CHAPTER 101: CHAPTER 100 QINGYA RESIDENCE

Xia Ruqing pondered for a moment, then dismissed the thought.

In the future, I’d better not seek out such unpleasantness. What friends are there to make when everyone is a rival in love?

As the three of them were talking, a Little Palace Maid suddenly rushed in to report that an incident had occurred at Zhaohua Pavilion.

"What? An incident at Zhaohua Pavilion? What happened?" Xia Ruqing’s heart sank as she quickly asked.

The Little Palace Maid, gasping for breath, couldn’t explain clearly. Xia Ruqing immediately broke into a run.

Zi Yue’s face turned pale with fright, and she hurriedly followed.

"Mistress, please slow down!"

Before Zi Yue could finish, Xia Ruqing had vanished.

She chuckled to herself; all those health supplements she’d taken certainly hadn’t been for nothing.

「Upon reaching Zhaohua Pavilion」

Xia Ruqing entered and was immediately stunned.

The rear part of the room she lived in had completely collapsed.

Xiao Xizi dropped to his knees in terror.

"Mistress, this servant went in to look—the main support pillar has broken!" he reported.

Xia Ruqing stood there dumbstruck; it took her a long moment to regain her senses.

Then she murmured, "It’s not even my zodiac animal year of misfortune. The bed collapsed a while ago, and now the roof beam support has caved in..."

How could she be so unlucky? She realized that managing to survive this, she was truly fortunate!

The collapse of the building was a major incident, alarming even the Empress Dowager.

"Lady Xia? Is that the Lady Xia who stayed in Zhaochen Palace for a month?"

Sister Qing promptly confirmed it.

The Empress Dowager scoffed. "Hmph! A mere Honored Lady, yet she creates such a stir. First one thing collapses, then another falls. In this harem, what schemes haven’t We witnessed! To attract the Emperor’s attention, they’ll truly stoop to anything!"

Sister Qing found it difficult to interject and, after a few vague murmurs, changed the subject.

After Emperor Zhao Junyao concluded the morning court session, he was discussing matters with his ministers. It wasn’t until lunchtime that the incident was reported to him.

He calmly uttered just two words: "Investigate it!"

Li Shengan dared not delay, knowing Lady Xia was currently in favor. He quickly selected some of the most capable individuals from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to investigate.

Indeed, less than a Shi Chen later, they had the results.

It turned out that the supporting pillar (the one holding up the main beam) was in disrepair from years of neglect. Compounded by the recent spell of continuous rain, the air had grown damp. The base of the pillar, where it had snapped, was entirely moldy and rotten. Furthermore, there were traces of something having gnawed on it.

Xia Ruqing found the sight deeply unsettling.

"No wonder I’ve been smelling a woodsy scent lately," she murmured.

So, something had been gnawing at the pillar.

As for... what exactly had gnawed it, no one knew.

They even dug up the floorboards, but there was nothing underneath.

The personnel from the Ministry of Internal Affairs investigated for two days without any conclusive findings.

It must be some small insects, like ants, perhaps... Xia Ruqing mused.

Seeing that the investigation yielded no results, Emperor Zhao Junyao could only comment, "Perhaps it was gnawed by insects."

He was the Emperor, not a carpenter; he truly had no expertise in such matters.

"Fortunately, no one was injured..."

Although Emperor Zhao Junyao appeared composed, inwardly, he was deeply shaken by what could have happened. He couldn’t bear to imagine how he would have reacted if anything had befallen Xia Ruqing.

Xia Ruqing, too, felt a lingering fear.

Another escape from the jaws of death. Is this the heavens’ compensation for me?

With Zhaohua Pavilion uninhabitable, Emperor Zhao Junyao immediately issued an order: "Lady Xia is granted residence in Qingya Residence."

Qingya Residence was situated just in front of Zhaohua Pavilion and was also next to Honored Lady Hu’s Lijing Pavilion.

After expressing her gratitude for the decree, Xia Ruqing thought to herself, Why can’t I seem to avoid this Honored Lady Hu? Heaven must have sent her to pile on my calamities and difficulties!

But regardless, the imperial edict had been issued, and nothing could change it. Xia Ruqing packed her valuables and moved in that very day.

「Jiaofang Hall」

The Empress had been living on tenterhooks recently.

Why? Because of a guilty conscience.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs had an annual budget of several thousand silver taels for inspecting every palace. Any problems found were to be promptly repaired; even if no issues were discovered, a comprehensive check was still mandatory. Several thousand silver taels was not a small sum.

To make the ledgers look better, the Empress had directly slashed this expenditure, changing the inspections to once every two years.

How could Zhao Junyao not be aware of this? But he no longer wished to argue with the Empress over these trivial, messy affairs.

He simply issued a decree: "Henceforth, if such an incident occurs again in the palace, the Steward of the Ministry of Internal Affairs shall be immediately caned to death!"

The decree was received by Hai Dasheng, the Steward of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. When he rose, his trousers were soaked, and a puddle of yellowish liquid lay beneath him. He had genuinely wet himself from fear.

The Great Chu Dynasty’s governance was founded on benevolence and filial piety. Throughout its history, caning a Palace Attendant to death was rare; to cane a high-ranking steward to death was an event unheard of in a century. But the Emperor had issued the edict, and this was no laughing matter.

Zhao Junyao had always acted in this manner. He either didn’t make a move, but when he did, it was always a decisive blow, leaving absolutely no leeway!

Having received the imperial edict, Hai Dasheng spent half a month meticulously inspecting every residence of the minor consorts in the palace, checking them thoroughly, inside and out, from front to back. The repairs alone, covering everything from top to bottom, amounted to more than ten thousand silver taels.

When the Empress saw the actual expenses, she felt it was excessive and tried to intervene, remarking, "These expenses could cover two or three years."

Hai Dasheng retorted directly, "Your Majesty, please don’t mind this servant’s bluntness. You’ve seen the Emperor’s edict, and this servant also wishes to live a few more years!"

The Empress fell silent, her cheeks burning with shame.

The Emperor had indirectly slapped her in the face!

Of course, this was all an epilogue.

Xia Ruqing moved into Qingya Residence, and it took her two days to get everything properly arranged.

She explored every nook and cranny of Qingya Residence and then sighed in admiration, "No wonder this place is called Qingya Residence. This environment truly is tranquil and refined..."

Qingya Residence was not remote; in fact, it was even larger than Zhaohua Pavilion. The courtyard was also bigger. The rear courtyard still had the usual row of servant quarters, a well, and a washroom, but little else.

In the front courtyard, aside from the main hall, small gardens flanked each side. They were filled with various flowers, though none were thriving; indeed, they looked wilted and on the verge of dying.

Before the windows of the main hall stood a row of Xiangfei Bamboo. From inside the room, one could hear the wind rustling through the bamboo leaves, the breeze itself carrying a refreshing scent.

"Tranquil... it’s indeed very tranquil!" she murmured.

"Do you like it?"

A sudden voice startled Xia Ruqing.

"Emperor, what brings you here?"

It was noon, and the sun outside was already brutally scorching. Xia Ruqing looked over and saw beads of sweat on his profile.

She helped the Emperor remove his outer robe and then personally brought him a bowl of chilled tea.

Zhao Junyao took a sip before speaking. "I finished reviewing the memorials and, having no other pressing matters, decided to come over. So... is everything arranged?"

Xia Ruqing nodded.

"Do you like it here? If not, we can change it," Zhao Junyao said.

"I like it, Emperor. Please don’t change it. I like it here," Xia Ruqing replied.

"Oh?"

Seeing his expectant expression, she explained, "I like this large courtyard. Later, I can set up a vegetable garden, and over there, I can build a grape trellis!"

Zhao Junyao was speechless.

As expected, she’s still thinking about food!