Kangxi was speechless for a moment, then lowered his head and pinched Mingxiu's nose. "You still have the nerve to say that? Do you know that gambling is forbidden in the palace? You're breaking the law knowingly."
Mingxiu paused for a moment, then looked at Kangxi ingratiatingly and said, "Oh, Your Majesty, I'm hungry. Have you eaten yet? Let's go eat." After saying that, she pulled Kangxi and started walking towards the dining table.
Kangxi had no choice but to let Mingxiu pull him away.
After they finished their dinner, the two sat on the tatami mat, one sitting and one lying down, reading books.
Emperor Kangxi held a copy of the Zizhi Tongjian in his hand. Mingxiu glanced at it and then looked away. Such a book was only meant to be admired from afar, not to be touched.
She wouldn't understand it; she should just stick to reading her own storybook.
Mingxiu looked away from the storybook in her hand, which she had specially brought back from Jiangnan.
Fortunately, Emperor Kangxi didn't interfere much with her reading storybooks during this period.
Otherwise, she wouldn't dare to take out the storybook.
Neither of them spoke, but the atmosphere was incredibly harmonious.
While things were harmonious here, things weren't so good for the other concubines in the palace.
Consort Yi stared ahead with a gloomy expression, while Noble Lady Guo Luoluo glanced at her furtively.
"This Consort Ming is truly not to be underestimated. The Emperor only took her with him on this trip for such a long time, and now that he's back, he still frequently visits her palace," Consort Yi said resentfully from the side, wondering what charm she possessed that made the Emperor so fond of her.
Consort Guo Luoluo spoke up from the side, "Sister, don't worry. Consort Ming is currently riding high, and we won't have a good outcome if we go against her. Besides, with her current prominence, there must be others who don't like her. We can just give her a push when the time comes."
Consort Yi looked up, thought for a moment, and nodded.
The next day.
Mingxiu moved her aching body and listlessly asked someone to help her get up and wash.
I have to pay my respects today, so I can't be late. Who knows what might happen to her then? I'd better not give them any more ammunition.
After washing up and eating something to tide her over, Mingxiu looked at the sky outside the window, sighed, and took Luzhu to pay her respects.
Inside Chengqian Palace.
When Mingxiu arrived, many concubines had already arrived. Mingxiu looked up and exclaimed, "Good heavens!"
Everyone's wearing their battle gear now.
Seeing everyone dressed in flashy, luxurious clothes, with exquisite makeup and complicated hairstyles, Mingxiu knew a big battle was about to begin. She swallowed hard, but her expression remained unchanged as she exchanged pleasantries and sat down in her seat.
As soon as they sat down, someone spoke up, "Sister Mingfei, you must have had a hard time accompanying the Emperor on this trip. Do you have any interesting stories to tell us younger sisters?"
Mingxiu grinned, looking at the concubine who had spoken earlier, whose name she couldn't quite recall—a newly arrived noblewoman.
Before she could even speak, another concubine sitting next to her said, "I really envy Consort Ming for being able to go out and play with the Emperor, unlike us younger sisters who can only stay in the palace waiting for the Emperor to return."
Mingxiu raised an eyebrow and looked at the person who had spoken.
Very good, it's another one whose name I can't recall.
But it looked familiar, and Mingxiu glanced at it curiously.
Confirmed
These must have been concubines in the palace before, but they must have recently been promoted in rank.
Sigh, so much time has passed that she can't remember.
"Don't worry, sisters. I think there will be a chance to go on an inspection tour with the Emperor next time. However, you should make more preparations for the tour. The scenery and culture outside are very rich and colorful. If you don't prepare more, you may be overwhelmed," Mingxiu said with a smile.
Anyway, a lot of people will definitely talk about her today, so it's better to just give them a straight answer and feel better.
Sure enough, the two people who had just spoken stopped talking and didn't know what to say for a moment.
"Oh, I wonder what exciting things happened on your trip this time, sister? Could you tell me? I'm very curious," Consort Yi said with a curious expression.
Mingxiu glanced at her. "Putting everything else aside, the scenery outside is quite different from that in the palace. This trip has made me understand why scholars and literati love to talk about visiting Yangzhou in the third month of spring. The scenery in Yangzhou is truly beautiful. I haven't read much, so I don't know how to describe it. You sisters will understand when you go on your own trips next time."
Consort Yi was speechless. Did they not want to leave? No, they couldn't leave.
Mingxiu's actions immediately drew a lot of hatred, and everyone's gaze towards her changed.
Consort Hui glanced at Mingxiu and secretly grinned, then covered her mouth with her handkerchief to hide it from others.
"Sister, you seem to be having a good time, but you should still be careful. Always monopolizing the Emperor might not be good for you."
Mingxiu turned her head and saw Consort Xi looking at her and speaking.
Mingxiu was somewhat taken aback. This Consort Xi usually kept quiet as much as possible, so she didn't know why she would take the lead today.
“Then there’s no need for you to worry about that, sister. When did I ever take the Emperor for myself? The Emperor is in the Qianqing Palace, and all of you sisters are free to invite him.” Although she didn’t know why Consort Xi was speaking up, Mingxiu still retorted directly.
After this trip, she felt much bolder for some reason. Perhaps it was because she felt the vastness of the world outside the palace and relaxed a lot.
Chengqian Palace fell silent once again.
After being rebuffed three times, no one dared to speak up anymore.
Mingxiu sat there smiling, letting them look her over. After a while, the Imperial Noble Consort came in.
Mingxiu and the others quickly stood up and began to bow.
After smilingly telling them to get up, the Imperial Noble Consort glanced at Mingxiu.
"I haven't seen Mingxiu for several months, but she looks even better."
"Your Highness, you are too kind. Your complexion is getting better and better," Mingxiu said politely.
The Imperial Noble Consort nodded, glanced at her, but said nothing more.
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, she dismissed everyone.
Mingxiu had expected a fierce battle today, but the fight ended so easily, and she happily walked outside.
As soon as I stepped outside, I heard someone say, "Sister Mingfei, you should be careful. It wouldn't be good if you fell into trouble the other day."
When Mingxiu turned around, she saw Consort Xi smiling at her. Although there was no expression on her face, her eyes were full of malice that could not be hidden.
Mingxiu smiled but didn't respond, continuing forward with Green Bamboo.
After she had walked some distance from Chengqian Palace, she began to ask Green Bamboo, "Green Bamboo, have I offended Consort Xi?"
lc Green Bamboo shook her head; she didn't know either, there probably wasn't.
Mingxiu thought about it and realized she really didn't know, but Consort Xi was clearly hostile towards her now, so even though she didn't know why, she still needed to be more careful in the future.
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