"I haven't been able to visit you for several days. How are you doing here?"
Kangxi patted Xiuning's hand and then slowly led her into the house.
Seeing this, Xiu Ning leaned gently against Kangxi's side and nodded softly, "I am well."
As the two entered the room, the palace servants who had been following behind them all stopped in their tracks.
Seeing this, Chunyu smiled and walked over to Liang Jiugong to inquire about the news before Kangxi's arrival.
Seeing that it wasn't a big deal, Liang Jiugong didn't hide it from Chunyu, "His Majesty came here after finishing his official business at the Qianqing Palace."
Chunyu continued, "Excuse me, sir, has His Majesty had his meal yet? What about the Imperial Kitchen?"
“Oh dear, Miss Chunyu, don’t worry. His Majesty has already had his dinner,” Liang Jiugong explained, but then secretly added, “However, His Majesty had his dinner a little early. He can have some soup before going to bed.”
Oh, I see. It means we need to prepare a late-night snack in advance, just in case.
"Thank you for informing me, Father-in-law," Chunyu said gratefully, curtsying to Liang Jiugong before turning and leading her people to the small kitchen. It just so happened that her master always liked to eat some snacks in the evening, and now they would come in handy.
Inside the house, Xiu Ning had no idea that such an exchange was taking place outside.
Right now, she and Kangxi are intimately close. Kangxi has come all this way, and no matter what the reason is, once he arrives, Xiuning can no longer send him away.
Despite spouting nonsense that even she herself didn't believe, Xiu Ning managed to make Kangxi laugh heartily with just a few words.
"Your Majesty, please don't disbelieve me, what I'm saying is all true," she said coyly and affectedly, but the Emperor liked this tone. The more she could let loose in front of Kangxi, the more he would communicate with her.
“If all the concubines in the harem were like my beloved concubine, I would have no worries,” Kangxi said jokingly, revealing his true feelings. Xiuning replied in a similarly joking tone, “If everyone in the harem were like me, how could I possibly hold a place in Your Majesty’s heart?”
It was precisely because the imperial harem favored dignified concubines that Xiu Ning's charming appearance made her all the more pleasing to Emperor Kangxi.
Xiu Ning was well aware of the importance of her public persona, to the point that even when Kangxi was with her, he would unconsciously be drawn into that emotional state by Xiu Ning.
Kangxi chuckled and pinched Xiuning's arm. "I only allow you to do this."
Ha, I'm afraid only she would interact with Emperor Kangxi like that.
Xiu Ning thought to herself, but smiled broadly on the surface, "Your Majesty keeps his word, so this concubine will not change it."
Kangxi lowered his head slightly, looking at the beautiful face close to him. After a moment of contemplation, he said in a low voice, "Alright, then don't change it."
...
Jingren Palace Main Hall
Tong Jiarongyue gazed at the flickering candlelight on the table, her thoughts drifting into the distance.
"Your Majesty, it's late. Let me help you wash up. You should rest now."
The maid Qianli walked to Tong Jiarongyue's side, bowing her head with a respectful expression.
She handed the jade-like hand to Qianli, and its fragrance wafted into her nostrils. Qianli subconsciously bent over and stepped cautiously and carefully towards the door.
Do you know where the Emperor has gone?
A light and melodious female voice came from above, and Qianli immediately replied, "His Majesty has gone to Qixiang Palace."
"Is Xitala always present?"
As she read out the name of the concubine residing in Qixiang Palace, Tong Jiarong recalled the scene from earlier that day. Ah, so it was her; she was quite a beauty.
"Have you made contact with all the people Ama gave you?"
Qianli nodded, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, I have made all the arrangements. It's just that some people have been in the palace for too long, and I'm afraid they might have other ideas."
These people were all sent in by the Tong family earlier, and some of them were even Empress Xiaokangzhang's people.
Before Tong Jia Rongyue entered the palace, apart from Empress Xiaokangzhang, there were no direct descendants of the Tong family in the palace (not counting Emperor Kangxi). Moreover, Empress Xiaokangzhang passed away three years after the late emperor's death, so these people were basically forced to stay without any arrangements.
When Tong Jia Rongyue entered the palace, some of the people she took over came from the Tong family itself, and some were already in the palace. The people Qianli mentioned who had other ideas were those who were already in the palace.
"It was expected. The palace is all about self-interest. To expect them to always remember the kindness that Tong had shown them is simply wishful thinking."
Tong Jia Rongyue had already anticipated this situation before entering the palace.
Taking Qianli's hand, Tong Jiarongyue entered the side hall's bathing room. While letting Qianli remove her clothes, she continued to instruct on how to deal with these people whose loyalty was unclear: "Find an opportunity to test them first, and it would be best to find out who they have sided with. If necessary, we can take advantage of them to our advantage."
He entered the palace with the benefits from the Tong family, and now he's betraying them for a better position, without wanting to pay any price. There's no such thing as a free lunch.
Tong Jiarongyue stepped into the bathtub and submerged herself completely in the warm water.
"Every step I take in the harem must be taken with caution. I have just entered the palace, and two happy events have already occurred in the harem today. If I do not take precautions early, I am afraid that what awaits me is the same as my aunt, who died young without knowing why."
Tong had always been skeptical about the death of Empress Xiaokangzhang, because Empress Xiaokangzhang was neither favored by the emperor nor liked by him. After her own son successfully ascended the throne, she should have been living a comfortable and peaceful life in the harem, but she only lived for three years before passing away. It was all very strange.
When Tong Jiarongyue mentioned Empress Xiaokangzhang, Qianli, as a maid, could not interrupt.
After carefully washing Tong Jiarongyue's body, Qianli helped her back to her room to rest.
For Emperor Kangxi, the arrival of new concubines meant just a few more women he could summon, but for the others in the harem, it meant a few more formidable competitors.
The palace was rife with petty squabbles and quarrels. Xiu Ning followed the Empress Dowager's instructions and tried her best to avoid these troubles, but she was always inevitably affected.
"What's with these flowers? My lady clearly doesn't like this smell, so why are they here? Where are the others?"
"Sister, Consort Li has taken all the flowers. I'll only have this kind left."
"..."
Xiuning sat on the tatami mat, listening to the soft conversation between the spring rain and the daylily.
These kinds of trivial matters involving flowers and grass happen almost every few days.
Spring rain
Xiuning called out, and Chunyu quickly stopped talking to Xuancao, turned around, and appeared beside Xiuning with a smile, saying, "My lady."
"Forget it, there's no need to send Xuancao to the flower room to get any flowers in the future. In October, they won't survive for more than a few days anyway, it's just a waste of everyone's energy."
Spring Rain nodded, "Yes."
"I'm a little hungry. Go to the small kitchen and bring some of the prepared food over," Xiu Ning waved her hand again, assigning tasks to Chun Yu.
Chunyu nodded, turned around and went to the small kitchen to get some food and pastries. On her way back, she also told Xiuning that the eldest princess of the princess's household had passed away.
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