A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace

Chapter 584: Sacrifice to Heaven

How could she leave the Little Princess alone in the palace for an entire day without care? How could her heart endure it?And besides, how could Sister Ji not go?

All of her trusted aides must go!

The Empress thought it over and over, and finally made a decision.

"Yu Fu shall stay to look after the Little Princess. Have someone go and summon Shih Jieyu!"

"Shih Jieyu!"

Sister Ji was immediately shocked.

"Empress, Shih Jieyu is... Are you not afraid..."

"Are you not afraid..."

The Empress interrupted her.

"Afraid of what? What is there to be afraid of?"

"Afraid she’ll grow up and find out? Afraid she’ll grow close to Shih Jieyu?"

"Sister, I cannot afford to care about that now!"he Empress!

SIGH...

This year’s allowance was far inferior to previous years.

The coal was subpar, and the quilts were second-rate.

In her quarters, she was even worse off than Honored Lady Du.

Her palace maids returned, complaining that only her quilt was second-rate, like those of the lower-ranked Ladies.

Not even like Honored Lady Du’s!

The daily meals were not even worth mentioning; they were sometimes even worse than what some lower-ranked Ladies received!

The room was cold, and wrapping herself up in two layers of quilts didn’t help!

The window paper wasn’t new either; it was full of little holes.

The north wind whistled through the gaps, burrowing straight into her neck from under the covers!

HEH...

Her past pride and lofty detachment were worthless in the palace! At this moment, how she longed for the past! The books say ’When one is well-fed and warm, one thinks of lustful pleasures’; that saying is indeed true. When you can’t eat your fill or wear warm clothes, you don’t have the luxury of thinking too much, let alone maintain any nobility, or hold onto a lifelong commitment to one person! How absurd! She was no longer the same person who had first entered the palace. If the Emperor were to summon her to serve now, she would immediately lie on the dragon bed. She might even undress herself, not troubling the Emperor to lift a finger. Just as long as... just as long as she doesn’t have to live like this anymore!

COUGH COUGH...

ACHOO!

"Hua Cha! Hua Cha!"

Honored Lady Jiang called out several times, but no one in the room responded.

Hua Cha was actually just outside and had heard her, but she just didn’t want to get up.

The room was too cold, and she knew her mistress couldn’t sleep soundly because of the cold. But who was to blame? The Empress had favored her so much at the beginning! She even had the chance to serve the Emperor. But what about her mistress? So arrogant. In her eyes, not even the Emperor was good enough for her! PAH! Had she lost her mind? Ruining a perfectly good life to end up like this; she must be satisfied now! What now? Regretting it now? Realized the importance of the Emperor’s favor? Want it now? Too bad, it’s too late! Who does she think the Emperor is? Someone she can summon or dismiss at will? Wishful thinking! Serving such a mistress, I’ve truly suffered eight lifetimes of bad luck. Look at Zi Su and Zi Ning, who entered the palace with me and now serve Consort Xian Pin! Their complexions are rosy, and they’re full of energy. They receive rewards every holiday. Just yesterday, I heard Consort Xian Pin even gave them quilts. New quilts that their mistress, Consort Xian Pin, had only used for a few months! On such a cold day, receiving those was like getting charcoal in snowy weather—a true blessing. Then look at my own mistress. Her own quilt isn’t even good enough, and look at the quality of what the Ministry of Internal Affairs provides her! It was incomparable! Never mind anyone else; I, Hua Cha, am utterly disheartened. Therefore, when her mistress called, she pretended not to hear!

Honestly, Honored Lady Du was pretty worried too; life was tough for her as well!

She had gathered all her valuable belongings and bribed the officials at the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

That was why the provisions she received were somewhat better.

But of course, no one else knew about this.

「...」

「Returning to Shih Jieyu.」

Early the next morning, Shih Jieyu got up before dawn.

She tidied up her things and headed for Jiaofang Hall.

Preparations in Jiaofang Hall had begun at the Yin Hour (around 3-5 am).

The Heaven Worship Ceremony could not be delayed, and the Empress needed to be splendidly attired.

All the members of the Harem had to come out to see off the Empress and the Empress Dowager as they left the palace.

Xia Ruqing and the others also had to rise early to see off the Empress and the Empress Dowager.

The Empress’s makeup was almost complete.

Seated before the dressing table, Yu Lan was arranging her hair.