Xia Tingfeng was somewhat astonished.
"You’ve seen her before, how can you not recognize her? That’s my little sister!"
Rat was stunned, as was Monster. Upon closer thought, that appearance, those features did seem somewhat similar to their Big Brother’s. But when they recalled the scrawny, sallow-faced girl from their memories and then thought of the beautiful woman they had seen that day, they really couldn’t make the connection!
Monster felt a bit embarrassed, too. They had been cursing her in their hearts earlier. Turns out it was... the sister.
Rat just chuckled. "Big Brother, we only saw her once. Isn’t it understandable that we couldn’t recognize her?"
"Ah... so, Big Brother’s little sister is our little sister too, right?" Monster added, feeling a bit sheepish. "Isn’t that so, Rat!"
Rat, with his thick skin, wasn’t embarrassed in the slightest and casually laughed it off with a "Yes!"
Monster smiled as well.
While they were chatting animatedly, Tiger, who had been silent on the side for a while, suddenly interjected, "Big Brother, your eldest younger sister, didn’t she enter the palace? Then who was the man that accompanied her yesterday...?"
Tiger had seen the Emperor before. Unfortunately, he was on duty at the Yamen during the day and not at the residence. When he returned at night and heard about what had happened, he also learned that a man had come with Big Brother’s eldest younger sister. He became curious; what man would dare to be with the Emperor’s woman!
As soon as these words came out, Xia Tingfeng fell silent. Monster and Rat also became silent. The atmosphere suddenly cooled. After a moment, all three of their expressions changed.
"B-Big Brother! The one who came yesterday... it wouldn’t have been... the Emperor, right?" Monster stammered. It was he who had opened the door that day, he who had been so discourteous. He had even rolled his eyes at the Emperor and... Consort Xia.
Such disrespect! This was absolutely an act of gross disrespect! If the Emperor were to hold it against them and behead him for it, he wouldn’t even have a place to cry! Thinking this, Monster’s voice trembled.
Xia Tingfeng let out a breath and smiled faintly. "Don’t worry, ignorance is no crime. The Emperor has a myriad of affairs to attend to every day; he won’t have time to bother with such trivial matters!" Saying that, he patted the shoulders of the three men and went inside to pack.
「...」
Once the eighth day of the ninth month passed, the next day was the ninth.
The Empress was not only being neglected, but her own brother had also been beheaded. Under this double blow, she fell ill and couldn’t get out of bed. Everyone in the harem even skipped their morning greetings. The Empress Dowager, focused on her Buddhist worship, did not inquire about harem affairs. This Chongyang Festival was utterly devoid of festivity.
Xia Ruqing slowly climbed out of bed in the late morning. After washing up and having breakfast, she basked in the sun in the courtyard. "Just a few days ago, I was worried that if it rained, we wouldn’t be able to appreciate the chrysanthemums. Who would have thought today’s weather would clear up! It’s such a beautiful, cloudless day!"
Zi Yue also smiled. "The chrysanthemums in the Imperial Garden, nourished by the rain and warmed by the sun, have all burst into bloom. They are stunningly beautiful!"
Zi Su chimed in with a smile, "There’s also sweet osmanthus, Your Ladyship. Don’t you love pastries made with sweet osmanthus? Shall we pick some so we can make desserts?"
Xia Ruqing counted on her fingers. "It’s still a bit early for sweet osmanthus. Let’s wait a bit longer!" As she spoke, she lowered her head and took out a packet of dried fish to feed Da Bai and Little White.
The harem was quiet and deserted, as if today wasn’t the Chongyang Festival at all. The Honored Ladies who had been keen on currying favor with the Empress seemed as if a bucket of cold water had been thrown over them. Now they all stayed obediently in their own residences, not daring to go out and draw attention to themselves.
The Noble Consort, however, was in particularly high spirits today. She had someone from the Ministry of Internal Affairs summon a troupe of Little Actors and had them perform in the rear garden of Xifu Palace. The sounds of music and revelry filled the air, creating a boisterous atmosphere. Not content with amusing herself alone, she insisted that everyone from the western palaces attend as well. She even sent out formal invitations—who would dare refuse?!
So, Consort Zheng Pin, Consort Yun Pin, along with their retinues of Honored Ladies, all showed up. The place was indeed packed, bustling with a large crowd. The Noble Consort took the lead, ordering the Imperial Kitchen to prepare a table filled with fine wine and delectable dishes. Surrounded by the others, she drank and chatted idly.
The Honored Ladies were without recourse. Who wasn’t acting against their will? Since it had come to this, they could only go along with it. They could neither cozy up to the Empress nor dare to offend the Noble Consort, so what choice did they have but to submit to others’ arrangements?
「Jiaofang Hall」
When the Empress heard that the Noble Consort was enjoying the play, she was furious. "She’s doing this on purpose! She’s absolutely doing it on purpose, making all this commotion at this time!"
Yu Lan quickly tried to console her. "Your Majesty, the most important thing for you right now is to focus on your recovery!"
The Empress wore a bitter expression. "What’s the use of me recovering? The Emperor probably won’t visit me anymore!"