Chapter 71 - 70 Feast of Wild Vegetables 1

"I love it, I love it so much! How did you find these? Did you go out to procure them yourself?"Xiao Weizi finally felt relieved. His spirits revived as he spoke, "Originally, I wasn’t the one who procured them. But my master said that since the Honored Lady and I are acquainted, he specifically assigned this task to me and sent me out to handle it." Xia Ruqing smiled. "Your master certainly knows how to please people. You’ve done your job well and deserve a reward!" With that, she had Zi Yue bring a packet of Silver Tokens, each worth Five Coins Money, containing about twenty in total. "This is your reward. Next time I crave these, I’ll call for you. Any leftover silver is yours!" Xiao Weizi was overjoyed and promptly kowtowed to express his gratitude. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something. He touched his head and bashfully turned back. "Look at my memory! My master asked me to inquire with the Honored Lady how these wild vegetables should be prepared, so the chefs can cook them accordingly." Xia Ruqing thought for a moment. "Wrap the noodle greens in flour and steam them directly in a steamer. For the Chinese toon sprouts, fry them with an egg for me. Mix the wild wormwood and shepherd’s purse, pick the tenderest tips, and stir-fry them briefly. Add a few more light dishes, and that should be about right." Xiao Weizi noted each instruction carefully, then bowed and took his leave. Having issued her instructions, Xia Ruqing contentedly reclined on her couch. Lounging with one leg casually crossed over the other and an arm cushioning her head, she awaited her delicious meal. Currently, all eyes and attention in the Harem were on the Noble Consort in Xifu Palace. Her life here, however, was delightful. No one bothered her or caused trouble. She spent her days eating, drinking, and doing as she pleased. I mean, what’s there to complain about in such a carefree life? As for the Noble Consort being pregnant and whether she would be jealous, Xia Ruqing thought, it’s better not to cause unnecessary trouble for herself. If she were to invoke the modern ideal of monogamy, she would, at best, be considered a mistress. After all, the Emperor’s principal wife is the Empress. What status does a mistress have in modern times? Like a rat scurrying across the street, everyone would shout to strike it down. She certainly wouldn’t be living the openly enjoyable life she had now. So, that modern notion of monogamy and the pursuit of love could go take a hike. And even if she were to pursue love, she should marry an unmarried man and become his principal wife first. But did she have a choice? Not really. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in the Harem, already one of the Emperor’s junior wives. The principal wife, the Empress, was expected to be virtuous and magnanimous, treating the junior wives kindly. What right did a junior wife like her have to be jealous?! Resigned as she was, life had to go on. All she could do was live her life well and cherish her days. Besides, apart from having a few too many junior wives, her husband possessed many virtues. For instance, he was handsome, and also rich... Furthermore, he was well-educated, reasonable, wouldn’t torment people senselessly, and wasn’t given to domestic abuse, among other things... Even in modern times, if one were to marry such a diamond bachelor, who could guarantee he wouldn’t fool around outside? As she was lost in these pleasant thoughts, an announcement suddenly came from outside. "The Emperor has arrived!" Xia Ruqing was startled and hurriedly got up. "Your Majesty!" Since Xia Ruqing hadn’t gone out today, she hadn’t properly dressed or adorned herself. Her hair was casually tied up, and she wore no jewelry. She’d found them uncomfortable while lying down earlier and had Zi Yue remove them all, so now... She felt a bit awkward. Strictly speaking, her current state was what one would call ’improperly attired.’ It was against etiquette. Rules, rules, why must there be so many blasted rules! Xia Ruqing complained inwardly. Zhao Junyao, however, didn’t seem to notice. He found a stool, sat down, and hastily drank some tea. He was in a terrible state because he... was suffering from ’heatiness’... and had a severely sore throat. His face was dark and gloomy when he entered. Xia Ruqing pondered for a moment. Aside from not practicing my calligraphy diligently, I haven’t done anything to anger him, have I? Thus, feeling no guilt, she stepped forward to pour him another cup of tea. "Emperor, would you like some more?" Zhao Junyao took it and drank it down in one gulp again, but still... he said nothing. His throat ached terribly. If it were a knife or sword wound, he wouldn’t even frown. But this kind of minor ailment, once it flared up, was the most maddening and exasperating. It took Xia Ruqing a while to notice. Beside the corner of his mouth, under the faint stubble, was a small pimple. Combining that with his agitated state, she deduced: The Emperor must be... suffering from heatiness. In fact, Xia Ruqing guessed right; Zhao Junyao really was suffering from heatiness. The reason was that after spending two days at the Noble Consort’s residence and eating too much rich food, he had developed heatiness. Xia Ruqing found this both laughable and lamentable. Indeed, the meals at the Noble Consort’s palace were now all rich dishes designed to replenish qi and enrich the blood. For a young, strong man like him to eat those things, it would be a wonder if he *didn’t* develop heatiness! "Emperor, please open your mouth. Allow this servant to look at your throat." With heatiness, the tonsils would become inflamed. Although people in ancient times didn’t have this specific term, the illness was the same. Zhao Junyao, his face sullen, showed no intention of cooperating. "What’s there to look at, I..." His voice was raspy, his throat in agony; he couldn’t get the words out. But for the sake of his dignity, he still pretended nothing was amiss. He took another sip of tea to soothe his throat before managing to give an order. "Bring some cold water for me to drink..." His voice was extremely hoarse, and his eyes were bloodshot. It seemed quite severe. Xia Ruqing thought for a moment, then spoke as if cajoling a child, "Emperor, you’ve developed heatiness. Please let this servant take a look... If you are unwilling, then this servant will have no choice but to call for the Imperial Physician..." With the Dragon’s health compromised, she couldn’t just let him be—this was a serious matter! Zhao Junyao’s Adam’s apple bobbed. In the end, he reluctantly complied. Because... he didn’t want to summon the Imperial Physician. Every time he developed heatiness and saw the Imperial Physician, those old men would start talking about... ’excessive dampness,’ ’vigorous liver fire,’ ’disharmony from spleen and stomach yin deficiency,’ and a whole load of other nonsense. The mountain of medicine was one thing, but the main issue was that he’d also have to starve for two days... This... this was rather difficult to endure. His stomach, though not made of gold and jade, had never actually starved before. This kind of fuss would go on for days, causing a huge disturbance and leaving everyone on edge. Eventually, he couldn’t be bothered to call the Imperial Physician anymore. He’d rather bear the pain and wait for it to pass. And now... "Emperor, this servant believes there’s no need to call for the Imperial Physician!" It’s just a bit of heatiness, hardly a major issue! Zhao Junyao remained silent, a look of approval on his face as he nodded. Hmm, quite so, I think so too. For lunch, in addition to the wild vegetables Xia Ruqing had requested, she also instructed the Imperial Kitchen to prepare a tureen of soup with white fungus and lotus seeds. She specifically added, "Do not remove the hearts of the lotus seeds!" White fungus and lotus seeds nourish the body and clear heatiness—perfectly suitable, no issues there. Lunch was served dish by dish. There was steamed noodle greens, stir-fried tender wild greens, Chinese toon sprouts fried with eggs, white fungus and lotus seed soup, and several other light side dishes.