CHAPTER 93: CHAPTER 92 WARM SPRING

By nightfall, when it was time to sleep, a few palace maids were about to assist the Emperor with his bath and ablutions when, to their surprise, Zhao Junyao suddenly asked, "Were the undergarments sent by Lady Xia also stored in the treasury?"

The palace maids were startled and quickly nodded.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Fetch them for me. I shall wear them tonight!"

The palace maid hesitated for a moment but quickly bowed her head and agreed. After assisting the Emperor to the bathing chambers, the maid hastily rushed out to find someone.

Why the hurry?

Because previously, the Emperor had at most worn sachets sent by the various consorts; this was the first time he would wear undergarments they had sent.

Soon, the garments were found.

However, they had never seen such unattractive clothes before. Yet the Emperor dressed himself with ease, without a hint of dislike.

For a moment, the palace maids of Zhaochen Palace were all speculating which consort had sent these clothes.

「Xifu Palace」

Noble Concubine Shih was almost four months pregnant, and her condition was stable. Although she couldn’t serve the Emperor, it had been so long since her Cousin had come to see her. There had to be something amiss.

Noble Concubine Shih, cradling her belly, summoned Ying Yue to her side.

"Whose name tag did the Emperor turn over today?"

"My Lady, the Emperor didn’t turn over any name tags!"

"Did he summon anyone directly?"

"Mmm."

Noble Concubine Shih considered this for a moment, then decided to let the matter drop. She was filled with an unvented frustration.

"Ying Yue, how many days has it been since the Emperor last visited?"

Ying Yue was somewhat afraid to answer this question. However, seeing Noble Concubine Shih’s expression, she knew she had to reply.

"Half a month now..."

"Half a month!" Noble Concubine Shih exclaimed, her gaze turning fierce, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in her eyes. "Indeed! Ever since Cousin returned from sweeping the tombs, he has only visited once."

Ying Yue opened her mouth as if to speak but ultimately remained silent.

In her heart, though, she thought: My Lady, even though you are pregnant, why don’t you do things that please the Emperor? Why do you push him away at every turn? Others might feign ignorance about the deer incident, but why did you insist on eating it? And the opera troupe—the Emperor clearly dislikes extravagance, yet for the sake of appearances, you insisted on competing with the Empress. The Emperor’s absence might well be due to these reasons. But... can I say such things? No!

Aside from a sigh, there was nothing she could do.

「At this moment, in the Empress’s Jiaofang Hall.」

The Empress had expected the Emperor to visit and had specially prepared a late-night snack. But she waited and waited, and the Emperor never came.

Touching her flat belly, the Empress felt a wave of bitterness wash over her. Ultimately, she fell asleep, her face etched with disappointment.

Consort Ning and Consort Hui Pin, occupied with their daughters, didn’t have much to worry about. Consort Yun, who had been treading carefully lately, also dared not harbor any great expectations. As for Consort Zheng Pin, she was accustomed to years of disfavor. Though she had seen the Emperor that day, his absence at night left her feeling even colder. But this wasn’t the first time she had felt such a chill; she could withstand it. Honored Lady Lan and Honored Lady Xi were both simple-hearted and hadn’t pondered such matters deeply. Xia Ruqing was sound asleep, hugging her cat, already on her third dream.

In the entire Harem, the one who suffered the most was undoubtedly Honored Lady Hu. In the palace, a low rank wasn’t terrifying; what was most frightening was falling from a high position. Others still had a future; she did not. If the Emperor disliked you, the Empress wouldn’t concern herself with you, and everyone in the Harem would want to trample you into the mud.

Ha... The bitterness of such days was known only to those who lived through them!

「The next day dawned.」

It was another fine, sunny day.

After paying her respects to the Empress, Xia Ruqing found herself with little to do.

"The clothes are finished, the pillows are finished, and now there’s nothing left to do!" she mused. "It’s such a lovely spring day, such beautiful clear weather; it seems a shame to waste it."

But she really had nothing to do. The clothes had been sent out. As for the pillows, they were a bit shoddily made and lacked embroidery, so she hadn’t sent them out; she was using them herself.

Zi Yue was busy taking out the bedding to air in the sun.

When Xia Ruqing saw this, she moved to help.

Zi Yue hurriedly said, "My Lady, you should stand further away. I can handle this! If you’re feeling idle, why not practice your calligraphy? That’s the copybook the Emperor gave you..."

Xia Ruqing frowned at the thought of writing.

"I don’t want to write!" It was bright outside, but the room was dim, and it strained the eyes.

As she spoke, she settled onto the chaise lounge in the small courtyard, squinting as she basked in the sun.

Ah, although wasting time isn’t good, once people lose their sense of crisis, they lose their drive to improve... Right now, I just want to spread out like soft mud and thoroughly enjoy this warm spring sun.

MEOW...

Xia Ruqing immediately opened her eyes when she heard the cat’s cry.

"Oh my, Da Bai’s here! MWAH! MWAH!"

As she spoke, the little cat had already jumped onto her lap, squinting its eyes. Xia Ruqing held the cat in her arms, gave it a peck, and continued basking in the sun while petting it.

She had named it Da Bai, hoping it would grow big and white.

MEOW...

Da Bai protested. Seeing that she had stopped kissing it, Da Bai finally relaxed. Finding a comfortable position, the cat settled in, and together, human and cat began to bask in the sun.

「It was almost time for lunch.」

Zhao Junyao had finished reviewing his memorials and, as if guided by an unseen force, headed towards Zhaohua Pavilion. Hmm, he found himself craving the wild greens from her place; he just wondered if there were any left. He’d been eating too much rich food lately, he rationalized.

When he arrived at Zhaohua Pavilion, this was the scene that greeted him: Xia Ruqing had already fallen asleep, the cat still cradled in her arms.

Xiao Xizi and Zi Yue were startled. One hurried to prepare tea while the other went to wake their mistress.

But, after a while, the Emperor had finished a cup of tea, and Xia Ruqing was still not awake.

Zi Yue felt a bit embarrassed. "The weather is so nice today, My Lady is sleeping rather soundly. Your Majesty, this servant will go wake her again..."

Zhao Junyao’s mouth twitched. "No need to call her. We... will come back tonight."

With that, he turned and walked out. Although his face showed no expression, deep inside, he felt a distinct chill.

What... what was this all about? Wherever he went, those women would be eagerly awaiting his arrival, practically lining the streets to welcome him. But at her place, she was more carefree than anyone else; it made no difference to her whether he was there or not.

Upon this thought, Zhao Junyao felt very displeased! Extremely displeased!

Hmm! That girl, Lady Xia, he had spoiled her himself. It looked like he would have to discipline her properly!

Thinking this, his pace quickened as he walked away.

Li Shengan followed behind, not daring to even breathe too loudly.

He thought to himself: Lady Xia, you’ve really gone too far this time. With such good days at your disposal, why aren’t you cherishing them? What on earth are you doing?

If Xia Ruqing knew his thoughts at this moment, she would definitely cry injustice: "It’s a wrongful accusation! I truly didn’t know the Emperor would come!"

Lunch? The Emperor rarely visited the Harem for lunch. Who would have expected him to come today of all days? Even if he did come, it would usually be to the Empress’s palace. She, a mere Honored Lady, couldn’t be expected to worry about this every day.

Li Shengan would internally retort: You may have your excuses, but would you dare voice them to the Emperor? When the Emperor visits someone in the Harem, who would ever admit they weren’t prepared? It’s simply that you, Honored Lady, overslept!

Xia Ruqing would have no reply to this.

What’s wrong with eating well and sleeping well?