CHAPTER 113: CHAPTER 112: GAINING FAVOR 3

It spared her the trouble of worrying.

As expected, Consort Zheng Pin instantly turned red with embarrassment and fell silent.

The Empress secretly sneered, a small smile playing on her lips. After guiding the conversation for a while longer, she dismissed everyone.

Honored Lady Hu walked the slowest.

Seeing that almost everyone had left, she took a small path back.

Inside the inner chamber of Jiaofang Hall, Honored Lady Hu knelt on the ground.

"Empress, please forgive me!"

The Empress looked at her with a sneer.

"What else do you have to say? How can this palace trust you again? You only have a few days left!"

Honored Lady Hu, like a startled bird at the twang of a bowstring, suddenly looked up.

"Empress, please forgive me! I will surely not disappoint you!"

Upon hearing this, the Empress’s anger flared once more.

"This palace doesn’t know what you are waiting for, but let me tell you! If you fail, this palace will take back everything you currently enjoy!"

The Empress narrowed her eyes.

"You know what would become of an unfavored Honored Lady like yourself without this palace’s support, don’t you?"

Honored Lady Hu kowtowed. "This servant understands."

The Empress snorted coldly.

"It’s good that you understand!"

「...」

Time passed quickly. For several days in a row, the Emperor chose Xia Ruqing’s name tablet!

It couldn’t be helped. Zhao Junyao found comfort in her presence, so he favored her as he pleased.

Previously, he had secretly moved her into Zhaochen Palace, ostensibly to take care of her.

In fact, wasn’t it the thrill he found exciting? Emperors have their fancies too, don’t they?

Now... he was busier, so he didn’t have time for such romantic escapades.

Naturally, he didn’t want the hassle. It was his harem. He would favor whomever he pleased—who dared object!

「In Xifu Palace.」

Hearing that Lady Xia had been selected to serve the Emperor again, Noble Concubine Shih clutched her stomach, her face contorted with anger as she pounded the table furiously.

"This palace was right, wasn’t it? That despicable woman is practically soaring to the heavens! She must not be allowed to live!"

Ying Yue stood to one side, terrified and trembling, not daring to utter a word.

Her heart ached with worry. My lady, the Imperial Physician said you mustn’t get angry! Why won’t you listen? All this resentment... can’t you vent it after the child is born? Why torment yourself so? For a Noble Concubine with a child, dealing with a mere Honored Lady should be a simple matter to postpone. What’s the rush?

But Noble Concubine Shih, trapped in her stubbornness, simply couldn’t grasp this simple logic!

「Jiaofang Hall.」

The Empress, too, was greatly displeased.

Having been thwarted twice by Lady Xia, the Emperor still hadn’t come to see her. Even when he did visit, he wouldn’t touch her!

This slight was unbearable!

"Fortunately, this palace arranged for Honored Lady Lan and Honored Lady Xi to go over."

At the very least, they could act as a diversion.

After all, Lady Xia was merely an Honored Lady. Why should she receive so much favor?

It would be better to distribute the imperial favor more evenly!

Right now, the top priority was to eliminate Noble Concubine Shih’s child before the Emperor left the capital!

And it had to be done without anyone tracing it back to her.

If it happened right under the Emperor’s nose, he would, at most, charge her with negligence in managing the harem.

But if such a thing occurred while the Emperor was away on his inspection tour, then regardless of evidence, the Emperor would inevitably hold her accountable!

After all, everything had been fine when he departed, hadn’t it?

That day, Zhao Junyao chose Xia Ruqing’s name tablet yet again.

She felt a little worried.

Although...

She wanted to be favored, wanted the Emperor to treat her well, but being favored for so many consecutive days...

She felt it was a bit... too conspicuous. If looks could kill, the countless eyes in the harem would have riddled her with holes by now!

Even though I’ve been favored like this before, it was always done quietly. This open display is different!

"Zi Yue, don’t you think the Emperor is favoring me a bit too much?"

When it came to matters of romance, Xia Ruqing was essentially clueless.

In her view, romance was neither food nor drink, nor was it life-or-death. By the time she truly understood her precarious situation, she had mentally banished such thoughts to Java.

Thus, she voiced her confusion.

Zi Yue, however, saw things clearly. "My lady, can’t you see?" she said. "The Emperor likes you."

"Likes me?" Xia Ruqing looked as if she had seen a ghost.

She waved her hand dismissively. "Don’t be ridiculous!"

Discuss love with the Emperor? I’d sooner go wash up and sleep!

At most... he finds me pleasing to the eye, and being intimate wouldn’t be too awkward.

You are the Emperor, so you favor me. I am a consort, so I please you. Everyone fulfills their role, and all is well.

No matter how much Xia Ruqing pondered, she couldn’t change anything, so she decided to stop dwelling on it.

"Anyway, receiving favor is a good thing!"

Zi Yue, reassured, smiled.

"Exactly! This is a blessing others can only dream of!"

「...」

That night, upon seeing the Emperor and after paying her respects, Xia Ruqing said cheerfully,

"Your Majesty, I couldn’t finish all the grapes you sent, so I’ve made them into wine!"

Zhao Junyao narrowed his eyes.

"Oh?"

"You know how to make wine? Not bad!"

Xia Ruqing replied with utmost confidence, "More than ’not bad’—I’m exceptionally good at it!"

Zhao Junyao was speechless.

He, who was sipping tea, almost sprayed it everywhere.

This girl’s audacity... it’s almost on par with my own!

Hmm! Not bad at all. A kindred spirit! Zhao Junyao mused.

He found himself liking this young woman more and more.

Why?

Because Lady Xia was exactly to his taste.

He didn’t demand that the women of his harem be paragons of virtue, destined for eternal fame.

He merely wished for them to be free of malicious intentions.

If they were like Lady Xia—lively and well-behaved, dressing prettily, and living their lives contentedly—he was more than willing to treat them well.

It was just a pity... that in the entire harem, there was only one Lady Xia!

Having successfully presented her achievement, she began to plead poverty.

Making grape wine required powdered white sugar, and that cost silver.

Including the tips for the Imperial Kitchen staff, five taels of silver had barely been enough!

But now, her coin purse was empty.

How could Zhao Junyao not discern her little scheme?

He immediately ordered Li Shengan to bring her another box of silver.

Small silver ingots, each weighing five taels, were neatly arranged in the square box: five across and five down, totaling twenty-five to a layer.

There were four such layers—exactly one hundred ingots in all!

Xia Ruqing’s eyes lit up as she hugged the box, her smile radiant as a spring day.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Mm," he acknowledged.

He was in good spirits that day and had some leisure time.

During the evening meal, Zhao Junyao drank some strong liquor.

By the third cup, his gaze had grown somewhat hazy.

His eyes, fixed on Xia Ruqing, seemed to sprout legs and slowly drifted downwards.

The plump, jiggling mounds on her chest... were simply making his heart itch unbearably.

Zhao Junyao couldn’t resist. He reached out, but his hand met air.

Xia Ruqing happened to turn her body slightly to the side.

When she turned back, she saw his hand still suspended in mid-air.

"Your Majesty?" she asked, surprised.

Zhao Junyao felt a little embarrassed. He touched his nose. "Ahem! It’s nothing."

Inside, however, he felt even more aroused.

After the evening meal, there was still the bath. Zhao Junyao thought to himself, Later, I must thoroughly indulge myself with her three to five times to extinguish this fire in my heart.