Rebirth of His Royal Highness Prince Chenghu

Qingyao walked gently to the bedside and carefully pulled up the quilt. After doing all this, she slowly sat down beside the bed and stared at him quietly while he was sleeping.

Moonlight streamed into the room through the window, softly outlining Qingyao's beautiful and gentle face. Her eyes were filled with concern.

Qingyao just sat there motionless, but she didn't feel tired or bored at all.

Not long after, Liang Jiugong hurried in, holding a bowl of steaming medicinal soup in his hands. The bowl of medicine exuded a strong aroma that filled the entire room.

Seeing this, Qingyao quickly stood up, took the medicine bowl from Liang Jiugong, and then gently sat on the edge of the bed. She first stirred the liquid medicine in the bowl with a spoon, then carefully scooped up a spoonful, blew gently a few times to the side of her mouth, and when it was the right temperature, she slowly brought it to Kangxi's lips.

Liang Jiugong stood quietly by, waiting with his head down. After Kangxi finished the entire bowl of medicine, he walked over, took the empty bowl from Qingyao, and then quietly left the room.

After seeing Liang Jiugong leave, Qingyao's tense nerves finally relaxed a little. She slowly leaned over and gently rested her head on the edge of the bed. After a while, she fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, sunlight streamed into the room through the window, illuminating everything on the bed. Kangxi slowly woke up, feeling much better than he had the day before. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Qingyao sleeping soundly beside the bed.

Kangxi gazed at the sleeping figure before him, a wave of emotion and tenderness welling up in his heart. He raised his hand, and with a gentle touch, like a breeze blowing across the surface of a lake, he gently stroked Qingyao's cheek. The touch of her delicate, smooth skin left him lost in thought, as if time had stood still.

Qingyao was awakened by the gentle touch. When she opened her eyes, she saw Kangxi's gentle gaze. "My husband, how do you feel?" Kangxi held her hand and said softly, "Thanks to your careful care, I am feeling better now."

At this moment, there was a commotion outside. It turned out that the other concubines had heard that Kangxi was ill and came to visit. They filed in and saw Qingyao beside Kangxi, their eyes full of jealousy. One of the concubines said sarcastically, "Oh, sister is so attentive, waiting here eagerly."

Qingyao was about to explain, but Kangxi frowned and said, "During my illness, only the Queen served me wholeheartedly. If you come here to cause trouble, just go back." The concubines did not dare to say anything more and took their leave one after another.

Qingyao: "My husband, you must take care of your health. You must not collapse. The Empress Dowager's funeral has not yet taken place. My husband, you must rest for a while and recuperate."

Kangxi listened to Qingyao's words and nodded slightly. "The Queen is right. However, the affairs of the court are so numerous that I cannot let go of them all."

Qingyao hurriedly advised, "Don't worry, my husband. The ministers in the court are all concerned about the emperor's health. They will definitely do their jobs. It won't be too late to deal with it after you recover. Or do you intend to abandon us orphans and widows to be bullied? If you are willing to do so, I will not try to persuade you."

Kangxi smiled helplessly and said, "You are worrying too much, I can't bear to let you go." After that, he took Qingyao into his arms.

Qingyao leaned in Kangxi's arms and said softly, "I know that my husband cares about the world, but he should rest well these few days."

Kangxi smelled the fragrance of Qingyao's hair, and his heart was at peace. "With the Queen by my side, my heart is much more at ease."

A few days later, Kangxi's condition had fully recovered. After the morning court session, he took Qingyao for a stroll in the Imperial Garden. Butterflies fluttered among the flowers, and the spring sunshine streamed down, creating a delightful scene.

Kangxi said: "My dear, I feel that I am not as healthy as before after this illness. I am thinking of letting my son take care of it first. You should accompany me to Changchun Garden to recuperate, and let the Empress Dowager go with you. The Empress Dowager is also very sad about the death of the Empress Dowager."

Qingyao was moved when she heard this, but a look of hesitation appeared on her face. "My husband, this is a very good idea, but I'm afraid it will be difficult for the emperor to handle this important matter. Moreover, the ministers may have many objections."

Kangxi patted her hand gently. "That's all right. I will arrange for several important officials to assist you. Besides, this is only a temporary replacement. I also want to take this opportunity to see what my son is capable of."

Seeing that Kangxi had made up his mind, Qingyao bowed and agreed, "I obey your order and will accompany my husband wholeheartedly."

A few days later, everything was arranged, and Crown Prince Chenghu began to handle state affairs, while Kangxi took Qingyao and the empress dowager to Changchun Garden. Chenghu and his family temporarily moved back to Yuqing Palace.

In Changchun Garden, Kangxi and Qingyao enjoyed flowers and tea every day to recuperate.

However, the peaceful days did not last long. Suddenly, rumors spread in Changchun Garden, saying that Qingyao had seduced the monarch, causing the emperor to stay away from the court.

When the news reached the palace, the court was abuzz with discussion, and some people with ulterior motives were even trying to exploit it. When Kangxi learned of it, he was furious and wanted to severely punish those who spread the rumor.

Qingyao stopped Kangxi and said, "Husband, calm down. Severe punishment at this time will only make things worse. It is better for me to return to the palace to set things straight."

Although Kangxi was reluctant, he felt that Qingyao was right and had to agree.

On the day Qingyao returned to the palace, she made a low-key entrance, accompanied only by a few personal attendants. As soon as she entered the palace, she felt a sense of oppression. Many palace maids and eunuchs secretly glanced at her with complicated expressions.

Qingyao headed straight for her palace, encountering several concubines along the way. They greeted her with smiles and smiles, but their words held hidden meanings. Qingyao deftly responded to each of them, showing no sign of panic.

Afterwards, Qingyao summoned all the maids and eunuchs in the palace. She said calmly, "I have served the emperor for many years and have always done my duty. This time I accompanied the emperor to Changchun Garden, just to fulfill my wife's duty to take care of the holy body. Now someone is spreading malicious rumors, and I will not sit idly by. But I also know that there must be someone behind this. If you stand up and admit it now, I can give you a lighter sentence. Otherwise, once it is discovered, I will never let you off easily." When everyone heard this, they looked at each other, and some of them looked panicked.

At this moment, a young palace maid suddenly knelt and tremblingly revealed that a concubine had instigated her to spread the rumor. Qingyao sneered and ordered someone to inform Kangxi of the incident, requesting that he punish the concubine according to palace rules. With this incident, Qingyao successfully quelled the rumors and soon returned to Changchun Garden to continue accompanying Kangxi.

The morning sun shines through the carved window lattices into the house, casting patches of mottled light and shadow. Qingyao is wearing a light blue Qipao dress, and the hem of her skirt sways slightly with her light steps, like a fairy descending to the earth. The spring rain follows closely beside her.

The two of them walked slowly along the winding corridor and finally arrived in front of Jifengxuan. The palace maid at the door saw them and hurried forward, saying softly, "Your Majesty, please wait a moment. I will go and pass on the message." With that, she turned and walked quickly into the hall.

After a while, the palace maid hurried out again, bowed to Qingyao and said, "Your Majesty, please come in. The Empress Dowager is waiting inside." Qingyao nodded slightly, lifted her skirt lightly, and walked into Jifengxuan.

Entering the hall, they saw a large and gorgeous rosewood chair placed in the center. Sitting on it was a woman with dignified manners and elegant temperament. It was the current empress dowager. Qingyao walked forward, bowed gracefully, and said softly, "Your daughter-in-law greets the Empress Dowager. May the Empress Dowager be blessed with longevity, good health, and all the best."

The Empress Dowager raised her hand slightly and said softly, "My dear, please stand up quickly. There is no need to be so polite." Her slightly unfamiliar Manchu language, although not very fluent, revealed a sense of intimacy.

Qingyao stood up respectfully and responded with a smile: "Empress Dowager, please don't worry. My daughter-in-law not only understands Chinese, but also Mongolian. I remember that when the Empress Dowager chose my daughter-in-law to be the empress, she specially asked her to learn some Mongolian so that she could better serve the royal family in the future." After that, she began to talk to the empress dowager in Mongolian. Her voice was melodious and crisp, as pleasant as the sound of a yellow oriole singing in a valley.

When the Empress Dowager heard this, a look of relief appeared on her face. She nodded and continued to ask, "That's great! I wonder how Xuanye's health is now?" Her words were full of concern.

Qingyao quickly comforted him, "Don't worry, Empress Dowager. Your Highness has been recuperating for these days and is already much better. I take good care of him every day. I believe that in no time, Your Highness will be able to recover and return to the government."