Cuckolding the Emperor—such an act, whether it truly happened or not, is a fatal accusation.
Even thinking about it is forbidden!
Sister Ji, seeing the Empress was angry, furrowed her brow, seemingly lost in thought. After a moment, she suddenly said, "Your Majesty, could it be that... Honored Lady Jiang has not truly served the Emperor yet?"
The Empress was startled, then mused, It’s not impossible. If she had truly served the Emperor, she would be his woman! She wouldn’t harbor any other ambitions! After all, apart from courtesans, no girl from a respectable family would serve two men. It’s a matter of being loyal to whomever one marries.
"However..." The Empress then sighed and scoffed aloud. "As if she’d have so many other complicated thoughts! The greatest possibility is simply that she herself harbors the desire to bear her own children!"
Sister Ji then said, "What Your Majesty says is true. The Emperor is in his prime and exceptionally handsome; how could she possibly not want to serve him?"
The Empress’s hand, clutching the cup, suddenly tightened, her eyes filled with ruthlessness. "Every single one of them wants to become the next Xia Jieyu! Hmph, a single Xia Jieyu has already forced me to this state. How could I possibly allow another to appear?"
Having said that, she slammed the cup onto the table. Wiping the corner of her mouth with a silk handkerchief, she sneered, "The person I have taken a liking to—whether she is willing or not—how could it possibly be up to her?"
Sister Ji considered for a moment before asking in a low voice, "Is Your Majesty thinking of... compelling her?"
Though forcing the issue isn’t ideal, it’s not as if there are no solutions. When the Emperor selects her name plaque, a cup of aphrodisiac wine would ensure she truly serves him.
"However..." Sister Ji still had a lingering concern. "She can be made to serve, but if she conceives a child... She might not be willing to give it up!"
The Empress sneered. "It won’t be up to her!"
「...」
After Honored Lady Jiang returned to her quarters, her face was still somewhat pale.
Hua Cha, unaware of what had transpired, said, "My Lady, you should rest for a while!"
Honored Lady Jiang stared blankly, as if she hadn’t heard.
Hua Cha stepped forward and touched her mistress’s hand, exclaiming in surprise, "Your hands are so cold! Should I call the Imperial Physician for you?"
As she turned to leave, Honored Lady Jiang quickly pulled her back. "There’s no need!"
Hua Cha was anxious. "But, your health..."
"I said, there’s no need!"
With that, Honored Lady Jiang rose and walked to her bed. She lay down, facing the inner wall, her silhouette looking desolate and proud.
Hua Cha dared not disobey. She gently covered her mistress with the quilt and then tiptoed out of the room.
「...」
By dinnertime, Honored Lady Jiang still hadn’t risen. Hua Cha had already sent someone to fetch the evening meal much earlier.
An Honored Lady was typically attended by one palace maid, one eunuch, and one menial servant. A little eunuch had been sent to fetch the meal.
It wasn’t far from Lijing Pavilion to the Imperial Kitchen, yet the little eunuch had been gone for a full Shi Chen and still hadn’t returned.
Hua Cha began to worry. What’s going on? Why isn’t he back yet?
Her mistress inside had already awakened, so Hua Cha had to go in and attend to her. While helping her mistress comb her hair and wash her face, Hua Cha kept glancing towards the door.
It’s already dark. Why isn’t he back? How is My Lady supposed to have her dinner?
"Hua Cha, what’s wrong?" Honored Lady Jiang suddenly asked.
Hua Cha stammered, "My Lady... it’s... it’s nothing!"
Honored Lady Jiang looked at her suspiciously but didn’t press further.
After she had freshened up, some more time passed, but the food still hadn’t arrived. Hua Cha was burning with anxiety, realizing she could no longer hide the situation.
Just then, the little eunuch sent to fetch the meal finally returned.
Hua Cha rushed forward to take the food container, complaining, "Why are you so late today?"
The little eunuch immediately dropped to his knees. "This servant begs for your forgiveness, My Lady! I... I was incompetent!"
Surprise flickered across Honored Lady Jiang’s face. A moment later, however, she appeared much calmer and asked, "What happened?"
The little eunuch seemed terrified, stammering incoherently. He spoke for some time but couldn’t form a complete sentence.
Hua Cha decided to ignore him and directly opened the food container to set out her mistress’s meal.
The moment she opened it, Hua Cha was stunned. "What... what is this?!"
One dish was supposedly stir-fried shredded radish, but it looked merely boiled. The radishes weren’t even peeled, let alone arranged appealingly; they were just haphazardly dumped in the bowl. Another was a small bowl of steamed fish; one could clearly see the head and tail from a distance. It was poorly cleaned, with scales scattered about. There was also a soup, murky and of indeterminate ingredients. A layer of oil floated on the surface; the soup was cold, and the oil had congealed.
The final bowl, containing rice, looked normal at first glance. But when Hua Cha touched it, she found it was cold too.
"Is this what they call a meal of two dishes—one meat, one vegetable—and a soup?" Hua Cha demanded. "Xiao Dengzi, what happened? Did you bring the wrong order?"
Even if her mistress was out of favor, the meals had never been like this! "Even the simplest meals were always prepared properly and cleanly!"