Chapter 50 - 49: No If’s

Little Zhuzi let out a sigh of relief. "Master, don’t worry, everyone still wants their heads on their shoulders!" Not even a whisper about Lady Xia staying in Zhaochen Palace had reached the Harem! Li Shengan felt at ease and also went to rest. He still needed to get up early tomorrow to serve! ... Early the next morning, Xia Ruqing rose early to serve the Emperor his breakfast. "Have you taken your medicine?" Zhao Junyao asked. "Emperor, I will take the medicine after I eat!" Zhao Junyao nodded. Xia Ruqing stood to the side. Seeing that the Emperor had finished eating, she timely offered him a cup of tea. She now... did not have the qualification to share a meal at the same table with the Emperor. At most, she could set up a small table to the side with her own meal, or wait until the Emperor had finished before she could sit down to eat. However, rules are dead, while people are alive. "Sit down and eat!" Zhao Junyao looked at her. "Yes!" Xia Ruqing was delighted! She was hungry too; her stomach had already been growling. Although the meals from the Imperial Kitchen were still standard, having something to eat was always better than nothing. Besides, she couldn’t eat anything too greasy or rich now, and the simple fare from the Imperial Kitchen was just right! Zhao Junyao’s breakfast was very simple: steamed buns, porridge, and a few light side dishes. Of course, there was also a dazzling array of good-looking but less delicious dishes, and a huge variety of poultry, meat, and delicacies from land and sea. But what Zhao Junyao loved to eat, what he often ate, were still those few ordinary items! Xia Ruqing ate two large steamed buns. They were delicate and translucent, with thin skin and generous filling, very delicious. She also had a bowl of porridge. Seeing Xia Ruqing enjoying her meal, Zhao Junyao felt inexplicably contented. He just thought this little girl wasn’t picky; her mind was pure. The Imperial Physician said that during her growth spurt, her nutrition hadn’t kept up; she must have had a hard life at home. No wonder all she thought about was eating. In fact, the less she asked for anything from him, the more he wanted to give her, the more he wanted to cherish her! On the contrary, those who schemed and complained about receiving too little, he would grow even more displeased with. That was human nature. People in ancient times might not have understood what human nature was, but humans, after all, are all the same! After that, Zhao Junyao specifically instructed Li Shengan, "Pay extra attention to Zhaohua Pavilion and tell the Imperial Kitchen to serve her well." At the very least, she needed to eat and drink well; keeping her body in good health was the most important thing. An Emperor’s woman, if she was weak due to poor diet, wouldn’t that be an embarrassment to him! "Yes!" From then on, Li Shengan regarded Lady Xia even more highly than before. This Honored Lady is smart; her days of favor are far from over. Who knows what the future holds? It’s always right to show her more respect! ... After breakfast, Zi Yue brought over the medicine. Xia Ruqing didn’t hesitate; she picked up the bowl and drank it all. Li Shengan then led the eunuchs to clear away the imperial meal and clean up. Seeing that the Emperor had not yet gone to the Imperial Study Room, Xia Ruqing asked, "Emperor, are you not busy today?" "Emperor, your servant’s illness has mostly healed. Perhaps... your servant should return to her own quarters to recuperate?" Xia Ruqing asked cautiously. It had been two days. The Emperor hadn’t said she could leave, so she didn’t dare to go. But staying in Zhaochen Palace for a day or two was acceptable; any longer, and she could easily be discovered by others, which would be troublesome. Zhao Junyao only attended court after the fifteenth of the month. He now went to the Imperial Study Room every day just to review memorials. Hearing Xia Ruqing’s question, Zhao Junyao thought for a moment, then nodded. "Tonight, I will send someone to take you back!" Xia Ruqing quickly thanked him, "Thank you, Emperor!" Having said this, Zhao Junyao went to the Imperial Study Room and did not return until it was almost time for lunch. Xia Ruqing continued to serve him. After lunch, Zhao Junyao lay down on the couch for a midday rest. Xia Ruqing was held in his embrace, and soon she felt drowsy. Just as she was about to fall asleep, Zhao Junyao suddenly asked, "Sometimes I wonder, what would it be like if I hadn’t been born into the imperial family?" Xia Ruqing, hearing this in a daze, her brain still too sluggish to process it, replied, "Perhaps you would have been a scholar, studying hard for ten years. Or maybe a soldier, a businessman, a porter, a farmer... all those are possible!" "And what would that be like?" Zhao Junyao asked again. "It would be very tough! Manual labor is exhausting!" Xia Ruqing mumbled drowsily. In her previous life, after her grandmother passed away, she had supported herself alone, doing all kinds of dirty and tiring jobs—that was truly an arduous life, like trying to squeeze oil from stones. Zhao Junyao chuckled, then asked, "And you? If you hadn’t entered the palace, what would it be like?" Xia Ruqing became a bit more alert. She opened her eyes, thought for a moment, and said, "I would have been married off by my stepmother, and... it wouldn’t have been to a good family!" Even if she hadn’t entered the palace, fulfilling the dream of ’one lifetime, one couple’ was impossible. In ancient times, unless a man was extremely poor, he would have concubines or Chamber Maids. It was just a question of how many mistresses he had. So, what difference was there between one or two, and a hundred? Her life would still be filled with the daily grind of firewood, rice, oil, and salt, and it would certainly be tougher than it was now. After all, was there anyone richer than the Emperor? Probably not, right? It was better to enter the palace than to be controlled by her stepmother and married off to a man of questionable character and poor upbringing, only to live in poverty and endure mistreatment. Although the Emperor’s concubines could nearly form a company, she didn’t regret it. At the very least, the Emperor was handsome, wealthy, well-educated, and reasonable. She could live a good life; wasn’t being well-fed and well-cared for, like now, quite good? What more could she ask for? She was just a weak woman, without any notable abilities, unable to change anything. All she could do was accept and adapt! The only thing she could do was live well, wasn’t it? Zhao Junyao patted her on the back. "Go to sleep!" "Mm!" Xia Ruqing obediently closed her eyes. After that, the Imperial Kitchen took even greater care with the meals for Zhaohua Pavilion. Within her allotted provisions, the meals were as exquisite as possible. Although her status remained low, her life had improved vastly compared to when she first arrived. However, while her life grew comfortable, far away in Zhuoshui County, the life of Xia Jingfeng, the legitimate second son of the Xia Family, became somewhat hard to describe. In the past few months, under the tutelage of the failed scholar Mr. Du, Xia Jingfeng had made significant progress in his studies. In his daily life, with the thousands of taels of silver provided by Xia Ruqing, he hadn’t suffered much hardship. Yet, good times are always brief. On the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, early in the morning, the honest and loyal Assistant Fu returned from buying groceries. From afar, he saw a luxurious carriage parked at the entrance of the small courtyard. Not good! Madam must have come looking! Assistant Fu quickly turned around and hurried back through the rear entrance. At that moment, in Xia Jingfeng’s study, Lady Yao was there with her pair of three-year-old children, crying pitifully. "Jingfeng, Mother knows you are a sensible child. "During these few months you’ve been away, I’ve thought of you every day, afraid you weren’t eating enough or keeping warm. The weather is so cold, and with you living here without anyone proper to look after you, Mother has been worried! "Good child, it’s almost New Year’s; come back to the estate with Mother. "It will also stop the gossip. Your father is waiting at home for you, good boy!"