It's impossible for Harigana to feel nothing at that moment. But in any case, now is not the time for her to fall in love.
"Baocheng! How old are you? How can you act like this in front of your father? What kind of behavior is this!"
Perhaps it was because of her guilt about not telling Harigana the truth, or perhaps it was because she saw the resentment in Yinreng's eyes just now, or even more so because Harigana had tried to pull her hand back.
In short, although Kangxi still held Yinreng to his waist as before, his tone was not as warm as usual.
Yinreng stiffened for a moment. Although he was not yet ten years old, he was, after all, a child raised by Emperor Kangxi. He had been the crown prince since childhood, and even his words and actions were strictly educated!
Therefore, he clearly sensed Kangxi's reprimand and displeasure.
"Father, I know I was wrong!"
Yinreng kept his head down, and no one could see what he was thinking.
Harigana gently squeezed his hand, signaling him not to do that.
It wasn't that Harigana was being fakely kind; it was just that she had only recently arrived at the palace, and Kangxi was still holding her hand. If things escalated, it would be very difficult to handle.
The Empress Dowager wanted to say something, but ultimately couldn't bring herself to speak, having witnessed Yinreng's ulterior motives. For a crown prince to act in such a manner was truly unbecoming.
"Alright! I'm not scolding you. Come here and help your Dharma!"
Emperor Kangxi was not a reckless person. Since he was acting in public, he must have given it considerable thought. Even if Harigana hadn't reminded him, he wouldn't have continued. But the little girl's suggestion made him feel perfectly at ease.
"It's Father Emperor!"
Yinreng walked to the Empress Dowager's side, took the hand that Kangxi was supporting, and stood there quietly.
The court officials had originally intended to accompany Emperor Kangxi to the Qianqing Palace, where they would exchange pleasantries and attend a banquet that evening. However, Kangxi only spoke with them briefly at the palace gate before declining to go to the Qianqing Palace, citing the Empress Dowager's long journey as the reason.
"I wish to escort the Empress Dowager back to the palace. If there are any issues, please write a memorial and present it at the morning court tomorrow."
The Empress Dowager suppressed her anger and forced herself to remain calm. However, she tightened her grip on Yinreng and the Empress Dowager's hands.
Now that Emperor Kangxi had completely taken control of the government, no official dared to say anything about the matter. They knelt respectfully on the ground and escorted the group back to the palace.
Harigana kept looking ahead, not at anyone. Now she had become the focus of everyone's attention, and she didn't want to have too much involvement with anyone, so she left a very aloof impression on others.
After entering the palace through the Meridian Gate, Emperor Kangxi, accompanied by Harigana, escorted the Empress Dowager to the Cining Palace. He intended to continue escorting the Empress Dowager there, but Harigana tactfully suggested that they stay and chat with her.
Yinreng stayed with the Empress Dowager, while the other children went back to their palaces with their mothers.
"Jiaojiao, when we have the chance in the future, I'll show you around the palace properly. Later, I'll have Li Dequan get you a layout map of the palace so you can get a clear understanding of it."
Emperor Kangxi, accompanied by Harigana, emerged from the Cining Palace and walked along the official road. He had just dismissed the concubines who had accompanied him in the small garden of the Cining Palace, so now only Emperor Kangxi and Harigana remained.
Li Dequan was shocked, but then he thought that it would be strange if the emperor didn't do this. Although the layout of the palace could not be shown to others casually, this person was none other than the emperor's most beloved.
"No! I don't want that! I'm not going to wander around the palace. Besides, if you have time in the future, you can take me for a walk, but I'm not going to come out on my own!"
Harigana isn't stupid; she wouldn't want any palace layout map.
Although she wasn't very experienced, she knew there were many things in the palace that were better left unsaid. Everything was sweet when nothing went wrong, but if something did happen, she'd be left with no way to explain herself.
Besides, even if she knew the layout of the palace, what could she do? She couldn't just wander in and wander around!
Kangxi was somewhat surprised, but considering Harigana's reluctance to go out, he assumed she was just too lazy to look at the pictures, so he didn't force her.
Neither of them took the matter to heart, but Li Dequan, who had been following them, was shocked, and his hand holding the whisk tightened unconsciously.
[This Consort Chen is so naive! She actually refused such a thing!]
As Kangxi walked, he introduced the surrounding environment to Harigana. Not far from Cining Palace was Qianqing Palace. When they passed Yangxin Hall, she glanced at it curiously.
"Does Jiaojiao like it here?"
Seeing Harigana's curious expression, Emperor Kangxi stood at the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, wanting to take her to see it.
Harigana quickly shook her head; she was simply curious about what Yongzheng's residence was like.
"No, no, it's just that the name is interesting, and I'm curious!"
Kangxi did not think much of it.
Initially, she had considered giving Harigana the Hall of Mental Cultivation, but it was too close to the Qianqing Gate. Furthermore, as a concubine, it was better for Harigana to remain in the inner palace. However, there wasn't a suitable place in the inner palace, so she ultimately decided to renovate the Hall of Union and Harmony to use as her sleeping quarters.
Although the Hall of Union and Harmony is smaller than the other palaces, it is not under the control of the inner palace and is closest to his Palace of Heavenly Purity. Moreover, he has decided to gradually renovate the Palace of Earthly Tranquility and merge the Hall of Supreme Harmony and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility together. In this way, Harigana's sleeping quarters will be much larger.
He originally planned to live in the Jiaotai Palace for a few years, and when the time was right, he could make Harigana his empress, and then live in the Kunning Palace legitimately.
To his utter surprise, Harigana became pregnant so quickly, and the Jiaotai Palace was already half-finished. In any case, he had no choice but to let Harigana stay there temporarily.
Fortunately, it will take several years for the children to grow up. Presumably, by the time their children are grown up and need to live independently, he will have fulfilled his promise, and Harigana will have become his wife.
"Okay! Let's go!"
Kangxi saw that Harigana really didn't want to go in, so he took his hand and continued walking inside. When they passed the gate of the Qianqing Palace, he even calculated the time to find out how long it would take to walk from the Qianqing Palace to Harigana's bedroom.
Harigana was still wondering why Kangxi, who had been talking non-stop just moments before, was now completely silent.
Actually, the distance from Qianqing Palace to Jiaotai Hall is not far. However, it takes about 15 minutes for the two of them to walk around the entire wall of Qianqing Palace from the main gate to Jiaotai Hall.
But when Harigana saw the large characters hanging on the palace gate, he was so shocked that his eyes and even his mouth were wide open!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
