Fang He watched Kangxi, noticing the exasperation on his face.
She was laughing internally but maintained a look of concern, mirroring Liang Jiugong’s expression.
“My stamina isn’t great, I’m afraid I won’t last long. I might have to trouble Your Majesty. I’ll try my best…” She spoke hesitantly, her head lowered, her toes fidgeting.
“Enough,” Kangxi interrupted her as he sat up.
He thought about the scene and, without needing to look down, noticed that the tension in his dragon robe had subsided.
He no longer felt the urge to teach Fang He a lesson.
Kangxi half-closed his eyes, calmly observing Fang He.
He suspected that this rascal was deliberately trying to ruin his mood.
After all, Madam Li was usually quite reliable.
Soon, he noticed a mix of eagerness and hesitation on Fang He’s face.
Was she thinking of wailing outside, or was she about to boast about other skills she had learned?
“You… may leave for now. You won’t be needed tonight,”
Kangxi said calmly.
Given the skills she had learned so far, if she really caused a scene, he couldn’t afford the embarrassment.
As an emperor, maintaining composure was essential, but Kangxi felt he needed some time to himself first.
He would teach her properly later.
Fang He clicked her tongue in disappointment.
Was that all?
She still had skills to show after entering the bed curtains.
Afraid that leaving too quickly would ruin her efforts, she wanted to say something more, but suddenly, hurried footsteps were heard outside.
“Your Majesty… the scout sent by Lord Langtan requests an audience!”
Kangxi’s earlier mix of amusement and frustration vanished instantly, and he stood up immediately.
“Change of clothes!”
Fang He breathed a sigh of relief and quickly helped him put on the silk pants she had just taken off.
She had no choice-Fang He didn’t know where the new pants were.
But as she bent down to tie Kangxi’s sash, she accidentally caught a glimpse of what she hadn’t seen earlier despite all the fuss.
A gasp caught in her throat-this thing was clearly over the standard size!
No wonder the concubines looked pale after serving him.
They must have been severely beaten!
She had been a bit anxious earlier because, in her past life, with the information explosion, adults knew too much.
She had never been so naive in front of her boyfriend, and it made her worry that she was overdoing it.
But now, she didn’t regret her actions at all.
With this size, she was willing to be a fool for the rest of her life!
Once everything was settled, Kangxi strode out and headed to his study.
The scout arrived, covered in blood, as if he were hanging on by a thread.
“Your Majesty, General Dong E and Deputy General Lang, along with the army, had not yet reached Yaksa when they heard that the Khalkha Mongol tribe had been ambushed by the Moxi tribe.”
“The prince of the Korchin tribe led five hundred men back in haste. Yaksa city is now only filled with the old, weak, sick, and disabled. The other Russian soldiers are nowhere to be found-they must have been forewarned!”
Kangxi’s face darkened.
Clearly, there was a traitor in the army, most likely among the five hundred soldiers from the northern Mongols.
But these soldiers were mostly from the southern and northern tribes.
How could they be connected to the Moxi tribe?
The Moxi… it must be Galdan stirring trouble.
Since the seventeenth year of Kangxi’s reign, the Dzungar had conquered over a dozen tribes in the Moxi region, growing stronger and increasingly defiant of Qing rule.
He had anticipated this day, but he didn’t expect Galdan to be so impatient.
He immediately ordered Liang Jiugong,
“Summon Suo’etu and Alan Tai.Tell Li Dequan to prepare.We depart tonight for the Khalkha River and sail north!”
Alan Tai was the Minister of War, responsible for leading three thousand imperial guards and one thousand ceremonial guards to ensure Kangxi’s safety.
Liang Jiugong was shocked.
“Your Majesty, this is not advisable!”
The Khalkha River spanned parts of the Khalkha Mongols and the southern deserts.
Sailing north would inevitably pass through the troubled Moxi region.
But Liang Jiugong couldn’t stop Kangxi’s determination and had no choice but to summon Suo’etu and Alan Tai.
Both men also tried to dissuade Kangxi.
“Your Majesty, please reconsider. Peng Chun is experienced. Since the Russian soldiers are not in Yaksa, they must be nearby, lying in wait. They wouldn’t abandon the city and flee. Peng Chun can handle it,”
Suo’etu pleaded earnestly.
He was thinking ahead; the crown prince was only thirteen and hadn’t even started his formal education.
If something were to happen to the emperor, the court would surely fall into chaos, especially with the likes of the eldest prince and Nalan Mingzhu potentially causing upheaval.
Alan Tai also said,
“Your Majesty, your safety is paramount. How can you risk yourself? I am willing to lead the troops personally!”
Kangxi ignored their protests.
He took out a map of the northern Mongol defenses and pointed to a bend in the Khalkha River upstream.
“I remember this is the closest point to Yaksa. The surrounding area is densely forested, perfect for hiding, and there are marshes, ideal for setting traps.”
“Peng Chun and Lang Tan are both more skilled in open-field combat. Peng Chun is impatient, and Lang Tan is not adept at water. If Lang Tan stays behind, Peng Chun might fall into the enemy’s trap.”
“Most of the three thousand soldiers Peng Chun leads are not good with water. If they fall into a trap, even if there aren’t heavy casualties, morale will surely be affected. We can’t let the Moxi and Russians lead us by the nose.”
Suo’etu, like Peng Chun, was more suited to straightforward, aggressive tactics.
If Nalan Mingzhu were here, Kangxi would feel more at ease sending him.
After a moment of thought, Kangxi directly ordered,
“Issue my decree: Suo’etu will lead two thousand imperial guards and ceremonial guards to protect the crown prince and the empress dowager as planned to Rehe. Alan Tai will take one thousand men and depart with me tonight.”
“Given Peng Chun’s temperament, he won’t sit idly by. He will follow the trail of the Russians. From their position to the middle reaches of the Khalkha River, even with forced marches, it will take at least a day and two nights.”
There was no time to delay, and Kangxi didn’t have time to explain further to Suo’etu.
He only instructed,
“After the memorials arrive, place them in the imperial carriage. The less important ones can be reviewed by you, Xu Yuanmeng from the Ministry of Rites, and Chang Shu from the Ministry of Revenue, and then submitted to the crown prince for his approval.”
“Other memorials can wait until I return.”
“Try not to let anyone notice my absence from the imperial carriage. As for the empress dowager, have the imperial physicians pay extra attention.”
While Suo’etu knelt to receive the decree, Kangxi strode out.
Liang Jiugong and Li Dequan looked as if they were mourning, having prepared an inconspicuous gray-roofed carriage parked at the side door of the main hall.
As Kangxi boarded the carriage, he saw Fang He.
He frowned deeply.
“Who told you to come?”
Fang He really wanted to give Liang Jiugong a piece of her mind.
This damned eunuch, fearing his master might not fare well outside, had hastily handed her a pouch and had Chun Lai shove her into the carriage.
It was then that she was shocked to discover that Chun Lai knew martial arts!
This girl lifted her as easily as if she were a chick.
Could she be a female secret guard?
What had she done to deserve this?
But remembering the five hundred taels she had just unpacked, she swallowed her complaints and expressed her loyalty appropriately.
“Although I may be lacking in serving Your Majesty in bed, I am quite capable of attending to Your Majesty’s daily needs.”
“Even Liang Jiugong thinks I am attentive. If I accompany you, at least I can ensure Your Majesty eats a few more bites.”
Traveling quickly meant there wouldn’t be the fine meals prepared by the imperial chefs.
She enjoyed bone broth and flatbread, so perhaps Liang Jiugong saw her as a good food companion and thus brought her along.
Knowing that Chun Lai knew martial arts and was following behind the carriage to handle miscellaneous tasks, Fang He felt almost no fear of heading into battle.
Kangxi gave her a steady look.
Was she really just a little lacking?
But he was in no mood to say more.
He sat beside her and knocked on the carriage.
The carriage soon left the palace, bumping along as it moved further away from the imperial procession.
It was long past Fang He’s usual bedtime.
She tried to stay awake for a while, but her eyelids grew heavy, and she eventually dozed off without realizing it.
Kangxi was deep in thought about what needed to be done upon reaching the Khalkha River when he suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder, followed by his arm.
He looked down and couldn’t help but laugh.
This girl, once asleep, had no sense of decorum whatsoever.
He wondered how the Imperial Household Department had trained her.
Perhaps finding his shoulder too hard, she wrapped both arms around his, unsatisfied, and rubbed against him for a while, unable to find a comfortable spot.
Her body gradually leaned more and more until she was lying across his lap.
If Kangxi hadn’t used his arm to block her, her head might have ended up in his lap.
He sat her up properly, took a felt blanket from a drawer, draped it over her, and adjusted her head to let her rest comfortably.
When Fang He woke up again, she was sitting on the carriage floor, leaning against where Kangxi had been sitting, her back aching from the awkward position.
Fang He: “…”
I wonder if the emperor farts!
He wanted to eat her, but he wouldn’t even let her lean on him?
She grumbled as she got off the carriage.
Li Dequan and Chun Lai had already prepared a simple breakfast of porridge, pickles, and the ever-present flatbread.
Kangxi sat like a lord on a rock.
Liang Jiugong had soaked the flatbread for him, holding the bowl as Kangxi ate with his left hand, completely disregarding proper etiquette.
He seemed to enjoy it, but was his right arm useless?
If he didn’t care about decorum outside, why did he still need someone to hold the bowl for him?
Puzzled, she took the porridge and flatbread handed to her by Chun Lai, suppressing her curiosity, and quickly ate.
There were many soldiers around, and she didn’t want to attract attention.
But in the entire group, only she and Chun Lai were women.
Fang He could even serve in the carriage.
Most of the thousand men led by Alan Tai couldn’t help but glance at Fang He.
This little girl, who slept so soundly she couldn’t be woken, and made the emperor’s shoulder ache from holding her up?
Tsk tsk, she didn’t look fat, but she sure could eat.
Maybe her flesh was quite firm.
Even Alan Tai hadn’t expected that the emperor favored this type.
He thought about the upcoming selection of concubines next year and decided that once back in the capital, he would have his daughter eat five meals a day until the selection!
Fang He didn’t think much of it.
It wasn’t that she was insensitive, but she understood how conspicuous two women would be among so many men.
Back in college, for some reason, her class of sixty-two people had only three men, and the boys from other classes often envied them, even discussing on forums how to kidnap them.
After finishing her meal, she quickly returned to the carriage.
Not long after, Kangxi returned, rubbing his shoulder.
Fang He promptly handed him a damp cloth, attending to him diligently.
“Your Majesty, what happened? Did you bump into something in the carriage?”
Kangxi looked at her meaningfully,
“I think you bumped into a pig”
Fang He “…Ha, haha, Your Majesty is really good at joking.”
The pig shouldn’t be in the carriage, right?”