Springtime, with flowers in bloom, is the perfect time to go out for a stroll, but Mingxiu isn't afraid and doesn't want to go out.
So she could only settle for wandering around her own palace. Today, Mingxiu was wearing a pale yellow printed cheongsam, with a matching pale yellow pearl hairpin in her hair. She had her hair styled in two small buns and was not wearing high-soled shoes that could kill someone by falling. Instead, she was wearing flat shoes and strolling back and forth in Yonghe Palace. Next to her, Lüzhu was picking flowers with a small bamboo basket.
It all started when Mingxiu looked at the glass in her window and then saw the roses in full bloom while strolling in the garden. That's right, they were the seeds that Mingxiu had bought from the foreigner. She hadn't paid any attention to them at first and just planted them casually by the wall of the glasshouse. Nobody cared about them at all. If it weren't for the high temperature inside the glasshouse, which required frequent watering, the roses would never have survived.
Unexpectedly, this unintentional act yielded unexpected results.
Some actually grew, including roses. Mingxiu was quite surprised when she saw them and immediately instructed people to take good care of them. She even transplanted some of them for people to admire.
Because roses were so scarce, the transplanted roses were planted behind Mingxiu's room. There were also some other different flowers planted behind them, and special spots were arranged for them. Now Mingxiu usually sits under the hydrangea tree to read or sits in her little garden to drink tea.
Of course, the main purpose of picking roses now was to make essential oil from them and then try to make perfume. At that time, there was no such thing as essential oil; they used balms, which also smelled very nice.
However, it's not as convenient to use as perfume, and the scent of balm doesn't last as long as perfume, so Mingxiu decided to give it a try.
For this purpose, they specially studied the use of the still for a long time and had a batch made. First, they put the picked roses into a glass bottle, then put in the prepared alcohol, and then waited for it to decolorize. After the color was decolorized, they filtered out the rose petals and replaced them with fresh rose petals. If they wanted a stronger fragrance, they could repeat the process several times. During this period, Mingxiu also made a batch using lemons in the same way. After filtering, they let it stand for several months before it was ready.
After it's made, place it in a cool, shady place and wait for it to filter.
By the time it was finished, it was already noon the next day. After lunch, I blended the lemon and rose flavors together and tried it out.
Looking at the finished product in front of her, Mingxiu was a little disappointed. She had forgotten that if she wanted the fragrance to last, she would need to add a fragrance-retaining agent, which she hadn't done.
But it's alright. Although the duration is short, it still smells nice, with a hint of rose and a refreshing lemon scent, which is perfect for summer.
Mingxiu was quite satisfied with her first time making perfume, so she happily sprayed on the newly made perfume and went to the Qianqing Palace. She needed to get Kangxi to praise her.
In the Qianqing Palace
Upon hearing Liang Jiugong's words that Consort Ming had arrived and was waiting outside for an audience, they realized that the imperial concubine had arrived.
Kangxi was somewhat surprised to hear this. Given her personality—she would rather sit than stand, and rather lie down than sit—she usually never left the house, yet she had come today.
"Let her in," Kangxi replied in a deep voice.
As soon as Mingxiu entered, she saw Kangxi sitting on the throne.
Kangxi raised an eyebrow and said sarcastically, "Isn't this a very busy person? Always busy studying, what brings you here to see me today?"
Mingxiu chuckled; she knew the Emperor meant that she hadn't been going out much lately.
But this time she really had a reason.
Although she rarely goes out because she doesn't like going out, recently, for some reason, Consort Tong has been frequently asking her to discuss matters.
When Mingxiu first heard this, she was quite surprised. Everyone knew that after the Empress passed away, Consort Tong had been in charge of the affairs of the inner palace and no one else was allowed to touch them or discuss matters with her.
What kind of negotiation is this?!
Then Mingxiu listened to gossip all morning, the gist of which was that everyone was good sisters, look, I have power and you don't, the emperor still likes me the most, blah blah blah, and so on, which made Mingxiu just want to roll her eyes.
When Consort Tong summoned her again, she declined all the requests, citing that the Emperor had assigned her many tasks and she was too busy to handle them all.
"Hehe, Your Majesty, others may not know, but you know your concubine, don't you? Your concubine just doesn't like to socialize with others and prefers to play by herself in the palace. Besides, your concubine missed you. Look, this is delicious food that your concubine made herself. She came here just to see you."
Mingxiu got up and pulled Mingxiu's hand to sit on the couch next to her. Hearing her words, he said helplessly, "You are just lazy. How are you doing with the tasks I assigned you recently? The inspection is coming soon."
Upon hearing this, Mingxiu's face fell, and she said with a bitter expression, "Your Majesty, don't worry, I'm studying hard. But Your Majesty, do you want me to become the top scholar in the imperial examination, or what? Why are you even including the Four Books and Five Classics?"
"Ouch!" Mingxiu had just finished speaking when she felt a sharp pain in her forehead.
"Dream on. You think you can become the top scholar? You're dreaming faster than you are," Kangxi said, withdrawing his hand from Mingxiu's forehead.
Mingxiu pouted. "If it's not true, it's not true. Why did you hit me? It hurts."
"Alright, alright, Your Majesty, I came to see you today for something else. Do you see anything different about me today?" Mingxiu stood up and twirled around, the delicate scent of roses and lemons wafting towards her.
Kangxi smelled the fragrance emanating from Mingxiu and immediately understood the purpose of her visit.
She's here to show off. Ignore her words, and open the food box to find snacks that Mingxiu has just made.
Kangxi leaned slightly to the side on the couch, eating while watching Mingxiu showing off in front of him.
He looked quite carefree and relaxed.
"Your Majesty, do you notice anything different about me today?" Mingxiu interrupted Kangxi, who was eating.
Emperor Kangxi looked him up and down, then shook his head, indicating that he couldn't see it.
Seeing Kangxi shake his head, Mingxiu raised her sleeve in disbelief and gently sniffed it. There was a smell.
“Your Majesty, if you take another look, you’ll surely see the difference.” Mingxiu walked over and leaned against Kangxi, tugging at his arm, saying she wanted him to take a look, but her body was pressed close to his nose.
Kangxi also saw her sniffing her sleeve and laughed. Looking at Mingxiu, who was still snuggling into his arms, he stopped teasing her. "Alright, I can smell it. What scented balm did you wear today, my dear consort? It smells so refreshing."
Mingxiu stepped out of the Emperor's embrace with satisfaction and looked at him happily: "Your Majesty, I also think it's very good. Isn't it perfect for summer? I made this myself today. Doesn't it smell nice?"
Seeing Kangxi nod, Mingxiu was even more satisfied. It's good to show off the things you like to others, right?
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