Actually, Kangxi hadn’t originally thought of Fang He so quickly.
At the end and beginning of the year, not only were the princes and ministers busy, but the emperor was even busier.
Those high-ranking officials stationed across the country, who rarely had the opportunity to enter the capital, all tried their best to get an audience with the emperor at this time.
Kangxi also needed to show his benevolence as a ruler so that these officials would be willing to serve the Qing dynasty with utmost loyalty.
Even though most of them wouldn’t get an audience, his daily schedule was still fuller than that of the leading courtesan in a brothel.
It was Chunlai, who lived next door to Fang He, who was startled awake in the middle of the night by Fang He’s laughter.
She asked what was going on but didn’t get any answers, only feeling that something was off.
When Chunlai looked into it, she found that the palace’s attitude toward Fang He had become subtly suspicious.
Even Consort Yi, through the Empress Dowager, had summoned Fang He, which was no secret anymore.
The Grand Empress Dowager was unwell, and the Empress Dowager was preparing to take her to the hot spring palace at Xiaotangshan.
No one dared to disturb Cining Palace.
On top of that, three concubines were pregnant, making the imperial harem lively these days.
Meanwhile, Fang He frequently hid in side chambers or the tea room, refusing to leave once she got in.
Since Qianqing Palace wasn’t a place where just anyone could wander freely, otherwise, someone would have already taken advantage of her.
Chunlai, worried that Fang He might get entangled in royal offspring matters, immediately reported this to Liang Jiugong.
Liang Jiugong, after hearing this, seized a gap before the Lantern Festival banquet to inform the emperor of the situation, including the subtle scrutiny toward Fang He in the imperial court.
“Your Majesty instructed that no one needed to look after Miss Fang. I assumed you wanted to test her abilities, so I deliberately didn’t give any hints, waiting for her to seek help.”
Liang Jiugong’s face twisted bitterly.
“Whether she complained to me, asked for an increase in her monthly stipend, or even relied on Your Majesty’s favor to boldly fight back, I wouldn’t have been surprised… But in this past month, I’ve only managed to catch sight of her less than a handful of times!”
No wonder she was the little ancestor while he was the grandson—this ancestor just didn’t follow the usual path!
Liang Jiugong pitifully lamented, “Your Majesty, I keep thinking… is she trying to play tricks on me again?”
Kangxi was amused and chuckled.
Honestly, it wasn’t an impossible idea.
But he had told them not to take care of Fang He, not to test her abilities, but rather to confirm what he had already suspected.
Hearing Liang Jiugong’s advance complaint disguised as a plea, he merely smiled and instructed Fang He to report to Hongde Hall for studies the next morning.
After the Lantern Festival, the officials who needed to leave Beijing had already departed.
The newly submitted reports and governmental affairs from all over the country could now be handled at a steady pace.
It was time to properly train that little groundhog into a proper, useful blade.
But first, he had to deal with her bad habits.
The Sixteenth Day of the First Lunar Month
By the time the morning court session ended, Kangxi, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, strode into Hongde Hall with a stern expression.
The oppressive aura carried over from the grand court assembly made every servant along the way bow their heads in fear, their faces pale with apprehension.
But Fang He, having been subjected to this atmosphere twice before, had somewhat gotten used to it.
She quickly put on an expression of slight nervousness, slight sadness, and a touch of flattered surprise as she bowed.
“Your Majesty, this servant—”
“Enough, seeing you makes me uneasy.” Kangxi cut her off, his forehead throbbing at her exaggerated emotions.
He stepped forward, grabbed her by the arm like lifting a little chick, and pulled her up.
“If I hadn’t ordered Li Dequan to summon you, were you planning to wait until the day you left the palace before coming to pay respects?”
Fang He: “…”
Did she just get lifted off the ground?
Damn this tall guy!
Kangxi gave her a cold, unreadable look, stopping her from continuing her performance.
Then, without waiting for her reply, he moved forward as if finding her presence bothersome.
Liang Jiugong hurriedly led the palace attendants from Duanning Hall to assist Kangxi in changing into informal robes behind the screen.
Fang He raised an eyebrow slightly but didn’t rush to respond.
Instead, she carefully considered the meaning behind Kangxi’s words.
Was he displeased with her laziness, or had he already discovered what she had been doing?
When Kangxi reappeared from behind the screen, Fang He respectfully curtsied again.
“Your Majesty, this servant knew you were busy and that you didn’t need someone as clumsy as me at your side, so I didn’t dare—”
Kangxi, now seated at his desk, didn’t even look up.
“Tell the truth.”
Fang He bit her lip and hesitantly said, “This servant is not familiar with palace duties and was afraid of making mistakes in Your Majesty’s presence, leaving a bad impression that would—”
Kangxi’s voice turned slightly cold, cutting her off:
“Again.”
Fang He’s heart pounded. That wasn’t enough?
What did he want to see her perform?
After the last interrogation on the dragon boat, she vaguely realized that Kangxi’s indulgence toward her was like raising a performing monkey.
As long as she didn’t scratch him, nothing major would happen.
This was her confidence in slacking off.
But she was a proper young lady—no, a proper human being!
How was she supposed to know how to perform tricks?
This was frustrating!
Carefully weighing the emperor’s intentions, she took a small breath, her anxious expression growing more pronounced, her voice weakening.
“This servant got used to serving in the imperial tea room… following the idea that doing less means making fewer mistakes. When I realized I could slack off, I got carried away. Please punish me, Your Majesty.”
Kangxi smirked and waved Liang Jiugong and the others away.
Then he ignored Fang He, focusing instead on reviewing memorials from the cabinet.
A cup of tea later, Kangxi tapped the table, watching Fang He skillfully take out his used tea cup and replace it with a fresh one.
Her movements were light, her smile appropriate, her posture graceful—acting as obedient as a cat.
Kangxi scoffed internally.
Sure, she looked the part.
As Fang He placed down the tea cup and prepared to kneel for punishment again, Kangxi suddenly reached out his hand toward her face.
Fang He froze for a moment.
Wait, was this master really blind?
Was he seriously about to lay hands on such a helpless, pitiful dark-skinned girl like her?
“Ah!” Before she could even finish wailing internally, she clutched her head and cried out in pain.
Kangxi looked at her expressionlessly.
“You dare to zone out in front of me? Do you think the fifty taels of silver that the Empress Dowager rewarded you with will be enough to buy off the punishment you deserve?”
Fang He: “!!!”
Her expression was one of pure shock.
This was probably the first time since her transmigration that she had been truly, utterly stunned.
It wasn’t shocking that he knew about the reward—that kind of thing wasn’t easy to hide.
What shocked her was that he had figured out her real reason for slacking off.
Could Master Kang really be, as the legends say, a born genius with eight hundred brains, a once-in-a-millennium emperor?
He could even see through such subtle thoughts of hers??
Then… did he also realize that she was just planning to go through the motions, pretend to be loyal, and then live a carefree life once she left the palace… without actually serving him properly?
At this thought, her heartbeat quickened for a moment.
Instinctively, she took out her pouch and held it above her head.
Inside were two small silver ingots—her beloved Xiaomei and Xiaohua.
The next moment, she wanted to chop off her own hands.
Her face and heart both ached.
Hadn’t she just told herself that she was used to this master’s oppressive aura?
How did he manage to scare her again?!
Wuwu… her precious Xiaomei, her precious Xiaohua…
Kangxi’s voice suddenly carried a hint of amusement. “And the rest? You don’t want to give them to me?”
Fang He, looking as if her soul had left her body, instinctively nodded.
Her eyes reddened with grievance.
“This was a special reward from the Empress Dowager, given so I could take care of the Fifth Prince. But now, I don’t even know how I ended up making too much noise in the study room. I’ll probably have to return the silver to the Empress Dowager…”
Come on now, Your Majesty.
You can’t just be unreasonable and then expect the palace maids to pay out of pocket.
Being stingy was one thing, but if you’re not even picking it up, isn’t that just throwing it away?
Kangxi flicked her forehead again and smiled leisurely.
“Stop acting all pitiful in front of me. The study hall is full of old scholars—you’ll just end up getting scolded.”
“These past few months, everyone at court has been so busy, yet you’re the only one who managed to fatten yourself up. Reclaiming your monthly stipend and rations doesn’t seem too unreasonable, does it?”
Fang He became even more certain—Kangxi actually enjoyed her arguing back.
So this time, she didn’t even blink, just looked even more aggrieved.
“Your Majesty, I’ve grown paler, haven’t you noticed?”
Her voice was firm and convincing.
“I really don’t want to compete with the other palace maids in front of you. I wouldn’t win anyway. I also don’t want people laughing at how undisciplined your palace maids are. But I listened to my aunt’s teachings—I’ve always kept the thought of serving you with loyalty in my heart. That much is absolutely sincere.”
Kangxi’s expression became subtle.
After the southern tour and the past few months since returning to the palace, he was now sure—this little groundhog’s laziness was even worse than Cao Yin’s.
As long as she wasn’t forced into a corner, she always had a way to slack off.
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