A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace

Chapter 178: Chapter 177: Why is it still... tonight?

Xia Ruqing also heard it from inside and wanted to cry but had no tears.

After going to bed so late last night, how can it be... again tonight?

Little Zhuzi was also helpless.

”Lady Xia, please hurry and get ready; the Emperor is waiting!”

After saying this, he rushed off.

Xia Ruqing, feeling resigned, sighed deeply and had no choice but to change her clothes and go.

Consort Yun, who lived in a nearby courtyard, naturally knew about the commotion.

She stood at the entrance of her courtyard, watching Lady Xia, draped in a thin silk cloak and attended by a line of attendants, making her way to the Emperor’s front court.

Her heart was seething with jealousy. Her hands itched to scratch the door panels to pieces.

It wasn’t until Lady Xia and her attendants had walked far away that Cai Die dared to speak.

”My lady, let’s go back!”

Consort Yun turned and glared at her.

”HMPH!”

Then she spun around and walked away.

Cai Die, stunned by the glare, stood there petrified, breaking out in a cold sweat despite the summer heat.

”SIGH...”

「In the front court,」

As soon as Xia Ruqing walked in, she removed her cloak and bowed gracefully before the figure.

”Greetings, Your Majesty!”

”Rise.”

Zhao Junyao put down the object beside him and waved her over.

”Qingqing, come here!”

Xia Ruqing walked over and noticed the globe was still on the floor, so she asked, ”Your Majesty, are you still thinking about this?”

Zhao Junyao shook his head.

”No.”

”Then what is it?”

Zhao Junyao suddenly produced a huge map from beside him.

”This... what is this?” Xia Ruqing widened her eyes, slightly puzzled.

”A map.”

”A more detailed map!” Zhao Junyao explained. ”I had people buy these from several foreign merchants.”

Ever since seeing that globe, Zhao Junyao had felt a vague sense of crisis.

He stood up, walked to the window, and stood with his hands clasped behind his back.

”The Southern Ocean People... if they hadn’t appeared before us, we of the Great Chu Dynasty might not even know of their existence!”

Xia Ruqing also stood up. ”Your Majesty, you are right!”

She continued, ”But these Southern Ocean People already know of our existence. Their merchants have even learned to brave the seas to earn our silver!”

Zhao Junyao was struck by her words. He suddenly turned and said, ”They even know our territorial maps! What else do they know?”

”Your Majesty!” Xia Ruqing was filled with admiration and shock.

For someone from ancient times, with their understanding of the world, to possess such a strong sense of crisis was truly, truly not easy. What did it matter that the Great Qing Dynasty possessed millennia of Huaxia history? Weren’t they still defeated by their policy of isolation? So, what about this dynasty? This Emperor, Zhao Junyao, what would he do?

「After staying in Guangnan for three days, Zhao Junyao and his entourage set off for the capital.」

Before returning to the capital, Xia Ruqing, accompanied by Zi Yue, went out for another stroll.

This time, she didn’t buy food, clothes, or jewelry. Instead, she acquired a large pile of books from the Southern Ocean People, all of which were packed onto the carriage.

Throughout the journey, Xia Ruqing studied these books.

Zhao Junyao was somewhat puzzled. ”These books...”

He didn’t recognize a single character in them!

”Qingqing, can you understand them?”

Xia Ruqing proudly produced an incredibly thick book. ”Emperor, that Southern Ocean person told me this is called a dictionary!”

Zhao Junyao frowned. ”What does that mean?”

”It means we can translate our script into the language of the Southern Ocean!”

Zhao Junyao’s eyes instantly lit up. ”Is that true?”

”Of course!” Xia Ruqing replied, then flipped through several words to show him. ”This one means ’to eat,’ this one... this is ’to drink water’!”

Ancient dictionaries were nothing like modern ones with their detailed annotations. This particular dictionary was even handwritten, its translation extremely crude. But Xia Ruqing knew it was incredibly precious.

In modern times, she had studied English in school, and this Southern Ocean language was similar to English. Although it differed from modern English, understanding simple words was still no problem for her.

Zhao Junyao was very confused. ”Qingqing, you’ve barely learned many characters of the Great Chu Dynasty. Why the sudden interest in the Southern Ocean language?”

Xia Ruqing asked while flipping through a book, ”Emperor, if I tell you, will you be angry?”

”I won’t.”

Xia Ruqing, relieved, continued, ”Emperor, do you know what kind of place the Southern Ocean is? What is their territory like? How do their people live? We have the Four Books and Five Classics. What about them? What do they study? How did they manage to traverse oceans to reach the Great Chu Dynasty? And how did they obtain our territorial maps? Their merchants can all come here to earn silver. Could a day come when they invade us for our rich lands?”

A barrage of questions left Zhao Junyao silent for a long while. He gazed into the distance.

He recalled being on the command platform of the Navy Forces, peering through a telescope at the boundless sea, an ocean so vast its end was out of sight. He also thought about how even the Navy Forces of the Great Chu Dynasty never considered sailing out to discover what lay beyond that ocean. Yet, *their* merchants had already come to earn silver.

Xia Ruqing spoke again, ”Emperor, we must be wary of others. Although they might not necessarily invade, we cannot afford to do nothing!”

Her gaze was earnest as she looked at him, her eyes reflecting the independent, confident, and bright spirit of a 21st-century woman.

Zhao Junyao glanced at her, then suddenly leaped from the carriage. In the blink of an eye, he landed steadily on the back of a horse nearby. He clamped his strong legs tightly against the horse’s belly. The black steed neighed, reared its head, and galloped furiously into the distance.

Moments later, only a swirling cloud of dust lingered in the air. Xia Ruqing could no longer even see his retreating figure.

For some reason, her heart suddenly felt empty. The confidence from moments ago had completely vanished. Oh no, the Emperor mustn’t think I’m a monster! Why did I say those things? This is ancient times, an era where a woman’s lack of talent is considered a virtue! Xia Ruqing, you’re just one among many women in the Harem. You’re not a savior, nor do you need to worry needlessly about the world. Whether to wage war or not—is that something you should be concerned about? Your duty is to serve the Emperor well, make him happy, and cling tightly to this powerful figure so you can live a good life. Enjoy eating and drinking without a care, stroll through gardens, occasionally read some books, and write little love poems to your imperial husband. Isn’t that nice? Why are you meddling in such matters! What are you showing off for? Do you think you see further ahead than the Emperor? Are you trying to ascend to the heavens? I regret it so much! What do I do... What will the Emperor think of me? Will he, from now on... No, I can’t! It wasn’t easy to achieve such a comfortable life; I don’t want to lose it!

While she was lost in her troubled thoughts, Zhao Junyao had already returned.