A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace

Chapter 373: Really Tricky

Xia Tingfeng was somewhat astonished."You’ve seen her before, how can you not recognize her? That’s my little sister!"

Rat was stunned, as was Monster. Upon closer thought, that appearance, those features did seem somewhat similar to their Big Brother’s. But when they recalled the scrawny, sallow-faced girl from their memories and then thought of the beautiful woman they had seen that day, they really couldn’t make the connection!

Monster felt a bit embarrassed, too. They had been cursing her in their hearts earlier. Turns out it was... the sister.

Rat just chuckled. "Big Brother, we only saw her once. Isn’t it understandable that we couldn’t recognize her?"

"Ah... so, Big Brother’s little sister is our little sister too, right?" Monster added, feeling a bit sheepish. "Isn’t that so, Rat!"

Rat, with his thick skin, wasn’t embarrassed in the slightest and casually laughed it off with a "Yes!"

Monster smiled as well.

While they were chatting animatedly, Tiger, who had been silent on the side for a while, suddenly interjected, "Big Brother, your eldest younger sister, didn’t she enter the palace? Then who was the man that accompanied her yesterday...?"

Tiger had seen the Emperor before. Unfortunately, he was on duty at the Yamen during the day and not at the residence. When he returned at night and heard about what had happened, he also learned that a man had come with Big Brother’s eldest younger sister. He became curious; what man would dare to be with the Emperor’s woman!

As soon as these words came out, Xia Tingfeng fell silent. Monster and Rat also became silent. The atmosphere suddenly cooled. After a moment, all three of their expressions changed.

"B-Big Brother! The one who came yesterday... it wouldn’t have been... the Emperor, right?" Monster stammered. It was he who had opened the door that day, he who had been so discourteous. He had even rolled his eyes at the Emperor and... Consort Xia.

Such disrespect! This was absolutely an act of gross disrespect! If the Emperor were to hold it against them and behead him for it, he wouldn’t even have a place to cry! Thinking this, Monster’s voice trembled.

Xia Tingfeng let out a breath and smiled faintly. "Don’t worry, ignorance is no crime. The Emperor has a myriad of affairs to attend to every day; he won’t have time to bother with such trivial matters!" Saying that, he patted the shoulders of the three men and went inside to pack.

「...」

Once the eighth day of the ninth month passed, the next day was the ninth.

The Empress was not only being neglected, but her own brother had also been beheaded. Under this double blow, she fell ill and couldn’t get out of bed. Everyone in the harem even skipped their morning greetings. The Empress Dowager, focused on her Buddhist worship, did not inquire about harem affairs. This Chongyang Festival was utterly devoid of festivity.

Xia Ruqing slowly climbed out of bed in the late morning. After washing up and having breakfast, she basked in the sun in the courtyard. "Just a few days ago, I was worried that if it rained, we wouldn’t be able to appreciate the chrysanthemums. Who would have thought today’s weather would clear up! It’s such a beautiful, cloudless day!"

Zi Yue also smiled. "The chrysanthemums in the Imperial Garden, nourished by the rain and warmed by the sun, have all burst into bloom. They are stunningly beautiful!"

Zi Su chimed in with a smile, "There’s also sweet osmanthus, Your Ladyship. Don’t you love pastries made with sweet osmanthus? Shall we pick some so we can make desserts?"

Xia Ruqing counted on her fingers. "It’s still a bit early for sweet osmanthus. Let’s wait a bit longer!" As she spoke, she lowered her head and took out a packet of dried fish to feed Da Bai and Little White.

The harem was quiet and deserted, as if today wasn’t the Chongyang Festival at all. The Honored Ladies who had been keen on currying favor with the Empress seemed as if a bucket of cold water had been thrown over them. Now they all stayed obediently in their own residences, not daring to go out and draw attention to themselves.

The Noble Consort, however, was in particularly high spirits today. She had someone from the Ministry of Internal Affairs summon a troupe of Little Actors and had them perform in the rear garden of Xifu Palace. The sounds of music and revelry filled the air, creating a boisterous atmosphere. Not content with amusing herself alone, she insisted that everyone from the western palaces attend as well. She even sent out formal invitations—who would dare refuse?!

So, Consort Zheng Pin, Consort Yun Pin, along with their retinues of Honored Ladies, all showed up. The place was indeed packed, bustling with a large crowd. The Noble Consort took the lead, ordering the Imperial Kitchen to prepare a table filled with fine wine and delectable dishes. Surrounded by the others, she drank and chatted idly.

The Honored Ladies were without recourse. Who wasn’t acting against their will? Since it had come to this, they could only go along with it.

They could neither cozy up to the Empress nor dare to offend the Noble Consort, so what choice did they have but to submit to others’ arrangements?

「Jiaofang Hall」

When the Empress heard that the Noble Consort was enjoying the play, she was furious. "She’s doing this on purpose! She’s absolutely doing it on purpose, making all this commotion at this time!"

Yu Lan quickly tried to console her. "Your Majesty, the most important thing for you right now is to focus on your recovery!"

The Empress wore a bitter expression. "What’s the use of me recovering? The Emperor probably won’t visit me anymore!"

Sister Ji, standing by, was also anxious. "Your Majesty, no matter what, your health is paramount! Otherwise, someone else will be the one to gloat!"

Provoked by these words, the Empress struggled to sit up in bed, her face pale as she gritted her teeth. "Bring the medicine. I’ll drink it!"

Yu Lan hurried to fetch the medicine.

As she spoke, the Empress’s eyes flashed with a venomous resolve. "Favored or not, I must endure, even if I have to live to be old and gray! As long as I live, I will never let anyone else take my position as the Empress!"

When Yu Lan left, Sister Ji stepped forward to soothe her. "Your Majesty, please calm down. The Emperor values protocol above all and won’t act rashly! After all, you are still the Empress!"

The Empress’s emotions finally stabilized somewhat. After drinking the medicine, she lay down again, closing her eyes to rest. After a while, she suddenly opened her eyes.

"Sister Ji, I have been battling Noble Consort Shih for so long, yet I’ve still lost to her in the end! Previously, she was favored, and I wasn’t, so she had the upper hand! Now, neither of us is favored, but she has a child, and once again, she has the upper hand!"

Sister Ji scoffed. "Your Majesty, you’re oversimplifying things! It’s not even certain if that child is truly hers!"

The Empress was taken aback by this, but then her gaze cleared. "Sister Ji, you’re right! How could I have forgotten about this! Whose mother would willingly let someone else raise her own child? I refuse to believe Honored Lady Shih doesn’t want to raise her child herself!"

If Honored Lady Shih were raising the child herself, then that child would unequivocally be considered born of a concubine. Moreover, his birth mother is of low status. His chances of inheriting the throne in the future would be exceedingly slim.

At this thought, the Empress’s expression softened considerably. "Thank heavens, there’s still a chance to remedy everything! How could I have forgotten all that I’d worked for!" She had managed things so well before, only to ruin it all with her own hands.

Sister Ji sighed. The Emperor visits far too infrequently, she thought. Whenever he does come, Her Majesty... loses all composure. In truth, if she really wanted to please the Emperor, it would be better to courtesy to Xia Jieyu. She’s the one who truly holds his favor.

Thinking of Xia Jieyu, Sister Ji began to worry as well. "The matters concerning Noble Consort Shih and Honored Lady Shih are still manageable, but this Xia Jieyu... she’s truly a difficult problem! Honored Lady Shih may be of low birth, but Xia Jieyu is different!"