She had been too focused on giving the Emperor a flirtatious glance just now and didn’t notice Li Dequan’s increasingly light footsteps.
Now that he had heard her, and she had such a strong reaction… it was foolish, and there was no shame to be had.
She hadn’t said she was a proper person after all.
She glanced at the Emperor, who was pressing his temple with his fingers, and sighed deeply inside.
Quietly, gently, she kneeled again.
A few days ago, the capital had just experienced a heavy snowfall.
The palace servants were still dressed warmly, but kneeling on the ground wasn’t comfortable.
Having served in the palace for so long, shouldn’t she have gotten used to kneeling by now?
Kangxi didn’t misunderstand Fang He’s words.
This little dark-skinned girl, with her large, watery eyes, seemed to be speaking without words, her gaze full of admiration and excitement, without any sense of shame as a woman.
He couldn’t even misinterpret her.
He just vaguely felt that ever since this little mole was caught, the Qianqing Palace seemed to have become livelier.
After a while, Kangxi finally spoke, irritated, “Explain to me, what does ‘again’ mean?” “No matter what I do, I always think twice before acting, but you… you impulsively do things without thinking!”
Fang He: “…………” Anyone can boast, right?
You try saying you think twice before acting when you’re staring at the graves of Ao Bai and the Three Feudal Lords!
She was afraid of being misunderstood, so she didn’t dare to act crazy again.
Instead, she sincerely explained—
“I was taught by the Fifth Prince and feel incredibly fortunate. Furthermore, receiving the Emperor’s favor… I’m truly overwhelmed with emotion!”
“As the saying goes, ‘a teacher for a day, a father for life,’ I know your gaze is sharp and kind, and I respect you deeply…”
Kangxi’s eyelids twitched. “Enough, you—”
However, Fang He’s voice was soft and pleasant, but her words came out quickly.
“…I even felt the urge to call you ‘Father.’ I know I’ve overstepped, truly, I couldn’t hold it back. Please, Your Majesty, punish me.”
“Wake up.”
Kangxi sat up straight, expressionless, calmly looking at Fang He.
“Not to mention how absurd this daydream is, but I certainly can’t have a daughter like you.”
Fang He shrank her neck, softly saying, “I know, but I have no memory of my real father. You’re the elder I admire most, and I will certainly treat you like my real father!”
Kangxi: “………..Come here.”
A mixture of helplessness and amusement flashed across his face, but it was quickly suppressed by his powerful self-control, returning to his usual composed demeanor as he gently waved at Fang He.
Fang He shivered internally.
Was he really not angry enough to strangle her?
Although she was terrified, she didn’t dare to show hesitation on her face.
Slowly, she walked three steps towards him and hesitated before kneeling down.
Kangxi leaned forward, his long arm reaching out to grab her wrist.
Without much effort, he spun her around, not letting her kneel.
Fang He’s heart grew even more uneasy, and she turned to speak, “Your Majesty…”
“Don’t go to the tea room from now on. I don’t want people thinking the servants in Qianqing Palace are as poor at speaking as you.” Kangxi interrupted her calmly, poking her on the back of the head with his long finger and pushing her toward the door.
“Now, go. I don’t want to see you again today.”
Fang He staggered as she was pushed.
Is saying ‘go away’ going to kill you?
She could sense that the Emperor, who appeared calm and composed, was close to losing his temper.
She didn’t dare to say anything further and walked out, her face full of dejection, but secretly, she was relieved.
Whether she was acting a bit more crazy or foolish than usual, the important thing was to establish the father-daughter relationship first, to eliminate any thoughts Kangxi might have of keeping her.
As she left the Hongde Hall, Fang He saw Liang Jiugong leaning against a pillar, looking grim and seemingly not understanding what had happened inside to make his godson act so out of sorts.
At the same time, Li Dequan was too busy taking the blame to say anything in front of the Emperor, so Liang Jiugong could only silently wonder.
That’s when he met Fang He, who had just walked out.
Her eyes lit up, and as Liang Jiugong instinctively took a step back, she eagerly moved towards him.
“Liang An-da, I have something to ask you.”
Liang Jiugong: “……………You… go ahead.”
Fang He pretended not to notice his involuntary hunch, her face sincere and slightly embarrassed.
“Since I no longer need to study with the Fifth Prince, and now I’m a second-rank palace maid, could you arrange a night duty for me, Liang An-da?”
“I can’t always let others take on my tasks. I’m deeply favored by the Emperor and have no way to repay him, so I want to do my best and serve well to repay His Majesty’s kindness!”
She had to show some filial piety, after all.
Standing for night duty wasn’t much of a problem; it was just a bit tiring.
Besides, she could watch a film and enjoy the blessings of being close to the main characters…
Staying up late was routine for someone from her line of work.
But Liang Jiugong looked like he had a toothache, feeling troubled by the difficult situation every time he dealt with this troublesome goddaughter.
The Emperor hadn’t given any orders, and in fact, had even made Fang He his pupil, but she was technically a second-rank palace maid, so who would dare to assign her to the duties of one?
However, as a palace servant, where was the line to draw… Liang Jiugong wasn’t sure how to handle it.
As the Chief Eunuch, he had to maintain composure and smiled at Fang He.
“I know, Miss Fang He, you’re very loyal. But now there are more newcomers in the palace, so how to arrange things… I’ll need to think about it. Later, I’ll have Li…”
He paused, thinking that his godson might not be able to leave, so he changed his words, “I’ll have Wei Zhu come tell you.”
Fang He smiled at Liang Jiugong, once again bowing respectfully, “Thank you, Liang An-da. Please feel free to give me any tasks.”
Since the Emperor didn’t want to see her today and didn’t want her to go to the tea room… then she could just return to her assigned room and rest, right?
She was being filial… listening to her father… to her lord!
As Fang He bounced out of the palace with an inexplicable sense of joy, heading toward her assigned room…
Liang Jiugong looked up at the sky, thinking it was still two hours before noon.
He couldn’t help feeling a bit sour inside, but not daring to take matters into his own hands with Fang He’s work, he entered the hall to serve.
As he entered, Liang Jiugong saw his lord—hands on hips, the other hand, with veins bulging on his long fingers, resting under his nose, smiling in a way that seemed very pleased.
Liang Jiugong boldly smiled and asked, “Just now, Miss Fang He wanted to take on the night duty like everyone else, saying she’s hardworking. Your Majesty, what do you think…”
Kangxi was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed in anger and kicked Liang Jiugong in the backside.
“Get out!”