A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace

Chapter 287: Chapter 286 Mysterious

By noon the next day, Zhaochen Palace had sent dishes as a reward to the entire harem.

The Empress received six dishes, the Noble Consort four, Consort Ning four, and Consort Hui Pin also had four.

All the others got two dishes each.

Xia Ruqing also received two dishes.

However, they were all dishes she liked; it seemed the Imperial Kitchen had prepared them with great care.

It was rare for the Emperor to send down dishes, so everyone in the harem was very pleased.

The Empress, looking at the six dishes in front of her, was in such a good mood that she happily ate an extra half-bowl of rice.

”The Emperor visited Qingya Residence yesterday, and today he’s rewarding us with dishes. It seems Lady Xia is quite sensible.” She didn’t try to allure the Emperor and make him forget all of us.

Sister Ji said with a smile, ”What is the Empress talking about? The Emperor is thinking of you!”

She continued, ”New members of the harem will be entering soon, and the Emperor values rules. If not respectful to you, then who would he be respectful to?”

After Sister Ji’s repeated flattery, the Empress finally felt at ease.

Of course, her ability to shift her attention so quickly was largely because the Emperor still visited her. Furthermore, with new members entering the harem, there were always opportunities.

The Empress scooped a spoonful of bird’s nest porridge into her mouth and said with satisfaction, ”As long as it’s not the Noble Consort, anyone else can have children! If the Noble Consort bore a Prince, that would be terrible. The Empress Dowager alone would cause an unending fuss. In comparison, Lady Xia posed much less of a threat. In the future, once I have my own son, he will be the legitimate heir. Even an elder son born to a concubine would still rank below him. Most importantly, she wouldn’t dare to act against me!”

「...」

The Empress’s mood improved, but Noble Concubine Shih was still upset.

Unable to bear it, she ran off to complain to the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager was a little impatient. ”You had your own child, yet you couldn’t protect him! What can I do about it?”

Noble Concubine Shih cried tears of frustration. ”Aunt, I... I wish I could have protected him, but I just don’t know what happened! The child was like that from birth. The Imperial Physician said it was a congenital defect with no discernible cause; what could I do?!”

After thinking for a while, the Empress Dowager said angrily, ”That Lady Xi, I knew from the start she was no good! You had Consort Yun Pin deliberately get close to her, and when you had health issues, who knows if it wasn’t her doing behind the scenes! Such malice, hidden so deeply! Sigh... It’s such a pity about that child; he was a Prince!”

Thus reminded by the Empress Dowager, Noble Concubine Shih finally remembered. Her pupils slowly dilated, her expression gradually turning ferocious.

”Aunt... what you’ve just said reminded me! It was... during the time I was pregnant, Consort Yun Pin and Lady Xi were the closest! And also... at last year’s Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, the sedan chair I was in fell over; a paving stone on the path had been replaced with one covered in moss! That must have been her doing as well! The Empress is too cunning. Even if she intended to harm me, she wouldn’t let an incident occur at a banquet she hosted. Therefore, the culprit must have been someone else! And now that I think about it, how could it not have been her? After all, everyone with the rank of Consort or higher was thoroughly investigated, and nothing was found. So, it must have been someone below that rank. At that time, I thought to myself, They’re just a few minor Honored Ladies; even if they plotted against me, what could they possibly gain? I never imagined Lady Xi to be so malicious!”

Sometimes a woman’s intuition can be so accurate.

Noble Concubine Shih gritted her teeth, filled with regret and anger, tears streaming down her face. ”So in the end, was it I who harmed my own child?! If I hadn’t actively sought out that venomous snake, how could she have turned around and bitten me! It’s all my fault!”

Overwhelmed with emotion, Noble Concubine Shih’s legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground.

Even the Empress Dowager felt some pity! ”Enough, enough, take care of yourself! You are still young after all!”

Although she had lost hope for Noble Concubine Shih, in the end, she was still her own niece. She couldn’t just turn her back on her own niece. Besides, these were merely words of consolation. The Emperor no longer treated her as well as before; who knew if she would ever have another child. Ah, such is fate!

「...」

Noble Concubine Shih didn’t know how she made her way out of Ningshou Palace.

In any case, she fell gravely ill in the following days. Every night she was tormented by nightmares, dreaming of her child, crying incessantly until dawn.

Ying Yue was terrified. She summoned the Imperial Physician and promptly reported the matter to Eunuch Li.

Li Shengan was also shocked by the news. He dared not delay and reported it directly to the Emperor.

Zhao Junyao frowned and waved his hand dismissively. ”I am aware!”

Ying Yue left with trepidation.

「That evening, Zhao Junyao went to Xifu Palace.」

Noble Concubine Shih had been ill for several days and looked extremely haggard. Upon seeing him arrive, she hurriedly knelt. ”Greetings, Your Majesty!”

Zhao Junyao stood there, watching her for a long moment before he spoke, ”Rise.”

Noble Concubine Shih kept her head bowed, not rising, as if she hadn’t heard. Her eyes were red and swollen, her gaze empty.

Zhao Junyao grew impatient. ”Are you waiting for me to personally ask you?”

Noble Concubine Shih lowered her gaze and suddenly began kowtowing. ”Your Majesty! It is all my fault! I was utterly foolish! Your Majesty! It is I who harmed my Imperial Son! Your Majesty, please kill me! I don’t want to live anymore!”

These past few days, her heart had been in constant agony. Eating was painful, sleeping was painful, drinking water was painful, even breathing was painful; she was in torment every moment! This feeling was more unbearable than being in the eighteenth layer of hell! She had truly had enough!

Seeing her like this, Zhao Junyao scoffed, ”Whom can you blame? Lady Xi is malicious and deserves death, but are you any better? She insults other concubines, always has to be on top, and can’t stand to see anyone else doing better than her! Noble Concubine Shih was truly becoming more and more lawless! Favor? Heh! The clever and quick-witted cousin he once knew was gone, replaced by this jealous shrew! Therefore, Zhao Junyao no longer wished to dote on her.”

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. ”If you hadn’t harbored malice, my Imperial Son wouldn’t have suffered so! He was my son, after all! Even a vicious tiger doesn’t eat its own cubs. You only focus on your own heartache; do you think my heart is any less pained?”

Zhao Junyao was incandescent with rage, like a ferocious beast, his fury causing the hearts of all present to tremble!

Noble Concubine Shih collapsed to the ground, sobbing loudly.

Zhao Junyao ground his teeth with hatred, his cold eyes turning blood-red. He strode forward, hauled her to her feet, and ground out through clenched teeth, ”You still have the face to cry! If it weren’t for the bond we shared since childhood, I would never forgive you!”

Having spoken these cold words, Zhao Junyao stood to his full height. Gazing down at Noble Concubine Shih, he commanded, ”Someone, help your mistress up! If she dares to cause any more trouble, she will not be spared lightly!”

With that, he flicked his sleeves and strode away without a backward glance.

Noble Concubine Shih cried until her whole body convulsed. Overcome by the blow, she rolled her eyes back and fainted.

Ying Yue and the others were thrown into a flurry of activity!

As the saying goes, what goes around comes around; no one escapes the cycle of fate! One reaps what one sows; who else is there to blame?

「...」

Regarding the matter of Lady Xi, no one in the palace dared to discuss it too openly, but not everyone was a fool. Noble Concubine Shih’s sudden, unexplained illness was surely peculiar. With just a little inquiry, the news spread like wildfire.