Now that he had seen them, Kangxi naturally wouldn't release them.

Kangxi did know that Youqing had come out, which is why he came out with her. He was busy in the morning and had to deal with some trivial matters before he could come out in the afternoon. Fortunately, he made it in time.

"And who is this young master?" It was the young boy beside Emperor Kangxi who asked this question.

Before Youqing could speak, Kangxi spoke first: "This is Youqing, a very talented gentleman."

For Emperor Kangxi to use the word "talent" to describe someone, they must be exceptionally talented.

Upon hearing this, the young master looked at You Qing with more respect: "I am Longkodo, greetings to Young Master You."

This man's self-introduction startled Youqing. Longkodo was a well-known figure during the Kangxi and Yongzheng reigns. In the TV series, Longkodo was described as a tall, rugged man.

But the person in front of him didn't look rugged at all. Although he wasn't exactly weak, he was definitely not the image of a burly man.

Longkodo is not yet twenty years old and is still young. As the nephew of Kangxi's mother, the two are also cousins.

At this time, Longkodo was considered a rare talent among the Manchu aristocratic families. Emperor Kangxi wanted to promote his maternal clan, so he valued Longkodo highly.

They ran into each other by chance outside the palace, and Kangxi then had Longkodo follow them.

Youqing exchanged polite greetings with Longkodo, but did not intend to develop a deeper relationship with him. After all, what can be said about Longkodo?

He is most famous not for his talent, but for his actions of favoring his concubine over his wife years later. He took his father-in-law's concubine, who later tortured and killed his wife in an extremely cruel manner.

Whether it's true or not, Youqing decided to stay away from Longkodo.

Originally, Youqing planned to go straight back, but now she couldn't. The group went directly to the teahouse, with Longkodo leading the way.

Upon entering the private room, Longkodo began to introduce the teahouse, saying, "This teahouse has been around for quite some time, and the dim sum there is excellent. His Majesty and Young Master You can try some later."

Youqing remained silent, but Kangxi said, "Since you've said so, I will definitely have a good taste of it later."

The tea and snacks were served, and the three of them ate them. They were indeed quite good, but Kangxi had eaten all sorts of good things, not to mention Youqing, who had bought so many recipes from the mall. The tea and snacks here really couldn't compare to what she usually ate.

So both of them had indifferent expressions and did not show any particular fondness.

This puzzled Longkodo.

It's normal that Kangxi didn't like these things, after all, there's no shortage of good things in the palace. But he couldn't understand why Youqing didn't like them. These teas and snacks were specially ordered by him, and they wouldn't be served to non-regular guests.

"Young Master You doesn't like it?"

"I quite like it." The tone was somewhat perfunctory.

Longkodo was speechless, unsure of what to say.

"Since you like it, then eat more."

Kangxi frowned slightly upon hearing their conversation. What was wrong with Longkodo? His tone sounded rather strange!

"If you don't like it, you don't have to force yourself."

These words were spoken to Youqing.

The young halal wasn't forced to eat it; the taste was indeed good, but there was nothing particularly amazing about it.

"No pressure."

Longkodo was even more bewildered. Just who was this Young Master You? Why was His Majesty so indulgent towards her, even seemingly praising her in some subtle way?

After that, Longkodo spoke less. He drank tea and ate some snacks. Youqing felt that it was about time and decided to go back: "It's getting late. I still have some trivial matters to take care of. I'll be going back now."

Youqing wanted to go back, but Kangxi didn't plan to return to the palace that night, so he said to Longkodo, "I have something to say to you, sir. You should go back first."

Longkodo could only leave completely bewildered.

After Longkodo left, Kangxi said, "I'll go to the estate with you tonight."

"You are an emperor, shouldn't you be very busy? How come you have so much time to run to me every day?"

“I wasn’t idle even when I went there. Besides, I just wanted to help you with more work!”

Youqing glanced at him: "You didn't help me with the work at all; you kept all the gold coins you earned for yourself."

They got the benefit but are now acting innocent.

Kangxi smiled and said nothing more, but the two still went to the estate in the suburbs together.

On the way, Youqing suddenly remembered to ask about the garden: "I heard from Chengying that you plan to build a garden for my wife at my estate?"

Kangxi nodded: "That's how it is."

Why do this?

"Isn't it obvious? I want to live closer to you so it will be easier for me to visit you in the future."

This situation is inconvenient, as the palace is some distance from the outskirts, which hinders his pursuit of her (relentless pursuit).

Didn't you say you wouldn't disturb my life?

Emperor Kangxi looked completely innocent: "When did I ever say such a thing?"

They didn't say it outright, but that's the gist of it, and they're denying it now.

Shameless! Utterly shameless!

"You, you... how could this person be like this!"

"Alright, alright, it was my fault. For your sake, I haven't summoned anyone to my bedchamber for years. My heart is set on you, and no matter what, I will never summon anyone else again. Besides, the Forbidden City is such a small place, and with so many people living there, I wouldn't be comfortable. The garden will be repaired sooner or later, it's just been a little earlier. I just want to live closer to you so as not to disturb your life, and I can assure you of that."

After Kangxi said that, Youqing didn't know what to say.

It's a fact that he hasn't slept with anyone else in recent years. To say I wasn't moved at all would be an understatement; Kangxi was her first man, and his own qualities were undeniable.

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