Xia Ruqing glanced at Honored Lady Du with a hint of surprise.
"Oh, Honored Lady Du, what happened to your face?"
"Why is it so red? Did you get heatstroke?"
Honored Lady Du, unwilling to speak with her, kept her gaze fixed on the Emperor. She just hoped the kind and gentle Emperor would help her.
But Zhao Junyao, however, seemed not to have heard and remained unmoved.
Honored Lady Du hesitated for quite a while. Seeing that the Emperor might really not help her, she had to leave reluctantly.
Zhao Junyao said indifferently, "You may leave."
Honored Lady Du, on the verge of tears, could only walk away.
Zhao Junyao then spent a good while with Xia Ruqing before sending her back to Qingya Residence.
Along the way, Xia Ruqing tactfully refrained from mentioning Honored Lady Du.
Jealousy, after all, isn’t conducive to surviving in the harem.
Besides, the Emperor had finally put Honored Lady Du out of his mind. If I brought her up now, wouldn’t that just remind him?
That would be such a miscalculation!
So, she chose only pleasant things to say.
"Your Majesty, it’s rare for you to visit! I have newly planted watermelons here!"
Zhao Junyao smiled faintly. "Oh? When did you plant watermelons?"
Xia Ruqing looked quite proud. "Not just watermelons, but pumpkins too! However, we’ll have to wait a bit longer for the pumpkins."
Zhao Junyao asked, "We’ll wait for the pumpkins, but what about the watermelons?"
"Now isn’t the season for ripe watermelons!"
"If you want to eat them fresh, you’ll have to wait a bit longer."
Xia Ruqing gave a mischievous smile. "Actually, there’s a different way to eat the watermelons we have now! I’m sure you don’t know about it!"
Having said that, she proudly pulled Zhao Junyao along.
When they arrived at Qingya Residence, Xia Ruqing gave Xiao Zhu Zi some instructions, then followed the Emperor into the inner chamber.
"Your Majesty, will you be dining here later?"
Zhao Junyao spread his hands. "Naturally!"
Xia Ruqing was delighted. "Wonderful! Then you really will get to try something new!"
Zhao Junyao was looking forward to it, but seeing her practically dancing with excitement, he felt a flicker of apprehension.
"Stop fidgeting. Come here!"
As he spoke, he sat down on the kang bed and stretched out his hand toward her.
Xia Ruqing hesitated for a moment, then went over.
Zhao Junyao held her in his arms and casually touched her belly. "Be careful. Don’t hurt my prince!"
Xia Ruqing was speechless. "..."
"Your Majesty, how do you know it’s a prince?"
Zhao Junyao thought for a moment and then said, "I already have two daughters, so this time I want a prince."
Xia Ruqing was somewhat displeased. "Then... what if it’s a princess?"
Zhao Junyao considered. "A princess is fine too. If she looks like you, that wouldn’t be bad either!"
Xia Ruqing finally breathed a sigh of relief. "That’s more like it!"
Zhao Junyao glanced at her. "Hmm?"
Xia Ruqing immediately backed down. "Your Majesty, I won’t dare to be so presumptuous again!"
Saying ’that’s more like it’ to the Emperor was far too disrespectful!
Zhao Junyao glared at her and then said, "If you want a daughter so much, from today onward, practice your calligraphy properly!"
"Otherwise, what if you give birth to a foolish daughter?"
Xia Ruqing protested, "My daughter wouldn’t be foolish! My daughter will be the smartest!"
Zhao Junyao looked at her, suddenly feeling a deep sense of helplessness.
...
Dinner was soon served.
The imperial meal, supplemented by her Jieyu allowance, amounted to dozens of dishes.
It was Xia Ruqing who, after much deliberation, managed to pare the menu down to only twenty dishes.
It’s so hot, yet they’re still serving so many greasy dishes! It’s just... excessive!
Zhao Junyao didn’t really care; even if a hundred dishes were served, he would only eat the few he liked.
However... He looked around. "Qingqing, where’s the watermelon you mentioned?"
Xia Ruqing slapped her forehead. "Oh dear! I almost forgot!"
After speaking, she started searching among the dishes.
Sure enough, in a short while, she brought out a plate of what looked like stir-fried cucumber, presenting it to Zhao Junyao with an eager smile.
"Your Majesty," she clarified, "this is... stir-fried watermelon. Would you like to try some?"
Zhao Junyao’s brow furrowed. "Stir-fried... watermelon?"
Xia Ruqing nodded. "When I was a child, I lived at my maternal grandmother’s house!"
"Back then, she was still farming. Every year, when she grew watermelons, she would pick the smaller, immature fruits off the vines!"
"She would leave only one fruit on each vine so that it could grow large!"
"But she couldn’t bear to throw away the small fruits she picked!"
"So, she peeled them and stir-fried them!"
"They taste just like cucumber!"
After saying this, she looked at the Emperor with hopeful eyes. "Would you like to try? It’s quite good!"
Zhao Junyao indeed picked up a piece with his chopsticks to try.
Immature watermelons have particularly thick rinds and very little flesh. After peeling and scooping out the seeds and minimal pulp, only the thick rind remains.
Sautéed with a bit of sesame oil, the white rind turned semi-translucent.
Coupled with the Imperial Kitchen chefs’ skill, they were all cut into decorative floral shapes.
So, under the candlelight, the translucent, jade-green stir-fried watermelon gleamed with a moist sheen.