A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace

Chapter 551 Heirs

Zi Yue pursed her lips into a smile. "Got it!"Only then did Xia Ruqing relax.

In the end, Zi Yue combed her hair into a bun with hair tied up in a knot. The jewelry for her head had also been chosen.

Breaking apart a whole set of pomegranate-red hair accessories, she picked out only one Bu Yao with pomegranate gemstones, along with two hairpins and four Zhu Hua.

Of this set, the Zhu Hua were the most eye-catching. The pomegranate gemstones were carved into the shape of pomegranate flowers, surrounded by a ring of small pearls, both exquisite and unique.

As for her outfit, it wouldn’t be appropriate to wear something too plain for the Empress’s Qianqiu Festival. Therefore, Zi Yue chose a Hai Tang-red dress. The fabric was Yunjin, embroidered with fine, delicate petals of Hai Tang flowers!

The shoes underneath were also Hai Tang-colored but made from Shu Brocade. Each shoe had a bright Hai Tang flower embroidered on it, with gemstone fragments embedded in the stamen—very pretty!

In this ensemble, she not only maintained the dignity and decorum of a Consort but also expressed the beauty and charm of a Favored Consort. And yet, it wouldn’t upstage the Empress. It was just Hai Tang red, after all, with not too many ornaments on her head. Even so, it was enough to catch the eye.

「 」

Once dressed, Zi Yue also picked out a Molli-colored cloak for her to wear. Inside it was Hai Tang-colored, while the outside was Molli-colored. This layer of Molli color just managed to shield any excessive garishness from her outfit. She looked more elegant as a result!

Imagine if she had chosen a brightly colored cloak instead; the clashing colors would have been jarring. Now, it looked just right!

Xia Ruqing looked at herself in the mirror, front and back, before she was ready to step out.

It was too cold outside, so she did not bring Little Bun. Fortunately, her cloak was very thick, and she had also tucked a hand warmer inside, which kept her warm all the way.

Others were thinking of ways to wear less, to look more slender, so as to catch the Emperor’s attention. But Xia Ruqing wrapped herself up like a sheep. Especially with the hand warmer clutched to her chest, she looked as if she were pregnant.

Along the way, Zi Su was making jokes. "My Lady, this reminds me of this time last year!"

Indeed, it was just the same last year at this time. But at that time, what she was carrying in her belly was the real deal!

Xia Ruqing just laughed. "I don’t miss it at all!"

Last year at this time, her feet were swollen! And back then, with her belly so big, even turning over in bed was difficult.

Miss it?! You must be joking! Things are much better now!

Zi Yue thought about it and agreed. "When My Lady was pregnant with the Little Prince, you indeed suffered a lot! To ensure a smooth delivery, My Lady ran around every day. Perhaps that’s when your legs got slimmer!"

Xia Ruqing smiled faintly and remained silent.

When she arrived, Jiaofang Hall was already filled with quite a few people. Everyone was seated in the main hall with the doors open, and the stage was outside. The hall was furnished with many charcoal basins, and a Ground Dragon was burning. However, the area near the door was still not warm.

A few low-ranking Honored Ladies were seated there, their faces somewhat pale from the cold. Xia Ruqing’s seat was located deeper inside, where it was not cold, but pleasantly warm.

After she took off her cloak and exchanged courtesies with Consort Hui Pin and several others, she took her seat. Tea was served, and Xia Ruqing scanned the room while sipping.

Eh? Honored Lady Cheng hasn’t come? She said just yesterday that she had eaten something bad, but it doesn’t seem likely now!

Xia Ruqing set down her teacup and smiled.

It’s very likely... she’s pregnant. That’s actually good! Little Bun is the sole Crown Prince; he’s too lonely! It’s better to have a few more Princes! Anyway, they’ll have to be born sooner or later! The Emperor can’t possibly stay chaste forever, nor could he become a monk, and remaining single is even less likely! He’s destined to have more than one Prince. The Late Emperor had seven!

Xia Ruqing kept her head down, her mouth pursed into a continuous smile.

Honored Lady Cheng isn’t bad; at least she’s intelligent! It seems the Emperor is crystal clear about who the demons and goblins are, and who the good people in the Harem are! If those demonic creatures had children, the Harem would truly become chaotic. Each with ambitions as high as the sky, causing utter pandemonium—what then? Better that none of them bear children, solving the problem at its root. Let the smarter ones bear the children. Look how beautifully the Emperor plays his hand.

However, Xia Ruqing still felt a bit of sympathy for Zhao Junyao.

Alas! Scheming against his own consorts, this man’s heart has probably been cold for a long time! No wonder they say it’s cold at the top!

Xia Ruqing was lost in thought when suddenly there came an announcement from outside.

"Noble Consort has arrived!"

In an instant, everyone was in an uproar! The Noble Consort... isn’t she still grounded? How long has it been since she last appeared?

Originally, because of the incident of ’Lady Wang’s suicide by hanging’, the Noble Consort had greatly angered the Emperor. In the end, she even lost custody of the Little Princess.

Now... after contemplating her mistakes for so many days, is she finally coming out? Is this the Emperor’s will, or...

Xia Ruqing, unruffled, stood up along with everyone else to pay respects.

"Greetings to the Noble Consort!"

「 」

Noble Consort Shih finally saw daylight again; these past months, she had almost been confined to death in Xifu Palace. After writing to her cousin to proactively admit her wrongs, she still failed to win his forgiveness. She could only endure the suffering bitterly.

She thought her cousin must have completely forgotten about her by now; he must have been sharing his bed with another woman long ago. But who would have thought? After a few months, her cousin actually ordered her release! And it was on the Empress’s Qianqiu Festival that he called for her release.

Though Noble Consort Shih looked haggard, her mind was as clear as a bright mirror. It must be... the Empress has done something again to displease the Emperor!

In the inner chamber of Jiaofang Hall, the Empress also received the news. She was so furious she could no longer contain herself and burst into sobs and sniffles. Sister Ji, Yu Lan, and the others knelt in a panic.

One said, "Your Highness, it’s your auspicious day; crying wouldn’t be good!"

Another said, "Your Highness, if you feel aggrieved, it’s better to cry it out than to keep it bottled up in your heart!"

The Empress glanced left and right and, unable to hold back her tears again, cried even harder. This time, she cried more painfully!

Alas...

Even Sister Ji couldn’t bear to watch. The Emperor’s mind is truly too difficult to fathom. It’s the Empress’s Qianqiu Festival, yet he lifts the Noble Consort’s confinement—what does this mean? How distressed Her Highness must feel!

What she didn’t know was that the Empress had already suffered one blow last night. Today, this was the second!

The Empress thought as she cried. She reviewed everything that had happened over the past few days, from beginning to end.

There was nothing out of the ordinary! The only thing that made me feel guilty was the incident when I kept Honored Lady Cheng behind, and the Emperor stumbled upon us! But that matter... didn’t I already admit to it at the time?! Let’s consider it a remedy!

Actually, she felt insecure deep down, still clinging to a sliver of hope. The Emperor surely wouldn’t care about such trivial matters!

Actually... far from it! Zhao Junyao never considered matters of progeny trivial! So... the severity of this incident was self-evident!

He had thought the Empress knew she was wrong and had changed for the better! He had even considered whether he should truly grant her a child!