Bumbutai didn't say anything, but slowly walked outside with Sumalagu's hand in hers.
Let's go!
Kangxi was helpless, not knowing what the Empress Dowager was up to. He had previously disliked the Mongolian concubines, but she had repeatedly come to see him. Now she had taken a liking to Harigana, but her look just now and her previous actions were really hard for him to understand.
"Um!"
The group marched in a grand procession toward the banquet hall. Kangxi and Bumbutai chatted casually along the way, while Harigana remained silent throughout, quietly following Kangxi.
As they approached the banquet hall, Harigana saw Tongjia coming from another direction!
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to the Empress Dowager, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, and I greet Consort Chen!"
When Lady Tongjia said these words, her heart was bleeding! With so many people watching, she, a noblewoman of the Manchu Plain Yellow Banner, was actually bowing to a Mongolian concubine. It was an utter disgrace.
But there was nothing she could do now; she could only suppress her anger and try to appear dignified and composed.
"Consort Tong! Rise!"
When the Empress Dowager saw Lady Tongjia, she frowned slightly. She had previously thought this person was someone she could use, but she hadn't expected her to be so useless. Leaving aside whether she would become an Imperial Noble Consort in the future, she was already inferior to the Mongol concubines.
"Your Majesty, I thank you!"
Tongjia stood up and looked at the Empress Dowager walking in the middle, and the Empress Dowagers and the Emperor on both sides. She could only walk to Harigana's side with a sense of sullen resentment and follow them.
But as soon as she approached, Kangxi smelled a strong fragrance. It was the same strong scent he had smelled in the carriage last time, which left a deep impression on him.
He glanced at Harigana and, seeing that her complexion was normal, felt relieved. However, he figured their seating arrangement would likely be the same soon, and fearing Harigana might suddenly feel unwell, Kangxi wanted to summon Li Dequan to check on the banquet arrangements. But with so many people around, any movement he made would be immediately noticed!
Helpless, Kangxi could only hope that Wenduer was perceptive, otherwise things would really get out of hand.
He now truly understood Baoli Ri! After all, he would never have these worries. No matter what, it was always Saenjia alone; he wouldn't have to worry about her being jealous or competitive, nor would he have to concern himself with the needs of the women in his harem!
"The Emperor has arrived! The Empress Dowager has arrived! Her Majesty the Empress has arrived! Consort Chen has arrived! Consort Tong has arrived!"
After a brief announcement by the eunuch, everyone in the banquet hall knelt down and began to pay their respects to them one by one!
With his right hand holding Harigana's hand and his left hand supporting the Empress Dowager, Emperor Kangxi slowly walked towards the stage.
Looking at the decorations on the stage, Kangxi was indeed somewhat displeased!
There are five tables in total, one in the very center and two on each side!
Harigana was led by Kangxi and sat at the first table to his right, while the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager sat down to his left. The remaining table to his right was naturally for the Tongjia clan.
"Jiaojiao! Are you feeling unwell?"
Kangxi originally wanted to ask her if she would feel disgusted by the smell on Tongjia, but he changed his mind before he could say it.
Harigana shook his head, looked at the people still kneeling below, and whispered a reminder: "I'm fine, everyone's still kneeling!"
The interaction between the two was invisible to those kneeling below, but the Empress Dowager and Lady Tongjia could see it clearly. Although they didn't know what they were saying, their expressions revealed a sweet affection between them.
Tongjia's hands, hidden under the table, were in a tangle. She had been secretly observing Harigana, and she was absolutely certain that she had seen Harigana say the word "I" just now.
Her displeasure and resentment grew stronger. She had been quite uninhibited in front of Kangxi because she was the emperor's cousin, but she had never referred to herself as "I" before.
"Rise!"
Following behind Kangxi, Li Dequan, after receiving a signal from Kangxi, flicked his whisk and then shouted in a high-pitched voice.
Harigana was curious about how Li Dequan could make such a sound. But before he could even turn his head to look at Li Dequan, Kangxi grabbed his head and warned him, "Don't look at other people!"
Emperor Kangxi would never forget the time when Harigana smiled at Li Dequan. Although he knew there was nothing wrong with it, he still wouldn't allow it.
Not satisfied with just warning Harigana, he turned around and glared fiercely at Li Dequan. Seeing Li Dequan flinch, he turned away contentedly.
Li Dequan had no idea what was going on, but he hadn't misunderstood! That gesture before meant everyone should rise; did the Emperor have some other meaning? He had no recollection of when it was changed!
Harigana looked at Kangxi helplessly, but with so many people around, she could only obediently sit still in her seat.
"Jiaojiao, would you like some lamb leg?"
Kangxi asked Harigana in a low voice. He wasn't as attentive to Harigana's food and drink as before, since Harigana was pregnant. If he didn't take good care of him and Harigana vomited, not only would Harigana suffer, but Kangxi, the culprit, would too.
"want!"
After Harigana finished speaking, Kangxi picked up a lamb leg from his table and took a curved knife from his waist to start slicing the meat. Small pieces filled a whole bowl.
Of course, Kangxi didn't just prepare these things for Harigana. He also personally prepared some for the Empress Dowager as soon as the meal was served. In any case, Kangxi would not allow Harigana's reputation to be damaged in the slightest.
The Empress Dowager was initially very happy, but when she saw the bowl full of meat, even her favorite milk tea didn't taste so good anymore!
Watching Kangxi take such meticulous care of Harigana, Lady Tongjia suppressed her resentment, especially when Kangxi accepted the meat Harigana offered him; her face turned completely cold. However, she didn't forget that there were still Khorchin people below, so she kept her head down, and no one could see her unusual expression.
[That damned bitch!] Tongjia cursed Harigana in her heart with resentment.
Why did the Emperor accept what that vile woman gave him? Wasn't he afraid she'd poison it? I'm Tongjia's cousin! Why have you never been so lenient with me before?!
After they had eaten most of the meal, Wenduer and his entourage began to toast Emperor Kangxi, the Grand Empress Dowager, and the Empress Dowager, and the performances also began.
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