Yunxiu had always been beautiful.
Lavish silks, exquisite delicacies—these adorned the resplendent Yongshou Palace like a gilded jeweled pavilion, nurturing the radiant Noble Consort Yi, whose brilliance rivaled the sun. Her elegance surpassed autumn chrysanthemums, her splendor outshone spring pines; no verse could fully capture her dazzling beauty.
The emperor had seen her without makeup, clad in plain robes, but never like this—weary, disheveled, and utterly exhausted.
Like a lustrous pearl dulled by dust, her brows furrowed with deep fatigue, she suddenly appeared before him, smiling as she said, "Your Majesty, this consort has come to accompany you."
Kangxi trembled violently, his mind blank as he stared at her in stunned silence.
The fever, the palpitations—all seemed to fade away. He could no longer recall what Consort Rong had said to provoke his fury. The only thing imprinted in his heart were those peach-blossom eyes, shimmering like rippling water, brimming with tender amusement, unwavering and devoid of any fear.
As if he had merely gone on a brief journey, not lying here, ravaged by a deadly bout of malaria.
"You—" Kangxi parted his cracked lips, his eyes suddenly burning with unshed tears.
His gaze reddened, lingering for a long moment on the slight swell of her abdomen before he rasped weakly, "This is reckless."
His voice was feeble, carrying no authority.
"It is not reckless," Yunxiu said softly, sitting by the bed and tucking the brocade quilt around him. "Before leaving the palace, this consort drank the fetal-soothing tonic Grand Imperial Physician Chen prepared."
She glanced down at her belly and smiled gently. "She is well. She wished to see her imperial father."
Kangxi shut his phoenix eyes briefly before snapping them open again, turning his face away so she wouldn’t see his expression. "Liang Jiugong, escort Noble Consort Yi to freshen up and rest in the eastern chamber. Have Grand Imperial Physician Chen examine her thoroughly—ensure both mother and child are safe."
He was dismissing her.
Liang Jiugong, still dazed, jolted at the command. Clutching a piece of paper, he was about to comply when Yunxiu arched a brow and audaciously defied the emperor. "This consort slept in the carriage and is quite awake now."
Then, with a cold smirk, she turned to Consort Rong, whose face had paled with dread and regret. "This consort was absent earlier, but the one who should never have been here clings like a leech. Liang Jiugong, why are you standing there? Remove her at once—this is no place for her!"
She spared Consort Rong not a shred of dignity.
But Consort Rong was beyond anger or retaliation.
She had gambled everything to drag Yunxiu down, seizing what she thought was the perfect opportunity—only for Noble Consort Yi to appear like a vengeful spirit, effortlessly dismantling her desperate ploy.
With Yunxiu here, who would doubt her devotion to the emperor? Who would believe the rumors of her infidelity? Even if the forged letter were real, what did it matter now?
Consort Rong’s limbs turned to ice, her mind screaming one thought:
The Crown Prince’s arrival was one thing—but traveling to Rehe while heavily pregnant? Had Mrs. Guoluoluo lost her mind?
Seeing Yunxiu defy the emperor, Liang Jiugong, who had just escaped one crisis, now found himself torn. "This—"
Kangxi curled his fingers, thinking, How audacious—daring to disobey even my orders.
Yet, against his will, joy surged in his chest, mingled with greedy longing. Let her stay a little longer. Just long enough to say what must be said, to settle what must be settled...
Our little princess will protect her mother.
With that thought, Kangxi turned back, coughing weakly. "Do as Noble Consort Yi says."
Then his gaze shifted to the screen, where two shadowy figures were faintly outlined. Memories flooded back, filling the void in an instant. His chest heaved, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "Seize Lady Majia—confine her in the side hall for punishment!"
Consort Rong jolted as if waking from a nightmare, her face cycling through shock, fury, and finally, terror. "Your Majesty—!"
Punishment? What punishment?
Liang Jiugong shot her a frigid glare, his contempt undisguised. Consort Rong forced herself to step back, nails digging into her palms as icy despair washed over her.
Her soul seemed to split once more—half rational, half deranged. She heard herself say calmly, "Noble Consort Yi colluded with an outsider to deceive Your Majesty, yet you dismiss the evidence without question and condemn this consort?"
Kangxi laughed, a sound laced with fury. His phoenix eyes burned like a hawk’s, boring into the screen as if to pierce it. Though weak, his rage was palpable. Liang Jiugong shuddered—Consort Rong had truly lost her mind, still sowing discord even in her downfall.
"Your Majesty, do not agitate yourself. This consort is here." Before Kangxi could respond, Yunxiu pressed a soothing hand to his fevered brow, then rose and walked unhurriedly toward the others.
Cool relief washed over Kangxi, his breath easing before tensing again.
He closed his eyes, though his lids trembled slightly.
"Evidence? What evidence?" Yunxiu’s gaze swept over Consort Rong before settling on the paper in Liang Jiugong’s grip.
Liang Jiugong cursed his own hesitation. I should have dragged Lady Majia out immediately!
Hands shaking, he offered the "evidence" to Yunxiu. She unfolded it, her brows lifting slowly as she read. After a long pause, she chuckled.
"This is Ninth Prince’s handwriting. Yintang has been obsessed with love poetry lately—he even wrote some reflections. This consort knew of it. How did this end up here?"
A thunderous realization struck Consort Rong.
Ninth Prince’s handwriting? The "outsider" is Yintang?!
She watched, blood draining from her face, as Yunxiu carried the paper back to Kangxi’s side. Her voice, laced with amusement, drifted faintly to Consort Rong’s ears:
"Your Majesty has examined his calligraphy countless times. Even if doubts remain, the tutors at the study hall would recognize it. The content has nothing to do with personal letters—if anything, it resembles imperial edicts."
Kangxi stared at it for a long time.
It was Yintang’s writing.
With the truth laid bare, his eyelids stilled. A single, gritted word escaped him: "Good."
Amusement warred with fury—his earlier unease vanished, replaced by scalding wrath at the deception. He coughed once, then spoke with lethal calm: "Why are you standing there? Take her away."
The words were emotionless, yet they sent a chill down Liang Jiugong’s spine. He turned to Consort Rong, his gaze hardening.
You brought this upon yourself.
With a humorless smile, he said, "Consort Rong, forgive the offense."
Outside the chamber, the Crown Prince paced slowly, his expression grave. The imperial physicians clustered around him, none daring to speak.
Among them, Grand Imperial Physician Chen was the most anxious, staring intently at the tightly shut palace doors. With a creak, the person who emerged was not Noble Consort Yi.
Grand Imperial Physician Chen's eyes brightened for a moment before dimming again, and he quickly lowered his head.
No one cared about Consort Rong. Even if they were curious, what did it matter? They were all fighting for their own survival—how could they spare a thought for others?
Now, the one who appeared most disheveled was Consort Rong, who had entered the hall with the utmost dignity.
She neither wept nor made a scene, her back straight and her eyes filled with gloom. As she passed by the Crown Prince, she paused—just for a fleeting moment, barely noticeable. In the next instant, the Crown Prince suddenly called out, "Eunuch Liang."
Consort Rong's body stiffened abruptly.
Liang Jiugong, whose mind was wholly preoccupied with Lady Majia, was taken aback by the summons. His senses returned in an instant, and his heart ached with sorrow.
The Emperor's illness...
"Your Highness," Liang Jiugong finally managed to suppress his grief and bowed hastily. "Your filial piety is evident to all. His Majesty understands. The journey has been arduous—why not rest early? When His Majesty summons you, this servant will surely inform you at once..."
The Crown Prince shook his head gently and asked, "How is my Imperial Father? Is Noble Consort Yi well?"
Liang Jiugong's eyes reddened. He wiped them and forced a smile. "His Majesty suddenly regained his spirits and is now speaking with Noble Consort Yi."
They tacitly ignored Consort Rong.
The Crown Prince nodded and said softly, "I shall wait outside the doors. You may attend to your duties."
As the two figures gradually faded into the distance, the Crown Prince exhaled quietly, his gaze steady as he looked toward the palace doors—as if trying to see beyond them, into something deeper and farther away.
His thoughts drifted back to that day in Yikun Palace, when Noble Consort Yi had whispered to him, "Take someone with you on the way."
Still reeling from shock and overwhelming joy, the Crown Prince had asked urgently, "Who?"
After a brief silence, she replied, "Take me."
The door creaked shut.
Kangxi instinctively turned his head away. For a moment, the room was utterly silent, save for the sound of two intermingled breaths.
The faint redness at the corners of his eyes, which he had tried to conceal, was no illusion.
Yunxiu lowered her gaze slightly, unable to describe the emotions swirling in her heart.
Even now, it still felt somewhat unbelievable. The medicine had been found—all that was left was for Yinreng to deliver it to Rehe, and she could finally rest easy.
As for Consort Rong's schemes...
Even if she had stolen evidence from the first two letters, Yunxiu had countless ways to justify herself—especially since the "outsider" who had advised her was none other than Ninth Prince.
But why had she come here?
Lost in thought, Yunxiu looked at the man on the bed and asked with a hint of reproach, "Why won’t Your Majesty look at me?"
Kangxi stiffened before replying hoarsely after a pause, "My ailing appearance is hardly fit to be seen."
"And does my current state look any better?" Yunxiu retorted immediately, leaning forward to cradle his face in her hands. A soft smile played on her lips as she added, "I only had time to wash my hands just now. I hope Your Majesty won’t find me unseemly."
"..." No one could fathom the turmoil in the Emperor's heart.
Kangxi turned his head slightly, raising a weak hand with great effort to brush his fingers against her cheek, wiping away the dust.
"I could never find you unseemly," he murmured, a faint smile gracing his lips. "How could I ever disdain my Noble Consort?"
Yunxiu's fingers trembled slightly where they rested.
A coughing fit threatened to overtake him, but Kangxi suppressed it with great difficulty, his voice growing even rougher. "This is no place for you to linger. I cannot give you a grand investiture ceremony—only Liang Jiugong can serve as my eyes, describing your grace and splendor to me in detail someday."
"You and the child came to accompany me..." His gaze drifted to Yunxiu’s abdomen, his smile tinged with bitterness and sorrow. "Yet I cannot stay with you. I have failed you."
Before Yunxiu could speak, Kangxi took a labored breath and continued solemnly, "The Crown Prince is filial to the core—he would never dare mistreat his Noble Consort Yi. The Fifth Prince is a good child, and the Ninth Prince, though seemingly mischievous, is exceptionally bright. As for Little Eleventh..."
At the mention of Yinzi, he closed his eyes, masking his reluctance. "I had so hoped to see him marry, start a family, and build his future. And Yierha—she claimed she wasn’t afraid of a distant marriage, yet I never found her a suitable match."
Yunxiu sat motionless by the bed, dazed, before murmuring, "Your Majesty... Crown Prince..."
The Emperor shook his head gently, silencing her.
Let Baocheng wait a little longer.
"I still remember that year—cough—when you said you were jealous and ruthless," Kangxi chuckled, as if lost in memory. "And I remember the promise I made you. From now on, be as bold and domineering as you wish—no one may disrespect you."
Then, softly, he added, "Not even the Crown Prince. I shall draft an edict for this. What do you say?"
