If he hadn’t objected, that meant he had silently agreed!
Liang Jiugong: “…”
That did sound like something His Majesty would say.
He dared not disobey a direct order from the Emperor, so he had no choice but to pinch his nose and summon someone to inform Wei Zhu to hurry back and prepare for their return to the palace.
***
But the more Liang Jiugong thought about it, the more uneasy he felt, afraid that he had made a misstep somewhere.
If His Majesty truly grew tired of him, then given everything he had witnessed during his years in service, there would be no way he could survive.
So that night, when attending to Kangxi before bed, Liang Jiugong took it upon himself to handle the palace maid’s duties.
He carefully helped Kangxi change into his nightclothes and personally lowered the bed curtains.
Seizing the moment before his master fell asleep, he cautiously tested the waters.
“Your Majesty, as per your instructions, I have already summoned that boy, Wei Zhu, back.”
“He has already been punished for his previous mistakes. Now that he has learned his lesson, should he serve closely by your side, just like Li Dequan?”
Kangxi paused in surprise.
“I—”
He had only uttered one word before abruptly stopping.
As he carefully recalled his earlier conversation with Fang He, his Adam’s apple bobbed as he suppressed the sharp retort at the back of his throat.
Instead, he calmly rejected Liang Jiugong’s suggestion.
“No need. Let him settle in first—he can serve closely when the time is right.”
After a brief pause, he added, “The same goes for the other servants in Qianqing Palace. If you see that any of them are unreliable, they are not to attend me in the hall.”
Liang Jiugong instantly picked up on the deliberate emphasis in those three words.
Overjoyed, he hurriedly responded, “Yes, Your Majesty!”
Of course, he also noticed the unusual tone behind his master’s words.
But as long as he remained the Emperor’s most trusted servant, even if something was amiss, he would simply wait for the right opportunity—to relieve His Majesty of his burdens.
Once Liang Jiugong had left, the hall gradually fell into silence.
Kangxi took a deep breath, but ultimately couldn’t hold back a silent, bitter chuckle.
Impressive.
No wonder Fang He had always been concise and restrained in front of him, only to suddenly chatter away today, saying not just what needed to be said but also everything that shouldn’t have been.
She had counted on him getting impatient and glossing over things.
It had been years since he had been played like this, but the test had given him exactly the confirmation he was looking for.
Not only did it fail to provoke his anger, but it didn’t even make him want to punish Fang He to vent his frustration.
Well, well… a rat truly knows the ways of rats.
They were not wrong about that!
***
By the time they returned to Qianqing Palace, there were only two days left until the Mid-Autumn Festival.
It was only then that Wei Zhu finally found an opportunity to speak with Fang He.
“A-Jie, how did you convince His Majesty to let me return to serve at his side?”
Wei Zhu was particularly confused and somewhat worried.
“His Majesty hasn’t summoned me to attend him in the hall. Everything you taught me was completely useless. But Li Dequan has been asking questions—when I said I didn’t know, he looked like he was ready to eat me alive.”
Recalling how Li Dequan had been deliberately assigning him menial chores these past few days, as well as his cold remarks toward Fang He, Wei Zhu lowered his voice and warned her—
“A-Jie… If you did something reckless, don’t keep it from me and Godfather. If you truly anger His Majesty, all our heads won’t be enough to roll.”
Fang He remained as quiet and honest-looking as ever, her face full of innocence.
“It was His Majesty’s order to have you return. You weren’t even officially dismissed to begin with, were you?”
“With my timid nature, I don’t even dare to push forward myself. If I had to rely on you to strive for a future, what could I possibly have done?”
She had merely recognized that she was useful to Kangxi.
And since she didn’t believe in playing mind games, she could only be forthright in his presence and gain leniency through honesty!
Back when she worked as a lobby manager at a five-star hotel, she had to interact with most of the hotel’s departments while also dealing directly with customers.
Ensuring top-tier service quality wasn’t about being particularly skilled—it was about being meticulous.
When Kangxi asked if she recognized her crime, she immediately sensed something subtle.
She didn’t know the exact reason, but this dog of an emperor was clearly trying to PUA (manipulate) her!
Leaving aside how shameless that was, an emperor PUA-ing a mere palace maid?
When she had gathered the courage to look up at him, she didn’t see any special intention in his gaze.
Other than the fact that she was useful, what else could he possibly want?
The Emperor had plenty of capable people to use, yet he went out of his way to threaten and force her to reflect on her mistakes, even making sure she couldn’t stay behind at the temporary palace.
Whatever usefulness she had, it must have been important enough that even she couldn’t quite grasp it.
Her best friend, Geng Shuning, had once told her: “All the excessive flattery and shameless bootlicking toward big clients are just the interest you have to pay before you can bleed them dry”.
She didn’t even know if she would ever get the chance to leave the palace.
Just thinking about it made her fume.
So what was wrong with collecting a little interest in advance from the person who might one day exploit her?
She turned the warning back on Wei Zhu.
“Don’t worry about me. Aunt Qin said I made a mistake and that His Majesty might be displeased if he sees me, so she told me to continue boiling water. I’ll just stay in the tea room and keep my head down.”
“You’ve finally returned to serve at His Majesty’s side. Don’t try to stand out too quickly. Treat Chief Steward Liang and Li Dequan like your ancestors—serve them well.
Don’t wait to be ordered around for the dirty and exhausting tasks. Be observant, take the initiative, and focus on staying safe above all else.”
“From what I can see, His Majesty has a long and prosperous life ahead. There’s plenty of time. As long as you hone your skills properly, your time to rise will come. But you absolutely must stop acting recklessly.”
Wei Zhu carefully studied Fang He’s expression.
Seeing that she seemed calm and collected, he could only nod obediently.
“A-Jie, don’t worry. Grandpa Liang doesn’t even acknowledge me, and when I see Li Dequan, I call him ‘Brother’ so sweetly that he practically melts. There’s no way they’ll get a chance to make trouble for me!”
Fang He: “…”
Wait, doesn’t that mess up the seniority?!
***
Soon, the Mid-Autumn Festival arrived, and before dawn even broke, the imperial court and the harem were already bustling with activity.
Normally, when imperial consorts or princes had their birthdays, Kangxi would simply send some gifts, join them for a meal, and be done with it.
This was the first grand banquet that Fang He had encountered since arriving in this world.
She wasn’t sure how things were going in the harem, but over in Qianqing Palace, the morning court session ended quickly.
The study hall wasn’t open today either.
Even before court had fully adjourned, the First Prince, Yinti, and the Crown Prince, Yinreng, had already gathered in the side hall of Hongde Palace with their younger brothers, waiting to accompany the Emperor to pay respects to their great-grandmother.
In just ten days, it would be the Grand Empress Dowager’s birthday.
In past years, the empire had been engaged in wars, and the national treasury was tight.
The Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang had always led by example in practicing frugality, refusing to allow grand celebrations unless it was a significant milestone birthday.
Last year, before the spoils of war from the Zheng family were even delivered to the capital, the Empress Dowager had only allowed a simple family banquet in Qianqing Palace for her birthday.
Kangxi was a devoted grandson.
This year, the country was relatively stable, and the treasury was no longer under as much strain.
He wanted to celebrate the Grand Empress Dowager’s birthday properly but didn’t want to go against her thrifty values.
So, he combined the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet with her birthday feast, making it a truly lively occasion.
A group of half-grown boys and little children couldn’t bear the hunger after waking up so early.
Since they had risen at dawn, Qianqing Palace had to prepare easy-to-digest foods and drinks for them.
After the Emperor finished paying his respects to the Grand Empress Dowager and escorted her to Qianqing Palace, the ministers would also have to head to Baohe Hall early to await the banquet.
In the evening, after the princes and nobles had returned to their respective residences, there would still be a family banquet in Qianqing Palace.
It could be said that everyone in the Imperial Household Department and the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs had been running themselves ragged for days.
Today, the Imperial Kitchen and the Imperial Tea House in Qianqing Palace were also extremely busy, with people rushing around nonstop.
Except for Fang He.
She sat in the tea room, leisurely wiping the sweat off her forehead, boiling pot after pot of water without moving an inch—so still that it made the other palace maids in the Imperial Tea House grit their teeth in frustration.
But there was nothing they could do about it.
It was Aunt Qin’s order, supposedly hinted at by Chief Steward Liang.
Since Fang He had made a mistake and wasn’t considered steady enough, she was to avoid coming into the Emperor’s presence as much as possible.
On a day when everyone was running around until their legs were about to give out, some of them actually started feeling jealous.
If only they were fools too, maybe they wouldn’t have to work so hard.
When the morning court session finally ended, and the Emperor left with the princes to visit Cining Palace, the palace maids finally got a chance to eat.
Cuiwei, who had finished her meal first, plopped down beside Fang He with a sour look on her face, handing her a plate of pastries.
Someone had to stay behind to tend the fire.
Fang He knew she was being a lazy fish and didn’t want to make the others resent her.
Since she hadn’t gotten the chance to eat, she had only managed to grab a few mantou from the dining hall in the morning to barely fill her stomach—and she was already starving.
Now, she didn’t hesitate.
Seeing the food, she quickly stuffed the pastries into her mouth while no one was looking.
Watching her eat so happily, Cuiwei, who was still exhausted from her morning duties, became even more bitter.
She gave a small huff.
“Must be nice for you—just squatting in the tea room, not getting burned by the sun or chilled by the wind. I almost want Aunt Qin to punish me too.”
Fang He, cheeks puffed with food, smiled at Cuiwei and swallowed with a sip of warm water before playfully flattering her in a hushed tone.
“That’s just called ‘the capable do more work.’ When Aunt Qin gets promoted and moves up, you’ll be the one relaxing in the side rooms, collecting money.”
Cuiwei chuckled, glancing around to make sure no one was listening.
Unable to hold back, she leaned in conspiratorially.
“I could never be that important. The real most capable one is someone else~”
Huh?
Hearing the teasing lilt in Cuiwei’s voice, Fang He immediately perked up.
She could smell juicy gossip.
She stopped eating, her bright eyes urging Cuiwei to spill the tea—quickly!
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.