The prince only allowed me to have a baby, so the pressure is a bit high!

Chapter 11 Kangxi's Questions

After lunch, because he did not bring any extra clothes for this trip, Buerhe did not go to bed in the prepared room to rest. He just rested for a while on the big pillow on the couch. Then, with nothing to do, he looked at the decoration of the Cining Palace.

Seeing that her princess looked bored, Nanny Li did not point it out, but just introduced the decorations of the Cining Palace to her, what materials they were made from, what patterns they had, and what styles of patterns were suitable for what occasions.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, and since the princess could not go out at will or lie down to rest, Nanny Li seized the opportunity to teach her according to her aptitude.

If you were to count the most precious and finest fabrics in the world, they would definitely come from the Empress Dowager of Cining Palace. Not only because of her high status and position, but also because the current emperor was an extremely filial person. Any good things he had would be sent to the Cining Palace and Ciren Palace first.

The Cining Palace was especially unique; whenever something new, interesting, or beautiful came into view, it would be the first place to go. Nanny Li had seen the world in the Cining Palace before, and knew all about these things like the back of her hand, so she taught Buerhe everything in detail.

This was also an opportunity for Buerhe to broaden his horizons and learn more about fabrics. He could also see with his own eyes that only in the royal family could such a complete collection be found here, not even in the homes of the most powerful ministers of the Qing Dynasty.

The atmosphere was lively, with Buer and the other teaching and learning. Next door, however, things were much quieter. It wasn't that Tong Jia Gege had fallen asleep, but rather that she was quietly whispering something to the nanny she had brought with her.

Su Ma arranged for senior palace maids to wait outside for these princesses. A junior palace maid was also arranged for Princess Tonggia. However, Princess Tonggia and the nanny in the room spoke in a low voice, so they could not hear what they were saying.

However, Aunt Su Ma had instructed them in advance to observe carefully, so the two of them did not slack off. However, the young palace maid was in the dark, and the older palace maid was guarding the door.

After a while, the nanny brought by Tong Jia Gege asked for a basin of water, saying that it was for washing the rouge on Tong Jia Gege's face. She also asked for some lip balm, saying that it should be applied after she had a good rest to look more energetic.

These were all explained by Aunt Suma long ago, and the maid immediately provided the things and also took them in. But when she went in, she found that Tong Jia Gege was taking out the lip balm she had brought from her purse.

The senior palace maid took a quick glance, feeling curious, but didn't look at it any further, so the nanny behind her didn't see it either, and just asked the senior palace maid to leave after she was done.

The head maid pondered at the doorway, feeling something was amiss. While the lip balm provided by the Cining Palace was good, the Empress Dowager, who worshipped Buddha for years, wasn't fond of such things. Therefore, the best lip balm in the palace must have been distributed to the favored concubines. The Cining Palace's current supply was merely the allotment for the top-ranking maids, and certainly inferior to what the princesses of the wealthy families outside the palace used.

Since Tong Jia Gege has the best lip balm in her purse, why do you still need to ask her for some?

Thinking of Aunt Su Ma's instructions, the senior palace maid felt more and more that she needed to report. She asked the young palace maid in the dark to keep an eye on things for her, and she went to the main hall to find Aunt Su Ma and explain the matter clearly.

Su Malagu was an old woman who had stayed in the deep palace for decades. She guessed this little trick at once and asked the senior palace maid to continue watching. She planned to report the matter after the Empress Dowager woke up.

At best, this was bad character, stirring up trouble for no reason; at worst, it was just a prank between girls. But on a situation like today, she didn't believe the princesses' families hadn't guessed something. To still dare to act so daringly was either due to her own audacity or because her family had emboldened her to do it.

Su Malagu knew the truth. The final outcome for these princesses would have to wait until the master arrived in the afternoon. The more they danced now, the lower their chances of success, she thought. She didn't believe Xu Feng was someone with the character of Tonggia Princess. She thought the most likely candidate was Nianhulu Princess, and even Ulanara Princess had a better chance than Tonggia Princess.

At half past noon, a palace maid came to the main hall to announce that the Empress Dowager had woken up and sent someone to see if the princesses had rested well.

In the west wing, upon hearing this, several princesses hurriedly straightened themselves and opened the door, preparing to go to the main hall. At this moment, the nanny brought by Tong Jia princess twisted her ankle as if by mistake and fell onto Buerhe. Nanny Li quickly supported her, but the lip balm in the nanny's hand had somehow been thrown onto Buerhe's cheongsam.

In an instant, one could hear a pin drop, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the lip rouge dripping down the lapels of Buerhe's clothes, directly staining a long bright red mark in the middle of Buerhe's moon-white cheongsam.

Then Dong'e Gege took a breath, and Nianhulu Gege's face was also filled with surprise. The cheongsam of Ulanara Gege was so dirty that it could not be worn. However, when they entered the palace, they were not allowed to bring a change of clothes, so they really couldn't find a new set for Buerhe to change into for a while.

The nanny beside Tonggia Gege realized that she had gotten into trouble and bowed to Buerhe in gratitude and apologized: "I am so sorry, Ulanara Gege, I just twisted my ankle and didn't have time to steady myself. I was just using this lip grease on you and didn't have time to put it away. I stained your Manchu dress like this. I am so sorry."

Tongjia Gege also came forward and took Buerhe's hand: "Oh, sister Ulanara, it was my nanny who made the mistake. I'm so sorry that your clothes got dirty. You can punish her however you want, I won't say no."

At first, Buerhe thought the other party was really careless, but as soon as Tong Jiagege came over and spoke, she knew the truth was definitely not what she had seen. The smell of white lotus was exactly the same as that of a new female comrade in the laboratory before, which made her feel a little nauseous at the sight of it.

But there is no time to worry about this now. If my clothes are dirty, I can't go to see the Empress Dowager. I entered the palace in the name of attending to the sick. If I don't go alone, will it affect the Ulanara family?

Before she could think any more, Su Malagu, who had been watching from the corner for a while, came over. She bowed to Buerhe and said, "Ulanara Gege, please follow me. The Empress Dowager asked me to take you over to deal with it."

Then he said to the three princesses who were still standing at the door of the west wing, "Please come over, the Empress Dowager is waiting."

Tong Jia Gege stopped talking after Su Malagu appeared and returned to her seat obediently. She was not sure how much Su Malagu had heard or seen, nor was she sure she didn't know that she had done it on purpose. But the look Su Malagu gave her before she left made Tong Jia Gege feel uneasy.

On the other side, Su Malagu took Burhe to an empty room. Soon, two palace maids came with a box in their hands. On the box was a well-preserved set of Mongolian girl's clothing.

Su Malagu smiled and said, "The Empress Dowager knows that your clothes are dirty. She feels sorry for you because you have nothing to wear, so she gave you a set of Mongolian robes that she made when she was young. Here are some headdresses. My craftsmanship is not bad. Let me help you change your clothes!"

Buerhe was flattered after hearing this. How could she have deserved to have Empress Xiaozhuang's clothes? Even if they were things she didn't want when she was young, many people would have fought over them. How could a young girl like her not want these? Wasn't this just a way to show off her uniqueness?

Thinking of this, she repeatedly postponed: "No, no, no, this is the favorite of the Empress Dowager, how can I wear it? It's against the rules. I dare not accept it. Please take it back quickly, aunt! I will stay here. Please ask aunt and the Empress Dowager for leave. It's inconvenient for me to go to the main hall because my clothes are not in order."

Su Malagu held down Buerhe's waving hands and said earnestly, "A gift from an elder cannot be refused. This is a special order from the Grand Empress Dowager, and I dare not object. The Grand Empress Dowager also said that she wanted to see the princess wearing this dress. Come to her and let her take a look. Princess, you can't refuse it anymore."

Since things have come to this, Buerhe no longer refuses, but allows Nanny Li and Su Malagu to help him dress up.

At this time in the main hall, the Empress Dowager was still happily chatting with Princess Nianhulu as if nothing had happened, but no one knew what she was thinking in her heart.

At the same time, Kangxi, the Crown Prince, and Master Pu Du, who had been invited in advance, were walking from the Qianqing Palace to the Cining Palace.

Kangxi had already issued a decree forbidding movement within the palace these past few days. Coupled with Liang Jiugong and Xuanyi's investigation, everyone in the palace was feeling uneasy. Therefore, the emperor's outing today was smooth sailing, with no more incidents of the concubines encountering him or offering him soup. Even the Cining Palace had become considerably quieter, at Kangxi's request.

Buerhe was dressed up quickly. Seeing the different self in the mirror, Buerhe secretly admired his good looks in this life. Wearing this Mongolian costume, if no one said anything, wouldn't he be a real Mongolian beauty?

When Su Malagu saw Buerhe like this, her eyes were filled with surprise. She didn't expect that this princess from the Ulanara family would be so suitable for this dress. It seemed that her master's thoughts were not in vain. This dress not only made Princess Ulanara look better, but also added a bit of beauty to the dress.

Bu Erhe had already dressed up, so Su Malagu took her to the main hall.

As soon as the young palace maid lifted the pearl curtain, Xiaozhuang was dazzled by the sight of a beautiful Mongolian princess, who looked just like her in her youth. Seeing this, Xiaozhuang's love for Buerhe was almost overflowing.

When Buerhe came in, the other three princesses were all surprised. They had never expected that a princess from the Ulanara family would look so lively and cute in Mongolian clothes. After being surprised, Tongjia princess became even more jealous. She had never thought that she could find another way to escape after she had already ruined her clothes. She was really lucky.

But then she thought, Su Malagu's timely appearance and the Mongolian costume she had given Ulanara Gege must have been a sign from the Grand Empress Dowager. So, had she known what she had done? The more she thought about it, the more panicked Tong Jia Gege became, and her face gradually paled. If it weren't for the years of rules she had followed, she would have collapsed to the ground.

Empress Xiaozhuang saw this but didn't say anything, but she looked down on Tong Jia Gege even more. She was so cowardly and dared to do evil in the Cining Palace. She was really not as good as her cousin.

Before the Empress Dowager could tell Burhe to take a seat, a young eunuch's voice came from outside: "Reporting to the Empress Dowager, the Emperor and the Crown Prince have arrived."

Seeing this, Xiaozhuang's eyes lit up and she said, "Let them in quickly."

Several princesses quickly stood up. They were still sitting there when the emperor came. Are they still following the rules? Besides, they never thought they would see the emperor again. Although they had seen the emperor at the banquet held in the palace every year during the New Year, it was only from a distance. It was really rare to see him up close like today.

Of course, these princesses were to exclude Buerhe. It was really her second time meeting Kangxi, but probably because it was the second time she met him up close, her mentality was still very stable. She was not as panicked as the princesses next to her. When Xiaozhuang saw this inadvertently, her satisfaction with Buerhe deepened.

In fact, this is mainly due to the fact that Boolean people lived in the past. In modern times, everyone is equal. Even national leaders often meet with ordinary people in modern society, not to mention that leaders often go to the countryside to deeply understand the lives of the people.