After Nalan Mingzhu and the other ministers left the Imperial Study, palace maids from the Imperial Tea Room immediately entered to clean up.
Kangxi, without showing any expression, paid attention to the deliberately light footsteps, the gentle movements, and the cloth used to wipe the table.
With a clear mind, it wasn’t difficult to see that the palace maids from the Imperial Tea Room were not only well-trained but had even surpassed their predecessors, performing their duties even better.
Kangxi pondered for a moment and suddenly chuckled.
It seemed that Nanny Xu had misjudged.
Her so-called “simple-minded” niece was not foolish at all.
That little groundhog clearly knew what he liked.
Standing beside him, Li Dequan felt a chill run down his spine at Kangxi’s laughter, bowing even lower and pretending to be deaf.
Most of the time, it was his godfather who served the Emperor.
Trying to guess the Emperor’s thoughts—only his godfather and Eunuch Gu dared to do such a thing.
That’s why his godfather was the chief steward, while he was just the “son.”
Seeing Li Dequan bend even lower after his laughter, Kangxi restrained his amusement and gave a meaningful order—
“Go, pass my decree: The Imperial Tea Room has served well. Reward them!”
Li Dequan left, puzzled.
Today, Fang He, whom he had been wary of, did not appear before the Emperor.
So was His Majesty rewarding someone else?
Feeling slightly relieved, he thought—
It seemed His Majesty didn’t take Fang He seriously after all!
In reality, both he and Liang Jiugong had misunderstood.
Fang He wasn’t the important one; Kangxi had mainly used her to put Liang Jiugong in check before.
However, considering Kangxi’s personality, if he truly had no interest in Fang He, why would he tolerate her transgressions?
Even more so, why would he allow others to manipulate the Emperor’s thoughts against her?
Of course, this interest wasn’t romantic. Kangxi believed he had good taste and wouldn’t be drawn to a dull, colorless girl.
At first, he merely found it amusing that wherever something interesting happened, she was always there, but it wasn’t anything significant.
But after learning about Fang He’s background, his interest grew.
The Zashuhuri clan was once directly related to Mangultai, the first-generation leader of the Plain Blue Banner.
Many of his descendants, still alive today, carried the blood of the Zashuhuri family.
Although they were no longer prominent, their status in Shengjing was still significant.
Now, the Zashuhuri clan’s main bloodline had been implicated by Yue Le and was suffering in the bitterly cold land of Ningguta.
Who knew how many of them were still alive?
Sooner or later, Yue Le would have to repay this debt.
Even if Yue Le didn’t want to, the elder members of the Eight Banners in Shengjing wouldn’t allow him to avoid it.
Once Yue Le was dead, Kangxi would settle his account with the Prince An’s household sooner or later.
Domestic troubles might be temporarily set aside, but external threats remained.
To safeguard the Aisin Gioro dynasty, Kangxi needed to bring the Manchu, Mongol, and Han Eight Banners firmly under his control.
To take hold of the Plain Blue Banner, both its leaders and officers had to be carefully arranged…
Fang He’s complicated lineage meant that, as long as she was married to the right person, she could become a sharp blade in the future.
Kangxi was no longer the reckless young emperor who once acted impulsively just to prove himself.
Time had passed, and through the many political storms, he had secured absolute imperial authority.
Now, in his thirties, he had developed patience and understood the wisdom of letting things unfold naturally.
It was amusing—he hadn’t made a move on Fang He, yet the little groundhog kept pushing herself forward.
He didn’t like overly scheming women, yet despite his annoyance, he was also quite curious.
If she had such ambition, why had she waited nine years to act?
She wasn’t even trying to approach him directly—was she so certain that she could manipulate people’s hearts and even play the Emperor himself in the palm of her hand?
What Liang Jiugong and Li Dequan couldn’t understand was obvious to Kangxi, given his position.
Feigning ignorance in front of him?
Hah… Kangxi chuckled again.
He had no shortage of women, but finding a good blade was rare.
He was quite interested in seeing what Fang He planned to do next.
***
In reality, Fang He didn’t have any grand ambitions at the moment—nothing like what Kangxi had anticipated.
Teaching the palace maids of the Imperial Tea Room how to serve better was simply a way to deepen Kangxi’s impression of her and build a favorable connection.
From time to time, she could introduce a few innovative serving techniques.
She wouldn’t need to appear before him herself—Kangxi would naturally notice the difference between the other servants in his presence and those from the Imperial Tea Room.
Kangxi might not take any action, but the servants of Qianqing Palace, just like the palace maids of the Imperial Tea Room, all cared about serving better.
Once Wei Zhu had recovered from his injuries, word could be spread that all the new methods were his own ideas.
After all, in others’ eyes, Fang He wasn’t smart enough to come up with them.
Even though Wei Zhu had been severely beaten, he hadn’t been dismissed from the Emperor’s service.
Once he returned and humbled himself before Liang Jiugong, with some help from others and the influence of Gu Wenxing, Liang Jiugong wouldn’t be able to get rid of him so easily.
From there, everything else would be up to Wei Zhu himself.
To survive in the palace, this was the most Fang He could do—she couldn’t afford to be reckless, especially with her uncertain background.
On her way to the Imperial Tea Room for duty, Fang He suddenly thought of her close friend from her past life, Geng Shuning.
If that woman had traveled through time as well, she definitely wouldn’t be as timid as she was now.
Geng Shuning was like a golden phoenix that had soared out of the mountains—sharp-minded, bold, and fearless.
No matter how dangerous or complicated a situation seemed, she always had a way to solve it.
If Fang He had Geng Shuning’s abilities, she would be causing a stir everywhere.
But unfortunately, she only knew a little about everything and wasn’t particularly skilled in anything.
She also lacked the guts to take big risks, so she could only take a cautious, low-profile approach.
Just as she reached the entrance of the Imperial Tea Room, she suddenly heard laughter from inside.
As soon as Fang He stepped in with Bai Min and Ran Xia, Cuiwei grinned and came over to her.
She enthusiastically stuffed a neatly folded silver ingot into Fang He’s hand.
“Thanks to what you told us earlier… ahem.”
Worried about eavesdroppers, Cuiwei didn’t spell it out.
“You don’t know, but today, His Majesty praised the Imperial Tea Room for its service and rewarded us with a ten-tael silver ingot!”
Cuiwei’s monthly wage was three taels, Fang He’s was two, while the other junior maids, who had yet to earn Qin Gugu’s approval, were receiving only one tael and three qian.
This was essentially a month’s salary for the entire Imperial Tea Room.
Under normal circumstances, this amount of silver wouldn’t be a big deal.
Any palace maid with some status didn’t rely on their monthly wages—they lived off their masters’ rewards.
But this silver was directly granted by the Emperor, making it a rare honor.
Aside from the Empress Dowager’s household, no one else in the palace had ever received such recognition.
Fang He no longer felt down—turns out, the historical rumors about Kangxi’s generosity weren’t exaggerated.
The results had barely shown, and there was already a reward… she had definitely chosen the right path!
After Cuiwei handed over the tea cabinet keys and happily left, Fang He leaned against the tea cabinet, still smiling, not taking Bai Min’s opportunity to serve in front of the Emperor.
She needed to think of other simple and subtle service techniques to further reinforce the Emperor’s impression.
That way, Wei Zhu’s return would be smoother.
But Bai Min hesitated for a moment and didn’t leave.
Instead, she pulled Fang He aside to plead with her.
“Sister Fang He, could you take my place in service today?”
Receiving a reward from the Emperor meant Fang He hadn’t been selfish—she was genuinely foolish enough to give up the opportunity to climb up and let others take it instead.
That also meant what she had said earlier about Ru Yue must have been true.
Although Ru Yue wasn’t yet qualified to serve at night, Bai Min had clearly felt how the palace maids in charge of accompanying the Emperor had been treating her lately—guarded and ready to make sarcastic remarks at any chance.
It must have been that wretched Ru Yue’s doing!
Since she had been going to the Emperor’s presence but hadn’t gotten anywhere close to him, it was more important to deal with Ru Yue first.
Some things couldn’t be handled while on duty, but late at night, when everything was quiet, it was much easier.
Fang He paused for a moment.
“Why? Is your chest acting up again?”
She wasn’t keen on going—her knees had only just healed from all the kneeling she had done before.
Bai Min’s expression turned a bit awkward, but she nodded stiffly.
“Ah, yes, I feel short of breath today. I’ll have to trouble you, Sister Fang He.”
In the palace, most women suffered from chest tightness—it was an excuse that could always be used whenever needed.
Even if they had to see an imperial physician, there was a standard prescription for it, so no one would assume they were faking.
Fang He had no choice but to agree.
“Fine, I’ll take Ran Xia with me.”
Bai Min’s eyes flickered.
“I really don’t feel well. I might have to go get some medicine from the medical apprentices later, and the Tea Room can’t be left unattended…”
Since the Tea Room always had boiling water, it was a strict rule that fire sources couldn’t be left unwatched—fires in the palace were a serious matter.
Fang He understood immediately.
Bai Min clearly had personal matters to handle.
Seeing that it was about time, she didn’t ask further and simply picked up the tea tray and left.
***
After Kangxi visited the Imperial Noble Consort, the tension in the harem subtly eased.
The variety of soups and tonics sent to his presence increased, and he didn’t necessarily always rest in Chong’an Hall.
If Kangxi decided to spend the night with one of the beauties in the harem, Fang He could return to the Tea Room and relax.
In her heart, Fang He prayed that the soup sent to the Emperor today would be flavorful enough to entice “Master Kang.”
But just as she reached the entrance of Chong’an Hall, Li Dequan greeted her with a smile.
“Fang He, you’ve come? Go on in! The Imperial Tea Room has really made a name for itself today—you must remember to thank His Majesty for his grace.
You were the first one to catch the Emperor’s attention, and now you have to thank him for recognizing others who have learned how to serve him. Doesn’t that make you feel a little bitter?”
Fang He: “…Thank you for the reminder, Brother Li.”
More kneeling.
How heartbreaking!
Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the hall.
The moment she crossed the threshold, Fang He’s pupils shrank slightly—something was off.
It was too quiet!