A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace

Chapter 481: It’s Great News

And Ye Tang had just... been living quietly upstream, never to be found!

「In the palace, at the end of June.」

The weather had gotten hotter, and the cicadas outside chirped all day long, making sleep difficult.

Xia Ruqing and Little Bun lay in bed for a long time without falling asleep.

In her drowsy state, just as she turned over, she bumped into an embrace.

"Who?"

She remembered there was no one there when she had gone to sleep!

Zhao Junyao wrapped his arms around her instinctively.

"Don’t move, just sleep!"

Recognizing his voice, Xia Ruqing did not ask any further. She burrowed into his embrace and fell asleep.

The disturbance, however, had made it impossible for Zhao Junyao to sleep.

Glancing at Xia Ruqing’s peaceful sleeping face in his arms, he felt a tinge of relief. It was fortunate that he hadn’t told her about those things.

Otherwise... He didn’t dare to imagine seeing her cry her eyes out.

Musing hazily for a while, Zhao Junyao also fell asleep.

In the late afternoon, the family of three was woken up by a pair of furry tails!

"Little White..." Xia Ruqing protested as she pushed it aside.

Little Bun murmured sleepily as well and, imitating her, pushed Little White’s tail to the side.

By the end of June, Little Bun was eight months old. An eight-month-old child could crawl around, sit up, mimic others, recognize people, and Little Bun could even observe emotions.

Recently, whenever Zhao Junyao came by looking tired, Little Bun would neither cry nor fuss but just tilt his little head and cutely ask for the Emperor to hold him.

If Zhao Junyao was in a good mood, Little Bun would be like a bounding monkey, climbing up and down, wanting to be tossed high or to ride a big horse. At these times, Zhao Junyao would carry him on his shoulder. They would walk around the courtyard or swing on the swing set.

Father and son, having a wonderful time together, created a beautiful scene!

It just so happened to be a rest day, and the three of them didn’t get up until late afternoon.

Xia Ruqing and Zhao Junyao played with Little Bun for a while before calling for Sister Liang to take him away.

Xia Ruqing sat on the kang bed, idly practicing her calligraphy while making casual conversation.

"Emperor, has my brother become engaged to Miss Ni?"

Zhao Junyao smiled. "They are engaged, and they’ll get married at the end of the year!"

Upon hearing this, Xia Ruqing’s eyes filled with a joyful smile. "That’s great! Hmm... I wonder if my brother’s estate is ready yet."

"If my father and mother take his little home, what will he do? There’s only half a year left!" After speaking, she started counting on her fingers. "Emperor, is half a year’s salary enough to buy a new estate?"

Zhao Junyao suddenly didn’t know what to say. You see, when you withhold information or tell a lie, you end up needing a hundred more lies to cover it up.

He hesitated for a long while before he murmured ambiguously, "Don’t worry! Your brother, he is... incredibly brave..."

Zhao Junyao mourned internally: I really can’t make up any more lies!

Xia Ruqing was still puzzled. "Emperor, what are you talking about?" I’m asking about the estate, and you’re telling me my brother is incredibly brave? What does that have to do with anything?

At a loss, Zhao Junyao pondered for a long while before finally saying, "Some time ago, bandits were causing trouble on the Grand Canal. Your brother led five hundred men from the Imperial Forest Army to quell them, displaying invincible bravery! Not only did he capture all the bandits, but he also brought back many spoils of war! I’ve awarded him the title of third-ranked Marquis Zhongyong and gifted him an estate, so don’t you worry!"

Xia Ruqing was stunned, taking a while to react before saying, "No wonder, Emperor, you haven’t been visiting the Harem recently and have lost so much weight. So that was why!"

One should not pry too much into affairs of the Imperial Court. Xia Ruqing merely smiled and inquired about her brother’s matters. "Really? Where is his residence? Is it large? And will my father and mother continue to cause him trouble?"

Zhao Junyao answered each question with a smile. He added, "Your father and mother have a place to live. Besides, they are returning to Jiangnan. Even if they stay, it will only be for a short visit, so don’t worry!"

Xia Ruqing thought about it and agreed. Her brother was not a fool, and Lady Yao wouldn’t dare to be too outrageous in her actions. Rules and decorum were set in place, after all!

"My brother is now a Marquis!"

Although, as a third-class marquis, it was the lowest rank of nobility. In Capital City, a place where one could toss a leaf and hit several high-ranking Imperial Court officials, it wasn’t considered a very high status. It was, so to speak, just average.

But, even being average, it was still a title personally bestowed by the Emperor. With a title, the women of the household could request the title of Lady of Enjoin, and during festivals, they could enter the palace to pay respects. Like most Ladies of Enjoin in the Imperial Court, they had rank, palace attire, and court garments. Of course, it also meant more dignity within the Imperial Court.

In summary, it was an excellent thing!

Xia Ruqing solemnly rose and bowed deeply to Zhao Junyao. "This consort sincerely thanks the Emperor for his high regard!"

Zhao Junyao smiled and pulled her up. "Why are you thanking me? I didn’t promote you, nor did I do it because of you!"

Xia Ruqing snuggled in his embrace and blinked. "This consort is thanking the Emperor on behalf of my brother, is that not allowed?"

Zhao Junyao gently patted her. "You’re just being cheeky!"

Xia Ruqing smiled sweetly and kissed his cheek. "Emperor, you’ve lost quite a bit of weight. How about I make you something delicious tonight to help you replenish?"

Zhao Junyao’s eyes lit up. "Good!"

「For the evening meal, Xia Ruqing indeed personally prepared a table of dishes.」

In reality, though she said she prepared it herself, she hardly did anything. At most, she personally requested a few dishes, and if the Imperial Kitchen didn’t know how to make them, they would send someone to ask her.

One dish was a cold mung bean jelly, which she had eaten before. Peas were finely ground, and the resulting jelly was cut into thumb-sized pieces. It was then dressed with salt and rice vinegar, with a few millet peppers added, and drizzled with a prepared sesame sauce. When eating, one would scoop it with a small spoon, mixing the jelly with the sauce. The sour and cool sensation, coupled with the tender texture, was especially appetizing.

Following that was a dish of cold mixed bitter greens. This dish was quite cooling, which was suitable since the weather was hot and everyone was more or less suffering from some internal heat.

Then, there were several side dishes, like fried peanuts, fried beef cubes, and sun-dried shiitake mushroom sauce, among others.

The last to be served was a large jar of noodles. Inside the agate jar was cold water, chilling freshly made noodles. The dough was very resilient, the noodles both thin and chewy, and they smelled delicious.

Xia Ruqing lifted the noodles out, dressed them with a sauce made from vinegar, sesame paste, and chili oil, and added a few tenderly cooked greens. After stirring them well, she presented the dish.

"Emperor, although it doesn’t look particularly appealing, these cold noodles are delicious and refreshing. Would you like to try?"

Zhao Junyao had eaten them before and was already satisfied; he didn’t hesitate to accept the dish. Without minding his manners, he grabbed the chopsticks and ate heartily. After a few bites, he praised, "Not bad!"

Xia Ruqing smiled as well. She also served herself a small bowl, and neither of them worried about their image.

Zhao Junyao ate two large bowls of noodles, while Xia Ruqing managed just a small bowl before she was full.

Once they had hurriedly finished eating, their foreheads and temples were covered in sweat.