When He Xue and the Crown Prince walked up to Kangxi, Kangxi also saw Consort De waiting to the side.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
"Greetings, Your Majesty!" He Xue and the Crown Prince bowed and greeted Emperor Kangxi.
"Baocheng, where are you going?" Kangxi forgot about Consort De, who had been flirting with him earlier, as soon as he saw the Crown Prince and Hexue.
"Your Majesty, I was on my way to pay my respects to Mother Tong when I ran into He Xue and took her back to Chengqian Palace!" the Crown Prince replied.
"Where have you been causing trouble again?" Kangxi asked Hexue. As expected of Suhetai's daughter, Hexue was never well-behaved; she was practically a little rascal.
"I'm very honest, how could my uncle the emperor say I'm naughty!" He Xue said, dissatisfied.
"Really? Then shall I tell you about those glorious deeds?" Kangxi was in a good mood today, so he wanted to tease Hexue a bit.
"No, Your Majesty, please have mercy!" He Xue hurriedly stopped Kangxi, as she couldn't let the Crown Prince have any bad impression of her.
"Haha!" Kangxi was amused by He Xue's appearance and burst into laughter.
He Xue looked up and saw that the Crown Prince was also secretly smiling. She tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Brother Crown Prince, I'm really being a good girl!"
"Yes, Your Highness believes that He Xue is the most obedient!" the Crown Prince said affectionately.
He Xue then smiled with satisfaction.
Left out in the cold, Consort De harbored some resentment towards Xue and the Crown Prince. If it weren't for their appearance, she might have already lured the Emperor to her palace.
"Princess is so lively and adorable. If my little Qi were still alive, she would probably be about the same age as you!" Consort De said deliberately to attract Kangxi's attention, and even wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Little Seven is not blessed, don't be too sad!" Kangxi comforted Consort De. After all, she was his child, and there was a trace of sadness in Kangxi's eyes.
"Uncle Emperor, please don't be sad. Seventh Princess must have become a star in the sky. She's just changing how she's with you! You'll see her as soon as you look up!" He Xue said.
Kangxi smiled as he looked at Hexue, "Your idea is quite novel! The dead all turn into stars!"
“Yes! The stars in the sky are all our deceased relatives. Otherwise, why would the stars appear at night? They are worried that we are afraid at night, so they come out to keep us company!” He Xue said.
Kangxi felt a chill run down his spine after hearing He Xue's words! It was late at night, and all around were dead people; the thought alone was terrifying!
"Where did you learn this from?" Kangxi asked.
"The sketchbook!" Kazuyuki once again shifted the blame onto the innocent sketchbook.
Kangxi was speechless. He should have guessed that He Xue was too young to read other books!
Kangxi turned to Consort De and said, "Consort De, don't be too sad. If you miss Xiao Qi, look up at the stars!"
Consort De was surprised that Emperor Kangxi would believe the words of a child.
He Xue couldn't help but laugh when she saw Consort De staring blankly at her. The Crown Prince patted He Xue's hand, signaling her to be careful and not to laugh too smugly.
"Yes, thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty! Fortunately, there is the Fourth Prince, so I don't miss Xiao Qi too much!" Consort De said with red eyes.
Consort De's current state, seemingly about to cry but not quite, is truly pitiful.
As expected, Kangxi took the bait, "You can come to Chengqian Palace to see Xiao Si more often when you have nothing to do!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Consort De said gratefully. "I came to see the Fourth Prince today, but I didn't expect him to be not in Chengqian Palace. What a coincidence!"
"You've come to see Xiao Si?" Kangxi asked, frowning.
"Yes, Her Highness the Imperial Concubine said that the Fourth Prince is not here!" Consort De said timidly.
While speaking, Consort De secretly observed Kangxi's expression. When she saw that Kangxi's face darkened, she couldn't help but feel smug. The Emperor would definitely question Tongjia Qingwan, but given Tongjia Qingwan's aloof nature, she certainly wouldn't argue. This would only deepen the misunderstanding between Tongjia Qingwan and the Emperor.
She knew Tongjia Qingwan quite well; she had used this knowledge to successfully climb into the Emperor's bed, which had caused Tongjia Qingwan to hold a grudge against the Emperor. In a fit of anger, the Emperor bestowed upon her the title of Consort.
He Xue watched as Consort De actually tried to sow discord between Consort De and Consort Tongjia right in front of her. Consort De had been waiting for Kangxi all along, yet Consort Tongjia claimed that Consort De had gone to Chengqian Palace, and Consort Tongjia was preventing her from seeing the Fourth Prince. This was truly unbearable.
Emperor Kangxi was separated from his birth mother at a young age, so he did not want his son to experience the same pain. He gave his fourth son to Consort Tongjia to comfort her.
He planned to let Xiao Si return to Consort De's side once Consort Tongjia had her own child. However, Consort Tongjia was in poor health and had not conceived for many years. When she finally became pregnant, the child did not survive. As a result, the matter of letting Xiao Si return to Consort De's side was delayed.
He hadn't expected that Consort Tongjia would actually prevent Consort De from seeing her son, the Fourth Prince. Had he been spoiling Consort Tongjia too much lately, making her arrogant and conceited?
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