Mingxiu smiled slightly, her expression concealing her inner turmoil.
"I didn't have anything to do. I was just too bored in the palace. There was nothing to do, and His Majesty summoned me, so I went." Mingxiu lied so blatantly, and Consort Yi didn't know anything about it anyway.
Consort Yi's face stiffened.
"That's true. Right now, no one in the palace enjoys the Emperor's favor as much as you, elder sister. I haven't even congratulated you yet, elder sister, on finally becoming pregnant after all these years. Once you have a princess, you'll have someone to rely on in the palace."
"Yes, yes, sister, you should hurry to the Empress Dowager's palace. I'm sure the Fifth Prince misses you very much. I'll be going now. If I delay any longer, the Emperor will probably be getting impatient." Mingxiu said with a fake smile, then turned and left, ignoring Consort Yi.
After walking a short distance, Green Bamboo said indignantly, "Your Highness, why is Consort Yi always staring at you? Besides, what gives her the right to say that Your Highness is carrying a princess?"
Mingxiu patted Lüzhu's arm calmly. "Don't be angry. If she really is a princess, then I should thank Consort Yi for her blessing. I quite like princesses."
"Your Highness," Green Bamboo said, somewhat annoyed. Although princesses are good too, they are not as good as princes. Who in the palace wouldn't want a prince?
Mingxiu shook her head and ignored Lüzhu. The two continued walking towards the Qianqing Palace.
Watching Mingxiu's retreating figure, Consort Yi's expression was dark and unreadable. After a long while, she continued walking forward.
When Mingxiu arrived at the entrance of Qianqing Palace, she saw the little eunuch next to Liang Jiugong waiting at the entrance from afar. When he saw the two of them coming, he quickly went to greet them.
"Oh, Your Majesty, you've finally arrived! If you hadn't come, this servant would have gone looking for you. The Emperor was worried sick inside," the little eunuch said anxiously.
Mingxiu smiled and said, "Something came up on the way, so I'm sorry to trouble you to wait here, Father-in-law."
"Your Majesty is too kind. Please go in quickly. His Majesty is waiting anxiously inside."
Mingxiu nodded and went inside.
"If you don't come soon, I'll have to go out and look for you."
Upon seeing Mingxiu enter, Kangxi quickly rose from his dragon throne, stepped down, and helped Mingxiu up.
Mingxiu smiled and tugged at Kangxi's arm, "Oh dear, Your Majesty, I was delayed by some matters on the way. I'm so sorry to have troubled you."
"I'm not worried about anything, but why are you making such a fuss while you're pregnant? You don't like riding in a sedan chair and insist on walking here slowly. Aren't you tired?" Kangxi helped Mingxiu sit carefully on a chair.
Mingxiu shook her head
"I have some matters to attend to here in a moment. You will wait for me in the back hall. After I finish my business, I will return to Yonghe Palace with you."
Ming Xiuxiu nodded. Her arrival was sudden, and she hadn't told Kangxi in the first place. She obediently led Lüzhu to the back hall of the Qianqing Palace.
After a while, once Kangxi had finished dealing with his business and seen off his ministers, he picked up his teacup and drank two cups in a row, finally relieving the dryness in his throat.
Suddenly remembering that Mingxiu was still waiting in the back hall, she turned around and got up.
Upon reaching the back, one could see Mingxiu sitting on a stool with her eyes closed. A thick blanket was laid out under the stool, and Green Bamboo was feeding her grapes. A palace maid was reading a book to her, and two other maids were attentively massaging her legs. Mingxiu listened to the reading with her eyes closed, looking completely content.
Seeing this spectacle, Emperor Kangxi was speechless. "My beloved concubine certainly knows how to enjoy life. She's enjoying herself far more than I, the emperor. While I'm toiling away in front of everyone, she's living a very comfortable life."
Upon hearing the voice, Mingxiu quickly dismissed the palace maids around her and rose to greet him. "Your Majesty, are you finished with your work? Please, please, please rest." With that, she pulled Kangxi to sit in the chair she had just been sitting in.
Kangxi let Mingxiu pull him to a chair. The blanket on the chair was very thick, and there was also a thick cushion behind him. It was indeed very comfortable to lean back on.
Mingxiu sat down next to Kangxi. After dismissing everyone else, she shook Kangxi's hand and said, "Oh, Your Majesty, you've been busy up front, and I've been quite bored in the back. Besides, I haven't had any enjoyment at all. There aren't even any simple books here; they're all very profound ones. I keep dozing off and can't concentrate at all."
Kangxi sighed, "You have the nerve to say that? I always tell you to study hard, but you only study sporadically. I'm talking until my throat is dry, and you're just enjoying yourself in the back. You even complain that there aren't any interesting books here."
Mingxiu chuckled and quickly picked up the teacup next to her to pour him a cup of warm water, just the right consistency for him to drink.
"Your Majesty, please have some water first. The tea here is excellent; I haven't tasted it, but it smells wonderful."
Kangxi glanced at Mingxiu, picked up his teacup and took a sip. He had already drunk two cups, and he wasn't thirsty anymore; he was just taking a sip.
"Your Majesty, are you still tired? Let me massage your shoulders. I'm really good at massaging shoulders, you should try it," Mingxiu said, walking directly behind Kangxi and starting to massage him.
Mingxiu's hands weren't very strong, but the massage felt very comfortable. She always managed to find some acupoints to press. Kangxi felt it a couple of times and thought it was quite comfortable, so he didn't stop her from closing her eyes and enjoying her attentiveness.
Mingxiu massaged for a while, and her hands started to ache, but Kangxi didn't tell her to stop. She pouted and said, "Your Majesty, how are you? Are you comfortable? I'm pregnant, and Your Majesty really doesn't care about me at all. You don't even tell me to rest."
Kangxi opened his eyes helplessly, sighed, and pulled Mingxiu back to her seat.
"Tell me, what trouble have you gotten yourself into?"
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