Fang He might not always be reliable, but when it comes to gossip, she’s a professional!
Hearing the commotion inside, she hadn’t even set foot inside the door before swiftly spinning on her heel, executing an extreme difficulty move beyond her limit—twisting her waist, tiptoeing, and sliding out to wait outside the hall.
When the boss is embarrassing himself, only a fool would rush in—but the ears, well, they can still stretch a little longer.
Hehe~
She had heard her best friend complain before, saying Kangxi and Liang Jiugong spent day and night together, seeming not so innocent.
Later, Liang Jiugong betrayed him, but Kangxi, who was always zero-tolerance about such things, surprisingly spared his life—there must have been at least half a leg involved, right?
Inside the hall, Kangxi coughed so hard his throat burned.
He pointed at Liang Jiugong, who was kneeling on the ground with a bitter expression, wishing he could make him follow in Li Dequan’s footsteps.
“From now on…”
He touched his Adam’s apple, barely maintaining the emperor’s dignity, though clearly annoyed.
“When I drink tea, you’re not allowed to spout nonsense in front of me, or else you can go scoop out the night soil directly!”
If someone else had said such daydreaming nonsense, Kangxi wouldn’t have been surprised.
Any time he paid a little more attention to a woman, the entire court and harem would overthink it.
But for Liang Jiugong, who had served him since childhood, to come up with such absurd speculation—now that was choking.
Even if this damn eunuch had guessed that he had feelings for that bastard, the way they constantly schemed against each other was more intense than his effort in reviewing memorials.
Liang Jiugong didn’t dare to lift his head, bowing even lower, not daring to mention how that filthy thought even emerged.
Kangxi, having recovered from the bout of choking, stood up disdainfully.
“If this happens again, you can go scoop night soil! Now get that girl in here!”
Before he could finish his sentence, he noticed two small heads casting shadows against the silk-covered doorframe.
His palms itched terribly, wishing he had a hammer for whack-a-mole.
Fang He walked in with an innocent expression, acting as if she hadn’t heard anything.
If she had to choose sides, she would rather pick Di Sheng Di Di (her younger brother).
Why would she settle for some old scumbag with a dirty heart?
“Your Majesty, wipe yourself, shall I have someone prepare water?”
She smiled obediently, gracefully placing the tray down, then swiftly moved to the copper basin, dipped a cloth, and presented it to Kangxi.
“The palace attendants said that during this season, some grapefruit leaves haven’t fallen yet, and peach branches are even budding.”
Liang Jiugong: “…………”
In her eyes, what kind of filthy thing was he exactly?!
Also, Liang Jiugong stole a glance at the Emperor—what filth exactly… cough cough!
Kangxi couldn’t be bothered with this fool.
He simply wiped his hands with the cloth before tossing it back to her.
It was already late, and he valued his health, especially the noon nap—if conditions allowed, it must not be delayed.
It was just a bit of tea spilled on his sleeve, but he coldly commanded:
“You, go clean yourself up!”
“You, come here and change my clothes!”
The first “you” ran out immediately.
The second “you” instinctively twitched her eyelid.
Attending him to the toilet again?
She refused.
Then, under Kangxi’s increasingly sharp gaze, Fang He realized—oh, oh, oh, this time, it was really changing clothes.
She hurriedly stepped forward to help Kangxi remove his outer robe.
After Liang Jiugong left, Qi Sanfu quickly brought people in to clean up and took the soiled clothes away.
Kangxi rinsed his mouth and, dressed in his yellow inner garments, leaned lazily against the dragon bed, glancing at Fang He, who was carefully adjusting the bed curtains.
“What did you hear just now?”
“I heard nothing at all!”
Fang He responded without blinking, gently pulling the curtains down.
Instantly, the dragon bed was enveloped in a hazy glow, exuding a warm fragrance, making it impossible to see his expression inside.
Kangxi was silent for a moment before his slightly hoarse voice spoke:
“Do your job well. I have somewhat of a teacher-disciple relationship with you, so I suppose I can also be half a father. I will make arrangements for you.”
Fang He hadn’t heard Liang Jiugong’s nonsense about Kangxi choking on his tea, so she didn’t understand why the Emperor suddenly said this.
But she was an expert at playing along.
A fleeting surprise flickered across her face, not entirely hidden.
“I obey Your Majesty’s command!”
Half a father…
That meant she was half a princess, right?
Good heavens, did this mean she would be treated like the Eldest Princess?
Was Kangxi going to grant her a title too?
She wouldn’t ask for a princess manor—just a proper dowry and marriage to a minor noble.
She could totally live a carefree life!
Kangxi originally intended to warn her against having inappropriate thoughts due to Liang Jiugong’s wild assumptions.
But he hadn’t expected to hear the crisp excitement in her voice.
His phoenix eyes opened abruptly, revealing a few traces of coldness, scrutinizing the petite figure at the foot of the bed.
“You’re happy not having to serve me?”
Fang He’s heart trembled violently, and her trouble-detecting radar kicked in.
She instantly put on a confused expression.
“How could that be!”
“You acknowledged yourself as my half-father. I’m overjoyed!”
“I’d sacrifice my life for Your Majesty! Even if I must become a ward princess, I will obey!”
Kangxi:
This girl really dared to dream.
When to fight, how to fight—these have been discussed in court several times, but no conclusion has been reached.
Suo’ertu and Tong Guowei still had the leisure to summon their families to the palace, trying to take the Empress Dowager’s route to send people into the palace.
They must have been too idle!
After hearing Liang Jiugong’s report about the commotion in the Xuan Ning Hall, Kangxi felt waves of irritation surging in his heart.
It was already dusk, and he had no appetite for dinner, so he simply tossed aside the memorials in his hand and got up to go to the hot springs.
Liang Jiugong knew that His Majesty was going to soak in the hot springs to relax, so he dared not say much.
He quickly instructed the imperial kitchen to prepare some easily digestible snacks, ordered attendants to prepare the standard bathing package that Fang He had previously arranged, and hurried after the emperor toward the hot springs.
The main hall’s hot spring pool was exquisitely built within a gourd-shaped rock garden, surrounded by dense bamboo forests that created a winding, secluded path.
Amid the swirling mist, one could barely see ahead, and even the ground seemed to be floating like clouds, making it feel as though they had stepped into a fairyland.
There were two paths to the hot springs.
One was a direct route through the flowing water pond outside, leading straight into the bamboo forest.
The other, a narrow stone-paved path, wound its way up a rocky hill, equivalent to the “big belly” of the gourd.
From there, one could descend through a cave within the artificial mountain, eventually entering the bamboo grove.
The second path could only be taken by Kangxi himself.
What was interesting was that, from the watchtower carved into the top of the rock hill, one could see everything happening in all directions with perfect clarity.
So, as Kangxi strode up the hill, an imperial guard stepped out from the hidden sentry post inside the watchtower and whispered:
“Your Majesty, there is someone at the hot spring.”
Kangxi’s expression instantly sharpened, his patience thinning.
“Drag them out and beat them to death!”
The hot spring pool he used was his alone.
Even when he had brought consorts to the palace in the past, his cousin had begged multiple times to enter, but he had never allowed it.
This was his private retreat for peace of mind.
For someone to dare trespass, it was no different from deceiving the emperor—a crime deserving of execution.
The dark guard hesitated for a moment but still mustered the courage to add:
“Your Majesty, the ones inside are a young eunuch from the Empress Dowager’s palace… and Fang He.”
Hmm?
Not only did Kangxi raise his eyebrows, but even Liang Jiugong, who had been watching as an outsider, twitched his brows.
Liang Jiugong thought to himself—what is going on here?
That little troublemaker wasn’t satisfied with causing mischief in front of the Emperor; she had now jumped straight to the Empress Dowager’s side to stir up trouble?
Kangxi’s gaze lowered as he calmly asked the guard,
“Explain.”
The guard immediately continued his report:
“Your servant did not dare to go further in, but I saw that the young eunuch received a box from Wu Yunzhu Momo, about a palm wide and half an arm long.”
“It was the palace servants of the summer palace who led Fang He over. Then the young eunuch handed the box to Fang He and said…”
Kangxi saw the guard hesitate and asked evenly,
“Did they claim it was a reward from me?”
Previously, when the Empress Dowager rewarded Fang He with silver ingots, Kangxi had already felt something was odd.
For most people, such a reward would be an insult, but Fang He… she probably wished for even more insults to come her way.
His Imperial Mother, though she had a bitter life, was still somewhat fortunate compared to others in similar situations.
Before entering the palace, she had been pampered and spoiled on the grasslands.
After entering the palace, she had been protected by the Empress Dowager.
Even now, though she had aged, her mind remained clear, and her actions were especially measured.
If this was just coincidence… the Empress Dowager wouldn’t be so callous.
He had ordered an investigation before, and the only clue found was that the Empress Dowager seemed to recognize an old noblewoman from the Zas Huli tribe, likely recalling a past connection with Fang He.
But the specific details had been deliberately concealed—few people knew, and those who did were keeping tight-lipped.
To achieve such secrecy, apart from the Empress Dowager herself, there was no one else who could have done it.
Kangxi had not pressed further because he didn’t want to alarm the Grand Empress Dowager, who disliked him spending too much energy on women.
But now, the Empress Dowager was using him as a messenger to send gifts to Fang He?
That could no longer be explained as mere past connections.
The dark guard, still kneeling, let out a breath of relief and said,
“Your Majesty is wise.”
“Fang He didn’t seem to believe it at first. She hesitated, then opened the box… and then opened it again… just as she is doing now.”
Liang Jiugong: “……”
Even he could hear the helplessness in the guard’s tone—how many times had she opened that box?!
Curious, he followed Kangxi’s gaze and looked down at the bamboo grove below.
There, Fang He was hugging the box as if it were a newborn baby, stroking it from time to time.
And every time she touched it, she would lift the lid to check inside.
Look inside, gasp in surprise, and then her already pale little face would scrunch up like a steamed bun.
Liang Jiugong almost burst out laughing.
He had dealt with this little ancestor for a year already—it was obvious why she was acting like this.
Kangxi pressed his tongue against his teeth, his lips tightly pursed, watching as Fang He took a few steps toward the exit… then turned back again… and again… and again.
She seemed to be heading for the exit, yet with Kangxi’s sharp eyes, he could see—she was getting closer to his hot spring pool instead.
He should have been angry.
But instead, the corners of his lips twitched upward uncontrollably, and even the cold glint in his phoenix eyes softened into a deeper amusement.
That stifling frustration in his chest vanished without a trace.
He didn’t lack eyes or legs, and it only took him a few effortless steps to cross the mountain cave and enter the bamboo forest, silently closing in on the oblivious, mist-covered figure.
This girl—aside from being a bit noisy at times, a bit too lively, a bit ugly, and a bit dark-skinned…
She was, in the end, unique.
And well-trained palace servants were always useful.
Keeping her by his side wasn’t such a bad idea.
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