What is meant by "warm and fragrant jade"?
What enchanting ambiguity?
Everything vanished in the crash, and Kangxi's impression of Consort Wan was reduced to just one line: "Her head... was so hard!"
Liang Jiugong's face turned pale instantly.
Seeing the emperor sway from the impact and wince in pain, he quickly sent a palace servant to fetch the imperial physician.
The young eunuch had just run to the door when Emperor Kangxi called him back.
His face darkened, and his sharp gaze swept over Liang Jiugong: "Nonsense! What is the purpose of summoning the imperial physician? How are you going to answer when the physician asks you questions? Hmm?"
They say I bumped into Consort Wan and was knocked unconscious?
He wasn't afraid of becoming a laughing stock! Looking at Wan Changzai, who was clutching her forehead and crying with tears in her eyes... well, more like wincing in pain, Kangxi's tenderness for her vanished.
It should be said that not holding a grudge against Wan Changzai was already a great favor. Kangxi calmly got up, kindly told Wan Changzai to rest well, and then quickly left.
Wan Anran never intended for Grandpa Kang to stay.
It wasn't that she was resentful, but look at how picky Master Kang was every time he came. He couldn't stand it if he didn't find something to criticize. How could Wan Anran possibly like him? She remained calm on the surface, but secretly she was overjoyed. She personally saw the Emperor off.
Wan Changzai's expression held a hint of unreadable emotion—in reality, it was secret delight. Kangxi glanced back and wondered if he had walked too hastily, or perhaps been disrespectful to Wan Changzai. He hesitated for a moment.
Wan Anran: ...?
Your Majesty, you should leave now!
Kangxi lowered his head, his gaze falling on the bruise on Wan Changzai's forehead. Wan Changzai's skin was fair, and even without makeup, no pores were visible. What ruined this beauty was a light blue, slightly swollen bump.
Wan Anran quickly covered her forehead.
Kangxi was amused by her actions and instructed Liang Jiugong to send another dose of medicine later. Before Wan Changzai could curtsy and express her gratitude, Kangxi said with a smile, "Don't forget about the gloves again."
The implication was quite clear.
Before making the lambswool slippers for the Crown Prince and the Ninth Prince, Consort Wan had to make gloves first.
That's incredibly petty!
Seeing the reward offered to her, Wan Anran quickly agreed. She obediently and honestly said that she would definitely complete it as quickly as possible and then hand it over to the Emperor.
After seeing Kangxi off, Wan Anran finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She rubbed her still throbbing forehead and went back into the house to quickly ask Haitao to fetch some ointment.
He held the bronze mirror and looked at it from left to right.
The face in the mirror bore a striking resemblance to her later appearance, the only difference being that Wan Changzai's features were more refined and better maintained; she had no fine lines, acne scars, or even dark circles.
Even the slightest damage would make Wan Anran cry!
Hai Tao took some ointment and gently applied it to the bump, massaging it in softly. At the same time, she muttered, "Your Highness... how could you do this! You clearly had a chance to keep the Emperor here, and you just wasted it like this..."
Isn't it great that she's throwing herself into my arms?
What a wonderful atmosphere! The more Hai Tao thought about it, the more she felt sorry for her mistress who had missed such a good opportunity—don't think she didn't see it, her mistress had clearly rushed towards the Emperor just now!
Haitao has a pert mouth and a high nose.
Zisu, however, had a different idea. She shook her head and said, "If you ask me, Your Highness did just right!"
Haitao looked incredulous: "...Huh?"
Zisu explained softly, "If Your Highness were to throw yourself into His arms, whether it was unintentional or not, I'm afraid His Majesty would think that Your Highness did it on purpose, which would only damage Your Highness's image in His Majesty's mind."
What impression? A stubborn kid?
Wan Anran was completely bewildered, but her inner吐槽 (tu cao, a Chinese internet slang term for sarcastic or critical comments) was burning fiercely within her.
Hai Tao also felt something was wrong: "How can you leave a good impression by bumping into the Emperor and comparing who has the hardest forehead..."
A hint of a smile appeared in Zisu's eyes.
She calmly explained, "His Majesty's visit must be because of the lambskin slippers that Your Highness presented to His Highness the Crown Prince."
Everyone knows this.
Haitao and Jubai nodded in unison.
Zisu continued, "If Your Highness takes this opportunity to spend time with the Emperor, the atmosphere may be good now, but when the Emperor remembers it later, he might think that Your Highness intended to use His Highness the Crown Prince to advance your position."
The Emperor values His Highness the Crown Prince very, very much.
For example, regarding Granny Tu, the Emperor did not punish her, but merely banished her from the palace. However, what His Highness the Crown Prince did not know was that Granny Tu's husband was also demoted from his official post, falling from a promising official in the Imperial Household Department to the position of manager of a royal estate in Shengjing. Would he ever be able to return to the capital? Everyone would likely give a resounding no: Impossible!
In addition, the Emperor also purged all the palace servants around His Highness the Crown Prince. Regardless of their background, anyone found to have committed any form of corruption, bribery, laziness, or negligence would be punished with twenty strokes of the cane for minor offenses, or demoted to work at the imperial estate or temporary palace for serious offenses.
If the young master were to reveal his intention to use His Highness the Crown Prince to advance his own position, his favorability rating would likely plummet from 50 points to negative 500.
Zisu spoke seriously, and Haitao and Jubai listened attentively. Just thinking about the fate of their mistress being rejected made them break out in a cold sweat. Haitao and Jubai looked up at their mistress with eyes full of admiration and respect: "Our mistress's foresight is something we can never match!"
Wow, I'm actually that amazing!
Wan Anran was inwardly puzzled, but on the surface she remained calm, as if everything was under her control.
The three maids showered him with compliments.
The atmosphere in the east wing gradually became lively. After chatting for a while, everyone remembered something else.
That is, gloves.
The master and his three servants stared at each other blankly. Wan Anran couldn't help but laugh first: "So the Emperor was talking about gloves!? We've all been fooled by Granny Xia."
Granny Xia sneezed.
Look at that black pot, it just smashed right on her head.
Hai Tao and the other two couldn't resist either.
Ju Bai covered her mouth with glee, unable to hide the schadenfreude in her eyes: "Luckily, Master was a step too slow in delivering the gift, which... gave us a good opportunity!"
you do not say?
If it weren't for Xu Changzai being quicker, he probably wouldn't have received a smile from the Emperor even after all the hard work of sending it up!
Speaking of the unlucky Consort Xu, the four couldn't help but shake their heads. Instead of delivering perfectly good work, she insisted on sending insoles, leaving a strange impression on the Emperor. Truly… indescribable bad luck.
Wan Anran shook her head.
She sighed: "In the end, it's all Xu Changzai's own fault!"
If it weren't for the fact that they inexplicably regarded me as an enemy and insisted on showing off in front of me, I wouldn't have ended up being regarded as an oddball by the Emperor and being angrily reprimanded and punished by Consort Xuan for copying texts.
After summarizing, Wan Anran felt that: "In all things, you should follow your heart. There is no need to fight or grab for things that do not belong to you."
If Hai Tao had felt somewhat aggrieved before, now she realizes that what the young mistress said makes some sense. Just like what happened earlier, if she had taken one wrong step, she might have left a completely different impression on the Emperor. Or, like Consort Xu, if she hadn't been blinded by the word "favor," how could she have ended up in this situation?
The sea peach, perilla, and orange peel seemed lost in thought.
After finishing her speech, Wan Anran turned her attention back to the gloves. With the New Year over, making those snowman-style plush gloves was clearly unnecessary, so after a moment's thought, Wan Anran decided to make a pair of leather gloves.
Unlike regular five-finger gloves.
To ensure a cool and comfortable feel, Wan Anran chose a fingerless design with a soft padding in the palm, making it very comfortable to hold. The strikingly different style of gloves left the palace servants bewildered. Hai Tao couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, I've never seen this style of glove before!"
“It’s already late winter and early spring. How much longer can His Majesty wear full-finger gloves?” Wan Anran asked rhetorically. Seeing Hai Tao and the others hesitate and shake their heads, she lowered her eyes and carefully began making the gloves: “Fingerless gloves can be used at least in spring and autumn.”
"What about the cushion in the middle?"
"The Emperor not only enjoys practicing archery and horsemanship, but also cherishes all kinds of weapons." The gloves that Wan Anran made also existed in later generations. They were often used for physical training to grip the handles and prevent them from slipping out of the hand, as well as to avoid chafing the skin. Now, it seems just right to give them to the Emperor.
The three of them suddenly realized.
To Hai Tao and the others, who were unaware of the truth, the young mistress clearly had deep feelings for the emperor but was unwilling to get close to him because of her injury. Although she was stubborn, she was eager to do everything she could when it came to matters concerning the emperor.
Such a young lady...
With tears welling up in their eyes, the three clenched their fists—we must protect the best little master in the world.
Wan Anran glanced at the three of them, puzzled.
Feeling that Haitao and the other two were acting strangely, she shook her head and continued fiddling with the leather in her hands.
Half-finger gloves don't require much material.
Wan Anran looked at the remaining leather and cut out two small pieces, placing them aside: "I'll make a pair for the Crown Prince and the Ninth Prince as well."
The peach cracked open.
Zisu was speechless. She quickly stepped forward to advise, "Your Highness, His Highness the Crown Prince and the Ninth Prince are still young and don't need these. If His Majesty really thinks they're good, Your Highness can make more for His Highness the Crown Prince and the Ninth Prince later—"
There's one more thing Zisu didn't say.
She knew that the young mistress was unwilling to reveal that she still cared about the emperor, but she couldn't do that! She had to at least give the emperor some face.
These are all things Zisu has been thinking about.
If Wan Anran knew, she would definitely give a triple denial: I didn't, I'm not, don't talk nonsense!
Zisu's words do indeed make sense.
Wan Anran regretfully piled the fabric aside, deciding to finish making the gloves as soon as possible to hand them over.
Making fingerless gloves is quite simple.
After making them seven or eight times, Hai Tao personally selected the best-looking pair and sent them to the Qianqing Palace.
Its unique design truly caught Emperor Kangxi's eye.
Especially after practicing martial arts, he greatly admired this ingenious design.
As a result of the praise, Wan Anran slept with Emperor Kangxi several times.
Broad and muscular chest, eight gleaming abs, sweat trickling down the lines—once savored, Wan Anran was happy to give it a high score, hoping the Emperor wouldn't let down the sports gloves she had made, and would continue to strive for even greater achievements.
Wan Changzai's sudden rise to prominence has attracted considerable attention.
In the mouths of the palace servants in Xianfu Palace and other palaces, Consort Wan is currently very popular and seems to be on the verge of becoming the next favored concubine.
The palace servants' fawning only annoyed Wan Anran.
Fortunately, she was just a lowly concubine, and since she didn't have to go out and interact with other concubines, she stayed in the east wing, enjoying delicious food and doing chores in her lambskin slippers, becoming increasingly leisurely and carefree.
The only one who suffered was Consort Xuan.
Fortunately, this trend didn't last long, because Consort Tong of Chengqian Palace fell ill again.
Haitao remained very calm about this.
She muttered under her breath, "Your Highness, have you forgotten? Every spring and autumn, Consort Tong would fall ill for a month or two. It's become a common occurrence."
Wan Anran frowned slightly.
With such a weak body, and being a close relative of Emperor Kangxi, it's no wonder that Consort Tong's only daughter died young, and her own lifespan was also short.
What's the use of pampering someone if they're unhealthy?
Thinking about Consort Tong's future, Wan Anran became even more determined to take good care of her health.
It was quite strange, really. Ever since she woke up, Wan Anran's health improved by leaps and bounds, and after the sixth day of the first lunar month, she even stopped taking medicine altogether. Not only did the imperial physician on duty find this strange, but even Consort Xuan had her doubts and specially sought out several other imperial physicians to take Wan Anran's pulse again to confirm.
This is just the beginning.
To put it bluntly, Wan Anran now feels that her body is stronger than an ox. She secretly tried to break the handle of the food box, and it came off easily. Hai Tao even thought there was something wrong with the food box and almost took the matter to the Imperial Household Department.
Perhaps good health is the key to success?
Or is it an ability that came with the previous incarnation?
Wan Anran wasn't entirely sure, but upon hearing the news that Consort Tong needed to rest in bed, she felt somewhat relieved.
What can compare to health?
Only those who survive to the end are the winners!
The hustle and bustle has faded away.
Peaceful life returned, and Wan Anran finally finished making a bunch of fluffy slippers.
This time, they used more than just lambswool.
Knowing that many people in the palace did not like the smell of lambskin, and that the bad weather made it difficult to remove the odor, Wan Anran simply switched to rabbit fur.
As the most abundant type of rabbit fur, any excess could be obtained for a small fee—especially since Wan Anran didn't have high requirements for the fur itself, since even if it was whole, it would eventually have to be cut and pieced together.
The versions made for the Crown Prince and the Ninth Prince were cute, while those made for the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager were simple and plain in color, with delicate and elegant auspicious patterns embroidered by skillful hands using peach and perilla. The versions made for the Empress, Consort Xuan, and Noble Lady Nara were much more playful and adorable.
After all, no matter how composed and dignified they were, most of the concubines were only in their teens or twenties. The pink and tender little stars, the round and chubby little bear shapes, the upright cat ears, the long rabbit ears... the adorable designs made Hai Tao and the other two unable to take their eyes off them, let alone send them to the other palaces.
The first to receive it was naturally Consort Xuan.
Even those who revere Buddhism and Taoism and seek peace of mind cannot help but be captivated when they see soft, fluffy slippers appearing before them.
As soon as Zisu left, she tried it out.
The thin wooden base was covered with thick rabbit fur, making it as soft and comfortable as walking on clouds. Its cute and delicate appearance was irresistible, and even the nanny Xia standing next to her couldn't take her eyes off it: "Young Master Wan's thoughts are truly rare."
Consort Xuan was in a good mood.
Looking at the fluffy slippers, she smiled faintly: "It's good that Consort Wan still has some conscience. It wasn't for nothing that I shielded her from these swords and spears."
Consort Wan, who was not required to perform the morning and evening greetings, could naturally stay in the palace, but Consort Xuan could not! She had been subjected to a lot of glares from the other concubines these days, and some even suspected that Consort Xuan controlled Consort Wan's daily routine of not going out.
You wicked Consort Xuan, you've been harboring evil intentions all along.
Having been caught in a huge trap, Consort Xuan had been feeling incredibly down these past few days. Now, however, a smile finally appeared on her face. Consort Xuan waved her hand and said, "Take that basket of mulberries that was just delivered to Consort Wan. I'm sure she'll be happy."
Lady Nara was somewhat astonished.
Aside from helping Wan Changzai complain about Wuya Guiren a few times last time, her relationship with Wan Changzai was just ordinary.
Moreover… Consort Nara knew in her heart that her help to Consort Wan could not compare to Consort Wan’s help to Wan Fu. It was thanks to Consort Wan that Wan Fu was able to enter the Crown Prince’s service. And now he was even sending gifts… Consort Wan’s act of returning the favor made Consort Nara feel somewhat ashamed.
Ju Bai curtsied and said, "Please accept this, Your Highness! These are matching shoes that Your Highness specially made for Your Highness and the Ninth Prince!"
Nara was taken aback: "...Parental child?"
With a bright smile, Ju Bai took out a pair of fluffy slippers that were exactly the same size, only a few sizes too small. With one large and one small placed before her, Nara Guiren's initial three-tenths attraction turned into seven or eight-tenths, and she could even imagine Wan Fu and herself wearing them together.
This... is truly irresistible.
Noble Lady Nara thought it over and accepted the gift, but as a noblewoman, she had nothing to offer as a gift. What should she do? Noble Lady Nara pondered this over and over, and just as she was at her wit's end, she happened to see Wan Fu...
Got it!
Lady Nara's eyes lit up.
Hearing that the Emperor had recently been nagging about Consort Wan's calligraphy, and knowing that she herself had nothing else particularly outstanding, Consort Nara made up her mind. She personally went to the east wing and declared that she would strictly guide Consort Wan in her studies in the coming days, striving to help her academic performance improve steadily and earn the Emperor's praise!
Wan Anran's face went numb.
Her pupils dilated in shock, and she waved her hands repeatedly, saying, "Sister Nara, why are we being so polite with each other?!"
Noble Lady Nara held Wan Anran's hand tightly.
With a serious expression, she said firmly, "That's why I'm doing this—because I consider you my younger sister!"
Wan Anran: …………
How about... we talk about this again? Can I not be your sister?
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