Emperor Kangxi picked up a piece of tea-flavored pastry. Despite the strange appearance of the pastry in front of him, he still put it in his mouth with trust. It was sweet and delicious, with a strong tea aroma. He never expected that it was made from the tea leaves that he loved to drink.
"How did you come up with the idea of using tea leaves to make pastries, my dear concubine?"
Kangxi was puzzled and went to see Wanyi. Could it be that Lady Suozhuolun knew he liked Pu'er tea, so she used Pu'er tea to please him?
"This was Tianxiang's choice. I was just suggesting to Tianxiang that she try making pastries with tea, so that the pastries would have a tea aroma. When you take a bite, your mouth will be full of tea fragrance."
"Indeed excellent. Liang Jiugong, reward that pastry-making maid!" Kangxi was in a very good mood, so he generously rewarded Tianxiang.
"This humble servant adds incense to thank Your Majesty."
As Wanyi spoke, she placed the brewed Pu'er tea in front of Kangxi.
"Your Majesty, please try the Pu'er tea I brewed!"
"Alright, then I'll try them all."
Emperor Kangxi picked up the tea and smelled it. The tea had a delicate aroma. He took a small sip and slowly savored the flavor of the Pu'er tea. Kangxi thought that the flower tea he had just drunk was the best he had ever tasted, but he never expected that this Pu'er tea would be so delicious, more than twice as good as what he usually drank.
"What is your name?" Kangxi asked Wanyi earnestly.
“My name is Suo Zhuolun Wanyi.”
"Graceful and demure, naturally a beauty of the boudoir, not bad, who gave you this name?" Wanyi also has another meaning: a graceful and beautiful woman, independent of the world. Wanyi is her father's only precious daughter.
"Did Father give this poem to me? Is the Emperor's poem from the Song Dynasty poem 'Butterfly Loves Flowers - After the First Sight of His Waist'?" Wanyi thought for a moment, wondering where Kangxi's poem came from.
"Your father hoped that you would be gentle and quiet."
"Yes! Mother said that Father named me Wanyi because he thought I was too lively, meaning gentle, quiet, and dignified."
"Too lively? What do you mean by too lively?" Kangxi asked Wanyi with a puzzled look. Kangxi was good at grasping the key points.
"Your Majesty, these are all things from when we were little. Can we not talk about them?" Wanyi looked shy and a little embarrassed.
"What's wrong, Wan'er? You don't want to talk about it? I, on the other hand, really want to hear it. How about I exchange something with you?" This piqued Kangxi's curiosity.
Wanyi brewed the last type of flower tea and placed it in front of Kangxi. There were six types in total: Biluochun, Pu'er tea, osmanthus tea, chrysanthemum tea, red date and longan tea, and Liuan melon seed tea. Then she sat down next to Kangxi and said cautiously.
"Can we not change the concubines?"
"What if I want to change it?" Kangxi looked at Wanyi with a half-smile, as if to say, "Try not to say it."
"This concubine will speak!" Wanyi said, on the verge of tears.
"Well, this is what Wan'er wanted to say, so I won't exchange anything." After saying that, Kangxi picked up the half-full cup of Pu'er tea and took a sip.
"Does Your Majesty like Pu'er tea? When you come to my humble abode, I will personally brew tea for you every time, how about that?" Wanyi's eyes sparkled as she looked at Kangxi. How could Kangxi not see through Wanyi's little trick? She was just trying to change the subject. But it worked out by accident. Kangxi was even thinking about how to get Wanyi to serve him a cup of Pu'er tea every time she came.
"Good! Of all the teas, this Pu'er tea is the best. The others are also very good, but they still need some refinement. We need to keep working on them." Kangxi explained in an attempt to conceal his true preferences.
"Yes, ma'am."
Wanyi rose and performed a curtsy. Having lived through a lifetime, and with the memories of the original owner, she naturally knew some of Kangxi's habits and affairs.
"Now that this matter has been decided, tell me about the lively things!" Kangxi brought the topic back.
"Your Majesty~" Wanyi called out helplessly.
"I'll tell you then. His Majesty said he'd exchange it for something, and he can't go back on his word. The Emperor's word is law." As she spoke, Wanyi boldly grabbed Kangxi's arm and shook it coquettishly.
Kangxi was somewhat surprised. Among the concubines in the harem, only his cousin was bold. The other concubines were quiet and well-mannered in front of him, afraid of committing the crime of being disrespectful in front of the emperor. Even when joking, they would think three times before saying one sentence. He did not expect that Suo Zhuolun was so innocent and carefree, which pleased him greatly!
"Haha, you're right. I will then bestow upon you the set of purple hairpins that the Pan Kingdom recently presented as tribute."
Liang Jiugong, who was standing to the side, was shocked. Consort Tong had asked His Majesty for this set of purple hairpins several times, but His Majesty had not given them to her. This Consort Suo Zhuolun was quite capable, managing to get His Majesty to grant her request so easily with just a few words.
"Then I thank Your Majesty in advance." Kangxi said this, basically indicating that he intended to give it to Wanyi.
“When I was little, I wasn’t as dignified and quiet as I am now. For a while, I lived on the estate with my mother and brothers. Then I completely let go of my nature and followed my brothers around all day, chasing chickens and dogs, climbing trees to steal birds’ nests. I did the same when I came home. At that time, my father felt that my previous name was not suitable for me, so he changed my name.”
"I can't believe you were like this when you were little!" Kangxi thought she was quiet and well-behaved when she was little, which is why she is so serene now.
“I was still young then, but I’ve learned my lesson now!” Wanyi pouted, seemingly disapproving.
"What was your name before?"
"The name 'So-Chuo-Lun Bao-Zhu' is derived from the meaning of 'a pearl in one's palm'."
"This sounds nice too. You must have been really naughty, so Sozhuolun Akul changed your name to this!"
"You're not very naughty!"
“Your Majesty, don’t listen to what the young lady says. Every time the master comes back from court, there’s always something wrong here or there. The worst time was when not only was the study a mess, but he also stewed the parrot that Miss Biao gave to the eldest young master, and almost burned down the kitchen. That day, the whole mansion almost went hungry.” Hongxiu directly exposed Wanyi’s dirty secrets.
"Hongxiu, I am your master! How dare you side with outsiders!" Wanyi seemed angry, glaring fiercely at Hongxiu with her unreliable eyes.
"Your Majesty, my mistress is going to punish me. Please plead for me!" Hongxiu said, then smiled and gave Wanyi a curtsy.
"Your Majesty, look at you! Now that you've come to my humble abode, I'm practically your servant! I'm so sorry!" Wanyi pouted, pulling on Kangxi's hand and swaying it gently.
"Alright, alright, I'll punish her for you. Punish her—tell me the rest. What happened next? What happened to your master?" Kangxi became increasingly curious about what happened to Wanyi afterward.
"Your Majesty," Kangxi patted Wanyi's hand, signaling her not to panic, that he would listen to her first.
"This servant obeys the decree!" Hongxiu quickly bowed and replied.
"Later, the young master was punished by not being allowed to eat, but with the eldest and second young masters around, the young master naturally wouldn't go hungry. After that, the young master was sent to her maternal grandparents' house. The young master caused quite a fuss at her maternal grandparents' house, but in the end, she learned etiquette, interpersonal skills, and how to manage a household with her aunt."
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