CHAPTER 35: CHAPTER 34: GRAND CEREMONY OF OFFERING TO THE HEAVEN 1

After laughing for a while, Xia Ruqing tactfully ceased. While flattering him, she personally moved forward to grill the skewers.

The two of them started eating again.

Zhao Junyao ate this meal in a very relaxed manner. Abandoning all those pesky rules and regulations, he laughed when he was happy and ate when he was hungry, feeling exceptionally good.

After eating their fill, the two drank some cooling pear soup before calling someone in to clean the room.

Li Shengan felt somewhat uneasy.

Seeing the Emperor shows no intention of leaving, could it be that he intends to stay here?

Although a Sixth Rank master could accommodate the Emperor, Zhaohua Pavilion was both simple and remote...

How good could accommodations for an Honored Lady be? That’s why when Honored Ladies serve for the night, the Emperor still has them brought over to his place! But now...

"Prepare water... for bathing!" Zhao Junyao suddenly ordered.

"Yes!" Li Shengan hastily responded.

This means he’s going to stay overnight, he thought. It seems Lady Xia really has a place in the Emperor’s heart! To stay over at an Honored Lady’s residence, this is indeed a first!

While the masters were bathing, Zi Yue led a few Palace Maids from Zhaochen Palace to tidy up the room. All the bedding and mattresses were replaced, the small heated table was cleaned, and even the floor was mopped. Finally, the windows were opened to let in fresh air, clearing out the last hint of odor from the room.

The only drawback was... with the air just changed, the inner chamber was cold.

Coming out of the bathing chamber, Xia Ruqing immediately curled up into a ball.

"So cold!"

"A Hot-water Bottle has been placed in the bed; the bedding is already warm..." Zi Yue said, holding a dry towel to wipe her hair. She didn’t dare suggest that Xia Ruqing go in first, as the Emperor was still present.

"I need to join the Emperor!" Xia Ruqing wrapped herself in the blanket and shivered more.

"This servant will assist the Emperor in dressing!" Xia Ruqing approached, shivering.

Zhao Junyao, wearing only his inner garment and bare-chested, was accustomed to martial arts year-round and had a robust constitution, so he didn’t feel cold. At that moment, seeing Xia Ruqing’s face turn pale from the cold, he unthinkingly tossed her into the warm bed.

"Don’t come out!" he said sternly.

As he bent over, his chest muscles were clearly defined, glowing with an even, healthy sheen.

GULP! A certain woman swallowed hard and obediently burrowed into the bed.

That night, Zhao Junyao continued to exert himself until Midnight. There was no helping it; after being well-fed and watered, one needed to move around to fall asleep.

「The next day.」

Xia Ruqing still went to greet the Empress on time. Even though everyone looked at her somewhat unfavorably, they couldn’t find any fault with her. After a few sour jibes, they let it go.

"On the twentieth of the twelfth lunar month, we will all follow the Emperor out of the city to offer sacrifices to heaven. Everyone should also prepare well!" the Empress said, sitting gracefully in her high seat. "If you lack anything, remember to go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for it!"

"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.

The Empress nodded with satisfaction and presided over the conversation for a while before dismissing them.

The imperial consorts paid their respects and departed from Jiaofang Hall. Xia Ruqing went straight back to Zhaohua Pavilion to catch up on sleep; she was severely sleep-deprived from the night before.

When the Empress returned to her inner chamber, the morning meal had already been served.

"This is a newly made milk and bird’s nest soup. Please have a taste, Your Majesty!" Yu Lan said, attending to her meal.

The Empress picked up the bowl, took a sip, and squinted her eyes. "Lady Xia is truly fortunate!" she suddenly said.

Despite her poor health, she’s still on the Emperor’s mind! And yet, she is so astute, rarely ever going out, leaving no room for criticism! One cannot be too careful!

She definitely did not want another Noble Concubine Shih to emerge in this palace.

"Your Majesty, all the information you asked to be checked last time is here," Yu Lan reported. "Lady Xia comes from a humble background; her father is just a County Magistrate. She lost her mother at a young age and was abused by her stepmother, which has weakened her health! In my opinion, it’s not a big deal. Her background is clear. The Emperor values rules the most."

Yu Lan did not continue, as the Empress already understood the implication.

Indeed, the daughter of a County Magistrate becoming favored is much better than the daughter of a Grand Preceptor becoming favored!

"Never mind then! Let her be!" the Empress declared.

A momentary favor from the Emperor, showing her a bit more affection, isn’t a big deal!

"That settles it then. Your Majesty, please drink some more; they say this is very nourishing for the body!" Yu Lan encouraged with a smile.

The Empress picked up the bowl again and slowly started drinking.

"How have you arranged the celestial sacrifice on the twentieth of the twelfth lunar month, Your Majesty?" Yu Lan asked.

The Empress smiled. "How else to arrange it? The Ministry of Internal Affairs will prepare the chariots and horses. As for everything else, each palace has to prepare on its own. The Emperor also instructed us to stay in the South Garden for a few days and return after the Little New Year!"

"The round trip will take three or four days. I will go and prepare for Your Majesty!"

"Mmm," the Empress nodded.

In the Chu Dynasty, it was customary that at year-end, The King himself must perform the celestial sacrifice. This was to thank the heavens for their mercy and blessings on the people, and to pray for favorable weather for the coming year. The celestial sacrifice was an event more significant than the New Year itself. Everyone from the Royal Clan and everyone from the Harem—all had to go together. In other words, if you were a member of the Imperial family and were of the Sixth Rank or above, you had to attend.

At Xia Ruqing’s residence, Zi Yue had started preparing early; everything needed for the outing was ready.

「On the twentieth of the twelfth lunar month.」

Hundreds of horse-drawn carriages were ready by midnight, waiting early at the palace gates.

At the fourth watch of the night, Xia Ruqing, half asleep and half awake, was dressed and made up by Zi Yue and sent to the warm palanquin waiting at the palace gates. An Honored Lady could only bring one Palace Maid, so Zi Yue went along, while Xiao Xizi stayed behind to guard the door.

At the palace gates, quite a few of the masters had already arrived, each finding their own carriage. Xia Ruqing’s palanquin stopped beside the smallest carriage at the very rear of the procession.

After helping her master onto the carriage, Zi Yue also got on.

Xia Ruqing was successfully awoken by the cold.

"It’s indeed cold inside the carriage!"

"I’ve brought a cloak; please wrap it around yourself, my lady!" Zi Yue said. "The carriage is just a layer of cloth; no wonder it’s cold!"

"Why is this carriage so small!" Xia Ruqing inquired, now fully awake.

In the TV dramas I’ve seen before, weren’t those carriages big and spacious? This one is so small! There’s no room for a tea table; I can barely put my feet down!

Zi Yue laughed somewhat awkwardly. "My lady, not only is your carriage small, but it’s also at the very back..."

Xia Ruqing was speechless.

It seems that striving is necessary! I can’t always be languishing at the bottom! I’ll take it slow; there’s a long way to go. What’s the rush, right?

The caravan set out at Yin Hour. Naturally, the Imperial Chariot was at the very front, escorted by two rows of Imperial Guards leading the way. The Empress Dowager’s grand canopy followed, then the Empress’s, the Imperial Noble Consorts’, the Noble Consorts’, and the Princes’. The procession was arranged according to rank, level by level in descending order, until at the very end, only Xia Ruqing and Honored Lady Hu were left.

Luckily, Honored Lady Hu is even further behind me, bringing up the absolute rear! Xia Ruqing thought with some relief.

She wrapped herself in a thick cloak and dozed off in the carriage.

"Sleep for a bit, my lady," Zi Yue advised. "Once we arrive, you won’t be able to sleep."

The celestial sacrifice was a major event. Even if one had no qualifications to even glance at the proceedings, one had to kneel reverently outside.

"Ah..." Xia Ruqing sighed softly.

"I’ve brought some food. If you get hungry, my lady, you can have a little to tide you over," Zi Yue offered.

"Mmm," Xia Ruqing acknowledged.