CHAPTER 27: CHAPTER 26: MERLIN BREWING TEA

"Applying it to the face, it truly moisturizes the skin..." she said, while touching her cheeks.

"You..." Honored Lady Hu’s eyes widened furiously! That wretched Lady Xia is doing this on purpose!

Suddenly, her anger turned to delight. "I just don’t know if the Emperor still favors you as before! I heard..."

"No need for hearsay! I am still living quite well, so Honored Lady Hu needn’t worry!" Xia Ruqing retorted.

On the inside, she longed to tear the other woman apart, but on the surface, she still used cloying terms like ’sister.’ How disgusting, she thought.

"You dare speak to me like that!" Honored Lady Hu was enraged.

"Why wouldn’t I dare? We are all Honored Ladies, equal in status," Xia Ruqing replied coolly. "Besides, I didn’t sleep well last night and need to catch up on some sleep. I’ll take my leave first!"

With that, Xia Ruqing left with Zi Yue.

Honored Lady Hu was left practically trembling with rage. "You...!" she sputtered, glaring at Xia Ruqing’s retreating back for a long time, unable to form a complete sentence. Finally, she could only manage a curse. "Just you wait!"

Then she stormed off with her palace maids.

「...」

In the early days of the twelfth lunar month, several more snowfalls occurred. The Imperial Garden was bleak and withered everywhere, except for the Red Plum Grove. There, the plum blossoms bloomed proudly through the snow, their color as vibrant as rosy clouds.

Xia Ruqing’s Zhaohua Pavilion was very close to the plum grove. It was just a right turn out her door and a short walk along the palace path into the Imperial Garden to reach it.

Hearing that the red plums were in bloom, Xia Ruqing was delighted.

"Zi Yue, bring the tea stove. Let’s go to the plum grove to enjoy the snow and view the flowers."

"Oh... right, also bring the writing brush and ink. I want to write poetry!"

I’ve practiced my calligraphy for so long, it’s finally time to show off! she thought. Imagine: a beauty in the Red Plum Grove, her slender, jade-like hands brewing tea and composing poetry!

Xia Ruqing began to revel in this image. There’s no helping it. Heaven gave me such a beautiful appearance, so I might as well play the part of a quiet, beautiful lady.

Zi Yue’s lips twitched. "My Lady, your calligraphy..."

Your calligraphy will ruin the scene, won’t it, My Lady?

Xia Ruqing shot her a glance, and Zi Yue immediately put down what she was doing. "This servant will make the arrangements right away!"

With that, she ran off faster than a rabbit.

White is the best color to wear when admiring red plums!

Xia Ruqing dressed in a beige palace outfit embroidered with subtle patterns, over which she wore a plain white cloak bordered with a ring of goose down. When the wind blew, the goose down softly caressed her cheeks, giving her an ethereal charm that was also adorable.

"What should we wear on our feet? Ordinary shoes will get wet after just a few steps," Zi Yue fretted.

"Can clogs be worn? What do the others wear?"

"The noble ladies all have boots made of sheepskin or deerskin. We only have velvet boots, and they get wet easily too!"

"Oh..." Xia Ruqing murmured, then pondered. Velvet boots are slippery. I might as well wear clogs. They won’t get wet, and they prevent slipping. Though they might not be very warm, that’s still better than falling!

"Find a pair of thick socks to wear with the clogs!" Xia Ruqing decided firmly.

"Alright..." Zi Yue nodded and went to fetch them.

「...」

Once ready, Xia Ruqing set out with Zi Yue and Xiao Xizi.

After entering the Red Plum Grove and walking a short distance, they arrived at the Hexagonal Plum Pavilion. Silk curtains were hung all around the pavilion, making Zi Yue hesitate.

"Could someone already be here? Why is the pavilion enclosed!" Zi Yue frowned.

Xia Ruqing also saw this. When she went in to look, she found charcoal basins placed all around, making the pavilion warm and cozy.

"It seems someone has gotten here before us!" she remarked.

"Could it be that some noble lady is also coming?" Xiao Xizi, the eunuch, asked.

"Why don’t we wait a bit? If someone is really here, we can just head back," Xia Ruqing suggested. Sometimes a noble lady leaves, and the place hasn’t been cleared up yet.

"Let’s leave our things here for now and go see the plum blossoms first," she then instructed.

"Wonderful!" Zi Yue exclaimed.

"Xiao Xizi, didn’t you bring scissors? Let’s go cut a few plum blossoms for the vase first!"

"Yes, My Lady!" Xiao Xizi happily complied. He hadn’t just brought scissors; he’d thoughtfully brought a vase too, knowing it would be crude to carry such beautiful plum blossoms by hand.

The trio of master and servants set off merrily.

The Red Plum Grove in the Imperial Garden was under the special care of a eunuch who pruned and tended to the trees meticulously, resulting in an exceptionally dense bloom. Amidst the heavy snow, clusters of fiery red blossoms bloomed vibrantly. Each petal, bearing a delicate layer of snow, was immensely beautiful. The snow here wasn’t swept away, as it was left for the noble masters and ladies to enjoy.

"These red plums are blooming so beautifully!"

Xia Ruqing, wearing wooden clogs, made soft CRUNCHING sounds as she trod on the thick snow. Zi Yue supported her mistress, while Xiao Xizi followed behind, carefully holding the vase.

The trio roamed for a full shi chen before the vase was finally filled.

"It’s so hard to choose; every branch is perfect!" Xia Ruqing exclaimed, holding the vase, her eyes glued to the flowers.

In my modern life, I saw plum blossoms in parks too, but the moment they bloomed, the places would be swarming with people! Hordes of people would surround a single tree, all vying to take photos with their cellphones. It completely ruined the atmosphere! How could that compare to the beauty here? White snow, red plums, red walls, and green tiles... Looking at the ground, you see specks of red plum petals scattered on the snow—an incredibly beautiful scene!

Xia Ruqing realized she had a condition: whenever she saw something beautiful, her eyes would be uncontrollably drawn to it. She admired the view for over another full shi chen and still hadn’t had her fill.

"My Lady? Weren’t you going to write poetry?" Zi Yue asked with a smile.

Xia Ruqing slapped her forehead. "Oh dear! I completely forgot."

I promised myself I’d be a quiet, beautiful lady. Can’t forget that, can’t forget that.

"Let’s go! We’ll go back and see. Maybe the pavilion is unoccupied now!"

"Yes, My Lady!"

Holding the vase filled with plum blossoms, Xia Ruqing headed back to the Hexagonal Plum Pavilion.

The pavilion was still empty, with only the curtains swaying gently in the wind. If there was any change, it was that the charcoal basins had made the pavilion even warmer.

Zi Yue looked around. Seeing no one, she couldn’t help but mutter, "Which noble lady was it? Perhaps... she isn’t coming after all!"

"That’s possible," Xiao Xizi nodded in agreement.

Xia Ruqing thought for a moment, then said, "Let’s go in first. If someone comes, we can make way for them then."

"That sounds good!" Zi Yue and Xiao Xizi agreed.

With that, the three of them entered the pavilion.

"It really is warm!" Xia Ruqing exclaimed, warming her frozen, red hands by one of the charcoal basins.

Xiao Xizi laid out the brush, ink, and paper on the stone table, also placing the vase of plum blossoms there. Zi Yue placed cotton cushions on the stone benches and took out the small tea stove from their basket, setting it up. Everything was arranged and ready.

"You two, come warm your hands too!" Xia Ruqing invited them.

"No rush, My Lady," Xiao Xizi said with a good-natured smile. "Let this servant boil the tea first. You can drink some hot tea before writing."

It would be even better with some wine! Xia Ruqing mused.

"My Lady, if you want to drink, you should go back to your pavilion to do so. Drinking here would cause quite a scene!" Zi Yue quickly advised. Honestly, her mistress was so full of unpredictable whims!

Xia Ruqing spread her hands. "I was just thinking aloud!"

The tea was soon boiling, and the rice paper was laid out. Xia Ruqing drank a bowl of hot tea and then prepared to compose her poem.

Zi Yue ground the ink stick, while Xiao Xizi sat to one side, looking at his mistress with an adoring gaze. Although... I don’t know when My Lady learned to compose poetry, but... I’m sure it will be amazing!

Xia Ruqing focused her thoughts for a moment, then dredged up a few plum blossom poems she had memorized in her past life. She picked up the brush and, mimicking Zhao Junyao’s manner, dipped it generously into the dark ink.

Just as she was about to put brush to paper, a sudden angry shout came from outside the pavilion!