CHAPTER 649: CHAPTER 649 SOMETHING IS WRONG

The Noble Consort, no matter how angry or dismissive, couldn’t change any facts. Beyond stewing in her frustration, there was nothing she could do.

「Over there.」

After just a few sips of wine, Xia Ruqing started to feel a bit dizzy, somewhat puzzled.

My tolerance for alcohol is clearly not bad, so why do I feel like this after just a few sips?

My head feels like it’s filled with paste; I can’t make sense of anything!

The noise of the banquet made it even harder for her to think. When she saw others laugh, she followed with a silly smile. When she saw others clap, she joined in clapping her hands.

Is this... being drunk? Xia Ruqing’s muddled head couldn’t figure it out.

She didn’t know how much time had passed.

Zi Yue whispered in her ear, "My lady, it’s over; we should go back now!"

Xia Ruqing’s cheeks were slightly flushed, her eyes hazy. "Ah? Time... to go back?!"

With the support of Zi Yue and Zi Su, Xia Ruqing staggered to her feet.

"Ugh..." Her head was so dizzy!

"Be careful, my lady!"

It was dark, and the path was hard to see. Xia Ruqing’s mind was a complete blank. Once out of the Imperial Garden, a chill swept over her. Xia Ruqing shivered violently and finally sobered up a bit.

"My lady, let’s hurry back!" Zi Yue urged, quickly draping a cloak over her.

Xia Ruqing looked at Zi Yue and mumbled confusedly, "Go back? Where are we now?"

Zi Su said from the other side, "This is the Imperial Garden, my lady. Just a few more steps and we’ll be home!"

"Oh..." Xia Ruqing drew out the sound as she continued to stagger forward.

Suddenly, a white shadow flashed past her eyes. "What’s that?!"

She rubbed her eyes, about to take a closer look, but the white shadow had disappeared.

Zi Yue laughed. "My lady, you’re seeing things; there’s nothing there!"

The two continued to support their lady, making their way back home.

Before they had taken two more steps, another white shadow flashed by.

Xia Ruqing frowned again. "Zi Yue, did you see that?"

Zi Yue, focusing on the path beneath her feet, hadn’t noticed and answered carelessly, "This servant didn’t see anything!"

Xia Ruqing thought for a moment and then nodded. "Oh... Perhaps I was mistaken!"

After speaking, Xia Ruqing closed her eyes, letting Zi Yue and Zi Su escort her back. She was simply too sleepy!

「Qingya Residence」

Since their lady had drunk too much, Zi Yue fed Xia Ruqing a large bowl of sobering soup and wiped her down with a damp cloth before leading everyone out. Xia Ruqing slept deeply.

The next day, as the sky gradually brightened, Xia Ruqing was still sleeping soundly.

Zi Yue grew concerned. "Why hasn’t my lady woken up yet? Did she drink too much yesterday?"

Zi Su, watching her lady’s deep sleep, gently shook her head. "I don’t think so! It’s more likely that our lady is just really tired!"

Zi Yue observed Xia Ruqing’s even and steady breathing and checked her temperature; she wasn’t feverish. This indicated that her lady was indeed only deeply asleep, and Zi Yue finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let it be then!" she decided. "Since we don’t need to pay respects today, it’s fine to let our lady sleep a little longer! But make sure to prepare breakfast. No matter when our lady wakes up, there must be hot food ready!"

"Understood, Sister Zi Yue!" Zi Su said with a smile.

Zi Yue smiled and touched Zi Su’s forehead lightly, then said no more. She took her needlework basket and, with Zi Ning, sat on the kang in the outer room to sew, keeping an ear out for any movement from inside. She resolved to be ready to attend to her mistress as soon as she woke up.

But they waited and waited, and it was almost noon.

When it was nearly noon, a fully rested Xia Ruqing stretched, yawned, and finally woke up.

"Ouch..." Her head throbbed with pain—a typical hangover.

"Strange!" she muttered, loud enough for Zi Yue, who was just entering, to hear. "My tolerance for alcohol isn’t that bad. That kind of drink, in modern times, is just a sweet and sour beverage, really!"

Zi Yue smiled and asked, "Does my lady desire something sweet and sour? Shall I have someone prepare it?"

Xia Ruqing quickly shook her head. "No, no, no! That’s not what I meant!"

Zi Yue didn’t quite understand but didn’t press further. After selecting a casual outfit, she helped her mistress get dressed and wash up. By then, Zi Su and the others had already set out breakfast.

"My lady, it’s almost noon. You should have a bite!"

Xia Ruqing might not have been alarmed if Zi Yue hadn’t mentioned it, but the news gave her quite a shock. She stared in disbelief. "What did you say? It’s almost noon?!"

"Yes!" Zi Yue looked a bit puzzled.

"How long have I slept?" Xia Ruqing asked.

Zi Yue calculated. "We returned at the Xu Hour yesterday, and now it’s the end of the Si Hour. You’ve slept for seven Shi Chen in total!"

"Seven!!" Xia Ruqing could hardly believe it. "There are only twelve Shi Chen in a day, and I’ve slept for seven?"

Zi Yue nodded again. "Don’t worry, my lady. We don’t need to pay our respects today, and you’ve been tired these past few days. Sleeping more is good for your health!"

Xia Ruqing still found it hard to believe. "Zi Yue, no matter how tired I’ve been, I’ve never slept this long!"

A strange, nagging feeling told her something was off, but no matter how hard she searched her memory, she couldn’t pinpoint what it was. "Nothing!" she finally said, more to herself.

Her reaction made Zi Yue and the others anxious. "My lady," Zi Yue asked, "what are you looking for? Can we help you?"

Xia Ruqing, having found nothing, felt dejected. "It’s nothing. Forget it; let’s just pretend nothing happened!"

Zi Yue had no choice but to drop the subject.

After lunch, Xia Ruqing didn’t dare to sleep anymore and decided to play with Little Bun. Recently, Little Bun loved taking Yellow Bean for walks in the back garden. Yellow Bean enjoyed chasing crickets, and Little Bun would join in the fun. If Yellow Bean fancied cockroaches, Little Bun would order someone to catch them. In short, Little Bun, not yet two years old, was thoroughly spoiling the dog. Sometimes, even Da Bai and Xiao Bai had to step aside. As for Xia Ruqing, his own mother, she felt quite superfluous.

So, after playing for a while, Little Bun, unable to bear the quiet, scampered off with Yellow Bean.

Xia Ruqing lay on the kang, so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open.

"My lady, you should go to bed and rest for a while," Zi Yue urged. "You’ve indeed been too tired lately!"

Xia Ruqing mumbled an agreement in her drowsiness, rolled over, and went to sleep on the bed. Zi Yue pulled the bed curtains closed and lit a scented candle before quietly closing the door and leaving.

In the evening, as Zi Yue watched the sun gradually set, she glanced at the bed curtains, behind which Xia Ruqing was still sound asleep. Her face turned progressively paler. "My lady was right," she said to Zi Su, her voice low. "Something is definitely amiss!"

Zi Su also found it strange. "Our lady might be a bit idle at times, but she’s never been *this* unrestrained!"

"Could it be... my lady is still drunk?"

Zi Yue shook her head decisively. "No! It absolutely can’t be! My lady has had wine before, but she’s never been like this!"

After racking her brains, Zi Yue still couldn’t think of anything suspicious. "Everything we have here, apart from what the Emperor bestowed, hasn’t come from anyone else! And the Emperor would never harm our lady! Quick, go search! Is there anything else?!"