So Consort Tong began to observe. With her current status, she didn't need to care too much about a mere concubine. What she needed now was to take good care of Yinzhen and, ideally, give birth to a prince herself.
She was only one step away from becoming Empress; she was the most likely person in the entire harem to sit on that throne.
Compared to Consort Tong's composure, Consort De was somewhat impatient; it wouldn't be accurate to say she was particularly infatuated with Emperor Kangxi.
Of all the concubines in the harem, she came from the worst family background. Everything she had was due to Kangxi's favor. Compared to others, she cared most about Kangxi's affection.
Previously, Consort Ding had been the sole favorite for a month. When she was a palace maid, she had lived with Consort Ding for a while. Consort Ding and she were both originally palace maids of Imperial Noble Consort Tong. Consort De knew her temperament and knew she couldn't cause any trouble. Although she cared, she wasn't in a hurry.
But the appearance of Consort Shu made Consort De feel that something was unusual.
She was getting anxious, but she really didn't dare to do anything. Given Kangxi's temperament, who would dare to touch his favorite? Making a hasty move without understanding the situation could easily lead to mistakes, and that wasn't her style.
We can only wait and see.
"Banxia, keep a close eye on Jiangxue Pavilion for me."
She wanted to see what kind of formidable person lived in Jiangxue Pavilion.
Everyone had different ideas, but almost everyone in the harem turned their attention to Jiangxue Pavilion, a small place.
Emperor Kangxi didn't come at noon, but he did come in the evening. They had dinner together and slept in the same bed that night. Just like the night before, Emperor Kangxi kept making small moves, but he didn't go all the way.
Seeing Kangxi's restrained expression, Youqing felt a little sorry for him. She had heard that men who held back for too long were prone to problems.
The third day was the same. By the fifth day, Youqing wanted to persuade Kangxi that if all else failed, he should just go all the way to the last step. Apart from that last bit, everything else that needed to be done had been done.
Although she couldn't say she didn't care, she was teased every night by a man who seemed pretty good in every way. He would stop when he got excited. She didn't know if he was hurt physically, but she felt that she was hurt in some way.
I had a wet dream during my afternoon nap.
She's come to terms with it. If things don't work out, she'll just enjoy it. She's thinking about it from a different perspective: she's getting a free ride with Emperor Kangxi. In a way, she's actually making a profit.
Just as Youqing was getting ready, Kangxi didn't come over that night.
He really needed a good rest. Sleeping with a girl every day, but failing to go all the way, was really taking its toll. Kangxi decided to rest for a few days.
But people still need to be coaxed.
Just when Youqing thought that Kangxi was tired of playing games with her and was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a young eunuch came over and said that Kangxi summoned her to accompany him.
It had been a while since breakfast was served. Youqing originally planned to pretend to be asleep and go to the farm to do some work. Kangxi had been there every night for the past few days, and she didn't dare to play the game of a living person suddenly disappearing.
Since Emperor Kangxi had summoned her to accompany him, there was naturally no reason for her to refuse.
She followed the little eunuch.
As they exited Jiangxue Pavilion, a palanquin stood at the entrance, saying, "Consort Shu, please get into the sedan chair."
A mere concubine (常在) in the palace naturally wouldn't be entitled to ride in a palanquin: "Isn't this somewhat against the rules?"
The young eunuch explained with a smile, "Don't worry, Your Highness. This was specially ordered by His Majesty. He said that you are in poor health and he was afraid that you would tire yourself out, so he specially arranged for a palanquin."
Youqing wanted to say that she wasn't so weak that she couldn't walk from Jiangxuexuan to Qianqinggong, but since Kangxi had given the order, she naturally wouldn't be pretentious and refuse to sit.
She took Chengying's hand and sat down in the palanquin.
This was her first time accompanying the emperor at the Qianqing Palace. She brought Chengying with her. Chengying was sent by Emperor Kangxi and was more composed and knew the rules of the Qianqing Palace better than Sangzhu.
Two people carried the palanquin, swaying and staggering towards the Qianqing Palace. To be honest, it would have been better to walk there than ride in the palanquin!
Growing up in a people-oriented environment, she was taught from a young age that everyone is equal. Although she was not so naive as to befriend palace maids and eunuchs, she felt a sense of guilt when she sat in a sedan chair carried by human labor.
Moreover, having grown accustomed to modern modes of transportation, she felt unsafe being carried in a sedan chair, fearing that someone might accidentally drop her on the ground.
Fortunately, the journey wasn't particularly long, and she finally breathed a sigh of relief when she arrived at the Qianqing Palace.
Once I stepped off the chariot and my feet touched the ground, it felt somewhat real.
Seeing this, Chengying quickly helped her up.
Led by a young eunuch, Youqing, supported by Chengying, entered a room. After pushing open the door, Youqing went inside, while the rest of the people remained outside.
When Kangxi heard the door open, he looked up, saw Youqing, and put down his pen.
Just as Youqing was about to curtsy, Kangxi spoke: "No need for formalities, come and grind ink for me."
Upon hearing this, Youqing couldn't help but shudder. Grinding ink, it's ink again. When she was with Kangxi, she spent most of her time grinding ink when she wasn't in bed. Her health had improved a bit these past few days, but grinding ink required standing, which was very tiring!
She worked almost all night last night.
Did Emperor Kangxi know that what he perceived as favor was no different from torture for her?
He probably doesn't know!
Youqing stared at the inkstone, grinding it vigorously, somewhat lost in thought, when she suddenly heard Kangxi say, "If you keep grinding it, the ink will be gone."
Youqing snapped out of her daze and looked at Kangxi innocently. Kangxi smiled and said, "It's almost done grinding, let's stop!"
Youqing stopped what she was doing and stood aside.
Kangxi put down his pen and immediately pulled her into his arms. Youqing was very light and soft, and it felt comfortable to hold her in his arms. He quite liked holding her in his arms.
Youqing's legs went weak when she was suddenly pulled into his arms. The two engaged in more intimate acts, and she no longer felt shy about such contact. Instead, she felt as if her legs had finally been freed.
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