"Thank you for your grace and generosity, Empress!" Xia Ruqing respectfully kowtowed again and accepted the reward.
"Thank you, Sister Yu Lan!"
"Lady Xia is too courteous!" Yu Lan said with a smile.
Xia Ruqing slipped her a purse and, taking the reward, bid farewell and left. Upon returning, she took a hot bath, had a meal, and slept for an entire day before finally recovering her strength. But let's not elaborate on that for now.
In the meantime, the Empress dismissed the Palace Consorts who had come to pay their respects and returned to the inner chamber, where Yu Lan brought tea to serve her.
The Empress, sitting in a reclining chair, accepted the tea and asked, "What do you think of her?"
Yu Lan thought for a moment and answered truthfully, "She seems honest and proper, and her looks are good too!"
The Empress laughed. "The Emperor favored her after just a single meeting in the Imperial Garden; of course her looks are good!"
"Your Majesty..." Yu Lan was somewhat worried.
Yet, the Empress waved her hand and said with a smile, "I entered the palace at fifteen and married the Emperor. From Crown Princess Consort to Empress, four years have passed in the blink of an eye. If I couldn't tolerate others, I wouldn't be sitting in this position!"
As she spoke, the Empress rose and walked to the window. Outside, Palace Attendants had newly arranged chrysanthemums. It was autumn now, the perfect season to enjoy them.
"This Harem is like a hundred flowers. In autumn, the chrysanthemums bloom brightly. In winter, it's the wintersweet. And in spring? Something else entirely. There are always flowers in full bloom, and always more that wither and fall!"
With these words, the Empress laughed. Those favors are all insubstantial; only status is real and concrete.
No matter how much favor they received, when they saw her, wouldn't they still have to respectfully perform their courtesies and address her as "Empress"?
Whether it was the sacrificial rites at the ancestral temple or the royal Jade Butterfly ceremony, only she had the privilege of standing shoulder to shoulder with the Emperor. Even a hundred years later, it would be she who rested with the Emperor in the same tomb.
So, what use is there in vying for those favors? The Empress is the Empress!
In the following days, the Emperor did not summon any consorts. The Empress, along with the entire Harem, could finally relax.
During the daily greetings around that time, the mood often turned somewhat mocking when the topic arose.
"I thought she was a lucky one!"
"Hmph! If she were truly fortunate, she wouldn't have been neglected for a year. This was her first time being favored, you know."
"That's true. It seems it was merely good luck!"
Since the subject of their discussion wasn't present, they chatted for a bit, found it dull, and then dropped the matter.
"In half a month, it will be the Mid-Autumn Festival," the Empress instructed with a smile. "You should all go back and prepare well. If you need anything, you can get it from the Ministry of Internal Affairs."
"Yes, Empress!" They all stood in unison and performed a courtesy.
The Empress, smiling with satisfaction, nodded and dismissed them.
Xia Ruqing's status was low, and she maintained a low profile. Even after being favored once, she didn't stir even a ripple in the Harem. After all, there were plenty who had been favored once and then never saw the Emperor again.
However, just when everyone had almost forgotten about her, the Emperor couldn't resist and summoned her to his bedchamber again.
This time, there was no Sister to guide her. She had to prepare everything herself. And Xia Ruqing, inwardly, was actually quite resistant.
It was all too exhausting—she had thought he was a refined man from his graceful movements.
But he was rough underneath, with calloused hands and a lack of restraint. Her body still ached.
The Emperor, proclaimed Crown Prince at age ten, excelled in both literary and martial arts and was adept in archery and horsemanship. His abundant talents lent him an air that was anything but rough.
"My lady, should you wear this one?" Qiu Tong brought over all her clothes for her to choose from.
Opening her eyes, she saw only bright reds and loud greens, such garish colors. Xia Ruqing frowned. "Bring me some plain-colored clothing."
The fabrics were all cheap; if they were too vibrant, they would be unbearably vulgar.
Eventually, Xia Ruqing chose a set of sky-blue palace attire. She disassembled the Jade Ornaments gifted by the Empress, wearing only two hairpins and a pair of earrings. Qiu Hong arranged her hair into a simple updo, applied a light touch of makeup, and dabbed on some crimson lipstick.
With this look, she possessed the delicate beauty of a fair lady from a modest family.
"My lady truly looks beautiful!"
"Of course, she does! Or else why would the Emperor keep her in mind?" Qiu Hong and Qiu Tong fawned and flattered.
Xia Ruqing merely gave them a cool glance and said nothing, which was enough to scare Qiu Hong into silence.
The features of this body were indeed refined. Not quite the pinnacle of beauty, perhaps, but very pleasant to look at, especially those clear, almond-shaped eyes.
「Come evening, Xia Ruqing took the Chunen Cart again to Zichen Hall.」
It was still the same small room, but this time she lacked the ease of her previous visit, for she was there to serve the Emperor.
Zhao Junyao, dressed in treasure-blue casual attire, sat casually on the heated brick bed. A cup of tea rested by his hand as he was engrossed in a book, while incense from a nearby bronze censer wafted slowly through the air.
Xia Ruqing found, to her surprise, that he looked quite pleasing to the eye—refined and gentlemanly. Yet, recalling his roughness at night, she murmured inwardly, Indeed, looks can be deceiving!
She performed a curtsy and offered a greeting. Just as she was about to serve tea, Zhao Junyao suddenly looked up.
"No need. You sit as well!" He wasn't really accustomed to being waited on like this.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Xia Ruqing said, cautiously taking a seat opposite him at the low table, mentally lamenting, These demeaning days are truly hard to bear.
"What is your name?" Zhao Junyao asked casually.
"Replying to Your Majesty, this servant... is Xia Ruqing!" Sheets have been tousled, and he still doesn't know my name! Such is the wretchedness of feudal society, she thought bitterly.
"Can you read?" he inquired.
"Only a few characters!" she replied honestly. Traditional characters were a struggle for her to recognize, let alone the dog's breakfast she made of writing; modesty was her only recourse.
Zhao Junyao said nothing more, merely taking up a brush and writing a few characters on a piece of paper. Xia Ruqing glanced up and blushed slightly—it was her own name.
"Are these the characters?" he asked, pointing to the paper.
"Yes!" she answered softly, looking down, feeling oddly stirred by the sight of her name, written in such bold and vigorous strokes.
Zhao Junyao set down his brush and smiled. "It's a nice name!" Clearly chosen by someone educated.
Having said this, he stood up and ordered the meal to be served. Xia Ruqing quickly rose to attend to him, helping him wash his hands, offering tea, and so on.
「Night fell, bringing another exhausting affair.」
Xia Ruqing was beyond suffering. So much for elegance and refinement—he was a beast! It was sheer torture! Her back felt like it was about to break. It made no sense; surely he wasn't lacking for women!
Initially, Xia Ruqing tried to cooperate, but later on... she lost consciousness of her surroundings.
Zhao Junyao, however, felt it was much the same as the last time: not quite satisfying. She was shy yet bold, without pretense. Most importantly, she wasn't afraid of him and dared to respond.
By the dim moonlight, he looked at the clear line of bite marks on his shoulder and actually laughed.
"What a little fiend!"
If Xia Ruqing knew his thoughts, she would certainly roll her eyes. Men are all the same! Disinterested in compliance but thrilled by resistance—what an appalling predilection!
But let us not digress. 「Come dawn the next day, Xia Ruqing returned as the sky brightened.」