The sarcastic tone of "beloved consort" made An Ning jolt, and she paused her intended action of summoning soone.
"In that case, Your Subject will take it as you complinting !"
Not wanting to speculate whether this was due to his pettiness or so paranoid episode resurfacing, An Ning smoothly changed the subject:
"By the way, how is Your Majesty so free today? Weren't you said to be extrely busy recently?"
"It couldn't be that you were worried about and ca specifically for that reason!"
To be honest, she didn't quite believe that.
The person on the couch didn't answer, only sweeping his slightly darkened gaze over the woman's particularly ethereal makeup today before casually setting down the half-read scroll in his hand. He looked at her with ambiguous aning:
"You are exceptionally bold!"
"Do you know how the Grand Empress Dowager treated the Late Emperor's consorts back in the day? The long-rembered Donggo clan was rely one among them."
As if recalling sothing, Kangxi's expression wasn't particularly good at this mont, his long-accumulated authority evident in the unfathomable darkness between his brows.
An Ning pretended not to notice, still fiddling with the earrings in her hand. Under the sunlight, the exquisite purple jade shimred with flowing light, making the beauty in the mirror appear even more dazzling.
Only the words this beauty spoke weren't so pleasant to hear.
Soon after, her voice ca through light and cheerful:
"There's no helping it, you know my temperant. Compared to being slowly worn down day after day by soft knives, I'd rather have a clean break!"
"At least it can be considered straightforward and decisive!"
"Nonsense!"
"What straightforward and decisive? You're clearly seeking montary satisfaction, acting recklessly without considering the consequences!"
Pretending not to hear the reprimand from across, An Ning's expression remained completely unchanged. She simply found a comfortable position nestled on the other side of the soft couch, picked up the storybook left on the table earlier, and continued flipping through it:
"Look at what you're saying, as if so matters could be decided by a re minor consort like . If I were to encounter misfortune today or in the future, it would only indicate one thing..."
Without the slightest pause, turning another page of the storybook, An Ning spoke directly:
"That would be Your Majesty's insufficient authority..."
Your Majesty's insufficient authority...
Oh heavens!
Outside the room, Liang Jiugong, who faintly overheard sothing, felt his legs go weak. The next mont, before his vision could darken, he hurriedly waved his hand to shoo away several unfortunate apprentices standing not far away.
Internally, he repeatedly chanted Amitabha Buddha.
Master Chen, sotis if you don't want to speak, you can actually keep your mouth shut.
Yet unexpectedly, this lord didn't get angry this ti. He rely glanced at her indifferently before lying back down on the soft couch covered with cool jade matting that An Ning had arranged to be extrely comfortable.
Only after a while ca his clearly deep and low voice:
"You truly dare say anything. When I say you're audacious to the extre, have I wronged you in the slightest! You're only taking advantage of my indulgence toward you. Do you know that if anyone else had spoken these words today..."
A hundred heads wouldn't be enough to chop off.
An Ning subconsciously completed the thought in her mind, though she didn't take it seriously.
What kind of talk was that? If she weren't bold, this ss in the rear palace wouldn't have fallen to her.
With his temperant, she would basically have been destined to remain a low-ranking Noble Lady forever.
And today's situation—what was it really about?
Indulgence? Tch, nice words, but that didn't stop him from originally having no intention of promoting her rank, nor did it stop him from unhesitatingly pushing her forward as a pawn to balance the rear palace.
Only after a while ca his clearly low voice:
Hah, emperor.
Perhaps because she wasn't in a particularly pleasant mood today.
Not wanting to pay attention to the occasional gaze falling upon her from beside, continuing to nestle on the couch, An Ning soon switched to a travelogue.
However, as ti passed minute by minute and seeing that it was getting late with no sign of him leaving, just as An Ning was about to order soone to serve the al, she heard the person on the couch suddenly turn over, the eighteen-bead bracelet in his hand making crisp sounds:
"So ti ago, didn't I order the Imperial Household Departnt to send over a batch of jewelry? Why haven't I seen you wear any of it?"
"Does it not suit your taste?"
"Ah?"
Jewelry—An Ning subconsciously froze for a mont. It took her a while to dig out the mory. Recently, it seed to be a complete set of erald jewelry, with both color and quality being excellent, and the kingfisher feather inlays on the headpiece were perfectly appropriate.
It was said the materials used were this year's new tribute from the south, and the design was quite distinctive too.
She did genuinely like it, but why bring this up out of nowhere?
Thinking this, An Ning simply asked outright.
"Why are you suddenly concerned about this?"
Precisely because the other person was so suspicious, An Ning usually preferred not to speculate about this emperor's thoughts. It was ntally exhausting, and forming the habit made it extrely easy to step on landmines.
As long as bottom lines weren't crossed, maintaining surface harmony was sufficient.
Thus her question now was quite casual, yet unexpectedly, after she spoke, Kangxi's expression across from her instead darkened further, and the book in his hand had been set down at so point.
After a long while, just as An Ning thought he wouldn't speak again, she heard him say with ambiguous aning:
"You're quite smooth about taking things from all day, yet I haven't seen you use them much."
"So, Your Majesty, are you feeling distressed about those precious items of yours?"
Jewelry—An Ning subconsciously froze for a mont. It took her a while to dig out the mory. Recently, it seed to be a complete set of erald jewelry, with both color and quality being excellent, and the kingfisher feather inlays on the headpiece were perfectly placed.
There was no need to guess what his expression was like.
Casually picking up a piece of dried apricot from the table and placing it in her mouth, An Ning now completely stopped talking.
After an unknown period of silence, glancing at the person opposite, An Ning finally spoke, making a reluctant attempt to redy:
"Yes, it's true that I do love those beautiful jewelry pieces, but as you know, I've never been fond of going out. I can't possibly dress myself up like a jewelry box all day at ho either!"
"Besides being cumberso, just putting on and taking off everything daily requires considerable effort..."
Who asked these Qing dynasty Manchu headdresses to be so annoyingly troubleso.
If he weren't still here, and to avoid being overly impolite, she would have long changed out of this cumberso attire.
How she behaved privately, Kangxi naturally knew. His gaze swept around the bedchamber.
On the window near the soft couch, fine fragnts of colored glass were sparsely embedded. Though not as bright as Bao Cheng's place in Yuqing Palace, it still had its own unique charm.
"So, Your Majesty, are you feeling distressed about those precious items of yours?"
To make herself more comfortable, soone had indeed spared no effort...
Yet even so, the displeasure in Kangxi's eyes still hadn't faded much.
Lifting his gaze to look into the other's still clear and bright eyes, after a mont he picked up the long scroll in his hand again and said lightly:
Casually picking up a piece of dried apricot from the table and placing it in her mouth, An Ning now completely stopped talking.
An Ning knew this ant the matter ended here.
After an unknown period of silence, glancing at the person opposite, An Ning finally spoke, making a half-hearted attempt to redy the situation:
After the midday al, seeing that he still showed no intention of leaving, as if rembering sothing, An Ning suddenly tugged at him, her eyes shining brightly.
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