The Virtuous Concubine

Malu was embroidering and taking care of her baby, as if the turmoil in the harem had nothing to do with her. But the concubines in the harem were restless and tried their best to win the emperor's favor, hoping to leave a good impression on Kangxi before the grand ceremony.

Kangxi was also puzzled, feeling that his concubines were a little too excited recently. Every day, concubines in the Qianqing Palace sent soup and snacks one after another, but Kangxi paid attention to health preservation and rarely ate outside of mealtimes, so he instructed Liang Jiugong to reward all the soup sent in the future to the servants and guards in front of the emperor. Anyway, they were sent in buckets, so there was no need to be taboo about drinking.

Finally, the eunuchs, maids, and guards in front of the emperor had their clothes tightened recently. Everyone was flushed, and felt that they had no place to use their strength. But since it was a reward from the emperor, they could only be grateful and silently bear this sweet burden.

Kangxi was reviewing memorials that day when he accidentally saw Liang Jiugong's round waist, which was almost bursting his eunuch uniform. It was really unsightly, Kangxi thought, frowning, "Liang Jiugong, you have been eating well recently? What delicacies did the imperial kitchen give you?"

After hearing this, Liang Jiugong showed an awkward and flattering smile on his face. He quickly replied: "Your Majesty is wise. How dare I enjoy the delicacies of the imperial kitchen privately? This is because the concubines in the harem love you deeply, and the grace of the emperor has benefited me and others. I have become fat and strong without knowing it."

As he was talking, Liang Jiugong simply twisted his waist, like a chubby cat. Seeing Liang Jiugong like this, Kangxi couldn't help laughing. He waved his hand and said, "Okay, don't embarrass yourself in front of me. However, you really should pay attention to your figure."

After hearing this, Liang Jiugong showed a bitter expression on his face. He knew that once Kangxi said this, he would have to start eating coarse food and live a hard life. He obeyed the order and said, "I will pay attention from today on and lose weight as soon as possible to return to my previous handsome appearance. I dare not disobey the emperor's golden words."

Kangxi laughed again after hearing him say this, and then said seriously: "Who has sent gifts these days? Report to me how many times."

Liang Jiugong quickly replied: "Your Majesty, in the past month, Concubine Tong sent five golden blood swallow soups, Concubine Yi sent three Northern Territory deer antlers and other tonics, Concubine Hui presented four Lingzhi snow lotus soups, Concubine Rong personally cooked ginseng black chicken soup, and Concubine Duan presented wolfberry and Polygonatum stewed pigeon, and Concubine Wei also sent three or four times various snacks and..."

Liang Jiugong reported the soups and the frequency of the concubines' soups, remembering every one of them clearly. Kangxi remembered them one by one, with a playful smile on his face, thinking to himself: "They don't know how to restrain themselves. These things are rarely within their quota. If I really want to find out where these good things came from, they will not be able to explain it one by one." He shook his head slightly and continued to think, "Why can't they think about learning something and do something good for the people like Depin?"

Kangxi's thoughts drifted away, and he began to list every concubine in the harem, their family background, personality, and daily behavior. After listing them one by one, he finally thought of Depin, the woman who always had many clever ideas and understood his ambitions.

However, Kangxi's brows suddenly frowned, and he realized why the Yonghe Palace didn't send anything?! Not to mention the soup that exceeded the quota, he didn't even see a leaf of tomatoes, corns, and other strange vegetables grown in the Yonghe Palace and Shanglinyuan Fruit Garden!

Kangxi felt a little unhappy when he thought about this. He asked Liang Jiugong in a deep voice: "Is there anything unusual in Yonghe Palace recently?"

Liang Jiugong was stunned. Why did he suddenly think of Concubine De? Hasn't the emperor been obsessed with Concubine Wei recently? And Yonghe Palace didn't send anything new to attract the emperor's attention - oh oh oh oh! It turns out that sending nothing can attract the emperor's attention!

He was amazed in his heart, and in his mind he promoted Concubine De's position before answering: "Your Majesty, as far as I know, Concubine De of Yonghe Palace has been taking care of her pregnancy recently. She has been embroidering in her spare time and seems to be very obsessed with it."

Kangxi was even more unhappy. What was so fascinating about embroidery? Even he had forgotten it! And why was she so busy taking care of the baby? Did she need to do anything else to take care of the baby? There must be other reasons, so he said unwillingly: "Go check what has happened in Yonghe Palace recently, and whether there are any difficulties or special circumstances."

Liang Jiugong immediately responded, "I will go and investigate right away." He was about to leave the imperial study when Kangxi stopped him again, "You have to make a trip anyway, so you should do something else. Go to the harem to convey the order. Although the concubines have good intentions, I have my own way of keeping healthy, so there is no need for them to worry too much. From now on, the concubines in the harem are not allowed to come to the Qianqing Palace to deliver things without my summons."

Liang Jiugong replied respectfully, "I obey your order," while complaining in his heart: Your Majesty, if you want something from Concubine De, just tell her directly. Now that you have issued such an order, even if she wants to give it to you, she dare not disobey your order. He was about to walk out of the imperial study, but Kangxi stopped him again, "I will go to Yonghe Palace tonight to see Concubine De. When you inform the six palaces, tell her to get ready."

The word "prepare" was emphasized. Liang Jiugong paused when he heard this, then turned around and replied more respectfully: "Yes, sir." Kangxi nodded slightly: "Go, Liang Jiugong. I know you are reliable, and I am relieved to leave these matters to you."

After Liang Jiugong left the imperial study, he couldn't help but feel a little emotional. This person is really... cheap! Those concubines who came here eagerly probably didn't expect that the emperor would issue such an order. By then, hey, I don't know how many people's hearts will be broken into pieces.

Liang Jiugong took the order and left. Kangxi tried to turn his attention back to the memorial, but he always felt a nameless fire in his heart. This flame jumped in his chest, making it difficult for him to concentrate. He often read a memorial three or four times and still couldn't understand it. He knew it, but he refused to admit where the fire came from. Maybe it was because of the excessive diligence of the concubines in the harem, or the unusual silence of Yonghe Palace, or he was angry about his concern for Depin.

He drank several cups of tea and vented all his anger on the memorials. In the memorials he reviewed during this period, he scolded everyone. The harshness of his words surprised and frightened the court officials who received the imperial edicts. What happened to the emperor? How could a benevolent emperor be so vicious?

Aunt Shuyu came twice to serve tea this afternoon because Kangxi drank a lot of tea. As an old lady in the palace, she had already noticed that Kangxi was unhappy today, so every time she served tea, she was very careful and tried not to make any noise, for fear of disturbing the emperor who was deep in thought. Unexpectedly, Kangxi saw Shuyu from the corner of his eye and suddenly remembered that Malu was brought up by her, right?

He was moved and asked Shu Yu to stay. There was a hint of shyness in his voice: "Shu Yu, wait a moment."

Aunt Shuyu stopped walking away, turned around, and asked respectfully, "Your Majesty, what do you want me to do?" Kangxi put down the red brush in his hand, hesitated for a long time, and then said, "Shuyu, I remember you brought Depin with you? I'm afraid you know her better than I do. I want to hear about her past."