For several days in a row, Fang He did not appear before the Emperor.
However, she did not dare to shirk her duties as she used to.
Taking advantage of the time when Emperor Kangxi was discussing state affairs with the ministers who had rushed over from the capital, Fang He called Wen Ling and Wen Xing to the side room of the Maoqin Hall and frantically trained them.
If Fang He were seeking the Emperor’s favor, Wen Ling and Wen Xing, along with the first-class palace maids whose names started with “Wen,” would be very reluctant to follow her orders, even if they were being pressed into service.
They would all be quite discontented and unwilling to cooperate with her.
But Fang He made her intentions very clear.
“I will be leaving the palace in less than two years. His Majesty has given his word that I will leave with dignity.”
“No matter how much you may dislike me, learning more skills will never be a disadvantage.”
“My loyalty to His Majesty is unwavering, and I want to pass on all my abilities to you. As long as His Majesty is comfortable in the imperial presence, I will not feel that I have failed to repay the great imperial grace.”
The palace maids were surprised.
“If you are willing to learn, listen attentively. If not, the door is right there; you are free to leave.”
Wen Ling, who had not been looking at Fang He seriously, was skeptical.
“Are you really willing to teach us those strange and unusual skills of yours?”
Although Fang He’s actions seemed mysterious, she did not seem to do much but had won the Emperor’s favor.
The palace maids had long been curious about her abilities.
If she was truly willing to teach, none of them would be unwilling to learn.
Fang He wasted no time in getting to the point.
“Actually, serving in the imperial presence is not that difficult. You just need to achieve three excellences, four quicknesses, and five stabilities.”
“The three excellences are cleanliness, tranquility, and calmness.”
“The standard for cleanliness is that when you wipe with a white cloth, there should be no stains. Tranquility means that you should be able to ignore sounds subconsciously. Calmness means that you should not scream even if you see a ghost…”
The crowd: “…………”
Has she seen a ghost?
Fang He’s sudden sharing of practical knowledge made the palace maids, who were used to speaking in roundabout ways, a bit flustered.
They all widened their eyes and listened attentively.
Wen Xing, who could read and write, quickly asked a young eunuch outside to bring paper, ink, brush, and inkstone, and began to take notes hurriedly.
“The four quicknesses are quick eyes, quick hands, quick feet, and quick mouth. Being quick does not mean being diligent…”
“When on duty, you need to be observant and listen carefully. Avoid places you should not go, and know when to keep silent. It is always better to do more and talk less. The master does not necessarily want to hear you speak…………”
“The five stabilities are stable posture, stable mindset, stable rules, stable plans, and stable actions.”
“You are the face of the Qianqing Palace. You do not need to be overly submissive to outsiders, but do not be arrogant either. The rules taught by the Neiwufu and the palace regulations should be well memorized…”
“When His Majesty gets up, how often the daily necessities should be changed, and what kind of daily necessities are suitable for what occasions, you all need to calculate in advance so that you will not panic when things happen.”
Fang He optimized the service standards of the hotel she worked at in her previous life within half a year.
During her work, she had participated in the formulation of the front desk department’s standards, trained new employees countless times, and also attended many middle-level trainings.
Therefore, she spoke in a way that was easy to understand, removing the parts that were not suitable and adding elements that fit this world, basically without any reservation.
By the second day, even the second-class palace maids were sneaking over to listen.
By the time Kangxi discovered it, the palace maids had already learned quite a bit.
Although they could not yet apply what they had learned perfectly, the clever Wen Ling and Wen Xing could basically replace Fang He in serving before the Emperor.
kangxi asked Liang Jiugong,
“Where is she?”
Liang Jiugong had a subtle expression, “These days, the young lady has been wholeheartedly training the palace maids in the imperial presence”.
“She has been staying in the side room practicing calligraphy and has stopped practicing the ‘Three Hundred Tang Poems’… She has started practicing the ‘Classic of Filial Piety’ instead.”
This little ancestor, it’s as if the words ‘showing filial piety’ are carved on her face.
Kangxi thought to himself,
“It seems that the rascal has understood his hint at the hot spring.”
He felt both amused and exasperated.
He wondered how eager he seemed in Fang He’s eyes to have caused such absurd associations.
He wanted to keep Fang He in the palace, but he had no intention of bestowing his favor upon her.
Having seen her appearance in the hot spring, he could not bring himself to do so.
Dignified?
But wherever this little rascal was, it was easy to lift one’s spirits.
He decided to let her stay in the palace as a female official.
With him and the Empress Dowager there, she would not be mistreated.
As for whether Fang He was willing or not, Kangxi did not care that much.
With her status, serving the Empress Dowager until her end, being granted the title of consort, and becoming a dowager consort after his death, would not that be better than going out to be a secondary wife?
He instructed, “Go, ask her to bring over the copied ‘Classic of Filial Piety’. When I am free, I should also check her calligraphy.”
Li Dequan went to invite Fang He personally.
Summoned by the Emperor, Fang He dared not refuse and could only steel herself, holding the calligraphy she had practiced these days, and went to the main hall.
After entering the hall, before Fang He could greet the Emperor, she noticed an additional desk near the imperial desk.
It was a bit shorter than the imperial desk, like a writing table for children to practice calligraphy.
Was he really treating her like a daughter?
She paused for a moment, respectfully squatted down, and said,
“Your servant greets His Majesty.”
Kangxi did not even lift his head and asked, “Have you recognized all the characters in the ‘Classic of Filial Piety’?”
Fang He did not dare to be arrogant and replied cautiously,
“Your Majesty, I do not recognize some characters and am still tracing them in red.”
So even if she did not recognize the characters, she could still copy them.
This was the method used by illiterate women in the harem to copy Buddhist scriptures.
Kangxi indifferently said, “Then copy it once.”
Fang He:
“……”
The ‘Classic of Filial Piety’ has three thousand characters!
She had not even finished tracing once these past few days.
Was he asking her to spend the night in the main hall?
Fang He bit her lip.
If it were before, she would definitely argue a bit.
But now she hesitated and only replied with a “Yes,” before being led to the small desk.
Surprisingly, except for the shorter chair, it was quite suitable for her height, which was less than one meter sixty.
She took a deep breath, calmed herself, opened her red-traced calligraphy, and began to write stroke by stroke.
The hardships of having to study in ancient times were not much better than those of a white-collar worker.
Usually, when she wrote, she was always fully focused, fearing that a drop of ink would ruin a sheet of paper and increase her workload.
But today she could not concentrate.
Her ear on the side closer to Kangxi was always straining to listen.
When she heard the sound of Kangxi getting up after drinking tea, she was startled and quickly pretended to be focused on writing.
Kangxi walked leisurely to her back, and the jade fan in his hand lightly tapped her neck, shoulders, and arms.
“Sit up straight, relax, and suspend your wrist. I assume you already know how to practice calligraphy when you were in the side room by yourself.”
Fang He shrank her neck after being tapped and could not help but mutter quietly.
“I wrote while lying on a low table.”
Kangxi laughed, “You can also lie on the Arhat couch now.”
Fang He’s face turned pale instantly.
They were both experienced, so let’s just say, was this lying down proper?
When she returned that day, she was even scared by her own appearance.
How could this master still be so enthusiastic after seeing her face?
“What are you thinking?” Kangxi suddenly leaned close to her ear and asked in a gentle voice.
Fang He replied subconsciously, “Think of the buttocks”
It was not very safe.
But she immediately realized it, shivered, and the ink dot on the paper instantly spread on the Xuan paper, resembling her psychological shadow.
Kangxi looked down at Fang He’s small two-handed head and said meaningfully,
“If you are to be punished in the palace, you have to take off your trousers. If I want to hit you, I will instruct.”
Fang He: “……”
It’s over, my mind is even more yellow.
No, more panicked.
She was still a child.
Why was he talking about this with her!
“Your Majesty………………”
“I remember that the winter sun in the south is not that strong. Your face powder.”
Kangxi gently rubbed Fang He’s cheek with his jade ring.
“It’s time to change the color. I want to see what you really look like.”
Fang He felt like there were needles under her buttocks and could hardly sit still.
Even if she were kneeling to talk, it would be better than the current eerie atmosphere.
But if she wanted to get up, Kangxi pressed her shoulders again to stop her.
“There is no need to get up. Since you have filial piety, I should reciprocate. From now on, you will practice calligraphy here. When the eunuch Gu is not around, I will continue to teach you.”
His voice contained a blush-inducing light laughter.
Fang He was almost in tears,
“I was wrong………………” Kangxi lifted her chin with the fan bone and looked down at her eyes full of pleading and complaint.
“You have known you were wrong many times, but you never really regret it, right?”
Fang He’s head was shaking like a rattle drum, subtly dodging the almost teasing movements.
“I didn’t, I’m not, Your Majesty, don’t wrong me!”
Kangxi seemed thoughtful and very understandingly turned back to the imperial desk.
“Just stay there. It’s only a few days. When we return to the palace, you will continue to practice calligraphy with Eunuch Gu. I don’t have that much spare time to teach you.”
Fang He was inwardly shouting,
“Then tell me to leave!”
“I can leave!!”
But Kangxi only paid attention to her when he got up to rest his eyes.
When he sat back down to continue reading the memorials, Fang He did not dare to make a sound anymore and could only frown deeply, sitting at the small desk copying the ‘Classic of Filial Piety’.
In fact, she was not as panicked as she appeared.
But Kangxi’s intention to keep her in the palace was very clear.
She had to struggle a bit to see whether this master was just having a momentary lapse or deliberately making things difficult for her.
As for worrying that Kangxi might be tempted by her looks… even if she was shameless enough, thinking of her current appearance and what she looked like in the hot spring, she really could not be so narcissistic.
But after the test, she felt even more uncertain.
Kangxi was truly unfathomable.
His teasing and banter, which were both real and fake, made it impossible for her to discern what he was really thinking.
It was as if her brain was about to grow out, but it seemed like it hadn’t, which was really troubling.
Kangxi glanced at Fang He, who was pouting and writing on the side, and inwardly chuckled.
He used the reason that it was not appropriate for the Empress Dowager to know Fang He’s identity to barely suppress the Empress Dowager’s enthusiasm to summon Fang He, but he could not keep it up forever.
Before Fang He knew there was another way to climb to the heavens, she had to stay obediently in the Qianqing Palace.
The palace had never seen such a lively little creature like Fang He.
Her cleverness, hidden beneath her obedience, was like a hazy palace lantern in the night.
No matter how dark the surroundings were, it would involuntarily draw people’s attention.
The rarer it was, the less Kangxi was in a hurry.
As the saying goes, plan before you act.
In the past, she had easily made him both angry and amused, and now it was time for her to experience restlessness to find out her true feelings.
For several days in a row, Fang He was summoned to the Maoqin Hall by Kangxi to practice calligraphy, which made her back ache, her waist sore, and her hands cramped.
This was not the most tiring part.