"Sozhuolun Akur!" Kangxi exclaimed as soon as he saw the name at the end of the sentence.
“Your subject is here.” Akur looked at the excited Kangxi and naturally knew that Kangxi had seen the memorial he had submitted.
"Come to the Hall of Mental Cultivation after the court session."
Kangxi suppressed his excitement and patiently dealt with the remaining matters, though he was mostly distracted, after all, it was smallpox!
"Yes." Akul smiled knowingly.
This only fueled the curiosity of those who were already curious. Since Emperor Kangxi was unwilling to speak, the only recourse was to try and catch Lord Suo Zhuolun after court.
As soon as Kangxi entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation, he dismissed everyone around him and addressed Suozhuolun Akur, "Akur, is what's said in the memorial true? Deceiving the emperor is a serious crime. Think it over before you speak." Kangxi still couldn't believe that the troublesome smallpox had been resolved so easily. Smallpox had always been a major threat to the nation, causing countless deaths and injuries every time it appeared.
"Your Majesty, it is indeed true. My wife, Wenhao, discovered it on the way to the Three Feudatories. At first, I didn't believe it, but out of trust in my wife, I sealed off a manor and invited the best doctors to study it. The test subjects were all household servants who had committed serious offenses. From birth to old age, all these results are here."
Akul took out a book. The experiment had been recorded for both men and women. Those with strong bodies survived, while newborns, perhaps due to their weaker constitutions, did not.
"Good, Akur, you have done a great service!" Kangxi was determined to be a wise ruler and be remembered as an emperor for all time. This one thing alone was enough for him to be remembered for all time.
"Your Majesty, this is also a blessing from Your Majesty. Otherwise, I would not have been able to figure it out. However, this matter is too big. It is better for Your Majesty to study it. I am just an assistant." Akur gave the credit to Kangxi because he knew that his Suozhuolun clan could not handle such a big matter.
"Here's what we'll do! Tell me what's going on, and I'll order Imperial Physician Lu to go to your estate. You'll cooperate fully, and you'll be rewarded handsomely." Kangxi meant that he wouldn't announce it for the time being. He wanted Imperial Physician Lu to take some other imperial physicians to learn first, and then go to the imperial estate to inoculate the royal family with smallpox.
“Your subject obeys the decree.” Akur kowtowed.
Last night, Consort Borjigit came to inform her that she should pay her respects at Cining Palace today. Yes, you read that right. The maid who came to inform her implied that it was the Empress Dowager's order to prepare some good snacks to take with her. This made her get up early this morning and rush to the tea room to make snacks. After all, it was the Empress Dowager's order, how could she not respect it?
"Let's go! We should get going!"
Wanyi walked in front, followed by Hongxiu, Yeming, and Xiao Dengzi. Hongxiu supported her, Yeming carried a food box, and Xiao Dengzi carried two.
When Wanyi arrived at Cining Palace, Consort Borjigit was already there. Ever since Kangxi told Bumbutai about the rice, she had changed her attitude and was more sincere towards Wanyi, and had also taken care of her in other ways.
"This humble servant greets the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, and Sister Borjigit. May the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager enjoy boundless blessings and good health, and may Sister Borjigit be well!" Everyone here is older than her; they are all powerful figures.
"Sister Wanyi is here, and she brought some snacks. I can tell you, I was craving them last night."
Consort Borjigit stepped forward and pulled Wanyi, who was bowing, aside without waiting for Bumbutai to call her to sit down.
“I brought it. I made it myself this morning. Now the Imperial Garden is full of flowers. Apart from the pastries made from goat's milk, cow's milk and mare's milk, the rest are made from flowers collected from the Flower Rain Pavilion.”
Wanyi gestured to Ye Ming and Xiao Dengzi to hand the food box to Granny He, who would then check it before presenting it to her.
"You made these yourself? So many?" The Empress Dowager looked at the table full of pastries in front of her in surprise, a total of eighteen kinds.
“Last night, the maidservant beside my sister Borjigit said that the Empress Dowager wanted to taste my cooking, so I got up early to prepare more so that you could all try it. Because there are many varieties, I made the pieces smaller.” This means that what used to be a plate of six pieces was now divided into twelve pieces.
"I never sent such a message!" Upon hearing this, Bumbutai realized that she did not recall sending such a message.
"Well, I only asked Lexin to invite Sister Wanyi to come to Cining Palace to pay her respects today and bring some snacks. I just didn't expect you to make so many. Hehe, I like them all."
Consort Borjigit spoke awkwardly, after all, it was her idea. Who told her that every time she went to her sister Wanyi's place, she only wanted two kinds of pastries, which wasn't enough for her?
"So it was my sister who wanted to eat this," Wanyi said, suddenly realizing.
One look at Consort Borjigit's expression and you'd know what was going on. The desserts were made with spring water, so they were naturally tastier than others. However, Consort Wanyi didn't add much. These desserts were only slightly better than those made by the Imperial Kitchen. Spring water isn't addictive, and Consort Borjigit wasn't addicted; she was just craving it.
"Good child, so much! What time did you get up?" The Empress Dowager pulled Wanyi over with affection, after all, she quite liked this sincere girl.
"It's alright, it's not too early. I went to bed early last night." Indeed, she had Tianxiang prepare the things, and Tianxiang had helped in the morning, so they were done quickly.
Next, Bumbutai and the Empress Dowager both lectured Consort Borjigit. Consort Borjigit ate her snacks while listening to the two elders scolding her, letting it go in one ear and out the other. Wanyi watched the show from the side.
After Akur left, Kangxi's mood remained unsettled for a long time. He had originally planned to quickly deal with the memorials before telling his father the good news, but once he picked up the memorials, he couldn't concentrate on reading them. Helpless, he had no choice but to put the memorials down, which startled Guo Luoluo Yihua, who had just come in to serve tea.
"Your Majesty, please have some tea." Guo Luoluo Yihua tried to soften her voice as much as possible.
"Hmm, not bad, reward me." Kangxi was in a good mood and didn't even taste the flavor; he just wanted to express his joy.
"This servant is unworthy of such gifts. These teas were brewed by the ladies in the tea room. I only brought them up myself. Please allow me to share these gifts with the ladies." Guo Luoluo Yihua saw the joyful Kangxi Emperor and knew that this was an opportunity. If she missed it, she didn't know when the next one would come.
"You are quite generous." Kangxi was somewhat surprised. When did palace maids become so righteous?
“I was originally a lowly palace maid in Huayu Pavilion. It was Eunuch Liang who took pity on me and brought me to the Emperor’s court. The tea room sisters have taken good care of me since I arrived, and I am very grateful to them. However, I have nothing of value, and now that I have received a reward, I naturally want to repay them.”
She was poised and confident, meeting Kangxi's gaze without fear, which earned her some favor from him.
"Aren't you afraid of me?"
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