Palace authority - An Ning's previously drowsy sleepiness was instantly jolted awake by half.
To be precise, she was "frightened" awake.
But after just a mont, when she clearly saw the scene before her eyes, it transford into speechlessness.
Suppressing the urge to roll her eyes with all her might, the exasperation in An Ning's eyes nearly overflowed as she spoke without even glancing at the person beside her:
"Your Highness, perhaps you should go to sleep earlier!"
"Aren't you attending court tomorrow morning?"
Hah! Palace authority - with the Imperial Noble Consort and Noble Consort ahead, and the four consorts and six concubines behind, what could a re Noble Lady like her possibly have in mind?
Even testing soone shouldn't be done like this!
Being this paranoid was truly unmatched in pettiness!
Bored, she turned over, reached out to pull the slightly slipped thin quilt over herself, closed her eyes again while facing away from him.
Seeing that she clearly didn't take this matter seriously, even soone as scheming as Emperor Kangxi felt a montary heartache.
Knowing her temperant, Kangxi decided to abandon roundabout testing and instead pulled her back in front of him, gazing directly at this face that appeared increasingly otherworldly under the moonlight, soon speaking in a deep voice:
"What if I intend to entrust the palace authority to you!"
What if I intend to entrust the palace authority to you...
In the darkness, the voice belonging to the ruler of a nation was low and authoritative.
This ti, An Ning's last traces of sleepiness were completely "frightened" away.
Lifting her eyes to steadily gaze at the face before her, confirming he wasn't joking, An Ning finally laughed outright:
No doubt about it - she laughed in exasperation:
"Your humble consort, a re Noble Lady with neither family background nor offspring, handling palace authority?"
"Hah, if Your Majesty wants my life, you can simply issue an edict directly, no need for such roundabout thods."
eting his gaze directly, An Ning spoke without the slightest courtesy.
Perhaps due to extre irritation, even her usually jade-like fair face carried a faint blush.
But a beauty remains breathtakingly beautiful at all tis.
Like now, though utterly infuriated, she appeared even more stunningly captivating, the emotions faintly reflected in her eyes more scorching than her previous lazy indifference.
The anger from being contradicted quickly dissipated by more than half, and Kangxi's tone unconsciously softened:
Pulling her back into his embrace with his large hand, the emperor before her slightly narrowed his eyes, speaking with authority yet assurance:
"Rest assured, I will definitely protect you. I will elevate your banner status and confer you as a consort, even pardon your father's cris..."
"A-Ning, from now on, no one in the rear palace will dare bully you for being the daughter of a convicted official again."
Elevating banner status and conferring consort - truly substantial bargaining chips.
Yet the mockery at the corner of An Ning's lips grew even deeper.
Knowing she couldn't refuse, after a long silence, An Ning spoke with rare quietness:
"I want a separate palace residence, size doesn't matter, but the one condition is - no matter how many consorts you have in the future, even if the Forbidden City becos overcrowded, none can encroach on my territory!"
"Agreed!"
"Coincidentally, soon I plan to renovate several vacant palace residences. Both the Palace of Gathered Elegance and the Palace of Eternal Spring currently lack primary occupants. You may then choose whichever suits your fancy."
When not involving certain red lines, this man wasn't exactly stingy.
Or perhaps it was because An Ning had grown too accustod to making requests over the past year...
"I... I also want to see my sister..."
As if feeling hesitant about returning ho, she hesitated for a mont before speaking, her usually sowhat weary and lazy brows appearing sowhat dazed, her eyes carrying a trace of bewildernt.
Kangxi's tone unconsciously softened slightly.
"Very well, after your formal consort confernt, I will personally issue an edict then..."
An Ning nodded silently and said nothing more, clearly having no further demands.
Seeing her so docile, for so reason Kangxi felt inexplicably uncomfortable. Just as he was about to say sothing, the next second, a sudden sharp pain ca from his shoulder.
Never expecting anyone to dare be so audacious and reckless, by the ti Kangxi reacted, the bitten spot on his shoulder had already oozed traces of blood...
"You, how dare you!"
In the bedchamber, a voice filled with thunderous rage sounded. Outside, the eunuch on night duty was startled awake, hurriedly scrambling up from the ground.
anwhile inside the gauze curtains, the air seed to instantly freeze solid:
Looking down at the obvious mark on his body through the moonlight, then glancing at the equally stunned An Ning beside him:
Kangxi actually laughed in anger:
"What, scared now!"
"Lady Wei, I previously thought you were a rare intelligent person! Yet whenever emotions take over, you beco reckless and audacious! Do you know that for the cri of regicide, just that single bite earlier would warrant your death a hundred, a thousand tis over!"
"Or is it, Wei An Ning, that my indulgence these past days has made you so presumptuous! Hmm?"
In the darkness ca the man's clearly angry voice.
The dignity of a nation's ruler being so violated - Kangxi's fury at this mont contained not the slightest falsehood.
Even outside the curtains, the confused palace servants and eunuchs involuntarily knelt in unison.
Yet after the extre fury subsided, his gaze fell upon her pale yet still stubborn face.
At this mont, Emperor Kangxi's last traces of suspicion toward this person before him completely vanished...
Several days earlier, in the Qianqing Palace
Kangxi had always been extrely attentive to his own health. One day after feasting with his ministers, despite only slight discomfort, he still summoned the head of the Imperial Hospital.
Yet what Chief He said next struck the emperor's heart like a thunderbolt.
It turned out his body had long been secretly administered a substance that damaged fertility - an extrely covert drug.
Because the dosage was very light and the administration extrely hidden, if not for today's coincidental consumption of an incompatible substance that activated the drug's properties...
He might have completely lost the ability to have children within five years at shortest, seven years at longest.
And by that ti, reaching middle age, any issues would simply be attributed to declining vigor...
One had to admit, the mastermind behind this truly possessed exceptional thods.
Concerning a man's dignity, especially that of a nation's emperor - and whether this move was ant to eliminate rivals and indirectly sche for the throne remained unknown.
One could imagine the extent of Kangxi's fury at that ti.
The trembling head of the Imperial Hospital below reported:
"Re... replying to Your Majesty, it is I... I deserve ten thousand deaths! But... but fortunately it was... discovered early. With proper recuperation, there should be no major issues..."
Yet despite this, Kangxi's anger didn't diminish in the slightest, especially when the Imperial Hospital's investigation failed to uncover any clues.
Such patience, such capability...
If they could silently destroy his fertility today, then what about tomorrow!
Rembering Bao Cheng's inexplicable smallpox infection earlier.
In any case, at this mont, the emperor's wariness undoubtedly reached its peak...
Returning to the present, in the darkness, Kangxi's gaze unconsciously paused montarily on the exquisitely beautiful face beside him:
"Lacking restraint, audacious and reckless. Considering this your first offense, if there's a next ti..."
Yet as his words fell, no response ca from within the bed curtains for a long while. Just as Kangxi was about to lose his temper, he heard even breathing sounds by his ear...
It turned out, unbeknownst to him, the other had already closed her eyes.
Kangxi: "..."
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