Confiscated.
Emperor Kangxi cruelly and ruthlessly confiscated the mahjong tiles and severely reprimanded the four men who were neglecting their duties.
That's outrageous, absolutely outrageous.
Wan Anran was dragged back dejectedly, and the endless nagging of Emperor Kangxi made her very worried.
They've already been confiscated, so what's the point of all this fuss?
Your Majesty, you're not even thirty yet, but you act like a gossipy old man...
Emperor Kangxi sneezed.
He stared at Qi Fei suspiciously, convinced that she was the one speaking ill of him: "What are you thinking?"
"Your Majesty sought me out because..." Wan Anran subconsciously wanted to change the subject, but when she saw Emperor Kangxi sitting there with an air of authority, her voice stopped abruptly.
Wan Anran: ...I understand.
She carefully observed the emperor: his busy schedule had been very effective; for example, his once round face now showed a more defined jawline, and his clothes were slightly looser.
She looks much thinner, but we can't let our guard down.
Wan Anran didn't ask the emperor what he wanted to eat, but directly ordered the palace servants to prepare it.
Chicken is the best choice during weight loss!
A large pot of chicken stew, a plate of shredded chicken, a plate of cold celery salad, a plate of tomatoes with sugar, and three side dishes.
Today's dishes are now complete.
Kangxi was both amused and annoyed: "You didn't even ask me before you started preparing?"
"Doesn't His Majesty like to eat it?"
"No, it's not that either." It would be a lie to say he didn't like it. Look at the fragrant chicken stew, who could say they didn't like it? Kangxi picked up a piece with his chopsticks. The tender chicken was full of juice, with a delicate and smooth texture. It was incredibly delicious with rice.
The chicken hot pot also includes tofu skin, lettuce, potatoes, enoki mushrooms, and other side dishes. Each of them is infused with the rich flavor, making it so fragrant that you'll want to swallow your tongue.
Wan Anran personally served the Emperor a meal.
Chicken pot must be eaten with rice. After taking just one bite, Kangxi's gaze unconsciously fell on the rice.
This is not your average rice.
Qi Fei not only added purple rice, but also finely chopped cauliflower, making it taste very similar to rice.
Wan Anran explained with a smile, "This way, you can feel full while also reducing your food intake. Your Majesty still has a long way to go in losing weight!"
Kangxi stared at the rice bowl for a long time.
In the end, he could only shake his head: "You really have a lot of tricks up your sleeve!"
What else can we do?
Anyway, it tastes pretty good, so let's just eat it like this.
Of course, even if he ate and slept comfortably, Kangxi still had no intention of returning the mahjong tiles.
However, the Empress was not afraid.
She then had the Imperial Household Department select the finest jade to make another pair, which she presented with a smile to the two Empress Dowagers. When Kangxi came to find Consort Qi again, he discovered that this time she had not gone to Kunning Palace, but to Cining Palace.
Kangxi: …………
He couldn't very well confiscate the mahjong sets of the empress dowagers, could he? He rushed to Cining Palace with a dark face and found the empress dowager still complaining to the empress and Consort Qi: "Such fun things should have been presented earlier!"
The palace also has leaf tiles, silent tiles, and mahjong tiles, which are similar to but not quite the same as this mahjong. None of them are as appealing as this mahjong.
After trying it a few times, the Empress Dowager became completely fascinated.
Let alone a mahjong pair.
Soon, several groups of friends formed in the harem, and playing mahjong instantly enriched the daily lives of the concubines. What was worse than last time was that while Kangxi had other palaces to visit last time, this time other concubines also started playing, which made Kangxi even more depressed.
Wan Anran even proposed an even more insidious way to play.
Didn't the Emperor say that winning money is gambling? We won't gamble! We'll see who loses, and the winner will draw a mark on the loser's face with their flaw.
Consort Hui and Consort Rong's expressions froze.
What if they lose? Wouldn't they lose both face and substance? The two looked to the two empress dowagers for help.
The Empress Dowager could still sternly say something like, "Nonsense."
The Empress Dowager, however, was in high spirits and immediately agreed: "No one is allowed to get angry, understand?"
Wan Anran cheered, "Yes!"
Consort Hui and Consort Rong: …………
The Empress Dowager has given the order; the concubines have no choice but to go, even if it means gritting their teeth. The same thought is on everyone's mind—they absolutely cannot lose. If they lose…
I'm afraid we'll become the laughingstock of the palace for a whole year!
The concubines looked unusually serious, each one full of energy, their eyes fixed intently on the mahjong tiles in their palms.
The winner is—
The Queen suffered a crushing defeat in the first game.
The Cining Palace was completely silent.
Consort Hui and Consort Rong looked up at Consort Qi with deep respect in their eyes. Wan Anran excitedly instructed Hai Tao to grind the ink, and with Hai Tao's mournful face and frantic blinking as if trying to remind her, Wan Anran dipped the wolf-hair brush into the inkstone to soak up the ink, and finished the task in one swift stroke!
Wan Anran nodded in satisfaction: "Alright!"
Consort Hui and the others looked up shakily, their expressions freezing instantly. Each of them stared blankly, dumbfounded, and then someone suddenly burst out laughing.
The empress now had a mustache.
The Empress took a look in the mirror and couldn't help but laugh out loud. She glanced at Consort Qi: "When you lose, I'll make you pay!"
Wan Anran stuck out her tongue.
Seeing that the Empress had no reaction, the concubines' tension eased slightly. Of course, after witnessing the Empress's truly comical end, everyone became even more nervous, fearing that they would follow the same path.
Emperor Kangxi fell into deep thought.
It's not that Chuxiu Palace is deserted anymore; it's that nowhere you go. Upon further inquiry, the palace servants said that the master went to pay his respects at dawn and dusk and hasn't returned.
Is that even reasonable?
Kangxi stormed toward Cining Palace, determined to have a serious discussion with the two former emperors about the mahjong game.
The master led the gambling.
If the superiors set an example, what if the princes and princesses follow suit in the future? What will happen to the rules and regulations of the palace servants?
Kangxi stepped into Cining Palace, accompanied by a gust of cold wind.
Surprisingly, the atmosphere inside the Cining Palace was much heavier than Kangxi had imagined. The concubines, sitting upright at the square table, had their heads slightly lowered. Although their expressions were not visible, they gave Kangxi a sense of fierce competition.
Kangxi: …………
The anger that had been simmering in Kangxi's body suddenly subsided, and he even subconsciously took two steps back to carefully observe the current situation.
What exactly is going on?
After observing for a long time without finding an answer, Kangxi finally tentatively asked, "What... happened to you?"
"Your Majesty?"
"Emperor? When did you arrive?"
Kangxi's sudden appearance startled everyone.
The imperial concubines rose and curtsied in greeting. But as soon as they looked up, Kangxi's pupils dilated in shock, and his shoulders began to tremble slightly involuntarily: "...Pfft."
The imperial concubines: ...
Everyone snapped out of their daze, screaming and covering their faces, but it was too late. Kangxi couldn't hold back any longer; he burst into laughter, clutching his stomach: "What—what's going on?"
The Empress had an extra mustache, Consort Qi's eyes were so dark they looked like a big bamboo bear, Consort Xuan's cheeks had two red patches that made her look incredibly silly, Consort Hui had an extra layer of eyelashes that made her eyes look three times bigger, and Consort Rong had an eyebrow... Each of the concubines' amazing appearances left Emperor Kangxi speechless.
This was the first time Kangxi had ever seen anything like it, and the more he thought about it, the louder he laughed. The more the emperor laughed so happily, the more desperate the concubines became. They all glared angrily at Consort Qi, who had given the idea, their eyes so sharp that even Wan Anran felt a little guilty.
Her eyes darted around, and she shamelessly smiled, "Why doesn't Your Majesty give it a try?"
Emperor Kangxi laughed heartily.
He waved his hands repeatedly, clearly not wanting to get involved. Wan Anran, however, harbored the intention of dragging the emperor into the mess, and scoffed, "Does Your Majesty lack even this much courage?"
Kangxi: …………
Who are you calling cowardly? He sneered, "Your provocation is too childish."
"Is the Emperor coming?"
"Come on then!" After listening carefully to the explanation, Kangxi confidently sat down at the square table.
He simply didn't see the exchange of glances between the concubines.
What's the best way to keep this from getting out of hand? The answer is to drag the Emperor into it too!
What if there are four people at a table, and three of them are enemies?
What else could they do? Just wait to die! After losing three games in a row, Kangxi was shrouded in a thick layer of gloom.
As for his face...
Her eyes were rimmed with circles, and her cheeks were covered in stars and hearts; her hair was already a complete mess.
After Consort Hui and the others came to their senses from their antics, they became somewhat uneasy and secretly observed the Emperor's changing expressions.
Only Wan Anran remained on the side.
Not only did she not avoid it, but she also held up the mirror and leaned forward, saying, "Your Majesty, take a look, isn't it beautiful?"
His voice was full of pride.
Consort Qi's tone was so confident that she almost wanted the Emperor to praise everyone's masterpiece.
The concubines instinctively held their breath.
Kangxi's gaze fell on the bronze mirror. He blinked, and the silly face in the mirror blinked back at him.
Such a stupid... appearance.
This is the first time I've ever seen this before!
Emperor Kangxi held the mirror without saying a word.
The concubines held their breath, secretly groaning in despair.
Just as everyone was on tenterhooks, the Emperor's laughter rang in their ears once more. Kangxi burst into laughter, dispelling all the pent-up frustration he had accumulated over time.
The atmosphere in Cining Palace finally relaxed.
The Emperor laughed it off, but he still strictly restricted the amount of time the concubines spent playing mahjong, lest they become distracted by it and corrupt the children.
At this point, Wan Anran also felt a jolt.
I've heard countless stories in my past life of middle-aged couples who became addicted to mahjong and poker, neglecting their children, and the children, deprived of their parents' attention, gradually went astray...
Wan Anran instantly turned pale.
How could I be so addicted to mahjong? Thinking about it, I realize I haven't been paying much attention to Yinzhen lately; I've even just assigned homework without grading it...
Think about it again...
Lately, I seem to have completely forgotten about Yinzhen.
Many others share the same sentiment.
The concubines quickened their pace as they returned to the palace. Wan Anran's first action upon returning to Chuxiu Palace was to rush into the inner hall. She pushed open the door with both hands and exclaimed, "Yinzhen—!"
Yinzhen, who was flipping through the book, looked up and asked, "...?"
Wan Anran warmly embraced Yinzhen, saying, "Your mother hasn't been able to take care of Yinzhen these past few days. Yinzhen must be very sad, right?"
Yinzhen: ...No.
Rather than being heartbroken, I actually had a few rare days of leisure and comfort.
But how can I say these things to my mother?
Besides, his mother was indeed getting a bit stressed from playing mahjong. Thinking of this, Yinzhen sighed and silently reached out to hug his mother, saying, "You mustn't do it again."
Yinzhen's voice was also soft and gentle.
Wan Anran buried Yinzhen's head in her arms, becoming even more excited: "Waaah, my Yinzhen is an angel!"
Yinzhen: …………?
Angels? Aren't those the naked winged figures in foreign portraits? How do I resemble one of them?
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