The Empress Dowager of Space

  Mingfei thought she hadn't done anything out of the ordinary, so she just smiled and continued: "Your Majesty has been working day and night for several days, it's very tiring, you should also pay attention to your dragon body, drink some Congee to supplement your energy, Your Majesty will be in high spirits."

  Kangxi raised his chin to take a look at the bowl of porridge that Mingfei was holding, and seeing that its color was still normal, he saw Mingfei's expectant face and could only stiffen his scalp to receive it in his hands. He brought it to his nose to sniff, and the fragrance of rice mixed with ginseng wafted up, a clear and sweet aroma that filled his nostrils. Kangxi said in surprise: "This porridge does have a strong fragrance, but what's special about it is that there's something extra added inside?"

  Mingfei couldn't help but secretly scold Kangxi in her heart, "Drinking porridge is such a big deal, where did all these problems come from?"

  She smiled and said, "Fresh lotus root and leaves are washed with water, then brought to cook porridge. After half a moment, they are scooped out, leaving a clear fragrance in the porridge. When you drink it, there is also the sweet and smooth taste of lotus root. Your Majesty should drink it while it's hot, or it won't be good."

  Kangxi listened to Mingfei's words, which made sense, and finally expressed his willingness to drink the porridge. However, Mingfei didn't know that Kangxi was still hesitant in his heart, but he couldn't bear to reject Mingfei's kind intentions.

  Mingfei looked at Kangxi with some surprise as he slowly brought a small mouthful of porridge to his lips, even closing his eyes in resignation as he swallowed it. Then, she saw Kangxi turn to her with great surprise: "When did you secretly practice cooking? This is better than what the imperial chef makes! The flavor of this porridge is not bad!"

  Mingfei was taken aback, but the memories hidden deep within her gradually surfaced.

  "Emperor brother, Mingfei has cooked porridge for Emperor brother, Emperor brother quickly try some!"

  A ten-year-old little girl, wearing a pink cheongsam, carefully holding a celadon bowl of porridge, as if she was holding her own heart, staring at the young man in front of her who is wearing a dragon robe.

  The young man couldn't bear to refuse her kindness, put down the pen in his hand and signaled for the little eunuch below to take over the porridge. The cooking time was a bit long, and it was no longer possible to see what kind of rice it was, let alone hoping that it would still emit a clear fragrance of rice. Under the gaze of the little girl, the young man took a sip.

  But who can tell him where the strange sour and bitter taste in the porridge comes from? It's tolerable to have a sticky flavor, but why doesn't it even have a bit of porridge flavor? What kind of porridge is this?!

  This unprecedented taste almost ruined his perfect etiquette, the remaining half mouthful of porridge couldn't be swallowed or spat out, making him stiffen on the spot. However, the little girl still asked innocently: "Imperial Brother, how's the taste?"

  How's the taste?! It's so good I don't even want to try another bite!

  But he naturally wouldn't say that.

  He nodded stiffly and muttered: "Not bad, very good."

  The little girl was visibly delighted by his response, her eyebrows and eyes curving as she said: "As long as Emperor Brother likes it, Mingfei will often make it for Emperor Brother in the future!"

  What was Kangxi's expression at that time? That look of wanting to refuse but not being able to bear refusing, and not being able to bear the devastation himself, made Mingfei laugh out loud.

  Kangxi looked at Mingfei and smiled, knowing that she was probably also thinking of the past, and followed with a smile: "I've always wanted to ask you, where did the sour taste in your porridge come from back then?"

  Ming Fei looked a bit embarrassed and lowered her head, twisting the handkerchief as she said: "The flavor of jiaozi and raisins together is somewhat sour and bitter."

  Kangxi smiled and took another big sip of porridge: "How did you like making food for me back then?"

  Mingfei's head hung even lower, and Kangxi felt that if it weren't for his exceptional hearing, Mingfei's words would have been inaudible: "It's just that I always feel that Your Majesty has too many things to do every day, and not much food is used at each meal. I hope you can eat more, so your body will be healthier."

  Kangxi's smile faded from his face, but his eyes became gentle, and he reached out to touch Mingfei's hair: "Mingfei has always been a good girl."

  Mingfei heard her own name from Kangxi's mouth for the first time, and Kangxi imbued these two words with a simple warmth, as if an elder was praising a grown-up younger generation, and yet there seemed to be something else in it.

  Mingfei knew that Kangxi's feelings for her were dominated by familial affection, which made her very happy. For an emperor, the bonds of kinship would far outweigh romantic love, and this was proven in her case. As a woman from the Tong family, she had a child of her own, and Kangxi's ability to make this possible could not be swayed by romance. A successful emperor would never allow himself to be like King You of Zhou, who ignited war among the vassals for the sake of Bao Si's smile. But if an emperor made sacrifices for his sister, that was a completely different concept, far less severe than being infatuated with beauty.

  Kangxi drank the porridge and greatly praised Mingfei: "The taste of this porridge is not bad, but you've been busy enough these days. When you have time, make some for me again, don't tire yourself out."

  "Your Majesty should also pay attention to your dragon body, the boat will naturally go straight when it reaches the bridge head. Many things can't be done well in a short time, don't push yourself too hard, take it one step at a time, and accumulate day by day, everything will be done well."

  Kangxi smiled and nodded: "I know."

  Mingfei saw Kangxi out of the tent, and Kangxi walked a few steps before suddenly turning back to Mingfei and saying: "The porridge you made in the past had a truly special flavor, I couldn't forget it even if I wanted to."

  Mingfei thought Kangxi almost turned around and left with a smile.

  Is this what made Kangxi laugh?

  Pai Yu and several others behind Ming Fei all had smiles on their faces, because the emperor's behavior clearly showed that the emperor and the noble consort's feelings were good, how could they not be happy?

  Mingfei couldn't help but find Kangxi's sudden humor somewhat amusing, and she slightly pursed her lips. No wonder people say that men are just big kids - this law also applies to Kangxi.

  Mingfei entered the tent and had someone go to the Tong Mansion to tell Tong Guowei about Mingyue's situation, after all, she was a daughter of the Tong family and should let Tong Guowei know.

  Wang went to the Tong Mansion and met with He Sheli and Tong Guowei. Although everyone couldn't say clearly what Mingyue had done in the palace, they all knew that Mingyue was now an undesirable existence. He Sheli let out a half sigh of relief, while Tong Guowei furrowed his brow and said: "It's just unknown whether this is the Emperor's intention or the doing of another imperial concubine."

  Jing Fu heard that another person was going to leave, and thinking of the current Amuru who was almost exhausted, he said with a somewhat melancholy tone: "What's the difference, anyway, it's all about leaving."

  He Xieri's heart sank again because of Qingfu's words. Recently, Qingfu's emotions have been somewhat off, and he seems to be uninterested in anything. Qingfu has always been a very emotional person, suitable for being a writer, but not at all suited for officialdom.

  Tong Guowei glared at Qingfu: "What are you talking about? How can there be no distinction? If it's the emperor's intention, then Mingyue's affair cannot be mentioned, and if she's gone, that's her own doing. But if she implicated the imperial concubine, that's her fault. You don't need to sympathize with Amurru, think about it, if something big happened in her family today and they were all exiled to a remote place, would you still be sympathetic? Don't just stand there talking nonsense, always thinking about useless things. A great man in this world, if everyone was like you, what's the point of making achievements?! You're not even as good as Long Keduo, from now on follow your younger brother and learn from him!"

  Tong Guowei's scolding was already quite severe, but Qingfu is really a bit like a Wei and Jin dynasty celebrity. Some things are hard to put in front of him, just like now Tong Guowei loudly scolded him, but he actually didn't have much shame or embarrassment.

  Tong Guowei looked at him and knew he hadn't listened much, so he sighed helplessly and turned to discuss with He Sheli again: "People outside don't know what's going on inside, we'll just pretend we don't know anything either. Since Mingyue has moved to the outside, we can't help but send some things over. We won't send too much else, just more medicinal materials."

  He nodded and said, "Everyone listen to Master."

  Tong Guowei left the house with Qingfu and Long Keduo, but he was actually worried about Qingfu, the eldest son. Although he was very talented, he lacked the smoothness and cleverness of an official, and always had a detached and ethereal air about him, like a famous scholar of the Wei and Jin dynasties. How could such a person take on the role of head of the family?

  Unlike Qingfu, Long Keduo is very suitable for the position of family head from any angle, but the problem is that he is a legitimate second son, and Tong Guowei has instilled too many expectations in Qingfu. He himself does not want to give up Qingfu either. Emotions and rationality collide, but rationality still doesn't win out.

  Tong Guo Wei stopped in his tracks and said to Qing Fu behind him, "You're not young anymore, you should know what responsibilities the eldest son should bear. You can't idle around every day. Your mother has found a position for you at the Ministry of Rites, go and gain some experience."

  Tong Guowei said and turned around to leave, very clearly indicating "I just informed you".

  Long Ke looked at Qing Fu with a complex expression, his face twisted in pain as if he had swallowed a fly. He pursed his lips involuntarily: "Big brother is the eldest son, and from now on, the future of the Tong family will be in big brother's hands. If big brother commands improperly, not to mention wealth and glory, even lives will be lost, so big brother should now..."

  Almost every time Long Keduo spoke, Qingfu's face turned worse, and his emotions seemed to be on the verge of exploding. It wasn't until then that Long Keduo seemed to have noticed, stuttering: "B-big brother, what's wrong?"

  Qing Fu turned his head and narrowed his eyes at Long Keduo: "I know you have ambitions, I won't stand in your way, so rest assured."

  Long Ke was not very old, but he had long since mastered the skill of never showing his true emotions at any time. However, this time he lost his composure. His face turned bright red, his lips were tightly pursed together, and one hand was dryly rubbing the wrist of the other. He subconsciously retorted: "What do you mean by these words, big brother? What is meant by 'not blocking my way' and 'I can rest assured'? I didn't understand a single word of what big brother said!"

  Qing Fu hooked his mouth and sneered: "One man's honey is another man's poison."

  This was his brother, whom he couldn't really dislike, but would always find some fault with. People's pursuits are different, and there aren't many people he cares about; family is the most important part of that. Jingfu let out a sigh and turned to leave.

  Long Kedou stood still with her mouth pursed, watching Qing Fu leave for a while before returning to her own courtyard.

  Xiao Hesheli attended to Long Keduo as usual and changed his clothes: "But what's the matter with the noble consort?"

  A flash of inspiration crossed Long Keduo's mind, he furrowed his brow and sat down in the chair: "It was Second Sister who contracted the epidemic and was moved out of the palace."

  Xiao Hesheli took the tea from Buxiaoye's hand and personally handed it to Long Keduo: "Is it very serious?"

  Long Ke took the tea and drank a mouthful: "This is hard to say, things in the harem are unpredictable, whether it's serious or not depends on the meaning of those above, it all depends on whether second sister has that good fortune."

  Xiao He nodded and sat down in a chair beside him, feeling somewhat sentimental as he said: "It's really true that the legitimate and illegitimate children are different. The noble consort and the second young lady are simply not like they grew up in the same mansion. One is too shallow, the other is mysterious and difficult to understand, and her status is extremely noble."

  Long Ke Duo lowered his head and didn't speak, he and Da Ge were both legitimate sons, except that he was the second son, the two people's circumstances were vastly different. When Guifei was around, she didn't treat them much differently, but Ah Ma and E Niang were not the same. Da Ge himself already didn't want to be the head of this household, yet in every way he was more suitable than Da Ge, still there wasn't any intention to let him take charge of the household in the future.

  Xiao Hesheli looked at him with a gloomy face and said in a low voice, "Grandfather, the road is long and the horse's strength is known, after a long time, people's hearts are seen. Whether Amama and E'niang can do it or not, they know clearly in their hearts. Grandfather just needs to do his own things well, and there's no need to think about other things."

  Xiao Hesheli always seemed to have a confident and calm demeanor, as if everything was under control. This was something that Long Keduo lacked. Every time he sensed this in Xiao Hesheli, he felt inexplicably annoyed and irritated. He stood up with a cold face and said: "It's better not to speak nonsense. How do you know what I'm thinking? Women should focus on managing the household and not worry about other things. My thoughts are not something you can casually guess at. Mind your own business!"

  Xiao Hesheli lowered his head, unable to see the expression on his face, and his voice was calm without any ripples: "I remember everything you said, Grandfather."

  Her reaction was too calm, but it made Long Keduo's anger even stronger, and he let out a heavy hum, turned around and left.

  Mei Yu supported Xiao He's shoulder and said: "Second Madam, why must you be like this?"

  Xiao Hesheli smiled calmly: "He doesn't want to see me, why should I want to see him? I'm a bit tired and want to take a nap."

  The inexplicable Tao said: "Since Second Master is like this, why doesn't Madam talk to the mistress about it? Perhaps..."

  Xiao Hesheli smiled lightly and said, "Silly girl, you don't understand this. Although Auntie is my own aunt, she's also Second Master's birth mother, so it's not comparable. Besides, if I didn't say anything, how would Auntie know?"

  Long Keduo had just walked for a while when He Sheli knew. She let out a low sigh and turned into the Buddhist hall.

  The author has something to say: I've entered V again, o(n_n)o~ Thank you beautiful people who have been following me until now, you are my greatest support and motivation~~~ Scatter flowers~~~