Chapter 54: Snapped (2/3)

Kangxi turned his head, glancing at Yu Yinji, who was raising his hand in frustration as if about to slap himself, and let out a cold laugh.

“Send someone with my token to the county magistrate. Tell them that a major criminal who attempted to assassinate the imperial carriage has fled in this direction, likely toward the Tianya Inn. Have them surround the area.”

Cao Yin was startled.

Though he wasn’t sure whom Kangxi was searching for, he understood that His Majesty must have discovered some clues.

He immediately ordered his personal attendant to carry out the task.

Staying close to Kangxi, he whispered, “Your Majesty, should we have everyone in the inn detained?”

The Emperor was traveling incognito, accompanied by numerous guards.

With only fifty or sixty people in the inn, keeping them under control wouldn’t be an issue.

Kangxi waved his hand, his heart a mix of raging fury and faint joy, making it beat fiercely.

He didn’t want to say another word.

Cao Yin understood that this meant not to alert the enemy and quickly followed Kangxi upstairs.

When Kangxi reached the door of the room with the open window, his keen hearing easily picked up the voices inside.

“Just tell me, please? I promise I won’t tell anyone else. I just feel bad for you~”

“If you really don’t want to say, I won’t force you. But at least let me have my way this once, okay?”

Hearing the familiar voice, Kangxi’s face remained expressionless, but his eyes churned with emotions as turbulent as a storm, filled with a complexity no one could decipher.

His heart finally settled back into place, and he even felt a sense of weakness, as if everything had finally come to a conclusion.

All his anger, joy, confusion, and grievances vanished in that soft, almost honey-like voice.

A sense of panic and timidity he had never felt before overwhelmed him, making it impossible for him to even lift his foot to kick.

Then.

“open the door.”

He closed his eyes, barely raising his hand to point at the door for Cao Yin.

Cao Yin, having grown up with Kangxi, knew his temperament well.

Noticing the slight tremor in his master’s hand, he hesitated but ultimately didn’t dare to kick the door open.

Instead, he knocked.

“Who is it? Come in, come in!” Fang He, who had been clinging to Naren’s arm, lay back on Naren’s lap, pouting toward the fruit plate.

“I want the big one!”

The room was marked as reserved for the innkeeper, so no guests would enter.

Since only their own staff would come in, Fang He didn’t mind being seen in such a spoiled state.

In truth, Lin Chen had already learned from Yunsheng that he was willing to marry, but since Yunsheng always listened to Naren, Fang He had resorted to all sorts of tricks to persuade her.

She wasn’t doing this out of mere curiosity.

If Naren had no interest in marriage at all, she wouldn’t even bring it up.

But Fang He remembered the look in Naren’s eyes when she saw Liang’s wedding dress the longing and the hesitation to touch it.

Naren was her savior, and she wanted to resolve Naren’s inner struggles, ensuring her happiness for the rest of her life.

That’s why she was determined to persist in her playful stubbornness.

When the door was pushed open, she was still pitifully lying there, her mouth agape, letting out a long, foolish “ah” sound.

Cao Yin, who had opened the door: “…..”

Liang Jiugong, peeking from the side:”…..”

Are they really not mistaken?

What they saw was a petite man lying on top of an unusually tall and strong woman, who was even disfigured.

The way she was acting spoiled was almost unbearable to watch.

Fang He’s disguise was based on Fan Shaohui’s appearance.

Her skin tone was several shades darker, her eyebrows and eyes were completely different from her original look, making her resemble herself at most by thirty percent.

So even though Cao Yin had seen Fang He before, he couldn’t immediately recognize her, and together with Liang Jiugong, they began to wonder if perhaps… the one who had spoken earlier was the person sitting there?

Only Kangxi remained calm, staring unblinkingly at Fang He lying on Naren’s lap, showing no surprise whatsoever.

He had already witnessed the little rascal’s shameless antics in Mongolia, but it turned out she could be even sweeter with others.

The reactions of the group happened in an instant.

When Naren looked up and saw a group of unfamiliar men, she immediately pulled Fang He behind her, her face full of vigilance-

“Who are you?”

Fang He was startled and peeked out from behind Naren, her eyes immediately meeting Kangxi’s calm, almost cold gaze.

Oh no, the nightmare had come true.

Her heart sank slightly as she grabbed Naren’s arm:

“I know them, old acquaintances. Sister, you go out first and tell everyone to carry on as usual. I’ll catch up with this old friend.”

Naren caught the key point, her body tensing up as she looked at Fang He with concern.

Fang He gave her a bright smile, as if she had truly met a long-lost friend, then turned to look at Kangxi with complete calmness.

“Is that alright?”

Kangxi, who had been standing outside the door, finally stepped in, his voice slightly hoarse as he ordered-

“Secure all exits, have all the guests return to their rooms, and gather the inn’s staff in one place.”

After Cao Yin and Naren quietly left.

Liang Jiugong gently closed the door, and Kangxi slowly walked over to where they had been sitting, leisurely picking up a grape and popping it into his mouth.

Fang He lowered her eyes and knelt quietly on the ground.

For a while, neither of them spoke, yet neither found it strange, and the atmosphere wasn’t tense.

It was Kangxi who finally broke the silence: “Have you figured out how to fool me yet?”

“No,” Fang He answered honestly.

“I had it all planned out, but seeing you scared it all away.”

When she was rehearsing with Naren and Liang Niangzi, she knew from the start that stories about amnesia or being kidnapped and escaping… none of that would fool Kangxi.

So, she decided to take the opposite approach.

Kangxi popped another grape into his mouth.

If he didn’t eat something, he feared his anger and resentment would turn into harsh accusations thrown at Fang He.

But… he didn’t dare.

The sweet juice of the grape turned bitter as it went down, making him even more clear-headed.

He was afraid this was a dream, afraid that if he scared the little rascal, he would wake up.

“Take your time to think. I have plenty of time to wait.”

Fang He shook her head shamelessly, “I’m not going to think about it anymore. Whatever you want to know, just ask.”

Kangxi’s hand paused as he reached for another grape, “Were you forced to leave, or…”

“I wanted to leave on my own,” Fang He answered directly, raising her head to let Kangxi see the sincerity in her eyes.

“After you left, I initially thought of finding a place to hide, but Sister Naren saved me, and I begged her to help me escape.”

Kangxi met Fang He’s clear, contrasting eyes and instinctively lowered his gaze to avoid hers.

Then, irritated by his own evasion, he furrowed his brows slightly and looked back at her.

“Why did you want to leave me?” Kangxi stood up, feeling uncomfortable with her kneeling posture.

He grabbed Fang He’s arm and pulled her up, using his other hand to force her chin up.

His voice was low, barely containing his anger.

“Or did you never even consider staying?”

Fang He met his gaze, seemingly amused by his words, her body trembling with light laughter.

“Your words are so amusing, as if I ever had a choice.”

Before Kangxi could grow angrier, she softened her voice, “But I did think about staying by your side for a lifetime, working hard to have a few little princes and princesses. I had it all planned out.”

“You must have noticed how hard I worked to climb up, all for the sake of raising our children well!”

Kangxi’s anger subsided slightly at her words, but the heaviness in his voice remained.

“Then why…?”

“Because I wanted to live,” Fang He interrupted softly.

“Power, wealth, children—they are all important to me, but nothing is more important than staying alive.”

“I wanted to stay by your side because I knew that if I rebelled, life would be hard, and I might even die.”

“But I didn’t expect that staying by your side would lead to a quicker death.”

Kangxi was momentarily stunned by the boldness and sharpness in Fang He’s words.

But he quickly regained his composure.

He had known since their first trip south on the dragon boat that Fang He wasn’t as docile as she appeared.

Her thorns were hidden where others couldn’t easily see.

He suppressed his displeasure at hearing she only stayed to save her life and furrowed his brows tightly.

“What do you mean by a quicker death? Don’t you believe I would protect you?”

“No, I don’t,” Fang He’s smile even carried a hint of provocation.

“I’ve always only trusted myself. You knew that, didn’t you?”

Although this day had finally come, she didn’t feel wronged.

From the day she ran away, she had prepared for the worst, and it wasn’t hard to accept.

But seeing her dream almost come true only to be shaken awake, it was natural for her to feel a bit of “waking irritation,” wasn’t it?

She continued with a soft laugh, “Actually, that day in the forest, I didn’t mean to block the arrow for you. Someone tripped me. Did you find out who it was?”

“Guess, was it to make me earn merit or to make me die?”

“Only after reaching Jiangnan did I realize that my health had deteriorated so much in the palace that it would shorten my lifespan. I wouldn’t live many more years.”

“Your imperial physicians examined me so many times. Did they ever tell you a single word about it?”

“I’m timid, not destined to climb the dragon or phoenix. I just want to live a humble life rather than die in vain. Is it so hard to understand?”

Fang He’s words were like knives, gently yet firmly piercing Kangxi’s heart, causing him to pull her tightly to himself, hoping to alleviate the pain by being close to her.

But even as he held her trembling body, he couldn’t utter a single word.

He knew something was off with Ma Jiarong, as the hidden guards had signaled him to be cautious, which was why Kangxi had taken the others and left.

However, as Rongfei had suspected, he couldn’t just execute the descendants of meritorious officials without evidence.

As for Qin Xinrong, a flash of killing intent passed through Kangxi’s eyes.

He held Fang He even tighter, his forehead resting against hers, his voice hoarse as he whispered, “I will give you an explanation. Such things will never happen again, alright?”

Fang He lowered her eyes and remained silent.

Of course, it wasn’t alright.

Pigs hadn’t yet learned to climb trees, so how could she trust this man’s empty promises?

But while some words could be spoken freely, others couldn’t.

Inside and outside the palace, there were still so many people she cared about.

Kangxi didn’t press further.

He simply let go of Fang He and gently led her by the hand as they walked out.

Fang He tugged back slightly, causing Kangxi to turn around, and she revealed just the right amount of tension.

“Those people outside… they’re all the backup plans Naren prepared for me. I begged repeatedly, even mentioning my past with the Empress Dowager, just to get her to save me. You… won’t make things difficult for them, right?”

Kangxi looked at her deeply.

“As long as you haven’t done anything you shouldn’t have, I won’t make things difficult for them.”

“What do you mean by ‘shouldn’t have’?” Fang He’s face showed a cold smile, and she even tried to pull her hand free.

“Are you talking about me marrying someone else, or having a child soon, or laughing and joking with a group of men every day? Why don’t you just deal with me all at once!”

Although Fang He felt Kangxi’s grip was light, she couldn’t free her hand.

Instead, Kangxi pulled her into his embrace.

“You… are pregnant?” Kangxi’s hand rested on her abdomen, his tone almost dreamlike, but Fang He felt like she could hear the sound of teeth grinding.

She mischievously raised an eyebrow, keeping her head down and saying nothing.

Kangxi took a deep breath, raising his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.

“You really do keep your word… running off to leave a descendant for the Xu family and then coming back to the palace.”