"Your Majesty, may Your Majesty be blessed with ten thousand years of happiness and peace!" Everyone stood up and kowtowed to the woman who was slowly walking towards the main seat. Lanqin quickly followed suit and bowed, not daring to raise her head, only half-squatting.
"Rise, all of you," Consort De said slowly, as she sat down in the main seat with the help of palace servants and glanced at the people below.
Before everyone could even get their bearings, they suddenly heard a eunuch's voice outside announcing, "The Emperor has arrived!"
Upon hearing this, Consort De immediately stood up from her seat, a hint of joy appearing on her face. With the help of palace servants, she stepped down from her seat and quickly walked to the door to greet the emperor.
Lanqin and the others naturally followed behind her to greet Kangxi. Lanqin was also inexplicably excited. She hadn't seen Kangxi in person during the last talent selection, but this time she would finally be able to meet the famous Emperor Kangxi.
A eunuch holding a whisk appeared first in everyone's sight, and then behind him, a bright yellow figure appeared at the entrance of the main hall, which was so bright that people could not open their eyes.
In fact, no one dared to look directly at that bright yellow at that moment. They all lowered their heads and bowed slightly. All that could be heard was Consort De leading everyone in saying in unison, "Your Majesty, I respectfully welcome you. May Your Majesty enjoy ten thousand years of good fortune and peace!" Then came a series of "Your Majesty, I respectfully welcome you. May Your Majesty enjoy ten thousand years of good fortune and peace."
"Today you are the star of the show. I have brought Consort Hui, Consort Lan, and others to join in the fun for my beloved consort." A thin voice reached Lanqin's ears. The voice was not loud, nor was it magnetic; instead, it sounded somewhat tired and dry.
"Your Majesty's presence truly fills me with trepidation. My sisters are so kind; I am very pleased to welcome you all." Consort De immediately turned and walked into the palace following the figure in bright yellow.
After the palace servants brought over a few more seats, Lanqin finally saw that among the noble ladies sitting below Consort De, there was indeed He Dong. However, He Dong hadn't noticed her from the beginning; her eyes had been fixed on Kangxi. Following her gaze, Lanqin finally saw Kangxi's true face.
A slightly thin, middle-aged man! He wasn't tall, but his eyes were bright and piercing, and his nose was slightly hooked. He didn't have the appearance of someone who was extremely wealthy or noble, but the authority in his eyes was profound.
Perhaps an emperor must always maintain his dignity, otherwise how can he keep the people in awe?
"Where is the fourth prince?" Kangxi asked, sitting in the main seat with Consort De. His question drew everyone's attention to where she was sitting.
When Holland discovered that Lanqin was standing right behind the Fourth Prince's wife, his face paled for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure.
"Replying to Your Majesty, I, your humble wife, also do not know. Perhaps Your Highness is outside the palace. Perhaps I should send someone to look for you immediately." The Fourth Prince's wife immediately stood up, curtsied, and said nervously.
When the Fourth Prince walked out of the main hall, she assumed he was just standing outside. However, Emperor Kangxi had clearly entered from outside, yet she hadn't encountered him, indicating he wasn't outside. But the Fourth Prince hadn't told his wife where he had gone, so she had no choice but to answer truthfully.
Consort De frowned slightly upon hearing her explanation. She had never been fond of Ulanara, and seeing that she didn't even know the whereabouts of the Fourth Prince, she was immediately angry. What angered her even more was that the Fourth Prince had come but wasn't waiting for her.
"Fourth Brother just went out for a while, maybe Princess Niu knows!" Fourteenth Prince suddenly said nonchalantly.
Lanqin's heart trembled at his words. Well, ever since Kangxi entered, our Comrade Lanqin had been unable to contain her excitement! The mighty Emperor Kangxi was right in front of her.
"Who is Princess Niu?" Kangxi asked, his gaze sweeping over the women in the palace.
"Your Majesty, it is indeed I, your humble servant." Lanqin held her wildly beating heart, turned to the side, and curtsied to Kangxi.
"Who are you, and why does my Fourteenth Prince say you know where the Fourth Prince is?" Kangxi asked, his eyes narrowing as he scanned Lanqin.
"Replying to Your Majesty, Consort Niu is indeed a consort in my household," the Fujin immediately replied.
"Princess? What? A princess can enter the palace?" Kangxi said calmly.
Upon hearing this, Holland, sitting to the side, flashed a smug look. The Fujin was exactly what Kangxi had been waiting for. Instead of explaining why Lanqin was there, she left the question to Lanqin herself.
"Your Majesty, it was my mother who asked for a favor, so that Fourth Brother could bring Princess Niu here." The Fourteenth Prince, who had caused the trouble, was not so ungrateful as to act ungratefully at this moment, and immediately said.
"Why are you asking for this favor for your fourth brother's princess?" Clearly, Kangxi was interested in this little episode. He looked at Lanqin curiously again.
His words were exactly what everyone was wondering about, and immediately all eyes fell on the Fourteenth Prince. Sitting to the side, Lady Wanyan glanced at the Fourteenth Prince and pouted, saying, "Your Majesty, I know why he sought favor for Lady Niu."
Lanqin felt a chill run down her spine as soon as she heard her speak. She had a premonition that this pampered princess of the Later Jin Dynasty would not be grateful to her, but would instead think the worst of her.
Kangxi immediately gestured for her to continue. Wanyan immediately stood up, curtsied, and replied, "Your Majesty, Mother, Lady Niu suspects that the Fourteenth Prince wants me to have a child. I truly do not understand how the Fourth Prince's daughter-in-law could say such things to her brother-in-law."
It turns out that Wanyan is only thirteen years old, a year younger than Lanqin. She doesn't want to have children right away and wants to enjoy a few more years of easy life. But recently, the Fourteenth Prince has been going to her room like crazy to make love to her.
Wanyan was initially pleased, but upon learning from him again that it was to help her conceive sooner, she immediately questioned him about his eagerness to have a child. Fourteenth Prince, being rather dim-witted, blurted out that it was to please his mother.
Wanyan, who always considered herself a princess, pressed the fourteenth prince for an explanation, asking him why he suddenly had such a thought, and then she got Lanqin's words out of him.
"Niu, come and explain to me why you told the Fourteenth Prince to have a child with Consort Wanyan?" Kangxi asked.
"Your Majesty, Consort De, I met the Fourteenth Prince once at the Fourth Prince's estate. The Fourteenth Prince asked me what kind of birthday gift I should give to Mother to make her happy?" Lanqin had no choice but to tell the truth.
"How did you reply to him?" Kangxi continued to ask.
"I told you, 'As parents, we naturally want our children to get married and start their own families as soon as possible. Now that you have married the primary consort, you should give birth to a legitimate son as soon as possible so that Consort De can enjoy the joys of family life.'" Lanqin said stiffly.
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