CHAPTER 91: CHAPTER 90: AM I NOT AS GOOD AS A CAT?

Zhao Junyao took several deep breaths before he managed to push back the weird feeling in his heart.

Seeing him come in, Xia Ruqing quickly scrambled to get up.

"Emperor!"

"MEOW!"

The cat was also startled awake!

Xia Ruqing’s heart trembled, and she quickly turned back to soothe the cat.

Only then did she kneel down to pay her respects again.

Her movements were fluid, like passing clouds and flowing water.

Zhao Junyao watched, dumbstruck, also feeling a sense of being neglected.

He asked in a deep voice, "What are you doing?"

"Watching the cat sleep," said Xia Ruqing cheerfully.

"Emperor, thank you for the cat you gave me, it’s really beautiful..."

Xia Ruqing was completely oblivious to his discomfort.

Zhao Junyao twitched the corner of his mouth.

Was he less important than a cat?

But the cat was his gift! Was he supposed to be jealous of his own gift?

Zhao Junyao shuddered at the thought of being jealous of a cat.

Zhao Junyao’s expression changed again, forcing an incredibly awkward smile.

"Glad you like it..."

Xia Ruqing then asked, "Emperor, the matter concerning Honored Lady Xi started because of me, you won’t blame me, will you..."

Zhao Junyao just chuckled.

"What does it have to do with you?"

He knew she didn’t like to cause trouble.

Xia Ruqing breathed a sigh of relief and then asked, "Emperor, with Honored Lady Xi being injured, you..."

She felt a little nervous and a bit obsessed.

She never liked to mention others in front of him.

But this time... when another woman, equally sincere, innocent, and pitiful appeared, she felt somewhat uneasy.

She was afraid that the little bit of special attention she received from him would be taken away by someone else...

After all, what she had, Honored Lady Xi also had!

The sincerity, vivacity, and fearlessness that he liked—these traits were all present in Honored Lady Xi.

So, she felt somewhat insecure.

Zhao Junyao, however, did not notice. He was too busy hiding his embarrassment over feeling ’jealous of the cat’!

Upon hearing her ask this, he simply responded, "I’ve already sent someone to give her gifts."

And he didn’t bring it up again.

Xia Ruqing did not pursue it further either.

She wouldn’t push him toward someone else. She wasn’t a saint; she had her own selfish desires.

Zhao Junyao was the Emperor, and she was just one among the three thousand in his harem.

To say she liked him was too extravagant.

But, to be fair, he had been good to her.

He made her life better and better, he brought her warmth, his care for her was not pretense.

So, she would also be good to him, make him happy, put his mind at ease.

If they were both well, that was good!

The evening meal was rich, with his favorite light dishes and her favorite meats.

Both were very satisfied with the meal.

Xia Ruqing had wanted to eat chicken feet for a while, so she had the Imperial Kitchen prepare a bunch of tiger-skin chicken feet.

There were spicy ones, numbing spicy ones, and even five-spice ones.

The deep-fried, golden-brown skin had absorbed the savory braising liquid. One bite filled her mouth with a delicious, spicy, and numbing sensation!

Xia Ruqing didn’t care much about image, and with no outsiders present, she simply used her hands to eat...

Zhao Junyao watched her, his gaze somewhat surprised.

"You can eat this kind of thing?"

Chicken... feet? Aren’t they dirty?

"Not dirty at all, very tasty..."

"Emperor, you don’t know, the common folk even eat pig intestines. There’s a dish called... stir-fried pork intestines."

Zhao Junyao’s expression twisted.

"Have you eaten it?" he asked, fighting back disgust.

"I haven’t eaten it, but I know many people do..."

"Why would they want to eat such things..."

Thinking about it, Xia Ruqing mumbled vaguely, "Maybe they think it’s delicious."

Zhao Junyao: "..."

He felt his values had been shattered, and it pained him deeply.

They must be too poor, liking meat but unable to afford it, so they thought about buying something cheaper.

But how could such a thing be fit for consumption!

The young emperor began to reflect, questioning whether he was not up to the mark in his role.

It seems he needs to get out and take a look around soon. Now that the court is stable, he can’t continue to sit in his well and watch the sky.

Xia Ruqing had no idea of the thoughts behind his stoic face.

Delightfully finishing their meal and after freshening up, the two went to bed and slept...

「Jiaofang Hall」

The Empress was busy copying Buddhist scriptures.

April 8th was the Emperor’s birthday.

In previous years, she always made embroidery to give to the Emperor, but this year, she decided to copy the Buddhist scriptures for him.

An entire Diamond Sutra, copied by her own hand, stroke by stroke.

One was to pray to the heavens for the continued prosperity of Great Chu, and the other was to pray for the Emperor’s health and longevity.

This act represented her devotion as his wife.

She wasn’t seeking favor. It was all heartfelt.

Sister Ji brightened the lamp wick and advised, "Empress, it’s late. Be careful not to strain your eyes."

"Sister, I’ll write one more page. You go to sleep first."

Sister Ji sighed and retreated, leaving only Yu Lan to attend to her.

After a while, the Empress stretched lazily, her face full of satisfaction.

"Finally finished..."

"It’s time for you to rest, Your Majesty."

"Mm!"

As Yu Lan spoke, she assisted the Empress with her makeup removal and nighttime washing.

"Where is the Emperor resting tonight?"

"Zhaohua Pavilion," Yu Lan replied.

The Empress laughed.

"How long has it been since he visited Noble Concubine Shih?"

As long as he wasn’t visiting Noble Concubine Shih, she felt happy!

"Almost half a month."

The Empress’s smile grew even broader.

"Doesn’t she like to put on airs? Then let her keep it up. What does it matter if she’s pregnant? If the Emperor doesn’t like her, she still won’t win any favor..."

Sister Ji came back in.

If the Empress didn’t sleep, how could she?

Hearing the Empress speak, Sister Ji also smiled.

"Your Majesty needn’t worry too much. Even if a child is born, it will merely be the child of a concubine."

"Moreover, whether it will be born, whether it will be a boy or a girl, and whether it will survive after birth are all uncertainties..."

The Empress nodded.

"Yes, there are so many accidents..."

Even if there weren’t, she would find ways to create them.

She then ordered, "Have someone keep a close watch on Xifu Palace. If there’s a chance, we must not let it slip by!"

She refused to believe that not even a needle could penetrate Noble Concubine Shih’s defenses.

HUMPH!

Sister Ji also laughed along.

With her makeup removed, the Empress went to bed.

「The next day, during the morning greetings.」

The Empress was in a very good mood and even specifically rewarded Xia Ruqing with a few hairpins.

"You have worked hard attending to the Emperor, and you were frightened by the incident with Honored Lady Xi. I have been busy these past days and only remembered you today..."

Xia Ruqing quickly got up to express her thanks.

"This servant thanks Your Majesty for the generous gift!"

The Empress, pleased, bade her rise.

She continued, "As the weather gets warmer, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has just received new fabrics. They have been allocated according to rank, so go and collect yours later."

The crowd thanked her again, and after the Empress chatted for a while more, she dismissed them.

Noble Concubine Shih, being pregnant, didn’t come; Honored Lady Hu, having been punished, didn’t come; and Honored Lady Xi, being injured, also didn’t come.

On the way back, Xia Ruqing and Honored Lady Lan happened to walk together.

When they spoke of Honored Lady Xi, Honored Lady Lan said, "She is much better now. These past few days, she hasn’t left her bed and had people raise rabbits in the corridor. Every now and then, she has them brought in for her to see."

Xia Ruqing laughed.

"As long as she likes it..."

"Would Elder Sister Xia like to visit her?"

Honored Lady Lan looked at her expectantly.