Honored Lady Du indeed smiled slightly.
"That’s right. Before entering the palace, my mother taught me that favor is secondary; what matters most is having children!"
"That Xia Jieyu, she’s really so lucky!"
Seeing that she wasn’t favored, one would guess she hadn’t served him in bed too often. Yet, she was able to conceive. Isn’t that luck indeed!
Having said that, her own complexion suddenly turned a few shades dimmer.
When will I ever be able to truly serve the Emperor... she thought to herself.
Ding Xiang, noticing her mistress’s sudden change in complexion, quickly asked, "What’s wrong, My Lady? Do you feel unwell?"
Honored Lady Du hurriedly put on a smile. "No! No discomfort! Perhaps it’s just... a bit hot."
She couldn’t divulge that the Emperor hadn’t called her to serve him. She definitely couldn’t let others know.
Seeing that her mistress was indeed alright, Ding Xiang also felt relieved and said with a smile, "My Lady, it’s the height of summer! Naturally, it’ll be hot!"
"Just wait a while longer; the Ministry of Internal Affairs should be sending over ice soon!"
Honored Lady Du nodded. "It’s getting late. Tell Xiao Quanzi to bring the meal!"
"Yes!"
Ding Xiang acknowledged and went out to give the instructions.
「Qingya Residence」
After eating her midday meal, Xia Ruqing lay in her chamber, where an ice basin was placed, enjoying the gentle coolness. Zi Su and Zi Ning fanned her from either side. On the small kang table in front of her, there was a glazed platter as large as a washbasin, filled with neatly sliced fruits: Ying Tao, honeydews, lychees, oranges, apples, and more, including numerous off-season fruits. Xia Ruqing ate to her heart’s content.
"The seasonal ones are already good enough, but how did these oranges, apples, and lychees, which are normally ripe in autumn, end up here?"
Zi Yue and Xiao Xizi exchanged glances and then laughed. "We heard that the Emperor specifically had people find them from the south. That region produces an abundance of fruits, and when the season comes, they all ripen at once. Even when cheap, no one wants them, and it’s a waste if they can’t all be eaten. So, some traders thought about how to preserve the fruit to sell in the off-season. That way, it wouldn’t be wasted, and they could make money!"
Zi Yue then became somewhat curious. "And what way is that?"
Xiao Xizi was clueless and scratched his head in thought. "Perhaps frozen with ice? But honestly, I don’t know the specifics!"
Xia Ruqing spat out the Ying Tao pit from her mouth and said with a smile, "That’s a trader’s secret. How could they let just anyone know about it!"
Xiao Xizi quickly laughed. "That’s true! Anyway... we just know that these off-season fruits are particularly expensive! And on top of that, these came all the way from the south. Just the effort, labor, and cost of transportation must be enormous!" Xiao Xizi said as he clucked his tongue in wonder.
Zi Yue thought for a moment, and then her eyes widened in surprise. "Then... aside from us here in the palace, who else has them?"
Xiao Xizi hurriedly said, "The Empress Dowager received a basketful, and the Empress received half a basket! For our Lady here..." Xiao Xizi scratched his head. "Anyway, the Emperor has sent them over two or three times, openly and secretly. Together, it’s almost a full basket, if not more than half a basket!"
Zi Yue was very astonished. "Even the Noble Consort doesn’t have any?"
Xiao Xizi shook his head. "At least I haven’t heard so!"
Zi Yue felt even more amazed inwardly. "That would mean... our Lady here... has been treated even better than the Noble Consort?"
Xiao Xizi didn’t speak, only daring to nod secretly.
Xia Ruqing, on the other hand, didn’t think much of it. She had gone through hardship bearing children for the Emperor, her husband. His kindness to her was only right and proper! Thinking of this, she picked another juicy, tempting big red Ying Tao, stuffed it into her mouth, and ate it with a sense of righteousness!
Zi Yue suddenly sighed. "But... My Lady, the Emperor hasn’t visited for over ten days now!"
Xia Ruqing uttered an indifferent "Oh," showing little reaction.
Zi Yue asked again, "Are you really not worried, My Lady?"
Xia Ruqing glanced at the plates of fruit on the table and picked another Ying Tao to eat. "Why should I worry? Isn’t this enough?"
The Emperor favored her, and it was enough for her to know that in her heart. Why should she go around making a fuss and creating enemies everywhere? Especially recently in the palace, so many new Honored Ladies have arrived! During the greetings at Jiaofang Hall, all of their gazes fell on her belly, and none bore good intentions! HMPH! New fledglings barely in the nest, yet daring to find trouble with her? Ridiculous!
Zi Yue was still somewhat worried; after all, there were just too many newcomers to the palace this time. There were far too many examples of emperors favoring the new and disfavoring the old. With so many fruits being sent this time, is he thinking of our Lady, or is he thinking of our Lady’s belly? How can I not worry?
Not only Zi Yue, but everyone else looked at Xia Ruqing with a subtly anxious gaze.