The Crown Prince finally finished reading all the memorials for the day and stretched his stiff neck.
The Crown Prince saw that Emperor Kangxi was still reading memorials. No wonder his elder brother always said that being an emperor was no human being. It was really too tiring. Just like his elder brother said, "He sleeps later than a dog and gets up earlier than a rooster!"
"Father, I have finished reading your memorial!" the Crown Prince said as he approached Emperor Kangxi.
"Oh, I understand. You may return to Yuqing Palace!" Kangxi said without looking up.
"Yes! Father, you should rest early too!" The Crown Prince was still wondering why his father hadn't invited him to stay for dinner before he went home.
Before leaving, the Crown Prince glanced at Kangxi's table, and that one glance revealed something extraordinary. His eyes widened in disbelief.
Emperor Kangxi noticed that the Crown Prince had not left yet, and when he looked up, he saw the Crown Prince staring at him with wide eyes.
Kangxi felt like he'd been caught red-handed. "Baocheng, I... I'm just worried about the books Hexue is reading. I'm checking them out for her so she doesn't see anything inappropriate!"
The Crown Prince looked at Kangxi with an expression that seemed to say, "Do you think I would believe that?"
The Crown Prince felt he should retract his earlier sympathy for his father, the Emperor. He had assumed the Emperor was diligently reviewing memorials, but what he found out was that his father was engrossed in studying a sketchbook.
"Alright, you don't need to worry about it anymore, hurry back!" Kangxi dismissed the Crown Prince before he could speak.
The prince wisely turned around and prepared to leave.
"Wait a moment, Bao Cheng, take these back to He Xue!" Kangxi said, pointing to the sketchbooks on the table.
"Yes, Father Emperor!" The Crown Prince readily agreed, as he could also take the opportunity to see He Xue.
"Father, is there another copy missing?" The Crown Prince discovered that Kangxi had hidden another copy, which was placed under the "Zizhi Tongjian".
"No, I've checked everything! That's all! Alright, send it over quickly!"
"I heard from your mother, Tong, that this girl looks at picture books before bed every night. If you don't send them over, she might have insomnia tonight!" Kangxi subtly pushed the book further inside.
The Crown Prince thought that Kangxi had taken them on purpose. He knew how much He Xue treasured these picture books. He even suspected that if he and these picture books fell into the water, He Xue would definitely try to retrieve the picture books first. Therefore, he could not let his father take away any of He Xue's picture books.
"Father, isn't it the one in the Zizhi Tongjian?" the Crown Prince said, directly addressing the emperor.
Kangxi glanced at the Crown Prince, wondering why he looked so sharp. "Perhaps Bao Cheng is too stubborn!"
"That book, I don't think it's suitable for He Xue to read!" Kangxi said without blushing or panicking.
Seeing that Kangxi was determined not to return the painting to Hexue, the Crown Prince had no choice but to give up. He could always find Hexue more painting books.
"Father, what did He Xue say to you in Chengqian Palace?" The Crown Prince was quite curious about what He Xue had said, and why his father had that expression. It must be what He Xue had described as "looking constipated!"
"Children shouldn't pry into adults' affairs! Go on your way!" Kangxi would never tell the Crown Prince! It was too unacceptable.
The crown prince pursed his lips. If he didn't want to tell him, he didn't have to. He could ask He Xue.
After the Crown Prince left, Emperor Kangxi took out the picture book he had hidden: "The Love-Hate Relationship Between Suoshan and Mingzhu." Even without reading the contents, one could tell who it was about.
Emperor Kangxi still refused to believe that Suo'etu and Mingzhu were such people, but if it were true, he was still willing to grant their wish, for true love knows no gender.
It seems he needs to find out more indirectly. Suo'etu and Mingzhu are his right-hand men, and he can't let them have any regrets.
Just as Kangxi had said, He Xue really hadn't slept inside Chengqian Palace. The spot where she usually kept her sketchbooks was empty. Here, sketchbooks were like cell phones in modern times; it was really hard to fall asleep without looking at them!
Finally, Xue got so bored that she got up to practice calligraphy.
Back in modern times, she had always wanted to practice calligraphy, but she never had the time. Now, she had plenty of time to practice. Moreover, both the brushes and ink were far superior to those in modern times, so of course she wanted to seize the opportunity.
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