Chapter 46 - 45 New Year’s Eve

On the way back to Zhaohua Pavilion, Xiao Xizi said bitterly, "Once he’s in the Punishment Department, we shall see just how tough his mouth really is!" Xia Ruqing gave a cold smile. "It’s not that tough! Such people are loyal to whoever feeds them; if nothing unexpected happens, he’ll confess soon enough!" "Really?" "Just wait and see!" 「...」 By the time they returned to Zhaohua Pavilion, it was almost noon. Xia Ruqing hadn’t slept well the night before and, without even eating lunch, collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep instantly. Xiao Xizi went to the Imperial Kitchen to get some coarse rice porridge and a few small side dishes, which she kept warm by steaming them over a stove. Zi Yue, meanwhile, had selected a set of clothes, matched them with jewelry, and had someone boil a large pot of hot water, ready for use. When Xia Ruqing woke up, the sky was almost dark. "My lady, the bathwater is ready. I will attend to your bath!" Zi Yue said. "Good!" Waking up, she felt refreshed, yet her stomach growled with hunger. "Is there anything to eat? I’m hungry!" Xia Ruqing asked. It’s hard to eat well at banquets, anyway. "Yes!" Zi Yue said with a smile. "Would you like to eat something first?" "Hmm!" Xia Ruqing nodded. After washing her face and rinsing her mouth with light salt water, Xia Ruqing ate half a steamed bun with some side dishes and drank a bowl of coarse rice porridge. Only then did she feel somewhat better. After soaking in a hot bath and getting dressed, including her jewelry, the time had come. The New Year’s Eve banquet was held in Jiaofang Hall, and Xia Ruqing arrived neither too early nor too late. Consort Yun and Honored Lady Hu had not come, and Noble Concubine Shih had not arrived either. Only a few Princess Consorts, along with Consort Ning, Consort Hui Pin, and others, were present. After exchanging greetings with each one, Xia Ruqing sat down in her designated seat. They waited for about half an hour. The Empress, along with Noble Concubine Shih and several Imperial Noble Consorts, escorted the Empress Dowager in. "Mother, please walk slowly! Be careful of the steps!" the Empress said with a charming smile. "Hmm!" The Empress Dowager maintained a superficial smile. Although their stances differed, the Empress was, after all, the Empress, and the reputation of the Royal Family was paramount. Seeing the Empress Dowager arrive, everyone paid their respects before taking their seats. The Empress Dowager scanned the room and then smiled. "Princess Consort Yan, it’s been several years since you were last in the capital. You’ve finally returned this year!" Xia Ruqing followed the Empress Dowager’s gaze. She saw a noblewoman, around thirty-five or thirty-six years old, dressed in a dark green brocade gown with subtle patterns. The jewelry adorning her head was both luxurious and unique. Her face was full of smiles, making her appear gentle and affable. This must be Princess Consort Yan! According to the family hierarchy, she and the Empress Dowager are indeed direct sisters-in-law. Xia Ruqing thought. Hearing the Empress Dowager’s words, a complex look flashed in Princess Consort Yan’s eyes before she stood up with a smile. "The Prince’s leg has been unwell, causing the Empress Dowager concern." "Please, sit down, sit down. We’re all family here; there’s no need for such elaborate etiquette! Today, it’s most important that we all have a joyous New Year’s celebration!" "Yes!" Princess Consort Yan was very respectful and sat down with a smile. However, Xia Ruqing managed to catch that momentary, complex look in her eyes. She rubbed her eyes and looked again, but the expression had vanished. Did I see it wrong? Xia Ruqing wondered. Nevertheless, she still felt something was off about Princess Consort Yan. As to what exactly felt off, she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Regardless, something just wasn’t right. When the singing and dancing began, Xia Ruqing cast all these thoughts aside and focused intently on watching the beautiful performers. With the Emperor not present, the Consorts had lost their usual competitive spirits and were much quieter than usual. The Empress Dowager conversed amicably with a few Imperial Noble Consorts and Imperial Concubines, with the Empress chiming in from time to time. Noble Concubine Shih also tried to make her presence felt but was glared into silence by the Empress Dowager. As for the others, the Princess Consorts who had accompanied their Princes to their fiefdoms, and had rarely returned for a gathering, were engaging in pleasant small talk. The entire New Year’s Eve banquet was certainly not lacking in liveliness. The banquet continued until Hai Hour (9-11 pm), followed by the New Year’s tradition of staying up late to eat dumplings. Xia Ruqing didn’t know about others, but she was utterly exhausted. By the time she returned to Zhaohua Pavilion after finishing the dumplings, she had almost fallen asleep halfway there. The very next morning, she had to drag herself out of bed early again to participate in the royal ancestral worship. By the time all these elaborate ceremonies were concluded, the first day of the New Year had also come to an end. On the second day of the New Year, by imperial grace, consorts of the Third Rank and above were permitted to have their female relatives visit them in the palace. However, this had basically nothing to do with Xia Ruqing; she finally managed to get a full night’s sleep. The Empress was busy, so there was no need to pay respects these days. When she woke up, it was already Si Hour (around 9-11 am), which meant it was around ten in the morning. Seeing the warm winter sun shining through the window, Xia Ruqing hugged her quilt and stretched lazily. It’s finally over! Celebrating the New Year in ancient times was truly exhausting! There were so many rules; it was enough to overwhelm a person with trivialities! "Mistress, it’s time to get up, or you’ll miss lunch!" "Is it that late already?" "Indeed it is! The sun rises late in winter!" "Alright then!" Xia Ruqing was indeed hungry by then. "For lunch, just ask the Imperial Kitchen to send some dough and filling over. Let’s make dumplings!" She didn’t even know what the dumplings from New Year’s Eve tasted like; it was quite possible she had swallowed them whole without even tasting them. Since arriving in ancient times, she had never slept so late! "Yes, Mistress!" Zi Yue acknowledged and went out to instruct Xiao Xizi. 「...」 At noon, the mistress and her two servants made dumplings by hand, cooked them in a small charcoal pot, and shared them. It felt like they were making up for the New Year they’d missed. In the afternoon, Xia Ruqing had nothing to do and felt a little uncomfortable at the lack of festive atmosphere in the room. "Zi Yue, find some red silk. Let’s cut out some window paper-cuts to put up!" These should have been prepared around the 27th or 28th of the twelfth lunar month, but who would have thought I’d be inexplicably pulled into the poisoned cheese incident. What bad luck! But... no one is going to ruin my good days! Some people wished for my death, but I am determined to live well! She relished the thought of certain people hating her yet being powerless to bring her down. How satisfying! HAHAHA... "Mistress, why use red silk? Aren’t window paper-cuts always made from red paper?" "Red paper isn’t durable and fades easily. Red silk looks much better!" "Oh..." Zi Yue obediently went to the small storage room and brought back half a bolt of red silk. "It’s so soft; how do we cut it?" Xia Ruqing looked at it, then asked Xiao Xizi to boil some glutinous rice paste. She brushed a thin layer over the red silk and then dried it with a charcoal fire. The soft red silk immediately stiffened. "There, that should do it, right?" Xia Ruqing said with a proud expression. Zi Yue’s eyes practically sparkled. "Mistress, you have so many wonderful ideas!" Once stiffened, this red silk would look much more beautiful than red paper! "Of course! Go trace the patterns, and I’ll do the cutting!" Xia Ruqing said cheerfully. "Yes, Mistress!" Zi Yue went off happily. That afternoon, the mistress and servant managed to cut out ten window paper-cuts. Xia Ruqing was so tired that she couldn’t even straighten her back. However, seeing Xiao Xizi stick them up one by one, the room instantly became joyful and festive. Xia Ruqing felt the effort was worth it. "If someone doesn’t want us to live well, we insist on living well!" Being able to clear her name was a great relief and a true moment of triumph for her. Zi Yue sighed. "I wonder how the investigation by the Punishment Department is progressing!" Actually, she wasn’t truly worried that the Punishment Department wouldn’t be able to uncover the truth. What concerned her was that, even if they did reach a verdict, the matter might be suppressed again to protect the Royal Family’s reputation. "Regardless, we’ve done everything we can!" Xia Ruqing wasn’t worried at all.