Chapter 25 Punishment
punish
Kangxi felt that Chen Guanxue had changed, and his eyes began to accept him.
Although it sounds a bit strange, that's just how he felt. With each glance down and up, it was as if she had completely taken him into her heart. Unlike his previous anxiety and uncertainty, he felt extremely satisfied with just one look.
That's strange.
Chen Guanxue didn't know what he was thinking. She just felt uncomfortable after being in that position for a long time. The child didn't move, so she took his hand away and changed positions. Then, the person who pressed tightly against her felt frighteningly hot even through her clothes.
You can only tell if you like someone, and you can tell even more if you love someone.
Chen Guanxue treated Kangxi as usual, which pleased him greatly.
It seems that if she points to the daytime and says it's dark, he would lie through his teeth and agree.
Chen Guanxue and Emperor Kangxi did not harm the Chen family, and they were overjoyed to see Chen Guanxue, dreaming of their families rising to prominence.
Only after seeing her did Chen Laosan's heart pound with anxiety. He privately asked his subordinates countless times whether they had done what he had ordered them to do.
Seeing how trembling the man was, he knew he wouldn't get any information out of him, so he could only take it one step at a time.
No matter when the knife falls on your neck, your head is still on your neck. You still have to take care of eating and drinking. You can't starve to death before your own death comes.
With this in mind, the matter between the Chen family's daughter and the Liang family's son gradually came to the forefront.
The Liang family is large and powerful. If a grandson doesn't want to pursue an official career, the family he marries can be of a lower social class. In addition, since the grandson is very satisfied with the girl, Minister Liang will not interfere.
The fact that Kangxi investigated the Chen family, yet they didn't fall from grace, means the marriage can proceed.
Emperor Kangxi was no gentleman; if he disliked someone, he would deal with them immediately and never let it go unpunished.
As Chen Guanxue listened to these words, she ate and drank, and even though it snowed continuously today, she didn't go out and felt like she had gained a few pounds.
In December, shortly before the Lunar New Year, just after the Laba Festival, Chen Guanxue was sitting in his house eating roasted oranges when he heard Emperor Kangxi say that the Liang and Chen families had already formed a marriage alliance and were currently going through the traditional betrothal rites.
These days, getting married is no simple matter; it takes at least a year and a half from the engagement to the wedding.
Emperor Kangxi could not keep them for that long.
Therefore, upon hearing about this, he wrote a decree of marriage, allowing the young couple to get married after the New Year.
This is no ordinary emergency.
Chen Guanxue frowned.
Kangxi smoothed her brow and said, "Minister Liang already knows. I asked him to choose between a marriage decree or to have his grandson wait a few years."
There's no need to choose; it's clearly letting him know that his grandson must marry, whether it's next year or after the Chen family falls and Miss Chen observes mourning for a few years before marrying.
Chen Guanxue glared at him. If he hadn't been leaning on him, he would have massaged his uncomfortable arms and legs and asked him to stay by his side.
Despite his efforts to please her and the meticulous care of Granny Chana, Chen Guanxue would occasionally experience leg cramps and pain in the middle of the night.
The first time she was in pain, Emperor Kangxi thought something was wrong and almost sent someone to summon the imperial physician. Later, he hurriedly massaged her legs.
Now, as soon as she opens her eyes, Kangxi notices and then silently massages her legs.
Such days are something every pregnant woman goes through. He had never experienced such hardship during pregnancy with any of his other concubines, except for childbirth. He also felt this uncomfortable during pregnancy.
As the year drew to a close, the atmosphere in the harem became increasingly lively. Consort Tong presided over the New Year's Eve banquet, while the other concubines also had their own affairs to attend to.
Only Chen Guanxue counted down the days to calculate when Emperor Kangxi would take a vacation.
Strictly speaking, the job of an emperor is a year-round job, but unless it's a year of war or disaster, there are still a few days of free time.
From the 26th to the 2nd of the month, it was Emperor Kangxi's holiday.
This also marked the beginning of large-scale events held by members of the imperial family and clan.
Chen Guanxue had been looking forward to these few days. On the 26th, she slept in late with Kangxi. She always slept until she was full before going to bed, unlike Kangxi who had to get up early to attend court.
Therefore, it was somewhat unbelievable that he felt Kangxi was still there after waking up.
After getting ready, we ate and drank our fill, spending the day in a sticky, gluttonous way. On the 27th, we were going to watch ice skating.
The ice skating was watched during the day, and Kangxi left the palace with his entourage only after breakfast.
Chen Guanxue naturally didn't want to be with Kangxi on such a day. It was too formal and required too many precautions. More importantly, Kangxi's position was directly exposed to the cold wind, and she was afraid she would be blown around like a frozen cat.
During this time, her belly grew rounder and rounder, and her movements became more clumsy. After watching ice skating for a while in the sheltered tent, she wanted to go out for a walk.
I had only taken a few steps when I was stopped.
It's Chen Da.
"May I have a word with you, young lady?" He glanced at Runxi as he spoke, indicating that he wanted to speak with her alone.
Chen Guanxue didn't see him as pitiful kneeling on the cold ground in the freezing weather, but rather felt that his expression told her something was wrong.
"Runxi is someone I trust." Leaving no one behind, regardless of safety concerns, would likely cause Kangxi to rush over and ruin her plans if he found out.
Chen Da frowned, but still took a step back.
Chen Guanxue raised an eyebrow and followed him to the back of the tent, to avoid the wind and people's attention. When she came out, she was with Runxi, while Granny Chana stayed in the palace.
"What do you want to say?"
Chen Da's eyes fell on her belly, which was covered by the cloak, so he couldn't tell how far along she was, but it looked like she was in her seventh or eighth month.
"Where are you from, young lady?" As soon as Chen Da asked this question, Chen Guanxue realized that he couldn't figure out where she came from.
Chen San still talked to Chen Da and told him what he had asked people to do. Chen Da's initial joy turned into worry.
After living in fear and anxiety for so many days, I have finally found this opportunity to speak with Chen Guanxue.
Seeing that she wouldn't speak, Chen Da said, "You're not a member of the Chen family. You'd better tell me honestly where you're from, or I'll have to report to the Emperor."
Is he trying to threaten me?
Chen Guanxue was surprised. Could it be that the Chen family couldn't see Kangxi's favoritism towards her? Were they all blind?
"You've seen how the Emperor treats me. Aren't you afraid I'll report you and have the Emperor punish you?" Chen Guanxue rubbed her belly, wondering if Kangxi knew about the situation here. Those hiding in the shadows must have something to do, right?
Upon hearing this, Chen Da became even more smug. "If you were of innocent origin, I would naturally be afraid. But you are not a daughter of the Chen family. It is still unclear whose child you are carrying. If the Emperor finds out, he may punish someone."
This is the ultimate example of a petty person achieving success.
Chen Guanxue had never seen anyone like this before.
Whether in the past or present, she had never seen such a repulsive change of face.
"oh?"
"Is this what you meant when you asked me to step aside?"
"Aren't you afraid?" Chen was surprised. He had considered countless possibilities, but he never thought that she was not afraid at all. Not only was she not afraid, but she also didn't care at all.
"The crime of confusing royal bloodlines could cost you your life, aren't you afraid?!"
Chen Guanxue was somewhat surprised to see his astonishment.
She thought they had all forgotten about the crime.
Before Chen Guanxue could say anything more, they heard hurried, steady footsteps approaching, and then Kangxi appeared in their sight.
"What are you afraid of?" Kangxi glanced at Chen Guanxue, who was standing steadily to the side, and then looked at Chen Da.
How did they arrive so quickly?
Chen Guanxue thought.
"No...no..."
In the dead of winter, Chen Da knelt on the ground, breaking out in a cold sweat. Why would Kangxi come here at this time? He had overheard so much about it.
The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became. He almost couldn't hold on any longer and finally bit his tongue to bring himself back to his senses.
"I saw Miss Chen here and was afraid she would catch a chill, so I asked her a question."
Everyone present knew what he was really thinking, but no one called him out on it.
Even Chen Guanxue, whom he thought would say something different and had plunged him into the abyss, remained silent.
Being stared at by Emperor Kangxi was not a pleasant feeling.
Chen Da had even considered the possibility of being imprisoned or dismissed from office, but he never imagined that Kangxi would let him off so easily, simply because Chen Guanxue spoke up for him.
"That's true."
With just four words, Kangxi ordered him to leave.
However, he left with a sense of relief, thinking to himself that he was right after all; Chen Guanxue's origins were unknown, otherwise why would she have covered for him?
This ice skating performance was truly spectacular. Whether it was the Eight Banners disciples gliding on the ice with their skates and carrying a large flag at the beginning, or Chen Da, who displayed superb acting skills in front of her, Chen Guanxue was quite amazed.
Back in the palace, she told Kangxi about it and saw him laughing and scolding Chen Dachun.
She thought he just kept it in his heart.
Unexpectedly, two days later, Emperor Kangxi told him that Chen Da had fallen and broken his leg at his doorstep.
Seeing him laughing so happily, even with a hint of schadenfreude, how could she not know what was going on?
Chen Da only said something sarcastic in front of her, and he was so unlucky that he tripped and fell on New Year's Eve, right in front of his own mansion. Shouldn't he be glad that he didn't fall in front of the palace and lose face?
Chen Da also felt that misfortunes never come singly.
The encounter with Emperor Kangxi a couple of days ago was enough to make him anxious. With the New Year approaching, he had a long face, and everyone who saw him would ask him a few questions. He could only say that he had caught a cold a couple of days ago and was feeling unwell.
As a result, he fell on New Year's Eve.
"Where's the doctor! Why hasn't he come yet!" Chen Da sat on the bed, his leg already aching from the fall. When he saw the doctor hadn't come, he threw his pillow, which aggravated the pain and made it worse. He could only lie on his back and groan.
The doctor who was called in was also helpless.
Everyone gets sick sometimes, but I was lucky this year. There were no patients for the first two days, and I thought things would be even better on the 30th. But then I met a servant from the Chen family who said that his master had broken his leg. I hurriedly took him to the mansion.
Seeing that Chen Da still had the strength to shout, the doctor thought it wasn't a big deal. Sure enough, upon examination, he found that Chen Da had broken his leg and would need to rest in bed for at least two or three months.
The doctor used a splint to fix Chen Da's leg back to its original position, prescribed a medicine, and sent someone to get the medicine.
Because they arrived in such a hurry, the doctor didn't bring any anesthetic. Going back to get it would delay the treatment, so Chen Da could only grit his teeth and endure it.
What can we do if we can't handle it? We can't just say our leg is really broken.
He was also afraid of Kangxi, so he decided to lay low for the next few months.
When the Chen brothers came to visit him and asked why he was so unlucky, he was still in a good mood and said it was just bad luck.
The Chen family has calmed down for the time being.
Chen Guanxue also devoted herself to the fireworks on New Year's Eve.
Setting off fireworks is a traditional activity for Chinese New Year's Eve.
Staying up all night in the palace was a very difficult time; even Emperor Kangxi had to sit up for most of the night.
Aside from eating, there are all sorts of shows and fireworks.
The food was cold and oily, nothing special.
The show is alright; although I watch it every year, it's at least a way to pass the time.
Fireworks were set off in the first half of the night, with launch sites both inside and outside the palace. After nightfall, most families would gather together to set them off.
It also implies sharing joy with the people.
Chen Guanxue didn't experience the joy of sharing happiness with the people; instead, she was held in Kangxi's arms, standing on the city wall of the palace, watching a fireworks show against the backdrop of the night.
Due to technological limitations, ancient fireworks designs were not particularly diverse, and the colors were limited to just a few.
But amidst the deafening explosion, bright fireworks burst forth in the night sky, illuminating the low-lying houses and the people in the darkness.
Hearing the joyful voices of others, he seemed quite content.
Especially when the people around you still care about you.
Chen Guanxue finished reading with bright eyes, but when she turned her head, she found that Kangxi was looking at her, or perhaps he had been looking at her from the very beginning.
"Is it pretty?" Chen Guanxue asked him.
“It looks beautiful naturally,” Kangxi replied.
What's interesting?
Without hesitation, Kangxi replied, "You are beautiful, and everyone is beautiful when you are around."
Chen Guanxue was genuinely amused.
Unable to understand her strange laughter, Kangxi tied a red string around her neck, with something hanging from it, but it was too dark and the string was too short for her to see clearly.
After watching the fireworks, she went back, leaving Kangxi and his ministers to keep vigil for the New Year.
When she went back to wash up, Chen Guanxue asked Runxi to untie the red string. She found that the pendant was a small jade piece, carved with a small seal and words he had written himself. The seal was too small and the characters were reversed, so she couldn't recognize them.
I don't know when I asked someone to do it.
Chen Guanxue didn't think about the meaning behind it. She simply put this seal together with the one that had been sent to the palace before, held it in her hand, and fell into a deep sleep.
When Kangxi returned in a flustered state, Chen Guanxue was already fast asleep. After washing up and feeling warm, she finally got into bed.
Emperor Kangxi had drunk quite a bit of wine and was somewhat drunk, but also sober. He touched her belly, then put his arm around her. Seeing her move and curl up in his arms, he smiled and fell asleep.
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