East wing room.
Emperor Kangxi had never seen anything like this before. He couldn't maintain his composure; his face contorted in astonishment, turning a kaleidoscope of colors, from red to purple, then to blue, and finally to pitch black. Kangxi slammed his hand on the table: "Outrageous!"
The palace servants all knelt down in a flurry.
Haitao, Zisu, and Jubai were limp, their faces filled with despair. The three exchanged a glance, crawled two steps on their knees, and cried out in trembling voices, "Your Majesty, Your Highness, Your Highness, Your Highness was merely drunk, not, not..."
Emperor Kangxi's face turned ashen, and he slammed his fist on the table, making a loud thud: "The Empress has only been ill for half a month, and these scoundrels dare to neglect the concubines! Who is the master, them or me?!"
The voices of Hai Tao and the other two abruptly stopped.
It sounds like... the Emperor isn't dissatisfied with the young master!? This time, it was Liang Jiugong and the others who were panicked. They lowered their heads and stared at the ground, not daring to breathe.
The one who was most relaxed at that moment was Wan Changzai.
After finishing her fast-paced ballad, she was completely satisfied and collapsed onto the table with a thud. Her mouth was slightly open, and she began to snore softly. Before long, she fell into a deep sleep.
The room was completely silent... Okay.
There was still some noise, like Wan Changzai's snoring. Snoring after drinking is always a bit louder, and Wan Changzai's was no exception; her snoring was like playing a tune and even had a rhythm.
She smacked her lips and slept soundly.
Kangxi's chest heaved, veins throbbed on his forehead, and barely suppressed rage ignited in his eyes.
After glancing at the soundly sleeping Wan Changzai, Kangxi gestured to Haitao and the others to take her back to bed to rest, and then hurriedly left with his men.
Emperor Kangxi walked all the way to the main hall.
Consort Xuan had received the news early, and she quickly touched up her makeup. Then, she began to carefully read Buddhist scriptures while holding prayer beads, adopting a dignified and solemn demeanor. However, the moment she saw Emperor Kangxi, Consort Xuan couldn't help herself; her cheeks puffed out slightly, and a faint smile appeared in her eyes.
"This concubine greets Your Majesty." Consort Xuan curtsied, concealing her distorted expression.
Kangxi pretended not to see it.
He sat down imposingly, his face stern, and asked, "Wan Changzai said that there have been occasional shortages of the uterine rations these days. Is that true?"
"That is indeed true."
"Bring up the list of items for me to see." Kangxi's expression was slightly solemn. After checking and comparing the items that the Empress had previously handled with the current allowances, his face darkened even more, becoming as black as the bottom of a pot.
Emperor Kangxi laughed in exasperation.
He slammed the account book onto the table, his anger like a volcano about to erupt, ready to explode at the slightest touch. Kangxi gripped the account book tightly, about to unleash the impassioned words he had been uttering upon Consort Xuan, when he looked up and saw her calmly sipping her tea.
Calm and composed, detached and at ease.
He clearly wasn't going to acknowledge her, and Kangxi's face instantly fell: "Consort Xuan, as one of the Eight Consorts, you should..."
“Your Majesty, I am not in charge of palace affairs.” Consort Xuan interrupted Kangxi, her words leaving him speechless.
"..." Kangxi's words lingered on his tongue, feeling utterly frustrated. His thoughts raced; if he couldn't vent his anger on Consort Xuan, couldn't he choose somewhere else? Kangxi's face darkened, and he rebuked her again: "Consort Wan is ignorant, and Consort Xuan, are you ignorant too? Letting the palace concubines get completely drunk, what kind of talk will that be? I've heard rumors outside that Consort Wan was still drinking and making merry while the Empress was seriously ill!"
Of course, I don't believe it.
Before he could finish speaking, Kangxi was startled by Consort Xuan's reaction.
Consort Xuan's face was full of anger, her once calm eyes were now blazing with fury, and her murderous aura surged stronger and stronger: "Who said this?"
"Uh..." This was the first time Kangxi had seen Consort Xuan like this. He was startled and subconsciously reassured her, "I know Consort Wan is not that kind of person."
"I know that too!"
Consort Xuan spoke with unwavering conviction: "Your Majesty! You must stand up for Consort Wan!"
These words, if they spread, would not only smear Consort Wan, but also the entire Xianfu Palace. To put it bluntly, if the Empress were to wake up and hear even a glimpse of this, she would inevitably harbor resentment.
Consort Xuan became increasingly serious as she thought about it.
She led Kangxi aggressively into the Buddhist hall. While Kangxi was still somewhat bewildered, Consort Xuan pointed to a stack of scriptures on the incense table: "Your Majesty, these were all written by Consort Wan these past few days, without sleep or rest!"
Kangxi's pupils contracted slightly: "Written by Consort Wan...?"
There were three stacks of scriptures on the incense table, all about the same height. The stack that Consort Xuan pointed to was the thinnest of them, so Kangxi shouldn't have been surprised.
Eight or nine out of ten concubines in the palace could copy scriptures.
The problem is Wan Changzai! Kangxi still remembers how stumbling and faltering she was when copying scriptures before the New Year. How could someone like her copy scriptures?
Kangxi stepped forward, full of questions. He reached out and opened the scripture, carefully reading it. The crooked and awkward handwriting, which had been ridiculed as barely comparable to Wan Fu's, had now been transformed. Although it did not yet have its own style, it was now upright, steady, and flowing.
Each stroke is elegant and powerful.
There were no problems with the numerous typos in the past, and Kangxi carefully read through two or three pages without finding a single mistake.
"Wan Changzai is not good at calligraphy."
Consort Xuan sighed, "In the past, when she was asked to copy books, she would make many mistakes. These days, she has wasted countless sheets of paper copying scriptures to complete what is in front of her. She has burned several large basins of waste paper."
Emperor Kangxi had mixed feelings.
He reached out and flipped through the pages, unable to help but recall the scene of Wan Changzai weeping bitterly just now.
Kangxi felt a slight soreness in the tip of his nose.
For some inexplicable reason, he felt a tiny bit of jealousy towards the Empress, just a tiny bit. Kangxi reached out and closed the copied scripture, his face a complex mix of emotions yet tinged with tenderness: "I know, I'm not as confused as Consort Xuan thinks."
"...I didn't say that."
"Hehe." I can tell just by looking at your face. Kangxi didn't say much to Consort Xuan; he put away his scriptures and left in a hurry.
Once the Emperor and his entourage had completely disappeared from the palace gates, Tana couldn't help but mutter to herself, "Why did Your Majesty speak up for Consort Wan..."
"I have no hope left."
Consort Xuan looked up at the blue sky in the four corners of the palace. She pretended not to see Tana's protest and just smiled and said, "Why make them become like this in my palace?"
Moreover, Wan Changzai is a good girl.
The good girl that Consort Xuan had mentioned slept soundly until noon the next day. Rarely had she slept so well, Wan Anran stretched lazily, feeling wonderful: "That was a really comfortable sleep!"
Only you, my lady, can sleep well!
With heavy dark circles under their eyes and haggard faces, Haitao, Zisu, and Jubai roared inwardly.
"What's wrong with you three?" Wan Anran looked at Hai Tao and the other two with a puzzled expression. Look at their dark circles under their eyes, that must have been done... tsk tsk.
Wan Anran held Hai Tao's hand and said, "Go get some hard-boiled eggs later and apply them to the corners of your eyes to get rid of dark circles. We can't take taking care of our health lightly. It will be too late to start when we get older..."
Hai Tao and the other two were speechless.
Their silence puzzled Wan Anran, who tilted her head slightly and asked, "What's wrong with you all?"
"My lady, do you remember what happened last night?"
"...Last night?" Wan Anran looked blank and subconsciously began to recall.
Overjoyed upon receiving news of the Empress's awakening yesterday, she took out the apricot blossom wine she hadn't drunk yet and brewed a small cup... two cups, hmm...
She remembered that the first bottle tasted very sweet and delicious, and she finished it in just a few gulps. Not satisfied, she asked Hai Tao to bring her another jar, opened the seal, and gulped it down... Now that she thinks about it, the second bottle of apricot blossom wine was even spicier.
"Hai Tao, the second pot of wine from yesterday didn't taste right. Did it spoil?" Wan Anran smacked her lips, looking serious.
"...My lady, continue down."
"Further down?" Wan Anran looked bewildered.
What happened next?
Wan Anran pondered the matter carefully.
Hmm? Hmm? Hmm hmm hmm?
Her expression froze, and then her whole body began to tremble.
What on earth did she do?! Huh?!
Wan Anran's expression was one of utter devastation; she had just felt refreshed, but now she was left with only a splitting headache. Wan Anran lay down again, silently grabbing the corner of the blanket to cover herself, a peaceful expression appearing on her face.
This is probably just a dream.
Wan Anran murmured, "...It's good that I'm awake now."
"My lady, this is not a dream."
Hai Tao had no choice but to shatter the young lady's illusions, cruelly reminding her: "You really said that the Emperor is bald, and that he went bald at a young age, suggesting that the Emperor eat more black sesame seeds."
Wan Anran: …………
She grabbed the blanket with both hands and pulled it up, crying out in anguish, "As long as I don't wake up, this matter will not be mentioned."
Just then, Xia Mama's voice rang out from outside: "Young Master Wan! Young Master Wan, the imperial eunuch has arrived and is waiting for you!"
Wan Anran: Cracked.jpg
Could it be a direct act of retaliation? No way, no way? She looked pitifully at him, tears welling up in her eyes.
Zisu nudged Haitao with her elbow.
Hai Tao snorted, but still stepped forward: "Your Highness, the Emperor may be concerned about the allowance."
"……Why?"
“Yesterday, when you were drunk, you insisted on complaining,” Zisu explained softly. Because her memory was so clear, she even recited each word that her mistress had read aloud.
Expressionless face, fast-paced crosstalk.
After Zisu finished speaking, Wan Anran turned into stone completely, as if a gust of wind could take her away.
Wan Anran: …………
Normally, I'm only as brave as a pinhead.
When I'm drunk, my courage is as vast as the Forbidden City.
Wan Anran slumped her shoulders as she got up.
She made careful preparations, then, with the air of someone about to be executed, she stepped out of the door with heavy steps.
Wan Anran took a deep breath.
She strode towards the front yard—perhaps this day next year will be the anniversary of her death!
To Wan Anran's surprise, she was granted the title of Noble Lady.
That's right, she, Wan Anran, has become a Noble Lady!? Wan Anran was completely bewildered. Only after being reminded by the palace servants did she accept the imperial decree in a daze, and rise amidst the congratulations of the palace servants.
Wan Anran: ...? ? ?
For a moment, people even wondered if Emperor Kangxi was a masochist, otherwise how could he have been promoted today after scolding someone like that yesterday?
Wan Anran looked puzzled.
Consort Xuan, on the other hand, was beaming with joy, as if she herself had been promoted. She patted Wan Anran on the shoulder: "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and thank the Emperor for his favor!"
Wan Anran came to her senses and quickly thanked the imperial decree.
After the eunuch who delivered the decree withdrew, she looked completely dazed: "Your Majesty, what's going on?"
He wasn't punished, but instead won a lot of rewards?
Consort Xuan said in a gentle tone, "His Majesty saw the scriptures you copied yesterday."
"Can you get promoted by copying scriptures?"
"Of course not," Consort Xuan replied cheerfully. Her eyes betrayed her schadenfreude, and she laughed out loud at the events of the day: "Didn't you see the expressions on the Emperor's and Consort Tong's faces—oh dear!"
Wan Anran's eyes lit up.
This was an instinct unique to the cha (a type of wild boar). Her eyes sparkled as she stared straight at Consort Xuan, trying to find more gossip.
The melon farmer, Consort Xuan, was very pleased with herself.
She was just about to tell her about the shocking gossip she had heard today when Granny Xia stopped her: "My lady, this is not the place to talk."
"Alright, alright, let's go inside and talk." Consort Xuan took Wan Anran's hand and led her inside with a smile.
Eating melons alone is nothing compared to eating melons together.
A servant brought over fruits and snacks, and then summoned Consort Nara. Consort Xuan enthusiastically recounted the farce that had occurred that morning.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
