A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace

Chapter 153: Chapter 152: A Big Black Fish!

But they would never know that the Emperor was not a thousand miles away, but right before their eyes. Because the common people didn’t know, the legends became more and more divine.

”The Emperor is the True Dragon, of course he knows everything!”

Or ”The Emperor, a wise ruler of his generation, has been blessed by his ancestors, who speak to him in dreams at midnight!”

Even more absurd was the claim, ”The Emperor loves his subjects like his own children, moving Heaven itself...!”

By the end, the circulated versions made even Zhao Junyao himself not know whether to laugh or cry.

But enough idle talk.

Speaking of Hou Yaozu’s family, it’s true that they were not executed in full, nor were their nine clans implicated. Yet, in Jinling City, they had become a laughingstock, discussed casually after meals. The commoners, once afraid to talk about them, now seized the opportunity to denounce them thoroughly. There were even storytellers who turned their family’s story into a farce for entertainment. The entire Hou Family, astonishingly, went from a noble house to rats crossing the street that everyone wanted to hit! From wearing fine clothes and eating gourmet food to begging on the streets! How satisfying! Truly satisfying!

Hou Yaozu was executed after autumn. The rest of his family were exiled beyond the Great Wall. It has to be said, such a ruthless strategy could only be conceived by the Emperor. I didn’t decree your execution, but you simply won’t survive.

For those who had lived in Jinling City for half their lives, let alone whether they could adapt to the climate, the very question of whether they could even arrive safely was an issue. Would the Emperor let them travel in peace? No!

Therefore, the Hou Family met their ends on the road to exile in various forms. Some starved, some died of thirst, some fell ill—there were all manner of deaths, rich in variety.

As for why Zhao Junyao didn’t kill them directly? Because ordering the execution of an entire family would damage his image. After all, he was expected to be a benevolent ruler. Such cruelty could cost him dearly in terms of public perception! No, that wouldn’t do at all.

Speaking of which, only one person from the Hou Family remained alive: the eldest daughter, Hou Tianying. She was eventually sent into the palace by Li Shengan to become a Palace Maid. He even personally assigned her a task: a laundry maid in the Laundry Bureau. Li Shengan, concerned she might not adapt well to palace life, sent special word, instructing the Steward Sister, ”This new girl is from outside; teach her the rules well, Sister!”

”Understood, don’t you worry. She’ll certainly be satisfied with the discipline I provide!”

And so, Hou Tianying began the brand-new life of toil she had supposedly yearned for. A noble young lady like her, how could she endure such a life? So, in less than a year, she also died. It was said to be quite tragic!

In this way, Zhao Junyao used the most classic approach of an emperor to cleanly deal with corrupt officials. Then, he continued his journey southward with his junior wives.

「The next few days, the group was on the road.」

The previous merchandise had all been sold, so the number of carriages had decreased, as had the number of people. Only a few simple Green Oil Cloth Horse Carriages were left. The group was in no rush, slowly making their way further south.

That day, as afternoon wore on and evening approached, a Servant came to report, ”My lord, the mountain road is difficult to traverse. I’m afraid we won’t make it to the next town...”

In other words, they had to camp in the wilderness for the night. Zhao Junyao simply nodded. ”It’s no trouble!” Having said that, he waved his hand dismissively.

As the Servant was about to leave, Xia Ruqing had a spark of inspiration. ”My lord, since we’re camping, why don’t we find a place with a good view?”

Zhao Junyao was somewhat puzzled. ”A good view? Does it make any difference?”

”A good view means there are mountains and water,” Xia Ruqing explained.

Zhao Junyao was silent for a moment. ”Then I suppose this is it,” he said. With that, he lifted the carriage curtain, his gaze falling upon a shallow riverbank. The setting sun’s rays shimmered on the water’s surface. Surrounded by lush green mountains, the area was filled with the sweet sounds of birdsong.

Xia Ruqing was mesmerized. ”This... this is so beautiful... this river is so beautiful! How could I not have looked outside earlier!

” She was a bit annoyed at herself.Zhao Junyao’s mouth twitched. ”You’ve slept for a whole day...”

Hearing this, Xia Ruqing felt quite embarrassed, so she shamelessly acted coquettishly. ”My lord, it’s too hot, and it’s cooler by the riverbank!”

”Alright, I know!” Zhao Junyao curled his lips. As he spoke, he lifted Xia Ruqing, who was snuggling against him, and patted her. ”I’m hot as well. Get up!” His tone was reproachful, but his eyes were doting!

She just said ”Oh,” and obediently sat up properly.

The carriage traveled for a bit longer, and when Zhao Junyao saw that the time was about right, he ordered the caravan to stop. Setting up camp took a Shi Chen. Xia Ruqing played by the water for a Shi Chen. Zhao Junyao went off to do something and was out of sight for quite a while.

”Where did my lord go?” Xia Ruqing asked.

Zi Yue pondered for a moment. ”I vaguely saw my lord heading into that forest over there!”

”Into the forest?” Xia Ruqing frowned slightly but didn’t ask any further.

Suddenly, she felt something touch her foot. She looked closely. ”AH!” Xia Ruqing jumped up in fright.

”What’s wrong, Mistress?”

Xia Ruqing took a closer look. ”It’s a black fish!” Just now, she thought it was a snake, especially out here in the wilderness.

Zi Yue saw it too. ”Such a big fish! Mistress, look quick, it’s getting away!”

Xia Ruqing instinctively picked up a stone and threw it. The big black fish shook its tail and vanished in the blink of an eye, as fast as a darting blade.

Xia Ruqing was stunned for a moment. ”Such a big fish!”

Zi Yue also took a while to come back to her senses. Suddenly, Xia Ruqing stood up and walked towards the camp on the shore.

”Hey Mistress, where are you going?”

”To find tools, to spear fish!”

Speaking of spearing fish, it reminded her of when she was little, living in the countryside with her grandmother. She had learned it from the other children there. She didn’t know if she could still spear fish after all these years. But, she had to try!

She found a sturdy forked branch and used her dagger to sharpen all the prongs. Then she tested it in her hand. Hmm, good enough!

”Mistress, can this really work?” Zi Yue asked.

”Whether it works or not, we’ll know after we try!” With that, she took her homemade spear to the riverbank.

The river was both wide and shallow, the deepest part only reaching her waist. The riverbank was covered with pebbles, making a crunching sound underfoot. The water was clear, and the aquatic plants were lush. Because it was midsummer, a few frog croaks could even be heard.

Xia Ruqing, holding her fishing spear, found a fairly large rock to stand on and waited for the fish to swim by.

Zi Yue was about to say something but was silenced by Xia Ruqing with a ’SHHH!’ gesture. ”Don’t talk, don’t scare the fish away!”

Zi Yue fell silent. Mistress, are you sure there will be many fish with the water this clear?

Xia Ruqing didn’t care. She believed there must be some! She craved fish soup and had already figured out how to make it. All she needed was a fresh, live fish.

Xia Ruqing waited on the rock for about fifteen minutes. Her legs grew tired from standing, but not a single scale was to be seen.

Impossible! There are aquatic plants here, there are frogs, there must be fish!

Xia Ruqing was muttering to herself, Strange! Suddenly, she felt something was odd in a certain area. Her gaze drifted unintentionally in that direction.

”AH...!!!”