The temperature in the warm pavilion was rising step by step. After serving up the tea, An Ning and An Ping, with great discernment, withdrew from the warm pavilion and stood outside waiting for orders.
It was cold today, but since Cao Yue had not gone out of the warm pavilion, she was only wearing a set of ordinary Han Chinese women’s clothes. A sky-blue mamian skirt paired with a white front-buttoned short jacket embroidered with peach blossoms, her hair was simply arranged into a bun, and the only adornments were two tufts of fur flowers. Her small, round earlobes were bare, wearing nothing at all.
Kangxi lowered his eyes and looked Cao Yue over carefully, only then discovering that even when the woman before him was dressed casually, she still outshone many concubines in the palace who were meticulously dressed.
Perhaps Kangxi’s gaze was too heated. Cao Yue pretended to feel uncomfortable and took a sip of tea. Somehow, a blush quietly crept onto her unpowdered cheeks: “Why is Your Majesty looking at this concubine like that?”
Kangxi let out a few muffled laughs from his throat: “Zhen was just thinking that Yue’er is already so moving with such casual dress. If you were to dress up in full splendor, perhaps there would be no woman in this world who could compare.”
It had always been beauty paired with heroes. Kangxi considered his own political achievements outstanding, worthy of being called a hero, and fitting for a woman as stunningly beautiful as Zhaopin to match him.
If an ordinary woman heard such praise, she would have already been delighted and shy beyond measure, but Cao Yue was the opposite of everyone else.
After hearing Kangxi’s words, she looked at him seriously and argued, “Your Majesty has not seen all the women in the world, so how would you know that this concubine has no one who can compare? One should know that there are people beyond people, and mountains beyond mountains.”
Kangxi had not expected Cao Yue to take something he had said so casually and treat it seriously, and even use the opportunity to lecture him.
He could not help laughing out loud, and Cao Yue grew very embarrassed and annoyed: “Your Majesty, what are you laughing at? Could it be that what this concubine said was not right?”
“Right, right, right.” Kangxi hurriedly suppressed his laughter and lifted the teacup to take a perfunctory sip to cover it. “What Yue’er said makes sense. Zhen has learned.”
When Kangxi set down the teacup, his gaze casually swept over the history book Cao Yue had just been looking at. In his heart he thought that it was no wonder she was so different, being a woman who could read history books.
Wanting to discuss a bit with Cao Yue and test how deep she was, he was just about to speak when Liang Jiugong asked in a low voice from outside the screen, “Your Majesty, it is time for the evening meal. Should we set it out now?”
With Liang Jiugong’s reminder, Kangxi subconsciously looked outside. Seeing that the sky had somehow grown dark, he realized it was already not early, and so he raised his voice and said, “Bring it in.”
The place where Cao Yue usually ate was the flower hall. After asking An Ning, Liang Jiugong had people set the evening meal there.
Cao Yue’s food allowance was naturally far inferior to the emperor’s. Even though the emperor was now outside the palace, the Cao family did not dare to neglect her in the slightest. Everything from clothing to food to lodging and travel was arranged according to the standards used in the palace.
An Ping stood to the side watching Liang Jiugong direct people to bring up the dishes and check them for poison, and then another eunuch who tested for poison sampled each dish one by one. Her brows were twisted tightly.
The emperor’s standard dishes were all meat dishes. Dragon well shrimp, Dongpo pork, cherry meat, and other such greasy dishes made up the vast majority. They looked oily and greasy, and who knew how the young lady was supposed to get through the meal.
After the series of poison-testing and dish-testing tasks were done, Kangxi led Cao Yue out by the hand. Together, they sat before the dining table and had their respective servants help them wash their hands.
An Ping brought warm water and crouched before Cao Yue. Cao Yue submerged her slender jade-like hand in the water to wash it, and when she lowered her eyes, she saw An Ping’s face full of worry.
With calm eyes, Cao Yue signaled to An Ping that she was fine, then took the dry cloth An Ning was holding and wiped the water from her hands.
Seeing that she was done cleaning up, Kangxi was the first to pick up his chopsticks. “Eat.”
During the meal, An Ning stood by Cao Yue’s side and served her food, always picking the light, plain vegetable dishes and never touching anything with meat or grease.
Kangxi saw it, frowned, and personally picked up a piece of cherry meat for Cao Yue: “You must not be picky.”
No wonder her body was so frail, as if a gust of wind could blow her away.
A piece of brightly colored cherry meat suddenly appeared on the snow-white plate. The dark red color strongly assaulted Cao Yue’s unprepared gaze, and her face instantly went a couple shades paler.
She had just been desperately ignoring those vividly red dishes. She had prepared herself so she would not retch in front of Kangxi and lose face, but she had not expected that in the end, she still could not avoid it.
Trying to endure it again and again, Cao Yue still could not hold back. She suddenly turned around and clutched her chest, dry-heaving. Fortunately, An Ping had long since prepared a spittoon, so she was not allowed to be too embarrassed.
Seeing this, one of the sharp-eyed servants by the imperial side had already gone to invite the imperial physician.
Kangxi’s expression changed. Shocked and puzzled, he said, “What is going on? Why would she suddenly vomit when everything was fine?”
An Ning kept rubbing Cao Yue’s back to help her breathe easier, while An Ping held the spittoon and, dividing off a bit of her attention, answered, “Replying to Your Majesty, our young lady has been unable to tolerate even the slightest bit of meat since childhood. As soon as she touches it, she vomits. It has never been otherwise all these years.”
By now Cao Yue had recovered a little. Leaning against An Ning’s embrace, her face was pale and weak.
Kangxi looked at her and felt somewhat unsettled, so he stepped forward and pulled Cao Yue into his own embrace. “Zhen did not know…”
Cao Yue forced a smile and interrupted Kangxi’s words: “It is not Your Majesty’s fault. This concubine did not tell Your Majesty. Besides, this has been a problem since childhood. This concubine is used to it.”
The more understanding Cao Yue was, the more guilty Kangxi felt toward her, and he also took it out on Liang Jiugong in anger, since it was Liang Jiugong who had prepared the evening meal.
He lifted his eyes and swept a cold glance at Liang Jiugong. “Take the evening meal away.”
Liang Jiugong understood the meaning of that glance, and he felt aggrieved to no end. This was truly an unexpected disaster. Who would have thought that Zhaopin would have such a problem?
After recovering for a while, Cao Yue left Kangxi’s embrace and, supported by An Ning, stood up. “It is this concubine who has disturbed Your Majesty’s appetite for the meal.”
Kangxi straightened up. “It is nothing. Are you feeling better? When the imperial physician arrives later, have the physician take your pulse and see whether your condition can be treated.”
Cao Yue shook her head with a bitter smile. “When I was little, my father and mother did not spare any effort in inviting famous doctors from Jiangning to diagnose and treat me. But those famous doctors had never seen this ailment of mine. After a long time, I also gave up. Fortunately, it is not something that endangers life, so this concubine no longer insists on it.”
Only she herself knew clearly that this ailment was a matter of the heart, and in the end, medicine and herbs were useless.
Every time she saw that bright red meat, the image that surfaced in her mind was of her limbs being cut off by Empress Lü, also dyed that vivid red…
Perhaps when she truly let go of the past one day, saw things clearly, and no longer had any obsession, maybe she would heal herself without treatment.
Seeing Cao Yue’s lonely expression, Kangxi felt very distressed. “The imperial physician’s medical skill is after all a bit more superb than that of a common doctor. Perhaps the imperial physician will have a way.”
Cao Yue once again refused Kangxi: “Thank you for Your Majesty’s kind intention, but this concubine has been disappointed too many times. I truly do not want to experience disappointment again.”
Since Cao Yue did not want it, Kangxi could not force her, and could only compromise. “Very well.”
Since she did not want an examination, then he would privately instruct the imperial physician to consult medical books. When a method of treatment was found, only then would he have the imperial physician examine her.
Because she had dry-heaved, Cao Yue truly could not endure her wretched appearance. After saying a word to Kangxi, she went to the bath room to bathe and wash up.
The flower hall had its windows opened by the servants to let in air, so Kangxi went to Cao Yue’s study, and conveniently also called in Imperial Physician Sun, who had rushed over in haste. Kangxi asked Imperial Physician Sun for a long time about the symptoms Cao Yue had just shown. When Imperial Physician Sun came out of the study, his inner garment was already soaked through with cold sweat.
Seeing Imperial Physician Sun’s appearance, Liang Jiugong’s tone could not hide his schadenfreude: “What happened to you?”
This was more like it. The emperor was angry, so he could not be the only one to bear it. Someone sharing the burden with him made Liang Jiugong very happy.
Imperial Physician Sun was a little older, but he had not reached the point of being blind and muddle-headed. He could clearly see the malice in Liang Jiugong’s expression.
Glowering fiercely at Liang Jiugong, Imperial Physician Sun flicked his sleeve. “Eunuch Liang is happy too early. In the end, you are the one serving by the emperor’s side, not this official.”
Even if he had been assigned difficult matters by the emperor, that would only be for a time.
Gah—
Liang Jiugong’s smug smile froze on his face. Finished, he had gotten too carried away.
Perhaps to prove Imperial Physician Sun’s words, the next moment the emperor’s voice, carrying anger, came from the study. “Liang Jiugong, get in here at once.”
Imperial Physician Sun gave Liang Jiugong a sidelong glance and left the West Courtyard with a snort and a laugh.
In the study, Kangxi sat in the round-backed chair behind the desk, his bearing full of authority. “What exactly is going on with those three servants outside?”
This matter had already been made clear by Liang Jiugong when Kangxi and Cao Yue were in the warm pavilion. It was done specifically so the emperor would not ask about it at any moment: “This servant asked the people serving in Zhaopin Niangniang’s courtyard, and according to them, those three old matrons came after this servant had left. They said they knew that Your Majesty would be staying the night here today, so they specially came to check the items in Zhaopin Niangniang’s room.”
“Zhaopin Niangniang was not very pleased with this. Perhaps she felt that the few old matrons had offended her, so she flew into a rage and told them to get out. As for the matter of kneeling as punishment, Zhaopin Niangniang indeed did not order it. They knelt on their own.”
Upon hearing this, Kangxi laughed coldly without end. “What a servant who acts on her own initiative. I did not even order it, and they still dared to decide things for zhen.”
Liang Jiugong bent slightly, his gaze fixed on his own toes. No wonder Zhaopin Niangniang was unhappy. Who would be happy if, for no reason, a few servants used the emperor’s authority as a tiger’s skin to parade themselves in front of her and show off their power?
“Give those few servants each thirty strokes of the board, and after returning to the palace, demote them to the Laundry Bureau.”
“This servant obeys the decree.”
After giving the orders, Kangxi calculated the time and felt that Cao Yue should have finished bathing, so he got up and strode toward the warm pavilion.
Kangxi timed it just right. Cao Yue had just come out of the bath room when Kangxi arrived at the warm pavilion.
Looking at Cao Yue’s clear and elegant appearance, as fresh as lotus emerging from water, Kangxi rolled his Adam’s apple, only feeling that his throat was a little dry.
As if she had not noticed anything at all, Cao Yue sat before the dressing table and, while instructing An Ning to blow dry her hair, shyly said, “This concubine has already ordered people to change the water. Does Your Majesty also want to go bathe?”
“Wait for zhen.”
Kangxi inhaled the lingering fragrance in the air. His eyes darkened, and after leaving those two words, he went into the bath room.
The sound of footsteps gradually disappeared. Cao Yue paused in the motion of applying incense balm, then hurriedly opened a hidden compartment in the dressing table and took out a small porcelain bottle from inside.
An Ning’s eyelid twitched when she saw it: “Miss, are you really going to use it?”
This medicine had been gotten on the young lady’s orders, so naturally she knew its effect, and also knew that the medicine was a bit strong and not good for the body.
Cao Yue snorted coldly and poured out one pill, swallowing it dry: “Things that come too easily are often not cherished. That is a man’s common fault.”
She had to let him see it but not eat it, hang him out for a few days first.
In order not to give herself to him tonight, while also not angering him, using medicine to bring on her period was the best method.
The medicine took effect very quickly. In less than a quarter hour after going into her stomach, Cao Yue felt a sharp cramp in her belly, and a warm flow followed closely from below.