road ahead, so keep looking forward."

Tongjia took the handkerchief and gently pressed it to the corner of her eye.

He blinked hard, forcing back the tears.

She tried to make her voice sound steady and bowed slightly.

"I understand. With my cousin here, I feel much more at ease."

Emperor Kangxi nodded and continued.

"I have already given the order that your mother will be sent to the palace to see you as soon as possible, just to comfort you."

A hint of warmth flashed in Tongjia's eyes, and she quickly stood up and curtsied again.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace."

She hesitated for a moment, then, taking advantage of his momentary softening, she made the request she had been thinking about for a long time.

"Your Majesty, I have another request. Now that the old nanny is gone, I don't even have anyone I can confide in..."

She lowered her eyes, her pearly teeth gently biting her lower lip, revealing a hint of vulnerability and helplessness.

"Your Majesty, I would like to ask for your grace. Could you please allow Father to select another trustworthy nanny from the household and send her to the palace? With family members by my side, I will feel more at ease."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Kangxi waved his hand dismissively and readily agreed.

"I thought it was something important. I grant your request. Even if you hadn't brought it up, I would have discussed it with your father."

Tongjia's panic subsided slightly.

A smile, tinged with dependence, finally appeared on her lips.

After chatting for a while, Kangxi felt the urge to urinate and got up.

"I'm a little hungry, please prepare the meal. Go to the dining hall first, I'll come after I change my clothes."

Tongjia readily agreed and headed towards the dining hall first.

After she left, Kangxi was about to turn around and return to the clean room behind his bedchamber.

Li Guiping, who had been standing by with his hands at his sides, suddenly had a glint in his eyes, knowing that the crucial moment had arrived.

He took a deep breath, and his face quickly displayed just the right amount of embarrassment and respect.

He stepped forward, slightly bent his knees, and bowed to stop them.

The voice was kept extremely low, ensuring that only the emperor, who was nearby, could hear it clearly.

“Your Majesty, the inner palace… just now the princess was heartbroken and shed tears, and it hasn’t been cleaned up yet, so the air is inevitably a bit foul, which might disturb Your Majesty’s peace. Perhaps… this servant can lead you to the clean room in the east wing? That place is always clean and well-ventilated.”

Kangxi paused, but had no suspicions.

Assuming that Tongjia was depressed and had no time to pay attention to the cleanliness of the room, he nodded lightly.

"Lead the way."

"Yes, sir."

Li Guiping quickly responded and stepped forward to lead the way.

In the instant he turned around, his peripheral vision, like the most sensitive probe, quickly swept over his disciple standing not far away.

He gave a very subtle look.

The young eunuch seemed to have been waiting for a long time.

Upon receiving his master's signal, he understood perfectly and nodded almost imperceptibly.

Immediately, he crouched low and, using the shadows of the pillars, quickly slipped away towards the rear building.

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Inside that secluded and cramped little house in the back building.

Uya was practicing her expressions repeatedly in front of a blurry bronze mirror.

She dabbed a little bit of the cooling mint balm on her finger.

Gently press around the eye sockets to create a slightly swollen and reddish effect.

My heart was pounding like a startled rabbit.

There was both fear of the plan being exposed and a strong desire to achieve instant success.

"Success makes you a superior person; failure plunges you into an abyss..."

She murmured to herself in the mirror, looking at her own face, which was delicate yet filled with undisguised ambition.

Her fingernails dug into her palms, using the subtle pain to suppress her turbulent emotions.

"Squeak—"

With a soft click, the door was quickly pushed open and then closed again.

The young eunuch slipped inside, slightly out of breath, and spoke urgently in a low voice.

"Sister Wuya, hurry! The time has come. Master is leading the Emperor to the East Annex Hall right now. You should kneel down in the corridor and proceed with everything according to plan."

Uya's heart suddenly contracted, then began to pound violently, as if blood was rushing to her head.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the last trace of hesitation.

Without hesitation, he rushed out of the cabin.

She followed the path that she had scouted countless times before, the one least likely to be discovered.

I jogged all the way to the corridor outside the East Annex Hall.

She quickly looked around to make sure no one was there before kneeling properly on the hard floor tiles.

She lowered her head deeply, suppressing all her emotions.

They meticulously crafted a pitiful image of someone who was bullied, submissive, and filled with unease.

She waited quietly for the man who could decide her fate to appear.

Success or failure hinges on this one move.

Before long, steady and rhythmic footsteps approached from afar, carrying the unique majesty and oppression of an emperor.

Li Guiping led Kangxi to the entrance of the East Annex Hall.

With a casual glance, Kangxi spotted the slender figure kneeling in the shadows of the corridor.

His brows furrowed, his steps faltered, and his voice carried a hint of displeasure.

"What's going on here? Why is a palace maid kneeling here?"

Li Guiping was secretly delighted, knowing that the real drama was about to begin.

He quickly took half a step forward, his face showing just the right amount of hesitation and reluctance.

He rubbed his hands nervously, carefully considering his reply.

"Your Majesty, this servant... knows a little, but I didn't expect her to kneel so obediently. However..."

He swallowed his words, looking hesitant and full of concerns.

Emperor Kangxi was most annoyed by such hesitant speech, his brows furrowed even more, and his tone became colder.

"But what? Tell me the truth. Is there anything you can't say before me?"

Li Guiping seemed to be intimidated by the might of Heaven. Having made up his mind, his knees buckled and he knelt down on the ground.

His voice was lowered even further, tinged with deliberate fear.

"This servant heard... it was... it was the princess's order that she was punished by kneeling here for three hours every day, supposedly to... calm her mind."

Kangxi's face suddenly darkened, and he rubbed his fingers heavily on the jade thumb ring.

"Is it my cousin? What did she do wrong that she has to be forced to kneel and suffer this humiliation every day?"

Li Guiping lowered his head even further, almost touching the ground, and spoke in a voice that was almost a whisper, yet every word was clear.

"Your Majesty, have you forgotten? She is the palace maid, Wuya, who offended the princess two months ago over a trivial matter and was punished by the princess."

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If it were a palace maid with even a little bit of beauty, she would probably be able to climb up the ranks too, right?

Did I portray Leonardo DiCaprio as too intelligent?