Rear Hall of Qianqing Palace
Originally, it was just a place for Emperor Kangxi to rest, but later, because he became fascinated with the Buku opera, it was ordered to be converted into a training room.
On ordinary days, whenever he had free time, Emperor Kangxi would summon his close guards to play the game of "Buku". Recently, this phenomenon has become increasingly rampant, and Emperor Kangxi has even abandoned his palace duties to practice it instead of going to the inner palace.
"Your Majesty, someone from Cining Palace has come to see you. The Empress Dowager requests your presence."
Liang Jiugong bent down and walked slowly to Kangxi's side to tell his master the imperial decree that had just been delivered.
Emperor Kangxi, dressed in casual clothes, possessed an imposing yet dignified expression. "Did Grandmother specify a time?"
Liang Jiugong nodded. "The sooner the better."
Although Sumalagu did not specify the time, Liang Jiuneng could deduce the Empress Dowager's general daily activities, and if it was delayed any longer, the Empress Dowager would probably not have time.
“One hour,” Kangxi pondered for a moment, giving him the time to reply, “Remind me then.”
Liang Jiugong bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, this servant obeys."
Turning around, Liang Jiugong left the room and stood at the doorway, letting out a sigh of relief.
Although he didn't know what the emperor was busy with, the unusual quiet in the room always made him feel strange. Although there were occasional lively noises, it seemed as if it was done on purpose.
Liang Jiugong pondered the Emperor's growing interest in the Buku activities. "Oh well," he thought, "why should a servant like me think so much? It's best to just do my job honestly."
An hour later, Liang Jiugong reminded Kangxi in the room, timing it perfectly.
"Liang Jiugong, go and prepare water for washing up."
Kangxi's voice came from inside the room, and Liang Jiugong quickly responded with a "Yes," and then some eunuchs carried a bath tub filled with warm water into the room.
After a thorough cleaning, it took Kangxi about half an hour to change his clothes and leave from the Qianqing Palace.
The time was delayed from morning to afternoon. When Kangxi arrived at Cining Palace, as expected, the Empress Dowager was taking a nap.
Sumalagu led Kangxi to the couch to rest, and did not forget to send someone to bring him snacks and tea.
"When will the Empress Dowager wake up?" Kangxi asked calmly, fiddling with the Buddhist prayer beads in his hand.
Sumalagu bowed her head slightly. "Your Majesty, according to the usual schedule, it will be about a quarter of an hour later."
Upon hearing this, Kangxi hummed in agreement and picked up the warm tea beside him, taking a simple sip.
Seeing this, Sumalagu bowed respectfully and took her leave.
Leaving the bedchamber, Sumalagu turned out of the main hall and then beckoned to a beautiful palace maid.
"Yan Shu, go and take the mung bean soup from the small kitchen to the Emperor."
"yes"
Despite her calm demeanor, Sumalagu clearly saw the excitement in the eyes of the woman named Yan Shu.
Sumalagu watched Yan Shu leave, and finally shook her head helplessly. Everyone thought it was good to be a master, but little did they know that an unfavored master was even more miserable than an unfavored servant.
However, since the Empress Dowager agreed, she had no reason to object. It was all a matter of personal fate, and how one lived was entirely up to oneself.
"Sister Yan Shu, this place is very chaotic. Why did you come in person? If you need anything, just send someone to let me know, and I will personally deliver it to you."
The palace servants in the small kitchen, seeing that it was a favorite of the Empress Dowager, hurriedly smiled and tried to curry favor.
Yan Shu covered her lips and smiled, "You're asking for it. Quickly prepare the mung bean soup; the master specifically requested it."
Upon hearing this, the young eunuch immediately poured the mung bean soup that was placed aside into a porcelain bowl.
Yan Shu reached out and took it, then casually gave a few taels of silver as a tip.
The young eunuch thanked his sister sweetly, and after watching the person in question leave, he couldn't help but complain to his companion behind him, "That's the advantage of having connections. Tsk tsk, it probably won't be long before she's soaring to the top and becoming a phoenix."
Startled, his companion quickly reached out and patted him, saying, "Hey, watch your mouth when you say that."
They were able to be assigned to the Cining Palace because of their connections, but these connections were far inferior to those of others, especially the one who had just left. She had only been assigned there for a year and had already climbed up to serve the Empress Dowager. It's truly infuriating to compare oneself to others.
The two eunuchs were from the small kitchen and rarely had time to breathe. They just chatted about it casually and didn't continue the discussion.
Meanwhile, Yan Shu, whom they called a relative, had already entered the main hall with mung bean soup.
"This servant greets Your Majesty."
The clear, melodious female voice brought Kangxi back to his senses. He looked up slightly and saw a pair of delicate hands holding a bowl of mung bean soup in his line of sight.
"Who are you?" Kangxi asked casually.
"My surname is Dong, and I am a maidservant who serves the Empress Dowager."
Yan Shu lowered her head and eyes, taking the opportunity to expose her beautiful profile to Kangxi.
"Dong?"
Kangxi pondered for a moment, then smiled. It turned out they were from the Imperial Household Department.
He waved for Yan Shu to leave, then picked up the mung bean soup and took a sip. Hmm, it was a little sweet.
Xuan Ye
Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's voice came from the inner room.
Emperor Kangxi rose and bowed to the screen, saying, "Grandmother, I am late."
Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang spoke calmly, "There's nothing to worry about anyway, so whether it's a little earlier or later doesn't matter."
She summoned Emperor Kangxi at this time because she wanted to cooperate with him to continue the performance.
"Please sit down."
Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang didn't look at Emperor Kangxi, but stared at the flower in full bloom in front of them. "What are your thoughts? Are you absolutely certain?"
Kangxi shook his head, "I don't have the ability, but if I don't try my best, I will only be a puppet of the regime in the future, which is not what I want."
The father's misfortune was not solely his fault. At that time, it was difficult to balance the various forces, and Shunzhi's abilities were indeed not very good. All these factors combined resulted in the mother and son turning against each other.
When Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang heard Kangxi say this, she immediately thought of the early-deceased Emperor Shunzhi.
Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang slowly released her hand from the Buddhist prayer beads and finally sighed, "I'm getting old, and there are some things I can't think of as well as you do. If you're going to do something, then do it to the best of your ability."
What else could she do? She couldn't change her grandson, and she had no other options. So be it.
Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang gave up trying to persuade Emperor Kangxi, and the two, grandmother and grandson, finally reached an agreement.
After waiting for about 15 minutes, Kangxi got up and went out. But as soon as he reached the door, he casually started talking about Yan Shu.
After all, he was surnamed Dong, and someone who could enter the palace in the early years of the Kangxi Emperor's reign couldn't have established himself without some ability.
Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang did not hide anything: "The Dong family not only has influence in the Imperial Household Department, but also plays a role in the army."
She has been in the palace for a year and has become much more composed; she can be transferred to serve in the Qianqing Palace.
Kangxi nodded upon hearing this, "Grandmother's good intentions are understood by your grandson."
This meant that they were sending him a woman, but Dong Yanshu had considerable influence and was indeed useful to him. In addition, she was quite good-looking, so Kangxi had no reason to refuse.
Anyway, she's just one woman; having one more in the harem won't make a difference.
In just a few words, the grandfather and granddaughter decided Dong Yanshu's fate. Then, Dong Yanshu was quietly sent to the Qianqing Palace to serve tea. By the time everyone noticed, she had already finished serving the emperor and become a concubine.
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