A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace

Chapter 310 - 309: Cheer Him Up!

After lunch, I slept until mid-afternoon.Zi Yue came in with a plate of freshly cut watermelon.

The chunks of watermelon were vivid red and looked juicy and tempting.

All the seeds had been removed, making it convenient to eat.

"My lady, since you are pregnant, I didn’t dare to chill it with ice, so I just cooled it in well water, which is just the right temperature, and it’s crunchy and sweet when you eat it!"

Xia Ruqing was very satisfied.

She nearly finished off the large plate of watermelon.

After wiping her mouth with a handkerchief, she praised,

"Really, Xiao Zhu Zi is quite capable!"

Not only could she grow watermelons, but they were also so sweet!

Zi Yue also praised,

"In our backyard, we even have lotus seeds. Not many, but there are quite a few big pods!"

"Just wait until they grow a bit more, then we can eat them!"

Upon hearing this, Zi Su joined in the excitement too.

"Sister, don’t just focus on the backyard. The front yard has treasures too! The grapevines are loaded with so many bunches, how shall we eat them all!"

"Indeed, my lady, we have not even finished the wine we brewed last year!"

Xia Ruqing felt somewhat helpless.

"Only when you mention it do I realize I seem to have saved the Ministry of Internal Affairs a good deal of expense. I must have the Emperor compensate for this later!"

The moment Xia Ruqing finished speaking, footsteps came from outside.

Then, a deep and powerful voice followed.

"Compensate for what?"

Xia Ruqing quickly got up to greet him.

"Greetings to the Emperor!"

Before she could kneel, he pulled her back up.

"Why perform such formalities with your big belly? How many times have I told you..."

Xia Ruqing just smiled.

"But you are the Emperor!"

"Should I not bow, but rather sit instead?"

’You are the Emperor?’ This phrase struck a pain in his heart.

A concubine, without much insight and even a bit foolish, knew he was the Emperor!

Yet some people did not recognize it!

At this thought, his expression darkened a little.

"What’s wrong, Emperor?"

Zhao Junyao suddenly came back to his senses and patted her.

"It’s nothing!"

Thinking about the events of the previous night, Xia Ruqing guessed they were probably related to the Empress Dowager.

So she did not dare to ask more.

She had Zi Yue cut fresh watermelon and requested several other pastries to serve the Emperor with tea.

As evening approached, and the heat outside gradually dissipated, bringing a comfortable breeze.

Zhao Junyao took Xia Ruqing for a walk outside.

Being heavily pregnant, she could not walk quickly, so he paced alongside her, walking a few steps and waiting for her to catch up.

The whole way, Xia Ruqing chattered on about trivialities.

Zhao Junyao occasionally responded, but more often he just watched her and smiled.

Suddenly, on a whim, he asked a question.

"Qingqing, have you ever been deceived by someone close to you?"

Xia Ruqing suppressed her smile and after pausing a while, she finally said.

"No... I don’t think so."

"My mother passed away early..."

Heavens! Could she tell the truth? Fortunately, her reaction was quick, otherwise, she would have certainly given herself away!

Deceived? It was more like being outright abandoned! Her own parents didn’t want her; what could she do?

Zhao Junyao fell silent.

After some thought, Xia Ruqing said.

"Emperor, you don’t have to mind it so much, perhaps everyone has their reasons..."

No sooner had she finished speaking than she regretted it. Reasons? What nonsense; greed and discontent cannot be called reasons, but shamelessness! Alas! She intended to be an understanding beauty, but... she didn’t have the emotional intelligence. Oh well.

Xia Ruqing gave up on trying to solve the issue and decided to comfort him by taking him to eat something tasty.

Then, the two of them went back.

At night, Xia Ruqing had someone light up the grape arbor outside.

A big pot was set up.

Beneath it was a basin of red-hot charcoal, and on top was a boiling hot pot!

On one side was a milky sour bamboo shoot chicken soup pot, and on the other was a spicy red oil pot.

Zhao Junyao smelled the fragrance from afar.

However, he looked at the pot and frowned.

"Qingqing, this pot... why does it look a bit different!"

Xia Ruqing was quite proud.

"That’s right, I drew a design myself and had the Ministry of Internal Affairs make it according to that. It’s the only one in the whole world!"

Seeing her proud little look, Zhao Junyao really felt like laughing.

If being born in the Royal Family, where ’even mother and son have to scheme against each other,’ is a kind of coldness, then she, perhaps, is a flicker of candlelight in that coldness.

She’s a little clumsy, a little foolish, and a bit absent-minded.

Her strength is limited, but she always manages to figure out a way to make things a little better for herself.

How to put it? His heart felt a bit sore and swollen.

"Emperor, Emperor, look what this is?"

Xia Ruqing, with a face full of excitement, came over carrying a big plate of blood-red slices.

"This is tender beef, thinly sliced, essential for eating hot pot!"

Zhao Junyao smiled.

"Come here!"

Xia Ruqing happily placed it in front of him.

She sighed with relief in her heart.

The Emperor finally smiled! Oh, my heart!

Zhao Junyao’s smile seemed a bit forced.

But his heart was truly warmed.

Xia Ruqing set all the dishes and then sat down across from Zhao Junyao.

"Emperor, when I’m unhappy, I eat a big meal!"

"Eat something very spicy, then take a bath and have a good sleep. After waking up, I feel much better!"

This must be the way most people vent their bad emotions.

The dishes on the table were plentiful.

Some were taken from the Imperial Kitchen, some were freshly picked from the backyard vegetable garden.

Plates of vegetables were so tender they looked like they would drip with moisture.

Xiao Zhu Zi even dug out a piece of tender lotus root from the pond.

Sliced thin, the semi-transparent pieces were very pretty.

Lotus roots dug out this season can be eaten raw, with a light sweet taste, crunchy, almost melting in your mouth.

Raw or cooked in the pot, both delicious!

And there were various meats.

A plate of lamb, tender beef, thinly sliced pork belly, along with beef tripe, chicken wings, lamb ribs, and deboned tender fish slices.

Moreover, the master chef from the Imperial Kitchen even made shrimp paste by adding starch and egg to shrimp according to her request.

Beside the table, there were also prepared potato slices, crunchy wood ear mushrooms, red sweet potato noodles an inch wide, and so forth...

There were also sliced fruits, refreshing soups, and steamed snacks.

When everything was neatly set on the table, even Zhao Junyao, who had seen grand scenes, was astonished.

"Where did you learn all these?"

Xia Ruqing just smiled.

"When I was little and couldn’t get enough to eat, I thought that if one day I could eat my fill, I would want to try all the delicacies in the world!"

"Emperor, don’t you like it?"

He couldn’t quite say whether he liked it or not, just that he was somewhat at a loss.

He hadn’t eaten such strong flavors in many years.

"Emperor, eat from the spicy side, this sour bamboo shoot chicken soup is for me!"

"Er..."

Zhao Junyao was still reserved.

After all, he was the Emperor and had to maintain his composure.

How could he be greedy and frolic like a girl?

While Zhao Junyao hesitated awkwardly, Xia Ruqing couldn’t wait any longer.

She added some vegetables into the pot, scooped some out, and tasted it.

"Delicious, would you like to try?" She said, handing chopsticks to him.

Zhao Junyao picked up some of the vegetables cooked in the chicken broth. While tastes certainly varied, these were indeed... very fresh and crisp.

After eating, he nodded in approval.

"Yours is nice, but this... I really can’t eat it..."