"My Lady, I know someone from my hometown in the Imperial Kitchen. I will speak to him to take good care of you in secret!"
"Also, I’ve befriended a sister in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. They won’t deduct too much from your monthly allowance."
"You won’t have a hard time getting by!"
"This is also how I repay your kindness!"
Having said that, Hua Cha bowed her head three times and then left.
After that, Hua Cha never came back to serve.
She gave away all her saved-up monthly allowance and secured a job watching over the flowers and plants in the Imperial Garden, becoming a Second Class palace maid.
This job was not easy and offered no perks at all.
But for the current Hua Cha, it was already very good.
She could eat her fill, dress warmly, survive, and witness the spring’s departure and autumn’s arrival, the flowers blooming and withering.
No longer did she have to worry about her master’s beatings or the Consorts’ scheming!
Wasn’t that already quite precious?
However, Honored Lady Jiang had bad luck.
Having offended the Emperor, the Empress, and Consort Xian Pin, she couldn’t possibly lead a good life.
Even though Hua Cha used her connections to ensure she wasn’t tortured too harshly, Honored Lady Jiang still didn’t live long.
She was filled with depression, without hope, only wishing for death.
So when the autumn chill came, she didn’t make it through and passed away.
When Hua Cha heard the news, she also fell ill. After all, they had been master and servant for two years, and no one’s heart is made of iron.
There were still feelings involved.
After falling ill and weeping bitterly, Hua Cha secretly offered incense for Honored Lady Jiang, fulfilling the duty of their relationship as master and servant.
But these are all events that happened later, so let’s not talk about them for now.
「Meanwhile, in the Harem.」
As the Emperor’s mood improved, the Harem also became more lively.
The chrysanthemums were in full bloom in the Imperial Garden.
The Consorts, like swallows and orioles, gathered in groups, fluttering through the sea of flowers, forming a beautiful scene.
There was also excitement in Qingya Residence.
Xia Ruqing wanted to eat chrysanthemum-filled mooncakes, so she went with Zi Yue and the others to the Imperial Garden to pick flowers.
They chose the tenderest petals and picked a whole basket full.
The Little Eunuch from the floral department saw this and, eager to please her, even presented her with a pot of newly cultivated roses.
The Little Eunuch introduced them happily.
"This type of rose is different from previous varieties. It has a long blooming period, blossoms beautifully, has the right color, and is soft and delicate. Most importantly, the petals are edible!"
The moment she heard it was edible, Xia Ruqing immediately perked up.
"Edible? How do you eat it?"
She looked at the pot of roses that Xiao Xizi was holding as if she was appraising a delicacy.
The Little Eunuch gave an embarrassed smile.
"I don’t know about that; I just heard it from my master!"
The ladies in the palace naturally have to be more elegant than one another, right? Who would eat flower petals!
But the Little Eunuch didn’t know that this Lady in front of him really did eat petals!
Xia Ruqing was somewhat disappointed but still instructed Xiao Xizi to bring the pot of roses back with them.
Turns out, the roses were indeed nice. Intensely and seductively red, the more you looked, the more appealing they became.
"Nature really is miraculous!" "So beautiful!"
How wonderful it would be if there were lipstick of this color.
In ancient times, there was no specialized lipstick, only rouge. It had to serve as both lipstick and blush, and without options like deep red, light red, or Tao Hong, there was only ever red.
Isn’t that too monotonous?
Thinking of Dream of the Red Chamber and the girls in the Grand View Garden using various petals to make lip rouge, Xia Ruqing began to daydream.
Since I have nothing better to do, could I maybe give it a try?
With that thought, Xia Ruqing instructed Xiao Zhu Zi.
"I really like this pot of roses. Make sure you take good care of it!"
Xiao Zhu Zi was now almost the Chief Steward of the plant nursery at Qingya Residence. He was in charge of all the flowers and trees in the front and back courtyards, as well as the wild vegetables, green vegetables, and lotus ponds in the back garden.
He had become an expert in caring for plants. Xia Ruqing felt assured leaving it in his hands.
In the following days, she sent someone to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to find several books on making rouge, which she then studied one by one.
One particular morning, Xia Ruqing was poring over a book when Zhao Junyao suddenly came in. Unannounced, he sat directly beside her and patted her shoulder.
"Who is it?" Xia Ruqing was a bit impatient.
Zhao Junyao patted her again.
Finally, Xia Ruqing looked up, "Who..." "Emperor... Emperor..."
Her eyes widened in shock, and she scrambled to her feet in a flurry.
"Your Majesty, what brings you here... Greetings, Your Majesty!"
Zhao Junyao helped her up while laughing.
"Why can’t I come? What are you reading that has you so engrossed?"