Even while traveling, Kangxi remained extremely busy.
As soon as the procession set off and the imperial carriage began to move, urgent memorials delivered by express couriers from hundreds of miles away were presented before him, piling up on the imperial desk.
Liang Jiugong took over Fang He’s duties, efficiently preparing the ink and brushes by the side.
Fang He, not daring to disturb, was about to idly daydream when Li Dequan politely invited her to a small table behind the screen, where she was also to be served with ink and brushes.
Fang He was utterly confused.
She wasn’t going to review memorials, so why set up the ink and brushes for her?
Li Dequan explained in a low voice,
“His Majesty has ordered that your studies must not be neglected. The lessons you were taking in the Hongde Hall must continue. You should practice your calligraphy here for a few days.”
Fang He:”….”
Could they be a bit more human?
Who goes on a trip and still has to do homework?!
Moreover, the carriage wasn’t completely still, and doing homework wasn’t good for the eyes!
Glasses were still a foreign luxury at this time; Kangxi could afford them, but with her meager savings, she could hardly scrape together enough for a pair!
Seeing her slow and reluctant movements, Li Dequan didn’t dare to make a fuss that might distract His Majesty.
He only stifled a laugh and said,
“His Majesty also mentioned that today’s lunch includes some excellent river shrimp, and he has already instructed the imperial kitchen…”
Fang He took a deep breath and immediately straightened up, cursing inwardly.
She had been in front of the emperor all morning; when did Kangxi manage to give so many orders?
She said solemnly,
“How could a servant like me dare to covet His Majesty’s lunch? I simply don’t want to disappoint the efforts of the eunuch in charge.”
Li Dequan: “…”
He couldn’t help but admire her audacity.
By noon, the head of the imperial kitchen arrived personally with the eunuchs to deliver the meal.
For the past two days, Kangxi hadn’t eaten much, and many dishes were bestowed upon the ministers accompanying the northern tour, which even the Empress Dowager had inquired about several times.
Now that the emperor had finally ordered a meal, even though they were on the road, the imperial chefs had pulled out all the stops.
Especially the head chef, a descendant of the Liu family, renowned for their culinary skills, particularly in preparing river and seafood dishes.
Few could match his expertise.
Some dishes required final preparations right before serving, so the head chef brought along a small clay stove.
Seeing this, Liang Jiugong knew that freshly cooked dishes were on the way and whispered a reminder,
“Your Majesty, it’s almost noon. Perhaps it’s time to have lunch?”
Worried that Kangxi might postpone the meal again, he added with a teasing smile,
“Even if you’re not hungry, someone inside probably is…”
Kangxi glanced up and chuckled,
“Whose servant are you, exactly?”
“Naturally, I’m Your Majesty’s servant. It’s just that if you’re hungry, it pains me more than cutting off my own flesh.”
Liang Jiugong grinned and brought over a copper basin to help Kangxi wash his hands.
Fang He, hearing the commotion, was already eagerly waiting for the meal, inwardly marveling at how slick Liang Jiugong’s flattery was.
Despite his usually groveling demeanor, his skill in currying favor was clearly top-notch.
It was even bolder than some young couples in love; she would have to learn from him in the future.
After washing his hands, Kangxi peeked behind the screen and saw Fang He sitting cross-legged on the couch, writing with a proper posture, looking quite the part.
He walked over with interest and flipped through the large characters she had written.
It seemed that Advisor Gu had personally written small characters for her to copy.
After half a year of practice, her strokes were finally showing some strength.
However… he glanced at the paper in his hand; she had written less than ten sheets all morning.
He could write that much in an hour.
If she hadn’t been slacking off, he’d eat the paper.
He rolled up the paper and was about to raise his hand when Fang He shrunk her neck and tilted her head, putting on an especially pitiful expression.
After all, they’d already kissed.
Why did he still resort to hitting her so easily?
In her previous life, she would have dumped such a man long ago.
Remembering her earlier complaints, Kangxi paused and instead gently tapped the paper in his palm.
“No need to put on an act in front of me. I won’t hit you.”
Fang He was inwardly delighted, but then Kangxi continued leisurely,
“But with the few characters you’ve written today, I can only allow you one dish for lunch.”
Fang He was stunned,
“What if I’m still hungry?”
Kangxi chuckled and turned to leave,
“Don’t worry, you won’t starve.”
Fang He hurried after him.
One imperial dish would have to do; she couldn’t be too greedy.
She could always eat more buns.
As long as His Majesty didn’t mind, she could even dip them in the sauce!
She thought this to herself, but as soon as she stepped out from behind the screen, she heard a sizzling sound as hot oil was poured over a dish of steamed perch topped with scallions, instantly filling the air with a tantalizing aroma.
Fang He’s breath hitched, and she dared not even breathe deeply, cautiously inhaling to savor the fragrance, storing it in her memory for future dreams.
But that wasn’t all.
The head chef then poured a seasoned sauce over a dish of garlic prawns arranged like a phoenix spreading its wings, another splash of hot oil.
The overpowering aroma of garlic and the sweetness of the prawns filled the imperial carriage.
Fang He couldn’t help but swallow her saliva, keeping her head down and not daring to look up.
It wasn’t that she was afraid; it was just that in the presence of such precious delicacies, she feared her staring might embarrass Kangxi, and he might not even grant her a single dish.
That would hurt more than having her salary docked.
Taking her money was like taking her life, but in the face of such delicious food, she was willing to risk it all.
Kangxi watched with amusement as she pretended to be demure and respectful, secretly tilting her head to sneak glances at the food, the corners of his lips curling higher.
After the imperial kitchen staff left, Fang He eagerly approached, noticing that the meal was a mix of vegetarian and meat dishes.
Fang He didn’t find it wasteful.
After her conversation with Kangxi the previous day, she seemed to understand the emperor’s dilemmas a bit more.
Kangxi could privately copy sutras for the Sixth Prince, observe vegetarianism, and even abstain from summoning concubines, but he couldn’t let others know.
If word got out, censors would surely accuse the emperor of neglecting his duties, and even Empress Dowager De would face repercussions, leaving the Sixth Prince restless in the afterlife.
Fang He’s eyes sparkled with a fervent “loyalty to the master,” and she patted her chest.
“Why not let me taste-test the dishes for Your Majesty? Such a dangerous task shouldn’t trouble the food-testing eunuch.”
The food-testing eunuch: “…”
Then what was his job?
Kangxi glanced at her with a faint smile and sat down at the table,
“I said you could only choose one dish.”
Fang He looked at the steamed perch, garlic prawns… her mouth watering uncontrollably.
These were her favorites!
There was also a famous dish from the capital called “Chicken Leaping,” made with chicken and prawns, the chicken tender and the prawns crispy.
She could even smell the mushroom powder used to enhance the flavor…
This was truly a difficult choice.
She wished she could go back in time and slap herself.
If she had known that her homework was tied to such delicious food, she would never have slacked off!
Kangxi leisurely sipped a bowl of eight-treasure tofu soup and asked with a smile,
“Have you chosen?”
Fang He looked at Kangxi with pleading eyes,
“Surely the other dishes won’t be sent back untouched? That would break the imperial kitchen’s heart!”
Kangxi raised an eyebrow,
“There are others in front of me besides you. Liang Jiugong and Li Dequan are both more diligent than you. You needn’t worry about that.”
Fang He glanced at Liang Jiugong,
“…I’ll take the Chicken Leaping!”
At least it had both chicken and prawns.
The fish… well, there would be other chances.
Liang Jiugong and Li Dequan stifled their laughter and placed the Chicken Leaping on a small table set up for her.
Afraid that someone might suddenly enter, as per protocol, Fang He could only sit on a small stool to eat.
As she reluctantly sat down, Li Dequan brought over a huge flatbread, almost the size of his face, and placed it on the small table.
Oh, and a bowl of bone broth.
Fang He: ‘Not even a bun?’
With such delicious food, who would want to drink bland bone broth and chew on rock-hard flatbread?
But the imperial plates, though beautiful, were quite small.
With her appetite, one dish… would at most fill her halfway.
She’d be hungry again before evening.
She angrily dipped the flatbread into the broth, cursing inwardly with a mix of pain and joy.
Kangxi had completely abandoned the fine dining traditions of the northeast.
Didn’t he fear their ancestors crawling out of their graves?
In the afternoon, after Kangxi’s nap, he didn’t review any more memorials.
Some unimportant greetings could be handled by the Crown Prince, who was traveling with them.
By the end of the year, the Crown Prince would begin his studies, and it was time for him to learn how to handle state affairs.
With Suo’etu overseeing things, nothing major should go wrong.
But Kangxi wasn’t idle.
As they passed Xifengkou, local officials lined the streets to welcome him, and Kangxi went out to inspect the local conditions.
Fang He didn’t need to follow this time, so she returned to her carriage to freshen up and change clothes, waiting to serve again at dinner.
Fortunately, at dinner, Kangxi wasn’t so stingy.
He had the imperial kitchen prepare braised perch and stir-fried shrimp for Fang He.
There were also small meat dumplings, six in a steamer, and they served two steamers, allowing Fang He to eat to her heart’s content.
At night, Fang He sneaked off to the imperial kitchen to buy a plate of pastries for a midnight snack and slept soundly.
Thus, by the time they reached Xuanhua on June 18th, Fang He, driven by her love for food, had become increasingly shameless in front of the emperor, and her words were no longer as obsequious.
Kangxi had already kissed her, so continuing to flatter him wasn’t very effective.
She was resigned to this but had already prepared herself mentally.
If this path didn’t work, she hadn’t figured out how to switch tracks yet, but being sweet-tongued would surely help.
In fact, to ensure she could eat more delicious food, she had picked up some small tricks from hotels to keep customers comfortable, such as washing hands before and after meals, preparing citrus tea as a mouthwash, and occasionally picking fresh flowers and plants to keep the imperial carriage smelling fresh…
She had become quite adept at these tasks.
Kangxi hadn’t brought many palace maids on this trip, but he had been particularly comfortable these past few days.
Fang He, too, had been eating quite happily in front of the emperor, changing almost every day.
In truth, her original body had a large appetite, but palace maids were often hungry, and she had never dared to speak up, so she had never been full, and since childhood, she had been very thin.
After Granny Xu passed away, the original owner had even lost her appetite, and at that time, everyone thought Fang He was ugly, partly because of her dark skin, but also because she was emaciated.
When Fang He arrived, she didn’t dare to eat too much at first, and with all the traveling north and south, she had gained a little weight.
But these past few days, she had been eating exceptionally well, following Kangxi’s schedule and going to bed early, not daring to disobey.
He couldn’t help but start to wonder-no wonder the palace maids he had been served by in the past were all so stiff.
Those “fire-avoidance manuals”… were they really proper manuals?