It seems Wan Anran's preparations were in vain?
Upon entering the East Warm Pavilion, she noticed that the Emperor didn't seem angry. Kangxi calmly called her forward to grind ink, and then quickly began reviewing the memorials.
Wan Anran quietly ground the ink.
The East Warm Pavilion was unusually quiet, with only the sounds of grinding ink and writing. She couldn't help but stare blankly at Kangxi.
Kangxi acted swiftly.
Her dark, pearly eyes were fixed on the memorial, her furrowed brows furrowed with worry...
"What's wrong?"
“…Huh?” Wan Anran came to her senses and found that Kangxi was holding her hand tightly.
Her hand was only a hair's breadth away from the Emperor's eyes... or perhaps it didn't matter, since she was only now feeling the slight warmth at her fingertips. Wan Anran tried to cover it up: "A mosquito flew by..."
Emperor Kangxi chuckled softly.
He released his hand and tapped the table lightly with his fingertips: "Grind it properly."
Wan Anran responded honestly.
This time, she didn't drift off into a daze; instead, she focused intently on grinding the ink.
Even after reviewing all the memorials, Kangxi didn't mention the troubles that had caused him to fly into a rage. Not only that, he told Consort Qi to sit down and then ordered someone to bring him a meal.
Wan Anran: ...?
What's going on? But the emperor said he wanted to dine, could she really stop him? With a puzzled look in her mind, Wan Anran sat down and watched as the palace servants quickly and efficiently arranged various dishes on the round table.
The dishes weren't lavish, but they weren't simple either.
One dish was truffle and angelica turbot soup, another was stir-fried wild mushrooms and mixed vegetables with sizzling beef tenderloin, a third was cashew and lily bulb stir-fried celery, a fourth was Longjing shrimp, and the last dish was braised pork intestines.
Upon seeing the braised pork intestines, Wan Anran's eyes lit up. Having not tasted such a delicious dish in so long, she no longer worried about Emperor Kangxi's anger and happily picked up a piece with her chopsticks.
Just as she put it in her mouth, Wan Anran froze. She suddenly remembered something, glanced at the person beside her with slight worry, and then asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty, last time when we ate it...didn't you say that no one should see it?"
She still remembered how she secretly ate in the Chuxiu Palace and was caught by Emperor Kangxi. Although Emperor Kangxi seemed to enjoy the food at the time, he still gave her a serious warning afterward. Ju Bai even said that the Imperial Kitchen had also been warned that no one except Chef Zhao was allowed to handle this food.
And now it's being served openly in the Qianqing Palace? Wan Anran's unconcealed worry amused Kangxi, who reached out and squeezed her round palm: "What are you afraid of? Use it as you please."
If Emperor Kangxi says he's not afraid, then he's not afraid, right?
Wan Anran thought for a moment, then happily ate her meal. It had been so long since she'd tasted it, and it still tasted just as good... Hmm?
Emperor Kangxi noticed that Consort Qi's brows furrowed: "What's wrong?"
Wan Anran: "It doesn't taste like Chef Zhao's cooking. The recipe seems a bit different too."
Emperor Kangxi laughed heartily.
He explained mysteriously, "You'll find out in a moment."
Even this has a secret?
Wan Anran pouted, but she couldn't resist the allure of the delicious food. She silently lowered her head and slowly shoveled food into her mouth. Once she started eating, Wan Anran quickly forgot about her earlier worries and became completely absorbed in the meal.
Whether it was made by Chef Zhao or some unknown chef, it was all delicious. Wan Anran squinted her eyes and ate a large bowl of rice. Just as she was about to ask for another bowl, Kangxi stopped her: "Don't eat yet, we'll need it later."
"……Why?"
"Go to the inner room to change and wash up first." Kangxi did not answer Consort Qi's question, but instead gestured for Wan Anran to follow the palace servants inside.
Wan Anran's almond-shaped eyes widened.
Her expression was somewhat strange, and after a long pause, she stammered, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, it's still daytime..."
Suddenly changing clothes and washing up...
Cough cough... When you're full and warm, you start thinking about sex, but exercising right after a meal can also cause appendicitis, right?
Kangxi stared at her with a half-smile.
Just as Wan Anran was feeling uneasy, Kangxi reached out and flicked her forehead hard, a half-smile on his face: "What's going on in your head? I'm having you change your clothes because I'm planning to take you out of the palace. If you don't want to, then forget it."
Wan Anran was stunned for a moment.
Then her eyes widened: "The Emperor said... he wants to take his concubines out of the palace!?"
Since the Qing Dynasty, apart from the Forbidden City, the only other place Wan Anran had ever been was the Western Garden. He had only been to Jingshan Park once.
Do you want to go?
"Of course I'll go!" Wan Anran cheered. Fearing that Kangxi might change his mind, she hurriedly stood up and strode towards the inner room.
The palace maids inside bowed gracefully to Consort Qi.
Wan Anran casually told them to get up, then her enthusiastic gaze swept over the clothes on the couch, a hint of disappointment creeping into her eyes: "I thought it would be men's clothing." Shouldn't one wear men's clothing when traveling incognito outside the palace?
The palace maid slipped and almost lost her footing.
Their expressions were strange, and they secretly glanced at Consort Qi, completely baffled as to why Consort Qi would have such a bizarre idea.
A short while later, the door opened, and Kangxi saw Consort Qi emerge from inside. She had already finished dressing up, her long hair styled in a crescent-shaped bun, adorned with two fashionable flowers, and paired with a pair of very simple pearl earrings. She had changed into a begonia-red embroidered jacket and a plain moon-colored official skirt, making her look exceptionally radiant.
Emperor Kangxi: "This color suits you well too."
Consort Qi usually dresses simply and plainly, so this bright and luxurious outfit is particularly eye-catching.
Of course, we can't forget the last thing.
Emperor Kangxi personally handed over a veil, covering most of Consort Qi's charming face. But for some reason, the face partially obscured by the veil, and her pointed, beautifully contoured chin, seemed even more alluring than before.
Emperor Kangxi frowned and ordered someone to bring him a bamboo hat.
Wan Anran looked bewildered as Kangxi put a bamboo hat and veil on her, secretly thinking – if that's the case, why bother changing her clothes again?
The emperor and empress boarded the carriage discreetly.
This was a covered carriage, much narrower and more shaky than the carriage that would take them to the West Garden. But for the excited Wan Anran, the swaying was nothing. As the carriage swayed, Wan Anran soon heard a growing commotion.
"Candied hawthorns for sale! Candied hawthorns for sale!"
"Twenty coins a pound of pork! Twenty coins!"
"Brothers and sisters, come and see! A big meat bun for just one cent!"
"Haircut time—only forty coins for the kid!"
"Sir, would you like to bring your wife a flower arrangement? This flower arrangement is a craft from Jiangnan, and it's very exquisite!"
The cries of vendors rose and fell in waves.
Sitting by the window, Wan Anran couldn't resist peeking out from under a corner.
This is a wide stone-paved avenue, with rows of houses on both sides, all of which are restaurants and shops. On the street, there are small vendors carrying loads on their shoulders and setting up stalls, selling their goods with smiles on their faces.
People were everywhere.
It was bustling and lively.
Wan Anran looked around curiously.
Some were haggling, some were soliciting business, and others were arguing and laughing. Wan Anran also saw a group of children darting past the carriage, running around the adults' feet without restraint, laughing and joking together.
These were all things Wan Anran had never seen before.
But then she frowned and covered her nose: "...It smells awful?"
Emperor Kangxi reached out and lowered the curtain.
He explained with a laugh, "Perhaps it's some filth; that's how dirty the streets are."
The streets are dirty?
While in the carriage, Wan Anran hadn't yet grasped the situation, but she understood it as soon as she got off.
The carriage stopped in front of a restaurant. Kangxi and Wan Anran stepped off the carriage one after the other and landed steadily on the steps.
Wan Anran still remembered the stench from earlier.
She turned around and her expression changed slightly. Not far away, the street was overflowing with excrement and urine, and carriages were relentlessly driving over it, mixing the excrement and mud together…
Although the road in the middle was a stone-paved avenue, when those filthy wheels slid up it... good heavens! Wan Anran finally understood where those strange smells were coming from.
Wan Anran's face turned pale, and she almost vomited. It wasn't until Kangxi, who noticed something was wrong, pulled her inside, and the stench that had been lingering around her nose gradually turned into the aroma of food, that she came to her senses.
Wan Anran suddenly recalled a record she had read before, in which such a situation existed in medieval Europe, and even high heels were invented because of it. She hadn't expected that although the situation in the Qing Dynasty was not as outrageous as in Europe, it was not much better.
Passersby were used to it.
Even when Emperor Kangxi sat in the private room upstairs, he still mocked Consort Qi for being spoiled.
Wan Anran's face was flushed.
She sat upright in her seat, muttering indignantly, "That's too dirty, too smelly. What if foreign envoys saw us looking so filthy..."
Will it?
"Of course!" Wan Anran said indignantly.
“Fan Huairen never mentioned it.” Kangxi was clearly unconvinced, and seeing Consort Qi’s furrowed brows, he sighed helplessly, “Alright, alright, I know.”
"What's the use of just saying you know?"
"Even the government offices are difficult to manage," Kangxi couldn't help but complain. "Although there are laws prohibiting people from littering at will, most people are uneducated and don't understand these laws at all. Moreover, most of those who do this come from poor families and are in dire straits. Who knows, if one person is arrested, their whole family might starve to death..."
Wan Anran remained silent.
What if she traveled back to ancient times and became one of the ordinary people? At her most miserable moment in the Qing Dynasty was when she had just woken up, and she was seriously ill and unconscious several times, and then she gradually recovered her health.
From the beginning until now, she has never had to worry about food or drink, let alone whether she will have a meal or not. She can also rack her brains to come up with some new dishes and leave a bunch of messy things to the Imperial Household Department to handle.
Wan Anran felt quite uncomfortable.
She thought for a moment, then tentatively said, "Your Majesty... I remember that these filth can be used as... fertilizer?"
"That's right."
"Then why not have someone collect them all at once?" Wan Anran suggested with a smile.
“These filths are indeed collected by someone, but they need to be accumulated, and people have to come to collect them, which also costs a considerable amount of money. Who, except for wealthy and powerful families, would be willing to collect this stuff from house to house?” Kangxi explained in detail.
"...the imperial court."
"...Huh?" Kangxi instantly understood what Consort Qi meant, and his expression became somewhat strange.
“Government offices can make acquisitions.”
Wan Anran's words were nothing short of earth-shattering; not only was Kangxi stunned, but Liang Jiugong, who was standing next to him, also stared wide-eyed.
Things like feces and urine...
The imperial court has to foot the bill?
The guard who pushed open the door slipped and fell.
He glanced at Consort Qi with a strange expression, then quickly lowered his head.
Consort Qi is truly an extraordinary person!
The guard had a strange expression: His wife was reserved and elegant in front of him, like a goddess who drank dew and ate nectar, and would never mention these things under any circumstances!
Those who bring up these things are only the lowest-ranking servants in the household... But now, the guard glanced at the waiter behind him who was about to bring the dishes, and then at the way Consort Qi and the Emperor were discussing so enthusiastically inside, and slowly fell into deep thought. After a moment, the guard finally spoke: "Master, the dishes are served."
The dishes were served.
The question remains the same.
Wan Anran explained her thoughts in detail.
Emperor Kangxi listened very attentively. If it weren't for the fact that all the servants had overheard their conversation, they would have thought they were discussing something very serious.
The waiters were surprised and somewhat respectful, and as they went downstairs, they kept marveling at the sight. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, they overheard the manager chatting with someone: "I wonder which family's distinguished guests they are. The young master is handsome and the wife is beautiful; they seem like a perfect match."
"The women all wear veils and headscarves, how could the manager tell?" The person he was chatting with—the accountant in the restaurant—asked in surprise.
"The overall style of their outfits, not to mention the unassuming satin they wear, would cost at least this much in a shop on East Second Street!" The shopkeeper held up his hand, indicating a number.
The accountant gasped.
There's a saying in the capital: "A brick falling from the sky could kill a bunch of officials." The capital is never short of Manchu nobles, imperial relatives, and sons of high-ranking officials. If a shopkeeper could immediately discern someone's background and inquire about their origins, that was naturally his duty.
The manager, who could oversee such a large restaurant in the capital, clearly possessed exceptional insight. Therefore, the accountant had no doubt about his manager's judgment and couldn't help but speculate about the identities of the two individuals.
The waiter, carrying a tray, muttered, "I don't think it's a good background at all..."
"Oh! You dare to contradict me now?"
"Manager—" the waiter chuckled, "Do you know what the people upstairs are talking about right now? They're talking about excrement and urine... They're even saying they'll pay to buy it!"
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