novelraw Chapter 380 Envy
Chapter 380 Envy
Lijing PavilionFor breakfast, the Little Eunuch named Xiao Dengzi went again to fetch the meal.
It wasn’t until late morning that he returned with a pile of scraps and leftovers.
They were all remnants from the tables of other masters.
Honored Lady Jiang was still asleep. Hua Cha, upon seeing the food, didn’t dare make a fuss.
She just secretly wiped away her tears.
Xiao Dengzi noticed and was somewhat surprised.
"Sister Hua Cha, what’s wrong? Has someone bullied you?"
When Hua Cha heard him approach, she quickly wiped her face with a handkerchief and asked, "Why have you come?"
Xiao Dengzi, seeing her eyes red from crying, faintly sensed that something was amiss.
"Sister Hua Cha, what has happened to our master these past few days?"
"Did she offend someone?"
Life was so good before; how did it suddenly come to this!
Hua Cha glanced at him, unsure what to say, and changed the subject, asking, "Haven’t you heard any rumors in the palace?" Then she pressed on, "And what exactly is going on with the Imperial Kitchen? Look at the food you’ve brought back!"
Xiao Dengzi didn’t press further. With a mournful face, he said, "Sister Hua Cha, those people deceive their superiors and bully those beneath them! They’re opportunists who trim their sails to the wind. Seeing that our master has lost favor, they go out of their way to trample on us!"
"I wanted to argue with them but feared it would drag our master down, and then we wouldn’t even have this much to eat!"
Hearing this, Hua Cha breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness, no unsavory words had spread through the palace.
After all, she knew that the master didn’t want to attend to the Emperor.
If someone were to use that to spin a story, claiming the master had her heart set on another, that would be a grave offense—a capital offense. No one in Lijing Pavilion would survive!
For now... things are still somewhat alright!
Hua Cha got up and left. Xiao Dengzi, confused, sighed and also departed.
When the master loses the Emperor’s favor, life becomes difficult!
It’s just human nature; there’s nothing much to say!
「...」
Honored Lady Jiang didn’t wake up until the afternoon.
Sleep had brought her nothing but nightmares, leaving her in a cold sweat.
Hua Cha watched, her heart aching.
The master is clearly terrified.
The Emperor wasn’t in the palace, and the Empress Dowager didn’t concern herself with managing affairs.
Even the Noble Consort, who once enjoyed a period of high favor, now kept a wide berth.
The Empress truly rules supreme in the palace.
If they don’t comply, who knows what more they’ll have to endure.
Hua Cha carefully picked through the morning’s leftovers, managed to put together an edible bowlful, warmed it up, and handed it to Honored Lady Jiang.
She forced a smile and said, "Master, please have some for now. We’ll wait for lunch to arrive..."
Honored Lady Jiang laughed coldly as she took the bowl.
"Lunch?"
"Hua Cha, don’t try to comfort me!"
"She won’t be satisfied until she’s tormented me to death!"
With that, she ate a bowl of rice with an indifferent expression and said no more.
After the meal, Hua Cha saw that the master’s complexion was truly poor.
She smiled and suggested, "Master, the flowers in the Imperial Garden are in full bloom. Why don’t we go for a walk?"
"It might be good to clear your mind!"
Honored Lady Jiang thought for a moment and nodded.
"So be it!"
"Hiding and skulking isn’t a solution. Let’s just take things one step at a time!"
"Let’s go!"
Hua Cha smiled and quickly fetched a cloak.
Simply, without bringing anything extra, she accompanied the master out.
Honored Lady Jiang, wearing a somewhat worn cloak, walked very slowly.
In the Imperial Garden, flowers bloomed in profusion, with clusters of chrysanthemums vying to display their beauty.
Hua Cha led her to admire the flowers and relax.
"Master, look over there!"
"Master... there are green chrysanthemums too! Shall we try to grow a pot when we get back?"
"This Line Chrysanthemum is also beautiful. It must be quite a feat for the gardeners; how do they manage to keep them alive?"
Honored Lady Jiang listened to Hua Cha chattering ceaselessly along the way.
She merely curled her lips into a hollow smile.
How could she possibly smile?
There are only two paths before me, she thought. One leads to death, the other is a road of no return! I don’t want to choose either. I just want to live quietly in the palace. Why is that so hard?
As these thoughts crossed her mind, laughter drifted from ahead. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by N0veI.Fiɾe.net
She looked up.
In the small pavilion, Xia Jieyu and several of her Palace Attendants were chatting and laughing about something.
She wore an off-white cloak; the color was modest, yet the fabric looked exceptionally fine.
Xia Jieyu was dressed plainly, her hair simply fastened with a few jade hairpins.
Her arched brows were lightly brushed, and her skin was fair with a rosy undertone.
Even without heavy makeup, she was beautiful.
Especially with a smile playing on her lips, her face full of tenderness as she gazed at the two lazy kittens on the table.
Clothed in simplicity, her eyes filled with a gentle light.
Under the afternoon sun, her entire being resembled a piece of warm, lustrous jade emitting a faint halo.
At first glance, she appeared somewhat plain. But upon closer appreciation, one discovered she was a rare treasure—one that captivated the eye, making it impossible to look away, leaving one wanting to see more.
「...」
Now that they had encountered each other, it wouldn’t be proper to turn away.
Especially such a woman, whom she herself had no desire to avoid.
So, she walked forward and curtsied before Xia Ruqing.
"This servant, Lady Chiang, greets Xia Jieyu!"
Xia Ruqing had already noticed her.
She felt a twinge of surprise.
Where have I seen this woman before?
Upon closer inspection, she realized they shared a slight resemblance.
She then said with a smile, "Honored Lady Jiang? Please rise."
Her voice was pleasant, soft, yet it carried a hint of resilience. Listening to her was like basking in a spring breeze.
Honored Lady Jiang bit her lip.
"Thank you, Xia Jieyu."
Xia Ruqing smiled.
"You must be new here. I don’t go out much, so I don’t recognize many faces!"
"Don’t take offense; please, sit wherever you like!"
Honored Lady Jiang, pale-faced, managed a slight smile.
"Yes!"
She sat down lightly on a chair.
The two cats on the table, Da Bai and Little White, upon seeing a stranger, meowed. Tails raised, they stepped delicately off the table.
Da Bai rubbed against a table leg before curling up again in Xia Ruqing’s lap.
Little White, being slow on the uptake, stared blankly, its large, watery eyes blinking, as it looked at Xia Ruqing.
It took a while before it let out a soft, tender "MEOW."
The sound was faint and delicate, enough to melt one’s heart.
Xia Ruqing, seated, saw that Little White also wanted to come up and playfully chided Da Bai, "Can’t you make room for Little White? She is your little sweetheart, after all."
As if understanding, Da Bai glanced at Little White, then back at Xia Ruqing.
Then, it narrowed its eyes and stood up with an air of aloofness, as if to say, "Fine, I shall yield my place to you!"
Da Bai jumped down.
Xia Ruqing smiled and had Zi Yue pick up Little White.
She caressed its soft, fluffy white fur, her smile exceptionally gentle.
"Little White... don’t learn from Da Bai; he’s not well-behaved at all! You’re still the best behaved!"
After just a few strokes, Little White protested with a cry.
It wriggled free from Xia Ruqing’s hands, and with a light leap, the small body jumped down to find Da Bai.
The two similar cats, one large and one small, one taller and one shorter, sat together in the same pose.
Xia Ruqing was caught between laughter and exasperation. Not having the heart to scold them, she just pointed at them helplessly.
"These two little ingrates..."
They truly left her speechless.
Honored Lady Jiang watched, her heart nearly melting as well.
After all, what woman doesn’t love a fluffy, snow-white bundle of fur?