Wan Anran sighed and rubbed her forehead.
She reached out and collected the cards that had fallen to the ground, placing them back into the exquisite wooden box. After instructing the palace servants to put the box away properly, Wan Anran asked, "Would Your Majesty like to stay for a meal?"
"In your eyes, I only come here to dine?" Kangxi's expression was serious, showing a hint of displeasure, which caused Hai Tao and the others to change their expressions slightly.
"Will His Majesty use it?" Wan Anran asked calmly.
"Of course we should use it." Kangxi changed the subject and answered without the slightest embarrassment.
Wan Anran rolled her eyes at Kangxi.
She thought for a moment, then turned to Haitao and instructed, "Have the kitchen prepare two servings of cold noodles, as well as a dish of braised chicken with scallion oil, a dish of shrimp and squid rings in tomato sauce, a dish of stuffed bitter melon, and finally, a dish of tomato and egg custard."
Haitao smiled and agreed.
She left in a hurry and brought the dishes over in less than half an hour. In the summer, nothing is more refreshing and delicious than cold noodles. Wan Anran slurped up mouthfuls of sour soup and mouthfuls of noodles with great gusto.
Not to mention Emperor Kangxi, even Liang Jiugong couldn't help but take notice.
Wan Anran, however, argued vehemently: "You have to slurp the noodles to get the right flavor."
Emperor Kangxi slowly picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks.
He glanced at Consort Qi: "It's one thing in Chuxiu Palace, but you can't do this outside."
"I put on a very good act in front of outsiders."
"..." So you know you're faking it? It has to be said that the word "outsider" pleased Kangxi quite a bit. He hummed in agreement and, mimicking Consort Qi's manner, slurped up a mouthful of noodles...
The smooth, cool noodles slurped into my mouth, the chewy noodles and the tangy, spicy broth brought a feeling of pure bliss—it was truly wonderful.
For a moment, only the sound of slurping noodles could be heard inside the hall.
Liang Jiugong stood there dumbfounded, the same thought surfacing again in his mind—don't be surprised by anything that happens in Chuxiu Palace.
After finishing the cold noodles, Emperor Kangxi's lingering gaze fell upon the braised chicken with scallion oil. The braised chicken with scallion oil used young chickens, with tender meat. The boiling hot Sichuan peppercorn oil was poured over the chicken at the end, turning the skin golden brown and releasing the chicken's natural aroma without restraint.
Wan Anran held long chopsticks in her hand.
She personally disassembled the chicken, placing a large chicken leg in Kangxi's bowl, and of course, the other large chicken leg was for herself...? Wan Anran's fingertips twitched slightly as she lowered her voice: "Has Yinzhen started eating yet?"
Yinzhen usually used it with himself.
Liang Jiugong's expression twisted, and Hai Tao couldn't help but twitch her lips. She secretly glanced at the Emperor and answered in the softest voice possible, "Your Majesty, please rest assured."
Wan Anran finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She looked away and focused intently on the large chicken leg in her bowl. Juices splattered everywhere, the aroma filled the air, and the tender, flavorful chicken was incredibly delicious.
Kangxi: …………
He suddenly felt that his own Fifth Prince was having a tough time. In other palaces, who didn't treat their little prince like a precious gem, afraid of dropping him or melting him in their mouths? But Consort Qi was different; she only remembered whether her son had eaten after she had eaten half of her meal.
Emperor Kangxi seemed to want to speak but hesitated, and hesitated but still wanted to speak.
Thinking that the prince would have to move to the Princes' Residence after he turned six, and would be looked after by so many palace servants, he didn't bother to say anything. However, after finishing his meal, Kangxi still planned to go see Yinzhen and comfort his poor son.
Before the group even reached the backyard, a small lion dance costumed by, shaking its head and wagging its tail, came towards them. The white and red fabric perfectly shaped the little lion, with even its back and tail rendered with remarkable realism.
Emperor Kangxi was initially taken aback.
He quickly came to his senses and examined the dog closely for a moment: "This is... Yinzhen's puppy?"
“Yes.” Wan Anran nodded.
She was somewhat smug, pointing to the lion dance costume on the puppy: "What does Your Majesty think?"
"...How about what?"
"Your Majesty!" Wan Anran's cheeks puffed out slightly. "This lion dance costume was made by me, wasn't it? It fits perfectly, doesn't it?"
Kangxi glanced at it and nodded.
Wan Anran held her head high and looked very proud: "It's just a pity that the weather is too hot now, and the thin fabric can't hold up. It will definitely look very cute when the weather gets colder."
Emperor Kangxi praised it, saying, "The craftsmanship has not declined, but has even improved. I think it is more exquisite than the ones I made for Yinzhen before."
That sounds a bit strange.
Wan Anran blinked, and then Kangxi's voice rang in her ears again: "It's a pity that I haven't used anything made by Consort Qi all these years."
Wan Anran coughed violently.
She looked up at the sky and down at the ground, not daring to look at Kangxi's face, and stammered, "This concubine sends gifts every year..."
She spoke with self-righteousness towards the end.
I can guarantee that every New Year and the Emperor's birthday celebration will be included!
Emperor Kangxi chuckled.
He sighed, "Yes, they do deliver, and their skills are superb, getting better year by year. The only problem is..."
Emperor Kangxi looked at Consort Qi with a half-smile.
He drew out the last few words after a long pause: "They're all gloves."
Wan Anran felt increasingly guilty.
After all, the gloves she sent the first time were quite praised. Besides, when sending other gifts, there was always the worry of them being sent to the same concubines. Gloves were simple and convenient to make and unlikely to be sent to the same concubines. How wonderful!
And...and...
Wan Anran muttered under her breath, "Although the concubines all sent gloves, each one was different. Besides riding gloves, there were wool gloves, gloves with mink linings, and easy-to-use fingerless gloves... Each time it was different!"
Emperor Kangxi: "In the end, those are just gloves."
Seeing that the topic of gloves was about to become unbearable, Wan Anran, her face flushed, subconsciously said, "There is a reason why I sent gloves!"
"What is the reason?" Kangxi pressed on relentlessly.
"Gloves, gloves..." Wan Anran stammered, finally blurting out with her eyes closed, "It's to capture the Emperor's heart!"
Wan Anran's face froze as soon as she said it.
How could I possibly say such cheesy pickup lines?
The palace servants opened their eyes wide.
Hai Tao's pupils dilated in shock, her eyes filled with horror—she had often encouraged her master to vie for favor, but each time her master showed little interest, so she eventually gave up on the idea.
But now?
What, what, what is going on? Hai Tao was in a daze. The most important thing is that even if you're vying for favor, you can't do it like this, right?
Liang Jiugong was also terrified.
He had previously thought that he would no longer be surprised by anything that happened in Chuxiu Palace, but when he heard Consort Qi's words, Liang Jiugong's mind went blank.
He bit his tongue hard.
Liang Jiugong's gaze shifted downwards, landing on the toes.
The Emperor harbored resentment towards Empress Xiaoxian.
After ascending the throne, the emperor showed more respect than love to any of his concubines, even the late empress who gave birth to the crown prince. It was only after the death of Empress Renxiao that he revealed his former feelings.
Now, these words from Consort Qi—
That's really too bold! ??? Apart from the puppy's cheerful barking, Chuxiu Palace was unusually quiet. Everyone held their breath, guessing the Emperor's reaction.
Kangxi paused, looking dazed.
He knew, of course, that all the concubines in the harem were devoted to him, but so far, only Consort Qi had openly expressed her feelings to his face.
Emperor Kangxi looked at Consort Qi in shock.
He happened to see a faint pink blush rise on Consort Qi's fair, jade-like cheeks, the blush extending all the way to the tips of her ears, as vibrant as a fiery sunset. Her pearly teeth bit her lip tightly, her gaze darting away, unable to meet his eyes.
Wan Anran was so embarrassed that she dug her toes into the ground.
I wish I could dig out a palace on the spot, crawl inside, and never come out again.
Kangxi's breathing gradually slowed down.
His mind began to race—Consort Qi is honest, right? Consort Qi never lies, right? Consort Qi never hides anything, right?
So, these words were all spoken sincerely by Consort Qi…? Kangxi's ears turned slightly red, and he inexplicably felt his heart race. He coughed lightly, trying to cover it up, and reluctantly changed the subject: "In that case, Consort Qi, please keep up the good work."
Wan Anran: ...?
No? What do you mean, "try harder"? She thought for a moment and tentatively asked, "Could you try a little harder to make the gloves even prettier?"
Liang Jiugong, who was following behind, slipped.
Emperor Kangxi paused for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh: "Good, good, good. I'm looking forward to this year's gift."
Wan Anran breathed a sigh of relief.
The Emperor's intention... should be to let this matter rest, right? Her heavy steps gradually became lighter, and the blush on her face gradually faded, causing Kangxi to feel a pang of regret.
"pity……"
"Hmm? What are you saying, Your Majesty?"
"I didn't say anything."
"I clearly heard it."
A burst of cheerful laughter rang out from the spot.
Neither Kangxi nor Wan Anran noticed that Yinzhen was standing not far away, staring at them with dead fish eyes.
Yinzhen fell into deep thought.
He glanced at his mother and father, who had completely forgotten about visiting him and were half-squatting down to play with the puppy, and felt that he shouldn't be there.
Yinzhen turned and walked into the house.
Granny Zhao called out in confusion, "Young Master?"
"This prince... I'd like to go back to my room and study," Yinzhen said slowly after a moment's thought. He would be entering school in three years; how would he act then? How had he performed when he first entered school in his previous life? What was his relationship with his brothers like?
Yinzhen was very distressed when he thought about these things.
With a stern face, he walked into the room with his short legs and casually picked up a book to start reading.
Granny Zhao served tea and snacks with a smile.
Seeing that the young master was sitting upright and carefully reading the book, she tiptoed out and whispered to the maids, "Our young master will surely have a bright future."
In all my years, I have never seen a child as gifted and self-disciplined as the Fifth Prince.
If he doesn't succeed, who can?
After all, the palace servants would often chat about the Sixth Prince, Yinqi, who was favored by Consort Yi.
Yinqi was one of the most notorious little tyrants in the palace.
It's not fair to blame the palace servants for spoiling him so much. After all, Consort Yi was one of the most favored concubines in the palace, and her son, the Sixth Prince Yinqi, was naturally pampered by the Yikun Palace.
Besides, the Sixth Prince is adorable and healthy, which pleases even the Empress Dowager and the Grand Empress Dowager. What kind of bad habit is being mischievous? Isn't that just the most endearing little thing?
The masters' liking doesn't mean the palace servants are happy.
Because of the Sixth Prince's mischievous behavior, quite a few palace servants were implicated.
The same is true today, for example.
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