Li Dequan was still smiling.
“Chief Steward Liang is also willing to let you lovely young ladies serve closer to His Majesty. The more comfortable the Emperor is, the better your future prospects, right?”
“You see, Chief Liang is still recovering from his injuries and worries that our clumsy hands won’t serve His Majesty well. So, starting today, you all are permitted to serve in the hall.”
Regardless of whether they wanted to enter the palace halls or not, the tea house had to present the right attitude.
Despite their complicated feelings, they all forced smiles and expressed their gratitude toward Liang Jiugong.
Li Dequan waved his hand nonchalantly.
“It’s only natural for Chief Liang to concern himself with serving His Majesty properly—no need to thank him for that.”
“If you want to be grateful, thank Miss Fang He. This is the first time His Majesty has praised someone for their service. You all should learn from her.”
With that, he dusted off his hands and left.
However, Cen Ying and Yulian, who were supposed to leave, didn’t budge.
Even Cuiwei turned back to look at Fang He.
Cuiwei tentatively asked, “Fang He… did His Majesty really praise you?”
Fang He lifted her head, her expression filled with confusion, shock, and an almost tearful helplessness.
“Did he…? He just asked if I wanted to serve in the hall, and I said I wasn’t worthy. After that, he didn’t say anything else.”
Everyone: “…”
Did she even hear herself?!
Was that something a normal person would say?!
Bai Min’s face twisted in frustration.
If Fang He hadn’t said that Ru Yue was making things difficult for her, how could this foolish old woman have caught the Emperor’s attention?!
She even started to suspect that Fang He had deliberately made an excuse to snatch the position away from her.
But as she stared at Fang He’s utterly clueless and flustered expression, she inwardly scoffed with jealousy—this idiot wouldn’t have the brains for that.
So… it was all Ru Yue’s fault!
She would make sure that little wretch paid for this!
Ran Xia, on the other hand, remained relatively calm.
She knew her place—this matter wouldn’t have involved her anyway.
Still, any method of gaining the Emperor’s favor was something even Cuiwei wanted to know.
Cen Ying, who was close to Cuiwei, warmly took Fang He’s arm.
“Sister Fang He, don’t cry! This is a good thing!”
“We’re all young and inexperienced. If we make a mistake while serving His Majesty, we might bring trouble to the entire tea house.”
“But since His Majesty appreciates your service, could you tell us how to—”
Before Cen Ying could finish testing the waters, Fang He suddenly clamped her hand over her mouth and let out a muffled sob.
“Ughhh…!”
Before the young palace maids could even react, Fang He had already sobbed out everything she needed to say—
“If you didn’t ask, I would’ve told you anyway! Wuwuwu, I’m so scared! I don’t even know how I managed to serve well, what if I mess up in the future?”
“I swear I’ll tell you everything I can, not a single word left out! My aunt always told me I’m too dumb to step forward… Wuwuwu, if you all figure out how to serve properly, just let me keep boiling water, okay?”
Cuiwei and the others: “…”
Was this girl… actually stupid?
Encountering someone this foolish in the palace left them at a loss.
There was no point in feeling jealous of an idiot.
It was Cuiwei who was the most composed.
She stopped the other maids from pressing further.
“This is a place of duty. Discussing His Majesty and gossiping about the inner court—is that how you want to die?”
“Once Fang He finishes her shift, we’ll talk privately in the side room. Now hurry up, it’s almost time for His Majesty’s evening meal. Don’t just stand there.”
With that, she took the lead and left.
Cen Ying and Yulian hesitated for a moment but ultimately didn’t dare say anything more, stealing glances back at Fang He as they followed.
Bai Min and Ran Xia, meanwhile, were still waiting for Fang He to make a complete fool of herself.
Eager to win favor, they quickly volunteered to take over her duties, telling her to sit and recover from her “fright.”
Fang He, leaning comfortably in the corner by the tea cabinet, curled her lips ever so slightly.
They all thought she was a fool.
If she didn’t play along, wouldn’t that be a waste of the opportunity that Liang Jiugong and Li Dequan had just handed her?
She wished for them to learn her “skills” as much as they wanted.
If, in the future, the entire Imperial Tea House adopted her way of serving, then even if she never appeared before the Emperor again, her impression in Master Kang’s mind would only deepen over time.
There would always be someone smarter than her in the palace.
But when it came to playing dumb?
She’d like to see anyone do it better than her.
***
During the imperial hunt, the Crown Prince performed exceptionally well, earning endless praise from the ministers.
Even Yinreng’s brothers, including Yinti and Yinzhi, displayed respect toward him and showed brotherly affection, which put Kangxi in an excellent mood.
For once, he did not retire to sleep at Chong’an Hall but instead visited his cousin, the Imperial Noble Consort, and stayed the night in a side hall of Qingning Hall, where she resided.
Since there was no duty at the imperial tea house, the palace maids lounged around idly, and Bai Min and Ran Xia once again felt the urge to pry information out of Fang He.
Bai Min was the first to bring up the topic.
“The Imperial Noble Consort has always been frail. Today, I’m guessing it’s the Xiu Attendant from the inner court who’s serving His Majesty instead of us.”
Ran Xia agreed.
“That sounds about right. The older sisters who accompany His Majesty at night have mentioned that Xiu Attendant was already well-favored when she was just a palace maid. I wonder if we’ll ever be that lucky…”
Both of them discreetly glanced at Fang He, whose eyes were still slightly red and swollen.
Fang He hesitated for a moment before finally dropping the act and leaning in close.
Lowering her voice, she looked at them with a bewildered expression and said:
“Honestly, I’ve only been in the palace hall a few times, and altogether, I’ve spoken fewer words than I can count on one hand. I’ve never even seen His Majesty’s full appearance—only his dragon boots.”
It wasn’t until she left the hall that day that she realized—had Kangxi forgotten to fasten his inner robes?
No wonder the original host of this body had no idea what the Emperor looked like!
Damn this feudal society—she didn’t even get a proper chance to admire the legendary physique of the imperial “Master Kang!”
At this thought, the regret and dazed look on her face were entirely genuine, which only made Bai Min and Ran Xia believe her even more.
Since explaining complicated service techniques or discussing white noise would be too confusing, Fang He decided to keep it simple—just like training new employees.
She introduced them to the “3J Principle”: Clean, Quiet, Calm.
“You all know how little presence I usually have. Maybe His Majesty doesn’t like too much noise?”
She twisted her fingers nervously, trying to make her explanation as straightforward as possible.
“If I had to say what I actually did—well, I always wash my hands thoroughly before entering or leaving. I never wear anything with a scent. When serving tea, I use a pre-rinsed white handkerchief and make sure to wipe the tea cup in front of His Majesty…”
“If the Emperor doesn’t ask questions, just pretend you’re a pillar. If he does, answer with the fewest words possible to get your meaning across. But, um, I was just too scared, so maybe don’t take that part too seriously…”
“And… always walk lightly. No matter what happens, never move in a hurry or disturb His Majesty’s thoughts. Keep repeating in your mind: I am loyal, I am not afraid. I am loyal, I am not nervous.”
Bai Min and Ran Xia: “…”
Okay, but just how scared are you of His Majesty?!
Later, after Fang He finished her shift, she repeated the same stumbling explanation to the rest of the tea house maids.
Among those permitted to serve in Qianqing Palace, other than the original Fang He, there weren’t many who weren’t sharp-minded.
Most of them quickly grasped the underlying meaning behind her words.
His Majesty was particular about cleanliness—so being extra clean could only help.
The Emperor was burdened with the affairs of the state—so as servants, they should naturally speak less.
The same logic applied to objects: the fewer, the more valuable.
And, of course, no one liked people who acted overly startled or disruptive.
If even Fang He could hold her composure, why should they be any worse?
***
The next morning, when Kangxi returned from court, he quickly noticed a change in the way he was served.
The young palace maids bringing in tea walked with noticeably lighter and more measured steps.
It seemed his earlier reprimand of Liang Jiugong had indeed been effective.
When the tea was presented, a crisp white handkerchief was used to lightly and smoothly wipe the base of the cup before serving—Kangxi nodded approvingly at the sight.
Who knew what those palace maids had touched in the tea house?
Since the tea itself was brewed with boiling water, no one would dare tamper with it, but ensuring the outside appeared just as clean was ideal.
Even though Liang Jiugong was absent from his usual duties, Kangxi found himself well attended to throughout the entire morning.
Even the ministers summoned to the imperial study later noticed the Emperor was in a particularly good mood.
Nalan Mingzhu, who along with Songgotu was regarded as one of the two leading ministers, enjoyed a bit more informal privilege than others.
Seizing the moment, he made a bold jest.
“Your Majesty looks even more relaxed now than when the Crown Prince hunted a tiger. Could it be that a few of the princes have learned to read Your Majesty’s heart just as well and have done something to please you?”
Kangxi’s brow twitched ever so slightly—he caught the subtle jab in Nalan Mingzhu’s words.
Recalling the way the palace servants had attended him that morning, he mused that none of his sons had yet mastered his preferences—but there was certainly a little groundhog who had.
No wonder he had felt an oddly familiar sense of ease all morning.
To dare play tricks on him like this…
And they called her foolish?
Heh.
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