Mei'er was thus left in this room. This was a first-class wing room next to the Imperial Garden, and at this moment, it contained dishes and other miscellaneous items brought down from the palace banquet. Palace maids and eunuchs went in and out, but no one paid any attention to Mei'er, who was placed on a flat surface.
"Water! Water!" Mei'er slowly regained her senses and felt extremely thirsty, but no one paid any attention to her.
What's wrong with me? Why did I faint? Mei'er wondered. Was it caused by that thing? It turned out that Mei'er had started taking a pill to attract Kangxi's attention. She had obtained that pill by chance.
Once, Mei'er caught a cold and her condition seemed hopeless. The palace maids sharing her room refused to help her, only giving her a few bowls of water. Ever since Mei'er gained some favor with Emperor Kangxi, she had been quite arrogant in front of those palace maids. Therefore, when they saw that she was on the verge of death, they naturally stood by and watched, hoping that she would die so that they would have more opportunities to show their faces in front of Emperor Kangxi.
Mei'er had once planned to work as a eunuch elsewhere. Seeing that Mei'er was critically ill, someone found her some pills and gave them to her, thus saving her life. Mei'er noticed that after taking these pills, her appetite decreased, and she became increasingly thin. It was when Mei'er suddenly became so slender that Emperor Kangxi noticed her.
Mei said to herself: I can't die. I haven't even made it yet, how can I die here!
Suddenly, a hand reached out and scooped up the back of her neck. Mei thought it must be Xiao Qinzi, and with her eyes closed, she asked, "Xiao Qinzi, is that you?"
The owner of those hands did not answer her question, but simply brought a bowl of water to Mei'er's lips.
Mei immediately held the bowl with both hands and gulped down the water, finishing it all in one go.
When Mei'er finally saw the face of the person who had brought her a bowl of water, she exclaimed in surprise, "Thank you, Ninth Prince!" It turned out that the person who had just brought Mei'er water was none other than the Ninth Prince.
"No need to thank me. Is the little Qin you mentioned the one who serves at Yikun Palace?" Ninth Master asked.
Mei'er quickly concealed her panic and said, "No, Ninth Prince, you've misremembered. The Xiao Qinzi I'm referring to is a good friend of mine from before I entered the palace. He used to take good care of me, which is why I thought of him." Mei'er was afraid that her relationship with Xiao Qinzi would be discovered, so she quickly covered it up.
Ninth Master sighed and said, "Oh, I thought the Little Qin you were talking about was the one in Mother's palace."
Mei'er quickly got up from the bed and curtsied to Ninth Master, saying, "I was momentarily exhausted and fainted. Thank you for the bowl of water you brought me earlier. I will repay your kindness if I have the chance in the future."
Ninth Master smiled and said, "It was just a small favor. We are destined to meet. If you need any help in the future, you may inform me through Xiao Qinzi in Mother's Palace. If I can help Miss Mei, I will certainly not stand idly by."
After saying that, Ninth Master strode out first.
Mei'er stood there, stunned, her heart pounding with anxiety. What exactly did Ninth Prince mean by what he had just said to her? She was already a court lady favored by the Emperor; what was the purpose of a prince suddenly approaching her like this?
Mei'er walked out of the row of side rooms with this question in her mind and headed towards the Imperial Garden, where the Emperor was waiting for the tea she had prepared.
Meanwhile, in the Imperial Garden, after several rounds of drinks, Emperor Kangxi was feeling somewhat exhausted and was preparing to rest. He looked around at his many wives and concubines, all seated around him, and wondered where he should go.
Just then, Mei'er walked over, and Kangxi saw her at a glance. He remembered that she seemed to have suddenly fainted, so how did she end up perfectly fine in front of him again?
"Liang Jiugong, return to the Qianqing Palace. Consort De, Consort Yi, Prince Zhi, Third Prince, Fourth Prince, and others, you all stay here and continue to help me properly entertain all the officials!" Kangxi said.
Consort De and Consort Yi quickly rose to receive the imperial decree and express their gratitude, and Prince Zhi and the others also responded.
Kangxi then took Liang Jiugong's hand and left the banquet in a grand procession with the eunuchs and palace maids who served him, including Mei'er.
After Kangxi returned to the Qianqing Palace and entered the West Warm Pavilion, he stretched out his arm and said, "Help me take off these clothes; they are really tiring to wear."
Mei'er deftly stepped forward and began to remove the things that Kangxi was wearing. There used to be another palace maid who served tea with Mei'er in front of Kangxi, but since Mei'er was favored by Kangxi, she was basically no longer called to serve him.
Seeing the look on Kangxi's face as he stared at Mei'er, Liang Jiugong waved to the other servants and dismissed them.
"How did you faint?" Kangxi asked, staring at the extremely delicate and fair-skinned face before him.
"Your Majesty, I was just a little tired and that's why I'm exhausted. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!" Mei'er began to tie the butterfly knots around Kangxi's neck, each one quite difficult to untie.
"I've noticed you've become increasingly thin lately. Are you overworked? Perhaps Fang'er could relieve you so you can rest for a while," Kangxi said to another palace maid who was preparing tea for him.
"I'm fine, I'm just a little tired," Mei'er said慌张地. She was already a woman who had slept with the emperor, and it was impossible for her to be released from the palace to marry someone like the other palace maids when she reached a certain age. In fact, she didn't want to go out again. Even if she married someone badly, it would be a waste of all the years she had spent in the palace.
"I was just worried you were too tired. If not, then make me a cup of tea," Kangxi said.
At this moment, Mei'er had already unbuttoned all the buttons and helped Kangxi take off his dragon robe. Then she took the robe to hang it up and made tea for Kangxi.
When Mei'er arrived at a private room in the Qianqing Palace where tea was prepared for the emperor, she saw Fang'er and another palace maid who was responsible for cleaning and inspecting the emperor's tea utensils sitting together and talking.
Upon seeing her enter, both of them stopped their conversation. However, Mei'er had already overheard them discussing why she had fainted in that situation.
Fang'er had long disliked Mei'er, believing that Mei'er had stolen her opportunities to appear more in front of Emperor Kangxi, so she secretly spoke ill of Mei'er to the other palace maids.
Mei'er looked for the tea that Emperor Kangxi always liked to drink, but couldn't find it anywhere. She had no choice but to ask Fang'er, "Where did you put the Taiping Kuihou tea that the Emperor likes to drink?"
Fang'er feigned surprise and said, "Sister Mei, didn't you collect all the Emperor's tea leaves? Why are you asking me about it?"
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