Chapter 24 Meeting
meet
"The Chen family has been quite restless these past few days." Upon returning to the Qianqing Palace, Kangxi lifted her down from the sedan chair and said seemingly casually.
Chen Guanxue wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned against him. Upon hearing this, she poked his chest and immediately felt his arms tighten around her. "What did Your Majesty do in all this?"
She didn't believe he hadn't done anything.
She was forced out of her home by everyone, and even though she missed her parents, she still resented the uncles and aunts who had forced her out.
They dared not take the risk of entering the palace to test her so quickly, fearing that Kangxi had given them a push from behind.
"Chen San's daughter recently met the eldest grandson of Minister Liang." Kangxi placed her on the couch, then went behind the screen to change into casual clothes. "Chen San is interested, so naturally he's been urging Chen Da to come to the palace to inquire. Shall we meet him?"
They're all greedy.
Chen Guanxue removed her cloak, sat on the soft couch, picked up an orange and peeled it. "Of course I have to see him. I was going to see him anyway. If I hadn't gone to Junggar, I would have seen him long ago."
Kangxi emerged from behind the screen, tugged at his sleeve, sat down beside her, first touched her belly, then took an orange.
"Aren't you tired?"
The orange that Kangxi peeled naturally went into her mouth. Leaning against him, she didn't lift a finger, gently patted her belly, and opened her mouth to stuff a segment of orange into her mouth.
After eating several pieces and pacifying her mouth, she replied, "It's not cold today, but I won't want to go out when it gets cold in a few days. Besides, I'm afraid to walk outside with a big belly, even if you're not afraid."
Chen Guanxue snuggled lazily against him, shifting her position to curl up.
After she wiggled and twisted to lie down, Kangxi reached out and put his arm around her, touching her stomach. Even through her clothes, it made him feel at ease, and he couldn't help but smile.
Chen Guanxue turned her head unintentionally and saw him like this, smiling gently and kindly, just like someone who really wanted to be a father.
Although she had been here for two months, she spent every day and night with Emperor Kangxi, and had no time to think about anything else, so she felt relaxed.
But seeing Kangxi's smile today, she found herself thinking of Kangxi more than twenty years later.
"Why are you crying..." Kangxi's voice trembled, somewhat at a loss. Seeing her silently weeping as she looked at him, he felt his heart clench, aching and suffocating. He hurriedly wiped away her tears with his hand.
Chen Guanxue grasped his trembling hand, took a breath, and said, "I just want to cry."
"Cry if you want to." Kangxi breathed a sigh of relief. It is common for pregnant women to have drastic changes in temperament. Let her cry. He pressed the back of her head and pressed her face against his chest, but Chen Guanxue pinched him.
"Hiss..." He was suddenly pinched, and even he couldn't stand it. But when he saw her laughing again, he laughed along with her.
Perhaps her tears frightened Kangxi, because afterwards he became very clingy. Except for morning court sessions and meetings with officials, he would stay by her side, and even if she disliked him, he would not leave.
In mid-November, Kangxi was relieved to see that she was eating and drinking normally every day and had stopped crying, which gave the Chen family a chance to get close to her.
It wasn't that the Chen family took advantage of a loophole; rather, Chen Guanxue, pregnant, went to see Emperor Kangxi and encountered the eldest son of the Chen family on the way—the father of the deceased Chen girl.
In her previous time travel, she had never met her family. Because her family members were honest, Emperor Kangxi took good care of them because of her. She met them once when she was promoted to Imperial Noble Consort, and they all had a kind and honest appearance.
The eldest son of the Chen family looked somewhat similar to that family member, except that his eyes held a hint of cunning that he wanted to conceal.
He stood guard outside the hall, and when he saw her, he was surprised, but even more so, delighted.
Chen Guanxue only glanced at it a few times before walking away as usual.
Upon entering the hall, she saw that Emperor Kangxi was still reviewing memorials, so she sat down in a chair. When Runxi saw her reach out and massage her legs, she quickly squatted down and rubbed them for her.
When her legs weren't so sore anymore, Chen Guanxue told her to stop and not to stay with her. There was food and drink nearby, so she was allowed to go to the side room to play and chat.
After Emperor Kangxi finished reviewing the memorials, he got up, took a piece of milk cake from her snack plate, swallowed it, and then took a sip of white fungus soup from her hand.
"Did you see them?"
Chen Guanxue nodded.
"There's a lot of drama to come, and you need to have a lot of people around you." Kangxi thought for a moment and decided that he should assign her a few more skilled eunuchs. "It would be best if this could be resolved before the end of the year. If you're not in a hurry, you can leave it for another day to deal with."
"What kind of character does Minister Liang's grandson have?"
"He's not bad, but he lacks ambition. He doesn't study the Four Books and Five Classics or the Eight-Legged Essay. He only focuses on doing business and has caused trouble several times."
"Let's talk about it after the New Year."
Kangxi understood her thoughts; she probably wanted the third daughter of the Chen family and that boy to live a good life together.
The two children get along well, and he doesn't need to shoulder the burden of the Liang family.
The Chen family was not small. If the elders were dealt with, the younger ones would have to find a way out. If it were up to Kangxi's temperament, he would naturally deal with them all at once, but Chen Guanxue was soft-hearted, so he complied.
The daughter of the third son of the Chen family can become part of the Liang family. The remaining girls and boys, although they may not be able to live as well as they are now, can still make a living.
For a while afterward, she would occasionally see the Chen family members, making her presence known. She was too lazy to move around much, and instead mostly took a sedan chair to the Imperial Garden to see the snow.
Occasionally, she would encounter concubines, but they all regarded her as a fierce tiger, avoiding her from afar. However, some bolder ones would sit and have tea with her.
She genuinely thought they were bold, but after a few times they stopped staying. When Kangxi heard about it, he laughed so hard he almost fell over, only then realizing that they didn't actually want to have tea with her.
"What are you laughing at?" Chen Guanxue couldn't help but punch him a few times.
Before Kangxi could even ask for a reward, Chen Guanxue hissed.
"What's wrong?"
Chen Guanxue frowned, touched her stomach, and felt as if she had been bumped a few more times.
At her prompting, Kangxi nervously placed his hand on hers.
Through the clothes, a gentle, soft, and vibrant touch, like an animal glimpsing the world for the first time, exploring with tiny antennae, before falling into a deep sleep once it feels safe.
They were more attentive and careful than when approving memorials.
It's hard to say exactly what she felt, but she felt a little regretful. She had hoped to see Kangxi in his youth, but now she was worried that he might feel lonely in his old age.
"He's quite strong." Kangxi stopped.
Pregnancy makes me think a lot, and he's the person I'm with. No matter when it is, as long as it's him, that's all that matters.
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