CHAPTER 617: CHAPTER 617: HAPPY AS A CHILD

During that time, the Empress kept dreaming that she was plotted against by the Emperor and died.

Every time she saw the Emperor, she grew even more afraid; her movements and expressions turned stiff, and she dared not harbor any thoughts thereafter.

In fact, Zhao Junyao had no intention of dealing with her. It was just a warning, but he never expected to scare her like this.

Could it be that she has a guilty conscience? Hmph!

The matter of the Fan Family could not be kept secret in the Harem. On the surface, all seemed calm, but in reality, the gossip spread wildly.

The most pleased was the Noble Consort.

"Hmph! The Fan Family deserves their current plight!"

"This palace is eager to see how long she can remain on her throne as Empress!"

Ying Qiu stood to one side and dared not speak.

When the Empress Dowager received the news, she was neither pleased nor displeased. It was as if it had nothing to do with her, and indeed, it did not concern the Empress Dowager at all.

The other concubines—those loyal to the Empress—were worried for a time and pondered what they should do if the Empress fell. Those who did not find favor in the Empress’s presence felt nothing. If the Empress fell, someone else would take her place; it was not their turn anyway. This matter was an affair of the court; it would be best not to get involved.

For a time, everyone held their peace and dared not discuss it.

April quickly passed by, and May arrived, bringing much warmer weather.

"Oh dear! Summer is almost here!" Xia Ruqing was very happy.

Looking at the green grape clusters hanging on the arbor in the courtyard, she spoke with contentment, "Zi Yue, we have finished the grape wine, haven’t we!"

Zi Yue thought for a moment. "Only a little is left, almost all gone!"

Xia Ruqing laughed proudly. "Look, it’s very popular indeed!"

"This year, I’ll brew some more, and yes, I want rice wine too. I’ve been craving sweet fermented rice balls!"

"I don’t know if the rice wine I make will taste good, but oh well, let’s try it out!"

After all, there’s nothing to do, right? It’s good to lean on a big tree for shade!

As they were talking, Xiao Xizi came in from outside, carrying a not-too-large basket in her hands.

"What’s that?"

Xiao Xizi approached mysteriously and said, "My lady, can you guess?"

Xia Ruqing casually picked up a toy and threw it over, scolding with a smile, "Pah! I’m not guessing!"

Xiao Xizi chuckled and hurried forward, opening the basket.

Xia Ruqing took one look and her eyes lit up. "Oh my, it’s lychees!"

She was astounded that such a thing was available at this time. But on second thought, it was already May and the weather was quite hot; further south, it must be even hotter. The lychees were ripe, so... perhaps it wasn’t so strange? Oh, this is the ancient past; who knows if the climate was the same. In any case, she wasn’t very knowledgeable about this.

"Where did they come from?" Xia Ruqing asked.

Xiao Xizi smiled mysteriously. "Little Zhuzi brought them; he said these are the earliest ripe fruits from the south, the very first crop of the ripest ones, the absolute top quality!"

"Picked straight from the tree and chilled with ice, they were transported all the way here from the south, TSK TSK!"

"There’s only one basket in total!"

"All in the Emperor’s Zhaochen Palace. I heard... even the Empress doesn’t have them!"

Does that mean these were exclusively supplied to the imperial presence? Xia Ruqing was quite pleasantly surprised.

"There aren’t many. Go wash them! And don’t forget to keep them chilled with ice; we don’t want them to spoil!"

"Yes!" Xiao Xizi replied and went off.

That afternoon, after her siesta, Xia Ruqing got to enjoy the ice-chilled lychees.

The lychees were very fresh. Peeling off the skin revealed egg-sized fruits, glistening like polished white jade, succulent and tender enough to burst with juice at the slightest pinch.

Before she could bite into it, the sweet freshness of the lychee had already saturated her taste buds.

"Sweet! So sweet!" Xia Ruqing exclaimed while eating.

Alas! The life of the royal nobility is indeed grand. She could actually taste something that ordinary families had never even seen. To think that, despite the advanced transportation of modern times, she had never tasted lychees. Mainly because they were unaffordable; more than ten yuan a catty in the north. That’s too expensive, isn’t it?! Where would she find the extra money to buy such things to eat?

After finishing the lychees, the weather turned cooler. Xia Ruqing then went out for a stroll to clear her mind.

Sitting on the swing, she saw Little Bun digging holes in the small garden with his puppy. Little Bun’s hands were covered in mud, he was sweating profusely from the heat, and his face was all red. Sister Huang and the others frowned nearby, not daring to persuade him otherwise.

Zi Yue couldn’t help but laugh. "My lady, it’s too hot outside. Why not let the Sisters take the Little Prince back to the room to cool down? He should take a bath and change clothes!"

Xia Ruqing shook her head. "There’s no need!"

"It’s not that hot right now, and the sun is not glaring." It won’t hurt him or make him overly hot.

"Children are growing; they need to experience the harsh cold and scorching heat of nature!"

That way, it could also promote the development of his bodily functions. If you always stay in a mild, constant environment, your body thinks it doesn’t need to adapt, and some functions start to fall behind. In the end, you really become as delicate as paper, unable to handle the cold or the heat. How can this be acceptable? A man should not be pampered; he needs to endure hardship!

Zi Yue could no longer argue.

In fact, at first, Zhao Junyao did not agree with this free-range education method. But when he saw his son dark and robust, he no longer had anything to say.

Yes, this was good. This was what a young man ought to be like, a son of Zhao Junyao. A pretty boy, fair and delicate, did not suit the Imperial family.

So, from then on, the Emperor stopped interfering.

Before the age of three, let him run wild and grow strong. After he’s three, he’s really going to start experiencing hardship.

In the Imperial Study Room, having finished reviewing documents as dusk approached, Zhao Junyao stood up and stretched, glancing at the sky.

Li Shengan timely served a cup of tea.

Zhao Junyao took the tea and sipped, asking casually, "Is there anything new in the Harem lately? How are the children?"

Li Shengan hastily answered, "Nothing new. The Prince and the Princesses are all well, and Honored Lady Cheng’s pregnancy is already seven and a half months along. Everything is fine, and the Imperial Physician is looking after her!"

Zhao Junyao hummed indifferently and instructed, "Order the Imperial Medical Bureau and the Imperial Kitchen to take good care of her; make sure her food and drink are prioritized for her condition!"

"Yes! Of course!"

Zhao Junyao nodded and had nothing more to say.

Feeling bored, he decided to... visit his son. It had been several days. The little rascal, has he grown taller or... gotten tanner? And how has Qingqing been these past few days?

"Set out for Qingya Residence!"

"Yes!" Li Shengan complied and quickly made ready to leave.

Qingya Residence.

Just as Xia Ruqing was about to have her meal served, Zhao Junyao arrived.

"Your Majesty!" She greeted him with a smile and curtsied.

Zhao Junyao helped her up directly and, seeing her complexion was good, he chuckled. "Did you eat the lychees I gave you? Did you like them?"

At the mention of lychees, Xia Ruqing’s eyes sparkled like stars. "Delicious!"

She rejoiced like a child.