Chapter 17 Scarlet Heart

 FlamingoBees 

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Scarlet Heart 

 Chapter 17: 

Last night I was on night duty until dawn. Even though I managed to catch some sleep in the morning, I still felt weary. I dared not sleep much during the day, fearing that I would feel even more fatigued at night, making it difficult to get through tomorrow. Leaning against the couch, I casually picked up a book, "小煮泉品"[Minor Grading of Springs for Simmering] written by Tian Yiheng of the Ming Dynasty, and immersed myself in it under the lamplight.

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The books scattered on the desk are mostly about tea. I now regard this as a serious job, responsible for food, lodging, paying wages, with good benefits. However, it lacks freedom, with strict rules, any missteps could result in punishment, or even endanger my life. However, these three years have also allowed me to explore some game rules, seeking freedom within the rules. With the mindset of doing my best since I've chosen this path, though it's an unexpected career change, now if there's any tea-related issue in the palace, I'm afraid no one would dare to underestimate me. 

I was just reading: "Today, recommending tea, imitating inferior tea, is particularly popular. Even if it's good, it can compromise the true taste, so it should be avoided. Moreover, inferior tea requires the use of spoons. If they are made of gold or silver, they are unsuitable for mountain living, and copper produces a fishy smell, both are unacceptable. If it's the old saying of the Northern people, adding su milk, or adding white salt for people from Sichuan, these are all barbaric drinking, but not worthy of reproach."

Wang Xi whispered outside the door, "Is Jie Jie in the room?" 

I straightened up and asked, "Since the lamp is lit, naturally, someone is here. What's the matter?" 

Wang Xi replied, "My master asked Jie Jie to come over." Upon hearing this, I quickly put down the book, tidied my hair in front of the mirror, adjusted my clothes, blew out the lamp, and went out, closing the door behind me.

Wang Xi saw me coming out and quickly bowed, while turning to walk away. He said, "His Majesty seems to be obsessed with something taught by that Westerner. My master has tried several times to suggest sending meals, but His Majesty just responds vaguely without any further action. It's getting late. Master said to ask you to think of a solution."

I couldn't help but smile at the situation, thinking, "The capable ones are always burdened." I remember when I first entered the palace, about half a year after entering, one evening duty in the warm pavilion. Kangxi was reviewing documents until late at night. While such occurrences were not uncommon, these past few days Kangxi had been staying up late for three or four consecutive nights dealing with official matters. The eunuch Li Dequan, who was beside him, looked extremely worried, his eyebrows knitted tightly together. He was concerned about His Majesty's health but dared not speak out of turn, so he could only wear a pained expression by His Majesty's side.

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At that time, I was also new to the palace, thinking that being a great emperor throughout history was indeed no easy feat. I stole glances at Kangxi. After all, he was over fifty years old, and with several consecutive nights of staying up late and the need to wake up early for court in the morning, his face showed signs of fatigue and weariness. I don't know if it was a moment of madness or what, but my eyes suddenly welled up with tears. I thought of the scenes where my father, who taught in the senior high school, would still be preparing lessons and grading papers under the lamp late into the night. Sometimes my mother would get impatient and simply turn off the desk lamp, forcing my father to go to bed. Kangxi probably didn't have a wife like that.

Lost in my thoughts, I suddenly felt dizzy. Without knowing what I was doing, I blurted out, "It's late, you should rest! Otherwise, you'll be exhausted and things will be delayed even more." As soon as the words left my mouth, the silent room was filled with shocked and fearful gazes from everyone. I immediately realized I had made a huge mistake! I hastily knelt down on the ground. Li Dequan, with a stern face, was about to reprimand me when Kangxi sighed and smiled faintly, saying, "My tenth consort used to always nag me to rest before she left the palace!" He tilted his head, lost in thought for a moment, then shook his head lightly, saying to Li Dequan, "Put these documents away. Let's call it a day." 

Li Dequan's face lit up with joy, and he hurriedly responded, "Yes, Your Majesty!" before attending to Kangxi as he rose from his seat.

As Kangxi passed by me, he glanced at me kneeling on the ground and said, "Get up." I kowtowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!" as I rose to my feet. Kangxi looked me over and smiled at Li Dequan, saying, "Isn't this Maertai's 'Fearless Thirteenth Sister'?" Li Dequan quickly affirmed. Without saying anything further, Kangxi left directly. I realized my back was soaked with sweat. I was truly grateful to that unseen tenth consort. It seemed Kangxi cherished her greatly.

Since that incident, it seems that Li Dequan has regarded me as a "lucky charm" to use. Whenever similar situations arise, he always sends me to figure out a solution. Fortunately, although it requires wracking my brains and entails some risks each time, I've managed to make some impact. Wang Xi stood to the side and whispered, "Sister, you go in by yourself!" I nodded slightly and quietly walked into the room.

As soon as I entered the room, I saw Li Dequan standing behind Kangxi nodding slightly at me. I also nodded imperceptibly in response, then approached Kangxi slowly, pretending to be about to change the tea. I picked up the teacup, quickly glanced at the geometry problem Kangxi was working on, and then slowly backed out.

In the tea room, as I brewed the tea, I thought to myself that the problem didn't seem difficult from the current perspective; Kangxi had simply misplaced the auxiliary line. But solving geometry proof problems was like this—once you got stuck, it always took some time to figure it out. In reality, if Kangxi stopped now, he might regret it tomorrow, wondering why he was so foolish yesterday and didn't realize he just needed to adjust the auxiliary line.

However, I couldn't just go up and tell him how to add the auxiliary line and prove the problem. After all, I didn't have Jesuit missionaries like Bai Jin, Zhang Cheng, or Xu Rusheng from France or Portugal to teach me mathematics. If Kangxi asked me how to do it, how should I respond?

I gently placed the tea on the table and, after collecting my thoughts, softly called out, "Your Majesty." Kangxi didn't lift his head, just made a noncommittal sound. I paused for a moment, then continued, "I'm afraid those foreigners might hesitate to explain geometry problems to Your Majesty in the future." Kangxi made another sound of acknowledgment but remained focused on the problem. After a short while, he suddenly looked up at me. 

© translations belonging to  flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

I quickly bowed my head and said softly, "They teach these things to Your Majesty mainly because they believe they are beneficial. But if Your Majesty neglects your health because of it and falls ill, won't they bear some responsibility?" Pausing for a moment and seeing no reaction from Kangxi, I continued, "Moreover, those foreigners also say that sometimes, when you give these geometry problems some quiet thought, you might find them easier to solve." Finishing my words, I felt uneasy and nervously wiped away some cold sweat. 

After a brief moment, Kangxi put down his pen, stood up, stretched, and said, "Li Dequan! You're causing trouble again." 

Li Dequan quickly bowed with a smile, saying, "This servant was just sincerely worried about Your Majesty's health." 

Kangxi smiled and said, "Alright! Prepare the meal." Li Dequan quickly acknowledged and hurried to the door to instruct Wang Xi.

Kangxi lowered his head to look at me and said, "Your courage seems to be growing, letting Li Dequan call the shots." 

I quickly knelt down, "I am also concerned about Your Majesty's health." After speaking, I hastily kowtowed. 

Kangxi said, "Get up!" I quickly stood up. He continued, "You are quite attentive. You've remembered all these words from serving by my side a few times." I hurriedly replied, "I was just curious at the time, so I paid attention." Kangxi didn't say anything more to me, walking out while casually remarking, "If everyone in the Qing Dynasty had this enthusiasm, why worry about not receiving congratulations from all quarters?" With that, he had already left the room. 

I sighed, realizing how difficult it was. The deeply rooted belief in China's vastness and centrality in the world made it challenging for the emperor to truly embrace novelty. It would likely take profound pain, perhaps even becoming a vassal state, before we truly understood the need to learn from the outside world. Kangxi wasn't just lonely because he was isolated due to his imperial status; he was also lonely because he knew too much and saw too far. Throughout history, wise individuals often experienced solitude, especially when they were emperors!

・・・

Today wasn't supposed to be my duty, but suddenly I remembered that some new tea was supposed to be delivered in the afternoon. I was worried that Yunxiang and Yutan might not handle it properly, risking the flavor, so I hurriedly went out to check. As I walked along the path, I saw Tenth and Fourth walking towards me. I quickly stepped aside and stood by the roadside to pay my respects. Tenth Prince spoke gruffly, "There's no need for so much formality when it's just us." However, Fourth Prince merely snorted coldly and said nothing.

© translations belonging to  flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

I straightened up and smiled at Tenth Prince, asking, "Are you returning to the mansion?" 

He chuckled and replied, "Leaving the palace but not returning to the mansion. We're going to Eighth Brother's place." 

After a moment's thought, I said, "It's been a long time since I've seen Eighth Brother. Please give him my regards and wish him well!" 

Before Tenth Prince could respond, Fourth Prince, who had been standing to the side with a cold expression, interjected, "If you truly care about Eighth Brother, there's no need for such formalities. If you're concerned about someone else, why bother with these superficial gestures?" 

Both Tenth Prince and I were stunned, unsure where his words were coming from. We exchanged puzzled glances, both unable to understand Fourth Prince's intentions. After speaking, Fourth Prince seemed impatient and urged, "Tenth Brother, are you coming or not? If not, I'm leaving first." Without waiting for a response, he walked away.

Tenth Prince looked at me in confusion and hurriedly followed him. I turned around, furrowing my brow as I watched them walk away, wondering when I had offended Fourth Prince. Could it be because of Thirteenth again? But over the past few years, he had known about the close relationship between Thirteenth and me. Why was he suddenly angry?

As I walked, I absentmindedly touched the jade bracelet on my wrist. Did I really care about him? How would I answer his question this year, considering he had asked for three years in a row? Would he ask again this year, or had he grown tired of it?

© translations belonging to  flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

Lost in thought, I suddenly bumped into someone, staggering and nearly falling. Thankfully, the person reached out and steadied me. When I saw it was Thirteenth, I couldn't help but scold, "You sneaky brat, you could've at least said something when you saw me." 

He chuckled, "You seemed so deep in thought, I wanted to see if you'd actually bump into someone. It's a good wake-up call." Pausing, he grinned and teased, "It's fine if you throw yourself into my arms, but if someone else saw this beautiful lady unexpectedly jumping into my embrace, they might get the wrong idea!" I rolled my eyes, laughed, and ignored him. He asked, "What were you thinking about?" 

I smiled and replied, "I won't tell you! I have serious matters to attend to, no time for nonsense." 

He chuckled, "Off you go! Just don't daydream while walking." 

I didn't respond, just walked away. As I passed him, I couldn't resist elbowing him sharply, and I heard him exaggeratedly cry out, "Ouch!" behind me. I chuckled and quickly walked off, hearing laughter trailing behind me.

Not long after, I heard footsteps behind me and turned to see Thirteenth approaching briskly. I looked at him with confusion and asked, "What's up?" 

He came closer, taking a couple of quick steps before stopping and saying, "I wanted to ask you something, but there hasn't been a good opportunity lately, and I almost forgot." 

I said, "Go ahead." 

He smiled and asked, "Why did you help Fourth Brother last time?" I was puzzled, racking my brain, still completely unaware of what he was talking about. 

I asked, "When did I help Fourth Prince? And what could he possibly need my help with?" 

He smiled softly, shook his head, and said, "With the tribute offering, you spilled tea on Tenth Brother." I took a deep breath, mouth slightly agape as I looked at him. Suddenly, it dawned on me why Fourteenth had been avoiding me.

After a while, feeling as wilted as a frost-bitten eggplant, I replied listlessly, "It was just an unintentional mistake, a coincidence." 

He chuckled and said, "Whether intentional or not, I appreciate your help. Otherwise, who knows what Tenth Brother would have said! It's not that I fear him, but explaining things to His Majesty would be troublesome." After waiting for a moment and seeing my lack of reaction, he added, "I'm leaving now. You should get back to your own business!" 

Numbly, I nodded and turned to walk away slowly.

Lost in thought, I absentmindedly stroked my bracelet while walking at a leisurely pace. When I suddenly realized, I had already veered off course and was quite far from the Qianqing Palace. I sighed inwardly, feeling too drained to care about tea leaves anymore, so I turned around and headed back to my chambers.

© translations belonging to  flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

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