Chapter 5 Consort Yi
She was grounded for saying just one sentence.
Compared to the reputation of the entire family, the reputation of a woman was clearly more important to them.
Perhaps it was because Chen Guanxue died that she transmigrated here, just like when she replaced Consort Chen before, she only came after Chen Guanxue died of illness.
"Where is the body?" Since her family treated her badly, there was no need to send it back.
Kangxi was taken aback. Liang Jiugong stepped forward and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, he is staying at the estate."
It's thanks to the meticulousness of the person in charge that the body was brought back and properly stored; otherwise, they wouldn't know how to respond at this point.
Under the somewhat dangerous gaze of Emperor Kangxi, Liang Jiugong wished he could go back to not long ago and tell him this news, even if Emperor Kangxi didn't want to hear it read aloud.
“Let’s find a family to give her a proper burial and make her enjoy offerings.” As for her parents, since they were able to kick their daughter out, they probably wouldn’t want to take her back.
When Kangxi heard this, he thought that she had asked for this identity herself, and he thought that she was indeed the person he had chosen, and her thoughts were exactly the same as his.
This matter is not over yet, but the follow-up issues cannot be resolved today. Kangxi also has another matter in mind.
"You need a few attentive servants by your side. When should I have the Imperial Household Department send some over for you to take a look?"
The palace maids selected once a year are all quite young, around twelve or thirteen years old. After being selected, they have to learn etiquette from the matrons for several years. Therefore, whenever someone needs a palace maid, the Imperial Household Department can send one over.
Chen Guanxue was very satisfied with Runxi, but there were some things that were not suitable for her to do, and she needed a few people who knew the rules to serve her.
Looking at the sun, he realized it was still early before lunchtime, so he lazily said, "Have everyone brought over. Just this once, and don't add any more people afterward. Choose two more skilled needleworkers to make clothes for me."
Her clothes were still those of a Han Chinese woman from outside the palace. In the future, she would be a special person in the palace, neither a palace maid nor a concubine. It wouldn't be appropriate for her to wear anything. It would be better to treat her as a girl visiting the palace.
Kangxi glanced at her clothes; they were very loose and the colors were somewhat vibrant. When worn by her, they gave off a decadent yet luxurious feel, much better looking than her palace attire.
From now on, all the fabrics sent to her must be brightly colored; clothes that are too pale are not suitable for her.
Thinking to himself, he waved his hand to let Liang Jiugong do it, and then stared at her.
I didn't get a good look at her last night, so today, while it's still bright, I'm going to take a good look at everything about her and remember it all, so that I can savor her beauty whenever I can't see her.
Chen Guanxue wasn't the most beautiful person in the world, but in his eyes she was the most beautiful, pleasing to the eye in every way.
As I watched, it all changed.
Her jet-black hair was tied up, but he wanted to loosen it, to let the cool hair entwine around his fingers, and ideally, to see her cry, so he could taste whether her tears were sweet or salty.
Chen Guanxue wasn't afraid of him looking at her, but as she looked, she felt a little dangerous, so she kicked him in the shin.
The throne bed in the room was a bit high, so she leaned back, her feet, clad in thin-soled repair shoes, dangling. When she kicked him, he wobbled.
It both made him restrain himself and stirred his heart, until finally, after taking a deep breath, he picked up the teacup and gulped down water.
Seeing him tilt his head back to drink tea, his Adam's apple bobbing, Chen Guanxue's face was full of smiles.
She said he was very patient, but he often acted according to his own ideas.
She touched her belly again, realizing there were some things she couldn't do now, and she had to suppress any thoughts she had.
She was convinced that he was the Kangxi Emperor from twenty years in the future, but since the child had come along, everything still had to be prioritized for him. As for not being able to resist... if he dared to touch other women, he shouldn't blame her.
His self-control was useless in front of her, and what he feared most was never being able to see her again.
She couldn't control what happened before she came, and she still couldn't control herself after she arrived. Whatever the consequences, it's all her own doing.
Those who are favored are always fearless. She is the one who is favored. He met her so many years earlier than expected. It would be an insult to the word "favoritism" not to let her be more willful.
Kangxi drank two cups of tea, and the palace maids sent by the Imperial Household Department arrived. It took a little longer than expected because of the additional requirement she had just added to the task of doing needlework; otherwise, the maids selected earlier could have been sent over earlier.
A dozen or so palace maids stood with their heads bowed in the room, their faces obscured by the tops of their long braids.
Chen Guanxue remained leaning against the soft pillows, and after watching them for a while, when they were starting to panic, she said, "Lift your heads up and let me see what you look like."
The palace maids all looked up but didn't look at her. Their eyes only saw her calves, and naturally they also saw that she was stepping on Kangxi's foot. They quickly lowered their eyes to look at the floor.
This is not something they can see; they should also discard anything they just saw.
The four women standing in front weren't the most beautiful, but their hands were delicate and fair, clearly showing that they took care of themselves regularly, and they were all skilled in needlework.
Four people were just enough to make her clothes, but still not enough. She loved fine clothes; not only did she change them frequently, but they also had to have exquisite embroidery. If there weren't enough people, they might go blind from exhaustion.
"Keep them all here." She didn't mind having too many people serving her, and even thought it wasn't enough. "Have the Imperial Household Department send over a few more embroiderers."
Kangxi was not surprised at all and gestured for Liang Jiugong to do it.
More than a dozen palace maids were kept behind, and they were both happy and extremely shocked.
Each concubine had a limited number of servants. Even Emperor Kangxi, who was often by his side, only had a handful of maids serving him. These maids were the best maids of their year and served him personally.
They've all been chosen; just who is this master they're to serve?
After they went outside, they exchanged a quiet glance, and then they saw Consort Yi, of the Guo Luo Luo clan, approaching and bowing in unison.
"Where is Consort Yi going?" Liang Jiugong asked with a smile after bowing to her, thinking to himself that something might be going on soon and he should avoid it to prevent any bad luck.
Among the six palaces, Kangxi favored Consort Yi the most because of her beautiful appearance, her personality, and her occasional temper tantrums, which he also liked very much. Therefore, he indulged her in many ways.
Consort Yi wasn't as well-informed as Consort De; she only learned this morning that there was an extra person in the Qianqing Palace. She had been favored for many years and was still quite young, but she didn't want to see someone younger than herself getting close to Emperor Kangxi, so she timed her visit to the Qianqing Palace accordingly.
"Naturally, we've come to deliver some food to the Emperor. What kind of mission does Steward Liang have, with so many unfamiliar people following him around?"
"We need to select some palace maids to serve the Emperor. He is in the East Warm Pavilion. Consort Yi, please take your time." After saying this, Liang Jiugong bowed and left.
He disliked this Consort Yi, who was too arrogant because of the Emperor's favor, and the servants around her followed suit, making her an eyesore. He was afraid she would suffer today.
He was happy to see her suffer, and even personally pointed out the place for her, leading a group of palace maids to the Imperial Household Department to register their names. From now on, these maids would serve in the East Warm Pavilion, so they couldn't be careless.
Consort Yi had a feeling that Liang Jiugong had been acting strangely, but she didn't have time to think about it before heading to the East Warm Pavilion.
The East Warm Pavilion is where the concubines live. Now that Emperor Kangxi is there, it's probably related to the person from last night. She has to go and see that person.
After Liang Jiugong led the people out, Kangxi walked to her side. There was a small table in the middle of the throne bed, which was spacious enough for one person to sit on each side, but became very crowded with more people.
But he had no self-awareness at all. Not only did he sit next to her, but he deliberately sat very close to her. In the end, instead of hugging her, he was practically pressing down on her.
Runxi didn't go out; she just watched from the side. When Chen Guanxue pressed her hand against the small table, she couldn't help but want to speak.
Her mistress is pregnant; what if she accidentally presses on her?
Before she could speak, a young eunuch came in to announce that Consort Yi had arrived.
As he was burying his face in Chen Guanxue's neck, feeling her pulse on his cheek, Kangxi's expression turned sour upon hearing someone disturb him. Realizing he was pressing down on her, he propped himself up, pulled her into his arms, and said in a hoarse voice, "Let her in."
Hearing this, Chen Guanxue was displeased. She straightened her sleeves but didn't get out of his arms.
She's used to being carried around; it's just being carried in front of strangers, it's not her who's embarrassed.
However, seeing shock in Consort Yi's eyes was still quite unexpected. She had never seen Consort Yi so open about her emotions before. Perhaps Consort Yi had already seen too much of this by the time she appeared.
Emperor Kangxi's moods were always clear to everyone, and he was quite willful in his actions, but he never hugged a woman in broad daylight, not even his favorite Consort Yi.
Aside from a sudden surge of jealousy, Consort Yi felt something stuck in her throat, preventing her from speaking. After a long while, she finally managed to say, "This servant greets Your Majesty."
"Get up, why are you here at this hour?" Even knowing why she came, I still had to ask. Sometimes it's just that tiring.
Consort Yi sat to the side, watching him hold the hand of the person in his arms as if it were a precious treasure, his hand unable to leave that skin and his eyes almost glued to it.
"I ordered the kitchen to prepare a new soup for the Emperor. It took half a day to cook, so I brought it over for him to try." Aside from the initial jealousy, all that remained was a sense of crisis.
She wasn't stupid; jealousy only drives people crazy. So she quickly calmed down and did what she needed to do.
The soup was placed on a small table, but Kangxi didn't even glance at it. Chen Guanxue, however, was curious about what it was and leaned over to take a look.
A lung-nourishing pear soup that could be served to Emperor Kangxi would not taste too bad.
"Runxi." When called, Runxi naturally stepped forward, scooped up a spoonful of soup with the small spoon in front of the soup bowl, and brought it to her lips.
Seeing that she wasn't angry after drinking it, Consort Yi smiled and asked, "I've never seen this younger sister in the palace before. If you like the soup from my small kitchen, I'll have someone send you a portion in the future."
Chen Guanxue didn't say a word and started to drink her second sip. Then she heard Kangxi's gentle voice, "You who came to the palace yesterday, just call me Miss Chen. If you like, I'll arrange for some imperial chefs to make you some soup."
Why not call her "sister" but "Miss Chen"? Is this to give her a higher status, or something else?
Consort Yi was stunned by a title, and also by his different attitude towards her.
At Kangxi's command, Chen Guanxue drank half a bowl of soup quietly. After Kangxi wiped her mouth, he smiled at Consort Yi.
Then she said, "No need for that. It's fine to drink soup occasionally, but drinking it every day might not be good for the child."
Regardless of whether Consort Yi was provoking them, she would reveal her true colors to them, so that people would know why Emperor Kangxi treated her so specially.
Consort Yi watched her and Emperor Kangxi's actions for a long time, until she could barely maintain her composure, before taking her leave.
As he was leaving, Kangxi said, "You should know what to ask and what to say. Confine yourself to your quarters for half a month."
No wonder, she said that Consort De had known for a long time that there was an extra person in the palace, how could she not have come to inquire? It turns out that she had been warned, and it seems that everyone in the inner palace will be circling around the Qianqing Palace from now on.
Consort Yi was confined to her quarters for half a month for asking just one question, which made her resentful.
If she were confined to her quarters for half a month, the affairs of the palace would be transferred to someone else. No one in the palace had ever been confined before. The other three would probably laugh out loud, laughing at her foolishness and impulsiveness, and also laughing at being able to hold onto some more power.
Watching her walk out, Chen Guanxue looked at Kangxi, somewhat angry, "Why are people being punished? Is my pregnant belly so shameful?"
She didn't want to remain unknown and be ambushed in the end. Standing in the sunlight wasn't the best choice, but it certainly seemed like the better choice now.
It wasn't that she didn't trust Emperor Kangxi, but this child needed to be introduced to the public as soon as possible. If the entire harem didn't know about it, the birth of the child would likely throw them into chaos.
“It’s not that the child is shameful, it’s that I don’t want you to be seen by others.” Kangxi rubbed against her back again, his voice muffled. “You only look at each person who comes by, and you don’t even glance at me.”
Then he leaned close to her ear, gently nuzzled it with the tip of his nose, and whispered, "This way I won't be able to resist hiding you away, so that only I can see you."
Hmm? You've even learned to act cute first?
Feeling a slight itch in her ears, Chen Guanxue gave a soft hum and got up from his embrace, walking to the side to sit alone and looking him up and down.
Under her gaze, Kangxi changed from sitting to reclining, displaying his slender figure before her with a wicked smile on his face.
The person was someone she knew, only more sinister than twenty years later. Perhaps it was because he was young and shameless, and he even tried to use his cunning to soften her heart.
Perhaps, as he said, he didn't want her to have eyes for anyone else.
More than twenty years later, there are not many young people left in the harem. She has always stayed by his side and never thought of making friends with others. Now there are many young people in the palace. She is indeed a little obsessed with appearances, so it is not surprising that she focuses her attention on other people's faces.
How did he even figure out her personality? Can a madman like him read minds?
Whether he can read minds or not, Chen Guanxue only felt that she would have to appease him for the rest of her life, otherwise it would be ridiculous if she accidentally got caught and locked up.
"I don't like women, what are you afraid of?" Seeing his eyes gradually turn dangerous, she added, "There's no man in the world more powerful than you, and I wouldn't even look at him."
What kind of person is that? Does he really think the whole world likes her and will fight over her like a precious treasure?
"That would be best." Kangxi remained half-reclined, his arm supporting his head.
[Author's Note]
You can't think of the male protagonist with the same logic as a normal person.
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