Rong Fei is not honored

Emperor Kangxi understood his stepmother's personality, so he didn't mind her obvious attempts to avoid suspicion.

This time, however... it was truly unexpected.

Kangxi paused as he picked up some food with his chopsticks. Something flashed quickly in his eyes, and he understood. What else in the palace could possibly make the Empress Dowager change her mind?

It was nothing more than the Empress Dowager's entrustment; how could it possibly be a sign of her concern for Yinti?

"Perhaps Sainchahun and Yinti were close, so he extended his affection to them as well?" Kangxi explained.

But even he himself didn't believe that.

Ji Nai didn't dwell on this point; she only wanted to remind Kangxi that going too far is as bad as not going far enough.

"Then should I go to Cining Palace to attend to the Empress Dowager when she is ill?"

"No need," Kangxi said decisively.

When the late emperor was alive, the Empress Dowager did summon concubines to attend to her when she was ill, but everyone knew the purpose behind it. Apart from that, whenever the Empress Dowager fell ill, she never summoned anyone else to attend to her.

Firstly, the imperial concubines were all pampered masters and had no idea how to serve others. They were not as comfortable as the servants that the Empress Dowager was used to.

Secondly, sick people just want to rest. If there are too many people around, they are not people they can trust to stay by their side. Even if they know that the other person would not dare to do anything, they still cannot completely relax.

Not to mention that the Empress Dowager would most likely not summon anyone to attend to her illness, even if she really needed to, Kangxi would not send Ji Nai.

During this period, perhaps because he was in a better mood, or perhaps because Kangxi was watching him, Ji Nai used the medicine more often, and his complexion was no longer so pale.

Taking care of an ailing person is hard work. After finally managing to get him a little better, Emperor Kangxi was unwilling to let Ji Nai collapse from exhaustion again.

However, Ji Nai's words did serve as a reminder to Emperor Kangxi.

"Since the Empress Dowager has already spoken, then prepare a few easy-to-cook dishes and have Saiyinchahun send them to Cining Palace."

“Me?” Saiyinchahun pointed to himself and hurriedly agreed under Kangxi’s cold gaze, “I’ll go, I’ll go. It was my fault for causing this, so it’s only right that I go.”

"You know that too?" Kangxi said irritably. This brat, all he does is cause trouble for his mother.

"Making some food shouldn't be too tiring for me, but... is it really a bad idea to have Saiyinchahun deliver it? What if something goes wrong?"

If something goes wrong, Saiyinchahun, the person in charge, will also be implicated.

"It's alright. The Empress Dowager will definitely have someone try the imported medicine first. If she's still worried, the imperial physician is in Cining Palace, so she can take a look and see if it will have any adverse effects on the medicine."

Emperor Kangxi reassured Ji Nai, saying, "Nothing will happen."

If something still went wrong after all that, there's only one possibility: the Empress Dowager orchestrated it all herself.

However, it was precisely to prevent this from happening that Kangxi arranged for Saiyinchahun to be sent over.

After all, since Saiyinchahun was raised in Shou Kang Palace, even if the Empress Dowager had already decided to replace him, she would not allow Saiyinchahun to bear the reputation of being suspected of murdering her great-grandmother, out of respect for the Empress Dowager.

Ji Nai genuinely didn't want Saiyinchahun to be involved, but she also understood Kangxi's reasons for doing so—that he wanted to better protect himself.

Just as he was hesitating, Cheng Rui spoke up and said, "I'll go deliver it with Sainchahun."

"No need, elder brother, I brought this on myself..." Saiyinchahun said anxiously. He had already dragged his mother into this mess, how could he let his elder brother get involved as well?

Saiyinchahun knew very well that food was the easiest thing for someone to tamper with in the palace, so he would not give it away easily. Even if you were on good terms with someone, you had to be careful. This was not only to prevent the other party from tampering with it, but also to guard against others.

But this time was different. This time, it was the Empress Dowager who spoke up, and it was for the sake of the Empress Dowager's health.

Therefore, his mother couldn't refuse at all, and even if it was found out that his mother wasn't the one who did it, she wouldn't be able to escape responsibility once something happened.

It can be said that this trouble was caused by Saiyincha's loose tongue and his desire to show off in front of Yinti.

Cheng Rui interrupted Saiyinchahun's rebuttal and calmly said:

"It's not entirely for you."

When our ancestor falls ill, we, the younger generation, should naturally show our filial piety. However, since Mother's health has not fully recovered, we fear that the illness might be passed on to the Empress Dowager. Therefore, we prepared some food for her.

I hope our ancestors can use more of this; once my appetite improves, my health will naturally recover quickly.

Rongxian and the others are young and unsettled; they might disturb the old matriarch's recovery. But you and I are different; if we go together, we can spend more time with her.

Therefore, it is true that Cheng Rui said he was not entirely doing it for Saiyinchahun, but it was not as he claimed, wanting to fulfill his filial duty, but rather to help his own mother and younger siblings.

"Are you sure?" Kangxi looked at Chengrui, his eyes filled with pride.

Look, this is his eldest son, so much like an elder brother. Yet some people say that he spoils Chengrui too much, treating a teenager like a baby.

Hmph, they know absolutely nothing.

Yinreng was indeed a baby, raised by Emperor Kangxi himself, but he never spoiled him.

However, it was because Kangxi knew very well that Chengrui deserved to be treated this way, and that he would not change his nature or become repulsive because of the favor of his elders.

If Ji Nai knew what Kangxi was thinking at this moment, he would definitely expose him without mercy. With Kangxi's tendency to spoil children, no matter how good Cheng Rui and the others were by nature, they would not have grown up to be like this.

They've turned her from a kind and gentle mother into a strict one. Doesn't Kangxi realize his own problem?

Just as Ji Nai was worried and Saiyinchahun was filled with regret, Kangxi, with the pride of "my son has come of age," praised Chengrui repeatedly, and then comforted Ji Nai, saying:

“Chengrui is a junior. No matter how careful he is in dealing with the Empress Dowager, it is all for the sake of his elders. He will only be praised for his filial piety. In this respect, Chengrui has more advantages than you.”

Ji Nai naturally understood Kangxi's meaning. Although doing too many things could avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble, it would inevitably make people uncomfortable.

For example, the items were made by Ji Nai herself and delivered by her personally, without relying on anyone else. Yet she was still so careful. Was it because she didn't trust herself, or because she was worried that the Empress Dowager would use this to frame her?

"Moreover, Chengrui is my eldest son, and it is only right that he fulfills his filial duties on behalf of me and his brothers."

Ji Nai glared at Kangxi, thinking, "What do you mean by 'should' or 'shouldn't'? This bastard is definitely up to something again."

Ji Nai wasn't worried that Kangxi would harm Cheng Rui, but...

They already felt bad for the child, making him suffer so much that he shouldn't have had to. Ji Nai felt even more sorry for him and always wanted to protect him and not let him get into any trouble.