That phrase was most fitting for this night.
The next day, after waking up, Kangxi realized that he had really gone too far the night before, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything, so he left with a sullen face.
Youqing was still asleep when he left.
Youqing opened her eyes.
It's like "The Last Supper," as if it's the last night, and they won't stop until they're going crazy.
Youqing spoke, her voice hoarse: "Sangzhu."
Sangzhu, who was guarding outside, came in upon hearing the noise.
"What time is it?"
"Your Highness, it's almost noon."
Sangzhu blushed slightly as she spoke. She had been on night watch the night before, and the unprecedented "commotion" she had caused still made her blush when she thought about it.
When Youqing saw Sangzhu blush, her own face turned red as well, clearly showing that she was very self-aware and knew what had happened last night.
Clearing her throat lightly, Youqing said in a serious tone, "Prepare your clothes, I'm getting up."
She was only wearing a thin undergarment, which she vaguely remembered being changed into by Emperor Kangxi after he "pulled" her out of the bath last night. As for her other clothes, they were naturally unwearable.
"Yes, my lord."
Sangzhu quickly took out the clothes one by one, and Youqing got out of bed, put them on one by one, and then washed up.
At this moment, Chengying came in. In the morning, people from the Imperial Household Department came to Jiangxuexuan to arrange the kitchen, so she hadn't had a moment to spare. When she saw Sangzhu push the door open and come in, she estimated that it was about time before she came in.
"My lady, would you like to have a meal?"
Youqing nodded. She was indeed hungry. She hadn't eaten breakfast, and she didn't know how Kangxi, who was so proactive, could still get up on time.
That's amazing!
"Alright."
Cheng Ying went out with a smile, and Sang Zhu said with a smile, "Not long after His Majesty left, people from the Imperial Household Department came and converted the westernmost small house into a small kitchen. They also sent two nannies who can cook. We won't be able to have lunch today, but the small kitchen will probably be ready for dinner. His Majesty is so considerate to the young lady."
Youqing smiled and said, "I mentioned it to His Majesty yesterday. From now on, you can get your meals directly from the small kitchen! You'll be able to have a hot meal even in the dead of winter."
Sangzhu said with a happy expression, "Thank you, young master."
Seeing Sangzhu's easily satisfied expression, Youqing smiled even more happily: "You've suffered because of me."
Sangzhu was taken aback by what she heard, and then she remembered last winter, which was a tough one. Her mistress almost didn't make it through that winter.
"Life is so much better now than it was back then," Sangzhu sighed. "Your Highness is a fairy who descended to earth to undergo tribulation. What happened last year was that tribulation. Now that it's over, everything will surely go smoothly from now on."
Youqing smiled but remained silent.
Smooth sailing?
Who can guarantee that it's just a good wish? She also hopes for a smooth life ahead and that one day she can truly gain freedom.
Youqing was also afraid.
The novels and TV dramas depict the female protagonists who travel through time as incredibly powerful and awesome, yet even with her cheat-like abilities, she remains fearful and uneasy. In this era, she is an anomaly, and her thoughts and the environment she has lived in for over twenty years have shaped her values.
She feared that if she stayed any longer, she would be assimilated by this era, which was a particularly terrifying thing.
Before she transmigrated, she was just an ordinary citizen. Her ordinary family background made her ordinary and unremarkable, and she was content with this mundane life. She didn't have the lofty ambitions of a female protagonist who wanted to become the Empress Dowager or overthrow the Qing Dynasty to become the Empress.
She simply lived her quiet life peacefully.
She disliked the lifestyle in the palace, with its three palaces and six courtyards, where multiple women shared one man, even if that man was outstanding. She couldn't agree with this kind of "sharing."
She couldn't hypnotize herself into thinking, "I'll just make do," "I'll get by," or "I can do what other transmigrated women can do"...
She received a modern education, loved life, loved her country, loved freedom, loved living, believed in the goodness of the world, and believed in hope...
Having received so much education, she felt it shouldn't be her fault, but rather the fault of the times. She shouldn't pay the price for the ignorance of the "era," even if, in the eyes of the era, she might be the one who was wrong.
The conflicting ideas of this era made Youqing feel uneasy and lonely.
She couldn't tell Sangzhu that everyone should be equal, nor could she say that men shouldn't take concubines and that they should be monogamous...
So she was afraid, afraid that one day she would compromise, afraid that one day she would get used to the trends of this era.
Thinking about it carefully late at night, it's a terrifying thing.
When a person doesn't have to worry about survival, her mind and soul will become complacent, which is a terrifying thing!
Not long after, Chengying brought back lunch.
When Chengying came in, she was smiling: "My lady, the eunuch in the kitchen said that His Majesty specially ordered the kitchen to make Buddha Jumps Over the Wall for you. It's a whole earthenware pot, and it's sealed tightly. I brought it over here."
Besides Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, there are other hot dishes, the kind of dishes that can be reheated without affecting the taste. The rice is steamed separately in the house, not taken from the kitchen, and is served piping hot on the table.
Buddha Jumps Over the Wall truly lives up to its reputation; the aroma of meat wafts from the pot when it's opened, and even Buddha would abandon his meditation to jump over the wall to enjoy it.
It smells wonderful.
The entire earthenware pot was too much for Youqing to finish by herself, so she had someone bring small bowls, and everyone was given a small bowl with rice and some hot dishes. Everyone ate to their heart's content.
Youqing was used to being a commoner, and she always followed the rules when asking others to fetch food from the imperial kitchen. She would spend some money to order whatever she wanted to eat, but she would never think of something like Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.
It's not that I didn't want to try, it's that I didn't think of it.
Buddha Jumps Over the Wall was delicious, the soup was fresh and fragrant, and the ingredients were just right. After drinking the soup and eating the hot dishes, Youqing ate two bowls of rice.
After eating and drinking her fill, Youqing turned to look out the window and saw that it had started snowing, and it seemed to be snowing harder and harder.
"It's snowing!"
Zhu Qiao and Li Zhi were clearing away the dishes, Cheng Ying was busy with the small kitchen in the west, and Sang Zhu was waiting in front of You Qing. Hearing this, she said, "This is the first snow of the year."
It was snowing outside, but the house was very warm. The windows were covered with tung oil paper, which blocked the wind but let in light, making the house quite bright.
"Sangzhu, bring the tea set."
"Yes, my lord."
Sweeping snow and brewing tea was an elegant pastime for the ancients. I was bored with my leisure time, so I wanted to give it a try.
Youqing's tea-brewing technique wasn't particularly skillful, but her ease and naturalness gave it a unique charm. In the end, Youqing drank the tea she brewed.
Hmm... how should I put it... I couldn't taste any difference at all.
Compared to tea, she can appreciate the nuances of milk tea, but she doesn't have that expertise when it comes to plain tea.
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